The air was thick with smoke and ash, the walls trembling as another explosion rocked the base. Reverie moved fast, keeping close behind Hesh, Logan, and Riley as they navigated the collapsing structure. Every step was a gamble—the building groaned under its own weight, fire licking at the edges of broken walls.

Hesh: "I can't get through! Just go upstairs and find Dad! I'll look for another way around!"

Reverie hesitated for only a second before making a decision—she wasn’t leaving Logan alone. She ducked under a collapsing beam, sprinting after him.

The second floor was worse. Smoke clouded the air, fire crackled somewhere close, and every step felt like it could be the last before the floor gave way. Logan pushed through a door, only to be tackled the second he stepped inside.

The enemy came out of nowhere, slamming him through the wall with brute force. His rifle clattered to the ground, too far to reach. The soldier loomed over him, knife glinting in the firelight. Logan struggled, but the blade was pressing closer—

Riley lunged. Teeth bared, the dog tore into the enemy’s arm, but he was thrown off with a violent kick.

Reverie was already moving. She raised her sidearm, but before she could get a clean shot, the knife plunged down. Logan barely held it back, arms shaking as he fought against the inevitable.

"Logan!" Hesh’s voice cut through the chaos.

A gunshot rang out. The enemy staggered, then dropped lifelessly to the floor.

Logan gritted his teeth, the wound on his side dark and wet, but Hesh wasn’t letting panic settle in. He pressed a hand against it, nodding. "Looks worse than it is! You’re gonna be okay!"

Reverie’s ears rang—something felt off. The air shifted, the groan of the structure growing louder

"Watch out!" she shouted as a hole in the ceiling collapsed