It was an odd feeling to be scouting alone again. It was even more frustrating to know his scouting was just a performance for the pilot to keep himself from getting killed. He had to tread carefully. The pilot would be sure to keep a close eye on him after he had lost track of him for two days. And so, Serix had come full circle, searching the city buildings for signs of humans, when he knew he would find none. The only human that was still breathing was safely hidden away in the airport… wasn’t she? It would be dangerous for her to try and move around now that the Scouts had been released to continue searching for survivors. If any of the others had decided to explore the city, there was a chance she could get caught.

[i]“Five warm bodies to the northeast, Scout. Go identify them.”[/i]

The pilot’s voice crackled over the intercom, making Serix jump. He still wasn’t used to hearing the pilot give him direct instructions like this. He found himself wishing he was back in the human’s ship, chatting idly to pass the time while a storm brewed outside. He would much rather listen to Cassie’s relaxing voice than the stern, clipped tone of his pilot. But he knew that wasn’t an option anymore.

“Five?” Serix said. “It’s probable that they are just more of those hairy creatures I encountered before. It seems they prefer to travel in groups. Do you still want me to check, sir?” He paused. No response. Of course the pilot wouldn’t be so foolish that as to reply. He wouldn’t give away his ability to hear the Scouts that easily.

Serix moved as quietly as he could as he approached the unidentified bodies in the northeast. He was still unarmed, so a fight with five of those creatures would end badly for him. He was still fairly confident that he would win, but he would likely be too injured to move afterwards. The pilot would send someone to retrieve him and he would be sent back to the ship for medical treatment. He couldn’t let that happen.

Up ahead, he saw the five creatures. As he suspected, it was a group of those four-legged beasts. They hadn’t noticed his presence yet. Serix quickly figured out why when a strong breeze rustled his hair. It had come from the northeast, which meant that he was downwind of the creatures. They must hunt by smell, and he happened to be in a perfect position where they couldn’t catch his scent.

Keeping low to the ground, Serix inched a bit closer, using the overgrown foliage for cover. He pulled out his recorder and began capturing pictures of the beasts. The group looked like a small family. There were two larger creatures and three smaller ones that he suspected were their spawn. He put the recorder away again and continued to watch them. The little beasts were rolling around in what looked like a mock fight while the larger ones kept watch. It was an interesting sight.

Suddenly, one of the large beasts whipped its head around to face him. Too late, Serix realized the direction of the wind had changed. He was no longer hidden. The creatures flattened their ears and approached him slowly. Serix scrambled to his feet, looking for the fastest exit point. One of the creatures snarled and lunged at him. Serix hit its gaping maw away before it could sink its fangs into his torso. One of the beast’s teeth scraped his arm in the process. While the beast was dazed, he clambered up a nearby tree. The other beast lunged at his leg, but he pulled it up and out of reach. He perched on a thick branch and looked down at the circling hunters. He was safe for now, but he was also trapped.

Serix ran a quick scan of his surroundings. There was a short building not too far to his right. If he climbed a little higher, he could jump down onto its crumbling top. He wasn’t sure it would support his weight, but it was better than staying trapped in the tree. He began to ascend to a taller branch.

He looked down at the building top. It was about as far away as the length of his body. He could make the jump. He crouched on the tree branch and leaped across the gap. He hit the building hard, landing sloppily so that he had to roll to a stop. He checked the intercom on his belt, half-hoping it got destroyed on the impact, but the little light was still flashing. It was still operable.

Serix winced. Now that the adrenaline rush was fading, he could feel a sharp pain in his arm where the hairy beast had scraped him. He rolled his sleeve back to inspect the damage. A long, shallow gash had formed along the outside of his forearm. It wasn’t a deep cut, but it still welled with dark blood. He clicked his tongue in irritation. He had nothing he could use to bandage the injury. He rolled his sleeve back down to cover it and rose to his feet, looking over the side of the building to see that the creatures had given up chasing him and dispersed.

[i]“The group is heading south. I hope you collected valuable information before they left your area, Scout.”[/i]

The pilot’s unsympathetic voice came over the intercom again. Serix had half a mind to shout some choice words at him, but he held his tongue. The pilot knew he was injured – he would have been able to hear the tousle through the device – and yet he was going to do nothing about it. He was probably wondering why Serix hadn’t used his Silencer to kill the beasts before they attacked him.

Serix shook his head and stepped over to a ladder to get down from the building top. His wounded arm pained him when he put his weight on it, but he managed to climb down quickly enough. Once he was on the ground again, he continued walking deeper into the city. Blood trickled down his hand and dripped from his fingertips, leaving a trail of dark crimson droplets behind him. He had to find somewhere secure to rest until his arm stopped bleeding. Those four-legged creatures would have an easy time tracking him down while he was like this, and he didn’t want to get pulled into another fight.

Serix remembered the robot storage Cassie had mentioned to him before. She had said something about it being located beneath the tallest building in the city. That would be a safe place to stop, right? He looked up, searching for the tallest construction. It wasn’t difficult to find. The glass-walled building towered high above all the others in its vicinity. He smiled to himself. He would finally get to see the rumored battle machines of the humans.

He began the long walk to the building.