Nathan stepped through the streets, watching as the sights rolled by. A little boy ran in circles, playing tag with his friends. Nearby, a woman hung up laundry on a clothesline. The clothes bore graphic images—pictures of characters from video games and TV shows, pieces of culture that Nathan had almost forgotten about in all the chaos.

  "That was my favorite episode," someone said as they passed by.

  "Yeah, but remember when he dropped the weights off his arms? That was way cooler."

  Nathan simply stood there, taking it all in.

  It was kind of funny. He had gotten so used to the constant battle, so used to living out in the wilderness like some kind of crazy man, that he had forgotten what it was like to be here… in a normal human society.

  "It's pretty amazing, isn't it?"

  Nathan turned his head and glanced at Bree. "Yeah, I guess it is."

  Chad shuffled in behind them. "It really shouldn't be this… emotional, right?" he said. "It's just a bunch of people."

  "When's the last time you saw a bunch of people who weren't cultists?" Nathan replied.

  "Good point."

  Bree nodded at them. "I'll let you guys get settled in—if you want to stay, of course."

  "Stay?" Nathan said.

  "It's up to you. Both of you seem like experienced combatants. I could use your help when we go after the dungeons. Not only that, but you could help protect this place."

  Nathan nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, okay, sure."

  Bree walked off with her group of men, heading toward the inside of the building.

  Chad glanced at Nathan. "What now?"

  "Now, I walk away and disassociate from you before people realize who you are."

  "What is that supposed to mean—?”

  "OH MY GOD, IS THAT CHAD MANN!?"

  Chad's sunglasses slid down his nose.

  "Uh, hey there.”

  Nathan shuffled off to the side. Chad was too distracted by the oncoming horde of fans to notice.

  Nathan stopped, his hands in his pockets and his head low. He doubted anybody remembered the video he posted on Dither, but even so, he didn't want to risk the chance that someone might recognize him.

  He had already accepted Zayen into his town, and he really didn’t feel comfortable letting more people in…

  No, it was better to avoid such a ridiculous scenario altogether.

  His plant arm twitched. He glanced at it with a frown.

  It had been quiet recently. Too quiet.

  Do you dislike it when I’m quiet?

  Nathan nearly jumped out of his skin. Who had just spoken? He would’ve noticed if someone had snuck up on him.

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  After a few seconds, he relaxed. It must have been his mind playing tricks on him.

  His feet padded along the ground as he peeked into some of the buildings.

  Right now, he had one goal and one goal only: protect his sister.

  He didn’t know where she was, but there was a slim chance she had somehow ended up here. If he couldn’t find her, he would at least make sure that anyone who wanted to hurt her would be eliminated.

  Like the Harrowed Hand…

  Staying in the survivor camp would probably confer a number of benefits, too. He’d be able to blend in, reducing the chances of another assassination attempt. He could exploit the intelligence that Bree would gather. And if need be—if he had to storm the Harrowed Hand—he might be able to convince Bree and her men to go along with him.

  Although there was no telling what they’d ask for in exchange… Hopefully, the idea of eliminating the Harrowed Hand would be enough incentive for them.

  Not to mention, it kind of sucked going through dungeons alone. Chad was tough, but Nathan didn’t want him to be his only backup.

  As he walked, Nathan made a right turn into an alleyway. He crossed his arms and straightened his back. He had a plan—or at least the rough sketch of one. He could do this. Protect his sister, whatever it took.

  And then, darting from side to side, at the end of the alleyway—right at the intersection—he spotted a flash of blonde hair.

  Familiar blonde hair. Blonde hair he hadn’t seen in what felt like years.

  Sarah?

  Nathan burst into a run, his feet tapping against the ground like a hundred insect legs. In an instant, he arrived at the end of the alleyway and turned his head to the left—she was already at the end of that alleyway, her hair darting away around another corner. He swiveled on the spot and chased after her, not a single inch of hesitation in his movements. He reached the end of the alleyway, turned—only to face a brick wall.

  Nathan's eyes flickered upward. He caught a glimpse of blonde hair ducking past the edge of the roof just as he looked. He jumped up, grabbing onto the protruding parts of the brick wall to propel himself even further. When he got to the top, he saw the woman staring away from him, at the edge.

  He took a single step forward.

  Her head swiveled, and she glanced back at him before she suddenly vanished and reappeared on the other side of the street on another building.

  Nathan frowned. This wasn’t right. Who was this?

  It’s clearly a trap… But if they have my sister’s likeness, maybe they know where she is.

  Nathan started running forward. With every second, his speed increased until he reached the end of the building and jumped into the air.

  His arms flailed as the building on the other end of the street rushed closer and closer toward him. He gritted his teeth and extended his hand out for a rough landing.

  He slammed into the roof of the building with a loud crunch, slipping into a roll as he fell. He rolled for a couple of seconds before bouncing back up and coming within just a few inches of the imposter.

  Right as he was about to wrap his hands around her, she vanished. Unable to stop himself, he tumbled forward back into the alley. The wind brushed against his cheeks as he fell before he crashed into the ground with a loud thump.

  He grunted from the pain. Nathan pushed himself back up to his feet and rubbed the back of his head.

  “What the hell was that—?”

  A beating, pulsating noise froze him in his tracks. He turned around to see nothing but the brick wall. Even so, he could practically smell the energy coming off of it.

  He extended his hand out to touch the wall—

  “We know who you are,” a voice whispered. It sounded like a hundred different people whispering from every single direction.

  Nathan’s eyes darted around. “Oh yeah? I don’t know who you are. How about you tell me?”

  “Consider us an interested third party.”

  “Yeah, that’s not gonna cut it,” Nathan said, his hands reaching toward his inventory. “How did you get a hold of my sister’s face? Do you have her?”

  “I’m afraid not. You think about her in such detail that it was very easy to pluck her from your mind. Really, you should get that under control.”

  Nathan’s blood chilled. “You were in my head?”

  The voice made a loud clicking noise. “And we would’ve stayed there if not for that insufferable thing attached to your body. What is it? Where did you get it? And why is it so powerful?”

  His plant arm—the one with the flower poking out of it—seemed to twitch at the being’s words. He looked at it.

  Thanks.

  There was no response.

  “Normally, we don’t take such excessive measures, the mind is a sacred place,” the voices said. “It’s something of a code for us, see? But you… You’re an exception.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re doing a pretty terrible job at taking me out if that’s your plan.”

  “Are we?”

  Energy flared out from behind the brick wall. Nathan barely had a moment to jump back before vines exploded forth from the wall, all of them glowing with power.