Tess looked like she was going to be sick, her face pale and blood splattering her earlier fresh clothes. She had been helping one of the older women up and through the trees but came to a stop when Rin spoke to her. She flashed her friend a shaky smile, in one hand still clutching tightly the pistol Cas had shoved into her hands before he had disappeared into that building. "Thanks, but all this is doing is reminding me why I picked pilot training," She said with a breathless laugh, helping to ease the woman down to the ground before straightening up and trying to wipe her hands clean on her legs. she looked petrified.
Marcus was stone faced, bringing up the rear of the group now a good ten minutes or so behind them. He had stayed back the longest, his throat hoarse from screaming after Cas while he had laid down oppressive fire for the escapes using the rifle he had scavenged from a dead UKD man. But only dust had billowed out of the doors of the collapsed building, no sign of the Friendly Ghost and Marcus was eventually to pressed to wait for him anymore. He felt wretched, imagining what Kyle would have done better and what his squad leader was probably going to say to him when he showed up and explained how he had left a man behind.
When he rejoined the group his eyes lifted from the ground, searching through the haggard and frightened looking faces before landing on Rin's. She was okay, that was all that really mattered. He had felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders when he and Rich had found the girls, having nearly crushed Rin's ribs in a tight embrace. but there had been gun fire going on and he had been forced to push away from here. Now though they were in the clear, for the moment at least.
