Tired and exhausted, Glen pressed the down button. He groaned when there was no immediate ding. After a lengthy shift, he wanted nothing more than to return home and collapse into bed. Glen stumbled to the folding chair propped against the wall across from the elevator. He pulled it out and sat down while he waited for the old and creaking elevator’s arrival. The elevator bell dinged after what felt like an interminable wait. He rose and repositioned the chair against the wall.

When the doors slid apart, Glen noticed a man and a woman inside. He waited for a moment, but neither moved to escape the confines, so he sauntered inside. Glen glanced at the floor buttons, realizing that only the ground floor one glowed. He smiled as he took a position near the rear of the car, to wait for the doors to close and the car to resume its trip towards the lobby.

Two floors later, the elevator stopped. When the doors slid apart, Glen glanced up, seeing a man glide into the car. He flashed the newcomer a polite smile. The stranger returned the gesture before spinning about to obscure his face. Glen shrugged, slouched to the wall, and waited for the elevator to resume its march. As the car descended, the new figure pulled something out of his jacket and flicked his wrist. The little tube in his hand extended, and his arm flicked like a whip, smashing the video camera.

After disarming the security’s eyes, he spun towards the other man, his lips curled into a snarl. “Kent, I want the key!”

“You can’t have it, Jon.” The last figure in the elevator backed into its far corner, wrapping his arms around his suitcase as if it were a diamond. “Please don’t do this.”

However, Jon ignored Kent’s plea and struck his arm with the baton. When the rod hit Kent’s shoulder, both he and the woman screamed. Jon turned towards a stunned Glen and the woman, his eyes burning with rage. “If either of you wants to walk away from this, mind your own business...

Tarian drew his finger along the table and tapped against the document. "Fitik, you know Caleb. Do you suppose he forged this to implicate you or your kin?"

The dwarf's scowl deepened as he glared at Variel. He ran his tongue across his lips before downing his mug. Fitik's fingers clenched the tankard until it cracked in his grip. He looked between them. "No. Caleb is no liar, and neither am I. That mark disgraces us both."

Variel pointed at the incriminating paper. "Then explain your signature!"

Fitik leapt to his feet and banged his fists on the table, cracking the wooden slab. Armed men rushed into the small hall, weapons bared. Tarian raised his hand, stopping them in their tracks. He kept his attention on Fitik as he addressed them. "We're fine. Return to your posts."

"Are you sure?" Keldon asked as he lowered his rifle.

"Leave us, Kel!" When the door closed, Tarian lifted the sheet of paper and rounded the cracked table. "Fitik, can you agree this raises questions?"

"It's as suspicious as Variel possessing the antidote to that creature!"

"We created the remedy after finding the beast." Variel's hand drifted to Tarian. "The tonic saved Keldon's life, not to mention yours, Fitik. Though that coincidence isn't as curious as the missive holding your signature...

While Jonathan Gates was starting his day, one of the company’s disgruntled employees stormed over to him and glared at him with furious eyes. When the man was close enough, he grabbed the oblivious worker and pulled him right into his face, a roughness seeping into his voice. “Why’d you rat me out?”

Jonathan tried to get the man off him as he replied, “Curtis, what happened to you was your own fault.”

“No, you ratted me out, Jonathan!”

“You stole from the company!” Jonathan said as he dislodged from his co-worker’s grasp. “This is all your fault.”

“You got me fired,” Curtis said as he peered through slitted eyes, “and I won’t forget it.”

Because of the commotion, a guard approached the two men, positioning himself behind Curtis, and said, “Do we have a problem, Mr. Reyes?”

“There’s no problem here. I was on my way out.” Curtis turned around with a sneer, shaking his head as if the man he’d been arguing with disgusted him. As he stomped away, Curtis turned his head and muttered loud enough for Jonathan alone to hear the threat. “You’ll pay for this, I promise you that.”

Jonathan ignored the implication of Curtis’s words, pretending they hadn’t unsettled him, and returned to his shift. The night work wasn’t glamorous, but he needed the money...

Caleb raised a fist and sank to one knee as he stared into the forest through his rifle’s sights.

Derek coughed into his clenched fist. “Nobody else can see your hand signals.”

With a glance at Derek, Caleb’s mouth went dry as he stared into the dense woods, every breath tight with unease. He raised his radio and chirped, “Comms check.”

“Here,” Zeke’s voice echoed from the radio.

“So are we,” Mika’s response came a moment later.

Derek kneeled beside Caleb, examining their trail. When he couldn’t find anything, he tapped Caleb’s shoulder. “What are you expecting to find?”

Caleb exhaled slowly as he lowered his weapon. He leaned against the tree, rubbing his nose as he continued to study the foliage. With a grunt, he spun to look at Derek as he pulled the radio to his lips. “I want everyone to fall in on me, double time.”

“Roger that,” Engrim said smoothly.

“Copy,” Zeke said.

Derek arched backward as he sighed and climbed to his feet. He brushed his palm against rough bark as he passed another tree. With a cough, Derek pulled his canteen from his belt and took a long drink. With a sigh of satisfaction, Derek wiped his mouth as he stared into the thicket. “Caleb, I know you. Before they fall in, tell me what’s got you freaking out...

As the sun crested the horizon, two black orbs snapped open and fixed on the newborn light. The eyelids fluttered as twin branches flexed and swayed to position their leaves to drink in the light. When the glow wasn’t enough, its trunk split, and one half stepped out of the ground. Freed from the soil, the being slowly strode into the patch of sunlight breaking through the forest and spread its limbs wide, drinking in dawn’s first warmth, as if greeting an old and sacred friend.

The sun revitalized the creature as a flock of birds circled above the walking tree. It lifted its boughs, and the songbirds weaved among its extremities. The treant smiled, its twigs spreading like fingers. A bird landed on the massive creature’s shoulder and tweeted. The being gently stroked the tiny bird, voice soft as moss. “How are you doing, little one?”

The creature’s wings flapped wildly as it jumped and drifted in front of the treant’s face. As it hung there, a cascade of fevered notes erupted from its beak.

“Calm down, little one.” The fevered song cut off, and the treant positioned a branch under the bird, letting it perch upon the limb. “This time, speak slowly and explain the problem from the beginning. Leave nothing out.”

As the songbird detailed its message, the flock descended beside it. When it finished, the treant’s face fell, then narrowed into a snarl, roots trembling beneath the soil. The living tree stomped out of the sunlight, and the birds clung tightly to its branches. “How many beings are attacking your homes, and my brethren...

Tarian rushed into the infirmary and seized Keldon's hand. "What's his status?"

The doctor wrapped his arms around his pad as he sighed. "The odds aren't good."

Tarian's brow knotted as he shut his eyes. "Spit it out, Dalton."

With another sigh, Dalton dropped the pad onto the bed and nudged Tarian's shoulder. "He's not going to make it."

"I want to find whatever did this to him." Tarian rounded the bed and grabbed the doctor's shirt, pulling him onto his toes. "Caleb, what do we know?"

"Nothing," Caleb said, pulling Tarian off the doctor. He patted his chest. "Keldon was the only member of his team to survive. And he never told us where they went." He paused, glancing down at the injured man. "Don't forget, the elves are the only reason he's here."

Tarian slumped into the nearest chair. "I need answers."

"Neither of us has any," Caleb said.

A thunderous clap tore through the infirmary as Tarian climbed to his feet. He pulled up right next to the doctor as his lips quivered. "Save his life."

Dalton glanced from Tarian to Keldon as he wiped his brow. "I'll do what I can...

Lloyd walked over to Tarian. “The dwarves have decimated the rear ranks of the enemy.”

Tarian shifted the telescope toward the rear and watched the dwarven axes cleave through the retreating remnants of the horde. Relief washed over his features as his shoulders slouched. “The elves and dwarves arrived just in time.”

Sherry’s fingers covered her lips as she stared out over their allies. “What do you think they’ll want from us?”

Lloyd glared at her as his fingers curled into fists. “The enemy crumbles under the elven arrows and dwarven blades.”

“That’s my point.” Sherry stepped toward Lloyd as her eyes narrowed. “Now we owe them. What are they going to demand from us?”

“Give me a break,” Lloyd said as he kicked some debris.

“This is serious,” Sherry said, her voice bordering on shrill. “I can’t be the only one afraid they’ll prove untrustworthy.”

Standing up from the crumbling wall, Tarian turned around, putting a hand on Lloyd’s and Sherry’s shoulder. “Sherry, we needed help, and they answered our call. Examine the battlefield. It’s taken all our collective power to eradicate this scourge.”

“Tarian, we can’t trust them,” Sherry said, her voice only a whisper.

“We don’t have the luxury to isolate ourselves,” Lloyd said, matching her tone...

Bethany was having an outstanding day, soaking in the last moments of her family’s beach vacation. On their final day, she took one last walk along the shoreline. Bethany took comfort as the waves lapped up against her legs and the salt-laden wind nipped at her unbound hair. It felt like the world was holding its breath, precious and fleeting, when her bare foot stepped on something hard. Heart racing, she bent down and unearthed whatever her foot had struck...

Tarian rushed to the center of the crumbling defenses and seized a rifle from one of the fallen. A tear welled, but he blinked it away. The dead deserved better, but mourning would have to wait. Among the fallen, he recognized Soren, one of the youngest members of this expedition. He had hoped to start a family here. Tarian's chest tightened as he kneeled beside him, fingers brushing the man's cooling skin...