“I hear something.”

The soldier’s voice cut through the haze in Mal’s brain, rousing him from his numb cocoon of cold, pain, hunger, and fatigue.

“Did anybody hear that?” the soldier repeated, louder this time, and it was then that Mal finally heard the thrum itself. It was a low rumble that seemed to echo up from the ground, rather than down from the sky.

“Private?” Mal called sluggishly to the young man, forcing himself to move. “Zoe?” *Anybody, it don’t matter who…* “Signal flare.” *Why does this feel so ruttin’ familiar?*

“Whose colors?” Zoe groaned as she tried to force herself up. Mal stumbled to his feet and moved to help her.

“Those are rescue ships, Sir,” another soldier informed. “They came. They came.”

“Whose colors are they flyin’?” Zoe rasped, gritting her teeth against the pain and stiffness as Mal helped her to stand.

“Don’t matter none,” Mal replied. “One side or t’other, it don’t make no difference.” Zoe grunted again as Mal started her moving. He turned to the two young men standing behind them. “I want both of you to pass the word; see who’s still with us.” As soon as he thought that Zoe would be okay on her own, he released her and began making his way through the trenches of corpses.

“Look alive, people!” the sergeant called. “We got med ships en route! We need to prepare for extraction!” Mal stopped in his tracks. *Something’s wrong here. I know it is, but I can’t quite figure it out…* Mal paused. *Wow, I so very expected Zoe to say something…* Turning, Mal saw that Zoe was no longer there. “Zoe?” he called. “Hey, who’ve I got still?!” Silence was his answer.

Clambering to the top of a rise, Mal saw the rescue ship looming closer. Beyond it, in the distance, were other ships. *Where did everybody go?* Mal cupped his hands around his mouth “Zooeee!!!”

“She’s no longer here, Mal,” a voice came from behind, and Mal spun to find himself face-to-face with Shepherd Book.

Mal’s eyes widened with shock. “Sh… Shepherd?!”

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