Authors: Norma Hinkens
“You’re a pack of cowards!” I yell. “All of you! Panicking at the first hurdle. Backstabbing your leader after he sacrificed himself for you so you could escape from the Craniopolis. What did you think you were joining the Council for anyway? To have some kind of stupid adventure in the woods? I don’t know what Owen ever saw in any of you. You don’t have it in you to do the hard things that need doing.” I flick my eyes over the group and catch Rummy watching me, beady eyes at half-mast. For once I feel a kinship. He’s looking at me like he knows how it feels when the pack pulls against you.
“Don’t lecture us about cowardice,” Jett hollers back. “Who’d you think rescued your scrawny butt from the Craniopolis?”
I jut my chin out at him. “You had no intention of even attempting a rescue until Jakob talked you into it. He’s the one led your wuss tails into the vents.”
I look around at the dubious expressions on the Council members’ faces. “
I
lead the Council in Owen’s absence, and I make the calls. We’re going to Shoshane City to reunite Izzy with her brother. After that we head for the wilderness. Anyone who wants out is free to leave now.”
A flurry of cricket chirps fills the silence that follows. Trout catches my eye and gives me a subtle nod of approval. Several Council members shuffle their feet, waiting on someone else to make the first move. Jett curls his lip at me, picks up his pack and slings it over his shoulder. “So long then.” Tucker bares his teeth at him as he passes by.
A blonde-haired girl shrugs, and trudges off after Jett. The hemorrhage of Council members picks up pace. Arms crossed, I hold my ground, inhaling shallow breaths. I won’t grovel and beg. The only Undergrounders worth having on this mission are those who won’t fold when the going gets tough.
Sven stands like a stone statue off to my left, his eyes boring into the backs of the deserters as they fade from sight. Rummy and Won huddle behind him, their expressions a mixture of shock and dismay. When the last departing steps crunch off into the distance, I survey the damage. Four Council members remain: Buck and Elijah, twin brothers with whom I’ve barely exchanged two words; Trout; and Panju, the cloning expert. Turns out Trout’s a good judge of character. I suspected Panju might have been a snitch, but she’s more loyal than Owen’s handpicked Council.
I arch a brow at her. “We’re it then?”
She nods and gives a jaunty salute.
I throw her a grateful look. It’s a subtle validation, but right now, I badly need the vote of confidence in my leadership. I’m keeping face on the outside, but I’m shaken to the core at what just happened. I reach for my pack. It confirms my decision to head for Shoshane City. Now, more than ever, we’ll need reinforcements, and that’s the only place we have any hope of finding them. “Let’s go,” I say, briskly. “We can get Izzy to her brother in a day or two if we keep up a steady pace.”
I turn around to call her over. My heart trips in my chest.
I
scan
the grassy knoll in both directions. The blood turns cold in my veins.
She’s gone!
“Izzy!” I yell, racing across the trail. I throw a frantic glance around the area she was playing in a few minutes earlier, but there’s no trace of her anywhere, or the red-headed girl who was watching her. My heartbeat jams in my throat. The redhead likely cleared out with the rest of the Council members, but surely they wouldn’t have taken Izzy with them, not after everything they said. I whistle for Tucker, then dart between the trees, desperate to find the little scrapper I might just have sabotaged the entire mission for. She trusted me to protect her, and I’ve lost her already. Maybe she got scared when she saw Blade and ran off.
Tucker bounds up to me and I grab him by the collar. “Find Izzy!” I command him. He barks, and bolts off into the brush like a cannon ball. I chase through the heavy foliage after him, my mind spiraling further into despair as we move deeper into the woods and away from the trail. Blade’s still out here somewhere. Tears well up in my eyes at the thought of anything happening to Izzy. I blink to clear my vision and spot Tucker weave behind a copse of trees up ahead. He comes to an abrupt stop a few feet from a dense patch of undergrowth.
“Where is she?” I say, running up to him. I dart around, in increasingly desperate circles, searching for any trace of her.
Tucker flops down and watches me with an unruffled air.
“Find Izzy!” I slap my thigh in frustration. Tucker may be old, but surely he can’t be this tired already.
He drops his head and rests it on his paws, watching me with doleful eyes. A fresh wave of despair washes over me. I’ll never find her without his help. I reach down to grab his collar. “Come on, Tuck—” My mouth goes dry when I catch sight of something blue peeking out from the undergrowth a few feet from his paws. Trembling, I reach down and part the tangled brush. The tiny figure curled up beneath the branches is fast asleep, her chest rising and falling in sync with the morning breeze.
I collapse on the ground beside her and bury my head in my hands. My rib cage heaves with relieved throbs. After a moment I sit up and burst out laughing. I was right about kids and their hiding places. I haven’t completely forgotten what it’s like to be a kid after all.
Trout comes running up behind me and leans down to catch his breath. “Is she all right?”
I nod. “Thought I’d lost her.” I look up at him. “I can’t keep losing people.”
He blinks, then looks away. “Yeah, it sucks. Join the club.”
I swallow hard. It’s as much of a window as Trout’s ever given me into his past.
I hope I’m not overstepping the boundaries of our friendship too soon, but I really want to know his story. “What happened to your family?”
He stuffs his fists into his jacket pockets. “It was just me and my mom. My dad left before I was born.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I was at science camp when she … when the fireball went through.” He frowns. “She was a teller at a bank downtown.”
I give a sympathetic nod and avert my eyes. The story is all too familiar. Seems everyone’s mother was in Shoshane City that day.
“I’m sorry, Trout,” I say again, as I get to my feet. What else is there to say? We’ve all been dealt the same hand.
He didn’t divulge much about his life before the meltdown, but it sounds like he didn’t have it easy even back then. I wonder if it’s better to have a drunk for a dad than no dad at all. Trout would probably pick the drunk, but then he’s never had to live with one.
He kicks at a lump of moss at his feet. “Better wake her. We gotta make tracks.”
I shake Izzy gently awake. “Time to go.”
She sits up slowly and rubs her left leg. “It hurts.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I fell on a rock.” She thrusts her foot out and pulls up her skirt to show me.
There’s a three-inch gash below her knee and it’s bleeding badly. I grimace. Not good timing with a long hike ahead of us. I pull out my water and clean it off as best I can.
“I’ll carry her,” Trout offers, before I have a chance to say anything.
I step aside as he scoops her up and swings her onto his back. Tucker gets to his feet, and I signal to him to stay close by my side as we make our way back to the others.
Sven runs to meet us. “I was just about to tie Rummy and Won up to a tree and come looking for you,” he says, sliding his hand down my back. A tingling feeling ripples through me. “That’s the second time today you’ve disappeared and scared me half to death,” he adds. “Are you okay?”
I nod, savoring his brief touch. “I was afraid the Council members might have taken Izzy, but she fell and hurt her leg.”
Sven pries her gently from Trout’s back and carries her over to the others.
Panju kneels down to inspect Izzy’s leg. “This looks deep.”
“It could probably use a few stitches,” I say. “Got any medical supplies?”
Panju pulls a face. “I can give you something to wrap it with. That’s about it.”
“It’ll have to do.”
She digs around in her pack and hands me a roll of sterile gauze. I carefully wind the bandage around Izzy’s leg and secure it in place. If it gets infected, we’re in trouble. I hope I haven’t underestimated how much of a burden Izzy could become.
A strained silence hangs like a veil between us as we load up our gear. With so few of us left to defend ourselves, there’s a heightened risk to our already hazardous hike to the city, especially with Blade still on the prowl. It won’t be long before the deserters reach the Council’s base and Big Ed and Jakob find out what happened. I’m sure Jett will make me out to be an utter failure as a leader, but Big Ed will know there’s more to the story. I’m not so sure about Jakob. He might feel bad about what happened, or he might feel vindicated that he washed his hands of the mission.
“Ready?” I call to the others.
Trout picks up Izzy and falls in behind me with Panju, followed by Buck and Elijah. Sven brings up the rear, herding Won and Rummy in front of him. I pull out some jerky and tear off a piece for Tucker as we get underway. I’m relying on his nose to warn us of any unwanted company.
We hike for most of the day through matted forest undergrowth, until the pines give way to chest high scrubland and fescue grass. Izzy dozes fitfully on Trout’s back. He turns down Sven’s repeated offers to take a turn carrying her, insisting it’s because he doesn’t want her being scared around Rummy, but I suspect there’s something comforting to Trout about the feel of her little hands linked around his neck.
We only make camp once, long enough to cook up a hearty dinner of rabbit stew, and rest for a few hours before we set out again.
Under the moonlight, our shadows float in front of us, luring us forward despite our fatigue. Conversation is sparse; even Rummy has given up grumbling and adopted a hypnotic gait. Only the periodic hoot of a screech owl filters through the foliage.
I’ve walked through this forest lost in my thoughts before, but tonight I’m all too aware that the smallest mistake could cost us our lives. There’s a good chance Blade’s hooked up with the Rogues who killed Izzy’s parents by now. And if that’s the case, it’s only a matter of time before he comes for me.
“Think we’ll catch this Rogue you’re looking for?” Panju asks, coming alongside me.
I grimace. “I’ve underestimated him more than once. He might make it to the wilderness before us, but if he does we’ll move to plan “B.”
“What’s plan “B”?”
“We send Won in to make contact with the Rogues.”
Panju hikes a skeptical brow at me. “That doesn’t sound too promising. He’s not much of a communicator. Most of the time I can barely understand him.”
I laugh. “He only needs to deliver a very short message. Once Blade realizes we’re holding Rummy, he’ll do everything in his power to convince The Ghost to strike a deal with us.”
“You’re placing a lot of weight on the bond between Blade and Rummy,” Panju says. “Even brother will sacrifice brother, under the right circumstances.”
I stiffen, but catch myself before I respond. She wasn’t trying to provoke me. She doesn’t know what went down in the landing dock when I left Owen. And anyway, she’s right about brother betraying brother. I can’t count on the strength of Rummy and Blade’s relationship alone for the success of this mission. I need another angle.
A few feet ahead of us Tucker freezes, hackles raised. I raise a hand to halt the group and listen for a minute, my breath shallow in my throat.
Tucker begins to growl, throaty and low. A red alert I don’t dare ignore. I signal to him to stay. I can hear something moving through the undergrowth. Still some distance away. Rustling sounds, coming at us from several directions.
Encircling us
. If it’s Blade, he’s not alone.
I motion to the others to ready their weapons. Trout slides Izzy off his back and hands her to me. I stash her in a clump of willows and put my finger to my lips. She promptly jams her thumb in her mouth and hunkers down out of sight. If there’s one thing she’s good at, it’s hiding. I cock my rifle and pan the undergrowth and wooded mountainside beyond. I don’t see anyone. But I feel eyes on us.
A bullfrog bellows from the grass behind me. Adrenalin shoots through me. I swing my gun around and aim it into the shadows, fingers trembling. My pulse pounds a frenzied beat at the back of my throat. Trout looks at me quizzically, his face pale and slick with sweat. We’re all on edge, wondering who, or what is out there. I gesture to him and the others to spread out.
Tucker gives another deep-pitched growl and stares intently uphill, ears pricked forward.
That’s when I see the first set of eyes, glittering amber, observing me from between a clump of trees less than a quarter mile uphill. From a rocky knoll farther up the slope, the commanding howl of a wolf pierces the crisp air. My blood chills. We’re being stalked. As if conscripted by the eerie call, several gray shadows skirt a deliberate path down through the pines and boulders, descending the slope at a healthy pace.
There’s a panicked buzz among the Council members when they spot the unmistakable shapes of advancing predators. I tighten my grip on my gun. “They must have picked up the scent of Izzy’s blood,” Trout hisses at me. “How many can you see?”
“Ten, twelve, maybe.”
“There’s only six of us with guns.”
I grimace. “We can’t risk giving Won or Rummy a weapon. We’ll have to take out the wolves by ourselves, but we need to be accurate. If we miss, they’ll be on us in a heartbeat.”
“What about Izzy? If they break our ranks, they’ll drag her off first. They always go for the weakest prey.”
I give a grim nod. “I’ll take care of her.”
I make my way over to the willows and kneel down beside Izzy. “Think you can climb a tree?”
She gives a solemn nod.
“Good, I need you to get up in this tree right now. Go as high as you can.”
Her eyes widen. “Is the bad guys here?”
“No.” I swallow hard. “Just some bad dogs.”
She clambers out, and I pick her up and set her on a shoulder-high branch. “Climb up a little higher and don’t come down until I tell you to.”
She sets her lips in a determined line and pulls herself awkwardly up onto the next branch. When she’s safely settled into the fork, I give her a thumbs up before returning to the others. “What’s happening?” I ask, dropping down between Trout and Sven.
“Nothing, yet,” Trout replies. “They’re keeping their distance, assessing our numbers and strength.”
“They won’t make a move unless the alpha male gives the command,” I say.
“Haven’t spotted him yet,” Trout replies.
“Maybe they’re just passing through,” Sven says.
I throw him an incredulous look, but then it dawns on me. He doesn’t know the first thing about wolves—he’s probably never even seen one before. I wish I could reassure him that the pack’s just skirting around us, on their way to wherever they’re going, but nothing could be further from the truth. This is a hunt, and we’re the prey. The wolves have become intrepid man-eaters since the meltdown, fangs sheering through Undergrounder flesh like butcher knives when they make a kill. Sven could probably take down a wolf if he had to, but I don’t think even his enhanced build could withstand an attack by a pack.
“Trout reckons they picked up the scent of Izzy’s blood.” I lock eyes with Sven. “They’re looking to feed, and even you are vulnerable. Their jaws can crush a moose femur.”
Behind us, Rummy curses loudly. “Give me my gun, you punks.” I turn around, and he waves his bound hands at me. “I ain’t sitting’ here like a trussed up turkey waitin’ to be eaten alive by them mad dogs.”
Sven reaches Rummy in two easy strides and closes his fist around his throat. “Shut your filthy trap, or I’ll toss you out there as an appetizer.” He shoves Rummy deeper into the brush and rejoins me. I listen to the powerful thump of his heart beside me as I line up the sight on my gun. The wolves are still too far away to take a shot, but we need to be ready if they make an attempt to close in. They would be on us in seconds, with their ground-eating stride.
“Look!” Trout points to an outcropping higher up on the hillside to the left of the main cluster of wolves. A massive, dark shape trots out from behind it, bushy tail raised at half-mast.
My chest tightens.
“There’s your alpha male,” Trout mutters.
“Don’t let him out of your sight,” I say. “If we can take him out, there’s a chance the rest of the pack will scatter.”
Tucker growls, a steady whirring at the back of his throat. He sticks his head out farther to observe the movement on the ridge. I grab a hold of his scruff, more to reassure myself than to make him stay. I know he won’t make a move without my command. I nudge Trout in the shoulder. “Stay close to Izzy. I’m going to move up to that bank over there and try and get a more accurate count.”
Trout nods, eyes firmly fixed on the wooded hillside.
“I’ll come with you,” Sven whispers, his warm breath tracing my cheek. I get to my feet, ignoring the familiar tingling feeling coming over me.
“No,” I say. “I need you to stay here and make sure Rummy doesn’t pull a fast one. Trout has his hands full already and I can’t rely on anyone else yet.”