Palmer looked over to Melody with heavy eyelids. She sat in a fetal position in the passenger seat of their truck, bouncing slightly as it hurtled over the uneven, sandy ground. Her thin arms were wrapped tightly around her knees, and her head rested on them, her milky-white eyes shut tight.

  The morning sun peeked over a distant mountain range, forcing Palmer to flip down the visor to shield his eyes from the glare. His hands gripped the steering wheel, calloused fingers drumming against it.

  The car made a beeping sound. The speedometer blinked '115,' and the engine light flashed urgently. “Damn it,” he muttered, his voice low and gruff. He eased off the gas, the truck slowing with a grumble of protest. His gaze flicked to the rearview mirror, scanning the empty expanse behind them. 'Probably twenty or thirty miles,' The horizon was clear, save for the faint trail of dust their vehicle had kicked up. 'Yeah, no one is even coming after me. I think I can afford a small nap.'

  He slowed the truck to a stop; He rolled the window down just enough to let in the crisp desert air, hoping he could hear if someone got too close. His head leaned back against the seat, eyes fluttering shut. “Just a minute,” he murmured to himself. “Just a quick minute.”

  "Get out!" the soldier barked, aiming his rifle at the lone mercenary huddled in the corner of a small container. The mercenary’s hands trembled, his sweat-soaked face pale with fear.

  The mercenary rose to his feet, hands raised in surrender. Before he could say a word, the sharp crack of a gunshot echoed through the air. He collapsed to his knees with a strangled cry, clutching his leg as blood seeped between his fingers. Cursing, "You just shot me!" his voice trembling with rage and pain. The soldier delivered a swift kick to his ribs, sending him sprawling onto his back. The cold barrel of the rifle hovered mere inches from his forehead, and he winced, feeling the soldier’s boot ground into his chest, pinning him down.

  "I'm gonna do it again if you don't tell me what happened down here, ya get me?"

  A few hours had passed, and Palmer was awake and driving again. He glanced at Melody, who was still curled up, her small frame tucked into the seat like a fragile bird.

  "Hey," he said softly, shaking her shoulder. She stirred but didn’t wake, "Get up, we found a town."

  “Hm?” she mumbled, bleary and disoriented, wiping a thin line of drool from her chin.

  When they exited the truck, Melody stretched her arms wide, her face tilting toward the sun. A big smile broke across her face as the light warmed her pale skin. “Wow,” she whispered in awe. “I haven’t felt the sun in so long.”

  Palmer smiled, "Yeah, well, you won't have to worry. I'll make sure you'll never be in another cell like that as long as you live. You can see the sun anytime you want."

  The town was minuscule, more a dusty speck on the map than a proper settlement. Palmer guessed no more than a few hundred people lived there. The roads were nothing more than packed dirt, and most of the homes were vibrant orange stucco that matched the deep, rust-colored ground.

  Despite the early hour, a few townspeople were already stirring. Some sat in front yards, their weathered faces turning curiously toward Palmer and Melody as they walked down the main street. Their footsteps stirred faint puffs of red dust with each step.

  "Seems like some kind of aboriginal town," Palmer muttered under his breath, his hand tightening protectively around Melody’s. His eyes darted to each face they passed, scanning.

  A tall older man with leathery skin watched the two warily as they walked up to his yard.

  "Hey," Palmer stuck out his hand, giving the man a handshake and introducing him and Melody, "Listen, we're not gonna be here long; we just need some gas."

  The man pointed to a building down the road, "Gas is over there."

  "Hey, but also, do you know anything about the surroundings of this place? Any big cities we can fly outta here? Or is there an ocean with a dock?"

  "Well," he started after thinking for a bit, "A ways away, there's a big walled-off city. Not too sure what's inside, as I've never had a reason nor the want to try and enter; but that's the closest one with what you want—any others will hundreds of miles."

  "Oh okay, thank you."

  "Don't get your hopes up. The community is very secretive. There is a rumor that no one is allowed in or out."

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  "Do you have a specific location of where it is?" Palmer asked hopefully.

  Initially silent, the man directed his gaze downward to the girl clutching Palmer's hand. She gently swayed from side to side, wearing a content smile, her eyes blissfully closed.

  Palmer shoved the green hose into the gas pipe, telling Melody to turn the valve. The fuel station was little more than a rusted metal shack with a single pump outside. The metal container shuttered, before he heard the rush of gasoline flow through the tube into the car. 'So, we head directly north from here. Got it,' he thought.

  "Hold on," As Melody twisted the valve again to stop the flow, Palmer froze, cocking his head to the side. A faint crackling sound tickled his ears, and he reached up to adjust the earpiece hidden under his cap. With each tap, he cycled through the channels, his expression growing grim.

  "What?" Melody asked.

  Palmer shushed her. "Okay," he said after a while. "Don't worry," he tried to sound upbeat, "It's nothing, just listening to the chatter on the radio." He told her to twist the valve once more, cutting off the gas. 'So, they've already started a wide search for Melody. We've gotta hurry.'

  Zoe's Zoe’s eyes snapped open as the jeep barreled through the desert, its tires kicking up a relentless cloud of dust. She prodded Asher, who slouched in the seat beside her, his head lolling with the motion of the vehicle. "Do you hear that?" She asked, her voice low, and nervous.

  "Huh?" he yawned.

  She looked through the back windshield, wiping the dust from the glass. She prodded him again, pointing.

  Asher turned, squinting, "Zoe, I don't see what you're talking about."

  He stared a while longer…there it was; it wasn't constant, but there was obviously something there. A slight reflection. A glint in the sky.

  As time passed, they all looked back, hearing the thumping of helicopter blades slicing through the air.

  "It's coming right for us," Asher noticed, grabbing onto his seat so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

  "Wait," Zoe said. "Stop the car," she demanded, and reached in her pocket and pulled out her box of cards.

  "Uh," Yahd looked to Kalimba, then glanced in the rear-view mirror, looking at the helicopter quickly approaching. He reached onto the dashboard, grabbing his pistol.

  "Now is not the time for magic tricks," Asher mumbled.

  "What is your plan here?" Kalimba turned to Zoe.

  "We just act normal, like we live here," Zoe said. "The chances of them opening fire on us from above is low, especially if they think we have the girl. They'll think we're too young. We just need to not draw suspicion."

  Yahd glanced to Kalimba, "Are we stopping?"

  Kalimba thought for a moment, "Alright, yeah. That's a good idea."

  The jeep jolted to a halt, and Zoe swung the door open, leaping outside. She darted around to the car's front, her aura enveloping her as she pulled several cards from the box.

  The orange glow expanded to encircle each card in her hands. With precision, she arranged the cards on the car's hood, concealing the logo. As this occurred, the cards underwent a transformation, seamlessly adopting the appearance of the rest of the car's hood.

  Yahd leaned over the dashboard, witnessing the logo on the car vanish entirely as if it had never been there in the first place. 'Oh, I see. If they saw that this jeep belonged to them, that would instantly make us guilty, and they may have shot us on the spot.'

  They all followed Zoe's lead, getting out of the car and waiting for the helicopter to catch up to them.

  Zoe had deactivated her energy, but the cards were still stuck to the hood.

  The wind howled and whipped the desert sand around as the helicopter descended and landed several yards away.

  One of the soldiers slid open the door, hopping out and approaching the group.

  Inside, they saw a bound and gagged man wearing green camo. Bloodied and bruised, with one eye swollen shut. If it weren't for his harsh and raspy breaths, Zoe would've assumed he had died hours prior.

  "So, I'm gonna cut to the chase," the soldier began. As he said that, three other soldiers hopped out of the helicopter, aiming their guns at the group of kids. "I've got several questions that I know you have the answers to." he reached behind him and pulled out a revolver from his waistband.

  Yahd's eyes widened as the soldier placed the barrel under his chin, forcing his head up to meet his gaze.