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I knew that some monsters ran cooler and didn’t always show up on scans. I eyed the dark trees around us. I stepped forward, my boot hitting some old, rotting apples on the ground. I kicked one aside.

“Everyone stay sharp,” Jameson murmured. “I’ve got a bad feeling.”

Clutching my carbine, I moved closer toward the warehouse. It looked like it had been constructed out of sheet metal, and was still in pretty good condition. There was damage at one end, and a tree was growing out of the roof, but the rest of it looked intact.

A squawking sound punctured the silence. All of us whipped our weapons up.

“What was that?” Marc whispered.

Another squawk.

Above us.

A dark shadow sprang from an apple tree and hit me. It knocked me to the ground.

Flapping wings beat at my face and chest, and a beak stabbed into my armor.Hell.

North appeared and kicked the monster off me. He reached down and hauled me up.

I spun and saw the creature hopping on the ground. It was sort of bird-like, with black, ragged wings, and it was the size of a small dog. It had a long, sharp beak, and red eyes.

More of the creatures poured out of the trees. Laser fire lit up the orchard.

North and I fired on the monsters.

Another monster leaped on my back, pulling at my hair. I spun and knocked it away.

There was rustling in the tree, and I aimed up.

A huge bird monster took flight. I felt sharp claws grip my armor at the back of my neck, and then I was lifted off my feet.

“North!” I fired at the monster, kicking my feet. The creature jerked, still flapping its wings furiously.

Hands gripped my boots and yanked me down.

The monster let me go and I fell back against North.

“Are you okay, Jess? Are you hurt?”

My pulse was racing, but otherwise I was fine. “I’m all right.”

Suddenly, all the creatures stopped attacking us. Some landed on branches, and a few settled on the ground. They froze. The one right in front of us cocked its head like… It was listening to something. Then they all took flight. I glanced up and watched the black shadows flapping into the night sky. They disappeared from view into the inky darkness.

“What the fuck?” Marc scowled. “Where did they go?”

“Just be glad they’re gone,” Jameson said.

“We’ve lost the element of surprise,” Kai murmured, glancing at the warehouse.

I frowned, then clicked on the light on my shoulder. “Guys, I’ve got prints on the ground. Human and monster.”

“Our missing guards?” Jameson asked.

“I hope so.”

“Doesn’t matter if the monsters know we’re coming, we’renotleaving those people.” He touched his ear. “Sasha, we need backup.”

“On it. I’m not sure who’s available, or what their ETA will be.”