Hunted (A Sinners Series Book 2) (28 page)

Gunfire rakes the crowd, and I slam to the ground. Now, everyone’s clamoring, and people claw at the dirt to get away. I’m like an animal, covered in dust, on all fours, as bloody flesh scatters in bits around me. I feel the splatter of blood on my face, but I keep going.

Wilson’s yelling over the banging of the gunfire. As I get to the edge, a guard turns toward me, pointing the muzzle of his gun at my chest. My hair hangs over my neck, but his eyes widen when they meet mine.

I’m screwed.

He reaches up to signal to his men, but before he can, blood pumps from his chest. He’s been shot. I launch myself forward onto my feet and sprint away from the cacophony surrounding me.

Next thing, Cole’s behind me, firing off shots. His M4 bangs away in bursts of three. With his support, I focus on what’s in front of us, my nostrils flaring as we bolt down the street, through alleys, and push our way through shacks that topple onto each other like dominoes. Guns burst behind us, chewing up the dirt, but they don’t follow for long.

Soon, all I hear is the faint sound of guns and screams. Everything within me wants to go back, to rescue Sutton and kill Wilson, but that’s not what Sutton asked of me. I can’t stop picturing the way he pleaded with me to go, the way his green eyes stood out against his swollen, broken skin. I stumble to the side and heave. When I begin running again, Cole’s waiting for me, his face bloodied and tight.

I wonder where Zeus is, when he hops in front of me. His haunches appear out of nowhere, yet a bone dangles from his mouth. I slow to a jog and examine him. His fur’s matted with blood, but he’s not wounded. I squeeze my eyes closed and then stop. He sits and looks up at me, the bone hanging from his teeth.

I want to barf. Again.

Even Cole stops. He leans into a crevice in the walls, and I hear him getting sick.

The bone’s not a ham bone at all. It’s not even an animal bone. The bottom half has flesh hanging off of it. While I gag on my own spit, I reach out to him. He whines and dances in a circle. Bits fly off, landing in the dirt.

“Zeus, drop it,” I say. My voice breaks.

He drops the bone on the ground, and my hands fly to my mouth. The bloodied flesh lands with a splat as the bone rolls inches away from my dirt-laden boots. I kick it away, afraid of losing my entire stomach if I look at it again.

“No!” I say. “Leave it!” Zeus hangs his head, and his tail droops. I watch as he backs into a wall and lies down with his head in his paws.

Cole’s head pops up, and he looks slightly green. He glances toward Zeus and then back at me, but he says nothing. Judging from the creases on his forehead, he’s worried. He fingers his trigger and looks eagerly at the street.

I’m too afraid to talk. Every muscle, tendon, and ligament in my body is wound so tight, I can barely flex. Yet I can’t stand still. I bounce on my feet. I’m ready to get the hell out of here.

A movement catches my eye, and my insides twist. My hand automatically goes to my gun as the hairs on the back of my neck feel electric. A few feet away, a female in the street stops and stands up straight. I think she’s looking at us, but I can’t tell. Then she starts walking toward us.

Cole puts his hand on my wrist and shoves me behind him. Zeus bares his teeth, and I hear a slow, deep rumble from within his belly.

“Cole?” the voice asks.

No freaking way is this happening.

Her voice sounds familiar. It’s coy, and as she comes closer, I see the auburn tint of her hair in the sunlight.

No way. Not now.

“Amber?”

“I knew it. I knew I saw you.” She smiles, and some of her teeth are gone. Her stringy hair wafts in the breeze, and her bony hands stretch out to hug him. He shakes her hand awkwardly instead. I can tell by her eyes she’s hiding something, and I don’t like it. Zeus woofs at her, and she steps back, the smile fading from her hollowed cheeks.

“Looks like I’ve got my ticket out of here,” she says.

The siren blares. Amber won’t stop staring at us with her gaunt eyes, a mischievous smile playing at her lips. If I wasn’t in such a rush to get out of here, I’d smack it off her face.

Cole stands in place, not showing any emotion, and I wonder what he’s thinking.

She’s got us, and she knows it.

“It won’t be long now; they’re on their way,” she says.

“Amber. You’re insane if you believe Wilson, of all people, would actually let you leave here,” Cole says.

She steps closer, smirking at him. She’s so skinny, I could snap her in half. She’s definitely not the girl I remember. And yet, she’s bloated, her arms swollen, and she scratches at her skin.

I scrunch up my face, struggling between feeling pity and swallowing down the bitter taste in my mouth that comes with seeing her. She’s never been a friend of mine, not since I was assigned to the hospital and forced to work with her.

I guess not much has changed.

“Still looking for the easy way out, aren’t you?” I ask.

“Whatever it takes,” she says with a sneer.

“Won’t work. Not this time,” Cole says.

As his brows pull down and his tone lowers, I notice other people around us seem to disappear, scrambling for their hiding places. In the background, the sirens scream their warning.

Zeus woofs at my side, and I put my hand on his collar. If he pounces on Amber, she might scream and bring attention to us.

“Now, we run,” I say to Cole.

But Amber steps in front of him, blocking our way. I narrow my eyes at her and clench Zeus’s collar as he stands on his back legs. My grip’s slipping. Amber’s eyes are glazed over though, so she doesn’t even flinch at his imposing posture.

“Oh, no … you’re not going anywhere,” she says. Her face is flushed, but she’s not sweating.

“Right,” Cole says. Just then, he swings the butt of his gun up and grunts with the impact.

His gun connects with her jaw, and she crumples to the ground. My mouth opens wide, but Cole’s already on the ground, scooping Amber over his shoulder. He stands, and her arms flop around behind him.

“Let’s move,” he says.

I don’t have time to ask him why he’s taking her with us. Heaven knows we can’t carry everyone that recognizes us. I pull Zeus along and sprint through the streets and alleyways. Every time I check over my shoulder, Cole is right behind me with Amber, like a limp rag doll.

“Left,” he says.

I check around us and turn left. “Clear!”

“The alley, four blocks up, on the right,” he says.

By now, I hear him huffing slightly in between words. She can’t weigh much, but then again, he’s running with her over his shoulder, plus carrying all his equipment.

Zeus tags along beside me, his tongue hanging out, like it’s the best thing in the world. Whenever Sinners see him, they back away, leaning back into the shadows. I can’t really blame them.

The static from the loudspeakers fills the air again, the output making me cringe. We stop for a moment. I catch my breath as Cole hunkers down next to me, propping Amber’s body against a wall. The siren stops abruptly. I hear Wilson’s loud breathing, and it makes me shudder with disgust.

“Beginning today, Sinners will not receive rations,” Wilson says.

Feeling the effects of shock, I turn toward Cole. His lips are curled, and his eyes hold a hardened, flinty expression. I can’t stop myself from thinking about those poor people fighting over the small portions of water and food they had.
It’s only going to get worse.

“But of course there’s one exception. If you capture any of the revolt members, you’ll receive food for one month. If you deliver Lexi Hamilton, alive, you’ll be given your freedom. Happy hunting, citizens.” The speaker cuts off, but not before I hear his cruel laughter on the other end.

“He’s going to starve them?” I ask.

“Yes. Wilson plays mind games. He knows you care about people. He’s trying to find a way to break you.”

I cannot wait for the day when I can push my knife right through his throat.

With those few words, Wilson just upped the ante. Zeus lets out a low whine, sensing my apprehension. He nudges my leg, and I pat his head.

“Stay strong. And run,” Cole says as he hefts Amber over his shoulder once more. I don’t know how he has the strength.

Now, my head’s really on a swivel. I probe every darkened corner and every shadow. I take note of every possible exit for future reference. My muscles feel tense as I pass the next block. I hesitate, second-guessing each move, before crossing all entrances. My senses are on overload.

I hit the fourth block and turn right into the alley. I slow my pace and feel the burn in my lungs and the stickiness of my hair on my neck. My sweat beads on my shins and slides down my legs.

“Here,” Cole says.

I stop, and Zeus sniffs around as Cole lowers Amber’s body to the ground. He barges through a doorway and drags her inside. And we’re back where we started.

“And you brought her, because?” I ask, stumbling around until he flips on his flashlight.

“She was in the lab today. Maybe she knows something.” He picks up her body with a grunt and motions me forward. “When she wakes up, Roméo can interrogate her.”

“Good thinking, but after that blow, we’ll be lucky if she knows her name.” I’d laugh, but my body’s too uptight. The knots in my neck would take a rolling pin to push out.

He gives me the flashlight, and I shine it down the tunnel and back into the underground. With each step, my feet sting and my eyes burn. I don’t feel safe until I see Grace’s wide eyes and outstretched arms. She grabs me tight and hugs me like it’s the last time she’ll see me.

“Oh thank God, I thought something happened to you,” she says. “When you didn’t come back last night, we thought the worst.” Her eyes drift to Cole with Amber draped over him. “Who is that?”

“A witch,” I say.

“I second that,” Cole says. He places her body on the floor. Her head flops awkwardly to the left and rests on her shoulder. He touches her forehead with the outside of his hand. “Her name’s Amber. She worked with Lexi at the hospital.” He looks at me. “Her head feels warm.”

“Well, yeah, you did knock her out,” I say.

“Why’d you do that?” Grace asks.

“Oh, just you wait. You’ll want to knock her out yourself.”

“Lexi, I’m being serious here,” Cole says.

I walk over to Amber and touch her arm. It
is
warm. When I do the same thing as Cole, the heat from her skin radiates into mine. “She has a fever.”

“Great to have you back, bro,” Bruno says while running toward Cole and pulling him into a man hug. “I was about to call in the cavalry.” He slaps Cole on the back and smiles.

“Welcome back. Did you manage to get any information?” Roméo asks. He appears from behind Bruno, his smaller stature hidden by Bruno’s towering figure. His voice is quiet, but very serious.

“Actually, yes. Turns out Bill was right,” I say.

“Ah-ha, yes, I knew it!” Bill says. “I’m awesome. Go on and say it. ‘Bill, you’re the most brilliant man alive.’ Do it; go on.”

“Bill, your wisdom has left me breathless,” I say while rolling my eyes at him. “Anyway, they were escorting Sinners to the lab. After a few hours, they came out and were ordered to return home.”

“When they left, did you notice anything different about them?”

“Not really, if anything … maybe a little confused?” I say.

“Amber”—Cole points to her lifeless body—“was part of the group. Thought maybe you’d want to question her,” Cole says to Roméo with a nod in his direction.

“That, and she was trying to turn us in,” I say with a frown. I watch as Roméo strokes the cleft in his chin and lowers his eyes for a moment.

“By the looks of it, she didn’t come willingly,” he says. I glance at Cole, and he shifts on his feet. “Unpleasant people are always a pleasure to work with,” Roméo says. He grabs at his collar, pulling it away from his neck. “Lexi, is it too much to ask for you and Grace to stay with her? When she wakes up, let me know.”

“Sure,” I say. “Oh, wait.” Their eyes turn back to me. “We saw Sutton.” Everyone stops and stares at me.

“How?” Roméo asks, breaking the silence. “Was he all right?”

When I try to answer, nothing comes out.

“Definitely not,” Cole says. “Wilson beat him publically, trying to lure Lexi in.”

“Guess that means you didn’t get to chat,” Bruno says.

“He did … mouth to me … to get the records,” I say.

“Are you sure that’s what he mouthed, Lusty? Because reading lips isn’t a skill we all have.”

“Yes, I’m sure of it.”

“Poor Sutton. Where was he?” Grace asks.

“The execution stage,” Cole says. And I don’t miss the look that passes between him and Bruno. Bruno’s body tightens, his shoulders arching upward.

“Also … ” Cole says.

“More good news?” Bruno asks, but he’s not smiling. His fists clench at his sides.

“Wilson took away the daily rations.”

“Here comes the zombie war,” Bruno says.

“But on the bright side of things, we have food down here, so we aren’t gonna starve.” Bill seems pleased with himself as if he personally collected all the food.