Silence. The afternoon sun rose high up in the sky, beaming its deadly rays down on the sand below. The sand stretched as far as the eye could see, with the occasional wreckage here and there. Then, a sound of metal broke the silence. In between the wreckage kneeled a hooded figure. The figure wore a hood to shield their skin from the sun, a large cape falling down their shoulders. The figure was wearing a mask and goggles, and a charger was strapped to their shoulder.

The figure was kneeling over an old circuit board, salvaging anything that was still useful. The figure sighed and stood up. Nothing. They turned and climbed up further, carrying a small bag filled with scrap. When they reached the top, the figure looked over the wreckage. There were still some places they had to check. An old train, something that looked like an old building, and other smaller wreckages. The figure strapped the bag of salvaged parts to her shoulder and backed away from the edge. Then, they sprinted forward and jumped off.

Wind whizzed past the person's ears as the ground below her got closer and closer. The figure spread out her cape and she started to glide. Their cape worked similarly to a glider and could be used to move between places effectively. The figure glided slowly through the air, dodging buildings that rose up from the sand. A sudden burst of wind almost threw them off their course, but they were able to remain in control.

The figure's feet touched the ground as they smoothly landed on the rough sand. The figure walked the rest of the way, as they walked towards an off-road sled that was parked at the edge of the wreckage. The figure strapped their bag of salvaged parts to the side of the sled. Suddenly, a voice came from the figure's pocket. "Susan? Susan, are you there?"

Susan sighed and reached into her pocket for a small walkie-talkie. Susan removed her mask and put the device up to her mouth. "Yep Anna, I'm here."

"Thank goodness," Anna answered from the other end. "You didn't report in, so I was getting worried something had happened."

"Yeah sorry, I was just salvaging some old parts," Susan responded and sat down on her sled. Anna sighed. "Anyway, what's your current status?"

"Hold on," Susan answered and pulled out a map. "Let me see…"

After a few moments, she spoke up. "I'm around x -4,337,789 and y is around 5,372,421."

There was silence on the other end as Anna was calculating Susan's position. When Susan was starting to think the connection had been cut, Anna spoke up. "Susan, I don't mean to be rude, but what on cod damn earth are you doing so far out?"

Susan smiled as Anna continued. "You're way off your assigned position. You were supposed to salvage parts at x -1,413,781 and y 2,782,982. You're right in the territory of Randall's clan. If they find out you're scavenging wreckage on their territory, you're dead!"

Susan laughed. "Look, if I had searched the area you assigned me to, I would come back empty-handed. That area was stripped clean long ago, and there would be nothing left there for me to salvage."

Anna remained silent on the other end, so Susan kept going. "I just thought it would be more efficient to salvage wreckage which no one dares to salvage."

Anna sighed. "You know, there are better and safer alternatives than to search in Randall's territory."

"Randall doesn't give a damn about the wreckage on his land anyway," Susan answered. "All he thinks about is expanding his territory, but does he care about what's on that territory?"

Anna didn't answer, so Susan continued. "Of course he doesn't. And this wreckage I found is a prime example of that. This place hasn't been touched in years."

Anna remained silent for a few moments before she spoke. Well, I suppose I can't stop you since you're already there. What did you find."

"Loads of stuff," Susan answered. "Nothing insane, but we can sell it for some pretty good money."

"Did anything of note happen?" Anna asked. Susan leaned back. "Nope, nothing."

Susan could hear Anna type something on her equipment on the other end. "How much do you have left?" Anna asked. Susan examined the load she had already salvaged. "I'm thinking of searching one more wreckage and then make my way back home."

"Yeah you should," Anna said. "There's a massive sandstorm making its way to your position, so you should hurry and get back."

"Yeah, I noticed that the wind was starting to pick up," Susan said. "I'll do one quick search and then make my way back."

"Please do," Anna said on the other end. "Just let me know if something happens."

"Will do," Susan answered. "Susan out."

Susan put the walkie-talkie back into her pocket and sighed. The sun was almost unbearable, and she pulled her hood further down to protect herself from the strong beams. She reached into a small box at the back of the sled and pulled out a small water container. She took a sip and examined the wasteland around her. She had always wondered where this wreckage came from. Was it left by inklings? Or maybe someone else left it behind.

Susan's mind wondered as she put the container back into the sled. She took out her charger and began to examine the landscape around her through the scope. The charger was a modified Kensa charger. Susan had owned it before the great apocalypse, but she had personally modified it to better fit her new lifestyle. Greater range, less charging time, better scope, less recoil. Everything fit for a scavenger's job. Susan looked through the scope and spotted an old building sticking out of the sand in the distance. She could take a look in there before she left. Susan strapped the charger to her shoulder and made her way over to the building.

When Susan reached the building, she peeked inside. She didn't know what kind of building it was, but the wooden floor was littered with all kinds of stuff. She climbed through the broken window and began searching for anything salvageable. After a few minutes, all she had found was an old fuse, and even that was almost worthless. Susan sighed and stood up. "Well, might as well make my way back," she said and stretched her back. "Don't want to keep Anna waiting—"

One thing Susan had not noticed when she walked in was how old and fragile the floor was. It had been able to hold her weight thus far, but just as she was making her way to the window, the ancient wood gave away. Susan plummeted through the floor and towards the ground below her. Something hit her on the head when she crashed down, and the world began to spin around her. Susan lay on the ground, barely remaining consciousness. "Anna," Susan thought and began to reach for her walkie-talkie. "I need to…"

But she could not muster the strength to pull it out. Her vision began to darken. "Anna…" went through her mind before she was plunged into endless darkness.

"Susan!"

Susan slowly opened her eyes. Her head was pounding and darkness surrounded her.

"Susan!"

It took Susan a few moments before she realized where the voice was coming from. She reached into her pocket and drew out her walkie-talkie. "Hello," she said through gritted teeth and gripped her head. "Susan!" Anna answered on the other end. "Thank goodness! What happened! You've been silent for almost two hours!"

Anna's voice was really distorted, like there was something blocking the signal. "Sorry!" Susan answered. "I hit my head pretty bad."

Anna sighed on the other end. "Look, the sandstorm has already hit, you need to get out of there before it gets worse!"

Susan stood up with difficulty. "How bad is it?" she asked. She could hear Anna type something on her end. "It… 40... lometers… er hour."

The distortion was so great that Susan could barely hear what Anna had said. "What?" she shouted. More distortion. "-usan? Hello? Are -ou -ere?" she could hear in between the buzzing noise. "Anna?! Anna?!"

Nothing. The connection was lost. All Susan could hear right now was the howling wind outside. Susan cursed and put the walkie-talkie back into her pocket. She'd have to check outside and see if it was possible to return home in this weather. If not, she'd have to wait for the storm to calm down. She examined her surroundings. Above her was the hole she'd fallen through. If she had something to stand on, she might be able to reach up and pull herself up. Susan looked around. Right there in the corner was a large crate. If she could push it under the hole, she might be able to use it to boost herself up. She positioned herself right next to the crate and took a deep breath. "Come on," she murmured. "I can do this."

Then, she began to push. It took all her strength, but eventually she was able to push the crate in a position where it would help her. Susan's arms were aching from the effort, but nevertheless she pulled herself onto the crate and out of the hole. She dragged herself towards the window on the stomach. If she stood up, she'd be risking breaking the floor again. When she reached the window, she reached into her cloak and pulled out a mouth mask and a pair of goggles. Sandstorms could be devastating, and she had to be prepared.

She put them on and peeked outside. There was barely any visibility. Sand whizzed past at high speed. Susan sighed. It looked like she'd have to stay the night. She turned back and prepared to lie down by the window.

But then, she heard a sound that made her look back outside. What was that? She narrowed her eyes and stared into the storm. She could've sworn she heard something. A bang. Then, she heard it again, clearer this time. Susan held her breath, scanning for the source of the bang. Then, a red flare shot into the sky. Susan gasped. "A warning flare," she muttered and pulled out her charger. "There were other people here!"

Susan looked through her scope, hoping to catch a glimpse of the source of the flare. Then, she saw it. Dark shapes came sprinting out of the darkness. One, four, eight, twelve people. Susan could faintly hear them shouting something, although she couldn't hear what. She examined them closer through her scope. They were running from something. The group shouted and pointed, all of them holding a weapon of some kind.

Two people split from the group and ran out of sight, while the rest positioned themselves behind cover, aiming their weapons into the darkness. "What are you running from?" Susan murmured and tried to look for movement. Who were these people? Were they part of Randall's group? And if so, what were they doing here?

Susan tried again to look for what they had been running from, but found nothing in the darkness. Susan felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest. She held her breath, waiting for something to happen. Then, chaos erupted. Within a matter of seconds, the group began to fire into the darkness, aiming at an enemy Susan could not see. Whoever they were shooting at began to return fire, as ink came flying out of the storm. Then, Susan could see shapes through the dense sandstorm.

People came running out from the darkness, firing their weapons at the defending group. People were being splatted on both sides, as the two groups sent a barrage of ink at each other. Susan's heart stopped as she realized what was happening. Randall's group and the neighboring clans had always been enemies. There was always tension between them, and the likelihood of a war had always been lingering over. But it looked like they had finally begun their war. And Susan was right in the middle of it.

Just as she said it, more people came running out of the storm. She guessed they were Randall's group, since it looked like they were on the defensive. "I need to get out of here quick," she thought and ducked out of sight. "If either group finds me, I'm dead!"

Susan took a deep breath. Swimming through ink in this sand would be impossible, so she'd have to go on foot. "I'll have to circle around them and get to the sled that way," she thought and checked on her charger. "I can't draw attention to myself!"

She peeked back outside. The two sides were still exchanging shots, with Randall's group being constantly pushed back. Susan ducked back down and closed her eyes. "It's now or never!"

Susan climbed through the window and scanned around. The sandstorm could provide her with cover and allow her to sneak her way to the sled. Susan dashed towards an abandoned train cart, staying low to the ground. When she stopped by the cart, she saw that Randall's group was falling back, the attackers chasing them through the storm. Susan sighed in relief, since the two groups were moving further away from her. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something.

Susan looked through her scope to see what, and her stomach dropped. There was another battle not far away. Susan scanned her surroundings further, until she'd noticed at least six skirmishes taking place all around her. This wasn't a small battle, this was a large-scale attack. Her hope was crushed further when she saw a seventh battle taking place right in the area she had parked her sled. Susan searched for it through her scope, and finally located the sled half-buried in sand by one of the buildings. Neither group would notice what it was in all the chaos, but getting there would be impossible.

Suddenly, Susan heard voices and dove behind cover, placing her finger on the trigger. She waited anxiously, ready to pull the trigger at any moment. A small group ran past her, shouting something Susan could not make out. She held her breath. They were mere feet away from her. She waited until the voices had disappeared until she finally came out of her hiding place. "I need to find better cover!" she thought and began to move along the walls of the tall buildings. "Maybe I can hide close to my sled until either side starts to retreat. Then I can maybe jump on the sled and get out of here."

Susan sprinted between buildings, occasionally laying low to avoid detection. There were faint gunshots all around her, and sometimes Susan had to run through ink-tainted sand, results of battles that had taken place there. She was not far away from her sled now. Now all she had to do was find cover and wait the battle out. Suddenly, her heart froze. From behind the corner of the building came running a few people. Susan dove through a door next to her. Had they seen her?

She ran into a small room and crouched down, listening for any potential movement. She could hear the crunch of sand outside, as the group walked past the wall she was slumped up to. She heard someone's voice outside, like a captain talking to their soldiers. Closing her eyes, Susan came up with a plan if they found her. "If they saw me, I'll have to make a run for my sled. It doesn't matter if it's in the middle of a war zone, I'm dead if they catch me!"

She heard the floor creak by the door, and Susan's heart stopped. The wind howled outside, as Susan waited for something to happen. "Alright, this place seems clear," a voice came from the other room. "Let's bunker up here until we receive further orders."

Susan could hear acknowledgments from the others in the group and footsteps as the group walked into the building. Susan sighed in relief. They hadn't seen her. Then, horror-struck her again as it started to sink in that they were only a few rooms away from her. She heard a few voices and thumps. Were they setting up something? Then, the same voice spoke again. "Scott, Clyde and Silvia, you guys stay guard. We don't want any of Randall's men sneaking past us."

"Yes sir!" someone responded and Susan could hear footsteps moving further away. The voice, which Susan assumed was the commander of the group, spoke again. "Felix and Ashe, start setting up our comms. I need to get a status report from any other squad and coordinate an attack and break this stalemate."

"Understood!" a woman responded. Susan frowned. Stalemate? Last she'd known, Randall's group was on retreat. She listened for any gunshots, but noticed that there were a lot fewer of them than before. The commander continued. "Emily, you start patching up any wounds we may have suffered."

"Yes sir!" a woman responded. There was silence for a few moments before the commander spoke again. "Marcus I'm sorry, but I'm going to ask you to stay here once we begin our assault again."

"No sir, I can still fight!" a younger-sounding voice responded. "It's only a scratch!"

"You're a good lad Marcus, but you can barely stand. If we let you back into the fight, you'd only be putting your life, and ours, at risk. I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to stay here with Emily."

The younger-sounding man sighed. "Yes sir."

"Good," the commander said. The rest of you should take a breather. I'm going to contact the other squads and see what our orders are. Don't draw any attention to us. That means no fires or target practice. I might be wrong, but I think the enemy is unaware that we're here, which gives us a huge advantage. So stay low and out of sight."

"Yes sir!" the group responded and Susan could hear some of them sit down. "Blast it!" she thought. There was no way she could sneak out unnoticed. "What now?!" she thought. "It's only a matter of time until they find me!"

She could hear some of the people talking amongst themselves. As of right now, she was safe, but eventually someone would get bored of sitting in the main room and start to explore the building further. Susan's thoughts were interrupted by a woman's voice in the other room. "We finished up setting up the communications, sir!"

"Great job soldier," the commander said and Susan could hear someone standing up. "Go get some rest, you've earned it."

The commander began to talk, probably through a radio. "Hello, hello. This is commander Gunther of squad seven. Are any other squads out there?"

A short pause, until commander Gunther spoke again. "Yes, this is squad seven, what's your position squad nine?"

Someone responded on the other end, and the commander spoke. "We're in a building at the perimeter of area three. We've lost six people and other three are missing. One heavily injured, rest are holding up okay. We're in no need of resupply or any evac. Any news from the other squads?"

As the commander spoke on the radio, Susan could pick up on a conversation some of the soldiers were having. "Man, I wish we didn't have to bunker up like a bunch of cowards," a man said. "I wanna go back out there and wreak some havoc!"

Another person, a woman with a deep voice responded. "You're seriously enjoying this? I'm glad we have a chance to take a breather, out there was hell. I couldn't see anything and I almost died three times!"

Another woman with a kinder-sounding voice spoke. "And if you're not careful Hank, you'll be dead as well. If you continue to charge right into the enemy lines, I won't be there to patch you up. I've used more bandages on you than any other person in this squad."

The man, who apparently was called Hank, responded with a slight annoyance in his voice. "If we just hide behind cover the entire time, we won't make any progress! Someone has to break their lines!"

"And if that maneuver costs you your life?" the kinder-sounding woman asked. Hank stayed silent for a few moments. "Then I die. Big deal Emily."

The soldiers remained silent after that. Susan was struggling with keeping her breathing steady. The commander finished talking on the radio and Susan could hear him putting it down. "Attention!" he said and the soldiers went silent immediately. "I just finished talking to the other squads. It sounds like they're having the same stalemate we're struggling with. Randall's men must've pulled themselves together and established a very tight defensive line. If we allow them to call for backup, this battle is going to be a lot harder than it has to be."

Susan listened closely. If the two sides were at a stalemate, that could mean the area her sled was parked at was clear! The commander continued. "The plan is to launch an all-out attack on the enemy. If we can drive the enemy out of the larger buildings, their cover is going to get a lot worse. Squads two, four, five, eight, nine and ten are going to rush towards the enemy position and are going to distract them. Our job is to flank around and attack the enemy from behind. That will allow squads five and nine to break their stalemate. Then we can support the other squads by attacking their enemy from the side. That will force them to retreat and we can chase them out into the open. Sadly, squad one has been completely wiped out. Squad three had to evacuate, squad six's current status is unknown and squad eleven is currently in combat. The rest of this operation relies on us. So get as much rest as you can, you're gonna need it. We move out in 30 minutes."

"Yes sir!" the group replied in unison and Susan could hear some of them shuffling around. "Kriss, could I talk to you for a second?" the commander said to someone.

"Sure," said a completely new voice. It was the voice of a young man by the looks of it. Susan could hear two people approaching the room she was hiding in. She held down her breath and tried to hide herself better. The two men stopped right outside Susan's room. Even if they were whispering, Susan could make out what they were saying. The commander spoke to the man called Kriss. "Look Kriss, I don't want to be the one to deliver these news to you, but I don't want you to go out there without knowing this."

Kriss remained silent, so the commander kept on talking. "Your sister in squad five is heavily injured. The enemy got her pretty bad."

Kriss said nothing for a few moments, until he finally answered in a hollow voice. "Is she dying?"

"We're not sure yet," the commander responded. "Her condition is critical and squad five's medic is taking care of her. I've been ordered to have you escorted to squad five's position so that you can be by her side."

"What!?" Kriss answered in an angry tone. "But sir, I want to fight!"

"I know kid," the commander answered. "I know it's frustrating and that you probably want to get revenge for your sister. But I'm obligated to have you escorted to her because of rule 21. We cannot lose siblings in the same battle."

"But sir!" Kriss protested but he was interrupted by the commander. "Kriss, listen to me. If I were you, I'd want to get revenge just as much as you do. But you have to think about your parents. If they lose both of their children on the same day, it'll devastate them. That's why rule 21 was established, to prevent siblings from dying from the same battle."

Kriss remained silent. "And think about your sister," the commander continued. "If these are really her last moments, do you want her to be alone? Wouldn't it be easier for her to be with someone she knows. I'm sorry Kriss, but I have no choice. I'm ordering you to not participate in this battle. An escort will arrive shortly to take you to your sister. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir," Kriss said in a cold and hollow voice. Susan could hear the commander patting Kriss on the back. "Good lad. You doing alright?"

"Yeah sir, I just need a few moments."

"Yeah, of course. The escort will arrive in a few minutes, use that time to take a breather. Susan could hear one person walk back to the group, but one stayed behind. She assumed it was Kriss. "What was it?" a person asked the commander.

"Kriss's sister," the commander replied. "Rule 21."

"Oh," the person responded and remained quiet. Susan's heart was going a mile a minute. Kriss was right outside the door! She held her breath, trying to make as little sound as possible. Finally, Kriss moved. Susan expected him to walk back to the group, but he began pacing down the corridor, closer to Susan's room. Susan's eyes widened and she readied her charger. She could see a shadow right outside her door. The door opened and a person stepped in.

Susan thought everything was done for and prepared herself to pull the trigger. But, Kriss walked into the room like he didn't see her. Susan was crouched up by the wall, her charger aimed at Kriss's back. If she pulled that trigger, the entire group would know about her. Was there a better way to approach this? The group outside started talking amongst themselves again and Kriss had his back turned on Susan. She could hear him exhale, and he put his hands on his head. It was like he was trying to calm himself down. "If he just doesn't turn around and walks back outside, then I'll be fine," Susan thought. "Then I won't have to…"

Kriss stared into the empty air. "Please don't turn around, please don't turn around, please don't turn around!" Susan thought as sweat ran down her forehead. Kriss remained still and the group outside were still babbling about something. Finally, Kriss took a deep breath and looked down. Hope began to creep back into Susan's heart. Was he leaving. Then, to Susan's horror, he began to turn around. She only had a few moments before his eyes would land on her. And if she shot him, the entire group would know about her. Susan took a split-second decision and lept out of her hiding place. Before Kriss knew, the butt of Susan's charger collided with his face and he crumbled to the ground.

Susan had to catch him so he wouldn't make any noise, and she listened intently for a reaction from the group outside. Susan dragged Kriss's body across the floor and out of sight. Her heart was racing. Had they heard her?

"Yo Kriss, you there?" a voice came from outside. Susan froze. The commander's voice answered. "He just wants some time with himself, leave him alone, will ya?" he said. "The kid deserves it."

"Alright," the other voice replied. Susan exhaled. She was safe for now, but she only had a few minutes. Once the escort arrived, the group would get suspicious of Kriss's absence and would start to look for him. And if Susan was there when that happened, she'd be in big trouble. "It might be suicidal," Susan thought. "But I have to sneak out of here now."

Susan crept towards the door and peeked outside. The group was further down the hall, sitting in a circle. They were all in the same room, so if she made it across the hallway, she'd be safe. The darkness could provide her with cover, but she'd have to be quick and quiet. Susan took a deep breath and dashed across the hallway into a room opposite her. It didn't appear that any of them heard her. Susan crept along the wall, moving from room to room. "There has to be an open window somewhere!" she thought and looked around frantically. Then, she felt a slight breeze in her hair. Was there an opening somewhere? And then, she saw it. In the next room was a broken window. It was small, but she could climb through. All she had to do was get there and—

"Hey!" a voice came behind her. Chill crept down Susan's back as she realized she had forgotten something. "The guards!" she thought and spun around on the spot. In the doorway stood a man who glared at her. Susan could see him reach for a pair of dualies that hung from his belt. Susan acted without thinking. Her charger was aimed at the man's face and before Susan knew it, she had pulled the trigger. A loud bang, and the man was splatted where he stood. Complete silence. Then, voices from the other room. "What was that?! Did you hear that?! Get ready! They're here!"

Susan could hear shuffling and footsteps approaching her. She had to act quickly! Susan turned and sprinted towards the room with the broken window, but another guard came sprinting into view. He held a blaster and began to aim it at her. Susan was quicker and splatted the guard, running past him towards the window. Then, she stopped in her tracks as a horrible truth came washing over her.

The window was too small. She'd never be able to climb out of here before someone would find her and shoot her in the back. She looked around desperately, trying to locate another exit. A woman came from behind the corner, holding a shooter. Susan didn't have time to turn around and shoot, so she lifted her foot off the ground, aiming for the woman's weapon. Her foot collided and the weapon flew out of the woman's hands. Susan lifted her other leg, aiming for the woman's stomach this time. However, the woman was able to grab Susan's foot midair and flung Susan across the room, sending her crashing into a wall.

Susan lost grip of her charger and all air was pushed out of her lungs. Struggling to breathe, Susan tried to stand up as the woman's heavy footsteps approached her. When the woman reached her, she grabbed Susan from behind and lifted her off the ground. Susan tried to break free, but the woman just slammed Susan's body into the wall. Susan struggled around, as the woman prepared to slam her into the wall again. Susan pushed her elbow as hard as she could into the woman's stomach, loosening her grip on her, which allowed Susan to break free.

The two of them exchanged some punches, until Susan was able to land a very solid hit on the woman's face. The woman stumbled backwards and into a wall, dazed from the strike. Susan looked around and saw a man come from behind the corner. Susan didn't have her charger, so she dashed towards the man. The man saw her and fired from his shooter. His shot missed Susan's head by inches, and Susan leaped towards the man. Her elbow collided with his face, and he crumbled down.

Susan was breathing heavily, and she could hear footsteps approaching her. She didn't have much time. She ran to her charger on the floor and picked it up, before she sprinted as fast as she could towards a large window. The glass was still intact, but that didn't matter. She just had to get out of there. There were voices behind her. "Over there!" someone said and Susan could hear a blaster being shot. She sprinted as fast as she could and dove through the window.

The glass shattered and Susan crashed into the ground below. Pieces of the window dug into her skin, but she just ignored the pain and stood up. The wind had really picked up since a few minutes ago, making it really hard to see. Susan ran as fast as she could through the sand. Her sled wasn't too far from here. She heard voices and gunshots behind her. They were following her! She came into the area where she had parked her sled. Her eyes scanned the area for it. It had been somewhere close to—"

"There it is!" Susan thought and quickened her pace. Next to a large building sat her sled, half-buried in sand. Susan cursed. "Starting it will be hard in all this sand," she thought and began to look for the keys in her pocket. "I hope the sand hasn't clogged up the engine!"

Susan jumped into the seat, inserting the key into the ignition and turned it. The engine coughed, but did not start. "Come on, come on, come on, come on!" Susan growled and turned again. The engine coughed again, but refused to start. Susan could hear voices behind her and looked back. A group of people came sprinting from behind the corner, pointing at her. "Over there!" one of them said, and some began to fire their weapons. "This is my last chance!" Susan thought and drew the key back out. She inserted it back in and turned as hard as she could.

The engine coughed, but didn't start. But right when Susan was about to lose hope, the engine roared and the sled shook as the engine activated. Susan put the sled into full throttle, and the sled flew into motion. Driving against the wind was difficult, but she didn't care. She just had to get out of there. The voices grew more distant and Susan looked back. She couldn't see the group that had been chasing her, as the wreckage began to slowly disappear into the darkness. Susan looked back forward and quickened the pace and disappeared into the storm.