Pale, sickly grey dawn bled through the mouth of the cave.
The bitter, less polluted winds of the Dead Zone had subsided slightly, replaced by the damp, briny chill of the ocean. Far below the granite ridge, dark waves crashed rhythmically against heaps of rusted metal and crumbling concrete breakwaters—the skeletal remains of an industrial seaport abandoned since the dawn of the Gate Era.
In the shadows against the cave's inner wall, Kiko stirred.
A sharp, panicked gasp tore from her throat as her eyes snapped open. Her hands flew outward to guard her face, her breath catching as the memories of the falling facility, Arius's brutal grip, and Hide's monstrous, scale-clad visage flashed across her mind.
She braced for the agonizing fire in her crushed left leg.
Nothing hurt.
