“Rahn’s all talk—”
“You don’t know that. And I’m getting you away from him. This environment isn’t healthy for you. It’s—”
“We’re goin’ now!” Rahn yells. His voice is nearby. “Hey, Elf, what are you doin’ there?”
There’s a pause in which I cradle the gun to me. I think it’s a Luger. Elf shouldn’t have had it on him.
“Just checking the tarpaulin’s a good one,” Elf calls back. “Enough to cover you all in case there’s a Turning.”
And then the sounds of Elf getting out and the others dividing between the cab and the truck bed fill my ears. Even more adrenaline pumps through me. Gods, imagine what Rahn will do if he finds me!
And, I guess it’s bad that part of me wants him to find me, so he knows he hasn’t won.
Because he hasn’t. He’ll never win. There’s only one person who’ll win. And that’s me.
I grin against the tarpaulin.
I am alive.
Being a secret stowaway is fun. It’s also uncomfortable—and very infuriating when I learn from Seven and Katya’s conversation that Rahn’s completely disregarded the execution plan I made. He’s sending Seven off on her own to fill up the fuel cans, while he, Corin, and Katya are going to the middle part of New Kimearo where Rahn will get medicine while the other two acquire weapons, clothes, and better shoes, before meeting back up again. Finn’s to drive the truck around to the far western side of the town to load up crates of tinned food. And then everyone’s to meet back in the meeting place in one hour’s time.
Which means it’s also going to be difficult for me to leave the truck without being noticed. I’ll either have to jump out while Finn’s driving or wait until he’s parked to get the tins, and then go off and find a motorbike. And I’d better find one, as it’s going to be difficult for me to get back to the meeting point on foot for the designated time. Which would also reveal myself to the others.
But I’ll find a motorbike. I will. I smile to myself, already feeling the adrenaline pulsing through me. It’s like a drug.
Katya and Seven are in the truck bed, but now they talk in low voices that I can’t make out. I think of how Katya acted earlier, all weird and mysterious about those different dreams, and I frown. Caia-Lu never said anything about different types of Seeing dreams, and I’ve only heard of this new type from Katya recently. Is Katya losing it?
But Caia-Lu did say about your death, Mila whispers. And suddenly I feel her hot breath against my face, and I’m confused—Mila can’t remember Caia-Lu. Maybe that was one of these far-future visions.
I stiffen.
No. She’s not here. Not under the tarpaulin with me. There’s no one here.
But I am. And don’t you think you’d better be concerned? Two far-future visions about your death—and you’re still going into an Enhanced town? How stupid are you? Maybe you want to die.
I grit my teeth and turn my head a little. The scratchy surface of the tarpaulin catches my face, but I see enough in the darkness. Mila’s not here with me. I need to stop imagining her words, have to. Because I’m not mad.
Are you sure?
Shut up. I put as much venom as I can into that answer, but I know I’m just talking to myself. And I’m not mad. Not mad. Not mad. Mila’s gone, gone to the New World, that’s what Katya said.
The truck slows and rattles over rough ground, then stops. I catch my shoulder against the bottom of the wall and hear Rahn’s and Corin’s voices. We must be at the drop-off point. Already?
I listen as Katya and Seven exit the truck bed. Finn keeps the engine running which makes it hard to hear when the others have walked away. Cautiously, I lift the tarpaulin up. Bright light assaults my eyes, and I blink several times before I can make anything out. Fresh air bellows over me. Then I see Rahn, Katya, Corin, and Seven. They’re a few hundred feet away.
I check the safety’s on the gun—it is a Luger—and slide it into the back of my belt. The dark glasses go into my jacket pocket. I move farther out from under the tarpaulin, careful to keep low enough so Finn won’t see me in the mirror. I crawl to the end of the truck bed. The tailgate is up, and I won’t be able to lower it easily.
I steel myself, and then jump over it. I crash down onto the dusty earth, and something cuts savagely into my back. I gasp, gritting my teeth as more dust billows up around me. With my right hand, I check that my dark glasses survived the impact—they have. I peer through the dust-myriad at the retreating figures in the distance. They look hazy, but they don’t look back. No one expects me to be there. The truck doesn’t stop either—Finn mustn’t have noticed me.
“One point to Keelie,” I mutter as I carefully tense all my muscles, checking for damage. But I’m okay. I’m tough. Even my painful thumb’s faded to a dull throb.
There are many boulders and smaller rocks around here that provide the perfect cover for me to shadow the group as they head toward New Kimearo. As they get nearer to the buildings, Seven looks behind her, but I duck behind a rock in time. The whole time, I grin manically.
“Ha! Take that, Rahn. I told you I was coming on this raid,” I whisper.
On the outskirts of the town, there’s more dust, which makes the air hazy, harder to see, but I pick out Seven splitting from the group. I’m still angry that she’s going on the fuel raid on her own. I look toward Katya, expecting her to cause a fuss about it. But she doesn’t appear to, just hugs Seven for a moment.
A cool breeze caresses my shoulder, and I wait until they’ve all disappeared. Then I put my dark glasses on, check the gun’s concealed under my jacket, and follow Seven. We’ll get the fuel together, like I planned. And really, it’s obvious that Rahn should’ve listened to me. What was he thinking, sending Seven off? And why didn’t Katya stand up for her daughter?
Energy fizzes through me as I reach New Kimearo and navigate its narrow streets. I pass several Enhanced, but they don’t look at me. A triumphant grin unfolds across my face—but it’s okay because I’ll just look like I’ve taken some Happiness.
“Good day,” I say to the next Enhanced who passes me.
“Good day to you,” he replies, smiling.
Gods, Elf would have a heart attack if he knew. But the Enhanced often greet each other in the street—even strangers—and we have to fit in. I’ve raised this point before, and Elf told me it wasn’t a game. It was life and death.
“But it is a game,” I mutter quietly, but no one is in earshot now.
I turn right at the next junction. The sign for the fuel station seems to wink at me. I grin at it then look down the road. Seven shouldn’t be far ahead. She’ll be getting the fuel. I’ll help her carry it, and then we’ll get my motorbike. I could even get a new model. Yes. I lick my lips. Yes—
“I can do that, yes,” a voice says.
I go cold, and my mouth dries instantly. That voice.
I turn, see him.
Red is ten feet from me.
He’s on the phone, walking slightly ahead of me. But I know that body, I know it’s him.
“Yes, Owen.”
Owen? My father’s name is Owen… He’s talking to my father?
No, there are loads of men called Owen. Have to be.
But ones that Red would talk to?
I freeze, and then Red’s getting farther away, and I lose his voice, can’t hear his words.
But it’s him.
Red.
And he’s found my father—he told me that in our second meeting, that he’d found my parents.
My heart rate rockets, and I step against the side of the nearest building, my palm catching against the rough render. I try to keep breathing. Need to keep breathing.
And what the hell am I doing?
I move slowly, cautiously, looking around. Red’s walking faster now. He’s going to be out of sight soon.
Follow him.
And I don’t know where that voice comes from. But I pull my hood up and check my glasses are covering my eyes suf
ficiently, and I do as instructed. I follow Red. And, really, for a skilled tracker, he’s awful at noticing whether he’s being tailed. And I don’t even know why I’m following him. Except that I’ve been told to, and it’s exciting, it makes my heart pound, and it proves who’s in control.
Red enters a posh-looking building on the left, and I follow him. An Enhanced sits at the reception desk, but Red walks straight past her, so I do too. There are quite a few Enhanced in here, but if you walk confidently no one suspects you.
I smile and say hello to a few of them, mimicking the people around me, and—
Red freezes in front of me.
Then he turns.
I duck behind a group of Enhanced women in matching skirts just in time. I hold my breath, waiting. But he heard my voice—I know he did—and the thrill of it sends electricity pounding through me.
I grin.
This is fun.
Almost as much fun as killing the Enhanced.
And I could still do that. Still got the Luger.
Didn’t you learn your lesson?
But now the thought of killing is making me feel even more alive. I could do it so easily…right here….
Except I shouldn’t be here, and Seven’s on her own, and I’m supposed to be with her. She doesn’t like fuel raids.
And I need to get a motorbike too. What was it Rahn said? To meet up in an hour’s time? I’m not wearing a watch, but I guess I’ve already used up twenty minutes.
I watch Red carefully. He looks around again, and my heart hammers. But he doesn’t see me. A moment later, he continues on, disappears through another door, and I force myself to retrace my steps. I need to get a move on, not get distracted. Not by Red. Even if he was speaking with my father. Could he have been going to meet my father? He must’ve been, I decide, because he’s the assistant manager at that garage, and we’re nowhere near that.
I hover by the exit. I could be so close to my father. Would one glimpse hurt?
Yes, yes it would.
And what am I even doing?
I need to be looking out for Seven, need to have her back.
My father will have to wait. Maybe when Elf and I leave, we can stop by here first. Just to see him. And my mother too—if my father’s here, she’ll be here too, won’t she?
I nod to myself and head back out.
By the time I reach the fuel station, Seven’s already leaving. I see her retreating figure, pulled down on one side by a heavy-looking fuel can. Strange, I was sure she was filling two up. She carried two earlier, didn’t she? I frown. Maybe Rahn and the others decided to take one with them? There’s another fuel station fairly near the pharmacy where Rahn will be. Yes, that’s it. He must’ve thought it was too risky for Seven to stay longer at the fuel station, filling both cans herself. Or maybe Katya did say something—because I doubt Rahn was thinking about Seven’s safety.
Still, I breathe out a sigh of relief. She’s safe.
I follow her for a little bit. She only looks around three times, and I’ve got my hood up, and the wind blows my super-long fringe across my face. Anyway, she’s not expecting to see me. When I’m sure she’s okay, and is on the outskirts of New Kimearo, I turn back.
“Time to get your new motorbike,” I tell myself. I grin, then head off down a side-road.
I stroke the side of the bike and whisper to it, tell it that it’s mine. And really, whoever left it with the keys in the ignition on this back-road is silly. But I suppose all the Enhanced are. When the population of New Kimearo is drugged up on augmenters to make them better, no one steals anything, right?
The ex-owner’s even left a helmet attached next to the bike. I put it on; it’s a perfect fit. Then I take another look around.
What if it’s a trap?
But it’s not. I can feel it.
I hop on and start the engine. It feels good. Excellent.
I drive off, feel the wind on my face. I kick the gears up a level and roll the throttle. Exhilaration fills me, and, suddenly, I long to see the look on Rahn’s face when I show up at the meeting point on this.
Only they’ll be there now. I pull up my rough mental map of the town and think. I can get there, if I’m fast. And there’s a chance they won’t be completely ready to set off.
And, even if they have already left, I could tail them. Drive faster than them, herd them up, and—
And they might think you’re an Enhanced and shoot you.
Hmmm. Maybe not then.
But they would recognize me, wouldn’t they?
I steer the bike down the turning on the left, quickly getting a strong feel for this new model. And, wow, isn’t the engine remarkably quiet? So quiet I can still hear what’s going on around me and—
Shouts fill the air.
I look up, see a man fighting another.
Fighting? The Enhanced? But they don’t fight—they’re perfect people.
I narrow my eyes and see the shock of black hair on one of the men as he turns toward me.
It’s Finn.
Adrenaline races through me as I watch them, as I get nearer and nearer. Finn and the Enhanced. It’s one on one. If it was me, I’d be able to take down the opponent easily. But Finn’s not me.
I release the clutch, allowing the bike to slow a little. “Come on, hit him there. Punch him!” I mutter.
But Finn’s not. He’s throwing his hits in all the wrong places, and—
Shit. More Enhanced are coming. They know an Untamed is here.
My heart pounds, and then I move the motorbike faster toward them, bracing myself. My chest feels funny.
They look up, see me. And I’m going fast, so fast. Too fast. But I need to—and I also need to slow, grab Finn, and—
I pull on the front brake and push the back one. Something squeals, and then I’m right next to them.
“Finn! Get on!” I yell, jerking a wobbly arm out at him.
He stares at me, doesn’t do anything.
“No!” an Enhanced yells.
I grab Finn, and then he’s jumping on behind me. His arms lock around my ribcage, way too tightly.
He swears under his breath.
And the Enhanced shout, but I kick the bike off, and then we’re going, faster and faster. I shift up through the gears, feel my eyes smarting.
“They’re behind us!” Finn screeches near my ear.
I look up, but there are no mirrors on this model. Shit. I twist around, see Finn’s panicked eyes, and then see the figures behind us. But they’re on foot.
“Not for long,” I mutter.
And I’m good at this. Good at maneuvering the bike through road after road until I’m sure we’ve lost them. But we can’t hang around now, they’ll have put out an alarm or something. A description of us. No, we need to get out of here. And, as soon as we’re clear of the town, I need to check the bike for tracking devices—I can’t believe I didn’t think of that earlier. Basic error.
“No, go that way! The truck!” Finn yells, his voice strange.
“What?”
“Need to get the truck! Go right!”
I grit my teeth. Every part of me tells me to ignore him, to keep going, to get back to Nbutai as quickly as possible.
But if we lose the truck, I know Rahn will blame me. It’ll all be my fault. And it won’t just be me who he takes it out on—it’ll be Elf too, because he knew I was stowing away, and Rahn will find out. So I turn right and try to ignore the way darkness swarms inside me.
I follow Finn’s directions and feel him shaking against me. Shaking a lot.
“You all right?” I twist around and look at him. Redness seeps down the side of his face, and his eyes look hollow. “You’re bleeding? Finn!”
“I’m fine,” he says. “Keep looking the way we’re going—and go that way. Left. I parked the truck over there, down there. Already packed the food in.”
I do as he says, but I can’t blink away the image of the blood on his milk-white skin. It’s seared on the in
side of my eyelids.
We reach the truck, and I stop the bike about twenty yards away. There appears to be no one out here, but I look around, scanning every expanse of concrete and each stone block. The front of the truck peeks out from behind a clump of trees.
“Stay here,” I say as we dismount, and I use the bike’s side stand to keep it upright. I take my helmet off, give it to Finn. “And give me the keys for the truck.”
He does, and I take the Luger out of my belt. Slowly, I check the immediate area. It appears to be clear.
I head for the truck, my heart still beating too fast. But it doesn’t feel as exciting now. I’m too overloaded with adrenaline. I check all around us again, then look in the truck. Six crates of tins are in. Mostly chicken curry and chopped tomatoes. But, if I shift two of the crates over, there’ll be room for the motorbike. Given how shaky Finn is now, I don’t think he should be driving anything.
I climb into the cab and start the engine, drive the short distance to Finn and my bike.
I wait for Finn to get in.
He doesn’t.
“Finn?”
He turns toward the cab slowly, his face suddenly green.
Then he throws up.
I leap out of the cab, leaving the engine running. I race around to him, grab him as he sways, alarm filtering through me.
“What happened?” I demand when he’s finished vomiting.
He wipes the back of his hand across his mouth. Two of his fingers are bleeding as well, but not as bad as the cut on his head—which is still pouring. The blood, I need to stop it. But how? I can’t think. All I can do is stare at the blood.
“They tried to grab me, and I tripped,” he mumbles. “Whacked my head on the ground.”
“On concrete?” My eyes widen, and I take his face in my hands, careful not to touch the gash, and look into his eyes. But what am I looking for? Hell, I can’t remember what they’d look like in a concussion. “Have you got a headache?”
He rolls his eyes. “Of course I’ve got a headache… How are you here?”
“Doesn’t matter. Just get in the cab. I’ll get you back.”
A Dangerous Game Page 31