I could feel the heat rising from the corpse as I knelt. I took deep breaths while swallowing. Every six seconds, I forced myself to stop crying by closing my eyes. The streetlights' embers illuminated the evil we were confronting. I thought there might be red stains where blood would have spilled. Maybe a piece of an exposed organ. I saw nothing but black. The body was merely an indistinct form. It was far blacker than the asphalt it covered. As I noticed movement to the right, I drew my Glock reflexively. The radio's crackle overloaded my eardrum. I knew she was whispering, but I grumbled and turned down my radio as Jo muttered, "It's just rats. Massive rats. Through my scope, they look like toys. Jaxon, you should move. If you stay out there, you'll be noticed by anyone looking."

I opted not to respond.

Something shimmered where I envisioned a hand. Using a utility knife, I pulled back the fingers. The thumb fell to the ground. I was reminded of how sick I used to feel when I was carving meat on holidays. I paused for a moment and offered a silent prayer before continuing. I eventually cut through the burnt flesh and removed a heart-shaped locket. When I opened the locket, I had no idea what to anticipate, yet I was perplexed. Incredibly, the photos survived. Performing a double-take of the situation in front of me, I threw up.

"Are you okay, Jaxon?" Jo's voice quivered as she spoke. This time, I could not answer. When I tried to count down six seconds, I got to the number two three times before the clear liquid gushed uncontrollably out my mouth and nose. Spewing fluids everywhere, my nose began to burn, and my mouth dried out. I sat back and tried to breathe for a while when it was all over.

I struggled to open my eyes. With a final exhale, I absorbed everything into my memory banks. Town 27, since it began. Death came suddenly. While investigating the area, I discovered that construction trucks were likely driving around. Men and women were definitely working on the sewage pipes near the street drains. The cars behind me offered proof that people were food shopping. A game, football or soccer, was underway in the park down the street.

"The locket says..." Jo began over the radio.

Bang!

A deafening gunshot erupted. I quickly laid on the ground. It took me a while to realize that the sound was less than half of a mile away.

“Jo. Jo!” I whisper loudly. Not a peep in response. I placed the locket into my pocket and set off to locate Jo. Another round was fired. That shot completely immobilized me. Even though my instincts told me she was dead, I managed to move my foot forward. “If you're not alive, I'm going to kick your butt," I muttered into the radio as I reached Jo’s nest. I realized then for sure that Jo's position was compromised.

A tall, pale woman stood in a group of three people and three dogs, with her hands behind her back. They argued, and it was obvious that she would serve as a tiebreaker in their conflict. When I raised my binoculars to my eyes, she raised her hand to quiet the group. In one swift motion, she swiveled her head and looked in my direction. I flattened myself against the building with brown stucco walls. The group was too busy arguing, I reasoned. They could not notice me. I checked to make sure. With a quick glance, my heart began to pound. The woman was walking straight towards me. I was convinced I was seeing things, so I stole another look.

Whoosh.

Doubts about the woman seeing me vanished as the bullet ricocheted off the wall in front of me. If you're still alive, Jo, now would be the time, I thought.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The gunfire was followed by three dead bodies landing on the floor. The sounds of canines running amuck erupted, with the noises of howling and barking. Immediately, I threw a flash grenade. When I heard a scream, I darted around the corner and promptly shot the woman in the leg. My heavy body plowed into her, knocking the pistol out of her hand. With my gun, I smacked her in the forehead. As my finger touched the trigger, Jo shouted, "Wait. We need info."

I smiled, hearing Jo's voice. "You're not dead. Good." I shouted back.

"I'm assuming you must have forgotten who kicks whose ass around here," Jo joked. Despite not being able to tear my eyes away from the woman in front of me, I found myself chuckling. The woman shifted slightly, and her jaw was clenched. She was visibly trembling but alert. With her eyes darting around the area, I could tell she was thinking about how to attack and the likelihood of success.

"Don't," I warned in hushed tones.

"Let’s cut to the chase,” Jo said to the woman as she neared my side. "We want to talk. How about we send my buddy here away, and we can talk like two normal women?"

The woman chose to spit at us then. Jo gave her a right hook.

"Next time,” Jo continued as she placed her face near the woman's neck, "I'll knock your teeth in. Now, can we just talk?"

The woman stiffened and shooed away from Jo.

"Did you happen to see the locket my friend picked up?" Jo asked the woman as she extended her hand to me. I let it refract a light beam and shined it at the woman's feet. Jo took the pendant from my grasp, holding it up for the woman to see. When Jo spoke again, she appeared calm and conversational, saying, "This is genocide. The murder toll has risen to millions. How are you going to live with yourself if you're supporting this? This is not going to be swept under the rug. We have images and videos, and the entire world will know. You can stop this. Will you tell us where the next target is?"

“No,” the woman murmured.

“No?” I snapped.

“No. Balance is being restored to the world. You believe you know what happened here. Do you? The truth is, you have no idea. You know nothing” The woman folded her arms and reclined.

“I know what we’re going to do. We're going to stop you.” Jo sneered.

The woman began laughing. “You? Who are you anyway?"

"The anti-order! Cunt. The anti-order will stop you.” Jo’s voice became louder with each word.

The woman repeated Jo's words as if she were a preschooler. “The anti-order, cunt.” The woman's right lip curled. “You call yourself a cunt. How...new age.”

Jo struck the woman several times. I grabbed her hand as she reached for her gun. Jo's eyes begged me to let her shoot the woman. As she observed us, the woman began to laugh again. Suppressing her laughter with short, sharp gasps, she addressed Jo. “I like you. You are amusing. Fierce! Like a…cunt, right? I was looking for a new playmate. I promise. I won’t let them kill you, love. You will be mine."

"Shut up, crazy. Your friends are dead. You're coming with us. You’re the captive here." I said to the woman before Jo could react.

The woman replied in a language I couldn’t make out. As we locked eyes, she said so I could understand, "I'm not sure how I feel about you. You could starve to death. We'll see what happens."

I covered the woman's head. "Let's look for cover," I suggested.

Jo and I both looked to our left and began walking. We entered a tall building in a cul de sac, activating a beacon signal. As we entered the building, the woman began laughing again, as if she knew where we were. "So we'll have to wait for the Angel of Death," she moaned.

While we waited, the sun began to rise, and the night sky turned orange. The woman kept quiet. At first, she repeated queries and giggled at each one. After she had stated that she was bored, she stopped speaking. At zero six hundred hours, I gave the woman the heart-shaped locket. She met my gaze as she examined it closely.

"I peeled it off one of the dead today," I muttered, more to vent than to start a conversation."It has to be made of titanium, the way it survived the heat. Sarah and Miles. I cut it from Sarah's grasp. What keeps going through my mind is, was that Miles? Was that beautiful smiling baby the unidentifiable body next to Sarah on the road? He looks what? Two years old. A baby.” A tear streaked down the woman’s face, but she still said nothing.

"Jaxon, we have company." Jo carefully shut the window.

The woman wiped away her tears, composing herself. I showed her my gun and gagged her. She sighed, then sagged back. When I glanced through a hole in the wall, my jaw dropped open. The flawless movement of the soldiers in uniform was something to marvel at as they drew closer to us. I tried counting but gave up. With my head pressed against the wall, I tried to think of a solution. A strange noise came from behind. As I turned around, Jo screamed, "Jaxon, watch out!" The world went dark.I could feel the heat rising from the corpse as I knelt. I took deep breaths while swallowing. Every six seconds, I forced myself to stop crying by closing my eyes. The streetlights' embers illuminated the evil we were confronting. I thought there might be red stains where blood would have spilled. Maybe a piece of an exposed organ. I saw nothing but black. The body was merely an indistinct form. It was far blacker than the asphalt it covered. As I noticed movement to the right, I drew my Glock reflexively. The radio's crackle overloaded my eardrum. I knew she was whispering, but I grumbled and turned down my radio as Jo muttered, "It's just rats. Massive rats. Through my scope, they look like toys. Jaxon, you should move. If you stay out there, you'll be noticed by anyone looking."

I opted not to respond.

Something shimmered where I envisioned a hand. Using a utility knife, I pulled back the fingers. The thumb fell to the ground. I was reminded of how sick I used to feel when I was carving meat on holidays. I paused for a moment and offered a silent prayer before continuing. I eventually cut through the burnt flesh and removed a heart-shaped locket. When I opened the locket, I had no idea what to anticipate, yet I was perplexed. Incredibly, the photos survived. Performing a double-take of the situation in front of me, I threw up.

"Are you okay, Jaxon?" Jo's voice quivered as she spoke. This time, I could not answer. When I tried to count down six seconds, I got to the number two, three times before the clear liquid gushed uncontrollably out my mouth and nose. Spewing fluids everywhere, my nose began to burn, and my mouth dried out. I sat back and tried to breathe for a while when it was all over.

I struggled to open my eyes. With a final exhale, I absorbed everything into my memory banks. Town 27, since it began. Death came suddenly. While investigating the area, I discovered that construction trucks were likely driving around. Men and women were definitely working on the sewage pipes near the street drains. The cars behind me offered proof that people were food shopping. A game, football or soccer, was underway in the park down the street.

"The locket says..." Jo began over the radio.

Bang!

A deafening gunshot erupted. I quickly laid on the ground. It took me a while to realize that the sound was less than half of a mile away.

“Jo. Jo!” I whisper loudly. Not a peep in response. I placed the locket into my pocket and set off to locate Jo. Another round was fired. That shot completely immobilized me. Even though my instincts told me she was dead, I managed to move my foot forward. “If you're not alive, I'm going to kick your butt," I muttered into the radio as I reached Jo’s nest. I realized then for sure that Jo's position was compromised.

A tall, pale woman stood in a group of three people and three dogs, with her hands behind her back. They argued, and it was obvious that she would serve as a tiebreaker in their conflict. When I raised my binoculars to my eyes, she raised her hand to quiet the group. In one swift motion, she swiveled her head and looked in my direction. I flattened myself against the building with brown stucco walls. The group was too busy arguing, I reasoned. They could not notice me. I checked to make sure. With a quick glance, my heart began to pound. The woman was walking straight towards me. I was convinced I was seeing things, so I stole another look.

Whoosh.

Doubts about the woman seeing me vanished as the bullet ricocheted off the wall in front of me. If you're still alive, Jo, now would be the time, I thought.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The gunfire was followed by three dead bodies landing on the floor. The sounds of canines running amuck erupted, with the noises of howling and barking. Immediately, I threw a flash grenade. When I heard a scream, I darted around the corner and promptly shot the woman in the leg. My heavy body plowed into her, knocking the pistol out of her hand. With my gun, I smacked her in the forehead. As my finger touched the trigger, Jo shouted, "Wait. We need info."

I smiled hearing Jo's voice. "You're not dead. Good." I shouted back.

"I'm assuming you must have forgotten who kicks whose ass around here," Jo joked. Despite not being able to tear my eyes away from the woman in front of me, I found myself chuckling. The woman shifted slightly, and her jaw was clenched. She was visibly trembling but alert. With her eyes darting around the area, I could tell she was thinking about how to attack and the likelihood of success.

"Don't," I warned in hushed tones.

"Let’s cut to the chase,” Jo said to the woman as she neared my side. "We want to talk. How about we send my buddy here away, and we can talk like two normal women?"

The woman chose to spit at us then. Jo gave her a right hook.

"Next time,” Jo continued as she placed her face near the woman's neck, "I'll knock your teeth in. Now, can we just talk?"

The woman stiffened and shooed away from Jo.

"Did you happen to see the locket my friend picked up?" Jo asked the woman as she extended her hand to me. I let it refract a light beam and shined it at the woman's feet. Jo took the pendant from my grasp, holding it up for the woman to see. When Jo spoke again, she appeared calm and conversational, saying, "This is genocide. The murder toll has risen to millions. How are you going to live with yourself if you're supporting this? This is not going to be swept under the rug. We have images and videos, and the entire world will know. You can stop this. Will you tell us where the next target is?"

“No,” the woman murmured.

“No?” I snapped.

“No. Balance is being restored to the world. You believe you know what happened here. Do you? The truth is, you have no idea. You know nothing” The woman folded her arms and reclined.

“I know what we’re going to do. We're going to stop you.” Jo sneered.

The woman began laughing. “You? Who are you anyway?"

"The anti-order! Cunt. The anti-order will stop you.” Jo’s voice became louder with each word.

The woman repeated Jo's words as if she were a preschooler. “The anti-order, cunt.” The woman's right lip curled. “You call yourself a cunt. How...new age.”

Jo struck the woman several times. I grabbed her hand as she reached for her gun. Jo's eyes begged me to let her shoot the woman. As she observed us, the woman began to laugh again. Suppressing her laughter with short, sharp gasps, she addressed Jo. “I like you. You are amusing. Fierce! Like a…cunt, right? I was looking for a new playmate. I promise. I won’t let them kill you, love. You will be mine."

"Shut up, crazy. Your friends are dead. You're coming with us. You’re the captive here." I said to the woman before Jo could react.

The woman replied in a language I couldn’t make out. As we locked eyes, she said so I could understand, "I'm not sure how I feel about you. You could starve to death. We'll see what happens."

I covered the woman's head. "Let's look for cover," I suggested.

Jo and I both looked to our left and began walking. We entered a tall building in a cul de sac, activating a beacon signal. As we entered the building, the woman began laughing again, as if she knew where we were. "So we'll have to wait for the Angel of Death," she moaned.

While we waited, the sun began to rise, and the night sky turned orange. The woman kept quiet. At first, she repeated queries and giggled at each one. After she had stated that she was bored, she stopped speaking. At zero six hundred hours, I gave the woman the heart-shaped locket. She met my gaze as she examined it closely.

"I peeled it off one of the dead today," I muttered, more to vent than to start a conversation."It has to be made of titanium, the way it survived the heat. Sarah and Miles. I cut it from Sarah's grasp. What keeps going through my mind is, was that Miles? Was that beautiful smiling baby the unidentifiable body next to Sarah on the road? He looks what? Two years old. A baby.” A tear streaked down the woman’s face, but she still said nothing.

"Jaxon, we have company." Jo carefully shut the window.

The woman wiped away her tears, composing herself. I showed her my gun and gagged her. She sighed, then sagged back. When I glanced through a hole in the wall, my jaw dropped open. The flawless movement of the soldiers in uniform was something to marvel at as they drew closer to us. I tried counting but gave up. With my head pressed against the wall, I tried to think of a solution. A strange noise came from behind. As I turned around, Jo screamed, "Jaxon, watch out!" The world went dark.