The ice was gone, leaving the town damp and eerily still. Water pooled in the dirt where frost had spread only minutes earlier.

  Rhea leaned closer to Dorne, trying to assess the damage. The bandages were soaked, concealing the wounds beneath them.

  “How deep are they?” she asked Thom.

  Thom’s face was pale, his clothes still stained from carrying Dorne inside. “Four long gashes,” he said quietly. “From his shoulder all the way down across his chest. He lost a lot of blood.”

  Rhea pressed her lips together. “He’s going to need stitches. A lot of them.” She turned to Kato. “Go back to the hill. Bring Strider and every medical supply we have.”

  Kato gave a sharp nod and bolted through the doorway.

  Meanwhile, inside Dorne’s house, Nero rummaged through the man’s belongings, searching for clothes. Vinn stood silently at the frame of the bedroom door, his hands gripping his weapon, gaze fixed on Nero with a blank expression.

  “You don’t talk much, do you?” Nero said over his shoulder.

  Vinn didn’t reply. The silence stretched.

  Eventually, Nero found a faded blue T-shirt and a pair of jeans that almost fit. They hung a little loose on his frame, but better than the rest. He muttered under his breath, “Took way too long for something so simple,” and pulled them on. Turning to Vinn, he said, “Let’s go. They might need us.”

  The two moved quickly through the house, but Vinn slowed when he noticed something blinking faintly on the dining table.

  Nero followed his gaze.

  He picked it up.

  “The tracker.” A small frown crossed his face. “I forgot about this.”

  He turned it toward Vinn. “This is how you people found me, right? Dorne must’ve left it here after I gave it to him. Good thing I stopped Thom from pulling the parts out. Otherwise, you’d never have tracked me.”

  Vinn’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not destroyed?”

  Nero raised a brow. “Destroyed? Why would I destroy it? It’s still blinking.”

  “You opened it?”

  “Yes. I had Thom take a look. Why are you asking? It still works. You found me, didn’t you?”

  Vinn’s voice finally cut through the calm, steady and accusing. “We tracked you until suddenly the signal died. Completely. We thought the unit had been smashed or destroyed. But if it’s still here… still blinking…” He met Nero’s eyes. “That means someone tampered with it.”

  Nero’s expression hardened. “What the hell are you talking about? Thom wouldn’t do that. I was right there when he checked it. Maybe your fancy tech glitched.”

  Vinn stepped closer, his stare unflinching. “You think military-grade hardware just ‘glitches out’? This isn’t a toy. If the signal vanished, someone made it vanish.”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Nero was silent, caught between confusion and anger.

  Vinn’s voice was low, certain. “Face it. Your friend tampered with it when you weren’t paying attention.”

  “I’m going to ask Thom directly about what you said,” Nero told Vinn, his tone sharp. “Then everything will be clear.”

  Vinn said nothing. The two started toward Thom’s house, boots thudding against the dirt path. When they stepped inside, Nero immediately noticed the stains—dark streaks of dried blood on the wooden floor, leading deeper into the house. His stomach tightened.

  “Thom?” Nero called out. “Where’s Dorne?”

  From the back room, a voice answered, tired but steady. “We’re here. In this room.”

  Nero and Vinn entered to find Rhea crouched at Dorne’s bedside, her hands working carefully over him. Thom stood nearby, his shirt still spattered with blood.

  Nero’s eyes went to Dorne. “Will he be alright?”

  Rhea shook her head slightly, still focused on her work. “Hard to say. He looks stable for now, but he’s lost a lot of blood. I’ll need to remove the bandages before I know more.”

  Nero turned to Thom. “What about Dr. Merrow? She’s the doctor here, isn’t she?”

  Thom’s jaw tightened. “She is. But we have rules. When the monster roams at night, everything locks down until morning. No exceptions.”

  Nero frowned. “Then why did you leave your house tonight?”

  Thom’s eyes flickered. He hesitated, then said, “I don’t know. I was watching from the window—watching you fight that thing. When I saw Dorne go down, saw you thrown into the fire… I just… moved. Lina was holding me back, begging me not to go. But I shoved her aside and ran out anyway. I had to.” His voice cracked, trembling at the memory. “By the time I got to Dorne, I looked at the fire pit. You weren’t there. I thought you were—”

  He stopped, unable to finish. Taking a breath, he added, “I’m glad you’re alive, Nero.”

  Nero gave a small nod, then glanced around. “Where are CH and the girl?”

  “I put Lina to bed upstairs,” Thom said. “CH is with her.”

  “They’ll be alright alone?”

  “Don’t worry. Lina may be young, but she’s strong. And CH… you know how he is.”

  Nero snorted, clicking his tongue. “Tch. Tough old goat, I’ll give him that.”

  Thom blinked, surprised. “So… you and CH, you’ve got bad blood?”

  “Yeah. That crazy bastard jumps me whenever he gets the chance. Even threatened me once.”

  Thom’s brows rose. “He’s also the one who called me and Anika when you were freezing in that room.”

  “I know,” Nero muttered. “And I’m thankful for that.”

  He turned back to Rhea. “Where’s your other guy?”

  “I sent Kato to fetch supplies from Strider,” Rhea replied.

  Almost on cue, the rumble of an engine rolled through the quiet town. Strider pulled in, headlights sweeping across the windows. Kato hurried in with an armful of medical gear, setting it down before running back outside. Vinn followed him to help carry the rest.

  Inside, Rhea prepared herself. She unwrapped the soaked bandages, revealing the gaping cuts across Dorne’s chest. The room fell silent as she cleaned the wounds with practiced hands, then bound them again with fresh cloth.

  Nero finally asked, “Aren’t you going to stitch him up?”

  Rhea didn’t look up. “He needs stitches, but these wounds are too much for me. We’ll need a doctor.” Her eyes flicked toward Thom. “You said there’s one in town?”

  “Yes,” Thom said, “but not until morning. We can’t break lockdown.”

  Rhea pressed her lips into a thin line. “Then we wait, and pray he lasts until dawn.”

  Far away, at HQ, a transmission opened.

  “This is General Kaelen Mordane from Central. Warden, do you copy?”

  Colonel Yara Veltin’s voice crackled through the line. “This is Colonel Veltin, from Warden. Go ahead, General.”

  “How long until you reach Angelo’s location?”

  “Four days, originally,” Veltin replied. “But we’ve been pressing through the night. At this pace, we’ll arrive in fifty-six hours, maximum.”

  “Good,” Mordane said. His tone carried weight, sharp as iron. “Maintain your pace. I’m placing the Iron Veil’s directive in your hands. Bring Angelo to the base.”

  “Yes, sir,” Veltin answered without hesitation.