Olesya kept to the long grass and moved low. In the darkness, her vision was monochrome. Avoiding the blind spot in the center of her vision, she watched the edges for movement.
She made her way in a slow curve to the left. The main street continued out of town and passed before her. She rested on one knee.
On the other side of the road, an unnatural shape shifted in the long grass. Olesya looked through the edge of her vision and noticed somebody's elbow. She watched, listened to her breathing and the rustle of wind through leaves. She picked out the detail of bodies. Many, many soldiers in black, lying in wait.
Once she was sure they weren't looking in her direction, she carefully returned the way she'd come. She made a deliberate arc to the gas station they'd run for last time. She was almost there when a breeze tickled the grass. Something flashed ahead of her. She paused, ready to draw her pistol. A recruit.
'Olesya.'
It was Xiu. Olesya followed her to the wall of the gas station and then the rear of a shop on the main street.
Through Ark's mask, his nostrils flared. 'Are you trying to disqualify us?'
Olesya just glared at him. 'While you were hiding in the forest, I was scouting the opposing force.'
Ark drew his pistol and aimed at Olesya. He was ready to fire, but Val stepped in his path.
'Don't,' Val said.
'Why not?' Ark pushed her aside.
Val shoved his barrel into her own vest. 'If you want to shoot someone, go right ahead.'
'You too now?' Ark lowered his pistol slowly. 'Unbelievable.'
Val turned to Olesya. 'Helldiver is out there with those soldiers. They should be behind us, patrolling. Which means we're in the clear, right?'
Olesya hadn't expected Val to ask her a question. 'I don't think they're patrolling.'
'You can think what you like,' Ark said. 'We need to make it to the beacons or we're disqualified.'
'No way I'm getting disqualified,' Jay said. 'We'll get through this.'
Damien returned from a quick peek around the corner. 'Um, so this time they've blocked off the street.'
'We're screwed!' Jay said. 'We can't get through this.'
'There's no way they've blocked it off,' Ark said.
Olesya ignored Ark's drawn pistol and walked over to have a look for herself. The intersection she'd run across last time was completely blocked. Burned out cars were pushed into a cluster. Behind the cars she could see a high wall made of concrete blocks. The instructors must have shifted things around before the qualification started.
Ark shoved Olesya aside to have a look, then turned back to his squad. 'OK, I've got it.'
'Really?' Jay said. 'What do we do?'
'We detour.' Ark pointed back to the gas station. 'We can't go around from here, we have to pull out and circle the town.'
'I wouldn't do that,' Olesya said. 'I was just on the left side and they're waiting in the grass.'
'How many?' Damien asked.
Olesya thought for a moment. 'I don't know exactly, but there's at least five to six of them. Could be double that.'
Ark paced around them. 'It's a trick. They want to funnel us in here and push us over that wall. If we fall for that, we deserve to be disqualified.'
'But I saw them waiting for us outside the town,' Olesya said.
'On the left wing?' Ark said. 'Fine. So we go on the right wing.'
Xiu shook her head. 'If they're on one wing, they'll be on both.'
'Then they'll be weaker. Just half force,' Ark said. 'Not counting the large numbers they'll have covering this wall. I say we ambush the small team on the right wing and push through. Fast, aggressive.'
Val raised her hand. 'How about I scout the right side, see how many are waiting? We pick the weakest side.'
'No,' Ark said. 'We have a time limit on this. We need to choose a side and commit, or we miss out completely. We need three of us to make it through and it's a pass.'
'They want you to choose a side!' Olesya said. 'There's a wall here, which means they need less soldiers here.'
Ark jabbed a finger at her. 'Are you suggesting we scale the wall and risk what will definitely be an ambush?'
'I don't know, I'm just saying—'
'Olesya,' Xiu said, 'now's the time to take your shot.'
'Fine.' Olesya swallowed. 'Over the wall.'
Ark blinked. Everyone was looking at Olesya now.
'You for real?' Jay said.
'They'll have some soldiers at the beacons, but that's it,' Olesya said. 'The rest are waiting on the left and right wings. That's where I'd put my strength.'
Ark looked less than impressed. 'Yeah, well that says it all, doesn't it?'
Olesya heard the jeep in the distance. Helldiver was coming back for another sweep.
'They'll have a couple of soldiers covering the wall,' Xiu said. 'But if we get to higher ground we could deal with them.'
'Scale the wall, if you want,' Ark said. 'I'm taking Firebird Squad down the road to the right. If there are soldiers there, we take them out. We move around and that's it.'
Ark started for the intersection. Most of his squad followed.
Jay hesitated. 'You know what? Screw it. I'm scaling the wall.'
Ark growled softly to himself. The jeep's searchlight splashed over the gas station in the distance. They couldn't turn back now.
'Helldiver is coming,' Val said. 'Ark, whatever we do, we do it now.'
Damien nodded. 'I'm going over the wall.'
'I need you guys at the wing,' Ark said.
Damien and Jay didn't move.
'Fine.' Ark turned to Olesya. 'Good luck.'
He didn't sound sarcastic this time, which caught her off-guard. 'You too,' she said.
Ark didn't linger. With Helldiver approaching, he moved with the rest of his squad, Val included.
Xiu was looking at Olesya. 'I said take a shot, not a gamble.'
Jay frowned. 'Can you get to the roof? I don't want a sniper shooting me when I go over.' He nodded to Damien. 'We'll clear the street.'
'On me,' Xiu said. 'Olesya, let's go.'
Olesya gripped her pistol in both hands and followed Xiu around the wall, to the intersection. The street lamps lit the pavement, Olesya avoided looking directly at them. Xiu slipped inside a building. Olesya followed her to the staircase.
She kept her shoulder against Xiu's back. When they moved apart, she kept her hand on Xiu's shoulder. Together they climbed the second flight of stairs, pistols aiming in tandem. There was no time to check the entire floor. They kept moving.
Once they reached the third level, Xiu moved into a corner room that smelt of mold and spotted two windows that gave enough light. There was no one in here. Xiu crouched under a window. Olesya left the door ajar and took a position under the window next to her.
Xiu was silent, her head tilting as she looked out the window and searched the other buildings. Olesya took the other window and checked the rest of the rooftops, looking for movement and silhouettes. Between them they had the intersection covered.
Then she heard the jeep.
Xiu held a finger to her lips.