A small team of defenders grabbed rough ropes, marching away from the wall. With each step, the guards dragged the heavy boulder across the ground, creating an exit in the settlement’s barrier. When the slab struck the reinforced section, Fenton waved his squadron forward. As the last member walked through the opening, Fenton took a deep breath and signaled another squad to close the gap. With a groan, the massive stone screeched as the rock slid into place, while Fenton stepped through the shrinking portal.

He rested the stock of his rifle on the ground as his gaze drifted among the members of his unit. Once he finished the tally, he lifted his weapon to his shoulder and rubbed his chin. “Does everyone understand what Jarvis tasked us to do?”

Alek raised a finger and pitched his voice. “We’re searching for food, fuel, and friends, and not necessarily in that order.”

“Despite our friend’s attitude, he’s not wrong.” Fenton stepped beside the flippant man and swatted the back of Alek’s head. Fenton pointed at the treeline and licked his lips. “Keep your eyes peeled for anything that might prove useful or dangerous.”

When the radio attached to Fenton’s hip chirped, he groaned and pulled it off his belt. “Jarvis, talk to me.”

“Have you reached the trees yet?”

The leader whirled around and kicked the stone barrier. “Are you in the crow’s nest?”

“Yes.”

Fenton dragged his fingernails down his face, swallowing a stream of curses. When his voice died, he looked up and forced his lips to curl into a grin. “If you look out the window, you’ll notice that we just walked through the wall.”

“Then you might have a problem.”

“Why?”

“We’ve got movement in the trees.”

Fenton spun toward the treeline. He tapped two soldiers on the shoulder, and in unison, the pair turned and leveled their weapons at the trees. As limbs swayed back and forth, Fenton inched closer. “You’re calling out to discuss some swaying branches?”

“With the monsters roaming this planet, we’d be foolish not to jump when things sway against the wind.”

The remaining rifles whirled through the air, joining Fenton. With the barrels focused on the swaying boughs, the squad closed in on the wall. When Fenton’s back met the stone, he steadied himself and edged toward the forest. As he stepped in front of his team, Fenton raised a hand, stopping the squad. “What exactly are we looking at?”

After taking a few steps, a branch swayed against the wind, and a pulse of yellow light tore from the Crow’s Nest and swallowed the tree.

“HEY!”

Flames erupted along the trunk in an instant. Then Fenton’s unit bounced off the barrier. Fenton whirled around, slamming his fist against the slab. “Open this gate!”

“Who’s out there!” a mysterious and gruff voice shot across the glade.

“Hurry and haul this stone away from the wall.” Fenton shoved his radio onto his belt as he pressed his cheek against the stock. “I’d prefer not to deal with whatever’s tracking us.”

A thick red beard pushed through the shadows as a heavy ax slammed into the ground beside the burning tree. He wrenched the blade free and cleaved it through the trunk...