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Chapter Text

By the time Mai arrived at the tunnel with the monster whistles, the sun had already begun to dip below the horizon. Up ahead, she could make out two figures standing under one of the many gnarled trees lining the Bend. Various construction equipment and piles of rubble dotted the flat plain.

As Mai neared the two figures, they turned to greet her. Mai brought her horse to a stop, and dismounted quickly.

“Glad to see you could join us, builder,” Logan said, tipping his hat. 

Mai acknowledged his greeting with a stiff nod. She wore a pinched expression, growing more agitated as she stuffed her hands into a pair of leather tactical gloves. She grumbled when she realized she put them on the wrong hand. 

“I wanted to get here earlier, but Cooper wouldn’t shut up about his horse going into the ‘monster-infested hell-hole’ as he so eloquently put it,” Mai huffed, fixing her gloves. 

“Aw, I’m sorry, Mai. I should’ve waited for you.” Elsie said, stepping over to her. In her excitement to get to the tunnel, she left her pa in her place to set Mai up with a horse to transport the monster whistles. Unfortunately, that meant she'd also left Mai to endure one of Cooper's hair-pulling lectures by herself.

“It’s fine.” Mai offered a tight smile, patting Elsie’s arm.

Turning her attention back to the cart, Mai flung back the canvas tarp covering the whistles and jammed it into the corners. Mai crossed back to her horse, rummaging in the saddle bags for the diagram Heidi gave to her before departing.

Elsie peered into the cart, her eyes the size of cantaloupes. Seeing one of Howlett’s creations up close was incredible. It was everything she imagined and more. Mai had truly done her hero’s design justice.

Mai gently nudged Elsie aside as she rolled out the diagrams over the top of one of the cylindrical whistles nestled in the cart. Logan and Elsie huddled around the builder smoothing it out. The diagram showed an illustration of the tunnel’s basic construction. While neither Logan or Elsie understood what the formulas and notes meant, they got a gist of the general construction of the frames. The setting sun provided just enough light to see where Mai pointed to on the diagram.

“Heidi said to install the whistles at the peaks of the frames supporting the tunnel. There are staircases we can use to haul the whistles up to these points, here, here, and here.” Mai tapped the respective areas. “Qi and her designed the whistles so that they slide into the space between these beams here.” Mai traced the image of the support.

The two monster hunters opted to withhold any questions. Mai was the only one who needed to know how to install the whistles, anyways. 

“...and that will make future maintenance easier. But they wanted the installation process to be as easy as possible since you said that the tunnel is overrun with hoppers,” Mai finished, glancing at Logan over her shoulder. 

He nodded, adding, “Else and I will cover you while you do your thing. But we’re gonna be facing monsters, so make sure you’re lookin’ sharp. Can’t have ya get hurt while installin’ these whistles.”

“Don’t worry. I came prepared,” Mai said, patting her gun holster.

“Huh?” Elsie whipped her head up, a pained expression on her face. “I wanna do this clean…no hurtin’ animals!”

Logan straightened, his mouth pressed into a firm line. “Elsie…we ain’t gonna be able to do this without it hurtin’ anythin’.”

“But…we made the whistles to so as to not harm anythin’…”

“Not to harm anythin’ more than we need to.”

Mai glanced between the two of them, the air now visibly tense. Elsie stared at Logan in horror, hurt that he even considered harming the creatures she vowed to protect. Logan stood his ground, aiming to be realistic about the circumstances. They hadn’t even entered the tunnel and already their little posse was having its first argument.

Logan crossed his arms, his jaw clenched. “Look, I ain’t sayin’ we turn into maniacs.“

Elsie opened her mouth to say something, but Mai cut her off.

“If we don’t fight back, we’re gonna be the ones who get hurt. You gotta think about the safety of the group.”

Elsie scowled. She was becoming more indignant with each one of her friends’ responses. 

Determined to make them see it her way, she shot back, “We're here to keep 'em away, not kill 'em! Howlett said violence should always be the last option.”

“We are the last option, Else. You want those monsters to hurt more people?”

“No but—“

“I love ya, but you gotta toughen up.” Logan’s tone was stern. “My Pa was always finding ways to minimize damage, but he knew the deal. If you wanna be like my Pa, you gotta realize that.”

Elsie dipped her head. Her knuckles turned white from clenching the sides of the wooden cart. Mai glanced at Logan, whose gaze remained fixed on his childhood friend. While he looked apologetic about his next words, the tension in his jaw hinted at his underlying frustration. 

Mai winced hearing his next words.

“I'm sorry, Elsie. But this is the reality. If you ain't got the strength to accept it, I dunno if I trust that you got my back.”

Elsie flinched in panic, exclaiming, “I got your back! I got both y’all’s backs!”

“Alright then. Well, let’s head out.”

Satisfied with her answer and putting the incident behind them, Logan started off for the tunnel. 

Mia hesitated before grabbing the horse’s reins and following Logan. Elsie stood frozen in place, a hollowness replacing her usual energetic demeanor.

Mai bit her lip, deciding her words. She’d been there to talk Elsie through conflict in times past, often helping her to come to better understanding. Only this time, if Elsie didn’t snap out of it now, there was a high risk they would struggle working together in a situation where teamwork was necessary to survival.

“Elsie.”

Elsie didn’t look at Mai. Mai nudged her arm. 

“Logan’s just trying to keep us safe. As much as we may not want to harm the monsters, they’ll still see us as a threat.”

Elsie tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, saying quietly, “I know…”

“I think wanting to protect the wildlife is admirable. Really, I do. But Logan’s speaking from a lifetime of experience. I trust his advice.” Mai cleared her throat, continuing. “And I’ve learned a thing or two from Justice. He’s taught me that the safety of the team comes first. Don’t take unnecessary risks. I love your passion and commitment, but make sure to temper that with wisdom, y’know? If you do that, then I’m sure you’ll do great things.”

Elsie nodded and walked away, leaving Mai behind. Mai blew a piece of hair from her face. She hoped Elsie would come around.

It had been roughly two weeks since Mai stepped foot inside the tunnel. Wei had sent her and Mi-an to assist Heidi’s team with the installation of a few steel frames. Heidi requested the extra help, so the two builders provided support to prevent any delays. After all, this tunnel project had already been pushed back a season due to bandits and Duvos.

Back then, Mai gawked at the sheer size of the tunnel, the walls stretching at least three stories high. She’d seen a surprising amount of engineering prowess from Heidi, but this was on another level. Blowing a hole through a mountain was an awesome and terrifying experience. 

The craftsmanship of the steel paneling along the inner part of the tunnel would’ve made any builder swoon. Mai stood a little taller seeing her craftsmanship. There was a reason why she’d recently reached a four-star ranking. Mi-an’s was equally as great, and her workshop ranking would soon be corrected to accurately reflect her skill.

Mai also had to give Wei props for the pavement as well, since the favor he called in made it possible for them to construct such a smooth road–complete with a tidy sidewalk. This whole project was a fine specimen of the genius of multiple disciplines coming together to create something magnificent. 

Now, however, the once noisy, active site had been abandoned just as it was finishing its final stages. There were various piles of rubble left over from the drilling, the crew unable to clear it out due to the monster attack. In the distance, empty crates and lonely tools dotted the sidewalks. 

The horse’s hooves clopped against the pavement. The cart rattled noisily, the clattering echoing inside the tunnel. The air had gotten noticeably chillier, and Mai was grateful she wore longer sleeves. A slight breeze blew through the tunnel, mingling the earthy scent of the desert with the sharp smell of metal.

Logan stayed in the front, scanning their surroundings diligently. 

“It’s too quiet,” he said.

Mai thought so, too. They were nearing the location where she needed to install the first whistle, and there wasn’t a monster in sight.

“Maybe there’re less monsters than we thought,” Elsie said. 

“Let’s hope so,” Mai replied. She and Logan exchanged knowing glances. Things rarely worked out so well in Sandrock.

Mai stopped the horse, returning to the cart and pulling the first whistle off of it. She grunted as she hoisted it onto her shoulder, Elsie and Logan moving out of her path towards the staircase.

“You got it, builder?”

“Yep….just watch…the cart for me.”

Mai panted as she hauled it up the steps. She gripped the railing with her free hand, using the other to keep the device steady on her shoulder.

Elsie and Logan both watched in awe as the half-pint builder carried a whistle twice her size up the steps by herself. 

“Maybe I ought’ve helped her…” Logan said, uneasy.

Elsie bit her lip, still feeling a bit awkward. But she didn’t want to dwell on the argument earlier. “...Let ‘er handle it. She’ll tell us if she needs help.”

Mai’s hunched form continued up the steps. Logan scratched the stubble on his jaw. “I’ve seen her face robots four times her size back in the ruins but this is a bit much, ain’t it?”

Elsie shrugged. “She’s always been full o’ surprises.”

When Mai reached the top, she slid the whistle off her shoulder with a loud thunk ! Her back ached from being bent over. As she popped her spine, she inspected the ceiling of the tunnel. Sure enough, just Heidi had shown her on the diagram, was the spot where the whistle would slide in perfectly between the support beams. All Mai needed to do was bolt them down in place to prevent any shifting.

She turned around and leaned over the railing, holding up her hand. “Gimme five minutes!”

She spun back around, yanking the whistle back up and in one swift motion sliding it perfectly into place. Mai reached for the wrench on her tool belt, and pulled out a hefty bolt from the pouch at her hip. Equipped and pressed for time, Mai got to work. 

She hurried down the steps as soon as she secured the first whistle in place. She grabbed her horse’s reins again, and the group pressed forwards through the tunnel.

They kept their heads on a swivel. Still no sign of any monsters.

“This is startin’ to worry me,” Logan said.

“I thought you said this place was swarming with monsters,” Mai replied.

“It was.”

Elsie split from the group and started checking behind crates. She looked around the debris, lifting up wood pallets for signs of activity. She shook her head, not finding anything. 

“I ain’t finding any signs of ‘em over here!” She tugged at her blue scarf, feeling the same concern the others did. “This ain’t like desert hoppers. You find ‘em in nests but I can’t find nothin’ of the like.”

“Unless they’re deeper in?” Mai suggested.

“Maybe, but we haven’t exactly been quiet-like so at least one should’ve poked its head out. It’s like they’ve completely disappeared.”

“Or are in hidin’.” Logan added, his face dark. “Those construction guys said there was a monster lurkin’ here that was bigger than anythin’ they’d ever seen. Didn’t give me much of a description to go off of, but I’m thinkin’ the desert hoppers are hidin’ somewhere the big one can’t get ‘em.”

They all exchanged worried looks before settling back into formation. The silence was deafening, and a sense of uneasiness crept up their backs.

The three of them arrived at the second location. Mai gave them a stiff look.

“Be back shortly.”

Mai took a steadying breath, hoisting the next whistle onto her shoulders. 

She began her ascent once more. Logan and Elsie stood guard down below, resuming the search for any sign of the desert hoppers.

Elsie climbed over a stack of crates. After finding nothing, she pounded her fist against the top of a crate in exasperation. 

“Peach, this is nerve wrackin’! I know I said I didn’t wanna hurt anythin’ but not even seein’ one critter is givin’ me the heebie jeebies.”

Logan opened his mouth to respond, but a sudden noise caught his attention. He turned around, reaching for his dagger, straining to listen.

Elsie crawled over another crate. “Psst! Any of ya over here?” she said, pushing one aside.

Logan whipped his head around, putting a finger to his lips. “Else, quiet!”

Her eyes widened in understanding, and she began moving carefully, slowly stepping off the crate. She followed Logan as he approached a tarp that hung over a pile of materials. Elsie could hear a faint rattling, the noise growing louder as they got closer. 

Logan glanced back at her, signaling Elsie to get ready. 

Elsie nodded, swallowing her fear and gripping the hilt of her knife.

Logan reached over to the tarp, his movements measured. He hooked the point of his dagger underneath the edge of the tarp, and began to lift it, the rattling becoming more violent.

Mai called from above. “I could use some help up—“

Logan snatched back the tarp. Like the consuming waves of a mighty waterfall, a horde of snakes leapt out from their nest he’d disturbed. They poured out in an endless mass of venomous, writhing bodies, the sounds of their hissing and rattling overwhelming the senses.

They’d successfully found the nest.

Logan yanked Elsie to his side, placing her back to back with him defensively. Countless snakes surrounded them, each one maliciously eyeing their prey. Elsie’s conscious pulled at her, her knife feeling more like an executioner’s ax than an adventurer’s blade.

Above the horde, Mai struggled with the second whistle, the cylinder refusing to slide into place. It was stuck on the lip between two of the beams. She strained to see the scene below, alarmed by the sudden noises.

Mai’s shoulders burned. If she moved wrong, the whole whistle would come tumbling down onto her. But there was no way for her to safely remove the whistle from the place it was stuck without dropping it.

Gunshots boomed over the terrible chorus of hissing.

Down below, Logan had just put a bullet through one of the beasts, its head exploding into a thousand bloody pieces as its limp body fell backwards. Elsie winced seeing the poor creature die.

A snake lunged at her, jaws wide and fangs bared. She narrowly dodged. Though she had just gained an advantage, she couldn’t bring herself to swing her knife. Her body wouldn’t let her.

Logan grabbed a snake that had just opened its mouth to spit poison, choking it and preventing it from doing so. It writhed in his grasp, jerking its head to try and bite him, but he wouldn’t let it. He launched it against the wall, plunging his knife into the tail of another one darting towards Elsie.

Elsie gritted her teeth, overwhelmed by how many desert vipers surrounded the pair. She floundered, unable to pick a target.

Logan shouted over the noise. “Else! Get it together!”

Logan glanced up, praying that the builder had gotten the second whistle installed but his hopes immediately vanished. She was having problems of her own.

Mai’s legs shook uncontrollably, her knees threatening to give out. She cried out, ramming her shoulder into the metal shell to try and force the whistle to move. White-hot pain assaulted her arms. The whistle refused to move. All she did was bruise herself.

Logan ducked just in time to avoid a stream of poison. He circled around and sliced the serpent in half. 

Elsie finally managed to dispose of a handful, but nowhere near enough to put a dent in the swarm that surrounded them. Elsie rammed her boot into the face of another snake, crushing its jaw. She looked like she’d murdered a man.

Logan jumped over a crate, kicking it straight into a group of snakes. The force ran the beasts right over.

Logan’s heart stopped when he looked up. A strip of green flashed beside Mai– invisible to her but obvious to him. Somehow, a viper had made its way to the top of the scaffolding where she stood. It slithered towards her, its vicious gaze locked onto her leg. The viper poised itself to strike, its mouth wide, fangs sharper than a blade.

Logan fired.

Metal exploded beneath Mai, the sharp crack of a bullet piercing the scaffolding. She stumbled from shock, the whistle slipped from her grasp.

Her right knee buckled, and her hands shot up, catching the whistle as the metal casing scraped against the ceiling. She felt it release from where it’d been stuck.

Sucking in a breath, she gritted her teeth and pushed against the device, guiding it into the notch where it was supposed to lay. It slid in without protest.

With the whistle safely in place, she grabbed her wrench from her belt and shoved the bolts into their holes, fastening the hardware as fast as she could. One turn, two, then three. The sounds of battle rang in her ears, and she urged her hands to move faster.

The final bolt stopped turning. Mai dropped the wrench, pulling her pistol from her holster and taking aim from the railing. Logan and Elsie were barely holding on without her, both showing signs of exhaustion. 

Mai aimed for the ones further away from Elsie and Logan, not wanting to test how good of a shot she was. She trusted they could handle the others up close and personal. A hail of bullets pierced the snakes, the serpents dropping like rocks with each gunshot.

With Mai mowing down the reinforcements, Elsie and Logan slaughtered the snakes attacking them. In a flurry of bullets and blades, the horde dwindled to nothing within moments.

Mai lowered her gun, the barrel piping hot. When she looked down, she noticed the pile of serpent guts she was standing in. She scrunched her face in disgust as she lifted her boot, bits of snakeskin sticking to the bottom.

“Why'd it have to be snakes?” she muttered. Mai wished the tunnel had been infested with robots instead.

Scraping her boot on the grate, she picked up her wrench and clambered down the steps to the gory scene below. 

Elsie and Logan stood in the center of a ring of dead snakes. Blood stained the pavement, puddles of venom mixing with it to create a sickening, viscus texture. Their clothes were splattered in monster guts. For once in her life, Mai was the cleanest person in the room.  

Mai scratched her head with her wrench. “Guess y’all found the snakes…”

Logan let out one dry laugh at Mai’s remark, giving a tight smile as he replied, “Guess so.” He kicked a dead snake to the side.

 “I can’t believe I killed these critters like this…” Elsie looked pale. She'd never seen so much bloodshed before.

Logan crossed over to her, patting her shoulder. “It ain’t gonna get easier, believe me. But you did what you had to to survive. You did good for your first fight.”

Mai trudged through the mess on the ground and passed under the scaffolding to where she saw her horse. Thankfully, it raced safely ahead just after the fight broke out. Mai slowly reached out towards the anxious steed, delicately laying a hand on its neck and talking to it in a soothing voice. 

Logan and Elsie came up behind her as she finished calming the poor thing down.

Logan fixed his hat. He brushed off the snake innards clinging to his arm. “Well, then. Shall we?”

Chapter Text

The fabric of Elsie’s sleeves clung to her arms, wet with blood. Every time she moved, she could feel them shift, making her skin crawl as the material peeled back and stuck to her, over and over.

She wanted to burn her clothes.

Logan’s praise meant little when she’d just slaughtered dozens of desert hoppers. She knew the serpents weren’t friendly by nature and that she would’ve died had she not fought back, but taking each one of their lives with her own hands tore her up inside. She’d sinned against these miserable creatures, and now she was stained in their blood.

Elsie clenched her fists. She had to get through this. As long as Mai installed that last whistle, Elsie could breathe easier knowing that their sacrifice wasn’t in vain. Once that whistle was in place, there would be no more pointless bloodshed.

She swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Didn’t you say there was a bigger monster in here?” asked Mai, staring at Logan’s back.

They passed the abandoned paving machine, the keys still hanging from the ignition. The vehicle likely shut down when the power crystals gave out, the driver abandoning it mid-flight. More construction equipment lay scattered around the area. Signs of the panicked escape from earlier that week were prevalent. Forgotten gear like helmets and toolboxes, various crates and boxes of materials in haphazard stacks. Heidi’s team was moments away from getting through the last bit of rock before the monster appeared.

Logan didn’t turn back to look at her. “Yeah. This fight ain’t over yet.”

Mai swore under her breath. “Why can’t these jobs ever go smoothly? Just once I’d like to fix something and not have to fend for my life while doing it.”

“You say that, but ya seem to enjoy these types of things. I heard you go into hazardous ruins for fun, that you seek out danger.”

“Who said that? Was it Justice? I bet it was Justice.” Mai frowned and muttered under her breath. “I only like a little danger.”

Logan stopped at where the pavement ended. In front of them was a stretch of sand, spanning about the length of Sandrock’s town square. In the distance, Logan could make out a sliver of moonlight in the last little bit of rock that remained to be drilled through. Piles of rocks jutted out from the sand, still waiting to be cleared away.

Elsie, Mai, and Mai’s horse stopped a short distance behind Logan. Mai looked up, her eyes following the metal staircase that climbed towards the final frame inside the tunnel. She spied the small gap where the third whistle needed to be placed. They were moments away from finishing this.

Logan jumped back from the ledge.

“Here’s your little danger, Mai!”

The whole tunnel shook violently, and a terrifying pit opening up in the sand before them. A behemoth erupted from the void below, its wiry body climbing higher and higher until it stood a ferocious twenty feet above the group below. An indestructible shell encased the enormous worm-like creature. Rocky spines dotted its back, deterring any opponents foolish enough to confront it.

It was a tunnel worm, better known as the leviathan of the Eufaula. It burrowed underneath the desert sands and hunted its prey by feeling for vibrations. It was an extremely territorial beast that devoured wandering wildlife and unsuspecting tourists alike. The species was known to become more active during sandstorms, and even though they were quite rare to come by because of their isolated nature–often settling in areas far away from civilization. What was even rarer was face one and live. 

And well, the monster didn’t seem too jazzed having a bunch of construction workers tearing up its home.

Logan lowered himself into a fighting stance. “Been awhile since I seen one of these,” he said, almost admiring the terrifying creature.

The creature let out a piercing shriek that reverberated inside the tunnel, amplifying the horrific noise tenfold. Elsie covered her ears, her head splitting in two.

The horse reared backwards, jerking Mai to the side. She shouted and cursed as it fought her restraints wildly. As if fate itself had cut them, one of the leather straps tying the animal to the cart snapped. Mai’s hands slipped. The horse bucked and kicked. The cart rocked, the whistle inside knocking loudly against the wood. The horse took off, violently turning the cart over. It escaped the monster’s den in a flash of white. 

Mai, knocked to the ground, watched the whistle roll into the sandy pit. Elsie cried out. The sleek blue metal reflected in the artificial lights of the tunnel, looking painfully serene amidst an onslaught of attacks. 

The tunnel worm snapped its jaws at Logan. He lept back, avoiding its sharp teeth. He drew his pistol, and shot it straight on, lodging a bullet into its armored forehead.

Elsie panicked. She watched the beast writhe and whip its tail, knocking the whistle to the side before it disappeared underneath the sand.

“We gotta get the whistle!”

“Forget about the whistle!” Mai yelled, back on her feet. “We got a bigger problem! Logan, how the hell do we kill this thing?!”

Logan eyed the vibrating sand. The tunnel worm was about to shoot back up. “Aim for the squishy parts!”

“What squishy parts?! It’s covered in armor!”

“Eyes, belly–” he gestured at the respective areas, “-you know, squishy!! ”

Mai let out a frustrated cry. Aiming for the softer bits only worked if they had an opening to do so. They were trapped in a confined space with a massive beast, and stepping foot into its sandy turf was a literal death sentence. Aside from losing mobility, that thing could drag them beneath the sand and kill them.

Mai scanned their surroundings, looking for something that could help.

Elsie, meanwhile, was worried about something else.

She stood there, debating her chances of retrieving the whistle. When that tunnel worm came back up, it would knock the whistle away, possibly damaging it. Without the whistle, they wouldn’t be able to finish the job. Elsie couldn’t bear the thought of failing this mission–not with the people of Sandrock and the animals of the Eufaula depending on her.

The sand became volatile. The tunnel vibrated. The worm erupted from the depths, screeching. It thrashed around and whipped its tail towards Mai and Elsie. Elsie banked left. Mai rolled the opposite direction towards Logan. 

She misjudged her distance and slammed into a stack of crates, a mess of wood falling on top of her.

The worm recoiled, rearing for another attack. Logan open fired, bullets peppering the monster’s body. The bullets did little to hurt the massive creature–most of them pierced its armor, not the ‘squishy’ parts.

Logan cursed, dodging another attack.

On the opposite wall, Elsie scoured the area for the whistle. She clenched her fists, her heart in her throat. What if it was destroyed? Or was stuck under the monster?

She spotted the pop of blue. There it was–just a few feet away, half-buried in the sand.

The beast shrieked and bit at Logan, enraged at the monster hunter’s attacks. 

Logan darted away, drawing the monster to the end of the tunnel and away from Mai. She scrambled to her feet. Fighting the dizziness, Mai ripped off the top of the crates, searching for something useful.

The crates were filled with an assortment of materials. Packs of bolts, nuts, and other hardware were packaged together with various tools. Mai quickly moved to the next crate. This one was filled with a hodgepodge of junk–rope, gloves, matches, more tools. Her head spun in circles thinking up possible plans, but time was racing against her. She needed to get out there and help Logan.

She tore off another cover, greeted by more materials. Agitated, she jumped over the crate, moving deeper into the pile. The sounds of Logan’s continued gunfire rang out in between the monster’s cries. 

Just as Mai was about to give up, she spied something written on one of the crates. In bold, black lettering across the side was the word EXPLOSIVES .

Mai grinned. She ripped off the top, and red sticks of dynamite winked at her from within. She yanked a pack out, and scrambled towards a previous crate. 

“Where is it, where is it?!”

She shoved her arm into the crate, wrapping her fingers around the small box she was looking for. She snagged a length of rope sitting atop the crates. Mai spun back around, racing towards Logan with her prizes.

Logan’s muscles ached as he forced himself to move. He’d already switched to another pistol and there was no chance to reload. He gulped down air, his lungs burned, each  breath too labored for him to regain his strength. He was losing stamina, fast.

The worm snapped its jaws again, like it kept doing, relentlessly. Logan jumped out of the way, the beast crashing into a pile of rubble. It immediately shot back up, and Logan braced himself. 

The worm dove beneath the sand once more. Seizing the chance to flee, Logan sprinted towards Mai. His chest heaved and he was drenched in sweat, his muscles aching from all the fighting. He prayed she came up with a viable plan.

Mai dangled the dynamite in front of him. 

“We’re gonna feed it this.”

“How?” he panted, wiping his brow.

“Elsie and I will use these ropes to restrain it while you toss the dynamite in. Here,” she pressed the matches into his hands. 

“The ropes’ll never hold that monster down.”

“We just need a small window, they don’t have to hold for long.”

His lips pressed into a thin line. “Fine. We ain’t got a choice.” Logan looked around. “Where’s Elsie?”

“She was right–”

Panic gripped both of them.

Elsie was bent over the whistle, trying to drag it from out of the sand. Her scarf had wrapped itself around her arm, her shock of red hair slick with sweat and blood. She used all her strength to move the whistle. It reluctantly slid at her force, far heavier for Elsie than for Mai. 

She panted at the exertion, gritting her teeth and pleading for the damn whistle to move. The earth started trembling more violently, the sand shifting towards the worm swimming below.

Mai and Logan screamed at her to move.

“Get outta there!”

“Leave it!”

They bolted towards her, their boots pounding against the pavement bordering the lethal sand. They could hear the screeching coming from below, the sound of imminent death filling their ears in a horrible crescendo.

Elsie kept pulling at the whistle, the metal tube slowly sliding across the sand. She was just a few feet from the sidewalk, a few feet from safety.

“Move!”‘

The worm burst from below and dove back down towards Elsie, jaws wide and eyes ablaze.

She was going to die.

“ELSIE!”

Elsie released the whistle.

Her hand flew to her side, and with a quick flick she hurled her dagger at the monster, piercing it dead in its eye. The beast flung its head back, unleashing a guttural shriek as it writhed in pain.

With its mouth wide open, Mai tossed the dynamite to Logan, his match barely grazing the fuse before he slung it into the beast’s cavernous mouth. The red sticks disappeared into the black gulf, the light fizzling out in a moment.

Mai shot out her arm, grabbing Elsie’s arm. She hauled her up, and the group made a sharp turn back towards the entrance of the tunnel, sprinting away from the flailing monster. Its movements shook the tunnel.

Runawayrunawayrunawayrunawayrunaway . It was the only thing going through Mai’s head as her legs carried her over the road.

They flew down the tunnel, passing the broken cart and construction materials. They leapt over a stack of metal beams, taking cover.

A teeth-shattering explosion replacing the beast’s screams. Elsie thought the mountain would come crumbling down on top of them. 

Mai panted, feeling her heart thundering against her chest. A weight pressed against her and she realized it was Logan. He slowly released her and Elsie from his protective grasp. Elsie looked around, daring to look above the beams. Her voice caught in her throat, coming out in a squeak.

“It…It’s dead.”

Mai and Logan’s heads appeared above the beams, and together the three of them saw the macabre scene awaiting them ahead.

They stood where they did at the beginning of the battle, where the pavement met the sand, where man met nature. Only now, everything was covered in the green blood of the tunnel worm. It stained the sand, the grains uncomfortably wet and thick. 

Most of the beast remained intact, its body sagging pathetically. It had no skeleton–just a mass of mutilated muscle oozing that green blood and slimy mucus. It was a wretched sight. Even Logan found himself disturbed by after years of seeing dead monsters. The worm’s armor had contained most of the explosion, the dynamite brutally removing its head and splattering brain matter on the walls. Chunks of its indestructible shell stuck out from the ground and littered the team’s path.

Mai plugged her nose, an awful stench filling the air. It was even worse than the smell of the dead snakes. The air had a strangely acidic scent that burned the back of her throat when she inhaled. Mai gagged thinking too hard about it.

“Heidi’s gonna kill us for making a mess of her tunnel,” she said, nasally. “How much water is it gonna take to clean this up?”

Logan picked his way over a sloppy pile of guts. “I kinda feel sorry for the poor beast but it did try to bite off my head…so I s’ppose I ain’t too upset.”

Elsie trembled, unable to speak. She’d seen enough bloodshed for today.

“Over ‘ere,” Logan called.

Mai and Elsie joined him where he crouched. He wiped off a mound of sand and worm guts, revealing a grimy whistle. It laid on the sidewalk, a safe distance from the gory scene. Elsie managed to drag it a safe distance from the worm, far enough that it wasn’t crushed in the monster’s final moments. 

Elsie smiled, her success providing some comfort. “It survived!” 

Logan glanced at her over his shoulder with an approving look. “Good job, Else. Now we can finish what we came here to do.”

Mai, on the other hand, wore a dark expression. “It’s good that the whistle is intact but what you did was reckless.”

Logan stood to his feet. “Now, hang on a sec, builder. Else might’ve done something reckless but it turned out alright. Let’s let it go for now and install that last whistle.”

Mai opened her mouth to answer, but Elsie cut her off, their positions now reversed.

“Listen, I know I went against you, but I was jus’ tryin’ to save the whistle. If we’d lost that we wouldn’t be able to finish what we set out here to do! Can’t you see that?”

Mai narrowed her eyes. “Can’t you see you were seconds away from being killed?” She stepped towards Elsie. “What if you missed that monster’s eye? What if you were a second too slow?”

“But she didn’t, and she’s fine,” Logan interjected. “Else got us the openin’ we needed to pull off your plan–which, by the way, was jus’ as reckless.”

She seethed, unable to deny Logan’s words. Her temper started to boil, her mind still reeling from the exhausting battle, the intense emotions from everything. She wasn’t thinking anymore, couldn’t comprehend that she was yelling.

“I said to ditch the damn whistle because our safety always comes first! I can fix a whistle but I can’t fix people! I’m a member of the Civil Corps, dammit! How could I have faced Elsie’s parents if she died on my watch?”

Mai was in Elsie’s face, her cheeks bright red. “I almost watched you die , Elsie! So don’t you dare play this off like it was some innocent act of rebellion like you always do. If you didn’t nail that throw, I would’ve been carrying your corpse back to Sandrock–if there even was one.”

Logan got in between the two women, staring down Mai with a fierce look. His tone was ice, flat and direct. It was the complete opposite of Mai’s.

“Back off, builder.”

He stood in front of her like a massive wall, unyielding. 

“We did our job, so finish yours. We’ll talk about this later.”

Mai snapped back to her senses, suddenly aware of how close she was to throttling her friends. Mai clamped her mouth shut, her face hot with anger, with embarrassment. She felt like a stranger in her own body, her movements becoming robotic as she silently pushed between them to get to the dirty whistle.

She hoisted it up, its weight equal to the buckling humiliation swirling inside of her. As she dragged herself up the staircase and slid the whistle into place, her body throbbed. Physical and emotional exhaustion left her head empty. 

What had she done?

Chapter Text

Two days later…

The old wooden door sang its usual tired song, the tarnished hinges making known all who entered and exited the Commerce Guild. Mai heaved a long sigh, her thoughts replaying the last moments of the dreadful conversation she’d just had with Wei. Nothing about him was dreadful–he was perfectly fine and pleasant as always. It was the warm, expectant smile he wore as he rattled off the revised terms of her contract. The creases at the corners of his eyes showing how genuine he was in his offers. It was too good to be true.

Mai let go of the door, the tired song playing once more as it closed behind her. Just as she took a step forward, she coughed, the collar of her shirt choking her. She flailed as she stumbled backwards, bumping into something firm. 

She craned her neck up, awkwardly strangled by her collar and practically dangling in the air. A familiar face peered down at her, his gray-blue eyes twinkling in amusement.

Mai swatted at his strong grip. “Let me go! I’m not a child!” She fumbled around, struggling to maintain her balance on her tiptoes. 

Logan chuckled, lowering his arm ever so slightly–just enough that she wasn’t stumbling. He kept the back of her shirt firmly in his grasp.

“You’re not gonna run away, are ya?” he said teasingly.

“No! Now let me go! You’re wrinkling my shirt! Ack!” Mai smacked her forehead against his chest.

Logan finally released her, and Mai’s feet plopped flatly onto the porch. She rubbed her forehead vigorously. A hot blush crept up her cheeks. She shot him an angry look, one hand still on her forehead.

“You’re so mean! Just call out to me instead of yanking me around!”

Logan tilted his head, wearing an amused look. “How can I when you’ve been avoidin’ me the past few days? You’d jus’ ignore me.” 

“I haven’t been avoiding you!” Mai shot back. She looked away, frowning. “...I’ve been busy.”

“Right.” Logan eyed her up and down. She had that same fidgety look that Andy had when he was lying about something. She was looking everywhere but him and nervously tugged at her shirt. He’d heard better lies from her–and this one was plain laughable. 

She became like a ghost after the argument in the tunnel. Logan spent the past few days searching around town for her, moments from catching her before she’d darted off for her next hiding place. Mai was really starting to give him a run for his money, making even a monster hunter like him have a hard time tracking her. It was only after a quick tip from Owen that Logan managed to plant himself in front of the Commerce Guild and get the jump on her.

There was no running away this time.

Mai stared at the ground. She dug her nails into the palms of her hands and blew a piece of hair from her face. 

“…yeah. I’ve been avoiding you. You got me.”

Mai sighed, resting her head against the wooden beam. She’d left one unpleasant conversation and walked straight into another. There was no avoiding it any longer. She’d spent enough time wallowing in regret.

She glanced at Logan from the corner of her eye. His calm demeanor made her shudder. Made her want to hide again. She wished he would just yell at her so she could feel better about herself, feel justified for hiding. 

But no, he was patiently waiting for her to explain herself, to make things right. 

Damn him and his integrity. Damn him and his goody-two shoes, pacifist, pretty-boy face. 

Mai sighed again, more defeatedly. She felt like a kid getting busted for running around in her ma’s vegetable patch.

“....how’s Elsie?”

Logan replied immediately. “She’s fine. Jus’ tired after her first fight.”

Mai glanced at him, not knowing if he meant her first fight with monsters or first fight with her . She decided he probably meant both. “She hates me now, doesn’t she?”

Logan chuckled, smiling softly. “Naw. She don’t hate you, Mai.” 

He leaned against the beam opposite of Mai. He took off his hat, dusting it off and brushing his silvery hair back. He was as casual as ever.

Mai bit the inside of her lip, tasting blood. She reopened the wound she’d chewed in worry. 

Was he seriously not bothered by what she did anymore?

Logan put his hat back on, saying, “I talked some things out with Else. Told her why you got mad.” He cleared his throat and shifted his weight to the other leg. “She understands. She ain’t too proud ‘bout how she acted either. Both of y’did what you did outta love, though. So I figure you jus’ need to have a heart to heart.”

Mai let out a sigh of relief. She pulled at a piece of hair at the nape of her neck. 

“Thanks for doing that…and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put you in that position.”

Logan crossed over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. He gave her a reassuring look.

“I get it. You were scared, weren’t thinkin’ straight and lashed out. I been there.”

Mai brushed his hand off, uncomfortable that he was so understanding. She didn’t deserve it.

“It wasn’t just that.” She filled her lungs with the dry desert air, and released the shaky breath. “I was mad you called me out. Mad you were right. I was just as reckless if not more so.” Mai ran a hand through her tangled hair. “I’m a hypocrite and a bad friend.”

“Quit killin’ yourself over it. Your pride got hurt, so what? Doesn’t change you were worried about Else.”

“I wanted to throttle her.”

Logan snorted, throwing his hands up. “Who hasn’t? That’s how it is when you live in Sandrock–we get so close we’re like family and family sometimes wants to throttle each other. Don’t mean we love each other any less.” Logan squeezed her shoulder again, an earnest look on his face. “Talk to her, Mai. Face it head on like you always do.”

Mai stared at her boots, more comfortable staring at the dusty splotches than at Logan. She kept pulling at her hair, twisting the stray pieces until her skin turned pink. 

He said everything she needed to hear, even if the nagging guilt wanted to tell her otherwise. It was strange, Mai thought, how he managed to confront all her anxious thoughts that had been plaguing her for days and dispel them in just a few minutes. She didn’t think he cared enough to seek her out, and to hold her accountable while still being so kind. Most people would’ve let her lick her wounds, but Logan didn’t.

Another reason why she respected him.

Mai finally pulled her eyes away from the ground and turned to face Logan, a wry smile tugging at her lips. He brightened seeing her and smiled back. The corners of his eyes crinkled, and something fluttered in her chest. 

Logan had a softness about him she hadn’t noticed before. He was rugged, hardened by the desert and by tragedy, yet there was a strength of heart that manifested in empathy, kindness. It felt safe. Secure.

He leaned in. The back of her neck felt hot, and it wasn’t from the weather. “Feelin’ better now?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” He straightened, and Mai could breathe again. “Elsie’s over at the ranch.”

She blinked. “Huh?”

He jabbed his thumb towards the ranch’s direction. “Go talk to her.”

Mai’s mouth hung agape. “Now?”

“Yes, now,” Logan said. He raised an eyebrow. “What? You chickenin’ out already?”

“No!” Mai huffed, defensive. “I was gonna go talk to her…later.”

Logan reached for her collar again, and Mai backed away, swatting at his hand again. 

“Hey! No, no ! I’m not gonna let you–” His fingers wrapped around her collar, firmly grasping the cotton fabric before lifting her up, her heels hovering above the porch again. Mai flailed, trying unsuccessfully to pull his hands off.

His soft smile had been replaced by an absolutely irritating grin, one that showed he was enjoying bullying the tiny builder. She pulled at his fingers. She desperately tried to remove each one. His hands remained glued to her collar. Mai whined, certain he was going to wrinkle her new shirt–not that it would have remained very neat for long with her track record.

“Logan! Let me go! C’mon!”

Logan stood there, arm steady as Mai jerked around. 

He knew she wasn’t going to keep putting off talking to Elsie, that she would definitely resolve everything by the end of the day. But Logan just wanted to tease her a bit. Get revenge for making him chase her around town these past few days. 

After all, if she wanted to play a game of chase, he might as well enjoy the catch a little while longer. 

Deciding she’d suffered enough, he carefully released her. 

Mai let out a frustrated huff. She fixed her shirt and smoothed out the creases. 

“You ruined the moment, man. Not cool,” she muttered. Satisfied she looked presentable again, Mai gave a good smack against Logan’s arm before marching off the porch. She gave him one last annoyed glare and shouted, arms out, “Look! I’m going!”

Logan chuckled, watching her disappear past the Blue Moon. 

Things would turn out just fine.