Sergeant Skylar and her men had already taken the trucks and themselves back to the city, leaving Adam behind to spend time with his friends. In the early night after eating together, everyone walked the dirt track to the city.

Their voices echoed through the forest. So quiet was nature and so loud was their excitement. Everyone dressed up—or at least freed themselves from strict uniform. Chyou rocked a T-shirt and jeans with her black hair down.

Rohaan preferred his pink hoodie and sweatpants, his hair untamed with zero effort of style. Jagger had a fancy shirt with watermelon patterns and brown jeans, his black hair slicked back on his pale angular face.

Adam was the only one still stuck in his uniform, not thinking to bring a change of clothes, looking so serious. Mardea wore a short yellow lemon-pattern dress—it glowed on her dark skin. A green and red scarf wrapped around her neck and she wore knee-high black boots.

"Do you guys want some?" Jagger held out a plastic bag.

"What is that?" Chyou snatched it out of his hand. She peered into the bag, "Are these magic Mushrooms." She confronted Jagger as they walked.

"Maybe." He snatched the bag back stuffing it into his pocket.

"You want us to fight a demon while hallucinating?" Adam questioned him, trying not to out-pace everyone.

"Ahaaa, It'd be hilarious." Jagger laughed. "Who brought weapons?"

Adam was the only one to respond, having two pistols because he was still in uniform.

"Hmmm, I don't need those. My combat skills already look like I'm on them." Mardea joked about herself and Adam laughed with her.

"Why are you such a shit fighter?" Jagger poked at her.

"Shut up Jagger." Rohaan shoved him with his shoulder.

"You're no better. And you're in no place to aid her." He snapped shoving Rohaan back.

Chyou felt herself get shoved out of the group. "Stop!" she hissed. "Why don't you two just get along?"

"I'm serious though. Both you two." Jagger pointed at Rohaan and Mardea. "Have been training longer than Adam and Chyou and you both still suck!"

"How can you both have more training than all of us and be at the bottom?" He questioned more. Everyone was silent, the hurt was felt in the air.

"Stop Jagger." Chyou raised her voice.

"Damn Chyou, ya no better than him. Don't fucking pretend to care about my feelings!" Rohaan scowled.

Chyou was flabbergasted and shut her mouth because he was right, but she was actually only sticking up for Mardea. She felt embarrassed.

"Come on. Please stop fighting." Mardea begged. She was very hurt by Jagger but couldn't be bothered dwelling on it. Tonight was a night of fun and time with Adam—she wanted to hold on for dear life to this night.

"You're such a piece of shit Jagger," Adam muttered holding Mardea's hand.

There was a long silence between everyone.

"Jagger has volunteered to pay for drinks." Rohaan decided and moved ahead of the group slightly.

"Hmm yeah. Second that." Mardea agreed raising her hand slightly.

"Aw, thanks, Jagger." Adam patted his shoulder patronising him.

"Taking one for the team," Chyou said clicking her fingers at him.

"Fine." He rolled his eyes. "For the record, I wasn't trying to start a fight. I seriously just wanted to know." Jagger explained.

"I'll keep my secrets." Rohaan mocked.

Chyou pulled a face behind him and Mardea laughed.

"I would love to talk about anything not combat-related." Adam said while seeming like most likely to want to discuss it.

"I'm out.' Rohaan said.

"Same" Chyou agreed.

"Between that and our doctor appointments... There's not much." Mardea said to Adam quietly.

"What are you guys dreams," Jagger said out of nowhere, and he was met with silence.

"Whose got time for that? We are fighting a war." Chyou ridiculed him.

Instead, Adam filled the conversation by telling them all about the depot on the shoreline. How much he actually liked it and how chill it was compared to the compound. Rohaan felt jealous and asked if he could transfer. Chyou commented that he might actually excel at it. He was surprised by her support. 

They made it to the gate of Coasto, the world lit up with the city lights.

Adam scanned his ID on the reader and it typed. Name: Adam Lewis. Age: 26. Blood stat: N/A.

Once it cleared, Chyou scanned next, it typing Name: Wu Chyou. Age: 19. Blood stat: Normal

It cleared, and Rohaan went next, then Mardea scanned hers before Jagger. They stopped as the warning light on the gate lit up.

Mardea looked around as the side door opened and a guy stepped out in a lab coat.

Worried filled them, they all wondered who was summoned for this appointment. Not wanting their night to be over before it began.

"Miss Agrinya, this way please." He said.

"Bullshit! I had one two weeks ago." Scared she turned to Adam.

"We'll meet ya at Coastolava," Rohaan said taking everyone with him to give Adam and Mardea space.

The gate opened and out of sight Jagger scanned his ID, it typed.

Name: User 000162. Age: N/A. Blood stat: N/A. He followed after them.

The man in a lab coat waited...

Mardea embraced Adam—clinging to him tightly. "I don't—why do I have to say goodbye right now?" It pained her.

"I know," Adam whispered.

"How long is the appointment?" He asked the coated man.

"Two hours or more maybe." He shrugged.

Mardea sighed with disappointment. "I guess I'll join you if it's not long or this goodbye now." She said letting go so she could take all of him in.

Their fingers reached for each other's lips and passionately they kissed. Adam gazed lecherously into her eyes, how he wished it didn't end here. That their relationship was over and they didn't consent to it. It burned him deeply that he wanted to spend one more night with her, but he wasn't even going to get that. All Mardea could feel was frustration, robbed of finding out if she truly loved him. It was too short-lived for her to give it a fair thought of her feelings.

"I'm going to miss you forever." She said breaking her lips away.

"I miss you already... I believe I'll see you on the mainland one day too." Adam said hugging her again one last time.

Letting go Mardea followed the man into the side door while Adam watched her disappear. He had to scan his ID again and entered through the gate.

Not after too much of a walk, Adam approached the the restaurant and bar. It was built with red brick and was a box in shape with sleek black steel frames creating the balcony pavilion. boxed windows each framed into four squares. 'Coastolava' written in bold neon. It was the fanciest restaurant in the city and a favourite for its cheap alcohol.

Adam reached for the chic black handle and let himself inside. Hit with the buzzing noise of laughter and chatter. Forks scrapped and plates clattered as mouths chewed. Not many actually dined here—you had to be a top-ranking official. Anyone of any rank could drink, that was upstairs.

Huge orange lights hung down reflecting off the rich wooden wall panels.

Adam turned right and climbed the dark wooden stairs. The light shades weren't as fancy up that way. Paintings of demons being killed in various ways spaced across the wall. It was like a display of dominance. They always made him think if demons had paintings of them, were they being eaten in all the possibilities? It affected him somewhat.

I hope Mardea will be alright, he thought making it into the bar beside everyone.

"Shots?" Jagger offered.

Adam wavered, "I would rather a mimosa."

"Good choice, them shots are foul." Rohaan raised his empty shot hunched over the bench on his stool.

Chyou minded her own drinking a lemon and lime Martini. She felt bummed out about Mardea leaving. She was excited to hang with her girl.

Adam ordered and sat next to Chyou. "I ah," he paused reaching into his pocket—unfolding the paper he placed it in front of Chyou. "I found this in the head office. I got kind of lucky."

Chyou snatched it up holding it close to her face, "What is this?" She said with panic in her voice.

"I'm thinking a medical diagram," He said.

Chyou scanned it, her number written clearly at the top. A drawing of a body roughly resembled her. Highlighting her heart with a replacement number. "Did they remove my heart?" She muttered.

"Rohaan, would you know what this means?" Adam asked looking over at him. Rohaan hopped off his stool and came over sitting beside Chyou.

"What?" He asked trying to look at the paper.

Chyou handed it to him, "Why do you think he'll know?" She asked Adam.

"I have spent a long time of my life in medical... Sooo I know," Rohaan answered for himself.

"Ew," He said horrified and handing the paper back. "It says in doctors handwriting that you had heart failure was a side effect of your medical treatment."

"What was wrong with me?" Chyou said turning it over.

"Doesn't say. Just that you were sick. The fucked up part is that doesn't look human heart to me." He pointed at the diagram of the replacement heart.

"Yeah, I notice that, it's kind of funky." Adam agreed.

"Maybe is mechanical?" Chyou said holding the paper upside down.

"That's true." Adam agreed.

Rohaan just shrugged. "Ya alive and it works."

"What you guys looking at?" Jagger said appearing and snatching the paper out of Chyou's hand.

"Oooh that's confidential docs." He said walking away with it.

"Hey! Give it back!" Adam snapped as he reached for it. Jagger handed it to the barman and the quickly guy exited into the back.

"What the Fuck man!" Adam hissed, "Are you trying to get me in trouble!" he grabbed Jagger by his collar.

"So you know you shouldn't have it!" He scowled back.

"Of course! Are you a dumb ass!" Adam said panicking.

Rohaan stood beside Adam, "I'm down for beating his ass." He said.

"Hold up!" Jagger snarled, "I can cover for you. You found it, you didn't see it right?" He stood up straighter trying to reach Adam's height, but Jagger and Rohaan were more on the same height.

"Yeah sure we didn't see it." Adam huffed letting go.

"Good," Jagger straightened his shirt, "You'll thank me. Cause if they found that on you—it'd be worse."

"Why do ya know so much?" Rohaan glared at him suspiciously.

"Why is my medical info confidential from me?" Chyou said folding her arms as they were now all surrounding Jagger.

"I don't know. They are your records. They are important. Just imagine if they lost the info? What if you got sick again? And they don't know about your history because Adam here stole the paperwork?" Jagger said defending his actions.

"Actually that's a good point." Chyou agreed, "I just wished they told me."

"Maybe they did, but you don't remember cause you were under anaesthetic?" Jagger said.

Rohaan nodded agreeing with the possibility.

Everyone relaxed and the barman returned to finish making Adam's drink. Jagger talked to the barman to smooth things over and all ordered more drinks. Chyou talked about hunting her last deer and how crazy it was. Rohaan made a point out of her that fishing is better.