Enclave

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 overhead 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.

Tegan watched me with hunger in her eyes, but not for food. She sought strength, surety, and revenge for what they’d done to her. Without thinking overlong, I slipped the club free of the loop and handed it to her.

“This is simpler than the knives. It requires less finesse. Just swing it as hard as you can until they stop moving.”

She gave a jerky nod. “This way. I’ll show you where they always start the hunt.”

Though she didn’t move silently compared with a Hunter, the noise as we drew nearer drowned out any sound we might’ve made. A high, curling wail filled the air, raising the hair on my forearms.

I glanced back at Tegan, who whispered, “That’s normal.”

We crept closer, through the gaping maw at the back of the building, and into a strange yard mounded with relics from the old world: rusted metal, tilted gates, and hunks of dead machines. Overhead, the sky loomed like a rock about to fall; it was no color I had ever seen in my short time aboveground. Swirls of green and blue made it look angry and bruised.

At Tegan’s word, I stayed behind piles of relics, moving carefully. The Wolves had Fade on his knees; he was completely surrounded. There were more than there had been earlier too. They tilted their heads back, all stomping and making that horrible noise. I couldn’t tell how badly he was injured, but when Stalker curled his hand around his neck and went in with the knife, my whole body tensed.

Tegan pinched my arm fiercely. “Not now. Our best chance is after they blood him and then send him off.”

The tactical part of my brain asserted itself. “Better not to face them all at once. If we can get to Fade first, we can take them out a few at a time.”

The strategy was not unlike hunting Freaks down in the tunnels. We’d always done our best to stay away from huge packs, so we weren’t overwhelmed. This would be the same principle, more or less.

So I stood silent while they cut him, and I counted their number, calculating how long it would take to dispatch them all. I didn’t know how Fade had faced his naming day or the white-hot marks Twist laid atop his wounds, but he hung silent while the Wolves worked on him. Hate seethed in my gut. Stalker watched it all with an amused air, as if it were all intended for his entertainment.

“Done,” Stalker said when the Wolf finished. “Run, meat. We’ll take you soon.”

Tegan and I broke from the shadows, slipping off as soon as Fade sprinted away. We made sure not to draw attention from the Wolves by rounding the building on the other side. It was a calculated risk. We might lose sight of Fade if—

He slammed into me coming around the corner of the building. His hands came to my arms to steady me automatically, and his battered face broke into a wide smile. The blood smearing his arms didn’t detract from his Hunter scars. I’d never seen anything so welcome — or so puzzling.

“What are you doing?” I demanded. “You’re not even trying to get away!”

“I circled back to cut you loose,” he said. “I thought we had a better shot together. Who’s this?”

“Tegan.” Nervous energy had her bouncing with my club in her hand.

I didn’t know whether to hug or hit him. “Let’s get out of here.”

“We’re not going to get far before the Wolves catch up,” she said. “You might surprise them at first — most meat just cries and dies — but they’ll rally.”

Fade and I shared a smile, and then I fingered my daggers. “That’s all right. We don’t want to run.”

A nearby building proved ideal for ambush; it was like the one where they’d taken me initially, but this one smelled even more unused: of wild animals and feces and weird, damp growth. While we explored, we planned. The relics here would prove helpful and dangerous, if we could use them as we wanted to.

Several factors played in our favor. First of all, the Wolves thought Tegan and I were still sitting by the fire, waiting for their triumphant return. They also didn’t realize Fade could turn almost anything into a weapon — and he fought even better bare-handed. They thought they’d laid hold of a couple cowards, a girl who would do as she was told and a boy who wasn’t brave enough to become a ganger.

This was going to be fun.

In setting the trap, we didn’t try to stem the bleeding. Fade’s wounds were light and shallow, and we wanted them to follow the trail. Before long I heard rustling that indicated one of the Wolves had taken the bait.

“Fresh,” a voice said. “He’s in here.”

“He didn’t get far,” another muttered in disgust. “I hoped he’d make this interesting.”

Fade stepped out from behind a stack of crates. “You mean like this?”

Predictably, they rushed him, making that horrible wailing noise. I guessed it was to tell the others they’d found us. I dropped one from above. My knees slammed into the boy’s back and I heard bones snapping. Fade took the other down with a kick in the crotch, and Tegan finished them.

“Two down,” she said, smiling.

I slid away from the unconscious ones, as footfalls sounded outside. They weren’t even trying to be quiet, which showed a profound disrespect for our skills. I shook my head silently at Fade, who shrugged. They’re crazy, he said with his black eyes. Who understands what they do?

Rows of crates offered hiding places, making it difficult for them to track us. Fade smeared his blood all over