Chapter 4

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The drive from Narrow Pass to Cavil took six hours on a good day. The problem was, this wasn't a good day. What had started as a decent evening had given in to a dusk so crappy that a dark and stormy night sounded downright cozy.

Monster's headlights reflected the blowing silica sand rather than cut through it, and Joe had to rely on the cutter's auto-drive feature—sensors that picked up the geo-trackers implanted along the route—to stay on the road. Even using the enhanced visual sensors in his helmet, Joe couldn't see more than a few feet.

The dust storms always came from the west, the winds carrying sands from the deserts of the Salt Flats. And that was the best possible scenario since the winds that came from the east brought death.

He could hear the thunder from regular bursts of dry lightning, but the dust storm swallowed even the wildest of lights. The thunder rattled the vehicle, but Joe didn't mind since it helped drown out Sikes's angry tirade. The man hadn't been in a good mood since he'd awakened. He pounded on the cab and yelled enthusiastic strings of insults, evidently unimpressed with his travel accommodations. The small bed was fully enclosed, so he wouldn't die from exposure, and given how Sikes was able to continue spouting obscenities at the top of his lungs, the air must be decent enough back there.

Joe glanced at the screen. At least another four hours on the road, assuming the storm lifted soon. He considered taking off his helmet to get more comfortable, but the idea was fleeting. He'd known too many hunters who'd been caught with their pants down—some, literally—and he had no intention of adding his name to the Killed in Action list. As long as he was on the job, he stayed suited up.

He closed his eyes and let the howling of the wind lull him to sleep. As he entered his dreamworld, he also heard thunder, but in that place, he knew the sound meant something far more sinister. There, most thunderclaps were echoed by screams. An explosion took out the foxhole next to his.

"Down!" he yelled and covered his head. Chunks of dirt and things he didn't want to think about pelted him. Pain erupted in his forearm, and he looked to see a burning fragment melting through his jacket. He knocked away the bit and then noticed the soldier who'd taken cover in the hole with him. Shrapnel had sliced through her helmet. He lunged over and tugged off her helmet, and soon came to know how swift death had been for her.

He leaned back on his heels, head lowered. She was a new recruit, just arrived that morning. He hadn't even learned her name. With how the Shiprock War was going, he wouldn't be far behind her. He tugged the red cape off her armor and tucked it into his pack. He remained there, trying to ignore her lifeless stare while the barrage continued around him.

Something barreled into his side, his head erupted into a bright light, and he was yanked instantly out of his old battles.

He grabbed at the wheel, but the cutter was rammed again. Sikes was screaming like a madman in the back. Joe's head hit the window a second time, and the glass cracked. Without his helmet, he would've had whiplash or even a nasty concussion. He'd had both before, and wasn't a fan of having another one. Monster was being pushed sideways, its drag-reducing fenders now the only things preventing the vehicle from rolling over.

Joe blinked his eyes into focus as he pulled out his blaster. He looked through the window to find another cutter pushing Monster. The rig had a blazingly bright lightbar, which prevented Joe from making out the model, let alone its occupants. He opened the window and fired a random volley at it.

It spun away, which Joe didn't expect since his shots had bounced right off the vehicle. Unfortunately, he soon came to realize that it wasn't them—it was Monster, who was leaning heavily to the right. For the briefest moment, his rig seemed to float before it lurched over and rolled.

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