The armored trucks rumbled along the ruined highway, their reinforced wheels crushing debris and dried-out vegetation. The interior smelled of sweat, gunpowder, and exhaustion.
Evelyn Knox sat near the back, her body aching. Every bump in the road sent pain flaring through her bruised ribs. She pressed a hand against the gash on her arm, feeling the sticky warmth of blood. Nothing life-threatening, but enough to remind her of what happened.
The attack.
The monsters that tore through the western sector.
And the one that didn't.
She exhaled sharply and leaned her head back against the cold metal wall of the truck. The other soldiers were quiet, tense. The survivors sat huddled together, their faces blank, too drained to even whisper among themselves.
Then, from across the dimly lit space—a shift.
A presence she hadn't noticed before.
Evelyn's pulse spiked as her gaze snapped forward.
He was there.
Sitting directly across from her, elbows resting on his knees, his fingers loosely laced together. Still. Silent. Watching.
Her breath caught. She hadn't seen him board. No one had.
"Kaelen," he said smoothly, his voice cutting through the truck's steady hum.
Evelyn stiffened, gripping her rifle, heart hammering. She didn't know his name. Not before now.
Reyes, sitting nearby, rubbed his face before turning toward her. "Hey, you—" His words died in his throat as his eyes landed on Kaelen.
He blinked, confused. Then his expression darkened. "What the hell—"
Evelyn barely heard him. Her focus was on Kaelen.
His posture was relaxed, but nothing about him seemed at ease. There was a sharpness to him, a tension in the way he held himself—as if he was a blade waiting to be drawn.
Reyes found his voice. "How did you get in here?"
Kaelen didn't so much as glance at him. "I walked."
Reyes frowned. "Through a locked, moving vehicle?"
Kaelen exhaled quietly, like he didn't find the question worth answering.
Evelyn gritted her teeth. "You were at the breach."
Kaelen finally met her gaze. His expression unreadable. His stare, unwavering.
"I was," he said simply.
"You're not like them."
A pause. Then: "No."
Reyes ran a hand over his face, exasperated. "Alright, then what the hell are you?"
Kaelen finally looked at him, and his gaze was like ice—cold, distant, uninterested. He didn't even need to say anything. His silence alone was dismissive enough.
Reyes tensed, looking like he wanted to say more, but before he could—
A sudden impact rocked the truck.
Evelyn slammed into the metal wall, her injured arm sending a sharp burst of pain through her body.
"Shit—" Reyes swore, grabbing the overhead rail.
The driver's voice crackled through the radio. "Commander, we've got movement. North flank."
Evelyn gritted her teeth, shifting her weight despite the soreness in her muscles. She knew what that meant.
Something was following them.
The truck lurched again. A screech—high-pitched, unnatural—raked against the roof.
And then—a second, heavier impact.
Metal groaned. Something had landed on top of them.
The soldiers tensed. One of them unholstered their sidearm, eyes darting toward the ceiling.
Reyes cursed under his breath. "We're still moving. How the hell—"
Another deep, grating sound. Claws. Digging into metal.
Evelyn's stomach twisted.
She reached for her rifle—
But Kaelen moved first.
He was fast.
One second, he was seated. The next, he was standing, bracing himself against the truck's movements like he'd done it a hundred times before.
No hesitation. No uncertainty.
The roof dented inward. A deep, snarling growl vibrated through the metal.
A soldier aimed his weapon up. "Shit, shit, what the—"
A sickening crunch.
The truck jolted, and suddenly, the weight on the roof disappeared.
Silence.
The soldiers stared at each other, breathless. The tension in the air was suffocating.
The radio crackled again. "Negative on hostiles. We're clear."
Reyes let out a slow breath. "Clear my ass. That thing—"
Kaelen finally turned back around. His expression was blank, unimpressed, as if the entire event had been nothing more than an inconvenience.
"Dead," he said simply.
Reyes narrowed his eyes. "And how do you know that?"
Kaelen gave him a single, dispassionate glance. "Because if it weren't," he said flatly, "we wouldn't be having this conversation."
Reyes fell silent.
The truck continued toward the SafeZone.
Evelyn didn't speak. Didn't move. Her arm still ached. Her ribs throbbed. But her thoughts weren't on her injuries anymore.
They were on Kaelen.
He had been at the breach. He had watched the chaos unfold. And now he was here, sitting across from her like he belonged, like the soldiers surrounding him weren't armed and wary.
Like none of them mattered.
She didn't know what he was.
But she was starting to realize just how little he feared them.
The truck jerked to a stop.
Reyes was on his feet in an instant, grabbing his rifle. Evelyn did the same, despite the dull ache in her limbs.
"Why did we stop?" someone muttered.
The driver's voice crackled over the radio, but this time, there was static—distorted, broken.
"Something… ahead. Blocked road. It's—"
The signal cut out.
Evelyn's stomach tightened.
Reyes turned toward the rear doors. "Shit, let's move."
Two soldiers pushed them open, weapons raised—
And then they stopped.
Evelyn caught a glimpse of figures through the gap. Not monsters. Soldiers.
A dozen of them, fully armed, standing in the middle of the road. Their stance wasn't welcoming. Their weapons weren't lowered.
The insignia on their sleeves wasn't familiar.
Reyes swore under his breath. "That's not SafeZone security."
Evelyn tightened her grip on her rifle.
Kaelen, still seated, tilted his head slightly. He wasn't tense, wasn't reacting the way the others were. If anything—he looked almost amused.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Then one of the soldiers stepped forward.
His voice was calm but firm. "Turn off your engines and step out. Now."
Evelyn exhaled slowly, glancing at Reyes.
Something wasn't right.
She gritted her teeth, raised her chin—
And stepped out first.