Alex looked around; they had gone pretty far from the community centre. They were near the trees where he had found Shadow the week before. “Where are we going?” he asked. “I thought we were just looking for food.”
“We are,” Jared replied with a smile. “This is a shortcut.”
“Um ... okay.” Inside, part of him screamed to run away; to go back to the community centre, or at least get away from Jared. Another part of him was curious. They weren’t that far from his own house. Is that where we’re going? My house, with my food? Maybe Dad and Mary will be there!
“It won’t take long,” Jared said. “It’s nearby.”
And with that, Alex followed the boy he swore he would never trust, into the woods.
Jared stayed chatty throughout the short walk. Alex felt amazed at how friendly he was acting, and even more amazed that he was being friendly back. Maybe they could be friends. Perhaps this catastrophe was something that would unify people. It would bring them together against a common enemy. It would—
What was that noise? Alex looked around, certain he would see mudmen roaming around the woods, but there was nothing. Perhaps it was the wind, or maybe he was just hearing things.
No, there it is again. If he held his breath, he could almost hear something; like a droning noise under the snaps of twigs and crunches of leaves as they walked. He was about to ask Jared if he heard it as well, when Jared stopped.
“Right here,” he said.
When they stopped, Alex could tell the sound was real. There were mudmen close by, but Alex couldn’t see them. Am I really losing it that bad?
Jared stared at a large hole in the ground. The noises came from inside.
He walked slowly around Jared and peered into it. Four mudmen looked up, clawing at the wall, reaching toward Alex and Jared. They swiped at the air, trying to grab him, to pull him down, to feed.
He took a startled step back—straight into Jared.
Jared put one hand on his shoulder and another on the collar of his coat. He shoved Alex toward the hole.
He’s going to kill me after all.
Four pairs of dead eyes stared up at him; four mouths drooled and moaned with hunger for him. Alex couldn’t even scream—it stuck in his throat as he gasped for air, air that stank of them. He closed his eyes when the grip on his collar tightened, but then quickly snapped him back.
“Saved your life!” Jared yelled into his ear, laughing.
Alex turned, putting his back to the horrifying pit, and threw off the hand that still gripped his shoulder. “Jesus, Jared! What the hell are you doing?! You can’t just—”
“Calm down, Alec,” Jared said, grinning at him. “I’m just fucking with you.”
Alex felt an odd wave of relief rush over him. Jared hadn’t changed, not at all; he even called him Alec! But even Jared wouldn’t kill him. Jared was an awful person, but not that awful.
Then Jared’s grin vanished. He leaned so close that Alex could smell his breath and he whispered into his ear. “Don’t worry Alec, we’re all on your side.”
“What?” Alex asked, but he didn’t need an answer. That was what Kaitlyn had said to him when Jared was sleeping—when they thought Jared had been sleeping.
“Except me.” Jared shoved Alex closer to the shallow pit again.
The mudmen clamoured for him. Jared forced him back to the edge of the hole, and he felt soil loosen below his feet. Alex panicked. “Help! Help me!” he screamed, though he knew they were too far away from the community centre for anyone to hear.
“Hey!” someone in the distance shouted. “Who’s over there?”
Someone heard! Soon they would come out, and he would be saved from this psychopath. Evidently Jared thought the same thing, as he stopped and looked around nervously.
“Over here!” Alex yelled again, the force of the words tearing at his throat.
Jared tightened his hands on Alex’s coat and looked at him, thinking of the best way out of the situation. He flashed Alex a quick, ugly smile. “You’re lucky,” he growled, and flung Alex to the ground beside the hole.
“What’s going on?” said a man, as he rushed through the trees and underbrush. An adult! Or, at least an older teenager. Not only would he be saved from Jared, but they all might be saved and everything might be okay!
Quickly, the thought crumbled around him.
“Steve, buddy!” Jared called back with a smile. “What’s up?”
“Jared? Nothing much, man. Where you been? Thought you were dead or something.”
The two chatted for a while. Steve told Jared about his time since they had seen each other. Alex took the opportunity to attempt an escape. When he stood, Jared and Steve stared at him. Then Jared grinned and knocked him back to the ground.
“This is Alec-suh,” he said, pinning him down with a knee to Alex’s chest. “He’s one of the idiots living at the community centre. That’s where I’ve been for the past couple of days.”
“Really?” Steve asked, not giving Alex a second glance. “What’s going on there? Rescue centre or something?”
“Naw,” Jared said, getting more comfortable on top of Alex. “Just a bunch of kids.”
Steve looked disappointed, but Jared continued.
“But, they have food and stuff, first aid kit shit. They’re set up pretty good. Plus, the building is big and strong. It’s not too bad, actually.”
“Really?” Steve said, his interest piqued. “That sounds pretty bitchin’. Any chance I could get in on that?”
“Big, strong guy like you?” Jared laughed. “Why not?”
“So, what are you doing with your friend?”
“Just gonna feed him to them,” he said, looking back at Alex. “Just like he was going to do to me. Only, he didn’t have the balls to let it happen. Just didn’t bother warning us. Fucking pussy.”
Alex suddenly felt more afraid than he ever had. Not because Jared said he was going to feed him to mudmen; it was the way he had said it. So casually. Like he
