Authors: Patti Larsen
He was wrong about the hunter’s lack of ability to move quickly through the forest. It leaps with immense agility from tree to tree. His own clumsy effort seems pathetic in light of the thing’s dexterity. And yet, it hangs back, takes its time.
Plays with its food.
Fine. Reid jumps for the path and lands hard, breath almost gone from the effort. At least he will die running.
Fate is cruel. It snaps out a low branch and hooks his new sneaker. Flings him to the ground face-first, his head bouncing from a protruding root, not enough to harm him really, but just enough to make him see flashes of light. In that moment it takes him to recover, Reid is lost.
He manages to spin over onto his back and see his destiny crouch over him. The hunter breathes its foul breath into his face, right arm rising slowly over its head, the shining claws sparkling in the cold light of the moon.
A lifetime runs through Reid’s mind, sunny days with his parents, camping with his dad, playing little league and high school football. The smell of his mother’s hair. His favorite stuffed bear. Then, more current memories force his old life aside. Lucy, the apartment. Drew. Milo. Leila. He worries about them in the last half second of his life and hopes she does as he told her. Prays they can escape Joel. He can’t bear the thought they will become victims like him.
The hunter’s down stroke seems to take forever. It pauses part way to his heart, its eyes growing even wider. Its mouth gapes, sharp teeth dripping saliva onto his face. It jerks forward, face hovering inches from his as something wet and hot pools on Reid’s stomach. He glances down. A glistening spike sticks out of the hunter’s gut. When he looks back up into the things eyes, he sees the light in them fade just like it had for Trey and the other kid he was forced to watch die. But this time he feels no remorse, no grief. Only shock and, ultimately, fierce joy.
The hunter rears back, a soft cry escaping it as though it can’t believe its life is over. The spike jerks free, leaving a gaping hole behind. The hunter twitches once, claws grasping the air.
It dies then, falling toward him. Reid flings up his arms in an attempt to keep it from landing on him, and yet unable to look away. He needn’t have bothered. As it collapses, it disintegrates into dust. Reid breathes in some of the glittering powder it leaves behind, choking and gagging on the remains of the creature. For an instant he feels powerful, as though he could take on all the hunters and win. But the moment passes and he forgets about it as he stares up into Leila’s eyes.
She is sobbing, face twisted into a grimace she can’t control. In her hands she clutches a thick branch, sharpened on one end and glistening with the hunter’s blood.
***
Chapter Twenty One
It only takes him a moment to recover. Reid leaps up and hugs Leila. The stick drops at their feet and he kicks it violently away.
“We have to go,” he says. “Are you okay?”
She nods, manages to stop sobbing, but the tears continue to fall.
Reid clutches her hand and they run together back along the trail. It’s Leila who pulls him into the trees at a certain place. He trusts her instantly. His fury burns him up inside, so much he can barely think of anything but what he is about to do to Joel.
They are back with the group so fast he is almost shaken out of his anger by the familiar sight of the pit and the pack. Everyone stares, some kids falling back, but even Joel is in complete shock when Reid runs straight for the bully. Leila’s hand drops away just in time to save her from being dragged into the punch Reid throws.
It takes Joel right on the crest of his nose and sends him flying backward. Reid feels his crusted knuckles rebel, pain flaring, but he doesn’t care. He dives for the fallen bully and straddles him, pounding away at the other guy over and over again. Reid is unaware of the other kids or what they are doing, detached from the fear a hunter might come. All he can focus on is the pulp he is creating of Joel’s face and the weak and pathetic attempts the bully makes to fight him off.
Someone pulls Reid away. He struggles, a deep growl of fury growing into a roar as he jerks himself free and staggers back. He spins on the one who stopped him and just recognizes Marcus.
“He’s done.” Marcus glances at Joel. “You’ve won already. Leave off.”
Reid takes a challenging step toward Marcus and bumps his chest with one bloody fist. “Who says?”
Marcus shrugs and backs off a step. “Not saying he doesn’t deserve it. Just that there’s another way to make sure he pays.”
“You knew.” Reid is shaking, unable to stop the tremors, his anger’s outlet groaning on the ground and no target anymore. “You freaking
knew
and you let it
happen
.”
“It’s not like the deal started on purpose.” Marcus won’t look at him. “Not the first time. Joel just pushed a kid out of hiding. The hunter took him instead. That was the beginning.” Marcus grinds to a halt. Reid spins and pins all the kids with his glare, but no one will meet his eyes except his own friends.
“Reid…” Drew trails off.
“He tried to kill me.” Reid lashes out with one foot, feeling Joel’s ribs give way under the blow. He has never been so furious. Like he’s possessed by someone else’s rage. “This sick
bastard
,” Reid kicks Joel again, rocking the bigger boy’s body to the side and getting a groan out of him, “uses kids as
bait
for the hunters so they won’t take him. He feeds them
kids
. Like
us
.” All of a sudden his stomach cramps and he wants more than anything to be ill, but refuses to let go of his fury just yet.
“I know,” Drew whispers. “As soon as you left they corralled us and brought us back here. That’s when I figured it out.” He wipes at his eyes under the shining plastic of his glasses. “Leila got away, went after you. But we couldn’t.” He is openly crying now. “But Reid, you can’t leave him for the hunters. You can’t. You’d be him, then.”
Reid knows what Drew is saying, understands the logic, the emotion even. But his heart is hard against the bully and out there is only life and death. There is no middle ground for someone like Joel.
“I don’t make the rules,” Reid says. “And he’s not my responsibility anymore.” The anger finally unclenches and eases, his upset belly relaxing at last. “He’s on his own.”
Reid walks away. Drew is at his right side, Leila at his left. He feels Milo scoot up behind him. As for the others, he doesn’t care. A hunter calls nearby. Reid picks up the pace, hands suddenly throbbing.
He doesn’t make it far when Leila pulls him to a halt. “We’re not alone,” she whispers. Reid looks around, not surprised to find Marcus and the rest of the kids trailing along behind.
“I can’t be responsible for them, too.” Reid tries to turn away but Leila won’t let him.
“They need you,” she says.
Just behind them Reid hears Joel crying out. They all listen, no one breathing or making a sound.
“Oh God, help me, please, help me! No. No! I fed you! I gave you what you wanted! I gave you what you—“ His words cut off, there is a heartbeat of silence. A scream, long and loud and drawn out raises goose flesh on Reid’s arms. And then, at last, silence.
Reid waits another moment before speaking. “You cross me or any of my friends and I leave you behind.” He is talking to them all, but he keeps his eyes locked on Marcus. “I even suspect you’ve betrayed us and you’re dead. Understand?”
He doesn’t wait for an answer. Reid doesn’t need one. He is clear. And justice will be done.
They run on for some time, the exercise wearing away the last of Reid’s fury. When they finally pull up for a rest, it’s because of Marcus.
“The smaller kids can’t keep up.” He is panting himself, just at Reid’s shoulder, barely able to reach him around the suddenly protective Milo.
Reid lets them stop, crouching with his friends while the pack groans and collapses for a bit. “Keep your eyes on them,” Reid says. “I know Joel’s beaten them down, but he’s also taught them to sell each other out. Don’t think for a moment they won’t do it to us.”
“I don’t know,” Drew says and, not for the first time, his optimism amazes Reid. “They’ve seen the worst that can happen. I think they’ll want your protection too much to screw this up.”
“At least you’re not going to sacrifice them to the hunters,” Milo whispers. “That would make me want to follow you. If I wasn’t already.”
Reid grinds his teeth. He meant to do something about this whole leader mess. Then Leila speaks up and shocks them all.
“I say we leave them behind right now.” She looks so fierce even Reid is a little afraid of her. “We couldn’t trust Joel and we can’t trust them. Besides, it’s easier with just the four of us. A group this size, we’re slower and a bigger target for the hunters.”
“You want to abandon them?” Drew’s mouth hangs open, his braces glittering. “You? There are little kids in that group.”
“So?” She tosses back her blonde hair, hanging in dirty strings around her pale face. “If we’re going to survive we need to think of ourselves. Us, I mean.” She flushes, the pink visible even in the moonlight. “I’d do anything for the three of you.”
Reid squeezes her knee. “We know, Leila. And we get it.” He sighs. “I don’t want them with us either. But I seem to recall telling someone else I wasn’t interested and being followed.”
Drew grins and ducks his head while Leila offers a little smile.
“So for now, we just keep moving,” Reid says. “And if they follow, well… not much we can do about it. But we’re in this together and if something happens to one of them, so be it.”
Leila nods right away, but it takes a moment for Milo to agree. He finally does and they all look at Drew. He tosses up his hands. “Fine. Okay. I see your point.” He glances at the weary pack behind them. “It’s just… I was one of them once.”
“I know how you feel,” Reid says. “I do. But they have Marcus. He can lead them if it comes down to it. And Drew? You were never one of them. You wouldn’t have let Joel sacrifice kids.”
That seemed to make Drew feel a little better because he nods as well.
“That’s settled,” Reid says, “now we need a new plan.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Drew says. “The way I see it we need water, food and shelter. Or a way out. Right?”
“Preferably a way out,” Reid says.
“Right. So, the fence.”
The damned fence. Reid has forgotten about it, about the crashed helicopter. Now it comes rushing back. “Yes,” he says, “I still think it’s the best idea so far.”
“Then we find it again,” Drew says, “and follow it.”
“What about the hunters?” Milo hugs himself in the dark. “Won’t they be watching it?”
“We know someone is,” Leila says. “Someone with missiles.”
“We’ll just have to risk it.” Drew glances behind him and stiffens. “Marcus.”
He is there before the word leaves Drew’s mouth.
“We need to talk.”
Reid shrugs. “About what?”
“Plans.” Marcus looks around the group then back to Reid. “I think we’re safe for a short time, but now that Joel is gone the hunters will know the bargain is off. Or they will suspect. He was the one they negotiated with.”
Again Reid gets the impression Marcus has a British accent. He is as well spoken as Drew if not better and holds himself like he knows how to fight.
“You could have stopped him.” Reid’s anger comes back but it doesn’t have the same edge it did.
Marcus scowls. “You think it was easy?”
“None of this is easy,” Reid snaps back. “But being a coward doesn’t make it any easier.”
Marcus looks like he’s ready to throw a punch and Reid welcomes it. Leila puts an end to the fight before it starts.
“How long?” She focuses on Marcus, drawing his attention.
“A few hours. Maybe half a day.”
“How many did he turn over to them?” Reid wishes Drew hadn’t asked that question, but part of him needs to know.
“Three, sometimes four a day.” Marcus clears his throat. “There are new kids popping up all the time usually. But there haven’t been as many lately. It was making Joel nervous. Then you four showed up. He saw it as a sign.”
Reid wonders about the drop in numbers. Are the hunters simply getting better at their job or was Drew right about the experiment? Maybe they are near the end. If so, escape is even more urgent. He doesn’t want to be there when the hunters decide to cull the last of their food source.
“They knew we were there,” Drew says. “Why didn’t they just attack? I mean, agreement or not, they don’t seem the type to keep a deal to me.”
Marcus shrugs. “Don’t know. Only that as long as we stay hidden they won’t kill us, but if a kid gets caught in the open it’s game over.”
Reid can’t listen anymore. He gets up and walks away, sitting on his own behind a tree, out of the view of the others. His chest tightens with a mix of anger and grief. How is this happening? Why is it happening? He is no closer to answers than the night he was dumped here.
It isn’t long before Leila joins him. She doesn’t speak, just hugs her knees and rocks slowly back and forth. He’s happy she’s there once he allows the tension in his body to release. Of all of them, she seems to understand what he needs the best.
When it finally occurs to him she saved his life, he blurts, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she says. “I hope it makes up for leaving you behind.”
“That would be yes,” he says. And smiles.
Leila starts to cry, softly, barely making a sound. Reid doesn’t think about it, just hooks her around her shoulders with one arm and pulls her against him. She rests her cheek on his shoulder, the fabric soon wet from her tears. He just holds her for a long time while she lets out her own grief.
“You did the right thing,” she says, “leaving Joel behind.”
She sighs then, and snuggles closer. Before Reid can think of anything to say in answer to that, she relaxes into sleep.
***
Chapter Twenty Two
He waits for Leila to wake, not wanting to disturb her. She does after a short time, smiling at him as she lifts her head, embarrassment in her face, but gratitude too.