Riley
I found them at the top of the ridge.
Fourteen kids. Huddled together like sheep. Marcus was trying to look like he was in charge. Pacing back and forth. Checking the edge of the cliff. Telling people where to stand.
He wasn't bad at it. But he wasn't good either. He was pretending. And everyone could tell.
Sasha wasn't with them.
I felt something in my chest. Not fear. Not worry. Something else. Something that said where is she before my brain caught up.
Then I saw her. Sitting on a rock at the edge of the ridge. Bow across her lap. Arrows on the ground next to her. Watching the tree line like she was waiting for something.
Waiting for me.
I walked over. Sat down next to her. Not close. Just... there.
"You made it," she said.
"Obviously."
She looked at my back. At the blood soaking through the bandage. At the way I was holding my arm.
"You're bleeding again."
"I'm always bleeding."
She didn't laugh. But something in her face softened. Just a little.
"How many?" she asked.
"Killed one. Wounded two. Allen got away."
"Got away?" She turned to look at me. Her eyes were sharp. "You let him go?"
"I didn't let him do anything. He walked away. After pulling your arrow out of his chest."
She was quiet for a moment. Processing.
"He just... pulled it out?"
"Like it was nothing. Like it was a splinter." I looked at the tree line. At the shadows where Allen had disappeared. "The experiments did something to him. Made him stronger. Faster. Harder to kill."
"You think they did it to all of us?"
"I don't know. Maybe. Maybe only some of us. Maybe only the ones with high scores."
She looked at her wrist. Her band glowed. 189.
Mine was 247. Still. For now.
"So what now?" she asked.
"We wait. We watch. We figure out where he's based. Then we kill him."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
She looked at me for a long moment. Then she nodded. Like she'd decided something.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay. I'm in. All the way." She picked up her bow. Ran her fingers along the string. "You're not the only one who can be cold, Riley. I just hide it better."
I looked at her. Really looked. The scar on her jaw. The calm in her eyes. The way she held her bow like it was part of her.
Maybe she was right. Maybe she was hiding something. Maybe we all were.
"Good," I said. "Because I'm going to need you."
She smiled. Not the smile she gave other people. Something smaller. Something realer.
"I know."
---
The others were staring at me.
I felt their eyes as I walked through the camp. Fourteen kids. Fourteen pairs of eyes. Some scared. Some angry. Some just... empty.
Marcus walked up to me. His jaw was tight. His hands were fists.
"You killed someone," he said.
"I killed a lot of someones."
"One of them was a girl. Begging. On her knees."
I stopped. Looked at him.
"She killed five people. She was going to kill us. She was going to bring Allen here and he was going to kill every single one of you." I stepped closer. "What part of that don't you understand?"
"The part where you enjoyed it."
There it was again. That word. Enjoyed.
"I didn't enjoy it. I don't enjoy anything. I just did what needed to be done." I looked at the others. At their scared faces. Their shaking hands. "You want to survive? Then stop looking at me like I'm the monster and start looking at the trees. Allen is out there. He has more people. Better weapons. He's been here longer. He's stronger than us."
I let that sink in.
"And he knows where we are."
The fear in their eyes got deeper. Good. Fear kept you alive. Fear made you pay attention.
"So here's what's going to happen," I said. "We're going to fortify this ridge. We're going to set up watches. We're going to conserve our arrows. And we're going to wait."
"For what?" Marcus asked.
"For Allen to make a mistake."
---
The first watch was mine.
I sat at the edge of the ridge. Bow across my lap. Eyes on the tree line. The sun was setting. The sky was orange. Red. The colors of blood.
Sasha was asleep behind me. Her back against a rock. Her bow in her hand even while she slept. She didn't trust anyone. Not even me. Not really.
Good. Trust got you killed.
I thought about Allen. About the way he caught my arrow. About the way he pulled Sasha's arrow out of his chest like it was nothing.
The Project had done something to him. Something to all of us. Faster reflexes. Stronger bodies. Higher pain tolerance.
But there had to be a limit. Everyone had a limit. Even Allen.
I just had to find it.
---
The night was cold.
The fire was small. Just enough to keep the dark away. Just enough to see the faces of the kids huddled around it.
Some of them were crying. Quietly. Trying to hide it. Some were talking in whispers. Making plans. Making promises they wouldn't keep.
Marcus was sitting by the fire. His bow was on the ground next to him. His arrows were scattered. He wasn't ready. If Allen came now, Marcus would freeze. Or run. Or die.
I didn't care. He wasn't my responsibility. None of them were.
Except Sasha.
I didn't know when that happened. When she stopped being just another kid and started being something else. Something I didn't have a word for.
She was sitting next to me now. Watching the fire. Watching the others.
"You should sleep," she said.
"You should too."
"Someone has to watch."
"So watch. I'll sleep. Then we'll switch."
She looked at me. That same look from the cave. The one that said she wasn't going anywhere.
"Okay," she said.
I leaned back against the rock. Closed my eyes.
The darkness behind my lids was the same as the darkness in front of them. Just... darker.
I didn't dream. I never dreamed anymore.
---
Something woke me up.
Not a sound. Not a touch. Just... a feeling. The kind of feeling that says something is wrong before your brain knows what.
I opened my eyes. Sasha was awake. Her bow was up. Her eyes were on the tree line.
"What is it?" I whispered.
"I don't know. Something moved."
I looked. The forest was dark. The trees were black shapes against the darker sky. The moon was thin. The stars were hidden.
Then I saw it.
A figure. At the edge of the trees. Standing still. Watching.
Not moving. Not hiding. Just... standing.
I reached for my bow. Nocked an arrow. Drew.
The figure didn't move.
I held my breath. Aimed. Waited.
The figure turned. Walked back into the trees. Disappeared.
I let my breath out. Lowered my bow.
"Who was it?" Sasha asked.
"I don't know. Not Allen. Too small."
"One of his?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
I looked at the tree line. At the spot where the figure had been.
"We need to move," I said. "Tomorrow. Before dawn. Find someplace else. Someplace he won't expect."
"He's going to find us anyway."
"Probably. But I want to make him work for it."
---
I didn't sleep after that.
I sat at the edge of the ridge. Bow in my lap. Eyes on the trees. Watching. Waiting.
The hours passed. The sky got lighter. The stars faded.
Sasha woke up. Stretched. Picked up her bow.
"Did you sleep?" she asked.
"No."
"You need to."
"I will when he's dead."
She looked at me for a moment. Then she nodded. Like that made sense. Like she understood.
"Wake the others," I said. "We leave in ten minutes."
---
The group moved slow.
Too slow. Some of them could barely walk. Some of them were still crying. Some of them were looking at me like I was their only chance.
I didn't want to be their only chance. I didn't want to be anything to them.
But they followed anyway. Because they didn't have anywhere else to go. Because Allen was out there. Because I was the only one who'd shot back.
We walked for hours. Through the forest. Up the mountain. Down the other side. The ground was rough. The air was cold. My back was screaming.
Sasha stayed close. Not touching. Just there.
"You're going to collapse," she said.
"No, I'm not."
"Your face is gray."
"My face is always gray."
She didn't laugh. But something in her eyes said she wanted to.
We kept walking.
---
We found a cave.
Not like the last one. Smaller. Deeper. The entrance was narrow. Hard to find. Harder to attack.
I stood at the entrance. Looked inside. Dark. Damp. Smelled like something had died here.
"This is it," I said.
"It smells," Marcus said.
"It's shelter. It's defensible. It's not out in the open." I looked at him. "We're staying."
He didn't argue. He was learning.
---
The others settled in. Some of them were too tired to be scared. Some of them were too scared to be tired.
Sasha sat next to me. Her back against the wall. Her bow in her lap.
"You think he'll find us here?" she asked.
"Eventually."
"How long do we have?"
"Days. Maybe less. He's smart. He's patient. He'll track us. Find our trail. Follow it here."
"Then what?"
I looked at her. At the scar on her jaw. At the calm in her eyes.
"Then we kill him."
"You keep saying that."
"Because I keep meaning it."
She was quiet for a moment. Then she leaned her head back against the wall. Closed her eyes.
"I believe you," she said.
I looked at the entrance. At the dark. At the trees outside.
Somewhere out there, Allen was waiting. Watching. Planning.
So was I.