Forty-Five † Take a Dirt Nap

A dark cloud of whirling tendrils enveloped Kat and Idris like a small explosion.

The smoke was as sharp and as acrid as burning plastic, descending over the rooftop with the intensity of a nuclear blast's aftermath.

Amidst the fog, Idris's anguished face rose in Kat's sight. His lips were pulled back in a snarl, his nostrils flaring. Rivulets of gold trickled rapidly from the protruding metal stick on his forehead. He tried to swing at her, to grab her arm, but he ended up staggering forward and releasing Calix in the process.

This should be the part where Kat celebrated her victory. However, as she avoided Idris's outstretched hand and his uneven steps, the heat she'd been feeling in her insides began to grow more intense. It was pressing from under her skin now, as insistent as magma pushing from under the earth, as scratchy as the Nevada summer heat.

Despite this and the growing pain in her shoulder and elbow, Kat squared up to Idris, putting herself between him and Calix.

Idris sc