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The forest was too quiet.
That’s what tipped Katie off first.
Usually, there were mobs everywhere. Zombies groaning somewhere, a skeleton rattling in the distance, but tonight? Nothing. Just the crunch of leaves under her boots and the faint whistle of wind through the trees.
“Guys?” Katie called into her communicator. “You seeing this too, or is it just me?”
Static.
Then finally, a voice crackling, distant. “We lost signal near spawn. You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said, though her grip tightened on her sword. “Just… feels weird out here.”
She shouldn’t have gone alone. Everyone had said that.
But she needed space.
Needed to think.
Needed to not think about everything going wrong lately.
A twig snapped behind her.
Katie spun-
Too late.
Something lunged from the darkness. Fast. Silent. Not a normal mob.
The hit knocked the breath from her lungs as she slammed into the ground, pain exploding across her ribs. Her sword flew from her hand, skidding somewhere out of reach.
“-shit-!”
She tried to scramble back, but the thing was already on her again. Claws-or something like claws-raked across her side, tearing through armor like it was nothing.
White-hot pain.
Katie gasped, choking on it, vision blurring as warmth spread under her-blood. Way too much.
“GET OFF-!”
She shoved at it, kicking wildly until somehow-somehow-it stumbled back just enough for her to roll away.
Her hand found her sword.
She swung.
Once. Twice. Again-
The thing shrieked. An awful, distorted sound, and disappeared into the trees as suddenly as it had come.
Silence crashed back in.
Katie lay there, panting, shaking.
“…I’m fine,” she whispered to no one. “I’m fine, I’m fine-“
But when she tried to sit up-
Agony.
A broken sound tore from her throat as her body refused to cooperate. Her side burned, her breathing shallow and uneven. Every inhale felt like knives.
“…oh,” she croaked.
Her hand pressed against her ribs came away soaked red.
“That’s… not good.”
Her communicator crackled again.
“Katie? We got a weird spike on the map-what happened?”
She laughed weakly, breath hitching. “Yeah, uh… little busy right now.”
“Katie.”
Something in their tone made her try to focus.
“I’m good,” she lied automatically. “Just… ran into something.”
“How bad?”
She opened her mouth-
Nothing came out at first.
“…bad,” she admitted finally, voice small.
There was a pause. Then, sharper:
“Location. Now.”
She forced her shaking hand to tap coordinates into the system, vision swimming as she did. The numbers blurred. She blinked hard, trying to stay conscious.
“Sent my cords I think…” she murmured.
“Stay awake. We’re coming.”
“Yeah,” she breathed. “Yeah, okay…”
But the forest was spinning now. The darkness creeping in at the edges of her vision felt… heavy. Comfortable in a dangerous way.
Katie slumped back against the ground.
Everything hurt.
Everything was cold.
“…hey,” she whispered into the comm, not sure if anyone was still there. “Don’t… don’t take too long, okay?”
Her voice cracked on the last word.
Static answered her.
Her fingers twitched weakly against the dirt as her breathing grew slower, uneven-
Footsteps.
Distant at first.
Then closer.
“KATIE!”
She tried to respond.
Tried to say I’m here-
But all that came out was a faint, broken sound.
Shapes burst through the trees, voices overlapping in panic, hands suddenly on her shoulders, her face
-
Maximus was the first to reach her.
He dropped to his knees so hard it hurt, hands hovering over her like he didn’t even know where to touch without making it worse.
“Oh my god-”
“She’s bleeding out-“
“Stay with me, stay with me-Katie, look at me!”
Her eyes fluttered open just enough to catch a glimpse of them-blurry, but there.
Safe.
“…took you long enough,” she mumbled, the ghost of a smile on her lips.
And then everything went dark.
“There’s-there’s so much blood,” Max choked out.
Behind him, Jschlatt shoved through the trees, breath uneven but voice sharp, controlled in that way that meant he was barely holding it together.
“Move-move, let me see.”
Maximus didn’t argue this time.
Schlatt knelt beside her, eyes scanning fast-too fast-taking in the torn armor, the soaked ground, the way her chest barely rose.
“…damn it,” he muttered under his breath.
Katie made a small sound.
Both of them froze.
“Hey-hey, no, stay with us,” Maximus said immediately, leaning closer. “Katie, c’mon, you’re good, you’re good—”
“You don’t know that,” Schlatt snapped automatically, then caught himself, jaw tightening. “Just. hold her steady.”
“I am holding her steady!”
“Then do it better!”
Katie’s eyes fluttered open just barely.
“…guys?” she rasped.
The tension snapped instantly.
“Yeah, yeah-we’re here,” Maximus said, voice breaking. “You’re okay.”
Schlatt exhaled sharply, something in his expression cracking for just a second before he forced it back into place.
“You picked a hell of a place to take a nap,” he said, tone rough but quieter now.
Katie let out a weak, breathy laugh that immediately turned into a pained gasp.
“Don’t-“Schlatt cut in, sharper. “Don’t talk. Save your energy.”
“She’s freezing,” Maximus said, panic creeping in. “Schlatt, she’s-”
“I see it.”
His hands were already moving-pulling out supplies, pressing bandages against her side. The second he applied pressure, Katie arched slightly, a broken cry slipping out.
“I know,” he said quickly, quieter than either of them had ever heard him. “I know. Just-stay still.”
Maximus hovered, useless and desperate. “What do I do? Tell me what to do.”
Schlatt didn’t look up. “Keep her awake.”
“How?!”
“Talk to her!”
Maximus swallowed hard, turning back to Katie.
“Hey, uh-hey, remember that time you almost fell off the bridge because you said you ‘had balance’?” he rushed out, words tumbling over each other. “You don’t, by the way. Still don’t-“
Katie’s lips twitched faintly.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “rude…”
“Good,” Schlatt muttered under his breath. “That’s good.”
But his hands were shaking.
Badly.
He pressed harder on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding that just wouldn’t-
“…she’s losing too much,” he said, barely audible.
Maximus’s head snapped up. “What?”
Schlatt didn’t answer right away.
For once, he didn’t have something sarcastic or sharp to say.
“…we need to move. Now.”
“Move her?! Are you insane?!”
“You got a better idea?” Schlatt shot back, voice cracking this time. “She’s not making it if we stay here!”
That shut him up.
Maximus nodded quickly. “Okay-okay, yeah. Yeah, we move.”
“Careful,” Schlatt warned, already shifting to help. “If we mess this up-”
“I know.”
Between the two of them, they lifted her.
Katie cried out, weak, but enough to make both of them flinch like they’d been hit.
“I’m sorry,” Maximus whispered immediately. “I’m sorry-”
“Keep moving,” Schlatt said, jaw clenched.
The walk felt endless.
Every step was too slow.
Every second stretched too thin.
Katie’s head lolled against Maximus’s shoulder, her breathing getting quieter, more uneven.
“Hey,” he said urgently. “Katie-no, no, stay with me, okay? You promised you were fine, remember? You don’t get to lie and then die, that’s not how this works-”
No response.
“Schlatt-“
“I hear it,” Schlatt snapped, even as his pace quickened. “Just keep talking to her!”
Maximus’s voice broke. “Katie, please!”
A pause.
Then, faintly
“…still here,” she murmured.
Both of them exhaled like they’d been drowning.
“Yeah,” Schlatt said, softer than before. “Good. Stay that way.”
But when he glanced over
Her eyes were slipping shut again.
“…don’t you dare,” he muttered.
For the first time, there was real fear in his voice.
“Faster,” Schlatt muttered.
“I am going faster!” Maximus shot back, nearly tripping over a root as he adjusted Katie’s weight in his arms.
She was too light.
That was the scariest part.
Too still. Too quiet.
“Katie,” Maximus said urgently, bouncing her slightly not enough to hurt, just enough to get a reaction. “Hey. Hey. no sleeping.”
A weak groan.
Barely there.
“Good,” Schlatt said quickly, walking beside them, one hand still pressing hard against the bandages at her side. “That’s good. Stay annoying.”
Katie’s head lolled.
“…tired…”
“Nope,” Schlatt snapped immediately. “You don’t get to be tired. Not right now.”
Maximus swallowed hard, panic rising again. “She’s fading. Schlatt, she’s-”
“I can see that!”
For a split second, Schlatt’s composure cracked completely.
Then
He leaned closer, voice dropping into something sharp, almost offended.
“Are you seriously about to die right now?”
Katie didn’t respond.
Schlatt scoffed, shaking his head. “Unbelievable. After all that talk?”
Maximus blinked. “What are you-”
“You said you were the mother of everyone, right?” Schlatt cut in, louder now, like he was arguing with her. “That’s what you said.”
Katie’s brows twitched faintly.
“Yeah,” Maximus caught on immediately, desperation fueling him. “Yeah! You can’t just-just leave! What kind of mom does that?!”
A weak, breathy sound left her, almost a laugh, almost a protest.
“Exactly,” Schlatt pressed. “Terrible parenting, honestly.”
Her lips moved.
“…rude…” she whispered again, barely audible.
Relief hit both of them instantly.
“There you go,” Maximus said quickly. “Stay with us. Stay talking.”
“You’ve got responsibilities,” Schlatt added, tone still rough but steadier now. “A whole group of idiots relying on you.”
“Your children,” Maximus said, voice cracking despite the joke. “Your children, remember?”
Katie’s eyes fluttered open just a little.
Blurry.
Unfocused.
“…worst… kids…” she murmured.
“Yeah, well,” Schlatt huffed, adjusting his grip on the bandage as more blood seeped through. “You raised them. That’s on you.”
Another shaky breath from her.
Still there.
Still fighting.
“Also,” Maximus added quickly, like he’d just remembered something critical, “you literally can’t die.”
Schlatt glanced at him. “That’s not how-”
“No, no, hear me out-” Maximus rushed. “We need her.”
There was a beat.
Then Schlatt’s eyes lit up slightly.
“…he’s right.”
Katie made a faint, confused sound.
“You’re not done,” Schlatt said, leaning closer so she could hear him. “You still owe us.”
“…owe…?”
“Yeah,” he said bluntly. “You’re our best spy.”
Maximus nodded rapidly. “Literally the best. We cannot replace you. We’ve tried. Everyone else sucks.”
“Completely useless,” Schlatt agreed. “You’re the only competent one.”
Katie’s breathing hitched, weak, but there was the faintest hint of a smile.
“…wow…”
“So,” Schlatt continued, voice firm now, like he was laying down a rule, “you don’t get to die until that job’s done.”
Maximus tightened his hold on her. “Yeah. You still have missions. You still have people to annoy. You still have-”
“Children,” Schlatt finished flatly.
“…children,” Maximus echoed, softer.
Katie let out the faintest huff of breath.
For a moment, it almost sounded like she was actually laughing.
“See?” Maximus said quickly. “You’re fine. You’re totally fine.”
“Define ‘fine,’” Schlatt muttered, glancing down at the blood soaking through his hands.
“…alive,” Maximus said, more quietly.
They kept moving.
Step after step after step.
Katie’s breathing was still uneven, but it was there.
Still there.
“Hey,” Maximus whispered, leaning his head slightly against hers as they walked. “You don’t get to leave us, okay?”
No response.
His chest tightened. “Katie?”
A pause.
Then, barely
“…not… leaving…”
Schlatt exhaled slowly, tension easing just a fraction.
“Good,” he said.
But his grip never loosened.
“Because we’re not done with you yet.”
“Schlatt-“
“I know.”
“No, you don’t-she’s- she’s getting worse!”
“I know!”
Maximus’s voice cracked as he tightened his grip on Katie, panic fully bleeding through now. Her head had gone heavier against his shoulder, her breathing quieter-too quiet.
Each inhale sounded… wrong.
Wet.
Shallow.
“…Katie?” he tried again, softer this time. “Hey. Hey, c’mon-say something.”
Nothing.
“Schlatt.”
That did it.
Schlatt didn’t even hesitate this time-he yanked out his communicator, nearly dropping it in the process before slamming it on.
“Hello?! Anyone-anyone on comms, respond now!”
Static.
Then voices overlapping, confused.
“What’s going on-?”
“Schlatt?”
“We need help,” he snapped, cutting through all of it. “Now. Medical. Base-get everything ready.”
A pause.
“…what happened?”
Schlatt looked down at Katie.
At the blood.
At the way her chest barely moved.
His jaw clenched.
“…she’s not gonna make it if we don’t move fast.”
Silence.
Then everything exploded at once.
“Where are you?!”
“Send coords now-!”
“I’m getting supplies-”
“Clear a room-!”
Maximus barely heard any of it.
“Katie-Katie, hey, you gotta stay with me, okay?” he rushed, voice shaking as he adjusted her in his arms. “They’re getting ready. You just have to hold on a little longer-”
Her head lolled.
No response.
“NO-no, no, no-” His breathing hitched. “Schlatt, she’s not answering!”
“I SEE THAT!”
Schlatt grabbed her face-not rough, but firm enough to get a reaction.
“Katie. Hey. Open your eyes.”
Nothing.
For a second
Just one
Real fear flashed across his face.
“…don’t do this,” he muttered.
Maximus was shaking now. “She said she wasn’t leaving- she just said that-!”
“Then make her keep that promise!”
“I don’t know how!”
Schlatt swore under his breath, then slammed his hand back onto the communicator.
“Coordinates sent. You better be ready when we get there,” he barked. “This is not optional.”
“We’re ready,” someone shot back immediately. “Just get her here!”
“She’s bleeding out!” Maximus shouted, not even sure who he was yelling at anymore. “Do something!”
“We can’t do anything until you’re here!”
That hit.
Hard.
Maximus choked on his next breath, looking down at her.
“…Katie,” he whispered, voice breaking completely now. “You can’t die out here. Not like this. Not before we get you help-”
Schlatt’s hand pressed harder against the wound again, trying-failing-to stop the bleeding.
“Stay with us,” he said, quieter now. Not yelling. Not snapping.
Just
Desperate.
“You don’t get to go yet.”
For a moment-
Nothing.
Then-
A faint, uneven breath.
So small it almost wasn’t there.
Both of them froze.
“…there,” Maximus breathed. “There- she’s-she’s still-“
“Yeah,” Schlatt said quickly, latching onto it like a lifeline. “Yeah, she is. So we keep moving.”
He glanced ahead.
Lights- faint, but there. Base wasn’t far now.
“Almost there,” he said, more to himself than anyone else.
Maximus nodded rapidly, clutching Katie closer.
“Hey,” he whispered again, voice trembling. “You hear that? We’re almost home.”
A pause.
Then-
The faintest whisper.
“…don’t… tell… the others…”
Maximus blinked, stunned. “What?”
“…look… weak…”
Even now.
Even now.
Schlatt let out a sharp, disbelieving breath.
“…you’ve gotta be kidding me.”
Maximus laughed-a broken, half-sob sound.
“No, no, see? You’re fine,” he said quickly, even as tears blurred his vision. “You’re worrying about your reputation? You’re definitely not dying.”
“…good,” Schlatt muttered, something almost like relief slipping through. “Because that would be really inconvenient.”
Katie didn’t respond again.
But she didn’t go still, either.
And right now-
That was enough.
“MOVE!” Schlatt suddenly shouted as the base came into full view. “WE NEED HELP-NOW!”
Voices answered instantly.
Footsteps rushed toward them.
Doors thrown open.
Everything shifting into chaos.
And as they finally crossed into the light-
Maximus tightened his hold on her, heart pounding.
“Don’t let her die,” he said, to anyone- everyone. “Please.”
Hands were everywhere.
Careful, but fast.
Someone guided Maximus forward while others cleared space, supplies already being thrown onto a nearby table. The second he laid Katie down, he hesitated-just for a second-like letting go might make it real.
“She’s crashing,” someone said sharply.
That snapped him out of it.
“Help her!” he choked out, backing up just enough to let them work-but not enough to leave.
Schlatt didn’t move far either.
He stayed right at her side, hands still stained red, eyes locked on her like if he looked away for even a second-
“She lost too much blood,” another voice said. “We need pressure here-no, here-”
“I’ve got it-”
“Is she breathing?!”
“Barely!”
The room filled fast.
Too fast.
Because word spread.
It always did.
And one by one-
They came.
At first, it was just whoever had been nearby.
Then more.
And more.
People Katie had helped once-just once-showed up like it was instinct.
Someone she’d given food to when they were new.
Someone she’d stayed up with during a bad night.
Someone she’d defended, even when it wasn’t her fight.
They crowded the room, the doorway, the halls-silent, tense, watching.
Because this was Katie.
And Katie didn’t go down like this.
“…what can we do?” someone asked, voice shaking.
“Anything,” another added. “Just-tell us what to do.”
The medic didn’t even look up. “We need supplies-clean water, bandages, anything-go!”
They moved instantly.
No hesitation.
People scattered, grabbing whatever they could, bringing it back, passing it forward like a chain.
No one argued.
No one froze.
They just-
Helped.
Maximus stood there, overwhelmed, watching it all unfold.
“…they all came,” he whispered.
Schlatt glanced around briefly.
At the crowd.
At the way no one left.
“…yeah,” he said quietly.
Katie’s hand twitched weakly against the table.
It was small.
Barely noticeable.
But someone saw.
“Hey-hey, she moved!”
That was all it took.
Hope surged through the room like electricity.
“Katie?” Maximus was at her side again instantly, grabbing her hand carefully. “Hey-hey, we’re all here, okay? You’re not alone”
“She can probably hear you,” someone said.
“Then keep talking,” another urged.
And they did.
One by one.
“I-I know you don’t remember me much, but you helped me my first day-“
“You gave me food when I had nothing-”
“You were so kind to us and even told us your favorite song-”
“You didn’t have to-but you did-”
Their voices overlapped, filled the room, filled the space around her with something warm-something steady.
Something alive.
Schlatt looked down at her, something unreadable in his expression.
“…you’ve got a lot of people waiting on you,” he muttered.
Maximus squeezed her hand gently. “Yeah. Your children, remember?”
A faint, almost imperceptible breath left her.
Still there.
Still fighting.
The medic’s voice cut through again, sharper this time.
“Stay with me-c’mon, stay with me-”
“I’m trying-!”
“No, she’s-”
The room tensed instantly.
Every voice cut off.
Every movement stilled.
For one horrible second
It felt like everything stopped.
Maximus’s grip tightened. “Katie?”
Schlatt leaned in slightly, jaw clenched.
“…don’t you dare,” he whispered.
A beat.
Two.
Then
A shaky inhale.
Weak.
Unsteady.
But there.
The room exhaled as one.
“She’s still here,” someone said, almost in disbelief.
And no one left after that.
No one even thought about it.
Because Katie had never left them.
Not when they needed her.
So now-
They weren’t going anywhere either.
Not until she was 100% better.