An awkward silence fell over the group.
Being bunched together due to the circumstances didn't lead to pleasant conversation. None of them really knew each other, aside from Nyx and Silas.
And yet, even then, speaking felt like a luxury.
Together, the group was hiding out in a small, surprisingly intact building. Scorch marks on the wood still remained, though appeared to be sturdy enough to stay the night.
With that in mind, however, it felt incredibly decrepit. Scattering the floor was what seemed to be an endless supply of wooden crates and unmarked boxes. Cloth sheets were covering the tops of some, and others were piled on top of by layers upon layers of useless junk.
The main room had a high ceiling, though just to the side was a small elevated wooden platform, though no apparent way to get up there.
They spread themselves out in this building, all essentially claiming their own little area as theirs. The only two who chose to stick together were Nyx and Silas, placed in the back corner of the building.
Earlier, the group did manage to convince Rei to stay with them. She was against the idea at first, simply wanting to find and kill. The only thing that got her to stay was them pleading that they'd simply be killed without her. No matter how vain or egocentric she may seem, she clearly doesn't want them to die, at the very least.
She gave Nyx one of the blades, after all.
Even though they were safe, hidden away in a house, Nyx was still terrified. They all were. This mission, which wasn't even meant to have the cadets fight, has turned into nothing but a bloodbath.
The Phantoms are gone. The cadets are dead. They very well could be the last people in their unit- for all they know, the last people left of the whole Sixth Descent.
"It's so cold..." Silas murmured, curling his legs inwards as his whole body began to shake. "Are you not cold?"
Nyx slightly curled his brow. "I feel fine."
Taking a brief moment to glance at the others, Nyx could tell this wasn't a common sentiment. Everyone else appeared to be absolutely freezing.
Feeling quite bad, he quickly rose to his feet, grabbing one of the sheets atop the boxes and covering both him and Silas with it.
"Thanks..." he mumbled, resting the side of his head against a small crate. "Nyx, do you think... we'll make it out of this? Alive?"
Nyx set his gaze towards the roof, letting out a slight sigh. "I don't know."
"We can't be the only ones left. There has to be others."
"Yeah."
Silas gave a slight pause before continuing, "What happened to you? After the ground caved from under us, I mean. I thought- well, I had thought the worst at the time."
"Thane pulled me out — I got lucky. After that, a wolf found and attacked us. Acher saved me. Then we made our way down the cliff and... well, here we are."
"You both willingly descended the cliff? Have you gone mad?"
Nyx gave a slight chuckle. "We wanted to help. We couldn't leave you all down there- not without the guilt." He peered towards Silas, "What about you? How'd you make it out?"
Silas shook his head, a deep frown growing on his face. "I saw it, Nyx. I saw everything. Once the ground collapsed and I saw that Terror, I thought I was dead. Ryland had jumped down, shoving me and himself out of the way. Everyone else... was eaten. With just one bite, our entire squad was killed, Nyx. And I saw it happen."
He gripped his mouth, clenching his eyes as if trying to purge the vision from his mind. "Oh my god, the blood. Why was there so much blood? It makes me sick just thinking about it..."
"You don't need to reminisce-" Nyx interrupted, "I'm sorry for reminding you of it."
"No... it's fine. I'll probably forget soon and- well, while I remember, I want to think about it. That's the only way I can honor their deaths. The only way I can respect them."
Nyx nodded, placing his head against the wall and closing his eyes. "God, how the hell are we going to get out of this-?"
"-That should be obvious," Somebody spoke. Nyx, once again opening his eyes, traced the sound back to Seren, sitting with a cold expression glued to his face.
He was positioned just in front of them, over by a series of boxes placed in the middle of the room. "You have a plan, Seren?"
"I have a theory." He muttered. "When Ryland and the other Phantoms left... It gave me a sour taste in my mouth. In my head, I was thinking 'They really just abandoned us? Left us to die?'"
"You think they went somewhere..." Nyx murmured.
"Yes. And if I'm correct, I know exactly where they are. You see, this canyon that appeared out of nowhere... something had to create it. More specifically, the canyon appears to stretch down towards the south-east. Do you remember what's to the south-east?"
Nyx nodded. "The nest."
"Exactly. The Sixth Descent was an operation to clear that nest. In other words, wherever the end of this canyon is..."
"...Is the location of the Phantoms."
Upon this realization, Nyx couldn't help but be filled with shreds of hope. Wherever this canyon ends, they could be saved. All they need to do is reach.
"You're forgetting something," Nyx could hear Rei speak out. She slowly paced her way over, stopping directly in the middle of all of them. Despite the situation, her voice remained soft-spoken, like that of an angel.
"And what's that, princess?" Seren mockingly responded.
"The Phantoms still abandoned us. If they were heading to meet up with the others, they did so with no regard for our existence — they chose not to bring us. It's either something else is going on, or they deem our lives completely useless when compared to something greater. Or maybe..."
"Or maybe what?" Silas asked.
"Maybe whatever created this canyon is still alive. Maybe they ran to try and stop it. Maybe it's coming this way, and we should be trying to reach the surface before it arrives."
"Are you stupid?" Seren rebutted, "What Terror could possibly wipe out an entire Unit of Phantoms?"
"An undiscovered one."
"We're not abandoning our only potential for survival based on your dumb hunch. We're going towards the Phantoms."
"Wasn't your entire plan a hunch as well? It seems smarter to be safe and reach the surface instead."
"And how would we scale the damn cliff? Even better, what would we do when we reach the surface? Feed ourselves to those demon wolves or god knows what else is lurking up there after a Starfall-?"
"-It'd be better than risk walking towards a creature so large that it created a rift in the earth."
"Everyone- just shut up!" Nyx exclaimed. He spoke so loud, that his voice gave off a slight echo. Even he knew he spoke too loud. Readjusting his voice into a whisper, he continued. "We don't need to fight about this right now. We need rest. In the morning, we make a decision. Not now."
Rei gave a slight shrug before turning and walking away. "I don't really care. Either way, I'm going to the surface, with or without you."
Seren shook his head. "You're really full of yourself, you know that? No matter how strong you think you are, you can't survive alone."
"I'll take my chances."
At long last, the argument was over. The building, which only moments ago was filled with chatter, came to a depressingly silent conclusion.
Acher hadn't spoken a word throughout the whole ordeal, though was clearly thinking of what the best decision was. They all were.
Regardless, for tonight they would rest. In the morning, they'd decide their fate.
Nyx couldn't help but provide a slight chuckle. 'Let the journey begin.'