《Endurance (Razorland #1.5)》


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    Chapter 1


    The enclave was quiet the day normalcy died.


    Usually, Thimble heard the hunters preparing for patrol. They had promoted a couple of new bloods to fill out their numbers, and they kept College territory clear of Freaks?the bane of their existence, the reason for the Hunters and the barricades. The feral creatures stalked the underground world where they lived, feeding on


    anything at all. They ate animals if they could find them, or people


    or their own dead. The beasts were hideous, other, and only the Wordkeeper knew where they?d come from.


    As keeper of all enclave lore, the Wordkeeper decided what stories should be told, what information to pass on. He was an enclave elder; though he was younger than Whitewall?the chief elder?he had a meaner air. The Wordkeeper had long, spidery fingers and red-streaked eyes, likely from poring over artifacts people brought him. Thimble had listened to his stories as a brat, and he?d always frightened her. His gaze lingered on her with faint disapproval; he did not support the weakness of permitting a flawed child to draw on community resources, even if she made herself useful, even if she worked twice as hard as the other Builders.


    From her time at the Wordkeeper?s knee, Thimble knew the old legends?that their people had come underground long ago to escape the dangers of the surface. Water fell from the sky that would burn your skin from your bones, and the air was like fire. Topside, people died in droves; their bodies rotted where they fell. Only Down Below were they safe. The earth offered shelter.


    There was some communication among the underground tribes, but most were insular, permitting only occasional trade. Nassau had been their closest neighbor, but the Freaks wiped them out. Ate everyone. The elders pretended the other enclave had done something wrong, that they deserved their fate. Thimble feared the worst might be inevitable, but she wasn?t important enough for anyone to listen to her misgivings. She was only a Builder, who kept fellow citizens in useful goods.


    After the elders had banished her best friend, Deuce, for alleged hoarding, discontent spiked. Few truly believed the Huntress had committed that crime, for she had taken her duty to protect the community seriously, but all feared showing support. If exile came down upon her, it could happen to anyone. It had been so hard for Thimble to let it happen without protesting, but she wasn?t brave enough to join her friend. She?d told herself that her bad foot would only slow Deuce down; most nights, that was cold comfort. Outwardly, life went on; they pretended to follow elder edicts, but in secret conclaves, people whispered, and those soft words fomented rebellion.


    By now she ought to have heard the Hunters leaving. Her heart beat a little faster. Instead, footsteps sounded in the warren beyond, constructed of scrap metals and fabrics. Then Twist strode into the kitchen area, blades in his hands; weapons were forbidden to him as Whitewall?s assistant. He had been a Builder before his elevation in status, and he shouldn?t be armed. His expression was steady as he swept the brats assembled to devour tidbits from other meals. That would have been shocking enough, but twenty citizens stood at his back, silently supporting this fracture of enclave rules. They were a mixed lot, some Hunters, some Breeders, some Builders, but all shared Twist?s stoic resolve.


    Thimble stared. She stilled, hoping this didn?t mean what she feared. But perhaps this confrontation was inevitable. Change had been brewing since the elders sent Deuce and Fade on the long walk; Twist heralded the revolution.


    ?Whitewall will banish you all for this,? Copper spat.


    She was an elder herself, and she served as Whitewall?s occasional mate, though they had both passed out of breeding age. Elders came from all three castes, supposedly to make equitable decisions, but Thimble had never seen any evidence that was the case. Once a citizen turned twenty-two, he was eligible to be promoted from the castes of Builder, Breeder, or Hunter to elder status, and there was an election process, but people had been whispering for a while that it was corrupt and only those who supported the status quo wholeheartedly had any chance of reaching that office.


    ?No, he won?t,? Twist replied. ?You?ll send nobody else on the long walk. You?ve killed your last innocent.?


    Thimble remembered Banner, who had died in the female lavatory with her arms slashed open. People had said the girl, who had been a Builder, must have indulged in unsanctioned physical activity, resulting in a forbidden pregnancy. Unable to bear the thought of the long walk, she had taken her own life and that of her unborn brat?to spare them both the shame and degradation of a slower death. But there had been murmurs of dissent from those who knew Banner and spoke highly of her, albeit never in the elders? hearing.


    She wouldn?t have done that, they said. It?s just another example of the elders governing through dread.


    Terror tightened Thimble?s throat. The rules might be terrible and unfair, but what would happen to the enclave if everything fell to pieces, if they permitted conflict inside the barricades? The tunnels spanned unimaginable distances; nobody knew exactly far they ran or why they had been built. There were no maps. The College Enclave was the only world she?d ever known. Thimble had never seen the tunnels for herself, only heard stories from returning Hunters.


    She couldn?t speak, watching with horrified eyes as disaster loomed. The hiss of roasting meat seemed too mundane for this moment; fat sizzled in the flames as it dropped, punctuating the anger that radiated from Twist like a disease. He was a small male, stunted?not physically capable of qualifying as a Hunter?yet he held his weapon without fear. Thimble had the sense of the world crumbling beneath her, as Copper and Twist exchanged stares.


    ?The Hunters will destroy you,? Copper promised.


    Twist smiled. ?They?re not all blindly loyal. Some will stand and fight with me. Though I want to kill all of you for what you did to Banner, it doesn?t have to end this way. I?m better than you. Therefore, if Whitewall permits an honest election of new elders, who will evaluate our current practices and amend them as necessary, then this dispute can be resolved peacefully. I want what?s best for the enclave, not what grants me the most power.?


    Before Copper could respond, the crowd parted to show Whitewall, bent and withered, with a glint of pure malice in his yellow-brown eyes. ?There can be only one response to lawbreakers. If you come against me, traitor, be prepared to die.?


    ?I am,? Twist said. ?Are you??


    Whitewall went for his weapon.


    Without hesitation, Twist whipped his knife toward the elder. Thimble tracked each endless turn of the blade, as if time had slowed. Then things snapped back into normal speed. The dagger vibrated when it struck Whitewall in the chest; and she knew enough of the human body to understand that when the elder crumpled, he would not rise again. Screaming, wild-eyed with shock, Copper seized a heavy metal pan. She lashed out, nearly caving in a brat?s skull.


    That freed everyone else from unnatural stillness. While chaos exploded around her, Thimble crouched, beckoning to the frightened brats. They had no idea what was going on, and they were too young to take sides; they only knew their world was dissolving.


    ?Come!? Thimble called quietly. ?Hurry!?


    A few obeyed instinctively, whimpering with fear, but others ran, wailing, from the cook space. Tears burned in her eyes. Oh, Stone. I need to find you. He was the only friend she had left since Deuce had gone. But she couldn?t turn away. The brats took priority.


    ?This way,? she urged.


    There might be no safety anywhere, but she had to try. Five brats whose numbers she didn?t know trailed close as she led them through the enclave. The battle raged all around, fighting on all sides, and the sweet, coppery stink of blood hung heavy in the smoky air. If we don?t fight, we?ll be all right when the conflict ends. They won?t kill neutral survivors if they want the enclave to endure. They?ll need us to rebuild and repopulate.


    It was a faint, desperate hope, and one that permitted her to weave a dangerous path toward the far end of the brat dorm. Twice, she came up against an armed, blood-spattered Hunter, looming over her in the dark, and Thimble nearly died of fear. With a brat clinging to each hand, both her legs, she couldn?t fight. And even if she had a weapon, she lacked the skill and coordination.


    So she whispered, ?Please.?


    She wasn?t too proud to beg for their lives. In piteous unison, the brats echoed that single word.


    Both times, the Hunters stepped back and permitted them to pass. There was no telling where their allegiances lay?to Twist or Whitewall?but they weren?t murderous monsters. From their first breaths, they had trained to protect the enclave, not prey on its most helpless citizens. Thimble stumbled onward, trying to get far, far away from the impossible. The unthinkable. At last, she reached safety, where she found other brats cowering. They crawled to her with bloody hands, palms split from their panicked flight. Most likely, the Hunters hadn?t meant to hurt them, but accidents happened. Thimble drew down one of the fabric dividers and arranged it around them in a pitiful attempt at concealment. The young ones curled around her while they listened to the screams of the dying.


    Chapter 2


    Stone had never killed anything. Not an animal. Not an insect. His most sacred charge came in preserving life; he tended the brats when they took ill. He fed them. Played with them. Sometimes he taught them small things, like how to cut meat or tie a knot?nothing significant, the elders argued. It wasn?t as if he played a vital role in enclave life, not like the Wordkeeper. Anyone with two hands could clean the filth off a brat?s backside.


    Fearing a freak attack, he?d stumbled into the common area, ready to pitch in, and found that his fellow citizens had gone crazy. Thimble had mentioned something about unrest, but he?d ignored her. He had thought, You worry too much. As it turned out, she had been right. I wish I?d listened. But


    how could anyone expect this? All around him, they fought with whatever weapons fell to hand. People were bleeding and dying; death hung heavy in the air.


    He backed away, thinking only to hide, but a Hunter stopped him with a look that promised Stone?s end, unless he did something really right. The boy shoved a weapon at him; Stone took the blade awkwardly, stupid with shock.


    ?Fight or die,? the Hunter demanded. ?Are you with us??


    ?With who?? He heard the break in his voice, knowing distress made him weak?unsuited to any task but breeding and caring for the young. A smarter male would know what to do, so maybe it was best he had been given only simple work. But that lack left him helpless now.


    ?Twist, or the elders. Whitewall?s dead, and the Wordkeeper?s corpse is right over there.?


    Stone fought his urge to look but in the end, he couldn?t help it. The elder lay sprawled on his side, a dark pool spreading from his cut throat. Behind him, blood spattered the wall. His stomach lurched, and he tightened his hand on the knife to try to control the nausea.


    There was no way out of this nightmare. ?What side are you on??


    ?I?m with Twist,? the Hunter snapped, like that should have been obvious. Maybe it would?ve been to anyone else.


    At the best of times, he wasn?t quick to connect puzzle pieces or work things out. He?d always had Thimble for that. An ache sprang up in his chest.


    Where is she?


    The look in the Hunter?s eye told Stone that if he answered wrong, he?d get a dagger in the chest and end up in a pile next to the Wordkeeper. From this point on, everything would change. No matter who won, the enclave couldn?t continue as it had. Too many lives had already been lost.

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    ?Me too,? he said quickly.


    At that, the Hunter gave a satisfied nod. ?I?m not surprised. You must?ve have noticed how unfair the rules are and how few lawbreakers actually did anything at all. Your best friend went on the long walk, didn?t she? Took the blame for you.?


    The pain in his heart increased. He?d known what she was doing. Stone had pretended to believe in Deuce?s confession to settle any doubts the elders might have about him. He?d been thinking of the brat in his arms, the little one he wasn?t supposed to love. Unfortunately, he knew which one belonged to him, the little guy with his eyes and his smile, and it was impossible for him not to care. It just was. He would?ve said anything to keep his brat safe, and he had. Turned his back on his best friend and left her to die. The guilt of that moment would always haunt him. But maybe his moments were numbered, and it didn?t matter anymore.


    Apparently he?d just joined the rebellion.


    He went with the Hunter into battle, and only luck let him endure the massacre. Stone stuck close to his companion and slashed with desperate doubt at anything that came close. His size helped; it was rare for anyone to grow so tall. The Wordkeeper said he was a throwback, whatever that meant, a relic of a time when people ate better and grew larger. Stone only knew his long arms let him slam people away. He didn?t want to hurt them. The idea of using this blade on someone?his stomach turned. But he couldn?t help it. Stone tried, but they kept coming. Just shoving them away wasn?t enough, and the Hunter was staring at him.


    Someone else lunged at him; and he reacted. With one thrust, he killed a girl, a Huntress, who?d come up in Deuce?s class. She wasn?t experienced, strong, or particularly skilled. Her throat yielded to his knife like the meat he cut for the brats, and hot blood poured over his fingers. The smell was coppery and sweet, and it made his tongue feel thick to breathe the heavy air. Her body plopped, and another Hunter rushed at him.


    Why won?t they stop? What?s the point?


    Stone wept as he fought until his arms were heavy and he smelled nothing but burnt meat and despair. His lungs burned raw; his eyes stung from the sweat trickling into them. His blade grew sticky, until it disgusted him to hold it. The Hunter beside him smiled, like they had done good work.


    And then it was over.


    Silk?s cohort encircled them. The blonde woman who commanded the Hunters strode forward, demanding, ?Put down your weapons.?


    The rebel Hunter rushed and died on her blade. With deceptive strength, she caught the young man she?d once led and laid him beside the other bodies. In someone else, Stone would?ve judged her expression as bleak and infinite grief.


    But Silk firmed her chin, the look faded, and she leveled an icy stare on him. ?Do you prefer death to the long walk, traitor??


    What will become of Boy23? That was his brat?s number. It seemed impossible and wrong that he would never learn the boy?s name or whether he survived. He?d betrayed Deuce for nothing. Maybe, he thought, some fates can?t be avoided


    and I?ll always be banished for the crime of loving him.


    The long walk had become a synonym for slow death. For those of the underground tribes, it meant exile, but there was no light at the end of the tunnels. Other settlements wouldn?t harbor lawbreakers, and everyone knew it was death to venture Topside. Might be better to take the blade in the gut. Faster, anyway.


    But he couldn?t summon the courage to speak those words. Instead, others came out. ?I?ll go, if I can beg one favor.?


    ?You?re in no position to bargain with me,? Silk snapped. ?I don?t have time for this.?


    She didn?t; it was true. The survivors had to clean up the bodies before plague set in. Dead meat attracted bad things. If they didn?t act fast, the enclave would be swarming with Freaks. That might happen anyway, if the smell got to the monsters and drove them to frenzy.


    ?Let me find Thimble to say good-bye. We were brat-mates.? That wasn?t the whole reason, of course. He meant to ask her to watch over Boy23 for him, but Silk wouldn?t get why. Farewell, she understood.


    ?Fine. Locate her and say what?s needed. You?d be given time to collect your personal items under normal circumstances anyway.?


    Stone squared his shoulders, grateful he would be permitted this much. Living would be hard anyway, after the things he had done. Breeders gave life and preserved it; they didn?t kill.


    ?Wait.? She seemed to reconsider, taking stock of the ruined common area. ?Look, I?m the last elder. Which means I?m in charge. And I didn?t always agree with how they ran things.?


    They, meaning Copper, Whitewall, and the Wordkeeper? He waited to for her to go on.


    ?If you swear your loyalty, the enclave could use you. I?ll do the elections like Twist wanted and everything, though rebuilding has to be my priority. Frankly, right now, we don?t have the numbers left for me to send people Topside for the sake of old traditions.?


    ?I swear,? he said hoarsely. ?I won?t fight you. I won?t plot anything.?


    ?Then find Thimble. Do a headcount and let me know how many people made it.?


    ?Including brats??


    ?Yes.? With that, she turned to her remaining Hunters and snapped terse instructions regarding cleanup, but Stone didn?t wait to hear more.


    He threw down the knife and sprinted with ever-increasing speed, hurdling bodies and smoldering piles of refuse. The neat organization of their enclave had vanished in a few, devastating hours. It would take weeks to restore order. When he passed Twist?s broken body, he paused. You got what you wanted, I guess, even if you didn?t live to see it. You changed things.


    With each moment that he failed to find Boy23 or Thimble, his heart pressed up into his throat. It felt like it would split into two meaty pieces and come up in a hot gush of sickness, worsened by the stench of the dead and dying. This place no longer felt like home; there was no safety. Just wreckage.


    If they?re gone, I will be too. I can?t survive this without them.


    Then he came at last to the brat dorm, where he spotted movement within a makeshift shelter deep in the shadows. Stone flew across that distance, hardly daring to hope. When he opened the curtain and found Thimble there, safe and whole, surrounded by brats, he smiled for the first time in what felt like forever. He?s there, my little Boy23. She saved him. Oh, Thimble.


    He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around all of them. He might never let go.


    Chapter 3


    At first, relief wouldn?t let Thimble speak.


    She clung to Stone, inhaling the smoky scent of him. He trembled against her, his heart hammering like it would pound through his chest and into hers. He touched her as he never had, his hands on her hair, her back, not casual touches, but fierce ones, like he couldn?t believe she?d survived, like it meant everything.


    Don?t read into this, she told herself. You?re friends. Brat-mates. Nothing else is permissible between a Breeder and a Builder.


    ?How did you find him?? he asked, when he sat back, a hand resting on a brat?s head.


    Thimble took a closer look and realized belatedly this was the Stone?s own brat. She should confess it had been accidental?that she hadn?t saved him through any special skill or effort. But she couldn?t lose the look in his eyes.


    ?Just luck,? she murmured.


    ?Thank you.? He pressed a kiss to the top of the brat?s head, and the boy went into his arms, nestling against Stone?s side as she?d seen so often. ?I?m supposed to find out how many citizens made it and report back to Silk. Will you be all right here??


    Thimble scrambled to her feet and nearly fell when her ankle turned. He caught her as he?d done before, and her cheeks burned. She didn?t want to be weak and imperfect in his eyes.


    ?She?s in charge now, I take it?? She didn?t wait for confirmation.


    Quickly, Thimble counted the brats, who whimpered with fear and hunger. They hadn?t been able to finish their meals. No bells tolled the time any longer, but it had been a while. But maybe all the food hadn?t been ruined. Cold, charred meat was better than nothing.


    ?Would you watch him for me?? Stone asked.


    She took the brat without hesitation; the little one mattered to her friend, so she?d do her best. ?I don?t know how safe it is,? he added quietly. ?I?ll look for you later.?


    She nodded. ?I?ll try to find something for us to eat.?


    To her astonishment, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. She?d seen such gestures exchanged between Breeders, who touched each other with a careless, lovely warmth, but Stone had never done more than sling his arm around her shoulders or steady her when she stumbled. With wondering fingers, she touched the warm spot on her skin and watched him stride away into the murky darkness.


    ?Well.? With some effort, she rallied for the sake of the brats. ?Stay together. There must be dinner around here somewhere.?


    ?Miss Thimble,? a brat said timidly.


    ?Yes??


    ?Why did the world end??


    It wasn?t a question about Topside; she realized that much. So he wanted to know about the recent fighting. Impossible to explain such things someone so young.


    But she tried as she picked a careful path through the wreckage. ?The elders had rules that weren?t fair. They punished people who didn?t do anything bad. Some other people got angry and wanted the elders to stop, but they wouldn?t, and so they fought.?


    ?Who won?? a girl piped.


    ?Nobody,? Thimble said softly.


    ?Everything?s broken and dirty and we didn?t get any breakfast,? another brat put in.


    She couldn?t remember their numbers. That wasn?t uncommon in the enclave. Only fellow brat-mates bothered to learn the numerical designations for everyone in their dorm. To everyone else, the brats were underfoot and interchangeable, unless they proved strong enough to earn a name. Today, that saddened her.


    The tallest brat asked, ?Who will take care of us??


    ?I will,? she replied.


    ?But you?re a Builder.?


    ?Once things are back to normal, the Breeders will take over.? If enough of them survived. ?But until then, you?re with me.?


    ?Thank you.? The brat holding her free hand squeezed it.


    Stone?s brat wrapped an arm around her neck and put his head on her shoulder. A dirty thumb went into his mouth. An odd softness radiated through her at the way he nestled there, such perfect trust. This brat was part of the boy she?well, her friend, Stone.


    She spoke with more confidence than she felt. ?Come on.?


    Thimble averted her eyes from the worst of the carnage, guiding her charges away from the deceased. But one girl stood fast, her face sick and pale as she stared at a fallen female.


    After endless moments, she lifted damp eyes in a thin and dirty face. ?That was my dam. I wasn?t supposed to know, but she gave me extra meat at meals.?


    Thimble would have felt better if the brat had cried, but the girl swallowed her tears like gravel and her gaze went flat and still, fixed on nothing in particular. She didn?t stare at the dead Breeder anymore. With a choked reassurance that even she didn?t believe, Thimble went on toward the kitchen area where the conflict had started. She found offal, blood, chunks of flesh, severed limbs, and corpses already attracting flies. The stench stole her breath.


    We can?t eat in here.


    ?There must be stores somewhere,? she said aloud.


    The brat who had asked about their welfare suggested, ?The fish pools??


    ?Let?s go see.?


    Please let them be intact.


    She moved as fast her bad foot could carry her. The fish pools were forbidden to any but Copper and Whitewall, but at this point the old rules didn?t matter. The brats constituted slim hope for the future, and she had to provide for them. To her vast relief, the dim tunnel where the forebears had broken holes in the rock remained untouched. No dead littered this part of the enclave; the fighting hadn?t spread this deep.

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    In the faint torchlight, the water rippled with movement. Which meant the fish were alive. Fresh. Healthy. Some of the worry loosened its stranglehold on her chest. Thimble grabbed the nearby net and scooped out three fish. She didn?t know how to cook, how to prepare them, but she knew they didn?t have bones or scales when she ate them, so that was a place to start.


    ?We can?t cook in the kitchen area,? a brat said. ?It?s bad there.?


    ?I?ll build a fire pit.?


    Somehow.


    Chapter 4


    It took Stone longer than he liked to count the survivors. Not because there were so many, but he wasn?t good with numbers. More than once, he had to start over, until he finally had the depressing figure to carry back to Silk. Everyone he saw questioned him about what would happen to College, now that the battle was over. He could only shake his head.


    In the common area, Silk had already made some headway dealing with the bodies. Her remaining Hunters had been put to work, cleaning up the wreckage. He didn?t see how it would be possible to make the community so nice again; it had taken years to haul in all the scrap meal.


    The commander of the Hunters greeted him with an impatient look. ?Well?? After Stone made his report, Silk paced. ?That?s less than half our original population. What about the brats??


    ?We lost four.?


    ?Better than all,? a big Hunter put in.


    Crane, he thought. Deuce had fought him during the exhibition. He was tough, strong and unshakable in his loyalty to Silk. Something about the way the Hunter stood made Stone think Crane had feelings for his captain that he wasn?t supposed to. Not that Silk seemed to notice. Hunters weren?t allowed to have personal connections.


    ?How?s cleanup coming outside the common area?? she demanded. ?The cook space??


    ?People are working on it,? Crane replied.


    Stone took that chance to slip away, but before he found Thimble and Boy23, a Builder cornered him. ?You?re strong. You should be hauling bodies.?


    He drew in a breath, wanting to protest, but part of him felt like he should suffer for his role in the slaughter. ?Show me where to go.?


    Like the fighting, his hours on cleanup passed in a miserable blur. By the time he cleared his section of the enclave, he was half-blind with exhaustion. Stone couldn?t remember when he?d last eaten or slept. But before he found a quiet, clean place to lie down, he had to find Thimble and Boy23. They had become his center.


    So he stumbled through the enclave, eyes burning, and didn?t stop until he located Thimble back by the fish pools. A fire smoked lazily before her, and he smelled the remnants of a meal. She?d created pallets for the brats, and they slept huddled together for warmth and comfort. Her expression brightened when she saw him, but he held up a hand to keep her from getting up.


    ?You?re all right??


    ?Tired,? she said softly. ?I don?t know when I?ve been so tired. I haven?t even had a chance to see the workshop yet.?


    He grimaced. ?It?s bad. I cleaned in there earlier.?


    ?So that?s why you were gone so long.?


    ?Were you worried?? Stone knew he shouldn?t be glad that she cared when everything was such a mess, but


    ?A little.?


    ?Did he give you any trouble?? Stone tilted his head at his brat.


    ?No, he?s sweet. And asleep.? She shifted, revealing Boy23 curled on his side behind her.


    ?Thanks again. I don?t know what I?d do if anything happened to him.?


    Though her gaze sharpened, she didn?t say anything. He?d always been able to tell Thimble anything, and she was gentle when his jokes were dumb, not funny. Sometimes he didn?t realize when he?d gone too far or mentioned something best left alone. Others weren?t as kind.


    She lifted a shoulder, dismissing her own importance, as she often did. ?I saved you some fish.?


    ?Thank you.? Stone ate ravenously. He didn?t know when he?d ever had anything so fine, even if it was charred on the outside and raw within.


    ?I?m not a very good cook.? Those were specialized Builders, who had been under Copper?s supervision. Stone had no idea who would run the cook space now.


    Eventually, she said softly, ?We should rest.?


    Thimble tossed him a blanket and he wrapped up. The floor was hard without even a thin layer of rags for his pallet, but it felt good to stretch out. As they?d done a thousand times before in the brat dorm, she lay down near him, close enough that he could touch her if he stretched his arm out. And he wanted to; he didn?t know why exactly, except she was smart and brave, and she was always there.


    Hesitantly, Stone put out his hand and rubbed a lock of her dark hair between his thumb and forefinger. She stared at him over the curve of her arm, eyes wide, but she didn?t tell him to stop. Instead her hand came up to cover his fingers and he threaded them together. He fell asleep that way, feeling only Thimble?s touch and hearing only the comforting, shallow breaths that meant the brats were safe and sound.


    In the morning, the remaining Breeders came in search of the little ones. ?The dorm?s clean. We can take them. You should return as well.?


    A chill ran down his spine as he watched the brats trail away with forlorn glances over their shoulders. They?d bonded with Thimble and none of them wanted to leave her. Tears streamed down their small faces, smudging the soot. But when his offspring cried, Stone picked him up, earning a hard look, but he defied the woman to say anything. This wasn?t the time.


    ?I?ll keep him,? he said, not meeting her gaze. ?After I check in with Silk, I?ll join you.?


    The Breeder frowned. ?Check in about what??


    It was none of her business how he?d gotten in trouble. Strictly speaking, he wasn?t even a pure Breeder anymore, as he?d broken the rules and fought. He?d used weapons and shed blood. The memory of the battle rose up in a red-tinged madness, and he squeezed his eyes shut. He didn?t open them until he heard silence where there had been movement.


    ?You don?t look well,? Thimble said.


    His tone came out sharper than he intended. ?That?s a shame since it?s what I?m best at.?


    People often commented on his looks, acting like he couldn?t be hurt by their dismissive tones. Sometimes he?d wanted to shout that he could be more than a Breeder, if they let him. The few times he said something along those lines, the laughter shut him up. They had mocked, Why would you want anything else? You got food and easy work, just for?


    His hands curled into fists. Some of the Hunters had acted like he was lucky because he got to mate on command. But it wasn?t wonderful when it was work. Sometimes it was even difficult to find the necessary interest, if he disliked the female Breeder he had been assigned. Sometimes it was awful; and sometimes, just awkward. They?ll need you even more in days to come. The thought of bringing more brats into this situation sickened him.


    ?You?re good with the brats.?


    And killing girls, too. His head swam with dark images.


    ?I hope things settle down,? he muttered.


    ?Me too.? But her expression didn?t reveal much hope. ?What happened, Stone? We?ve never lied to each other and I can see there?s something


    but if you?d rather not tell me, just say so.?


    ?I fought.? Two words shouldn?t cut his throat like that. The sickness intensified.


    Thimble stilled, as if trying to decide how to respond. Finally, she asked, ?For who??


    ?For my life. I didn?t have much choice.?


    ?Was it bad?? Her sympathy almost killed him.


    ?Yeah,? he rasped. ?Bad.?


    They shared a worried glance, and then she said, ?I should get to the workshop.?


    He nodded, shifting Boy23 to a more comfortable position on his hip. ?I?ll see you soon.?


    Chapter 5


    Thimble found the workshop in utter disarray.


    A few Builders had arrived before her, and they were attempting to instill some order in the chaos, salvaging the materials hadn?t been destroyed. She could tell what items had been used as weapons by the dark stains dried upon them. Rod, the head Builder, had survived and he led the restoration, but he wore a sad, drawn look, as if he knew conflict like this only ended in grief. He was the oldest of the Builders; he had few close friends, but the workshop had been his pride and joy.


    Finally, Rod turned to Thimble with a sigh. He didn?t seem to think they could really restore order, but he said, ?Start sorting by type.?


    She set to work. A long while later, she was still at it when the screaming started. It wasn?t the shrill pitch of alarm; this was the raw sound of human agony. Thimble cut a look at Rod, who seemed dull and empty. He should be giving instructions, taking charge, but instead, she had to prompt him.


    ?What?s happening??


    Before he could respond, the stench hit her, distinct from the human dead, charred meat, and spilled blood. This was a deeper rot, that of bone-deep corruption, and though she?d never smelled it herself, she had heard the stories from the Hunters. From Deuce.


    Horror paralyzed her throat for countless moments, then she rasped, ?Freaks.?


    Rod offered a slight, hopeless nod. No words could suffice, now.


    ?What do we do??


    The head Builder shrugged. ?Hide. Die. It doesn?t matter. The enclave is finished, like Nassau. We don?t have the numbers or resources to drive off an attack right now.?


    ?They?re inside the barricades?? she asked.


    ?If not now, then soon. There?s no point in any of this.? With that, he strode from the workshop; though where he was going, Thimble had no idea. Death rode on his shoulder like a winged shadow, stalking his every step, and she knew she would not see him again.


    I let the brats go, she remembered. The Breeders are with them. Hopefully, they?ll protect them. Find somewhere to hide?


    But when she heard the distant cries of young voices, abruptly cut short, she realized it hadn?t been enough. Fear and weakness drove her to her knees, and it made her feel as though the long hours she?d guarded them had been for nothing. The awareness hit her so hard she lost her breath. Losing brats was inevitable in the enclave. Sometimes they got sick, and they didn?t get better. It was sad


    and it was life. But this? Wasn?t normal. Not losing so many at once to monstrous, starving beasts.


    I let them go. I let them down. They were our future


    The loss settled just below her heart like a blade buried in her chest. Nobody would ever be able to dig it out. She would die with this knife cutting her endlessly from within. I should have fought for them when that Breeder came. Yet that was unreasonable; it would?ve flouted enclave rules, and she checked the thought below the tide of grief.


    Just beyond the workshop, Silk snapped at her Hunters, ?Take the fight to them. Guard the access points. If we force them to bottleneck, we have a chance.?


    ?Do we really?? a deep male voice asked.


    Silence came in reply. Maybe they had moved out of earshot. Maybe.


    But Thimble could imagine what the small, fierce woman would say. Odds don?t matter. We fight. To the last man, to the last breath, we fight. The imagined words, even echoing in her own head, gave her the courage to push to her feet. Her ankle throbbed with tenderness that lanced all the way down into her toes. She ignored it; she was accustomed to the pain.


    Sounds of combat sprang up all over the enclave, which echoed with snarls and growls, inhuman screams of pain choking off in a wet gurgle. The Hunters were giving everything they had. Over the din, Silk shouted orders, but she was short of breath. She wasn?t just commanding; she was fighting. And that meant the situation was dire.


    I have to get out of here. But where?

 Page 4

    As she went at an uneven run, she?d never hated her affliction more, but Thimble slammed into Stone before she?d gotten twenty paces. The collision knocked the breath out of her. He wrapped his free arm around her; he had Boy23 cradled in the other. Quickly, quietly, he leaned his forehead against hers. It was something they?d always done, a secret Deuce hadn?t shared, and with this furtive hello, they said a number of things. He conveyed affection for a brat-mate; she spoke of emotions that she wasn?t permitted to feel for him.


    ?If we stay, we?ll die,? she said quietly.


    Running might result in the same end, however. The idea of going into the tunnels terrified her. She?d never left the enclave in her life, and her bad foot added another handicap to an already impossible situation. Freaks lived in the tunnel?inhuman and mad with hunger. She wasn?t overstating the danger. If Silk and her Hunters fell, they had no hope.


    By his expression, Stone knew as much. ?I can smell them.?


    Thimble inhaled. The stink she?d noticed before had grown more intense; it was a deep rot, like a corpse ten days old and full of writhing larvae. It was more powerful than the other bad smells in the enclave, indicative of many monsters.


    ?They?re close,? she said.


    Thimble shivered. She didn?t know how many Hunters remained, but the Freaks would come to investigate this area once they finished feeding on the others. Inaction would doom them.


    ?We have to try,? she whispered.


    ?Why?? His voice broke. ?We?ve lost everything. There?s no point.?


    She hated seeing him like this. His despair felt tangible, a cobweb drifting across her skin. ?Not everything. You saved your brat. We?re alive, and Silk is fighting. Gather some supplies. I?ll go back to the workshop. Meet me here as soon as you can.?


    ?Do you think we have a chance??


    ?I do,? she lied.


    He was a Breeder. She was a Builder. How they could survive the tunnels and the terrible things lurking in them, she had no idea, but she wouldn?t consent to dying in the dark, either. Ideas were her specialty, so since their lives depended on it, she?d come up with the perfect one.


    Just watch me.


    Bravado carried her away from Stone into the darkness and back toward the Builder domain. Thimble found a number of useful, untested inventions, some of which were her own. She tucked them into a pack, trying to be quick. Medical supplies, potential weapons that didn?t require a lot of skill in the wielding, armor to make it difficult for Freak teeth and claws to penetrate. Many of these things had been intended for Hunter use, but they wouldn?t need them again.


    Silk couldn?t win this fight. The conflict had thinned her Hunters too much, and the Freaks were numerous. Strong. Gorged on the flesh they?d claimed in Nassau. Even now, Thimble heard the battle waning. Wounded and weary, the Hunters would fight to the last man, to the last breath, but it wouldn?t be enough. College was lost. Conceding this ground didn?t feel like giving up, though. Not when she was feverishly planning for the future.


    So hard to believe everything could change so quickly, but there was no point in wishing. She might as well wish to have her best friend back while she was at it, because Deuce had always known how to fight. Her facility with weapons might have saved Stone and Thimble, at least.


    But she had to work with her own strengths, most of which seemed bitterly unsuited to surviving the tunnels. Still, she geared up in armor she?d meant to offer her friend as a gift; there had been no chance before Deuce went on the long walk. She was smaller than the other girl, so the laces had to be tightened. No matter. Thimble attended to it with grim determination. The leather and padding would keep teeth and claws from her fragile flesh.


    If only my ankle was stronger.


    Her foot?not that she ever let anyone see it?turned inward. She?d created a brace to keep it from failing under normal circumstances, but this escape attempt would require great endurance. Thimble didn?t know if she could keep up with Stone, but without her resolve, he wouldn?t go. She knew that. They had gotten closer since Deuce had been sent away, and he?d wept in Thimble?s arms.


    ?She confessed for me,? Stone had whispered.


    At the time, it had seemed vital to pretend to accept that judgment in order to keep their society functioning while they sorted out some better alternative. But that deception had been for nothing. They might as well have staged the rebellion right then for all the good it did later. Now the old ways lay broken with nothing to replace them. Thimble wondered if the cruelties and restrictions had been worth the resultant safety?it was a tough question and not one she could answer.


    Bigger issues were crashing around the enclave, killing survivors. As she gazed around at the workshop, the torch crackling, an idea dawned. Dangerous. Possibly hopeless, but better than not trying. A slow breath escaped her. The stench grew stronger, which meant she didn?t have long.


    Thimble got to work.


    Chapter 6


    The noises terrified him.


    Stone knew it wasn?t manly to admit it, even to himself, but he hadn?t been raised for bravery. Right then, he had a crushing weight of pain for all the brats he hadn?t protected. As a Breeder, he had only one job?caring for the young?and that he?d lost them to an unexpected Freak attack didn?t make the failure easier to bear. The idea of fighting again made him want to vomit. Maddening echoes of those he?d killed rang in his head. Not monsters. Citizens. But it wasn?t just his life hanging in the balance. There was Thimble to consider, also.


    So he did as she?d asked and found provisions. In his arms, Boy23 shifted and made a small baby sound against his neck. He didn?t talk yet. Sometimes he blabbered nonsense, but since the fighting had broken out he?d been scared and silent. He hadn?t even entered basic brat training. That started at three, and at eight they divided into subgroups. At fifteen they joined the caste for which they?d trained. But none of that awaited Boy23; he wouldn?t even remember the enclave, provided they survived. That didn?t seem likely.


    Yet he wouldn?t give up. Not when Thimble and his brat needed him. Right now, she was working her magic to try and save them. He could do no less.


    In the warren on the way to the workshop, Thimble met him halfway. Her halting step gave her away before she came into sight, a torch blazing in her hand. He took a step closer to her, as she represented everything he had left. The familiarity of her narrow face with its wide eyes and pointed chin gave him hope; it fluttered in his chest with a tight sweetness. He wanted to reach for her as he?d always done, tucking her beneath his arm. He would feel better if he kept Thimble close.


    ?I?ve got an idea,? she said.


    That was her specialty, not his. In fact, he wondered what purpose he could serve, other than making her feel less alone. He could carry things, he supposed. Stone was accustomed to packing two or three brats around, one in each arm, and sometimes one on his back as well. That had made him relatively strong, at least. Her Builder friends had said he had a fitting name, because he was as stupid as the smooth, flat rock his blood had fallen upon in the naming rite. With his free hand, he touched the stone in his pocket for comfort and reassurance.


    ?What can I do??


    Quickly, she explained and then handed him the supplies necessary for his part. Because Thimble seemed sure it would work, he didn?t waste his breath on doubts. Maybe that was what he could do, then: show blind faith in her abilities, because without them, they were both doomed.


    The resistance from the remaining Hunters had fallen silent moments before. Now there were only wet sounds, smacking, chewing, and grunts of pleasure. Wordless, he scrambled up and tied the rope as she?d requested. Metal shards and scraps, coils, things he didn?t even recognize, she handled with great expertise. It raised his respect further. She was just so smart. He did little more than hold the light or secure something in place that was too heavy for her to manage, but the whole time, he knew how much of a race this was. If they didn?t get it done?


    No point in imagining how things could get worse. The enclave was already in ruins.


    They worked tirelessly. If the Hunters hadn?t been able to defeat the Freaks, what hope did they have in open combat? Simple. Then they wouldn?t fight. A wave of warmth and admiration sparked through him as they completed their preparations. Only Thimble could have looked at the scraps left in the workshop and come up with a scheme to save their skins.


    After Stone finished, he handed Boy23 to Thimble; he didn?t need to tell her to guard the boy with her life. She would. She?d kept him safe once before. I can do this. His hand trembled when he took the torch from her. Light to drive away the dark.


    ?I wish I could?? she began.


    Stone shook his head. ?I?m fast. Comes from chasing brats all over the place.?


    He didn?t mention her infirmity. Neither did she. Even if he?d been that much of a coward, she couldn?t finish the job. They?d be on her in two strides. With great effort, he calmed himself and focused on her dark eyes, gazing up at him with such confidence. She?d always looked at him like that, as if he was a little better than he knew himself to be. Maybe it was because during their brat-hood he?d thumped the ones who made fun of her. Soon, they stopped mocking her, at least within his hearing.


    The noises drew closer. Feeding sounds?teeth tearing flesh. Movement stirred the air and carried a putrid stench. He?d never breathed it in like this before. A couple of times, in his early brat-hood, Freaks had pushed close to the enclave before the Hunters battled them back. There were no Hunters anymore. Just himself, Thimble, and Boy23.


    Plus her brilliant traps.


    No matter what it meant for his own safety, he couldn?t let anything happen to Thimble or Boy23. Somehow, some way, he?d get the two of them out of here. He smiled as he straightened, flaming brand in hand. Everything depended on his speed and his ability to remember where they?d laid the snares and trigger blades. His role was simple in comparison to the marvelous, deadly things she?d built


    and so fast, too. He was bait, and he knew it.


    The Freaks and Hunters had been fighting at the barricades. Deeper within, the enclave was laid out in sections: the brat dorm, the kitchen space, bath facilities, the fish pools, the Builder workshop, the common area, the Hunter lounge, and the living quarters for all citizens. The monsters sounded as if they?d reached the common area. Which meant they?d be in the warren leading to the workshop soon.


    ?Almost time,? she whispered.


    ?Hide.? It was the first time he?d taken that tone with her, the same one he used on the brats. Her eyes flared wide, but she obeyed, as the brats always did.


    Time to run.


    With an echoing clatter, an internal wall went down. Stone stood his ground, watching Freaks shove toward him. In the back, one of them scouted the situation, and then?inexplicably, it loped away. Before he turned, he glimpsed their mutated, monstrous features: pale skin cut with sores, yellow fangs, milky eyes, and bulging brows with sparse hair. Their bodies looked almost human: same number of eyes, arms, and legs, but their skin and their faces identified them as other. They raised their heads, scenting. They probably didn?t see well, so he waved the torch. Terror and revulsion wedged in his throat, but as long as feelings didn?t freeze him, it would be all right.


    He waited until the first one ran for him, and then he wheeled, vaulting the snare, dodging right to avoid the spring-trap. The light in his hand blinded the Freaks, leaving them unable to mimic his path. Behind him, he heard the rope snap and the metallic clang, and then an animal growling in both pain and anger. He ran on, holding in his mind the deadly path they?d laid.

 Page 5

    Deviation meant death.


    Chapter 7


    Chills of pure terror rippled the skin of her forearms. Thimble curled into a smaller ball, wishing she could see, but she only heard the snick and snap of her traps. As if he sensed the absolute need for stillness and silence, Boy23 snuggled to her chest, knuckles in his mouth. If she raised up to look, the Freaks might sense the movement, not so much with their eyes, but from the stirring air. As long as she heard Stone running, it wasn?t over. He was so much braver than she?d known.


    His footsteps bounded around, over, faster than the hungry Freaks slavering in his wake. Metal clanged and the Freaks screamed. Sometimes it sounded like weeping. The noises disturbed the brat in her arms and he cried quietly, his breath coming in little hiccups. He had to be beyond hungry and exhausted, but he could sense the danger. Otherwise he would?ve been wailing at the top of his lungs, as choleric young sometimes did.


    ?Shh, shh,? she whispered, patting his back. ?Your sire will be back. He?s not leaving us.?


    The wait seemed endless.


    At last, Stone drew her out of hiding with a hand on her arm. His chest churned from the running, but apart from the sweat, he appeared to be intact. Snarls and moans of pain reached her ears. A few Freaks struggled in their snares; others had been killed outright. She heard monsters moving nearby, seeking prey.


    ?I should put them out of their misery,? he said grimly.


    It was common knowledge that Freaks fed on their own dead, but they didn?t attack live ones. So the injured could suffer for a long time. Even as her stomach roiled, she nodded, digging through her pack to find a knife. She was grateful he had the nerve; for all her ability to create instruments of pain, Thimble didn?t know if she could sink a blade into flesh. That had never been her role, and so long as the enclave functioned, she?d only needed to craft. Now, that had to change.


    One by one, the ominous sounds fell silent while she comforted Boy23, and when Stone returned with the torch, his blue eyes held a hard light. In that moment, Thimble felt like she didn?t know him at all. He kept the dagger in hand, large and intimidating in the swirling shadows.


    ?This should earn us some time to get away,? she said.


    ?If we can.? But he didn?t sound as hopeless as he had before. ?We didn?t kill them all.?


    ?That would be impossible. Douse the torch and let?s go.?


    For the first time in her life, Thimble went toward the barricades with the intention of leaving. Her heart thundered in her ears, but she ignored the fear. After taking Boy23, Stone helped her clamber over, and then they were out in the tunnels. Where the Freaks lived.


    She swallowed her fear. The pack felt reassuring on her shoulders, filled with things she?d made with her own hands. Things that could save them. The traps worked, she told herself. You can do this.


    Here, it was so dark. There came quiet rustlings from behind them, other survivors scurrying for the exit as well, perhaps, but she didn?t call out. It would take all her ingenuity to save Stone and Boy23. Nothing compelled her to rescue those who had cowered while they laid the traps.


    Though she?d never taken visual deprivation training like a Huntress, she closed her eyes and turned her face to either side of the tunnel. Stone waited beside her in patient silence. That was the thing she liked best about him?he never questioned her competence. Thimble didn?t doubt he believed she?d lead them to safety. And therefore she was determined not to let him down.


    Things had changed so fast. Once, Stone had been so far beyond her. Builders didn?t socialize much with Breeders once they left the brat dorm. She?d noticed that he?d had less time for her after their naming ceremony, if not less affection, and it had cut her deeper than the three scars she bore on her arm, taken when she committed herself to crafting for the good of the enclave. Stone only wore one mark, representing his value as breeding stock. She?d known for ages that she cared more for him than she was allowed to?and that he went off to do things in the dark with other Breeders. That hurt, too, because she could never have more than his careless arm about her shoulders. And maybe he didn?t even want to do what he did, but the elders set the schedule for reproduction, and it was his lot to follow their orders.


    It had been hers, too.


    But not anymore.


    ?There?s air moving that way,? she said at last. ?Can you carry a weapon as well as Boy23??


    ?I have to, don?t I?? His voice was cold.


    He wasn?t the simple, affectionate friend from her brat-hood any longer. These days had changed him forever. He?d killed. Maybe he wasn?t a Hunter, but he wasn?t a Breeder either. Circumstances had forced him to adapt, become some new thing. And she loved him from all angles. She had since he first balled up a fast and hit the boy who was taunting her.


    Stone accepted the weapon she?d designed: a long wood haft with a metal spike attached. The Hunters had preferred knives and clubs. They said this weapon was too long to work in the tunnels, particularly in close quarters?and it was too likely to inflict collateral damage on a partner in the dark?but in her friend?s big hands, it looked right. She wondered if he knew what to do with it, or if he?d be insulted if she explained.


    Probably not, she decided. He?d always accepted that she was cleverest of what had been their inseparable trio. Their third?Deuce?had been gone what seemed like forever, and now the enclave was broken entirely. So there was no reason to imagine he?d mind an explanation.


    ?You don?t slice with that,? she whispered. ?It?s meant to impale, throat or chest.?


    Stone nodded. ?I don?t have to be fancy with it, then. I can brace for their charge.?


    ?You need to be quick to disengage,? she warned.


    ?Or I?ll get it stuck and I won?t be ready for the next Freak.?


    ?Exactly.? He pleased her with his ready comprehension, and his lack of scorn regarding her ideas. The other Hunters had refused to try her design. She could still hear the mockery:


    Don?t be stupid, Builder. You?ve never gone outside the enclave, and a cripple like you never will. You don?t know what we need. Why don?t you make me some decent furniture?


    But he was already planning for the first fight. ?So brace, pierce, pull, pierce, right??


    And the idea that he?d bear arms on her behalf brought tears to her eyes. Nobody had ever thought her worth saving before, because she was bent. Imperfect. It didn?t matter that she was smart or that she worked twice as hard as any other Builder because she feared the elders would decide she hadn?t been worth the cost of feeding her after all.


    ?Yes.?


    ?At the first sign of trouble, you take Boy23 and get behind me.?


    Nodding, Thimble swallowed back the tide of emotion and turned toward the flutter against her skin that might herald safety in a world that had become utterly foreign and ferocious. ?This way.?


    ?How do you know??


    ?I listened to the Hunters sometimes. They talked about following fresh air. There are cracks in the rock to let the wind in.?


    ?From where??


    She shrugged. ?All I know is, if the air doesn?t smell of Freaks, you follow it.?


    Chapter 8


    They had been walking a long time.


    Distant noises hinted at Freaks in other tunnels, but they stepped carefully and didn?t draw attention. His hand sweated on the weapon, and Stone worried about whether he would be strong enough to defend her. There would come a time when their survival depended on him.


    Nothing ever had, at least not in this way. Feeding the brats, making sure they were safe? That wasn?t dangerous work, though it could be sad if one died despite his best efforts. He?d gotten used to caring for them but not getting attached. Too much pain could drive you crazy, and he had to block out the idea of their little bodies outside the barricades, carried away by the Hunters so the Freaks could feast and they?d leave the enclave alone.


    But that practice didn?t exist anymore. Nothing familiar remained in his world.


    Except Thimble and Boy23.


    She had to be tired. Her ankle wasn?t strong under the best of circumstances. He was bigger, stronger, but even he needed a rest. Yet he couldn?t request one so long as she put one foot in front of the other. If she had the endurance to keep going, so did he. Stone desperately wanted her to think well of him. After all, she was the last friend he had in the world. He hoped she didn?t hate the fact she?d been stuck with a useless Breeder instead of a more capable Hunter. The only thing he knew how to do was sire brats, and there wouldn?t be much call for that going forward.


    But he?d gotten them this far with her help. He?d protected Boy23; the brat had fallen asleep on his shoulder long ago.


    Rough ground made it tough, particularly in the dark. More than once, he watched as she stumbled, but with both hands full of brat and weapon, he couldn?t touch her. Couldn?t help. It was second nature to him to cuddle and console, to reach out and offer comfort in a bleak situation.


    ?Here.? Her voice was husky, pitched low to avoid carrying.


    He couldn?t see what she did, but he stopped as she fumbled with something, and then part of the wall shifted inward. No, not a wall. A door. It smelled musty but not foul. After handing Boy23 off, Stone went in first to make sure it was safe. Then he shut it behind them and created a makeshift pallet for the brat. Boy23 shifted but didn?t rouse.


    It was going to be tough without a female Breeder to feed him. He had begun eating some solid foods, but he still nursed, as all brats did until they turned eight; it grew strong bones. Most Breeder females kept their milk long after they stopped birthing young. It could be used for all kinds of things; he liked cheese best, but most products went to the brats, while the Hunters ate the bulk of the meat. Male Breeders got the least food, as they only sired young, but didn?t bear them or yield milk.


    How are we going to provide for him out here? It was a question that had no answer.


    Thimble dug a torch out of her bag and lit it after some moments of struggle. Fortunately he could see fairly well, even without much light. Most citizens could, though sometimes they were born without the ability, a throwback to Topside, like his own height. He watched as she placed the torch in a metal ring devised for that purpose. She?d probably designed it?hard not to feel dumb around her.


    Once his eyes adjusted, the light gave him a better look at the space they?d found. It was more of a closet than a room, but when he turned, he saw the door had a lock. Metal shelving stacked with old junk lined the walls. To his eyes, it was all garbage, nothing useful, but Thimble was rummaging, exclaiming over various objects. He chose not to ask why because it would make him sound stupid.


    Boy23 slept on, exhausted by his ordeal. Stone prepared a simple meal while she scavenged, and once Thimble finished exploring, she ate with relish. By the torchlight, he noticed that she had fine eyes, dark like the shadows surrounding them, and her hair held a hint of curl. The walk had pulled it out of its tie, leaving a pretty, disheveled mass about her thin face. She ate efficiently in small, neat bites, and he watched her mouth, feeling bewildered. He couldn?t remember noticing she was female before. At least, not in any particular way?it was a fact he had known but not lingered over, maybe because he knew he couldn?t do anything about it, even if she made him feel things.


    ?I think it?s safe to sleep in here,? she said, after they finished.


    He studied the door. It was made of metal and sturdy, despite its age. ?The real test will come when we leave.?

 Page 6

    ?If they find us, you?ll fight them off.? Her faith gave him confidence, and he touched the weapon beside him.


    I can do this. I can.


    As she shifted to pull a blanket out of her pack, her bad foot turned beneath her, and she cried out. Without thinking, he reached for her like he would one of the brats. Her shoes were simple, likely crafted by her own hands, and she wore a brace on her malformed ankle. By torchlight, her expression showed uncertainty.


    ?Can I look at it?? Though he hadn?t been the enclave medicine man, he?d often treated small injuries, as the brats were prone to hurting themselves. And given Bonesaw?s lack of skill, his own efforts usually yielded better results anyway.


    She ducked her head. ?It?s ugly.?


    Stone glanced at her in surprise. ?Nothing about you could be.?


    Her smile startled him, and his breath caught. For a moment, he forgot what he was supposed to be doing. He unfastened the straps and then slid her shoe off. This ankle didn?t look like a normal one, and her foot turned inward. She was also swollen from the walking. He didn?t ask permission; he just took her foot into his lap and went to work with his fingers. Every now and then she whimpered, but he didn?t think it was because of the pain. When they had to move again, it would be terrible, but maybe this would help a little. It was all he could do. Her little moans and sighs tangled inside him in the most powerful of longings, more than anything he?d ever felt while doing his duty for the enclave. It was all he could do not to pounce and cover her in kisses.


    Eventually, she pulled back. ?Thank you. It?s the first time anybody?s ever seen?? Her expression filled in the cruel words others had used. ?Well, since I was born anyway. I kept it covered up in the dorm.?


    ?I remember,? he said quietly.


    ?It always meant a lot


    when you stood up for me.?


    ?It did??


    He?d always tried to do it so she didn?t hear what the other brats said. Most often a threat worked, but sometimes he?d smacked the others in the head when he had to, so they?d shut up. There had been one boy in particular who delighted in tormenting her; he was dead now, like most of the enclave. Terrifying thought.


    ?Yeah. I?m glad we made it this far together.?


    Her words warmed him, and he reached for her hand. ?Me too.?


    Delicate, callused fingers laced through his. He marveled at what she could do with this hand that looked so dainty. These clever fingers had built the traps that saved their lives. To his delight, Thimble didn?t pull back, and the warmth comforted him.


    She extinguished the torch with a handful of white powder. They could have used two hands to get ready for bed, but instead they managed, one-handed, to spread their blankets and lie down.


    They fell asleep that way.


    Chapter 9


    Thimble awoke to snuffling growls and muffled thumps beyond the door. Her heart thudded in her ears. No telling how many Freaks were out there, but they knew they?d trapped their prey. She felt sure she could outsmart them again, but escape would involve fighting as well. She leaned over to wake Stone, but he was already alert.


    So was Boy23. Judging by the food smeared on his face, Stone had managed to get some mushroom paste into him. She?d worried about what the brat would eat, as he didn?t even have all his teeth. They could chew meat for him, of course, but he needed milk, too, and she wasn?t a Breeder.


    But they had more pressing worries at the moment.


    ?We need a plan,? she whispered in his ear.


    He didn?t move, just listened while she outlined her strategy. After a curt nod, he leaned over and brushed his lips against her cheek as he had once before. Because this moment might never come again and because she wanted no regrets later, she tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled his face to hers. It was a blind kiss, born of silent, hopeless longing.


    His breath caught, and then he kissed her back, properly, because he knew how?of course he did?and she would?ve hated the why of it, except that his mouth was hot and fierce and sweet as clean water. She touched her mouth with wondering fingers as he pushed to his feet. In accordance with the master plan, she wedged herself at the back of the small room with Boy23 in her arms, out of range of Freak fangs, out of range of his weapon, even on the backswing.


    His breathing sounded unnaturally loud in the confined space; she could hear his fear as clearly as the claws scrabbling against the metal. The door handle rattled. Beyond, the banging increased; they must be able to hear movement. Good ears, then. Probably good noses as well.


    You can do it, she told Stone silently, and as if in response to her urging, he took his position, then unlocked and flung open the door. She couldn?t see how many there were, but he killed one cleanly, as if he had been practicing the movements in his head. Just as he?d said the night before: pierce, pull, pierce. His motions were economical, and he went for eyes and throats. Not fancy, as he?d said, but effective. Once Stone blinded them by slashing sideways across their faces, they frenzied, turning on one another in howling rage?and because they couldn?t see what they were attacking. Then he killed them out of mercy, not fear, no rage in his motions, but instead with an awful tenderness, as if these were creatures worthy of his pity. At the back of the pack, one Freak turned and ran, as if it sensed there was something different about its prey.


    That behavior puzzled her. Thimble had never heard of self-preservation in a Freak before. Stone took a step.


    ?Let it go,? she said.


    They couldn?t permit themselves to be drawn into a trap. But the change in behavior worried her. A Freak who displayed such intelligence constituted an enormous threat, as it invalidated everything the enclave believed about the monsters. It also meant the creature was capable of more than blind hunger; the thing might even be planning for their next encounter. A chill ran down Thimble?s back and she clutched Boy23 close.


    Fetid blood spattered the broken stones; she smelled it, rotten, like bad meat, but also sweet and metallic. Until this nightmare started, her world had been comprised of things, not actions, except for those that created things. She longed for the safety of her workshop, but it was no more. Now she must find another way to live.


    At least I?m not alone.


    Thimble pulled herself upright using the shelves, breathing through her mouth to block the stench of their putrid blood. Next to her Boy23 chattered; rest and food had cheered him considerably. With chubby fists, he pulled at her hair. Such a dear pain. The pile of corpses stood nearly to her knees outside the doorway, and before them, Stone?with her weapon in his hand. The elders would have said he was too dumb to survive such a catastrophe, and she too weak, but they?d proven them wrong. Together, they were whole. Together, they had a chance.


    He reached across the carnage to take his offspring. Even though she had no claim to him, Boy23 felt like her brat too.


    ?It?s safe,? he said. ?And you were right. Using the threshold to keep them from surrounding me? Genius.?


    ?You?re big enough to block the doorway. It was a good guess.?


    ?You knew it would work.?


    ?I hoped.? She?d watched the Hunters train more than once, because that had been her friend Deuce?s favorite pastime. During those sparring matches, Thimble often predicted the winner from analyzing fighting styles. Sometimes she?d plan counter strategies in her head.


    ?Bah,? Boy23 babbled, waving his arms in the air. ?Bah bah bah. Bah!?


    A single step sent anguish shooting up toward her knee. The long hike the day before had taken its toll. Exhaling a staccato breath, she knelt to fasten her brace, though her ankle was nearly too swollen for her to secure the straps. Determined, she ignored the pain and tightened them further.


    I won?t slow him down. He needs me. I have to be strong for Stone and Boy23.


    He slung his pack over his shoulder, and then hers, before she could protest. Then she decided not to make an issue of it. He was stronger; she was smarter. If they played to their strengths, they would make it. So better not to insist when it would be all she could do to keep moving her own weight forward, let alone her share of the supplies. Stone set his weapon against the wall as Thimble moved toward the doorway. Without asking permission, he wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her as if she weighed nothing at all. He spun her out of the closet and into the tunnel with the sheer physical power that had made him a popular Breeder.


    ?I don?t want you stumbling over those,? he said softly.


    Ah. The corpses in the dark. She was just clumsy enough to do it, too, and wind up face-first in reeking blood. Then her stink would draw all Freaks within sniffing distance. Best not to test her luck. But she also luxuriated in his strength; the arm curled around her felt sure and safe.


    Too soon, he let her go. It took the pleasurable chills much longer to die away, and at least good feelings distracted from the steady throb of her weak foot. Crippled. Malformed. Flawed. Once, she?d overheard the Wordkeeper discussing her with Whitewall. It had been just before her naming ceremony, and she?d been so excited that she had sneaked up on them during a private meeting to discuss her prospects. She?d never forgotten his words.


    ?I think she?s worth her keep,? the elder had said. ?Our predecessors chose well.?


    The Wordkeeper had nodded. ?Her deformity doesn?t affect her hands, so she?s able to work. Useless as anything but a Builder, of course.?


    ?At least she shows aptitude and desire,? Whitewall had said.


    ?Unlike most brats. Do you think she knows how close she came to being Freak food??


    She hadn?t, until that moment. Thimble crept away, cold with terror and shame. In silence, she wept with her knuckles jammed against her teeth. Thereafter, the scene of her birth haunted her. She could see it in her mind?s eye, as if she?d been watching, gazing down on the squalling little red-faced thing. The elder who ruled before would have studied her foot, turning it this way, and that. She saw the discussion that took place, an argument, really, and then someone with a modicum of kindness prevailed. They decided not to leave her out in the tunnels to die.


    Which made it so ironic that her life had come to this.


    Chapter 10


    You?re such a Breeder.


    Though they had countless other things to worry about, Stone kept thinking about that kiss. He wanted to ask her about it, but if he read too much into it, she might feel awkward, given they only had each other now. I shouldn?t have done that. He wasn?t allowed to lie down with Thimble and touch her as he had others.


    But those rules don?t exist anymore.


    And she made it more. She made it better. Sometimes, in breeding, there was kissing, but with her, his whole body caught fire. A tremor ran through him, just remembering her soft lips.


    So he kept thinking. The days passed in endless monotony. Tunnels led off in so many directions that he had no clue where they were anymore. To rest, they found small spaces they could block off in some fashion, and then they continued, though what they were looking for, he had no idea.


    Sometimes he fought. It was easier than he?d imagined it would be. He smelled them long before he saw them, giving him a chance to give Boy23 to Thimble. The Freaks weren?t as big as he was. They were thin and wretched things with wild eyes and keening voices. Stone often thought they sounded sad. And why not? Who wants to be a Freak?


    This time, four came at him with ferocious growls. Thimble fell back with the brat in her arms, giving him room. She never doubted. Never panicked. While he worried that her trust might be misplaced, he didn?t falter. He went for soft spots, away from the bone. In through the eyes, the throat, up through the chin. He?d learned so fast, the best ways to kill these things, and it sickened him.

 Page 7

    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. ¨¡¡°There¨¡¡¯s 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 they¨¡¡¯d fled the doomed enclave, Thimble stumbled. He didn¨¡¡¯t let her fall. Even in the dark, he always knew right where she was and he watched over her with the same care he¨¡¡¯d given the brats in his charge. But Stone knew it wasn¨¡¡¯t 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. They¨¡¡¯d 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 she¨¡¡¯d permit certain assistance, like him carrying her bag, she wouldn¨¡¡¯t accept that much help. Stone knew she didn¨¡¡¯t 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, they¨¡¡¯d have died days before.


    Besides, even if she¨¡¡¯d agreed, he couldn¨¡¡¯t 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 don¨¡¡¯t 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.


    ¨¡¡°I¨¡¡¯ll 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 wasn¨¡¡¯t 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 he¨¡¡¯d misjudged her. Just as he¨¡¡¯d never made fun of her foot, she never acted like he was stupid, good only for one thing. ¨¡¡°I agree.¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°Hopefully we¨¡¡¯ll find a safe place to rest. Let me go first.¨¡¡±


    Thimble didn¨¡¡¯t 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, she¨¡¡¯d 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. He¨¡¡¯d 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. He¨¡¡¯d 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 wasn¨¡¡¯t 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 couldn¨¡¡¯t make out what he was stepping on, so he turned to Thimble.


    ¨¡¡°Do you have any torches left?¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°I¨¡¡¯ll 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 didn¨¡¡¯t 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 don¨¡¡¯t know,¨¡¡± she answered.


    Thimble knelt to examine the bones and then glanced up at him. ¨¡¡°They¨¡¡¯re smooth.¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°Which means they haven¨¡¡¯t 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 weren¨¡¡¯t killed by Freaks?¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°I don¨¡¡¯t think so. They just look like they¨¡¡¯ve 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 hadn¨¡¡¯t died of violence, which left disease. That much of the Wordkeeper¨¡¡¯s 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 isn¨¡¡¯t how they came in.¨¡¡±


    Thimble followed his gaze toward the far side of the room, where crumbling stone stairs led up.


    Chapter 11


    They had more than Freaks to worry about now. Pretending a confidence she didn¨¡¡¯t feel, Thimble picked a careful path across the dead. The bones rattled and scraped, sometimes crunched, and she held a scream deep within her throat. Only Stone¨¡¡¯s solid presence at her back kept her from panicking. The torch wavered as she walked, throwing terrible shadows on the stained walls.


    To make matters worse, as she approached the far wall¨¡¡ªthis one intact¨¡¡ªshe saw faint red-brown letters smeared onto the pale surface. Most were too faded for their meaning to be clear, but two phrases had been dug into the rock with someone¨¡¡¯s bloody fingers: first, save me, and then, lower down, running toward the floor as if in desperation, god has forsaken us. The truth registered at once. They weren¨¡¡¯t all dead when they locked them in here. She could imagine few fates more horrible than to die in confinement, beyond all hope.


    ¨¡¡°This was some kind of


    plague ward,¨¡¡± she said then.


    ¨¡¡°Where they sent people to die. No hope. No food and water.¨¡¡± Stone closed his eyes for a long moment, visibly controlling his reaction to the room where they stood. ¨¡¡°Maybe the enclave wasn¨¡¡¯t so bad after all.¨¡¡±


    Thimble moved away from the awful artifact of the wall, toward the stairs. ¨¡¡°It wasn¨¡¡¯t as bad as it could¨¡¡¯ve been, but it wasn¨¡¡¯t perfect either.¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°Do you think we should?¨¡¡± By his expression in the flickering torchlight, he didn¨¡¡¯t want to go Topside.


    Neither did she.


    She reasoned, ¨¡¡°It¨¡¡¯s not far up


    and we came down a bit to get here.¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°So it might take us back where we were? Or on the same level.¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°I suspect it connects to a different set of tunnels. Maybe these are cleaner, and the Freaks haven¨¡¡¯t found them. They tend to hunt near enclaves.¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°Do you know where we are?¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°Not really,¨¡¡± she admitted.


    ¨¡¡°Then we¨¡¡¯re lost.¨¡¡±


    She risked a half smile. ¨¡¡°You say that like it¨¡¡¯s a bad thing. Consider us to be


    exploring. I believe there¨¡¡¯s something better out there.¨¡¡±


    If we live long enough¨¡¡ªendure long enough¨¡¡ªto find it.


    ¨¡¡°Right.¨¡¡± But he smiled back, ready to follow where she led. There was an incredible, delightful power in it. She didn¨¡¡¯t let herself think about the kiss.


    Not here. Not now.


    Later, when she had a safe moment in the dark, she¨¡¡¯d relive it as she had done every time they stopped to rest. Each step hurt, but stopping wasn¨¡¡¯t possible yet, so she found a place in her head where it receded. She¨¡¡¯d told Stone that she needed to rest, but there would be no sleep surrounded by so many dead. Press on. We¨¡¡¯ll find safety soon.


    But it was an empty promise, one in which she could no longer completely believe. How could the two of them survive when the whole enclave was lost? Thimble didn¨¡¡¯t permit her despair to show. When she reached the door, it was locked. Of course it was. And it must be barred from the outside or surely so many people would have broken it down with sheer weight. Unless they were so sick they lacked the power.


    ¨¡¡°Can you¨¡¡ª¨¡¡± She started to ask, but a noise stole her voice.


    It was the sound of footsteps, someone¨¡¡ªor something¨¡¡ªtrying to be quiet. Maybe it¨¡¡¯s a survivor,she thought, but fear made her heart beat a little faster. Then the noise died away for a few seconds. Resumed in the scattering of some rocks.


    ¨¡¡°Do we stay here to wait for it to find us or press on?¨¡¡± Stone asked.


    Thimble shivered. ¨¡¡°Do you want to fight in a room full of bones?¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°It would be hard to get my footing.¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°Then let¨¡¡¯s go.¨¡¡±


    He nodded. ¨¡¡°Take Boy23 and move down the stairs. Give me some room.¨¡¡±


    Because he never questioned her ideas, she paid him the same courtesy. Torch in hand, she sat and scooted down four steps and stayed on her backside, permitting her foot that much rest. The brat came to her with a pleased jumble of sounds, ahs and oohs that didn¨¡¡¯t mean anything. Stone swung his weapon wide, slamming the haft against the rusty door handle. His brute strength showed in each blow; the metal jiggled, and then bent. On the sixth strike, the knob snapped off and bounced away, down into the shadows and skeletal remains.


    He crouched to peer through the hole. ¨¡¡°There¨¡¡¯s a bar across the way, but it smells rotten. I think I can break it.¨¡¡±


    Without waiting for her response, he thrust the piercing tip of the weapon through the hole where the handle used to be. She heard a soft pop, and then he thumped his shoulder into the door. She winced with each impact; it must hurt him, but he didn¨¡¡¯t falter. Once, twice, and on the third try, it shoved open with a loud squeak.


    ¨¡¡°We¨¡¡¯re free.¨¡¡± Well, maybe not entirely, but he deserved that unqualified praise. ¨¡¡°Shall we go see what lies above?¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°Has to be better than that.¨¡¡± He cast a glance behind him, and she knew exactly what he meant.


    ¨¡¡°And Freaks trying to eat us. Do you think I should put out the torch?¨¡¡±


    To her surprise, he ducked and kissed her lightly on the mouth. She stared up at him in bewilderment. ¨¡¡°Why did you do that? It¨¡¡¯s


    not an answer.¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°Did you like it?¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°That¨¡¡¯s a different question.¨¡¡±


    ¨¡¡°Answer mine, and then I¨¡¡¯ll answer yours.¨¡¡±


    A hot flush washed into her cheeks, and in the light, he would see it. Thimble mustered her courage and whispered, ¨¡¡°Yes. I¨¡¡¯ve wanted that for ages.¨¡¡±

 Page 8

    ?I couldn?t,? he said softly. ?There were rules.?


    ?There aren?t any now, except the ones we choose.?


    He nodded. ?That?s the best part, even if the rest is terrifying.?


    ?But you said you?d tell me why.?


    ?You?re the only person who ever asked my opinion on anything. Now or then.? With a dark look, he mimicked the elder, ??Shut up, Stone. Breeders don?t need to think.??


    ?And that?s why? Because I notice you have a mind as well as a fine, strong body?? The hot feeling in her cheeks increased.


    As a Builder, she wasn?t supposed to notice him like that, but she had. Maybe he would laugh at the idea she?d been gazing at him with these feelings for much longer than he?d been aware of her. They were so alone, and if he didn?t feel the same, everything would be ruined.


    But his face fell into pensive lines, lit with gladness that she saw him as more than anyone else ever had. At least, she guessed that was how he felt, because it echoed her own state of mind perfectly. With him, she wasn?t just an imperfect Builder. She could be anything with him.


    ?You make me feel like a whole person.?


    ?Me too,? she whispered.


    Then he took up their belongings and their brat, and they went on, together.


    Chapter 12


    Two smaller tunnels led up more stairs. Then more. Stone didn?t know how he felt about that; he expected to emerge into the fire that would burn the skin from his bones. Thimble clung to his hand as if his presence gave her courage, but she was moving slower now. Her leg dragged.


    She can?t go on much longer.


    This was a hallway, not a tunnel. Stone didn?t know why he felt sure of that when he?d only seen pictures from the old world, but the walls were smoother. Polished. They gleamed in the torchlight. But before he could explore more, a Freak burst through the doorway. It didn?t hesitate this time. It had already scouted them twice before, and it had been mustering its strength while the journey drained theirs. The beast hurtled forward, using its momentum to knock Stone back. He didn?t have the weapon; Thimble was using it as a walking stick, and he had Boy23 cradled in one arm. Helpless to fight with any force, he reeled into the wall, shielding the brat with his chest.


    Thimble screamed. Stone curled his hand into a fist and slammed it backward, but he couldn?t see behind him, and he didn?t dare turn. Not if it meant the Freak would have a shot at hurting Boy23, who cried in soft little huffs of breath. This was strategy. The Freak had watched them and learned their behavior patterns. It had timed its strike perfectly, attacking when he was tired and carrying his brat. Fortunately, the packs got in the beast?s way and it tore at their possessions, trying to get at his flesh.


    Items dropped out, clattering to the floor. Teeth sank into his back. Claws raked him.


    And then the Freak shrieked. He spun then, just in time to see Thimble skewer it with the weapon. She had shoved the blade up through its chin, the easiest angle of attack for a girl her size. She leaned over the monster, still clutching the haft, as tears streamed down her dirty cheeks.


    ?I


    couldn?t let


    how bad did it hurt you??


    He had some pain in his back, but the blood trickled instead of gushed. ?I?ll live. Can you take him for me??


    ?Of course.? At that request, she regained some of her composure.


    Thimble took the brat and cuddled him, whispering reassurance while he dragged the corpse back the way they?d come. He tossed it down the steps into the bone room and then returned. She was picking up their scattered belongings.


    ?Are you all right?? he asked.


    She huffed out a shaky breath. ?I didn?t know if I could do that, but


    yes. I am.?


    ?Let?s see if we can find a place to rest.?


    Unlike the passages down below, these halls had doors set at regular distances. He counted twenty paces, and then there was another one on the left or right. They were strong, thick, and better kept than the ones down below. Clean. They had letters and numbers on them, but he?d never bothered much with those lessons. Breeders didn?t go anywhere, and they didn?t make anything. There was no reason he had to understand what words meant. So he waited for her to read them aloud.


    ?Markowitz, sublevel three-F.?


    She proceeded to the next one. ?Shelley, sublevel three-E.? More words of the same type followed, but they meant nothing to him. When they approached the sixth one, something astonishing happened.


    The door opened.


    He stepped back quickly. It slid closed.


    ?It knows we?re here,? Thimble whispered, eyes wide.


    Stone knew of nothing that could explain behavior like this from a door. Sometimes, when the Wordkeeper was in a good mood, he read stories to the brats from the archives. There had been one book about magic, where brats could do magic, and they went to a special school to learn how. Maybe it hadn?t been just a made-up thing, like all the brats said. Maybe magic was real. To test the door, he stepped closer again. It swished open.


    Not an accident.


    ?Do you think it?s magic?? he asked Thimble.


    She shook her head. ?I think it?s science.?


    That meant nothing to him. ?What??


    ?You know how I build things, and they work, even if you don?t understand why??


    He nodded.


    ?The door?s like that. Someone built it


    we just don?t know how.?


    ?Well, should we go in?? he asked.


    ?It seems to want us to.?


    ?That doesn?t mean it?s a good idea.?


    ?We?d smell it if there were any Freaks in there.?


    That was true. And nothing dreadful had jumped out either time the door opened. There had been no disgusting stench, as if something had died. He hoped there were no more Freaks following them, but just in case, they needed to find somewhere safe to rest and eat, a place where Thimble could tend the wounds on his back. Gathering his nerve, Stone stepped through the doorway and found a lost world. These relics, so perfectly preserved, represented a windfall of unimaginable proportions. Beside him, Thimble gasped in wonder.


    The space was all one room, but five times larger than they were allotted for sleeping quarters. In his quest for answers about what purpose this place had served, he found a tall, soft pallet big enough for two people to rest comfortably, along with a sitting area. Books of all sizes, shapes, and colors sat neatly on their shelves. Some of the things he had no name for, but he could tell their use by the way they looked; these were furnishings, but fancier than anything he?d ever seen. The fabrics were smooth and soft, materials sleek and shining.


    The door closed behind them as they moved away from it. He couldn?t find a lock anywhere.


    Thimble was already exploring the place, opening cupboards and exclaiming as she found tins of food, bottles of water. These were old, but they had scavenged such things before and taken no harm from using them. You could usually tell when you opened it if the contents had gone bad.


    She pulled down a faded yellow tin. ?This says it?s powdered milk. We can add water to it, and we?ll have milk for Boy23 to drink.?


    ?I want to name him,? he said.


    That drew her attention; she put down the milk dust and regarded him with a small frown. ?Not with the ceremony? He?s too young for us to cut him.?


    ?No. No scars. Just a name we give him, together, because he?s ours, and I have to believe that he?s going to make it, that we all will.?


    ?Ours?? she repeated, eyes liquid. Not tears but something else. Joy.


    ?I don?t even remember his dam?s face. She gave him life, but you saved it. More than once.?


    ?I?ll be with both of you, every step of the way,? she promised. ?As long as you don?t mind??


    ?Don?t,? he begged. ?You?re perfect. You?re you. You?re my whole life.?


    Chapter 13


    The tears spilled from her eyes then. Thimble thought he would have kissed her, but Boy23 stirred and fretted. Ignoring her throbbing ankle, she mixed some milk and found a cup; Stone explored while she tried to feed the brat. At first, Boy23 puckered his mouth and glared, but with some coaxing, he drained the container and let out a satisfied burp.


    Stone showed her a shining silver tool with rounded handles and twin blades. ?Have you seen anything like this before??


    She shook her head.


    He stripped a white cloth off one of the pallets and cut it into squares. Though they had done the best they could in the tunnels, Boy23 desperately needed bathing and changing. Stone handled that task with a skill born of practice, and Thimble leaned forward to watch. She needed to learn, too. Fortunately, the rash wasn?t too bad, and with care, Boy23 would take no permanent harm.


    She smiled at how tender the Stone was with his offspring, kissing the top of the brat?s head when he finished. Then he set Boy23 on the floor; the brat crawled toward the nearest table.


    Though her bad foot still hurt, she stood. More exploration carried her to the far end of the room, near the door, where there was a table with a shining surface. She sat down and examined it. Touching it called up new pictures.


    ?Stone! Come see this.?


    He joined her and then stared, wide-eyed. ?Can you read it??


    ?Some of it.? She tapped, and then a strange voice said, ?Hermetic seal engaged.?


    Another touch brightened the room to the point she had to shade her eyes. ?I guess we don?t need the torch.?


    ?It says, solar power eighty-eight


    something. I don?t know what that means.? Thimble indicated the symbol that looked like two circles balanced on a slanted stick.


    ?I don?t know what solar power is either,? he admitted


    ?I?m guessing it?s what gives us light.?


    ?What?s a hermetic seal??


    ?Not sure. But I have an idea.? Thimble limped to the door, and this time, it didn?t open.


    ?So it?s like a lock.?


    ?Sort of,? she said. ?But not the kind we use.?


    ?Definitely not. You think we?re safe here??


    Thimble glanced around at the clean room with all its marvelous things. Excitement curled through her. It could take weeks to learn everything this room could teach her, and there was nobody better suited to studying it. But that was selfish. Exhaustion had etched lines beside Stone?s mouth from the constant burden of Boy23, their belongings, the weapon, and the knowledge he was responsible for their safety. It relieved her that he could rest while she worked. Despite numerous trials, she hadn?t let him down. Together, they had endured everything the tunnel threw at them.


    ?I do. There are supplies for us to stay as long as we like. I want to read those books, try and figure out what this purpose this place served.?


    And what really happened Topside.


    ?I?ll put together a meal, then. You sit.?


    ?I can??


    ?Please, Thimble? Keep an eye on Boy23 for me.?


    Stone fetched the books she wanted and insisted she prop her foot up. It had swollen to the point it was now bruised. Nobody had ever taken care of her like this; there was something so comforting about a Breeder?s tenderness. So she examined the books and Boy23 played while Stone opened tins. It felt oddly right, as if she had waited her whole life for this moment.


    After they ate, he rubbed her foot while she read more. That felt so good she almost dropped her book, but then the words riveted her. She forgot about Stone?for possibly the first time in her life. When she glanced up again, he was cuddling Boy23.


    ?I found something called a journal.? Thimble showed him the blue book with gold letters, knowing he couldn?t read them. Some Breeders picked it up easily, but Stone had never been one of them. He?d told her once that the letters didn?t seem to be in the same order as other people saw them.

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    ?What?s that??


    ?Seems to be a book where somebody writes down thoughts.?


    ?And it belonged to someone who lived here??


    She nodded. ?Let me read you some of it. ?Mom and Dad think we?ll be safe down here. They bought a bunker in the city sublevel, where it?s supposed to be clean and disease-free. They?ve been saving since the first outbreaks, and now, here we are.??


    She understood most of it, though some words, like ?bunker? and ?outbreak,? she hadn?t seen before. This had been meant as a hiding place, where these others were supposed to be safe. But something must have gone wrong


    or the bodies would still be here if they?d died naturally of old age. Someone had hauled them away.


    Thimble turned the page. ?This is later, I think. The numbers on the page are bigger. ?Mom got sick. There was a problem with the ventilation system. Dad?s trying to hide her illness when they do status checks, but since we?ve all been exposed, they?re going to dump us down below. I?d hoped to live to see sixteen.??


    ?The writer was young,? he said softly. ?Like us.?


    ?He?or she?hid here, until her dam got sick. The disease spread. Then they ended up in the bone room. Will that happen to us?? She didn?t know nearly enough about diseases?where they came from, how or why they made you sick, or how long they lasted. Could this room still be full of invisible, lethal things?


    ?No. Whatever made them sick is gone. They died, and the sickness with them. We?re safe.? He sounded as if he believed it. ?We?ll stay here as long as you like, until you feel up to going on, and then we can explore. See what the world holds for us


    and find out what?s true.?


    ?Together??


    He nodded. ?Always.?


    With a fingertip, she drew an invisible line inside the cover of the journal. ?This says ?Property of Robin Schiller.??


    Stone canted his head, looking thoughtful. ?That?s what we should call Boy23.?


    ?Robin Schiller?? She wasn?t sure naming the brat after someone who had died was a good idea. Some enclave beliefs stayed with her, which was why the thimble she?d been named for would always remain safely on her person. So long as that object was safe, she should be too. Maybe it was just more lies, but it offered some comfort when the world was all uncertainty.


    ?Just Robin. Remember the alphabet book??


    ?Oh!? she said, remembering. ??R is for Robin, a beautiful thing, when the bird brings the promise of spring???


    Growing up, she?d read the alphabet book to Stone more than once. To repay him for thumping the brats that mocked her.


    ?Do you like it??


    ?I do,? she said, leaning down to nudge the brat gently. ?What do you think? Does that work??


    ?Bah,? Robin said.


    Stone drew her into his lap and kissed her breathless. A shivery breath escaped her when she pulled back. ?I?ve wanted you forever.?


    ?You have?? He gazed at her with blue, blue eyes.


    ?It killed me to know what


    you had to do in the enclave. With so many girls who weren?t me, and that I could never have you. Because I?m?? In the enclave, people didn?t kiss or touch or mate because they wanted to. They didn?t pick their partners. The elders had been in charge of population and breeding schedules. This much freedom was amazing


    and terrifying.


    If the world hadn?t ended, they couldn?t be together like this. Ever.


    ?You?re not,? he said sharply. ?You?re the reason we survived. With your amazing mind, and incredible ideas. The fact that you could feel


    anything for someone like me, it?s??


    ?Inevitable,? she cut in. ?Don?t belittle yourself. I won?t hear it.?


    ?Maybe we should accept that we make the perfect team,? he said with a half smile.


    ?Bah,? Robin said.


    Once they uncovered its secrets and left the safety of this place, there would be more danger. But whatever came, Thimble knew they could endure it. Together.