‘And this see, it’s the connection rune. But I’ve worked out you can make this it a bit bigger than it shows here, which doesn’t seem to affect how the Soul Trap works, but makes it easier and quicker to inscribe.’

  ‘Uh huh,’ mumbled Perro, the runes wavering in front of him. He was currently experiencing significant regret that he’d asked Ben how the Soul Traps worked. Maxine had forbid him and Azure from using the radio equipment while she was gone with Nicolai. After growing used to spending all day with it he’d quickly grown bored.

  The old man had towed Perro to his workstation; the corner of the room he’d claimed and from which his projects and tools had began a slow creep—like some kind of industrious mould formed of helmets scrawled with runes, lengths and squares of metal, hammers and pliers and everything else—to spread out and claim more of the room.

  ‘And this—‘ began old Ben, while Perro closed his eyes and hoped the shapes dancing under his eyelids would go away. But at that moment there came a knocking on the door. He immediately looked over, eager for any excuse to disentangle himself from Ben’s enthusiastic drone

  ‘Who is it?’ asked Perro in a hushed whisper to Azure, who was reclining on one of the inflatable sofas, her feet on the table with the camera’s console. She had one of her dad’s stimcigs in her mouth, which she was rolling around, unsmoked. She did that quite often when he was away. Perro thought it made her look cool. She’d been sending him little smirks in response to the pleading gazes he had sent her way as old Ben rattled on.

  She sat up, peering into the console and tapping at it. Normally people simply called out their names or, in Nicolai’s case, said “it’s me” when they arrived. No one knocked without also saying something. Perro’s brows prickled at the sudden tension he felt, seeing the others looking up with frowns on their faces.

  Sara was on the other sofa, and she put a protective hand around Katie.

  ‘It’s… uh.’ Azure stared at the console, and her eyes went round. She frowned, shook her head, tapped the screen again. ‘It’s… Karl?’ she said, blinking.

  ‘Karl?’ gasped Perro. ‘That’s not possible.’

  Old Ben peered at Azure, confused. ‘But didn’t Karl… well. I thought he was no longer with us?’

  ‘They said he died out in the jungle,’ confirmed Perro, staring at the door as he rose and moved towards Azure, circling behind the sofa and peering over her shoulder.

  From the camera’s angle they couldn’t see much, and at first Perro didn’t see the resemblance—just a figure covered in a dirty grey cloak, slumped against the wall. But that dark, messy hair, that build, it was familiar. As they watched the man glanced upwards, his face just for a moment coming into proper view of the camera. Features stained and slumped with exhaustion, some kind of scar on his forehead, but recognisable even so. It was Karl, it couldn’t be anyone else. Perro leaned in, trying to get a closer view, but Karl had already turned away.

  ‘Hey! Elena!’ called out Azure, and a moment later Perro heard a door open behind him. Meanwhile, old Ben had risen to come and see the console, too.

  Soon they were all there, peering at it. The figure remained standing outside and didn't look at the camera again, but as they watched they saw him rise a little straighter, raising a hand and knocking at the door again.

  ‘Hello?’ creaked a voice, filtering through the doorway. ‘It’s me. Karl.’ The figure let out a raspy cough, body shaking. ‘I’m still alive… and I know who tried to kill me.’

  Perro’s eyes widened, because he recognised that voice. At the same time he heard Elena let out a wordless gasp of shock, and glanced back to see her face had gone white.

  ‘Karl?’ she breathed. Suddenly she was moving around the sofa, towards the door.

  ‘He’s injured, I’ll get ready,’ said old Ben in a businesslike tone as he moved to where there was a pile of various equipment, a stockpile of goods for trading which Nicolai had been building. He fished a medical kit out of it.

  ‘Hey! Wait,’ cried Azure. ‘We should wait for everyone else, shouldn’t we? What if… I don’t know, what if it’s some kind of trick? Nicolai said we should never let someone in unless they’re definitely one of us.’

  ‘Well, he is definitely one of us,’ snapped Ben. ‘It’s Karl!’

  ‘Yeah but… he’s been gone so long. Who knows what happened to him?’

  ‘Yes? We can see what happened to him—he’s barely standing. He needs immediate medical attention, not to be left out there until the others get back,’ said the old man, throwing his hands up in exasperation, then he scoffed. ‘You’re becoming as untrusting as Nicolai.’

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  Perro followed after Elena. He wasn’t sure what to think, but he knew from the fear he felt that deep inside, he agreed with Azure. He’d seen too much strange and scary things not to be wary.

  ‘Wait,’ he said, grabbing Elena’s shoulder. ‘If he’s survived this long, what’s another hour?’ he hissed. ‘Let’s just wait!’

  She frowned at him, pausing. ‘The last time I saw him, he was on the ground as giant pigs chased us,’ she hissed back. But she looked a little unsure, and she wasn't going for the door.

  Bolstered, Perro was working out his next argument when that voice croaked from beyond the door.

  ‘Elena? Elena is that you? Help me! I’m injured, I’m dying. Don’t abandon me again!’

  ‘I’ve got a medi-kit ready,’ spoke old Ben from behind, ‘what are you two doing? Aren’t you letting him in?’

  Elena’s face firmed and before Perro could think, she’d already turned and was pulling the door’s bolt back with a clank. It swung open wide.

  They all took a step back as Karl was revealed.

  He stood there, swaying slightly. From this angle they could see beneath his cloak, and his clothes were ragged and torn, pale flesh showing through, all of it covered in the black stains of old blood. A terrible smell rolled off of him, like rotting meat, and Elena covered her mouth. He lurched a sudden step forward, through the doorway, then paused, rocking.

  ‘Karl?’ she began. ‘Are you… you’re alive!’ She stared at him, shaking her head. ‘I can’t believe it… I saw you die. I thought I saw you die! I’m so sorry I left you, let that bastard drag me away!’ She lunged forwards and clutched Karl in a hug. He stood there, motionless. His eyes were wide and white and staring at Perro. In a series of odd, jerky snaps they moved, focusing on the others one by one.

  ‘Over here!’ called old Ben. ‘Perro, give her a hand helping him over here. Let’s get him down. We need to strip him and see to his injuries. The others said the jungle is full of parasites. By now…’ the old man’s voice fell off leadingly.

  Perro swallowed, fear rising and clutching at his limbs like muddy water.

  Elena took a sudden step back from Karl, staring at herself, looking concerned. ‘Uh, Perro, give him a hand,’ she said.

  Perro wasn’t keen on touching Karl, but he sighed and told himself old Ben was right, and did his best to shake off the instinctual fear. The man was injured and in a terrible state, so in spite of the smell, and though wary of parasites, he moved and put one of Karl’s arms over his own. He began to move across the room, and Karl stumbled after him as he went, a clank coming from behind as the door was closed. Perro couldn’t even hear the man breathing.

  ‘Wow,’ said Azure. ‘Karl, you’re looking like shit. What the fuck happened to you out there?’

  There came a rattle from Karl’s chest. It took Perro a monent to realise the man was laughing. It ended abruptly. ‘Where is Nicolai?’ he asked. His voice was a wretched croak.

  Perro paused, everyone staring at Karl in response to his first words.

  ‘He’s out,’ said Perro when no one else answered. ‘Some meeting with other leaders. Maxine is with us, now. Everyone is joining together.’

  ‘What about the others? John and Cait?’ asked Karl. His voice was further warped, and now it sounded barely human. Something writhed where Perro held Karl’s arm and he flinched, wrenching his arm free and stepping quickly away.

  ‘They’re… uh… also…’ began Perro, staring at Karl. Only Karl seemed to be looking less and less like himself. His eyes were rolling, his face was squirming.

  ‘Just you?’ gurgled Karl, and his face split apart in a horrific, sideways grin, something wriggling within.

  Azure screamed, scrambling backwards until the sofa flipped over. Perro was right after her, the fear like a kick in his back that sent him straight forward until his feet tangled in that same inflated sofa, tumbling over it and scrabbling on the ground with Azure. He got on his back and thrashed his legs, Karl coming into sight.

  Karl’s head rocketed upwards and something with too many legs and insectile bodyparts squirmed out of his neck, covered in blood, and the dead man collapsed.

  The Karl-head-thing lunched for the closest target. It was Old Ben, who stood stock-still, mouth hanging open. He let out a cry as suddenly it was on him and it wound around his neck. A jagged tail stabbed through his chest, and a warm patter of blood flicked onto Perro’s face.

  ‘Get away!’ Elena cried, and Perro stumbled after her, seeing Azure scrambling away from him. Sara was staggering backwards, gaping at the sight, but she went too slow and it lunged at her.

  She thrashed as the thing killed her. Katie screamed beside the older woman, turning to run with them.

  An SMG clacked as Elena readied it, then gunshots drummed through the small complex of rooms. As he ran Perro saw the monster dashing around the ceiling, over the walls. Elena turned, her gunfire following it.

  He saw its chitin flicker and spark as some of the bullets hit, but it jumped behind a clump of furniture and hid there. He got to the other side of Elena, following Azure who opened a door and lunged inside.

  Elena’s SMG clicked empty and she started backing towards them. Perro held the door open for her.

  But there came a sudden blur of movement and Elena was falling, blood spraying. Before he’d even had time to worry for her the creature was lunging past, its talons clattering on the ceiling, Karl’s rotted head grinning down.

  He slammed the door as it flung itself at them. Dust puffed from the wood which shook and rattled, he and Azure throwing themselves against it to keep it closed tight.

  The door rattled and bumped, then the thumping stopped. ‘Come on,’ snarled Karl’s voice. ‘Open up. I’m hungry.’

  They huddled together and held tight around the door, staring at one another. Perro prayed that someone would come soon. There came a heavy crack and the very tip of the creatures tail bored out of the wood, then disappeared. Another crack and it emerged lower down.

  Perro hunkered lower, keeping his head away from the door. Turning, he saw Azure’s face was creased in a frown, and then horror blossomed in her eyes as she stared around.

  ‘Where’s Katie?!’

  He blinked at her, realising the answer. Not here. ‘W-we should go out, try to do something,’ said Perro. He tried to move but his treacherous hands reached no further toward the door latch. He stared desperately at Azure.

  She stared back, as unmoving as he was. He realised he’d never used his Symbiote. Neither of them have.

  The door stopped thumping, and they heard it scuttling. Then a scream.