A/N: Bit more of an actiony chapter this week~

Do enjoy~

Halo

Chapter 16: Night Terrors

The tire tracks led slightly further north than the drone's expected path.

That alone made Shiroko worried, but she clamped down on any such uncertainties she had and kept moving, trudging her way through miles upon miles of sand with Kayoko at her back, making sure neither of them would be ambushed by a rogue sniper. They stuck close to the small hills of sand when they could in the event they came under fire, but aside from that it was mostly a straight path following the tracks.

Idly adjusting her hold on her rifle Shiroko craned her neck back to look at the sun, squinting at it and judging the time from its position alone. It must already been near three o'clock, maybe later; they'd been walking for a while now. She doubted Sensei would be really all that mad if they turned up late, but she was itching to get back to the others and she could tell Kayoko was too. The desert had a way of wearing on one's nerves like that; at first the quiet was peaceful, a reprieve from the chaotic city-life. In time though it reminded you of how haunting the wilderness could be, knowing that if something happened to you, if you were injured, then there would be nobody around to save you.

Grimacing Shiroko banished the thought, about to speak to fill the silence – when she spotted a hint of black ahead. ''What's that?''

Kayoko perked up and squinted. ''It looks like... a truck?''

Shiroko's lips curled up in a faint smile. ''Let's check it out?''

Kayoko didn't bother answering, but the way her pace built up into a jog told of her answer regardless. Shiroko matched her pace easily, the two of them rushing what must've been another hundred metres or so before finally coming upon the truck – and it was no wonder she'd just barely seen it. The vehicle was buried partially in the sand, with the front almost completely buried in it, leaving just the driver's cabin visible. Considering the amount of sand piled on and around it, she assumed it must've driven into a ditch before a sandstorm rolled in and buried it.

However she pushed such thoughts from her mind for now, circling the vehicle with interest. It was long, its design akin to a flatbed truck but with a long crate on the back, covering the entire length of the flatbed and with a faded scrawl of 'Kaiser PMC' on the side. The black crate protruded upwards, twin folds extended out – and when Shiroko climbed up onto the cabin roof she found a mechanism within, covered with sand but not hiding what was unmistakably a launcher.

'Why would they have this out here?' Shiroko thought with a frown, looking around. Nothing but open desert greeted her. 'What purpose would they-'

She stopped, however, as a realisation struck her. Elysium had been kidnapping students and experimenting on them. That was why they were here. Except... Abydos didn't really have any students aside from the Foreclosure Task Force. She, and presumably the others, had all assumed that they were kidnapping gang members or others like them then. However if they were really in cahoots with the Helmet Gang and others, then it was unlikely they were kidnapping them either.

Which led to a harrowing possibility... that there wasn't a base out here at all; that this was all just one big diversion.

''...dammit.'' Shiroko frowned severely and pulled out her phone, dialling Sensei's number to warn him-

-only to immediately get a flat beep, followed by an automatic voice. ''No Signal Detected.''

If she was a more vulgar person, she might've swore right then and there.

''What's up?'' Kayoko called out from the ground, frowning.

''No reception.'' Shiroko answered stiffly. ''I think we've been duped. This truck is what launched the drone.''

Kayoko said nothing but her expression became grim; eyes narrowing as she put the pieces together herself. Shiroko left her to it and climbed down from the cabin roof, brushing some sand from her person and racing to think of a way to contact Sensei, but came up short. This far away even gunshots wouldn't be heard; they'd have to walk all the way back to tell him. Even if they managed to jog the whole way, it'd still be late by then, though maybe they'd get within reception range at least.

However Shiroko's gaze was drawn to the north, remembering nature wasn't so kind. The sandstorm that loomed in the distance was much closer than the last time she looked and steadily approaching – at best, half-an-hour away if not less. If they really pushed themselves they might be able to reach the ruins where they'd taken shelter earlier, but how effective they'd be was not only dubious, but if they could reach the ruins was questionable as well. Maybe they'd miss it, maybe they wouldn't reach it in time; and if they got trapped out in a sandstorm then their chances of survival went down dramatically.

''...we'll have to make camp here.'' Shiroko declared. ''Sandstorm is coming in too fast.''

Kayoko frowned but didn't protest. ''In the truck I'm guessing?''

''Yeah.'' Shiroko opened the passenger-side door and squinted, looking for any scorpions, but thankfully she found nothing. ''We should be safe.''

The gothic girl sighed but didn't protest. ''Hopefully it'll be gone by nightfall.''

Hopefully indeed, Shiroko could only agree.

X-x-X

Within Trinity Academy, Hasumi found herself patrolling the many halls of the great academy.

It wasn't an uncommon habit for her, admittedly. Part of it was to do her job and make sure the campus remained safe, but in truth it was more of a way to clear her mind – something she sorely needed right now. Her mind flashed back to the meeting between the Tea Party of Trinity and Disciplinary Committee of Gehenna as they tentatively hashed out more of the so-called 'Eden Treaty' that they were working on. It was still a good ways off, but still, that didn't mean it wasn't a tense meeting; one side waiting for the other to throw everything aside and go guns blazing.

Hina's status as one of the most powerful students in not only Gehenna, but in all of Kivotos, didn't help matters. Even with her diminutive stature she emanated an aura unlike anything Hasumi had felt before, like she was staring down a bonfire ready to explode out and destroy everything near it. Thankfully Mika of the Tea Party seemed unphased by Hina's tremendous aura and did most of the work for the Tea Party, with Hasumi only being there as a representative of the Justice Task Force.

'Thank goodness I didn't let Tsurugi come. That meeting would've ended in disaster...' Hasumi winced at the thought. Tsurugi was many things. Strong, determined, loyal... but subtle she was not.

Frankly a bull in a China shop would be more subtle than Tsurugi.

Banishing the thought with a shake of her head Hasumi continued her slow walk down the corridors of the academy. The building was silent at this time of night; only the occasional light on to banish the darkness and leaving her to make her way mostly in shadow, a duty that the Justice Task Force was well-acquainted with. Though justice was best done in broad daylight, sometimes a subtler touch was needed. Those in the Raziel Division knew that well.

The thought of them made her brow deepen. Per Sensei's request she'd gone and investigated, checked all their stocks, and things seemed to be in order... for the most part. Some camouflage suits that were meant to be upgraded never were, for reasons she had yet to grasp. They had the order, they had notice that the equipment was both shipped and delivered, but the equipment in the storage room was outdated. There was several possibilities as to why, each grimmer than the last... but the one Hasumi found herself focusing on the most, was the risk that one or more of their infiltrators were pawning them off. Either on the black market, or to this mysterious organisation Sensei was hunting.

If they were, then there would be serious consequences – but more than that, it carried a question she wasn't willing to stomach at the moment; how loyal was the Raziel Division, really?

Hasumi was shaken from her thoughts, however, as something prickled at her senses. It wasn't anything physical but an instinctual feeling that something was off, that something was amiss. It was that thought that prompted her to grab her radio, pressing down on the collar-mounted device.

''Patrols, report.''

''Team one is clear.''

''Team two is clear.''

''Team three here, we found some hooligans trying to spray graffiti, but they ran off before we could catch them.''

''Team four is clear.''

The list went on and on, each team reporting in that their section of the school was either clear or practically so – until she neared the end of her squad.

''Team twelve is clear.''

Silence.

Hasumi frowned, her brow dipping even more so when team twelve spoke again. ''Uhh, team thirteen, that's your cue.''

More silence.

''Team thirteen?''

Hasumi glanced down the hallway ahead of her, hearing something. Even as the other Justice Task Force teams started prodding team thirteen to respond she made her way over towards the faint noise, her brows drawing together as she mapped out the school in her head. Team one and two had the dorms, team three had the cafeteria, team four had the workshops and so on... whilst team thirteen was patrolling the main cathedral alongside team twelve.

''Team twelve, go check up on team thirteen.'' Hasumi ordered swiftly, fast-walking towards the source of the noise – one that she identified as a beeping.

Even in the darkness of the hallway she could still see the outline of a maintenance closet door, tucked away between two plants. She popped it open with her key and swept her eyes across the small, rectangular room – before a beep and flash of light drew her gaze down. Some discarded boxes and cleaning supplies masked it so she pushed them aside, only to recoil a split-second later, dread pooling in her stomach.

Another beep, and the black, brick-shaped device taped to the floor illuminated itself with a flash of its green bulb.

Her hand went to her microphone in an instant. ''All teams, we have a bomb on campus, I repeat we have a-!''

A high-pitched whine made the words die on her tongue.

And then a deafening, all-consuming eruption engulfed the closet and beyond.

X-x-X

Azusa wasn't one for staying up late; she was someone who liked keeping her schedule.

Alas, a combination of work experiences and school work required she spend less time doing it – and, more importantly, required she catch up on some missed classes by doing research at the library. It was still open even at this late hour, albeit with only a minimal presence from the Library Committee, though Ui herself was absent thankfully – the baggy-eyed girl usually got quite grumpy when people stayed extra late.

Sighing to herself Azusa brushed some hair from her face, eyes closing as she just admired the cold wind against her face. This late at night there was nobody around on campus, just her and the open grounds, and it made for a very peaceful atmosphere. She made an idle note to bring Hifumi and the others out here to watch the stars one night; she could certainly fall asleep like this, even if it was a bit cold.

Her pleasant peace, however, was cut short.

BOOM!

A deafening roar blasted out across campus as one of the walls of the main building exploded outwards with a belch of flame; tongues of orange shrieking outwards before curling back and lashing at the building itself, crawling up its white brick surface towards the roof as smoke billowed out of the shattered windows. It took mere seconds before a fire alarm started to blare, seeming so distant compared to her position, but Azusa could only stare in shock at the sight.

Until she caught sight of shadows shifting not far to her right. Her head jerked in that direction and she took cover behind a nearby statue, pressing herself into the cold marble and peering past the street-light blinding her – but there was no mistaking two suspicious figures running away from the explosion sight, rather than towards it. The thought made her unsling her rifle and burst into a sprint, giving chase.

Aiming she fired a quick burst at their feet – bullets ripping up the grass and spewing dirt in the air, but succeeding in bringing both to a stop.

''Stay where you are.'' Azusa sharply intoned, side-stepping to the right to get a better look at them.

With the street-light to her back now her eyes adapted more to the dark, allowing her to see that both individuals wore full-black outfits, their black tops tucked into their pants and their pants into their boots, allowing next to nothing to flap about and cause noise. Black hoods were drawn tight over their head and when they looked at her only full-face masks revealed themselves, the eye-holes covered by tinted glass to hide even their eye colour. The only real defining features between them was that the one on the right was taller and the one on the left a little bustier; every other detail was hidden behind their garments.

''Who are you?'' Azusa icily asked, raising her rifle threateningly.

The two masked figures looked at one another. Neither answered her.

As she looked though she noticed the taller one was carrying something; a briefcase. So was the left one, now that she stared, her brow furrowing. How hadn't she noticed those? It was only when she looked closer that she realised why; light seemed to bend around them, making it appear as if she was looking at the grass behind the two and not at the briefcases they held. An optical camouflage.

Her eyes snapped back to the two individuals – just in time to see one levelling their pistol at her. Immediately Azusa jerked her gun up and opened fire, spraying bullets wildly as she fell back, taking cover behind another statue just as the rightmost individual opened fire; the soft hisses of a suppressed pistol blowing chunks out of the marble statue and pinging past her standing form. Azusa waited only a moment before ducking back out and releasing a far more accurate counter-attack, hitting the shorter individual in the side as they ran for cover of their own and sending them stumbling to one knee, but they managed to drag themselves behind a hedge before she could reload.

'Dammit.' Azusa frowned harshly, jamming her magazine in and scanning the area, but both had vanished into the hedges behind them. 'No choice.'

Abandoning her cover Azusa gave chase, crossing the crisp grass and sweeping around the hedge, but the mysterious individuals were gone. The rustling of a bush though made her head jerk to the left, the muzzle of her gun swinging out methodically but finding no target, prompting the stoic girl to fast-walk in the direction of the sound with her finger on the trigger. Another row of short bushes laid to her left and right, and behind the left she found the shorter individual, suitcase by their side and hands up.

Azusa narrowed her eyes. 'Where did the other-'

Four gunshots hit the back of her head, sending her stumbling. She never hit the ground before the shorter individual lunged up at her faster than she could react and struck her in the throat, followed by the other person kicking the back of her knee, sending Azusa down to the ground with a choked gasp – a knee digging into her upper-back and knocking the air out of her. All of it took place in the span of a second.

''...what should we do with her?'' A low, feminine voice came from the shorter individual as they knelt by her side – wrenching her rifle from her loosened grip.

''...bring her with us.'' The other individual answered, and when she managed to turn her head she found herself staring at the taller individual. ''Perhaps he'll be able to show her the light.''

Azusa grunted as she suddenly felt a muzzle to her head-

-and the last thing she felt was a high-calibre round to her skull, knocking her out cold.

X-x-X

Kayoko woke suddenly.

She wasn't sure what snapped her out of her slumber, the sensation more like a jolt across her skin, but it took her sluggish mind several moments to shake off its grogginess. With a grimace the hoodie-wearing student shifted about, squinting in the darkness of the truck cabin she and Shiroko had fallen asleep in – and when she tilted her head she could see the sandstorm still raging outside their little oasis; grains of sand battering up against the weathered glass of the passenger-side window.

Her arms were tucked into her hoodie for warmth and when she looked over to her left she found Shiroko asleep in her own seat, head resting on her scarf – the article wound up like a makeshift pillow. Mindful of her sleeping companion Kayoko shifted as quietly as she could, not bothering to check the time given it was still pitch-black outside and instead turning slightly onto her side, trying to get comfortable and drift back off.

However again her skin prickled. A soft, subtle feeling of unease that wormed its way under her skin.

Frowning Kayoko sat back upright, staring ahead. Nothing but sand greeted her, so she turned her head to the right-

-and saw a large, murky shadow skitter through the veil of sand.

Kayoko didn't know when she froze solid, nor when she snapped out of it; only that she jerked a hand over and shook Shiroko. The wolf-girl jolted out of her slumber with a quiet, sucked-in breath, gazing over at her with bleary eyes and a question on her lips – but Kayoko brought a finger to her own, shushing her. Wisely Shiroko obeyed, stalling any questions and just rubbing at her eyes, confused and disoriented from her sudden awakening.

''Outside.'' Kayoko finally whispered, pointing out the front window.

Shiroko frowned and peered outside. For a moment there was only sand – but then suddenly a large, dark shadow skittered past, its form bestial but too obscured by the sandstorm to really determine its type. The way it moved so quickly though and its low height led Kayoko to believe it was an insect of some kind; a thought that did little to calm her nerves. Nor did Shiroko look calmed by the sight of the shadow; tensing in her seat silently.

''What is that?'' Kayoko whispered.

''I don't know.'' Shiroko answered stiffly. ''I've never heard of giant monsters existing out in the desert...''

They fell silent as the creature disappeared from sight once more, but they could hear it clearly now that they knew what they were looking for. A soft, skittering sort of sound echoed off to the left of the truck, but nothing was seen... not until the sound got close enough that Shiroko could see the sand lurch up in small, repeated piles, as if something was moving just under the surface. It travelled under the truck with little trouble but the sound suddenly stopped when it got past it, instantly putting both girls on edge.

Then suddenly the sand blew outwards as a giant creature climbed out of its burrow, long arthropodic legs digging into the desert sand and revealing a shiny black carapace. As it finished climbing out the last thing to reveal itself was a long tail tipped with an orange stinger, hanging above the creature... though, what was perhaps even more startling than the sight of a giant scorpion, was the thing above it's head.

A halo. Black, cracked in many places and with chunks floating just away from the main ring, it emanated an ominous aura that the two students could feel even through the walls of the truck.

The two remained deathly silent even as the thing skittered out of view, moving slowly at first before whipping its tail out of view at the last moment, moving about as is searching for prey. Kayoko shared a look with Shiroko and slowly reached for her gun just to be on the safe side, prompting the wolf-girl to do the same. How effective their firearms would be though was debatable; if that thing had a halo, then it wasn't unfathomable to say that it had the same durability as all Kivotos residents. The thought made Kayoko grimace and she reached for her phone, hoping to hope that they had a signal – only to forget one small fact.

When she'd gone to sleep, she'd left some music playing.

Music that immediately resumed playing the moment she took her phone off of standby mode.

The passionate rock blared out, filling the truck cabin for a solid two seconds before Kayoko got a thumb over the speaker and slammed the volume down to zero, her heart in her throat. She couldn't hear anything outside. No skittering, no movement.

That only made her anxiety worse.

A nudge on her arm drew her gaze over to a worried Shiroko. Wordlessly the student slid from her seat and tucked herself down under the dashboard, prompting Kayoko to quietly do the same – the slightest creak of plastic or metal making her wince. She clutched her pistol close and leaned into the corner nearest Shiroko, levelling her pistol on her passenger-side door as Shiroko did the same for the driver's side, both of them waiting. Bracing.

Two seconds later a giant claw tore through the metal door, bending it inwards and snapping aggressively, warping the outer metal as it tried to pry its way inside. Shiroko didn't hesitate to open fire, the loud rattle of gunfire filling the cabin and sending bullets pinging off of the scorpion's claw, not even denting what should be a thin shell. It did, however, succeed in making the scorpion pull its claw back.

And then a second later its tail pierced through the cabin roof, metal shrieking as it gave way for the bulbous stinger and narrowly missed Shiroko before it yanked back up. Kayoko didn't hesitate to stumble over to her own door and push it open, tumbling out onto the sand and transitioning into a roll, her gun levelled at the giant scorpion partially atop the truck. Three cracks of her silenced pistol failed to damage its carapace but certainly got it's attention onto her, a loud, ear-piercing squeal escaping the oversized arthropod as it skittered to face her, giant claws flaring out and stinger poising above its black main body, twelve engorged red eyes glaring at her with surprising intelligence.

Kayoko met the creature's glare with one of her own, raising her gun and firing for its eyes. One eye burst and the beast shrieked, blocking its eyes with its claws and lunging down at her – forcing Kayoko to scramble away lest she be crushed under the giant beast, one that shook the ground as it landed; weighing easily as much as a truck. It spun around to face her with more speed than a truck though, clicking its pincers aggressively and honing in on her easily, even though to her it looked like little more than a dark blur in the ongoing sandstorm.

A blur that lunged at her, pincers opening to snap around her – had a figure not tackled her from the side.

''Mn-!'' Kayoko hid the ground with a grunt, head jerking up to find Shiroko next to her.

Shiroko spared her only a split-second look before rolling over, opening fire with her gun and spraying a full clip into the creature's face. It raised its claw once more but that didn't stop all the bullets, one managing to get past and hit something more sensitive – creating a wet popping sound before the scorpion let out another ear-piercing shriek that made both students wince, stumbling back to their feet with haste.

The sand bit into their eyes but hampered their aim only slightly when their target was so massive; a fresh magazine soon slammed into Shiroko's gun before she let loose several quick, controlled bursts, keeping the scorpion on the defensive long enough for them to run behind the truck for cover.

Not that it did much to stop the creature from ramming it, knocking both of them onto their fronts and sending the truck sailing over them; crashing down into the sand and tumbling for a dozen feet before sliding to a stop, upright.

Rolling onto her back Kayoko raised her pistol and pulled the trigger, but her gun clicked empty, and with haste she scrambled to grab another magazine – squinting through the sandstorm as a shadow faded... before it came rushing back in the form of an orange stinger. One that closed the distance far faster than Kayoko could move and plunged through her hoodie, a blunt pain hitting her left shoulder. One that, for a moment, felt like she'd barely even been touched.

Then a second later a blazing pain tore through her flesh and she cried out – the sound raw and sharp, rising as the scorpion hauled her body upright before flinging her off and through the air, sending her tumbling until she smacked face-first into the side of the truck, the impact sending stars through the back of her eyes and leaving a blurry after image of the wheels in her mind, her attempts at blinking away the mirage only serving to get more sand in her eyes, stinging them.

Clutching at her head Kayoko stumbled back to her feet, using the truck to support herself and turned back in the direction she was thrown just in time to see Shiroko lob a grenade – the explosion of fire bright in the night and eliciting another shriek from the scorpion before it skittered away, digging under the sand in moments and vanishing, but it wasn't gone. The ominous aura she'd felt from its halo remained like a pungent smell, her shoulders feeling heavy just with its proximity.

Shiroko came rushing over to her, concern in her eyes, and with her mouth tucked under her scarf it was hard to judge her reaction. Her words were still audible though, thankfully. ''Are you alright?''

Rather than speak and get more sand in her mouth Kayoko just jerked her head in a nod, regretting the action immediately as it brought on a fresh wave of nausea. However she stomped down on the dizzying sensation as much as she could, swallowing back the sick in her throat and pushing a hand into her pocket, fumbling about until she grabbed her noise-eliminating earbuds. Without wasting a second she shoved them into Shiroko's free hand, earning a startled look from the wolf-girl.

Pulling her shirt over her mouth and nose Kayoko spoke fast. ''Get in the truck and put those on! I'm going to try something!''

''Are you sure?'' Shiroko let her rifle hang by its sling, lifting the earbuds up.

Kayoko just grunted an affirmative and nudged Shiroko towards the cabin. Shiroko complied and climbed in through the passenger-side door, yanking it shut and putting the earbuds in, though she kept her gun levelled out into the direction the scorpion had come from, ready to open fire the moment the creature got too close. Kayoko on the other hand stepped a little further out into the open, trying her best not to wince as a harsh gust of sand blew against her face, each grain of sand like a miniature knife and getting under her clothes impossibly easily, leaving her feeling dry and uncomfortable.

But she pushed such thoughts from her mind. Drawing in a slow, purposeful breath she concentrated, raising her gun up and willing herself to act, to do more. Her halo, gunmetal grey in colour, began to glow more noticeably and the ground under her feet darkened in response; and from the shadows came a deep purple sludge that seemed to create itself out of her halo's shadow, bubbling up and travelling in thin streams around her, gathering around the muzzle of her raised pistol.

Dimly she heard skittering and a screech as the scorpion came rushing back for more but Kayoko didn't move, didn't open her eyes. She just listened as the skittering drew closer, pincers snapping in anticipation of presumed vulnerability, its body lurching up as it prepared to descend upon her – and then, and only then, did she pull the trigger; firing a purple bullet straight up into the sky.

It soared easily a hundred metres high before abruptly losing all momentum and falling like a lead balloon straight down onto her.

A feeling she couldn't quite name washed over her, like mud had been poured over her but immediately washed off – and all around her a ring of purple Mystic energy exploded out, thin but ripping through the sand as easily as a gale-force wind. It sheared through the scorpion at the same speed, cracking and then ultimately shattering the frontmost part of its carapace from the mystical force – but damage wasn't it's purpose, it never was.

It was fear.

A fear the scorpion displayed immediately, a confused sort of shriek escaping the overgrown arthropod, its pincers clicking harshly – before with another, more fearful shriek it turned tail and scampered away as fast as its bony legs would let it; burrowing under the sand a moment later and leaving as fast as its body would let it. The oppressive aura of its halo gradually lifted as it gained distance.

Kayoko shuddered, the after-effects of her own attack travelling through her – a bone-deep soreness that progressed into a bone-deep pain, like her own blood had been turned into liquid fire for a brief second, leaving her with internal burns. Whether that actually happened or not she never found out but the pain made it hard to breathe, not helped by the growing pain in her shoulder that matched if not outright overpowered the after-effect of her attack; the two merging into one, nauseating blur of pain and discomfort.

She heard the truck door behind her open and Shiroko was by her side in an instant, pulling her back towards the truck. It was more banged-up than when the fight began, but at least it was still in one piece. Thus with a grunt Kayoko climbed up into the passenger side door and yanked it shut, though due to the holes in the cabin the sandstorm continued to blow inside – albeit at a more tolerable rate than outside.

''What was that?'' Shiroko asked, dropping her gun and clambering over between the seats; unzipping her hoodie.

Kayoko didn't protest, grimacing as the fabric slid along her skin. She wore a black tank-top underneath and as such there was little to hide the bloody puncture wound in her shoulder, just next to her underarm; the surrounding skin starting to darken and nasty green lines spread throughout the nerves, though what the venom was doing was up in the air. All she knew was that it hurt.

''Trick of mine.'' Kayoko grunted back, letting Shiroko slip her strap off so she could get a better look at the wound, unbothered that she was showing off a fair bit of skin. ''Learned it a while ago. Makes whatever gets hit terrified of me for a short time. Doesn't work on people who can't hear though, or who can't hear the attack when it hits them.''

Shiroko nodded slightly and she got the impression the wolf-girl wanted to ask more questions, but mercifully withheld them for now. Instead she helped pull her clothes back into place and ducked back outside, fumbling with the front of the truck for whatever reason. Kayoko paid it little mind though, groaning to herself and screwing her eyes shut, waiting – hoping – that the pain would dull soon. She made a mental note to carry pain pills on her in future.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, her sense of time diluting itself, but at some point the sandstorm began to wane before abating nearly entirely, leaving just a few strong gusts to kick the sands about as the main bulk went back northwards. Small mercies, she supposed.

Kayoko was snapped from her daydreaming though as Shiroko suddenly clambered back into the truck, muttering to herself as she fiddled with something just behind the steering wheel of the truck. The gothic girl frowned and tried to figure out what she was doing, but an onset of a headache made her stop and just ask.

''What're you doing?''

''Hot-wiring.'' Shiroko's answer was to-the-point, not taking her eyes off of the wires as she connected them. ''The scorpion knocked the truck out of the ditch, so I was thinking that instead of walking all the way back, we could... there.''

With her final, softly-spoken word the truck lurched to life; the engine giving a few strangled whines and puffs before settling on a smoother, more steady thrum as it got back in working order. Kayoko tried to muster some feeling of surprise but her eyelids felt heavy, forcing her to keep them open with nothing but willpower as her body seemed determined to simultaneously seize up and go numb.

''Belt up.'' Shiroko stated as she did the same for herself. ''I'll be driving fast.''

''Just don't get us stuck in a ditch...''

Shiroko's lips quirked up into a rueful smile. ''I'll try not to.''

Then with a chug and a squeal the truck lurched forth, driving a full speed across the desert, leaving naught but dust in its wake.

[END]

A/N: Oh dear~ Poor Kayoko, hopefully nothing bad happens~

See you next time in Chapter 17~