“What did they do with my friend?”
“You have your own problems.”
That made me smile. She stared at me like I was crazy. “I’m aware. But where is he? Is he alive?”
“For now. They’re going to hunt him later.”
My blood chilled. “What does that mean?”
“They’ll cut him and give him a short head start. Then the Wolves will give chase, following his blood trail. When they find him, they’ll kill him.”
The word “Wolves” was unfamiliar to me, but I guessed it was the name these gangers used for themselves. I didn’t doubt Tegan was telling the truth. Somehow I managed to conceal my desperation.
“And what’s going to happen to me?”
“Stalker’s claimed you,” she said with a shrug. “So I guess you belong to him until he gets tired of you. Usually, you’d end up with the Wolf who brought you in. Stalker doesn’t often exercise his rights.”
So it meant something when he’d said, Later I want you to remember how I saved you. Was I supposed to be grateful for his favor? Not likely.
“And then?”
“When Stalker’s finished, they’ll probably fight for you. You’re new.”
“But nobody wants to fight Stalker?”
I did. One on one, I had my doubts he could beat me, even with this lump on my head. If he didn’t hide behind greater numbers, they never would’ve taken us in the first place. If only I hadn’t paused over the idea of fighting brats. If only we’d run. But there was no use in treading over lost ground.
“They stopped trying,” Tegan said. “You can’t win.”
Clash
My shoulders burned.
Since Stalker hadn’t given her any instructions, beyond cleaning me up, Tegan didn’t know what to do with me. So we waited. Right now the Wolves were occupied with the deathsport part of the evening, and if I didn’t find some way to prevent it, Fade would die, bloody and alone. Because he’d lied for me.
I didn’t want him to die for me.
We sat by the fire. The enormous building was mostly empty, and rain drummed on the roof. I craned my neck looking for anything I could use to untie my wrists. Nothing behind me that I could see. Ahead I focused on a sliver of glass. It would cut my fingertips, but it would slice through the cords as well.
I inched forward. Tegan didn’t seem to be paying me any attention. The licking flames held her eyes; I hoped they would continue to until I finished my work.
My heart thudded in my ears. It took ages but I eventually set my fingertip on the shard. I shifted to cover the small scrape it made as I raked it behind me. Time pressed on me, weighty and inescapable, while I sawed.
Blood trickled over my fingertips, so I knew I’d cut myself, but I couldn’t tell how bad it was. It slicked my hands and let me slip free at last of the loosened bonds.
When Tegan spoke, it surprised me. “Have you gotten free yet?”
I froze. “If you knew what I was doing, why didn’t you stop me?”
“That’s not my job,” she said with a glimmer of spirit. “He told me to clean you up. That’s all. They should’ve left some guards, but they’re stupid and they only saw a weak female.”
That wasn’t entirely true. Stalker knew I was different. He’d asked why. So maybe this was some kind of test. But I wouldn’t wait around to learn his agenda. I didn’t care what he wanted with me; it wasn’t happening.
“But they’re wrong about you,” she went on. “You’re not helpless.”
I acknowledged that with a nod. “Then you won’t yell if I slip away?”
Her eyes locked on to mine. “I will if you don’t take me with you.”
I made my decision in a split second. “Where did they put my gear?”
The building was long and squat with windows set up high that let in very little light. Grime obscured the glass, and some panes were broken. It must be daytime, but the interior didn’t reflect it. Then again, the rain pattering overhead might have something to do with the gloom.
“Over here.” She led the way to a corner where my things — and Fade’s — had been carelessly piled.
“Do you all live here or is this just where they bring their victims?” I hadn’t seen any females other than Tegan, so I leaned toward no.
“We live wherever Stalker tells us to sleep,” she said. “But no. Not here.”
“Are there more girls?”
“Yes, but I’m the one they don’t trust. That’s why they keep me close.” Her mouth tightened in the firelight, anger burning beneath her bruised skin.
“Why?”
“Because I wasn’t born a Wolf. I lived with my mom until a couple of years ago. We hid a lot and we moved around.”
Like Fade, I thought in wonder.
“They took you, after she died?” I didn’t ask what it had been like. I could see the pain written on her skin.
Tegan nodded, her eyes flat and hard. “I’ve lost two cubs in the last year. The last time, I almost died. That was when I decided, if I ever got a chance to run, I’d take it. So I bided my time.”
I listened, not having any idea what to say. In the enclave, if anyone had treated a girl this way, he would’ve been fed to the Freaks, piece by piece. Maybe the elders weren’t as good as I thought, but they weren’t nearly as bad as they could be.
While she spoke, I dug into my bag. My dirty clothes had been sliced up, but I still had the spares. Everything was still here, even my weapons. I closed my eyes on a surge of relief and then pulled the shirt over my head. I scrambled to dress before the Wolves realized Tegan was aiding in my escape.
She finished, “And so I fooled them. I made them think they’d beaten all the hope out of me.”
I picked up my daggers and strapped them on. My club went across my back in a reassuring weight. This time, I wouldn’t check myself. Until meeting Stalker and his Wolves, I don’t think I fully understood when Fade talked about how it was Topside, how different the dangers. Now I did. The gangers were like Freaks in their way; they could not be reasoned with.
Tegan watched me with hunger in her eyes, but not for food. She sought strength, surety, and revenge for what they’d done to her. Without thinking overlong, I slipped the club free of the loop and handed it to her.
“This is simpler than the knives. It requires less finesse. Just swing it as hard as you can until they stop moving.”
She gave a jerky nod. “This way. I’ll show you where they always start the hunt.”
Though she didn’t move silently compared with a Hunter, the noise as we drew nearer drowned out any sound we might’ve made. A high, curling wail filled the air, raising the hair on my forearms.
I glanced back at Tegan, who whispered, “That’s normal.”
We crept closer, through the gaping maw at the back of the building, and into a strange yard mounded with relics from the old world: rusted metal, tilted gates, and hunks of dead machines. Overhead, the sky loomed like a rock about to fall; it was no color I had ever seen in my short time aboveground. Swirls of green and blue made it look angry and bruised.
At Tegan’s word, I stayed behind piles of relics, moving carefully. The Wolves had Fade on his knees; he was completely surrounded. There were more than there had been earlier too. They tilted their heads back, all stomping and making that horrible noise. I couldn’t tell how badly he was injured, but when Stalker curled his hand around his neck and went in with the knife, my whole body tensed.
Tegan pinched my arm fiercely. “Not now. Our best chance is after they blood him and then send him off.”
The tactical part of my brain asserted itself. “Better not to face them all at once. If we can get to Fade first, we can take them out a few at a time.”