[center][h1][b][color=red]A[/color][/b][/h1][/center][hr][indent]

[color=#ffffff]A watched as Vin’s jeep sped away, the roar of the engine fading into the distance. Relief washed over her, but it was fleeting. She glanced up at the darkening skies, her heart sinking. The wind was picking up, whipping the remaining dust into a frenzy. The tell-tale signs of an approaching sandstorm were unmistakable, and dread settled in her stomach.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]VV’s voice cut through the chaos, her alarm clear. [/color][b][color=#ffffff]“Hey, guys? We’re gonna get caught in a sandstorm if we don’t do something.” [/color][/b][color=#ffffff]A’s mind raced, searching for a solution. The urgency in VV’s voice mirrored her own rising panic. They needed to act fast, or the storm would swallow them.[/color]

[b][color=#ffffff]“...About a three-minute run to the east of here, a bit deeper into the city is a hidey hole I’ve used from time to time. Marked with a big gray bird symbol on the west-facing wall. Deep enough inside the building is a cozy little shelter that will shield us from the storm, even has some kind of old garage opening on the bottom level for the big guy here if he’s a friend of yours…”[/color][/b]

[color=#ffffff]A nodded in agreement to that idea, feeling a sense of urgency. She quickly scanned the battlefield, grabbing a few useful items from the fallen: a couple of water bottles and some extra ammunition. The wind was growing stronger, and the dust was beginning to whip around them with increasing ferocity.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“Let’s move,” she urged once she was finished, her voice barely audible over the howling wind.[/color][/indent]