In the distance, he heard a noise, as if someone had stepped on loose rocks. He called, Is someone there?
But there was no reply, just the stink of the dead Freaks at his feet.
Thimble came up beside him and put her hand in his, fingers twining, and it was sweeter, more arousing, than the tangle of limbs with someone else. It was crazy how much pleasure he took from her small palm, warm against his skin. He wanted to drag her into his arms and bury his face in her hair. She had become his whole world.
Did you hear it? he asked.
Gravely, she nodded. Theres something following us.
Dread spiked through him, but they could do nothing but move on. Hope had driven them this far; endurance had to do the rest.
On the sixth day since theyd fled the doomed enclave, Thimble stumbled. He didnt let her fall. Even in the dark, he always knew right where she was and he watched over her with the same care hed given the brats in his charge. But Stone knew it wasnt the same thing. Not at all. The things he felt for her were bigger, deeper, and they filled him up until his chest hurt, and it was hard to breathe.
Tired? he asked. Theyd worked out a code. That was what he said when he wanted to know how her foot felt.
We should start looking for a place to hide. And that was how she replied when she hurt so bad she could cry from it, only she was too strong and proud, and he wanted to take her on his back, walk for her if need be.
But while shed permit certain assistance, like him carrying her bag, she wouldnt accept that much help. Stone knew she didnt want to feel like a burden on him, but it was so obviously the other way around. She had all the brains. Without her planning, theyd have died days before.
Besides, even if shed agreed, he couldnt have. Not with two packs on his back, his weapon, and Boy23. There were limits to what he could manage. But that thought gave him an idea.
Why dont you take the weapon? It can double as a walking stick.
Thank you. She accepted it gratefully, which told him just how much she hurt.
Ill keep an eye out for shelter, he went on, changing the subject.
He wanted to tell her so much more.
This time, he found more than a door. Half the wall had tumbled down, here, and the stone looked older behind it. The floor slanted down. That seemed better than going Topside, where the light set you on fire, and the water burned the skin from your flesh. Kneeling, he ran his fingers over the seams. Men had pieced these rocks together. It wasnt natural. That much, he knew.
It smells clean. Thimble stepped up beside him, cocking her head to test the air.
I think we should see where it leads. Shoulders hunched, he waited for her to mock him, like everyone did when he dared to express a thought.
But hed misjudged her. Just as hed never made fun of her foot, she never acted like he was stupid, good only for one thing. I agree.
Hopefully well find a safe place to rest. Let me go first.
Thimble didnt argue; she just fell in behind him, but he heard the way her foot dragged in cadence with the clack of the pole on the ground. Now it must hurt too much for her to lift. Step, slide. Step, slide. Her fortitude and bravery made him so proud to be here with her. When everything fell apart, shed come in search of him. And it meant everything.
The air in this narrower tunnel smelled damp, which meant they should find water soon. Good thing. Their bottles were almost empty. Hed heard of enclaves where they recycled bodily fluids during tough times, but things had never gotten so bad at College, through careful management of resources and population control. His throat burned; as a male Breeder, it was his role to go without. Boy23 came first, and then Thimble. Hed barely taken a drink all day.
It was darker, too. Sometimes, in the bigger tunnels, the stones cracked overhead, permitting trickles of light. On the way here they had passed several great metal beasts turned onto their sides. The ground was littered with metal lines, some broken and twisted. But here, it was different. Newer. Cleaner. He made out shapes, the walls around him. He heard movement. Meat, skittering. The Hunters had brought these animals back in bags to be turned into hearty stew or roasted on a spit. Soon, the food would run out, and that would become his job as well. He wasnt worried. Thimble would come up with the best way to catch the creatures.
Further down the passage, the wall crumbled inward. A cool breeze wafted against his face, and he reached out to find the gap. She had said fresh air meant good things, so they should probably check this area out. He stepped forward into darkness and something crunched beneath his feet. In the gloom, he couldnt make out what he was stepping on, so he turned to Thimble.
Do you have any torches left?
Ill light one.
He paused while she rummaged in the bag he carried for her and then the light flared, illuminating the floor before him. At first he didnt understand what he saw, what the white glimmers represented. Behind him, Thimble sucked in a sharp breath, and her fingers laced through his. He drew her up close, one arm around her shoulders. On his other side Boy23 stared, though it was hard to tell how much the brat understood.
What is this place?
I dont know, she answered.
Thimble knelt to examine the bones and then glanced up at him. Theyre smooth.
Which means they havent been chewed on. A bright smile said she was pleased with him. It was the first time he could remember being praised for something other than his strength. So
they werent killed by Freaks?
I dont think so. They just look like theyve been dumped here. No respect in the handling, either. The bones lay in piles, as if bodies had been stacked.
Remember how the Wordkeeper was always talking about the disease that killed so many people Topside and how our people went down below because it was safer?
So many stories, it was impossible to know what was true. There had been legends that seemed very unlikely, and yet obviously something had left the world in a terrible state. These people hadnt died of violence, which left disease. That much of the Wordkeepers lore had been true then.
She nodded. I wonder if they just sealed up the bodies like this, out of sight.
A cold chill went through him Maybe. But this isnt how they came in.
Thimble followed his gaze toward the far side of the room, where crumbling stone stairs led up.