Na'eem woke to the sound of gunfire. His vision blurred, flickering between dark and darker. He blinked hard.

  Yuxi was nowhere to be seen.

  He stood back up, his body heavy and weak but seemingly unbruised by a fall he should have taken. A fall he didn't take, his eyes widened.

  Na'eem dug his fingers deep into the concrete slabs, trying and failing to lift them. Desperate, he bent low, crawling through the thin cracks. A lifetime of eating rations had given him the lightest build in the platoon. Even so, the broken bits of building scraped against his sides as he pulled himself deeper.

  The ruins of the building shifted and groaned around as he kept pulling himself in deeper. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he couldn't find her.

  'YUXI!'

  A weak cough echoed through the rubble.

  Deep cuts lined his arms weaving their way in as he scrambled after her. She was lying still, barely breathing. The gunfire stopped. Na'eem looked at her, tearing up far quicker then he'd like to admit. 'Yuxi, you alright? Please be alright' he said, more to himself then her. Both her arms were bruised. It was all his fault. If she hadn't been carrying him, she would have been safe, she could have escaped...

  'No, no, no' his voice faltered, 'Stay with me, Yuxi please, I can't lose you'

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  She was looking at him. She seemed so accepting of the moment. Or maybe that's all she could do.

  A loud crack broke his attention on her. Cold moonlight streamed in, the outline of another soldier forcing a dark shadow over Na'eem and Yuxi. 'Two survivors here!' the man yelled, looking over his shoulder. He squinted at Na'eem, stepping back from the moonlight.

  The man held up his hand as the body hauler tried to push past.

  'It's them.' He said.

  Na'eem cursed.

  'The inhumans'

  'Your leader's been looking for the two of you' the man scoffed, 'One of you now, I suppose. Filthy deserters'

  Na'eem shifted, shielding Yuxi's fragile form with his body. His eyes flicked to the hauler, pleading silently.

  The man chuckled. "Don't bother. You're back on the frontlines. Move."

  'You don't talk? That's fine, now move,' he continued, 'You're needed on the frontlines now.' The man's clothes began to smoke; Na'eem didn't have the time.

  A loud bang.

  The man fell to the ground, unconscious. Na'eem would have rather he was dead. 'You don't have long, others will come soon.' the hauler said, his voice shaking. Na'eem nodded. The hauler hesitated, then pulled off his mask momentarily—light scales against his face. He was one of them. This type of kindness had been the fleeting reason he fought for a country he didn't belong to.

  Na'eem bent low, heaving Yuxi onto his shoulder. He felt his muscles compress painfully under the weight but it was nothing compared to the guilt he'd feel if she didn't make it. He walked past the hauler, touching shoulders as his way of expressing thanks.

  The air was thick with smoke and heavy under the night. Na'eem offered up a silent prayer to a nameless god as he made his way past the collapsed gates of the city they'd slaughtered. He took heavy, sharp gasps of air to keep himself company as he made his way off-route.

  No plan. No destination.

  Just Yuxi.

  He had to save her.