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soldiers firing more rounds, the greyskins turn their attention to them, so I hold my M-4 close to me. I dare not lift my head to see the soldiers coming at us. In a matter of seconds, we have gone from six members to three. I feel something against my arm. When I look to my left, I see Ashley gripping it tightly. I’ve never seen such fear in her eyes. It disturbs me in a way that I’ve never felt before. I don’t really know how to react.
    The soldiers stop shooting at us and the silence is more shocking than the onslaught of bullets. I hear them shouting orders—something about looking behind them. The firing starts as quickly as it had stopped. This time I pop my head up only to see that the soldiers have their backs to us, fighting off the greyskins that have begun to overwhelm them. I waste no time. With a single shot for each person, I take down soldier after soldier, capitalizing on the distraction. Shadowface might be long gone from our reach, but the three of us just might survive the day.  
    My father and Ashley continue to keep the greyskins at bay as I finish off the soldiers. A few of them realize that I’m taking them out and offer some opposition, but they are too late. By the time they realize that they are now the ones trapped, I’ve already killed them.  
    The silence comes again once I can’t see any more of the soldiers, but I keep my eye fixed down the sight of the gun, scanning the compound for any sign of movement. Then I see it. I’m about to pull the trigger on the four people that are coming out of the building below, but I hold off when I notice they aren’t wearing the black getup of Shadowface’s soldiers. I lift my finger from the trigger and pull my head away from the sight.  
    Led by a female, a group of people walks out into the open with their hands up in the air. They carry no weapons. I count them. There are four. One woman and three men.  
    I stand, my M-4 still pointed at them.  
    “What are you doing?” my father asks. Ashley says something too but I don’t pay attention to them.  
    “Who are you?” I shout to the small group moving toward us. “Stop walking.” A look of fear is spread across their faces. They don’t belong here.
    “We’re from Elkhorn,” the bearded man says.  
    “What are you doing here?” I shout.  
    “Shadowface was holding two of my men,” the man says. “I was negotiating their release when you showed up. We don’t mean you any harm.”
    “Elkhorn?” my father asks, now standing next to me. “We’re not taking them back.”
    “You’re not making the decisions anymore,” I say, looking at him with as fierce a stare as I can give. My eyes then travel to the three dead bodies on the ground next to us. “Look what your decision-making has done for us today.”
    He says nothing and turns to walk toward the truck. He lifts a pistol and shoots a lone greyskin through the head before getting into the passenger side.  
    Ashley now stands beside me and I take a deep breath. “What are your names?”
    “I’m Stephen,” the bearded man says. He motions toward the woman. “This is Remi. These two are Jim and David. It looks like our vehicle was destroyed in the blast.”
    I lower the gun and look all around me. I am sickened by the death of Lester, Josh, and Ryan. The group has been cut in half by a single, stupid decision. As far as I am concerned, I’m finished with them. Most of all, I’m finished with my father. If I want Shadowface to die, then it will be on my terms. But even then, I’m not sure it’s worth the effort anymore.
    “We would like some shelter and food,” I say to them. “We will take you back to Elkhorn if you are willing to offer those things to us.”
    “Of course,” Stephen says, his hands lowering.
    “We should really hash out the details later,” Remi snaps. “Unless you want to deal with more greyskins.”
    I motion for them to get into the back of the truck. As we walk toward it, I offer an