The guttering flames of the bonfire cast a lurid glow over the shattered remnants of the Sanctuary, illuminating the haggard faces of the survivors huddled around its meager warmth. A dented pot squatted in the heart of the blaze, the dregs of a thin stew congealing at the bottom - a paltry offering cobbled together from the few unspoiled supplies scavenged from the ruins. The bedraggled band milled about in a daze, some mechanically shoveling food into their mouths, others pacing in tight, agitated circles. The knowledge hung heavy in the smoke-choked air: this pitiful meal might be the last proper food they'd see for a long while.

I perched on a chunk of rubble beside Danny, each mouthful of the watery gruel an effort of will. He leaned in close, restless fingers drumming against the worn leather cover of the journal splayed across his knees. Even in the flickering light, I could make out the crude sketch of a Reaver etched into the hide, the words "DANNY'S GUIDE" seared beneath it.

"This is a bit of a bugger, innit," he remarked.

"Found your journal, I see," I replied, gesturing at it with my spoon.

"Aye. 'tis a bit singed though." He held it up so I could see the burnt edges of the pages in the light. "But it has more or less survived. Just like us."

"Mmm. Smells like you found new pants, too."

He shot me a withering glare, retort cut short by a stirring in the underbrush ringing the camp. Flashlight beams lanced through the murk and a handful of figures stumbled into the circle of firelight, Amanda at their head. She pulled up short, eyes wide as she drank in the scene of devastation.

"Oh God," she choked out, her wide eyes darting from one battered survivor to the next. The rest of her scouting party fanned out behind her, their mouths agape as they took in the carnage.

"Amanda!" Kendall lurched to his feet, dumping his half-eaten stew back into the communal pot. He crossed the distance between them in a few long strides and pulled her into a crushing embrace.

Amanda clung to him, her fingers digging into his back. "Kendall, what... what happened here? This is..."

"We were hit," Kendall said, his voice rough with emotion. "Hit hard."

I pushed myself upright, abandoning my meal in the dirt. As I approached, Amanda's gaze snapped to me, her eyes pleading for answers I didn't have.

"Wasn't just a regular raid," I said. "We personally pissed off the Empress herself, it seems."

"The Empress herself?" Amanda repeated, her voice strained. "What do you mean? What did we do to draw her attention?"

I cut her off with a sharp shake of my head, the effort to do so almost gargantuan. "I don't know. What I do know is that... thing she sent... it cut through us like a hot knife. Alec, Ragger, they hit it with everything they had. Didn't even slow it down. And Irene..." My throat closed up, strangling the words. I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud. Saying it would make it real.

Amanda followed my gaze to where Mathis hunched by the fire, his huge shoulders shaking with silent sobs. The fractured pieces clicked into place behind her eyes. Her breath left her in a pained rush, a soft keening sound escaping her lips.

She turned back to Kendall, gripping his arms with trembling fingers. "What do we do now? We can't stay here. It's not safe."

Kendall's jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in his cheek. "We need to regroup. Find somewhere defensible to hole up and plan our next move."

"And then what?" I asked, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "We're outmatched, Kendall. You saw what that thing did. We don't stand a chance."

Kendall's eyes flashed with something unreadable. He glanced at Amanda, then back at me. When he spoke, his voice vibrated with a strange intensity. "Maybe more than you think. Amanda... did you find it? What I sent you for?"