Skylar's POV
The smoke was thick, the metallic tang of blood in the air, my heart racing in my chest like a pounding drum, beating in my ears as I ran through chaos. The resistance around me was buckling, crumbling, but I couldn't stop. Not now. Not when the weapon was still active, ticking away like a time bomb ready to take us all out.
"Skylar!" Julian's voice cut through the din, sharp and urgent. I skidded to a stop, nearly tripping over some piece of debris. He was behind a crumbling wall, Jasper at his side-the two of them who usually found themselves at each other's throats now fighting back-to-back like some kind of messed-up buddy cop duo.
"What are you doing here?" I yelled, ducking as a blast tore through the air over our heads. "You're supposed to be covering the east flank!"
Julian gave me a smeared-with-dirt-and-sweat look. "East flank's gone. We're it now."
