by Tracey Ward
“I’d rather not,” I mumble, feeling sick.
“No, if you’re going to judge it you need to see it. Those women, they cry and they moan for a day or two but then they never talk about it again.”
“Maybe it’s too painful. Maybe they know it wouldn’t do any good.”
Vin nods grimly in agreement. “Because they know how to survive. Hold the torch. I’m going up to see if I can open this thing and get us out of here.”
I take the torch silently. Vin climbs the metal ladder to the top before pressing his neck and shoulder up into it. I hear him grunt, curse, then grunt again.
“Are any of them yours?” I blurt out.
I expect him to ignore me. Maybe even yell at me. He surprises me when he laughs.
“No,” he replies, taking a step down to look at me. “I can guarantee you that none of them are mine.”
“How can you know for sure?”
“Because I don’t dip my pen in the company ink.”
I frown. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m not dumb. Look, can we talk about my sex life another time? I need help with this.”
“How am I supposed to help you?”
“Climb up here with me and help push.”
I look around for a dry spot on the ground. Of course, there is none. “What about the torch?”
“Drop it. We don’t need it.”
I don’t like the idea of going into the dark again, but he’s right—if we can get out through this hole, we don’t need the torch anymore. I take hold of the ladder before dropping our only light source. We’re instantly plunged into darkness and even the light from the holes in the cover seems faint for a minute. When I climb up the ladder I’m careful not to take hold of anything but steel. I don’t want to go grabbing anything and give Vin the wrong idea.
“You ready?” he asks when my face is level with his.
“Ready.”
“Push!”
We both grunt, curse, then grunt again, but this time we get results. The cover screeches loudly as we push it up out of its home to slide it over the pavement above. This has got to be one of the holes the cannibals use on a fairly regular basis. Otherwise it probably would have been rusted shut. The thought that they use it gives me hope that we’re close to home, though where exactly ‘home’ is for either of us at this point is pretty open to debate. For Vin I imagine it’s wherever his people from the Pod are. For me, I know who my home is. Now I just need to know where he is.
We both squint into the bright light of the afternoon sun. It’s painful compared to the darkness we’ve been living in for the last couple hours.
I stare back at the hole. I feel like a traitor leaving it.
“He’d want you to keep going,” Vin tells me quietly.
I nod my head numbly, knowing he’s right but unwilling to move from this spot. It feels like leaving Ryan. It feels like I’m giving up.
“Where are we?” I ask hoarsely before clearing my throat. I will not cry, not over nothing. I don’t know anything for sure yet so what’s the use in crying about it?
“We’re near the Elevens,” Vin whispers.
It surprises me that he bothers with the hushed tones. He’s the Stable Boy of The Hive. He’s a big deal in any territory.
“Why are you whispering?” I ask him at full volume.
He pulls me into an alley before clamping a hand down firmly over my mouth. I try to twist my head to get free but he holds me tightly.
“First of all,” he breathes harshly, “if I whisper, you do the same. If you have to question me, do it quietly. You got it?”
I glare at him, but I nod my head.
He releases my mouth. “Second, the reason I’m whispering is because some of these guys owe me money.”
“They owe you money,” I whisper obediently, “and you’re hiding from them?”
“I’m not exactly in the enforcing mood at the moment. If they see me, they’ll expect me to collect. I don’t have time for that right now.”
“What do they owe you for?”
“Gambling.”
“The Arena?”
“No. Poker.”
“I’m terrible at poker,” I mutter, glancing up and down the street.
“It’s because you’re a bad liar.”
My shoulders slump. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”
“Because it’s true. Lie to me right now.”
“No, that’s stupid. Whatever I say you’ll know I’m lying.”
“Doesn’t matter. I want to see you do it. Lie about something. Anything. Your age, color of the sky, whatever.”
I stare at him, my mind going blank. I open my mouth but nothing comes out.
He smiles with satisfaction. “Told you. You’re a terrible liar.”
“Some people might think that’s a good thing.”
“People like your Hyperion? Yeah, I’m sure that Boy Scout likes it.”
“Do you have a problem with Ryan?”
“Nope, but he has a problem with me.”
“It’s because you suck.”
Vin turns his smile to me, his eyes bright with amusement. “Story of my life.”
I don’t want to talk about Ryan with him anymore. I don’t want to keep saying his name. It feels like it gets weaker every time I use it.
“Shouldn’t we get out of here?”
“Yeah. Where would Trent have taken my people? The Hyperion?”
I shake my head firmly. “No, no way.”
“Your place?”
“No. He knows better.”
“Where then, Kitten? Where are we going?”
It’s a bad idea. I’m not even sure it’s where Trent would have taken them, but I know it’s where I want to go. It’s where he told me to go to find him.
“The woods,” I whisper. “We’re going to see the wizard.”
Chapter Fifteen
Who knew Vin the violent, usurping pimp was a Wizard of Oz fan?
I do. Now.
Ever since I whispered the word “wizard” twenty minutes ago the guy has been singing We’re Off to See the Wizard nonstop, over and over again. The real pain? He’s actually really talented.
“Are you done yet?” I ask irritably.
He grins. “Is it stuck in your head yet?”
“On repeat. Full volume.”
“Then yes, I’m done.”
“You’re the worst.”
“So I hear. Z at two o’clock.”
He’s right—there’s a shambling, moaning zombie heading our way just off to my right. I slip out my ASP, knowing it’s my turn. This has been constant since we came up out of that hole. I was surprised at first that we didn’t hear or see a sign of the Elevens this deep in their territory, but now that I see how many zombies are in this area it makes sense. Marlow killed the barriers holding in a swarm of easily a hundred zombies. Now they’re everywhere. Every gang is probably on lockdown waiting to find out how bad things get. I remember Bray telling Ryan they were doing this exact thing when the northern Colony fell for the first time. “This is just as bad as that day—if not worse. Those of us in the wild haven’t had time to clean house completely from that accident. Now there’s a new swarm on top of everything else. The world is slipping back into chaos. It’s reverting back to the first days.
I approach the Z quickly and swing my ASP wide. It comes around to connect solidly with the side of the zombie’s skull where it makes a disgusting thunk sound. Not a crack like it should, but the soft tissue noise of the metal sinking into the rotted out mush that is this guy’s face. I’ve probably damaged his brain, but I definitely haven’t destroyed it.
“Need help?” Vin asks, sounding bored.
He doesn’t sound like he’ll actually give help if I need it. It sounds more like a taunt than anything else. I ignore it and him.
I take a step back as the zombie stumbles toward me, then I bring the ASP toward him on a backhand. It hits him in the face, ri
ght in the eye, and the force of the blow snaps his head back. I take the opening to put my foot in his gut. He lands on his back on the ground, his broken, grappling fingers clawing at the air to find me. I quickly circle around to his head and bring my ASP down hard on his face twice, using the hard ground under him to solidify my blows.
“How did you ever survive out here alone with skills like that?” he asks.
“Shut up. I’m good.”
“You’re slow.”
I stow my weapon before casting him a smirk. “Am I?”
Before he can answer, I’m gone. I’m running.
Vin is good at a lot of things: overthrowing a dictatorship, taking out zombies, wooing women, getting stabbed, singing show tunes. But what Vin is not good at, what he’s gotten soft on, is cardio. He’s lived too long and too cushy inside The Hive. He hasn’t had to run for his life on a regular basis for years, and while he’s still in great shape, he’s not in as good of shape as me. Not even close.
The second my foot hits the grass of the park, though, I throw on the brakes. I barely maintain my balance, and when Vin slams into my back we both stumble forward. His arms go around me to keep me standing but instead of feeling closed in or freaked out, I’m amazed. I’m too shocked to notice anything but what I see in front of me.
The woods are full. There are tents peppered in with the trees, sections of tall grass have been trampled down to make what looks like a small road, but most importantly is this: there are people. Lots of people.
“What’s happening?” I breathe.
“I don’t know,” Vin replies, his voice low and tight near my ear. “But we’re about to find out.”
“Hold it right there!” a man shouts, jogging toward us.
We’ve been noticed. How could we not be? We came barreling toward this place at full speed right out in the open, and as stupid as it sounds, I thought it was safe. I never thought in a million years that the Colonists would take the woods. Why would they want it? It’s out in the open, it’s vulnerable, it’s dangerous. What are they doing here?!
“Are they the cannibals you sided with?” Vin asks me.
I shake my head. “No. There are too many and they wouldn’t come out in the open like this.”
“Colonists,” he growls.
“I think so.”
“Who are you?” the man asks, slowing as he approaches us.
I look him over quickly, checking for weapons. So far his hands are empty but I recognize the matte black shell of a gun on his hip. When I glance at Vin I see him eyeing it too.
“No one,” Vin tells him calmly.
The guy frowns at Vin, his eyes on his neck. On the tattoo openly displayed. “You’re Hive.”
“What of it?”
“You should leave. This isn’t your fight.” The guy sneers at Vin. “Nothing ever has been.”
Vin takes a menacing step toward him, ignoring the gun. “You think you know something about me?”
“I know about your kind. You’re as good as Colony which means you’re an enemy and you should leave before I put you down.”
The guy’s hand is resting on the gun now. I don’t know if Vin believes he has bullets for it, but as the man’s words sink in, I realize I believe it. 100 percent. As though that very gun were pressed against my forehead.
“You’re a Vashon,” I say quickly.
The guy’s eyes flicker to me. “Yeah. I’m from the island. Who are you? A Hive whore?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “No. I’m Joss.”
“What’s a joss?”
“The girl about to kick your ass if you call me a whore again.”
I can’t see his face, but I hear Vin snicker.
“Sure,” the guy replies sarcastically. “Why don’t you and your man pack it up? No one here is shopping for what you’re selling.”
“Where’s Crenshaw?” I demand.
That gets his attention. He steps back from Vin, looking at me with interest.
“How do you know Crenshaw?”
“How do you know Crenshaw?” I fire back.
“He was one of the founders of the island. Every Vashon knows about Berny Crenshaw.”
“Berny?” I nearly choke on the sheer normalcy of it.
“How do you know him?” he repeats.
“He’s a friend.” I shrug, feeling weird using the word.
The guy looks doubtful but he hollers over his shoulder for someone to get Berny and bring him to the perimeter. When he looks back at me his hand is still on his gun and his eyes are narrowed.
“We’ll see how your story shakes out in a minute, won’t we?”
“You’re way less fun than the other Vashons I’ve met.”
“When have you ever met a Vashon before?”
“I was on your island.”
“We don’t allow Hive on our island. Ever.”
“I told you, I’m not Hive. And I was there to meet with your council.”
His eyes harden. “You’re one of the three. The ones who sold us out to the Colony.”
“No, that was…”
Oops.
“Who then?”
I glance nervously at Vin. “No one.”
“It was Marlow,” Vin tells him plainly. “He sold everyone out. It’s why The Hive has fallen.”
“That’s not the story we’re hearing here.”
“What story is that?”
“That The Hive tried to take a Colony. That the Pod cleared out before they could get their claws in it. That the Colonies are marching on that Pod right now.”
“The Colonists are attacking the Pod in the north?” I ask incredulously. “How did they kn—”
“Athena!”
I look past the guy to the tents of roughspun cotton in raw colors. To the clean, easy moving people around them. To the break in the crowd that has formed around a great, white wizard. He has his staff, his robe with the little blue sailboats, and the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on his face. He looks at home here with these people. Like Merlin at Camelot.
“Crenshaw,” I say with relief.
“Come, child! Come,” he calls, beckoning me forward.
I glare up at the guy who held us back, tempted to flip him off as I pass. Vin follows slowly behind me as I make my way into the forest I don’t recognize anymore. The air feels different. There’s so much more movement in it. It’s so much more alive. There are smells I don’t know and some I thought I’d never know again. And there are so many people. The park is swarming with them but they don’t feel like insects. They don’t make me cringe like Risen or Colonists or cannibals lurking in the dark. It feels… I don’t know. Almost good.
Crenshaw hugs me for the second time this year and I’m worried I’ll get used to it. I might even like it a little. When he releases me I can’t get over how happy he looks. The man is literally glowing.
“You have done well, Athena,” he tells me in a hushed tone. “I did not believe it possible, but you have proven me wrong. You have made me a believer. Perhaps I always should have been.”
“Cren, what’s going on? That guy—”
“Ah, yes,” he interrupts, nodding to the jerk who called me a whore. “The soldiers at the perimeter. They are imperative. The gates to Hell have been flung open. Wraiths are again a danger. But these soldiers, they have made my home a safer place than it has ever been. I owe them a great debt.”
“Not that one,” I mutter. “That one gets nothing.”
“Did he treat you poorly?”
“Sort of.”
Crenshaw’s face falls into a scowl. “Well that simply will not do.”
“What’s going on here?” Vin asks bluntly. “He started to say something about the Colonies marching on the northern Pod where The Hive attacked.”
I suddenly realize who I’m standing with: Crenshaw and a Hive member. I would tell Vin to cover his tattoo if there were even a millisecond of time to do it, but there’s not.
“Who is this?!” Crensh
aw demands, his voice bellowing and angry. Heads turn to see what’s happening. “Who have you brought here, Athena? What devils have you consorted with?”
“Calm down, Cren. He’s not a devil.”
“He is a hornet of The Hive. In my house!”
I put my hand on Vin’s arm, pushing him back gently. “You should step back.”
Vin looks down at me, disbelieving. “Are you for real?”
“He doesn’t like The Hive. I wasn’t even supposed to go to them for help.”
“You went to Marlow for help?!” Crenshaw bursts.
I literally growl in frustration. “I didn’t have a choice!”
“There is always a better choice. Defeat is a better choice than dirty dealings with the devil.”
“Crenshaw, I’m sorry. I tried everything else, but there was no other way. And he isn’t Hive anymore. He helped me escape the Colony!”
“Where is Helios?” Cren demands, searching the woods and road behind me. “He would never—”
“He’s not here?” I ask, the fight leaching out of me.
I hate the sound of my own voice. It’s weak and afraid.
Crenshaw’s eyes sharpen at my tone. “No. He is not with you?”
I shake my head mutely.
“When were you separated? You cannot be separated, Athena. To succeed you must remain together. It is how I have seen it.”
“Seen what?”
“The End.”
I nod slowly, acting as though I understand. “The end of…”
“The End of Nothing. The Beginning of Everything.”
“Okay,” I tell him calmly. “Okay. I’ll find him. I promise. Has anyone else shown up here recently?”
“The Vashons.”
And my annoyance is back. I sigh tightly, reining it in. “Yes, I see the Vashons. Anyone else?”
“Who else should I expect?” he asks suspiciously.
“No one.”