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One after another, everyone else nods agreement. Encouraged, you look at the person you feel best about working with in this emergency.

"Be happy to," Casey replies. His calmly determined stance tells you that you made a good choice.

The other three scrutinize him, sizing him up for this task. Seeing as they don't argue, you throw your rope to him. Then you draw your gun. It only takes two tries for Casey to get one end of the rope out to Vance, who clutches it tightly and wraps it around his waist. A small cheer goes up from the onlookers.

The bad news is that the swarm of pterosaurs grows bolder by the minute. One sweeps within a couple feet of Vance's head, surveying its next meal. He ducks and almost pitches forward into the deadly tar. Now he's mired more deeply than ever. Sensing an opportunity, another scavenger comes diving for Vance.