His feet hit the wall and he started running at full velocity. It was exhilarating for Xizreth. He knew he could he use his demonic gifts to teleport of short distances, however he chose the wrong moment they could end up a pile of blood and bones on the desert floor. So he ran, ran as if his very life depended it, and it might.
The helicopters had stopped firing and shouting commands the moment he had stepped off of the ledge. He could barely hear the blades spinning, keeping the helicopters afloat, in the background as he focused on ground becoming ever close to them. As long as he made it safely over the next ten meter stretch he teleport them to safety.
Things went more smoothly than he could have hoped for. Within moments he was in position and took on hard step, breaking into the wall, and vanished only to reappear behind a rock twenty meters out from the wall.
Felice slid off of his back and landed gracefully on the ground. Looking around was like coming out of a dream for her. The wall was behind them, and a desert, as far as the eye could see, stood before them. She yawned and stretched. Had she been sleeping? No that couldn't be right, but she had been soooo comfortable.
She looked to Xizreth, who already turned back into his normal form, and blushed lightly. Everyday he had surprised her with something different. I wonder what else he has up his sleeves, she mused to herself before walking around to face him.
"So, we made it out safely," she said with a smile.
"They'll come for us soon enough, we aren't out of the woods yet," he replied gravely. "You do realize you're an enemy of the state now, right?"
"Honestly Xizreth, I don't mind," she shrugged. "I hated the life I had, until I met you." she said as she pulled in him and hugged him tightly.
Xizreth wasn't sure how to react, it had caught him off guard completely. He knew this girl loved him, but he didn't expect her to be so open about it. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and held her closely, unsure of what else to do. He just wasn't sure of how he felt about her yet. He liked her and enjoyed her being close to him, but he didn't know if it was more than that.
Felice sighed into his chest as she felt him pull her close. She didn't know or care how he felt about her, this just felt right and it was very comforting for her. If this moment could last forever, she would let it. At least for the time being, she was finally at peace.
Before long the hug had broken up and they were staring out into the open desert. The closest oasis Xizreth had committed to memory was no less than a half of days travel from here to the southeast. He assumed the military would be expecting them to stop there for the night. Another oasis was a full day out to the northwest, but they'd have to travel along the outskirts of the wall for part of the journey and that was too risky. Finally he had decided on a third option. Another fourth of a days travel after the closest oasis was larger one with plenty of shelter and if they left right away they'd make it shortly after nightfall.
"Let's go Felice, we have a lot of ground to cover before we can stop for the night. We have no supplies, so we'll have to make do with what we can find along the way," he said to her matter-of-factly, but not unkindly.
"You're the boss," she replied with a wink. "At least we have your weapon, and I can find one along the way I'm sure."
Xizreth nodded and felt her fingers entwine with his as they set off to the southeast. As the world climate changed after the meteor had struck, a lot of places deemed "uninhabitable" had become much different. That includes the desert regions. The deserts had lost the bitter cold weather at night, the coldest desert record for nightfall was now closer to thirty degrees with no humidity, which was manageable. Still cold, but if you took the right precautions you wouldn't die. The days were still hot and hostile, but the heat would be the least of their concerns.
The wildlife of the deserts had evolved. Giant scorpions and snakes that were reminiscent of the ancient Titanoboa now roamed freely through the hot sands. The lizards had evolved in a more humanoid fashion and gained far superior intellect than their predecessors had.
The Lizard Men, as they were called by the world now, were deemed dangerous. They used unknown magic to control the elements around them at will, and we're know to conjure illusions to confuse their enemies. With any luck they wouldn't run into any of their kind any time soon.
He smiled and squeezed her hand gently but firmly and continued walking off into the distance.