Enclave r-1 Page 13

  I blocked their movements with graceful speed; I never felt beautiful unless I was fighting, and even then it was something that went beyond skin and bone into the kinetic joy of successive movements. Kick, thrust, slash. I never doubted Fade at my back. I never faltered.

  The big ganger went down first. I took another one before they broke and ran. Their footsteps pounded away through the rain, leaving me staring at a couple of bodies, and blood thinning away to pink trickles. I turned to Fade and found him smiling down at me, his lashes tangled and damp.

  “I don’t think we need to worry about them,” I said.

  “Not unless they bring more. And they will, next time.”

  “Then what’re we standing here for?”

  He answered by setting the pace. We walked through the night. Fade guided us. He used the compass on his watch. I’d noticed it underground, but I didn’t know what it meant until I saw him using it. I’d always navigated by counting steps; that was how small my world was before.

  “It tells me which way is north,” he explained.

  “Did your sire ever say how far north you’d have to go?” The distance and space aboveground still bothered me. If I watched my feet as I walked and didn’t think about it, I could manage to function. But it was all so vast, and I felt tinier than ever.

  “No. He didn’t say a lot of things.”

  “At least you remember him. Sires and dams never played much part in the enclave. I mean, some Breeder looked after us, but we never knew…” I trailed off, wondering why I was telling him. It didn’t matter.

  According to Fade’s watch, we had been walking for two hours when the rain stopped. It left everything clean, though I was wet and cold. The buildings climbed to insane, unimaginable heights — and yet they were obviously dead, relics of the old days. I had the impression of immense solitude laden with expectation, like when we dragged our dead out into the tunnels and left them for the Freaks. We were alone … but not wholly. Eyes weighed on me from unseen hiding places and left me uneasy.

  Birds swooped after the small, furry creatures that scampered in the shadows. A fat, brave one paused some distance away, gnawing on a seed. This thing, I recognized; relief surged through me. I knew how to snare one, if we needed to eat. It made me feel more settled — not everything had changed.

  Fade followed my gaze and nodded. “Rats live up here too.”

  Other animals prowled the dark along with us, different than any I’d seen before. Herds of something with horns clattered down the streets. Deer, Fade said. The word meant nothing to me, except he promised they made good eating. They were fast, though, and too big for a simple snare. More cries split the silence: growls and rumbles and yowls. I couldn’t imagine what made those noises.

  “Where is everyone?” I whispered.

  The Wordkeeper had taught us enough that I knew these cities used to be filled with people, teeming crowds of them. Of course, he’d also taught us that the sky blazed fire and the rain would burn our skin from our meat and leave nothing but bones. So I couldn’t count on anything I’d learned before.

  Fade hesitated, looking young and unsure. “My dad said they left the city a long time ago. That people went north and west to get away.”

  “From what?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Maybe we can find out,” I said. “We found one book and we weren’t even looking for it. There might be more.”

  He stopped and looked through me as if remembering. “He told me about a place filled with them. A library.”

  “A place for books? Do you know where it is?”

  Fade shook his head. “We’d have to ask. It’s too dangerous to stay in the city, roaming around searching. The gangers would take us sooner or later.”

  “Is there anyone we could ask?” I gazed into the darkness, and suppressed a shiver when it seemed to stare back. “And do you think it’s worth it, trying to find out?”

  “We can do what we want, now. So I guess the better question is, how much do you want to know?”

  “A lot,” I realized aloud.

  I was no longer content to swallow the half-truths and outright lies I’d been fed as a brat. I wanted to understand everything as nobody from down below had in generations. I needed to know the truth.

  “Then there might be someone. My dad had a friend.… I’m sure he’s gone now, but he had a daughter. Pearl could tell us — if she’s alive. Her dad had maps.”

  I felt dumb, but I had to ask, “Of what?”

  “Where everything is in the ruins. Or used to be.”

  If we had complete maps of the tunnels, I wouldn’t need to count everywhere I went. How many steps, how many turns. I could memorize the paths and hold them in my mind before going into the dark. We had maps of trips we made often, like the route to Nassau, but we’d had no idea where the back ways led, or about hidden rooms full of relics, like the one Fade found.

  My awe and elation faded as I recalled that wasn’t my job anymore. I had no purpose. I wore a Huntress’s scars but I had nobody to protect.

  “Can you find her?”

  “If she hasn’t moved. It’s a lot of ifs.” He started walking.

  “Why didn’t you go to her, after your sire—”

  “Because it was too far. I barely made it to the underground.”

  “But you think we can do it now.”

  “You’re tough,” he said. “And we’re not stupid brats.”

  For the remainder of the night, we walked in silence. Fade watched for landmarks and familiar streets. I wondered what it was like for him, if he remembered passing this way with his sire and if those memories felt like another life. I tried to imagine living Topside, and even now, I found it more of a dream than a real thing, as if I would one day wake from this wild, unlikely world with Twist’s foot in my ribs and hear him demand I get up and get to work.

  In the dark, I could see as well as anyone, and I noticed the shadows almost at once. I tracked them in my peripheral vision. They seemed to be stalking us, more than readying to attack. But maybe that was worse. Maybe they were, as Fade had predicted, gathering numbers for their next attempt.

  “Do you see them?” I whispered.

  “Gangers. I told you they’d bring more.”

  “How many are there? Can you tell?”

  He shook his head. “But there will be twice as many as last time. They won’t underestimate us again.”

  Even as he spoke, they rushed. There had to be at least twenty, this time. Some were young enough that I’d call them brats. Their size made me hesitate; I’d been raised to protect brats, not fight them, so I didn’t react fast enough. I fought, but they didn’t fight like Hunters. They kicked and bit and scratched and leaped like wild animals. Sheer numbers overwhelmed me and one clubbed me across the back of the head.

  I heard Fade calling to me as the world went away.

  * * *

  When I awoke, it was dark. Not nighttime, as I’d come to know it up here, or the blackness of the tunnels, but a soft, textured darkness. They’d tied something around my eyes. I tried to sit up, found my hands bound behind my back, and slammed my face against a hard floor. I could tell they’d taken my weapons. Another shift told me my ankles had been tied too.

  Laughter erupted around me. I didn’t give them the pleasure of seeing me struggle further. Worry ate at me. Where was Fade? A strip of cloth in my mouth prevented me from speaking, or I’d call out, even if it meant a boot in the face.

  As the ringing in my ears subsided, I distinguished voices and then words. “Who gets her?” someone demanded.

  A high, thin voice answered, “I do. I brought her down. I own her.”

  A different male spoke, low and mocking. “Good work, cub. But you wouldn’t know what to do with her.”

  Instinctively, I knew I should fear the owner of that voice, even as he knelt beside me. He pulled my blindfold off and left me to recoil at the sight of him. His whole face had been carved up, not from
battle like Fade’s scars, but in a purposeful mutilation. The lines bit deep, and he’d painted them red as blood; they striped his skin in savagery. The marks shocked me, maybe because I didn’t understand their purpose.

  His eyes reflected the firelight; they were pale as rainwater and flames danced in their depths. “So you’re awake. Where do you come from that you fight like a Wolf?”

  He snatched the tie from my hair, but unlike when Fade did it, it wasn’t a pleasant shock. It was invasive, and when he twisted his hand in my hair, it hurt. He turned my face side to side, inspecting me, and pure fear slithered through me at that gesture. Those light eyes examined me as if I were a strange creature.

  I tried to tell him with my eyes that he didn’t want to do this, that he would be sorry before we finished this story, but I didn’t think it worked. In response to my look, he laughed. As I lay there, bound and helpless, I knew only one thing: I’d die first. I hadn’t fought my way out of the tunnels to wind up like this. He pulled the cloth from my mouth, just enough to let me answer.

  “Underground,” I bit out.

  Interest kindled in his savage features. He whispered, “Then you’re worth something, more than just a Breeder. Later, I want you to remember how I saved you.” He straightened and spoke loud enough for his Wolves to hear the order, this time. “Take her and clean her up. I’ll break her in personally later.”

  Hands grabbed me and towed me away. I felt each seam and divot in the floor; they would leave bruises. The place flowed over me in glimpses. I had the impression of immense space and a tall ceiling as I jolted along. Then movement stopped. My head hit the ground again.

  Someone pulled me to my feet and then knelt to untie my ankles. That person was smart enough to do it from behind, or I’d have certainly broken his or her neck with a kick. Twisting round to peer over my shoulder sent pain shooting through my skull, but I managed to see it was a girl. She was small and thin, liberally covered in bruises. Some were days old; others looked fresh. She didn’t wear any marks, so I guessed gangers only gave such status to the males.

  She left my hands tied. Smart girl. Well, relatively. She couldn’t be too smart if she took those bruises without complaining, but as I knew, you got used to anything. If she had been born here, among the gangers, she probably didn’t question that this was how things ought to be. I was having a hard time adjusting my worldview too.

  With complete indifference, she left the cloth in my mouth and went to work on me with a knife. My clothes fell away in ragged strips and then she washed me like I was a piece of junk she was trying to make ready for use. Twisting didn’t do any good; she only moved closer and completed the job.

  Then she dressed me in a long, ragged shirt like she wore. It showed way more of my legs than I liked, and she didn’t give me anything to wear underneath. I supposed that was the point. Fear tried to dilute my anger, but I didn’t let it. Instinctively I understood the purpose of this ritual. They took away my things; they reduced me in rank to one of their cowering, subservient females. But they could never take away the marks on my arms. I’d earned them.

  The strong survive, I told myself. Though it was a Hunter tenet, if anything could get me out of this, it was the resolve I’d learned in training. No matter how many times a bigger brat knocked me down in class, I got back up. I fought harder. I learned a new trick, or a new throw. Except in that match against Crane, I’d never been defeated.

  Now I regretted not laying into those brats with everything I had, but it was too late to change my circumstances. I couldn’t let panic paralyze me. This might be a new world, but I could survive it. I would.

  Finally, she untied the strip of fabric from around my face. I spat on the ground to remove the stale, fuzzy taste. I studied her face. She might’ve been pretty if she wasn’t so beaten down. The poor thing wouldn’t even meet my eyes.

  “I’m Deuce,” I said. “And you are?”

  She glanced up in surprise, as if she hadn’t known I could talk. “Tegan.”

  “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 o
verhead 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.