During our car ride, Autriel finished reading her magazine, and said, "Your face looks like a man who can't believe he isn't dead."

I returned from my driver's hypnosis and replied, "Yeah, that has been on my mind for a while now. I won't bother asking how you know. Why?"

She clasped her hands together and said, "I have a theory. Would you like to hear it?"

I guessed it would be better than simply wondering. I said, "Sure."

"One of the most basic ways of burning energy is enhancing your physical attributes. The only thing that comes more natural is using it to sustain yourself, but humans can't do that, unfortunately. It simply requires the will and focus to do so. Since I've seen firsthand that you have copious… no, more like obnoxious amounts of the stuff… well, you can draw the conclusions."

I made a right turn off highway 34 to 34-bus. "Okay, I've drawn some. Stupid question: Is this the same stuff you're talking about that does magic?"

"It debatably is magic, but yes. Same stuff. That's just my theory anyway. If I'm correct, and I usually am, you should consider how you expend it."

I pulled into a cluster of buildings and replied with, "Mmmmm."

The local business looked like it had been forcibly evacuated. Clearly not by the local police force, unless the cops suddenly decided to create a four-foot wide hole into the side of a commercial building. We looted it, and I fortunately managed to find a worker's uniform and a pair of shoes. Socks were later found in a nearby house. Now, a shred of dignity had been restored to me. I also managed to find, almost equally importantly, a map and some pencils to mark it with. The car came with it's own compass. Around this time, Autriel had been wandering around, but then gained a look of concern on her face. She sat down cross-legged in the dirt road, closed her eyes, and began casting something, or at least focusing intently. I left her alone and tried to find some food. The only things I could get my hands on were a handful of chocolate chip granola bars and some tap water. Truly, the dinner of kings. I munched on one while picking at the scabs on my chest.

When I walked out of the house, Gusoyn and Autriel were in an animated discussion. The hellhound had adopted the dragon's worried look.

As I walked toward them, they stopped, but I asked, "Hey. Whatcha talking about?" Both of them looked at each other, waiting for the other to say something or to keep the silence.

I said, "Look, if we're going to be travelling together, we're going to have to be honest and open. Let's not act like a bunch of secretive teenagers."

Autriel piped up. "Remember that horde that invaded the town you were captured in?"

I replied, "Yes, what about them?"

For the first time, she had the hint of fear in her voice. I realized how much I had been relying on that self-assured snark for comfort. Now that the confidence was gone, she seemed very different. She said, "They're moving again toward us. I'm going to assume our car speed is the same as my flight speed, and our total travel time on the road was about an hour and a half. Therefore, I'm going to say it's a little more than a day's travel on foot for the average human. Change it a little because we're dealing with mamano, not humans…"

She suddenly looked me dead in the eyes. "A day. That's what we have."

I was dumbfounded. "What do you mean 'A day?' They're on foot and we have a car. All of this is assuming we're standing still, which we'd have to be idiots to do."

"This is true. However, behind us wasn't the only place I was looking. I think we should advance slowly and have a discreet look at the town to the east."

"Fine then, let's do that."

We all piled in the car. Autriel still kept whatever she was channeling up, and we drove a slower speed toward the town. I saw something in the distance, but it became clear about a minute into town.

The military was not fucking around this time. For some reason, they had decided that Fairfield was a strategic position, and thought it deserved much more defenses than the previous places. I got spooked and immediately swerved behind a retail store. We all got out of the car and Autriel ended her spell. We stealthily moved behind a car and I peeked out from behind it.

Fucking howitzers. Oh, and sandbags with mounted guns behind them, as well. I think I could see some people moving around. With all of this, I wouldn't be surprised if they had set up anti-air behind the barricades.

The two mamano looked to me expectantly. Gusoyn commented, "Why would they make walls made of sand in bags and stick tubes out of them?" Autriel said, "I'll fly up and try to see how far this wall goes." I put my hand on her arm and replied, "You'd return to the ground in a hundred pieces." Both of them recoiled a little bit. I said, "Sorry. That was a little dark, but seriously, let's stay on foot.

I didn't have any experience seriously looking at maps, but after consoling for a while, it appeared the firing line was set up along 22nd street. It ran north-south through the northern half of the town. We spent some more time as the sun set moving south to see if the line ended. It didn't. The line shifted to south 23rd street and continued through the town. I wasn't exactly a strategist, but it looked like they were trying to stop anyone coming from the west.

They looked at me again, and near unanimously said, "Now what?"

I thought for a second. "Let's get back to the car and see if we can go around like we have before."

We retraced our steps, and tried north, but the wall continued running parallel to highway 1. It continued until we didn't feel like trying north anymore. The same was true for the south. I played a few grand strategy games a while ago. I'm not saying this made me an expert, but it certainly teaches the basics. The more we drove, constantly failing to find an opening, the more I realized this wasn't just the town being protected.

This was a front line.

Dechala was starting to recognize the advantages of motorized transportation. She was far ahead of the horde, and had just crossed a river with minimal effort. Their convoy consisted of three semi-trucks and a school bus they had previously gutted. Two of the trucks hauled standard containers, but the third carried a full tank of diesel. This allowed them to avoid getting bogged down in large settlements and take smaller, two-lane roads. Anyone driving toward them was run off the road. This didn't disturb anyone's moral compass, as there was plenty of time to see them coming and there was even more space on the side of the road. In short, they were set for some time.

Dechala was attempting to track the man and the others. The presences of the other two were becoming more pronounced and more… synchronized with the man's, if that made any sense. Other than that, she also sensed the energy residue of a recent and intense fight. She had no idea who was in combat or why, but two very powerful individuals must have had some kind of disagreement.

Whatever the case, they were close. With her senses, the navigator's (hopefully) adequate map reading skills, and some basic trigonometry, the man and his two companions were near the next town. Hopefully this time, he wouldn't get himself captured.

In a very little amount of time, they came to the end of the trail outside of the town. Unfortunately, the three they were looking for were nowhere to be found. They also noticed the humans had put up fortifications much more impressive than anything they had seen before. After some scouts returned from reconnaissance, the other humans in their convoy were very fearful. Dechala went by the advice of the men and the descriptions of how they would all die if they performed a charge. Their quarry must have also encountered this same wall and would also logically try to make their way around it.

The plan was this: The vehicles would split up with at least one mamano in each one to track the man, while the tanker truck stayed put, out of the guns' sights. They would all stay in radio contact, the hope being that one of them would find the man, and then the other trucks would meet up as soon as possible. The plan seemed solid, and as night fell, it was put into action.

We were getting tired. I eventually decided the best place to be would be back in town, closest to civilization. There, we would have more options, even if we would be nearby a bunch of artillery pieces. I was also desperately trying to think of a plan and why the military would suddenly decide here was a good spot to set up. On our trip back, we drove past a semi truck that was driving very slowly. The gas light on the car turned on about five minutes out of town, and we decided to rest in an empty motel. By the time we arrived, the car would occasionally cough.

That was the decision. However, while we were heading back, I noticed a pair of headlights following us. I didn't think much of it until we pulled into the motel. Once it pulled under a streetlamp, I realized those lights belonged to the same truck that went past us. It just parked on the side of the road and switched it's lights off. Nobody ever came out of it, though. I told Autriel and Gusoyn to keep an eye on it. After that, we broke into a room and all tried to get some sleep. I brought the gun with me, just in case. However, I went out to go to the bathroom and the two mamano had a conversation in my absence.

Gusyon began, "Things are really getting exciting. Running's getting real tiring."

Autriel didn't share the hellhound's more positive mood. "I suppose it was inevitable. I'm just…"

"What?"

The dragon absentmindedly picked at the carpet. "Nervous. Doubtful, even fearful."

"Yeah. These humans seem to be a lot more organized than the ones we've dealt with in the past. If Richard's right, they're a lot deadlier, too. If it makes you feel any better, I've got a knot in my stomach."

Autriel chuckled. "Pffft. You've got more than that."

"You're one to talk. Are you… worried you might lose him?"

Autriel turned her head toward Gusoyn. Her eyes, normally prideful, gave off waves of worry. "Aren't you? Normally in battles you see the enemy coming. I've watched dozens. When two fight, there's time spent facing off, challenging each other. That's time to swoop in and carry him off in case things go wrong. Now, it's instantaneous. One moment you believe yourself to be secure, the next, you are a pile of gore on the ground. No chance of reacting."

"I get that. I knew when humans went to war, it could get messy. Even when we fought each other, blood could happen. The gods friendly to us stopped us short from mortal wounds."

Autriel retorted, "But all of that is gone. No more protection. No more safety barrier. No more benevolent deities or demons to save us from mistakes. I ripped a metal door off it's hinges and threw it across the road. I've breached buildings with ease. No wall can stop me forever. Now, even the most basic of peasants can end me faster than I can blink. I… I don't want to die. Is that so unreasonable? I've never had to worry about it before. If he dies, I'm afraid I might, too."

Gusoyn thought for a moment, and realized those things might be true for her as well. She sighed. "I know, but hear me out. We're stuck. We have a human army where even the lowliest grunt can get a lucky shot and kill us on one side. On the other we have another army of our own kin, who would have no problem ripping us apart to get to Richard. I… What I just said wasn't exactly the best rallying cry, but I'm not going to lie to you. I think that, if we don't find a way around this army, we're going to be in a lot of trouble."

"If only you two could fly."

"If only, but there's no sense in wishing. The pack is only as fast as it's slowest member."

"Then I guess we've got to keep moving. There's no other way. We can't fight them."

"I think we must fight them, regardless of the risk. The mamano aren't going to stop hounding us. We're going to have to confront this, ready or not. Plus, for both of us, running is going to get a lot harder in less than a year. That and…"

"And?"

"Neither of us have good opinions of other mamano, and we view humans pretty dismissively. The humans keep each others' company for the most part, but hell, I don't think mamano really care for each other at all. I might not like them, but it would haunt me for the rest of my life if I knew they were going into a meat grinder and didn't do anything about it."

"Do you plan on stopping them?"

"Maybe, but I have no idea how. I do have something to ask about you."

"Ask."

"I know dragons are one of the strongest races around. You can fly, you can cast magic, you've got great strength, you're smarter than me (though you rarely apply it), and you keep Richard on his toes."

"I hate to stop you mid-praise, but is this going somewhere?"

"But, I heard(and this is just a myth), I heard that dragons could turn back time. I don't know how, but I was told they could briefly bring back the old days, when mamano were far more destructive. It was back when we killed men, yet dragons had the will to break that."

There was a pause, a long one. Autriel stayed silent for some time. She held a hesitant look upon her face. It was the expression of a person who'd unenthusiastically suggested the nuclear option in the war room. Someone had to, but nobody wanted to be the one. Her eyes drifted around the ground, then to the ceiling. She responded, but didn't look Gusoyn in the face.

"Yes. Briefly. I don't know anyone in my life who has. It's generally frowned upon by everybody. Humans for obvious reasons, but other mamano see it as needless slaughter of potential mates and the powers-that-be don't take kindly to defiances of their will (No matter how short-lived)."

"Well, those powers are gone now, at least I think. The humans' opinion won't change, and there might be a needless slaughter anyway, but you're saying you can do it."

"It takes an extreme amount of will and energy. It's a metaphorical switch that's always been there, and I have the personal fear I won't change back. However, yes. It's a desperate option for a desperate time."

"That desperate time might be soon. If you really are worried, why don't you talk to him? I won't bug you."

Dechala was starting to get annoyed. Talking over the radio was difficult for her. Speaking, especially arguing, to someone without seeing them threw her off. That being said, it wasn't why she was annoyed.

She said into the microphone, "What do you mean you guys are tired? You can't go without a single day of sleep?"

The radio crackled, "Some of us have been awake for longer than that. Ma'am, I know he's important and all, but can it wait until tomorrow morning? We don't have a driver here who isn't nodding off."

She clenched the handset. He was so close. One of the trucks was practically looking at him right now. She could force them to continue, but that wouldn't be good leadership, would it? She had to think of her crew. After some hesitation, she said, "Fine. Everyone sleeps now. However, our time is limited. You move out the moment, and I mean the moment, you see the sun. Got me?"

"Yes ma'am. Thank you ma'am."

I should emphasize that I tried to sleep. There were two queen beds, but the two mamano thought we should sleep together. I didn't object, especially when the power went out about half an hour after we broke in. I certainly wasn't worried about getting cold. That being said, I shut my eyes, but sleep never came. If I had to guess, I think I was too distracted. My mind just couldn't calm down. Eventually, I gave up and carefully got out of bed and sat on the floor, staring out the window. With the complete darkness of the power outage, my night vision was very good, and I could see the stars.

I heard the rustling of scales on cloth, and claws on carpet walking toward me. Autriel sat on the floor next to me and stared out the window, not speaking a word for a long time. She reminded me of the first night I was with her, back in the tower, back in Wyoming. The moonlight reflected off her amber eyes and her hair took on a lighter shade of lavender. Her expression and posture were completely different, or it may have been me who was different. I no longer felt any intimidation or pressure from her presence. It was a calm, intimate, quiet, and thoughtful camaraderie. Like last time, she said nothing, probably feeling that silence said more than any monologue she could come up with. I felt nothing but comfortable around her, combined with a feeling of literal and metaphorical warmth. We just sat and gazed at the stars.

I eventually broke silence. "Couldn't sleep either?"

She glanced toward me. "Evidently. I also wanted a moment to talk to you. You seemed on edge in the car, so I figured I'd bide my time."

"Well, I'm as calm as I've ever been for a while right now. What's up?"

"To be honest, I don't know what I haven't already told you. I'd like to think there's more to me than whatever angst gets yelled out in the middle of a single fight."

"Of course there is. Just because you can't think of more, doesn't mean that's all to you. Hell, most people can't do it. I think you're a very complex person, you just don't know how to show people that."

"Thank you. It means a lot. While we're on the subject, I wanted to apologize about what happened earlier. I'm… It's embarrassing that the hellhound is less emotional than me, the dragon. I mean, I'm supposed to be the 'highest of the reptiles' and one of the strongest of all mamano. It's a lot of responsibility, yet I'm the one who has all of the emotional fits."

"Apology accepted. That being said, I don't think you're less emotional than Gusoyn. She's just more of a people person and has more experience being around them. You're not a natural leader, but she is. There's nothing shameful about that; most people aren't. As for the fits, I don't blame you. We're all going through a lot right now. I'm not saying picking fights with me and destroying houses is a good way of coping, but I think you needed it."

"I see. Also speaking of her. I noticed that you gave Gusoyn that ring." I looked over toward the bed and saw Gusoyn's hand sticking out from under the sheet. The piece of citrine sparkled a little in the moonlight. Autriel continued, "I would also like… something intimately symbolic as well."

I said, "Keep in mind that thing is just temporary. It's just a pipe fastener with some foam and a piece of quartz glued to it. Once I get back on my feet, I'll find something we can both be proud of. What'd you have in mind?"

"Of course. Rings are most popular among humans, as I've observed. However, I'm not as picky. In fact, I'd prefer to not limit myself to just jewelry (though, do not let that discourage you). I feel that something of that nature should be worth more than simply the coin it took to purchase it. To me, it feels cheap, like some kind of investment. If I were to give something, I feel it should be something well-thought and creative. It would be something that would mean something to the couple, and the couple alone, shiny or not"

"Wow. I completely agree with you. I don't have anything right now, but I'm glad you told me. I'll start thinking about it right away. Now I don't feel so bad about not giving you anything yet."

"Oh, but you have."

"What?"

"In a few months, you'll find out."

"Explain."

"I'm egging, Richard."

"At the risk of great insult, do you mean like a bird?"

"No, we only egg if we are pregnant."

"I… Oh. Gotcha. Congrats. That took a turn."

"Yes it did. I'm very happy. Gusoyn is, too."

"Is happy or is pregnant?"

"Both."

"Oh, fuck."

"Are you well? Are you happy?"

"Yeah, I'm great, ecstatic; just… stunned. That was a happy 'oh fuck'. I've just never been a father before. I don't know if I'm ready, but I guess I don't have a choice now. It… is mine, right?"

She placed a hand on my shoulder and chuckled. "Of course it is, fool. I think you will be just fine. While mamano are very fertile, we are also very good at choosing the best people to be with. I think you're a good man. Besides, you've got some time to prepare."

"So, what's all of this entail?"

"Well, not much. There'll be an egg after a few months, then a few more before it hatches. In total, about nine months, same as you humans I believe. I'll probably get cravings soon. That being said, I've got a good feeling about this. This is a tougher situation than we've seen before, but we'll pull through. Worrying never helped anyone."

"Yeah, I get that. It's just different. I…"

"Before you continue, I want to make it clear that you shouldn't coddle me or go on some rant about protecting me. I certainly don't need it, and would take great personal insult if you did."

"Okay, fine. No change, then."

"Beautiful. That being said…"

She scooted up to me, and laid her head on my shoulder. I could feel one of her horns in my hair and her wing draped across my back. She smelled a little like ash. I figured I shouldn't just sit there. I should probably do something. I did the first thing that came to mind, raised my arm behind her head, and began massaging the back of it.

Her head nodded and her eyes flickered open and shut. She continued, "...I don't mind this." Eventually, she laid down and closed her eyes for good. I did the same, but sleep didn't come for a long time.

I was suddenly awoken by a massive blast rattling everything in the room, including me. All of us jumped up and I rushed for the rifle. A few seconds later, I heard a dull explosion that shook everything again. What the fuck were they shelling? Also, why was I having trouble focusing my thoughts on things?

Gusoyn was the first to talk. "What was that? Sounds like giants!"

I replied, "No, it's a cannon."

Autriel said, "I had heard, but never thought they could shake the earth itself." She put two fingers on her forehead and winced.

I noticed and said, "Are you okay?"

She replied, "I have a little bit of a headache. Before you start acting like my father, no, I've drunk plenty of water."

I said, "I gotcha. I've got something wrong, too."

Gusoyn didn't appear to be suffering, but was carefully eyeing both of us, especially Autriel. The dragon said, "I'll be fine. We should move." I agreed.

The sun had been visible for about half an hour. I noticed the truck that had been there last night was gone as we piled into the car. I turned the key and nothing happened.

This did not need to happen right now. The fuel light had been on, but I shouldn't be out of gas. The starter motor worked fine. I threw open the door and looked around the car. Reflected sunlight caught my eye from behind the car. I ran over and found a puddle of rainbow-colored fluid under it. I crouched down and immediately felt rage. Someone had intentionally punctured our fuel tank during the night, letting it all drain out. It was that fucking truck; it had to be. The headache and fury worked together and started making theories.

It was too technical for the mamano. They'd have to know how a car worked in the first place, let alone know where the tank was. What about the humans? It could've been the group that chased us before. If that was true, it was made worse that I didn't know why this particular group wanted me dead, or at least greatly inconvenienced. I informed the others about this.

Autriel reacted first with a panicked look on her face. She began massaging her head and saying, "Oh, no. Oh, no no no no. Not good." Gusoyn put her hand on Autriel's shoulder and said, "Hey. Calm down. What's the worry?"

The dragon said, "I may have been a little inaccurate in my time estimations. Humans towns all look the same, and I may have mistaken one for the other. It isn't…"

Gusoyn interrupted her. "How long, now?"

"I don't… Hours. We have hours. Maybe eight, maybe two. I don't… know. I don't know, okay? The all-wise and powerful dragon doesn't know!"

I turned to her with a serious expression on my face and barked, "Hey! We can't do that now! All I know right now is that we can't stay here. Let's head further into town. Maybe something there will help us out of this pinch."

Autriel was incredulous. "You want to move toward the wall of guns and death? Are you mad?" She desperately looked at Gusoyn.

Unfortunately, the hellhound's face was grim. She said, "I can't think of a better idea. We'll use their weapons as cover for us. Judging by the sound of that cannon, we're already in their range anyway.

Autriel's face was of someone who wanted to argue, but couldn't find any way to disagree. I gave her an understanding look and said, "Come on, let's go. We're going to have to do it on foot."

As I walked outside, I noticed that looking west made me uncomfortable. The longer I looked that way, the worse the symptoms got. There was this odd compulsion to head that way, followed by erasing my train of thought. As we walked, I ended up playing a small game with myself. I would think of something, look west, then immediately forget about it. Thinking was tiring. I looked over to Autriel and noticed her eyes had glassed over. She was breathing more heavily, too. Gusoyn seemed fine, but also looked more on guard.

We heard it when we stepped into a supermarket parking lot. It was this cry that carried over the morning landscape and it came from no animal I had ever heard of. It was answered by a few others from varying distances and directions. Immediately after, the effects on me increased. Something, whatever it was, had found what I was looking for. Immediately after, all of us started sprinting to the storefront. Gusoyn didn't wait for the automatic doors to open. She just blasted through the glass with her shoulder without breaking stride.

Dechala listened intently on the radio, taking in the report of the man she'd ordered to disable their car. She lied on top of her semi-truck, looking through a pair of binoculars at the three of them running around the corner of a building. She chuckled to herself, "What are you going to do now, little human?"

Since she didn't have the mental training or discipline of Autriel or the obliviousness of myself, the effects on her were more intense. Compulsions became obsessions with deafening rants in her head. The weirdest part was that they were in her own voice. Thoughts erased became thoughts replaced. Subconscious fantasies were dug from whatever dark pit in the back of her mind and placed in the forefront. It felt like dozens of ants were crawling around inside her skull. She occasionally itched at scratches that weren't there, and forced both of her hands to stay on the binoculars, because only one hadn't been enough to keep them steady as the other had been trying to get inside her crotch the past few hours. All of this combined with not a wink of sleep made a very impulsive hellhound, indeed. She was near the edge of the horde and her sanity. The worst part was that she was fully aware of this, but couldn't do anything about it.

She only had two trucks on her: The tanker and a container. The others were on their way, but had run into complications. She had somewhat of an idea of the range and deadliness of the humans' fortifications. One of them had fired something that shook the ground once, exploded a hole in the side of the road, and then shook the earth again.

She moved the trucks up a little to get a better view of the building they were in. Nothing came in or out of it. After about an hour, she realized that the horde was finally here. It was a subtle thing, at first. They were attempting to remain hidden, but she could sense their presences, and they seemed numberless. They were in the houses and buildings. There was an uncountable amount in the forest to the north of her. There were so many scents, it was impossible to distinguish one from the rest. They all had one goal in mind, but from listening to the collective psyche, Dechala realized they didn't know exactly where he was. She was the only one who knew.

She immediately coveted this information inside her head and started chuckling to herself. She knew, but they didn't. She was special. If it wasn't for that stupid human fort, she'd rush the place with her crew and the enslaved humans. Then, she'd fuck them all one at a time, and then all at once, just for spite.

Suddenly, she saw a mamano burst from the bushes and stand in the middle of the road. The demon put on a face of concentration, and a red bead steadily grew in size between her hands. She gestured as if she was flinging a rock and the ball streaked down the road. It impacted with the sandbags and burst into a ball of flame. Immediately afterward, there was an impossibly fast white-yellow streak that returned to her and her arm disappeared in a pink mist. The demon screamed and threw herself off the road. There were a few more that followed her back into the bushes, but they looked like they missed.

Dechala suddenly felt very exposed and jumped off of the top of the truck. What kind of spell was that? Was that one of the gun things the humans were talking about? How would she fight one of those? She looked up and saw a particularly brave winged mamano burst up from the bushes and attempt to rush the line. There was a single red streak that missed, but it was followed by a burst of more yellow ones. The mamano returned to the ground far less gracefully than it left it.

It seemed death was a thing now. That didn't stop the horde from slowly advancing through cover. Occasionally, one of the cannons would open fire. It sent out reverberations in the ground and a burst of panic in the psyche where the shell impacted. It seemed the humans had no problem destroying their own homes.

I may not have been as magically sensitive as Dechala at the time, but I could feel them, too. It was like a constant presence with a sultry voice. It wanted me to get up and drop all my belongings. It urged me to just walk away. It implored me to give it all up. We couldn't stay in the supermarket, so we moved out of a service door to the next building, a bank. The moment we went outside, I felt an immediate feeling of being spotted. I had the panicked urge to just shoot into the places that looked like they held something. I probably would have if I was by myself and had more bullets. There were eyes everywhere. Autriel had gone from befuddled to outright muttering to herself and blinking rapidly. She was breathing so heavily I could hear her. Gusoyn also seemed winded, but also had a look of concern for both of us.

This repeated a few times. We would stay in a building and try to think of something. Eventually, the horde's presence would get too intense to think, and we'd move to the next building closer to the front line. We heard sounds of gunfire become steadily more frequent. Eventually, we holed up in a small pizza restaurant.

Dechala was at her wit's end. She had to bust the line and/or make some kind of distraction. Then, she got an idea and called up one of her lackeys. He picked up and sounded like he was speaking inside a crate.

"Hey captain. How's it going?"

"Can't decide. Hey, do we need this tanker for our other trucks?"

"Well, that's actually something I've been meaning to talk to you about. Turns out, it's n- *thump thump* Fuck off! Sorry ma'am, that wasn't for you. Anyway, it's not diesel in there like we first thought. It's just regu-"

"I don't care what's in it. Do we need it?"

"Well, that's my point. *thump thump thump* We can't use the fuel in there, so it's basically useless."

"I'll tell the driver to get out. We're going to use it as a ram."

"Wait a second, do you know what's in there? It'll fucking kill eve-"

"No, no, no, no! I don't give a damn! I'm not staying in this stalemate! You tell that driver to get it ready to ram and then get out or I'll tie him to the front with a gourd up his ass!"

"Love to, but I'm currently stuck in this crate with one of your crew trying to get in so she can violate me to hell and back."

"Boo hoo! I bet you enjoy it anyway!"

"That's the part that scares me ma'am. I'll call him, but he might not have his ringer on."

Dechala leapt out of the cab and sprinted across the road as fast as her legs could carry her. The driver already had a cinder block in his hands and a terrified look on his face. She stared right at him.

"Well? Start it up."

"I… Cap'n, where are you driving this thing?"

"Down the road and toward the barricade. Do you have a problem with that?"

The man had a look of horror, like he had been convincing himself there'd been some miscommunication, but the orders were just as bad as he imagined. Several more emotions went across his face, until it settled on determination. He dropped the block onto the seat, raised his fists, and said, "Yeah I do, you piece of shit."

He swung with a right hook, but Dechala dodged, grabbed him by the shirt with her claws, and flung him into the bushes. He yelled in rage the entire time, but something took him in the bushes and shut him up. Dechala yelled into the bush, "His keys!"

There was a pause, then the keychain flew out of the flora into her hand. She started up the truck, put it into gear like she'd seen, and depressed the gas pedal to the floor. The truck advanced and she kept shifting the gears. It accelerated and she pointed it toward the barricade in the road. She shifted one last time, slammed the concrete block onto the pedal, then jumped out of the driver's door. She rolled on the grass and looked toward her handiwork.

The truck got about thirty yards away from the barricade when one of the guns went off. She could see the flash and the bushes shake as the shell tore through the air. She didn't even see it as it impacted with the cab, then exploded into a fireball. A second and enormous inferno suddenly engulfed the truck and everything within fifty feet. The combination of flames and smoke rose taller than anything around. Dechala herself was flung off her feet and landed in a ditch. A wave of heat came off of it. She was immune to that, but all the oxygen in the air disappeared briefly and her eyes dried out instantly. Parts of nearby buildings collapsed or burst into flames. It was like a brief, miniature sun had been created in the middle of the road. The explosion was deafening, leaving a ringing in her ears, but she could barely hear the bellows coming toward the humans' end. The back end of the truck flew back down the road, skidded a little bit, then stopped and continued burning.

The ball of fire and smoke turned to a pillar. The road itself was blackened and nearby bushes, trees, and grasses were in flames. Despite her tinnitus, Dechala then heard another collective howl, this time coming from behind her. The mamano were using the explosion and cover of smoke as a rallying cry and charged the line. Dechala just laid down in the ditch and contemplated how everything hurt and she didn't feel like moving right now. The humans raised a cry in kind, and then the shooting really started. She could see the colorful displays of mamano magic bombarding the barricade. They may have had magic and speed, but it was still a massacre.

She didn't want to move. Her brain just shut down and she listened to the carnage going on from outside her ditch. She'd occasionally see a mamano run past, a spell fly by, or one of the human's weapon's shoot the other direction. It all just blurred together.

She saw a minotaur charge past her, then suddenly recoil as if someone had punched her in the shoulder. Her arm was suddenly covered in blood. She turned and looked at Dechala like it was the most confusing thing she'd ever seen. A second later, two more invisible blows struck the minotaur in the chest. Dechala could hear some kind of whizzing, like angry bees, beforehand. The mamano staggered, then fell over into the ditch, her axe falling from her hands.

It was, undoubtedly, the worst thing Dechala had experienced in her entire life. The situation really dawned on her then. They'd always run around without the fear of death. Where were the gods or demon lords they worshipped? Weren't they supposed to come down and stop them from dying? She'd seen blood before, and wasn't squeamish about that, but in her mind, she was telling the mamano to get up. She couldn't be dead. They'd always been cared for by their demon lord and monsterized gods. Mamano were their precious children, weren't they? So, where were they now? What happened to make them stop caring? What did they do? She was waiting for them to swoop down from on high to save them, as they always had, but none ever came.

Dechala was so distraught, she threw up in the ditch. She tried desperately to get out of it, but only could manage a crawl. She had the sudden realization that this shooting gallery was initiated by her. She tried to convince herself that they would have rushed in anyway, but failed miserably. It was all going horribly wrong. This was not as planned, but then again, there really wasn't one in the first place. They never needed to plan. Stuff just worked in the past. They never died. Now what?

She could smell the air growing increasingly like iron. She'd never experienced it in this amount and it was awful. She never smelled death on this scale. She tried to hold her breath, but eventually gave up. It permeated up her nose and she could feel it filling up her lungs and nasal cavity. Of course, she was also sensitive to the mamano collective psyche, so that combined with what was going on added another sensory overload pancake to the stack. Eventually, her brain decided that was enough, and shut down for a while. Dechala laid down in the grass and passed out.

Meanwhile, I wasn't doing much better. Shit was happening, and it wasn't at all good. We'd been slowly pushed further toward the wall and constantly in a crouching position. I wasn't completely taken by panic yet, but I was breaking. We had just hunkered down in a small office building near a pizza restaurant when Gusoyn suggested getting closer to the line. She believed the horde might back off or attack in another place, forcing the humans to reinforce. Then, maybe we could sneak through. I dismissively said it was a great plan.

She noticed my disturbed posture and said, "Hey. Calm down."

I replied, steadily getting more agitated, "Calm? Fucking calm? I'm stuck in the no-man's land between a wall of guns and hundreds of rows of teeth! I could stick my head out and tell you the eye colors of the men on those machine guns, or look the other direction and see how many semen demons are inside that Pizza Hut! I think I've got the right to a little panic attack!"

She forcefully put her hand on my chest and said, "No. No, you don't. We're going to do the best we can, but you're the only one who knows what we're up against. Autriel's working on a defensive barrier with magic right now, and hopefully it'll be able to protect us if anything goes wrong."

My heart didn't stop pounding and my adrenaline was still pumping, but I calmed down a little. "Right. Fine. Let's let cooler heads prevail."

Unfortunately, things were only heating up, as that was the moment Dechala decided to pull her stunt. I heard the roar of the diesel engine and looked up just in time to see the high-explosive shell impact the cab. The entire thing erupted like a miniature volcano, blew all every window in the building, and threw all of us backwards. I slammed into a filing cabinet. I can also confirm that the cartoons are true, because I saw stars. Smoke filled in the street and blew in the windows.

After that I heard a collective howl come from every direction, and then I witnessed what Dechala did earlier. Autriel was desperately trying to focus on casting, but Gusoyn saw the entire thing along with myself. Neither of us could turn ourselves away. It was like watching a train wreck in action, but it must've been far worse for her. She stood up, saw what was happening in the street, and her face changed to a progressively worse look of dismay. She slumped over onto the reception desk and buried her face in her hands. Turns out, I wasn't the one closest to breaking. I did the only thing I knew to do at the moment and stood up again.

A brown and fuzzy mamano sprinted across the street from us, but turned her head toward our building and immediately locked eyes with me. I instinctively took on a defensive stance and told everyone to get ready. Gusoyn did so, but Autriel continued furiously casting. The mamano did a ninety degree turn mid-stride and practically leapt across the road toward us.

In that moment, one of the gunners on the wall must've seen her and opened fire. The soldier was fairly accurate, and followed his fire on her path. A few bullets hit her, then she slammed into the door. Unfortunately, the gunner didn't stop and decided to strafe the building. I saw in the corner of my eye a few small and blue bursts of sparks, as if a magical barrier attempted to stop something entering it. The incomplete barrier only served to slow them down somewhat. I suddenly felt a great force impact me under the ribs, and I was spun around. I laid on the carpet and wondered why my side felt wet.

Holy shit, I'd been shot. I'm actually proud that my first thoughts were worried that the other two were okay. All of my senses were muffed, but I could hear somebody yelling. I saw two green and black shapes above me. The black one was screaming to the other, asking if she knew medicine. The green one gave an unenthusiastic nod. Suddenly, the shock was over, and reality returned with a vengeance. I immediately tensed up as pain hit me like a wave.

I spoke as best I could, and the first thing my brain decided to say was, "I feel awful."

I felt a fuzzy hand on my cheek and could hear Gusoyn telling me it was going to be okay.

I said, "No. Stop blood. Use pants." I explained as best I could on how to staunch the bleeding, trying desperately to recall the first aid class from training. Suddenly, I was pinned by Autriel and she shoved an armored scale hand in my mouth. I was briefly incredulous, but then felt a pair of (admittedly delicate and steady) claws fishing around in my wound. I squirmed and bit down on the finger. My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my skull, or my intestines were going to spill out of my side. Suddenly, it was over, and I saw a black claw holding a blood-covered bullet. Fucking thanks, I guess.

Everything after was a blur. They kept me awake, but I believe I experienced what those experienced in therapy call "Disassociation". Time just didn't happen. I heard chaos and saw some movement outside, but eventually the noise and quaking gradually became more distant. Whether it was because I was getting more out of it or the fighting moved farther away, I didn't know. What I can say is that the two of them stuck by me the entire time, barely moving a muscle for a while. My eyes mist up every time I think of this moment. People always refer to me as some kind of hero. Maybe I did some things that deserve the title, but they were the first. Their dedication and care in some random office building while two species murdered each other outside showed me how.

It had all gone so very wrong. I'm not saying this was the worst possible scenario, but it certainly wasn't in the top ten. Both sides were capable of talking, of listening, and of reasoning, but they didn't. Nobody did, and this is what we got. One side just ran with depressingly outdated tactics and assumed they would work, while the other unintentionally caused massacres out of panic. It was at that point where I just cried and shook with Autriel's finger still in my mouth. They were tears of frustration and rage after being caught in events that had wildly spun out of control, and that I had no control over in the first place. I could do nothing, but lie on the floor, suffer, and watch two people close to me do the same. Eventually, they lied down next to me. By a stroke of luck, we managed to find some ibuprofen pills in the secretary's office drawers, but it was like removing a cup of water from a bucket.

In another example of heroism played out just outside. Dechala awoke to someone shaking her. Everything was quieter, but she could hear noises in the distance. She didn't care enough to do anything but grunt. She smelled the distinct scent of oil and decided to flip over. She was greeted by the sight of a man in a man in a flannel jacket. The halo of the sun showed off only his silhouette, like some kind of angelic entity. However, she recognized him as her mate. She hadn't expected him to come. She was sure he would have stayed away until everything cleared out. Why was he here? Why was anyone coming to rescue her? Did she even know if she needed rescuing in the first place? What had she done for him to deserve this? He outstretched his hand and said, "Finally found you! I was so worried. Are you hurt?"

She was at a loss for words. She could only shift expressions, and could barely move her body. She wasn't physically hurt, but her body just didn't want to move. The man grabbed her, hoisted her up into a fireman's carry, and said, "It's all gone to hell. Let's head home." He began a steady walk down the road. The emotional dam broke and Dechala bawled her eyes out like a drunkard.

My memory of the next period of time is incomplete at best. The human line never broke, as far as I'm aware, but they were overrun in a few places. In short, it became more porous. The mamano horde retreated and dispersed mostly. What remained of it lurked in forests, licked it's wounds, and attempted to replenish it's manpower. The day was dark for mamano, but they learned a valuable lesson after it, one of the importance of leadership. They all clamored for a position of power, command, and hierarchy. Inevitably, a competent one would fill that position, and then it would become a force to reckon with, indeed.

For now, I understand that this chapter may have been darker than most. Maybe it was. I only tell the story as it happened, and sometimes things just don't go as planned. Sometimes epiphanies are found the hard way. Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. Sometimes everyone fucks up. Pain is an excellent teacher. After sitting back and looking at the events here, I think this was the mamano growing up. They weren't being coddled anymore, albeit it was a very "sink or swim" kind of situation. Now, failure wasn't just possible, it was painful. Make no mistake, I take no enjoyment in recalling the events of this day. In fact, I feel an enormous amount of sympathy for them. It wasn't fair in the slightest. I didn't want this to happen to them, and if I could've done anything to stop it, I would've. That being said, this was a necessary pain that they (and I hope, the reader) realized they had to come to terms with.

But hey, chin up. Story isn't over yet. I've still got a family to raise.