Our race through the Wastelands is scorching and panicked. At any moment I expect to feel the cold shadow of an airship passing over me, darkening the ground as it bears down on us.

Luca runs just ahead, weaving confidently between the dunes with a surefooted swiftness that belies my own. Together we streak across sand and dodge wiry underbrush, our feet kicking up clouds of dust in our wake.

The route we take back to Pic dil Cir is convoluted. As we hurtle down the crooked pathway between piles of sand I can't help but marvel at Luca's ability to navigate the terrain while my own memory for direction is near-useless out here. I cannot differentiate one dune from another and the sporadic scattering of dried trees and brush do nothing for my sense of orientation. Luca, meanwhile zigzags with precision until we arrive at a completely nondescript hill.

My breaths are thick and laboured by the time we finally slow our breakneck pace. Luca draws to a stop and stands stock-still, his shoulders heaving up and down.

"What is it?" My legs shake from exhaustion but the adrenaline pumping through my veins gives me all the strength I need to keep going. "Luca?"

He doesn't move. I step up next to him and place a hand on his arm, turning him to face me. His stricken expression gives me pause and I feel a swell of panic begin clawing its way up my throat.

"Come on." I urge.

"What do I do?" His voice is small, far-removed from the arrogance I've come to expect from him.

Shit. I don't know. My head is spinning and I have never missed Will more than I do at this moment. If he were here he would know exactly what action to take.

"Just get in there and tell them what's coming." I tell him.

"Where can we go?"

"Gods, Luca. Don't ask me! You're the Wasteland expert." I run a hand over my head, burying my fingers in sand-dusted hair. "What would Jaron do?"

Something crosses his face and I see a spark return to his eye. "I am not my brother."

"Your brother isn't here, Luca. It's up to you to figure this out." I pull my hands out of my hair. "How about the tunnels? They must lead somewhere. Can we escape through there?"

"The tunnels haven't been used since the Burn." He glances towards the tube entrance. "We have barricaded them to keep out intruders."

"I think they're still our best shot." I speak quickly, trying to hurry him along. "We'll be spotted for certain if we stay above ground."

"Yes, you are right." Some of the colour has returned to his face.

"You can do this, Luca." I take a step closer to him. "You have to."

He nods once, tightly. "Let's go."

He pushes aside the scrap of fabric covering the entrance to the tube and takes off down the stairs towards the main chamber. I trail behind as he shoulders his way into the darkened camp, startling several Wasters who glance up in surprise. I notice Cade standing to the side of the crowd, his grey eyebrows furrowed as he watches us.

"Friends! You must follow me to the tunnels, we need to leave immediately!" Luca's clear voice carries above the din, prompting cries of protest from the gathered Wasters.

"Why do we have to leave?" Someone shouts out.

"We have just seen the sky machines. They know where our camp is and they are coming here now." Luca has reached the far end of the room and is standing in front of one of the staircases. His fists are clenched tightly and he is still noticeably pale but he stands strong, his feet firmly planted.

"Then we must meet them in battle!" Several people shout their agreement and there is the clatter of weapons being drawn.

"This is not a fight we will win today!" Luca yells back. "Please, my friends, you must trust me."

"Where is Jaron? He would not want us to cower in the tunnels, he would demand that we fight!" A Waster man yells from the crowd and I notice Luca's shoulders draw together.

"Jaron and Rowan are not here." His voice quavers ever so slightly. "But I promise you, if they were they would want us to leave. Now."

"And go where? This is our home! Wasters do not run!" Battle cries drown out Luca's protests and I exchange a look with Cade, who seems both concerned and pained.

"Your weapons are useless against them!" I hear myself shout. "They have gas, do you hear me? They will flood this camp and you will be dead before your fingers can grasp an arrow."

"Luca, do you believe the Miner's lies?" My eyes flick towards Snake and I fight to keep the angry blush from rising up my neck.

"She speaks the truth. These strangers are not Miners and they are on their way here with their gas and their cages. I heard them say so with my own ears." Luca forcefully rolls his shoulders back and stands up straighter. "The tunnels are our only hope. We must use them now so that we may live to fight another day."

"You heard him!" Cade strides confidently out of the crowd, heading towards the stairs. "We will go to the tunnels. Luca is our brother and if he says that this is the best path to take, then we must trust him."

Luca shoots Cade a grateful look as the older man steps up next to him. The room echoes with the sound of several low grumbles as the Wasters reluctantly sheath their weapons and begin moving forward. I keep my head ducked low as I scurry to the front of the group, trying to ignore the pointed glances in my direction.

Luca and Cade lead the retreat down the stairs. Several people light torches as we round the corner and climb down onto the old train tracks, the flickering flames illuminating the twisted barricade ahead of our group.

Grasping hands reach up from the crowd as people bodily tear away the sheets of metal and bags of sand that make up the barricade. Bit by bit the wall comes down as the Wasters pull the debris efficiently aside and push forward.

My tunic sticks to my back as I lift bag after bag of sand, both cursing and admiring the defensive structure. Most assuredly the thick, layered barricade stacked to the roof of the tunnel shows true ingenuity.

Finally, the last of the debris gives way and the great maw of the blackened tunnel gapes up at us. Even the torchlight seems reluctant to push forward as we stream into the darkness, revealing only the first few feet ahead.

My eyes are wide as I struggle to make out any shapes or points of light beyond. The ground beneath my feet is strangely rough and uneven; sharp, unfamiliar stones dig into the soles of my boots, the sound echoing madly off the walls around us. The audible shuffling of our steps contrasts uncomfortably with the silence I have come to expect from the Wasters and I shiver as the sweat cools against my back. This is unknown territory, even for them.

An ominous structure suddenly looms up in front of us and I start, digging my heels in abruptly and causing someone to collide into me from behind. The woman grunts in annoyance but I ignore her, staring up at the sight.

It's a train. Rusted and tarnished, but a train undoubtedly. The ancient structure lies slanted impassively on the tracks as if waiting for the next load of passengers to board.

Luca steps up to the door on the back of the train and pulls bodily on the handle. The door stays stuck fast, forever uncaring towards the predicaments of the humans who abandoned it beneath the earth more than two hundred years ago.

"Kay." He makes to call for me over his shoulder but I've already materialized next to him, dagger drawn. I jimmy at the creases of the door with the point of my knife, cursing at the mechanism.

"It's locked from inside." I grimace, kicking the door in frustration.

"Check if there is room to go around." Luca dictates instructions calmly to the gathered crowd before turning back to me. "Can you find another way in?"

"I'll try." I sheathe my dagger and jump up, accepting a boost from Luca as I hoist myself on top of the train.

The ceiling of the tunnel is low and crumbling, scraping against my shoulders as I crouch and sidle along, eyes peeled in the dim light for any way to get inside the train. The rusted roof is impassive, smooth without any entryways. I move to the side of the car, noting the narrow gap between the wall of the tunnel and the train, too small to maneuver the crowd through.

I decide to attempt forcing open one of the side doors. Once again withdrawing my knife I lean back against the wall of the tunnel and wedge myself between the train and the stone, walking down the outside of the train until I am positioned in front of the side door.

I plant my feet next to the door while holding myself securely upright with my back against the tunnel. Jaw clenched, I insert the blade of my dagger into the gap between the doors and twist it forcefully.

There is sudden rumble from overhead and the murmuring of the gathered Wasters drops off. We wait in tense silence while I continue to fiddle with the door, muscles straining as the dagger gradually pries apart the opening. The rumble sounds again, rising in crescendo as a low vibration shakes the loosened stone from the tunnel walls and ceiling. There is more than one startled gasp from the crowd before a low, ominous hissing sound picks up from behind us.

The gas.

Sweat pours down my back as the door finally gives way. Grunting, I wedge my foot into the small gap before stowing my dagger away and shouldering my way through the narrow space. Once inside I fall inelegantly to my hands and knees while the door slams shut behind me.

The interior of the train is nearly pitch black. I stumble to my feet and sprint as best I can towards the back door, tripping on unseen debris scattered across the slanted ground. I reach the far end of the train and pull out my dagger again, holding it in shaking fingers as I concentrate in the dim light, acutely aware of Luca's worried face looking down at me through the smeared window.

Oppressive silence cloaks me heavily and I try not to think of the warning sounds occurring outside; the slow leaking of the gas, the panicked murmurs of the Wasters. I focus intently on the lock beneath my blade, every sense honed into the task at hand. I twist left, then right, following the path laid out for me until the mechanism releases and the lock springs open.

Luca instantly slides the door open and stands back to herd the Wasters through. Grim-faced people begin streaming past me as they file one by one into the train, heading down the length of it towards the very front. Cade passes and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze before disappearing into the throng.

The perilous sound of gas being discharged is louder now. I bite down hard on my lip, tasting blood as I watch the crowd of Wasters outside the train grow smaller.

"Come on, come on, faster." I mutter under my breath, cursing the narrow doorway. Luca remains outside, his brows drawn tightly together as he helps people climb aboard. The flickering torchlight in the tunnel wavers and I blink, straining to see through the gloom.

It isn't my eyes playing tricks on me. A low cloud is working its way from the tunnel entrance and slowly coming towards us, creeping and hissing against the walls of the passageway, gradually inching its way to the train.

I swallow a curse and crouch down to pull the final few Wasters forcefully inside, at the back of my mind painfully aware that Luca will be outside the train until the very end. He has noticed the cloud of gas as well and draws his scarf up over his face, lifting people bodily up and through the door towards me.

My lungs tighten and I stifle a cough, holding onto the arm of an older man who fairly falls to the floor of the train. I help him to his feet with a desperate amount of strength and reach back to grab the hand of the last Waster. Her eyes are moist and she clasps my hand tightly, stepping aboard.

"Now you." My voice is hoarse as I struggle to keep my breaths shallow. Luca appears shaky as he reaches for my outstretched fingers. His dark eyes are red-rimmed and his chest heaves as I pull him bodily through the door and slam it closed. Curls of grey smoke lick against the back window, deadly beautiful in the fading torchlight.

"Are you all right?" I lay my hand on Luca's back, waiting as he coughs and fights to regain his breath.

"I am fine." He eventually manages, letting me help him to his feet. "These cowards fight shamefully." His voice is scratchy and he swallows as he tugs his scarf down from his face.

"They do indeed." I agree, relieved to see that he isn't hurt. "Come on. We should keep moving."

It is easier to see the interior of the train now that the torchbearers have moved inside. Through the dimness I can make out the crumpled remains of chairs broken off of their axis and lying dormant on the dirty floor. We kick bits of loose trash out of our path as we follow the trail of Wasters down the length of the machine, stepping smoothly over the fallen seats and snaking our way through car after car.

The heavy grey smoke threatening us from beyond the windows begins to dissipate as we reach the front of the train. Luca and I push our way forward until we reach the last exterior door. I withdraw my knife to unlock it, crouching down as someone helpfully brings a torch closer to the bolt.

"Shouldn't we stay here?" A Waster woman clutching the hands of two children asks Luca. "The gas can't reach us."

"We must keep moving." Luca's voice is more confident than it was back in the camp. "They will realize soon enough where we have gone."

I give my knife a final twist and the lock springs open. We push through the door and set off down the tracks once again. There is less smoke this far into the tunnel but we pull up our scarves just in case and move steadily past the deserted platform and through train after train, putting as much distance between ourselves and Pic dil Cir as possible.

"Where are we going?" Cade eventually falls into step next to myself and Luca, keeping his voice low.

"We will cross to the other side of the river." Luca replies calmly. "To North Lam."

Cade nods. I am unable to make out his expression in the darkness. "Will Jaron be able to find us there?"

"Jaron and I agreed long ago that we would meet at North Lam if we were to become separated." There is a tightness to Luca's tone and I wonder for the first time about Jaron and Rowan; whether they were able to avoid the airships hunting us. Meanwhile, Luca has probably been worried about his brother for the entirety of the time we have been underground. I feel a twinge of sympathy for him, remembering what he once said to me.

There is no greater anguish than unknowing. Immediately my thoughts shift to Will, thankful that our route South takes us nearer to Phoenix and hoping that it won't be much longer until I see him again.

We lapse into silence, falling into a type of daze as our footsteps crunch between the stony path and abandoned trains. The darkness becomes monotonous and almost soothing as we trudge in solidarity. When we find a locked train the Wasters take turns helping me wedge open the doors, their wordless support bordering on something nearly resembling acceptance. I honestly never expected to find that here.

I am lost in my own thoughts when Luca draws up next to me, close enough that his arm brushes against mine.

"Thank you." His voice is so soft that it takes me a moment to realize he has spoken at all.

Wordlessly I reach my hand out, lacing my fingers with his and squeezing once. Our footsteps fall into perfect synchronicity as we lead the Wasters down the abandoned track.

Despite being surrounded by Wasters and trapped in a darkened tunnel, I no longer feel afraid. At least for this moment, we are united.