A Distant Reverie

Chapter 94

Destruction raged in the distance. The floor of the shopping mall rattled precipitously. Dirty panes of glass still intact on the decades old storefronts were suddenly shaken loose. Calli and Kiara continued to sprint towards the exit to the upper levels of the underground parking lot based on Marine's instructions.

Salvos screamed overhead. Explosions followed with thunderous bellows. The mechanized legion was close. The sound of combat must have been Ame and the rest of the above ground team fighting to buy them time.

Calli grimaced as she realized the severity of the situation. This small detour to investigate the distress signal had suddenly turned into a disaster. She cursed herself for being naïve. Good intentions were exploited in this dying world. She knew that, and yet she still couldn't help herself. A part of her wanted to believe that she would be rewarded for trying to do the right thing. Or perhaps she wasn't driven by her desire to do good, but simple hubris. Maybe it was arrogance that convinced her and Ame that they could get through anything the world had thrown at them.

After all, it had been a while since they had gotten themselves caught in a dire scenario like this.

"We have to hurry," she said in between ragged breaths. Her lungs were screaming. Painful ripples pulsated from her injury. Despite treatment from the medical gel, she could feel the wound worsening with every step.

They soon arrived at a cross-section within the shopping mall.

"What did Marine say? Keep right?" Kiara asked.

Calli never got to answer her question.

The ceiling suddenly caved in. The rooftop of the shopping complex, reinforced by steel and concrete, had collapsed. From the exposed opening, an enormous Incursion descended onto the ground floor. The mechanized monster was at least twelve feet in height. Its metallic surface was drenched in the stench of oily napalm. Flames crawled along the length of its body. Dark fumes fumed the air. Static and sparks cackled around it as the colossal machine laid still. Even then, parts of the robot still appeared functional based on the shrill hums and creaks echoing from its interiors.

Calli and Kiara somehow managed to avoid getting crushed. The burning corpse of the Incursion fell just a few feet in front of them. The steel supports and concrete fragments from the ceiling had missed them by the thinnest of margins. Dust shrouded the area. Both of them were on the ground, surrounded by destruction, staring blankly at what just happened.

The realization soon sunk in. They had gotten incredibly lucky. But the path to the basement levels was now cut off.

And the worst of it hadn't arrived yet.

Calli was the first to her feet. As the shock wore off, she looked up towards the ceiling. Over the crackling flames of the burning Incursion, she caught the screech of high-speed winds outside. The sounds were followed by a distinct pelting of something small colliding against the surface of the Incursion. Confused, she strained her eyes. Within the gaps of the rising fumes, she saw it.

Pale chunks of stone were being carried by the wind. From the hole in the ceiling, they began to flood into the shopping complex. Calli's eyes went wide. The luster and glint of the particulates. The distinct, fragrant smell in the air. Her heart raced with terror.

Salt.

"Kiara, run!"

They were in the midst of a salt storm.

She rushed towards her friend who was still on the floor, dazed. Her voice seemed to have knocked Kiara out of her stupor as she spun around towards the ceiling. The sight of the oncoming salt storm jolted her into action.