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“I will go in front. I’m armored.” Scala ran on ahead of the woman.

They hadn’t gone more than a hundred yards before the woman slowed.

“Hey, skeleton,” the blonde hissed to Scala as she stopped by one of the doors lining the hall.

Scala halted and backtracked.

“How about you let me lead,” the blonde suggested with a flat smile, holding the door to a room filled with pipes and machines.

Scala huffed, unamused that his attempt to be protective was rebuffed, as he fell back with the rest of them.

They reached the door on the other side of the boiler room and the woman held up her hand, bringing them to a stop. She opened the thick door, looked both ways then exited. They were back again in the main broad corridor. They hadn’t run very far when the sound of booted feet hitting the floor greeted them. Anxiously the blonde looked at the intersecting passage up ahead.

“Quick!” The woman sprinted to another door and slammed her hand on the access panel. “Get in.”

The blonde stood aside as they quickly filed into the small utility room, while the sound of the enemy got closer. Elena’s eyes widened when the woman didn’t join them, instead swiftly pulling the door closed, just as the reptiles filled the hallway.

“What are you doing here?” one of the scaly bastards demanded of the blonde.

Oh no, oh no.Elena covered her mouth to keep from making a sound.

“The Vicarius sent me to fetch something,” they heard the woman reply through the narrow crack in the doorway.

“We have intruders. Did you see anything?” the reptile hissed.

Tension radiated off everyone in the small dim room. If the woman was going to betray them, this was it. Elena held her breath.

“I heard something that way,” the blonde replied.

Elena let out the breath she was holding when the reptile grunted and the squad continued down the broad corridor. After a few moments the woman opened the door again.

“Come on. You are slowing me down,” the blonde huffed and started running again.

They ran down the intersecting hall, and then took another turn before stopping again. She expected to see another storage bay or a room full of equipment when the woman opened the large pair of doors, but what she saw was far more shocking.

Payim quo Desero

The sprawling barracks was filled with dilapidated little structures, hobbled together from discarded shipping containers. A dark-skinned human male in the middle of the makeshift street froze and stared at them.

“It’s time to go, everyone!” the pale-haired female shouted.

Several faces peered out of the rough hovels, but no one made a further move. Fear reflected in their eyes.

“God damnit!” their guide barked in frustration. “Show them your trick.” She gestured back at them.

Scala stepped forward and lowered his shell. The dozens of eyes widened the instant Scala’s scaly disguise disappeared.

“They’re not the Jurou bastards. So, unless you want to be trapped here, get moving!” the pale-haired female sternly shouted.

There was a flurry of motion as the humans gathered what meager things they had and hustled out of their dwellings.

“This way.” The female led them through the ramshackle town to the far set of doors.

Roughly two dozen humans followed, though they kept a suspicious eye on him and his companions.

“What about the others?” a dark-haired female frantically asked their guide.

“I know what you think of me, but I made a promise and I kept it.” The pale-haired female turned to the other humans. “We’re heading out through the refuse hatch. Don’t fall behind or you’ll be locked in,” she barked as she unlocked the set of doors.