The moment they stepped outside the building, Serix was on high alert. His eyes were already flickering between shadows as he scanned their surroundings for any sign of movement or brief flash of violet grow. The cover of darkness was a double-edged sword. The other Lunairans could hide in its shadowy cloak just as easily as he and Cassie could. They would have to be extremely cautious.

They moved swiftly and silently, ducking through pockets of shadows and stopping to wait and listen whenever they found adequate cover. So far, everything was progressing smoothly. They had yet to catch either sight or sound of a Scout. Serix began to feel his tension ebb away. Maybe the other Lunairans had moved on to a different sector of the city. He and Cassie had chosen the perfect time to leave the hideout to stock up on weaponry.

As if fate were mocking him, Serix saw a flash of movement up ahead just as the thought passed through his mind. He froze. The sound of footsteps echoed off of the nearby buildings. The Scouts were coming their way. He frantically looked around in search of someplace to hide. The buildings were most likely all locked, and they couldn’t waste time trying to open the doors. The alleyways would only provide cover until the Scouts got close, and then they would be completely exposed. The details zipped through his mind.

Then he saw the wheeled vehicle. It looked like an odd mode of ground-level transportation, but by now it was probably too old to run. What caught Serix’s attention was the compartment attached to the back. It was a small, windowless box barely large enough to fit three or four people, but for their purposes it was perfect. Better yet, the compartment’s door was cracked open. It wasn’t locked.

He snatched Cassie’s arm and hurried over to the door, pulling it open wider so they could slip inside. He started to step inside, but felt Cassie tug back. He turned to her, wide-eyed. What was she doing? They didn’t have time to waste. The Scouts would see them standing out in the open at any moment now. They had to hide.

He faltered slightly when he saw her expression. She looked stricken with fear at the sight of the compartment. He wondered why she would be afraid of such a harmless looking thing. Was there some hidden danger to it that he wasn’t aware of?

He didn’t have time to ponder over it. The footsteps were drawing nearer. Whatever frightened Cassie about the compartment couldn’t possibly be worse than getting caught be the Scouts. He cast her a brief, apologetic look and yanked her inside, closing the door behind them. It locked with a soft click.

Serix blinked against the pitch darkness. He strained to listen for the footsteps of the other Lunairans, but the metal walls of the box blocked out any noises from outside. The only sounds he could hear were those of their own labored breaths. Cassie’s sounded short and tight with panic. He held her close to himself, wrapping his arms around her lower back, and silently willed her to stay quiet. If she broke down and screamed, they would get caught for sure.

“It’s okay,” Serix murmured gently against her ear, keeping his voice as soft as he could. He tried to sound encouraging in spite of his own racing heart. “We only have to hide here until they pass us by.” He brought one hand up to press her head against his shoulder. Her hair was soft against his fingers. He shuddered and closed his eyes. “Won’t be long, now.”