Humanity at Stake (Completed)

Chapter 37

"When you're backed against the wall
I could be the one
Who's always there to break your fall." -"Halo" by Starset

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The crickets chirped quietly, keeping a rhythm of their own as they communicated back and forth. The fire crackled loudly, dry wood popping with charring.

The cool night air had its own comforting smell, its darkness wrapping Nova up in a secure blanket. She sat on her bedroll, monkeying around with her bow. Her fingers worked around the broken horn that Leon had caused, fiddling with the loose strings in an attempt to keep them from sliding off at the next use. She personally enjoyed the silence. It gave her time to think and time to herself.

The fire distracted her, causing her to look up, watching the way the flames danced and licked the air. She could feel a small amount of heat radiate from the light, and it felt good verses her slightly chilled back.

A ways down from where they slept, in the building, something crashed loudly, causing Nova to jerk. She looked around to see if anyone had been woken up by the noise. Everyone else seemed undisturbed by it.

Nova's mind quickly wandered back to before she was put on guard. Christopher told her that if something raised her suspicions, she would have to rouse one of them before checking it out.

She glanced over at Christopher. He had been the last person to be on lookout. He'd be the easiest person to wake up. An image of her shaking him, followed by him ramming his staff's sharpened knife through her neck invaded her conscious, and she decided against it.

She quickly turned to Leon, shuffling over to him, so she was kneeling in front of him.

"Leon!" she hissed quietly, shaking his shoulders. In a quick movement, she had a knife pressed against her neck, a murderous glint in Leon's eyes. Then the shine faded as he noticed who it was, collapsing back onto his bed. He pulled the knife back, tucking it away.

"Holy shit, don't do that, Nova. I almost killed you! What is it?" he whispered, clearing sleep from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I heard a noise." Leon gave her a look that told her he wasn't happy. "It was a noise from something big," she argued back. Leon perked a little bit, sighing as he grabbed his crossbow and stood up. She scrambled after him quickly, grabbing her bow and one of her swords. She strapped the sword on, loosely knocking an arrow to fire when ready.

"Where did you hear it?" he asked, and she pointed towards the corner.

"It was around the corner and down a ways. Maybe on the other side of the building. Thats what makes it so concerning that I heard it," she answered back, biting her lip in hesitation.

"Well, there's only one way to find out what it is," Leon responded, nodding his head towards the side to indicate they were moving.

They made sure to stay quiet as the two prowled around the corner. They placed their footsteps slow and precise, keeping them from making a sound. They continued down towards where the noise was heard. As they went along, they peeked down perpendicular hallways to check for enemies, only to come up empty. As they were about to round to the next corridor, another loud sound echoed from the other side, causing them to still.

Leon looked at Nova with wide eyes at the noise, realizing she had been anxious for a reason. He mouthed to her 'get ready' as he raised his crossbow up defensively. Nova quickly drew the ready arrow as they leaped around the corner.

Only to find some objects had been knocked over by an animal scampering away. The two of them seemed to release a breath of relief as they lowered their weapons, looking at each other with sheepish smiles.