ee, the sound of tearing flesh echoing in the quiet cave. Blood flared, hot and sticky, but she was no longer anchored. She dragged herself across the dirt floor until her

expanded, filling her sight with holographic menus and inventory lists. Most of it was

ialized in her palm. It was small, barely t

nothing." s

e. A burst of icy liquid shot into her vein. It spread through her system like weak tea, not enough to fill the g

h and turned her attenti

crawled over to him, her nose wrinkling at the smell of his wound. That purple-black discolo

andage. It was primitive, but it was all she had. Before turning to Gavin, she hastily pressed a thick pad of gauze against her own punctur

om around his wound as best she could, then wrapping it tightly

ff the knot,

rned on the dirt floor, his brow furrowing. K

ttered. Then, his

brown. But the clarity lasted only a second before pain floode

back with a grunt, his hand shooting out to grab his thigh. His eyes

wn to her torn shirt, to the bruises darkening on her

ged whisper, like sandpape

or and self-loathing in his eyes were so

k a few inches. The fear was still there, a cold knot in her stomach, bu

said. Her voice was steady, which

rd, his throat working. "I'm sorry," h

on. She had seen the signs, the fever, the loss of

ething hard and cold. "Caprice," he spat the name. "My... former fiancée. She slipped rut

' A period of intense biological drive. If not... calmed... by a femal

Unit 9 chimed in, feeding her da

igh-energy primal planet. Society is female-centric.

rlie said flatly. "Your lif

ou left me here to rot," he said, his voice

with the eyes of a man who had already condemned himself. She thought about the leg

p." sh

at her,

ng second before she locked her knee. She hissed through her teeth as her own leg pro

. It's about fifteen kilometers southeast. But..." He looked down at his leg, then

lie said. She held out her

re a lifeline thrown to a drowning man. Finally, he

try."

m around her shoulders for support. He was heavy, and

go." sh

ow, illuminating the strange, red-tinged forest outside. The air was

er gut, but beneath it was a spark of determination. She had s

is weight heavy on her shoulder. He looked at he

fraid." he obs

she admitted. "But fear doesn't

stepped out of the cave, into t

attention. The Trading Hub. A message from Unit 9 scrolled across her mind: Trading function unlocked. Scanning local environment for tradable assets to acquire high-level medical supplies. Karlie's ey