Al-Sahkra, at last.

Those monsters stop at nothing to get to us. I tell you, they're fierce, tireless, and they'd be devouring all of us if we sat on our hands. They're all rotting in the desert now. We can finally rest – at least before we are sent out again to make sure those... things stay dead. All that shooting made my palms numb. I can still hear things, so that's a bonus. Shaking my mind out of all the action in the sands is hard. It's awful when you close your eyes and see these rows of teeth on a drooling mouth. It's a nightmare you want to get out of, but it follows you around.

But let's not talk about that now.

A bath, a bit of good food and a lot of better drinks, and beautiful women by my side will definitely fix this. The others want to do the same – I think.

"Fahran? You're alive!"

Do I hear that right? Sabaya. Clumsy-footed Sabaya. I recognize that boy's voice anywhere.

"Good to see you again, little bastard!" I must have tapped his shoulders a little too strongly, seeing him slightly wince. He's a man anyway. He can take it. "I thought those creatures made a good meal of you."

"Takes more than that to kill me." He pounds his chest, then his look changes to being somewhat somber. "Where's Abbas?"

"Him? I don't know. We were separated. We tried to push those monsters back. The last I saw of him was when he took over one of the guns."

"Do you think he...?"

"I won't know. I feel that he's out there. We can't feel down all the time. Say what? Let's get a bit of drink and a lot of fresh air. The night is great, and this city has a lot of good places for a good time."

"May The Almighty guide him, wherever he is."

The night is ours. Ah, finally, some familiar sights. At least, something that you don't see uniform colors all the time. I'm thinking I'm going on the edge.  Too much time on the sands, with monsters chasing us. There are men on the streets. Done with work, maybe. We are out, with our weapons on our backs. Something about possible incidents.

"Ever been in a brothel, Sabaya?"

"No. My father is a high preacher, and he would have never approved of it."

"You are missing out on many good things in life. It will be fun. There are some great places I know around these parts."

A few minutes walking. More people are outside buildings now. Some of them are in uniform, like us. Kebab at the old corner store. I'll get this good boy there later. This is definitely the place: pink neon sign, and I can see little Nashwa attending to an officer not far.

Something explodes from a distance. What's with the ground? I'm losing my balance. Sabaya's sharp. He's on a post, hugging it. There's a darkness moving to our street. People screaming. Alarms are blaring, bellowing. No, not here. My night, about to be ruined by these horrors.

It's looking our direction, but I see more teeth in this creature than eyes.

"I will never forgive you! Leave us alone, spawn of..."

Damn this rifle. Is it hitting anything? The bullets chip off a tooth, I think.

"Do you plan to die here, Fahran? Let's get out. Now!"

This boy has heavy hands when the time calls for it. I swear my shoulder will cry in pain later. Thundering steps trail behind us, but with the sound of metal against rock. Is it chasing us? Something slammed on the wall, a little too close for comfort. I think this creature is trying to kill us. It's roaring, crying, or probably letting out steam. Ever heard an insect screech, but it's coming out of a giant feral cat's body? I wouldn't want to lose my hearing staying too close.

It's towering above us. I can see the shadow ahead. Unbelievable, the damned monster lunges at us. Sabaya and I jump out of its way. This creature is strong - and with a stronger head. Some parts of the road fly off the ground, and we are taken by its force. Bad landing for me. Stupid rock. My back is going to hate me later. Sabaya kneels and fires at the creature. Useless. An entire magazine bouncing harmlessly at its head.

This is where it all ends. Nashwa, I wish to see you in the Afterlife.

But the Almighty had other plans.

Something is going our way. That screech. Sabaya and I roll to the safety of an upturned car. A deafening blast. The now-headless monster falls to the ground after a fiery explosion.