“Shit, shit, shit,” Rain said. “That means she knows exactly where you are. Don’t try to be sneaky.”

“Okay,” I said.

The squad moved through the piles and low points between slabs. They were organized, I could tell, one person moving forward, his buddies covering him, then the next person in the relay moving forward.

I saw the blur of Mama Mathers and looked away again, to be safe. I kept my other eye closed, but she was playing tricks there. Slits of light split my eyelid like it was being torn. A line of brightness crossed it like my eye was being cracked open, and I saw something like a sea of grasping hands, all covered in sores.

“Fuck this,” I whispered. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

I knew the answer though. I’d stayed to quiz her instead of listening. With her power temporarily nullified, she was playing a little sloppy with the end results.

More movement darted across my eye, like something was lunging at me. I twisted my head away.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

“Shh,” Rain said.

I could hear concrete break under the weight of the people who were creeping over it. I moved, pointing to let Rain, Love Lost, and Colt know the direction. Rain and Love Lost nodded.

Colt ducked into a nook in a fallen section of roof that had landed on a desk. There was a small hidey-hole there. She stayed out of breaker form, no doubt to avoid giving away a telltale glow.

I crossed the distance, taking up Colt’s spot near Rain.

Someone shouted an order, distant, while I was in transit. Nothing about me, as far as I could tell.

“There it is,” I heard Rain.

“There what is?” I asked.

“She said to be mindful of how far a voice reaches.”

My vision continued to flicker at the periphery, twisted, and became something lunging at me from the side. I looked away, my neck tense.

“Sniper’s dilemma,” Rain said.

“What’s that?” Colt asked, from her hiding spot.

“When two snipers found themselves at odds, each gun capable of holding a round with a long reload, firing first put you at the disadvantage,” Rain said. “It gave away your location with the muzzle flash, and it left you unarmed, while they got a bead on you. The only way to survive was to wait for them to crack, or get to a position where you could take them out, guaranteed.”

“The voices? Love Lost and Valefor?”

“Yeah,” Rain said. “Whoever shouts first loses. We have to be certain we’re in range. If we go too early and we don’t reach him, he runs forward a bit and shouts something while Love Lost catches her breath. If he goes too early, we can do the same.”

Love Lost nodded.

“Can’t be certain of range without looking to check,” I whispered. “That’s hard to do, gives us away.”