Текст книги "Day Zero"

Автор книги: Summer Lane

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 6 страниц)

Chapter Five

Elle’s head echoed with Georgia’s shriek. She sprinted to the other side of the basement storeroom. The girl was pressed against the wall, grabbing Jay’s arm. They were staring at something on the ground.

It was a dead body. A woman. A puddle of dried, pungent blood had pooled beneath the base of her skull. She’d been shot in the head. Her body was just beginning to smell.

“What the hell kind of a place is this?” Georgia breathed.

Elle spun around and held a finger to her lips. Hadn’t she told these idiots to be quiet? But did they listen? No.

Elle took a cautious step forward and peered at the woman’s head. She was middle age, salt-and-pepper hair cut to the chin. There was a small red dot in the center of her forehead. A perfect kill shot.

“Somebody’s been trying to steal my stuff,” Elle whispered.

“I say we get out of here,” Georgia replied.

“And do what? Let whoever shot this lady take all of this food?” Elle shook her head. “No way. I need this food to stay alive – and so do you, now that you’re here.”

Something rustled at the far end of the basement. Elle dropped to the ground, behind a pallet stacked with food. Flash and Pix huddled close to her, with Georgia and Jay right behind them.

“What is it?” Jay hissed. “Elle?”

Fear coiled in the pit of her stomach.

“Someone’s inside,” she whispered.

She nodded toward the other side of the basement, where she’d heard the noise.

“Let’s go,” Pix said. Her tiny voice was trembling. “Please.”

“And leave the food to someone else?” Elle demanded.

“Is it worth dying over?” Jay pointed out. “We should go.”

But Elle was already moving. She crawled on the floor, hiding behind pallets. She drew her bowie knife from her hip sheath, keeping a firm grip on the handle. She flicked her flashlight off, listening, controlling her breathing. The kids still had their flashlight on, illuminating a shred of the basement. She saw a flicker of a shadow on the far back wall.

Ah, there you are.

Whoever was inside was trying to stay hidden, too. At some point Jay recovered from his shock and realized that his flashlight was like a beacon, leading the invaders in the basement straight to their position. He flicked the light off, and all was dark, silent.

Elle didn’t move. She strained her ears for a noise, a tiny indication of human presence. She sat there for several tense minutes, sweat running down her forehead. She heard a shuffling noise, like someone was slowly moving around the far side of the pallet a few feet in front of her. She gripped her knife.

Bam!

The stack of canned vegetables collapsed next to Elle’s shoulder, toppling over her head. She covered her neck with her hands as the tower rained down, leaving bruises. The metal cans hit the cement. It sounded like something had exploded inside the basement. Elle felt her body being shoved aside. It took her just a split second to realize that someone was touching her.

She instinctively grabbed at the figure. She couldn’t see anything, but she felt a leg. She tightened her fingers around the material of a pant-leg and slashed up with her knife. There was a yelp of pain, and the figure collapsed on the pile of scattered cans. Elle slashed again. Whoever it was – a man, Elle guessed – kicked back, slamming Elle’s small body against another pallet. More cans fell down.

From inside the basement, someone screamed.

It sounded like Pix.

Elle rolled to her side, her ribcage throbbing from the impact of the kick. The silent fight continued as the man grabbed her by the hair and yanked her forward. Pieces of hair tore out of Elle’s scalp. She lifted her knife and shoved it forward, sinking into flesh. There was a strangled scream as the hands released her hair. She fell, pulling the knife toward her, feeling it glide through bone and cartilage.

Elle backed away, feeling her way toward the struggle in the back of the basement. The flashlight had been flicked on again, and it was lying sideways on the floor. Elle glimpsed a shadow of Jay struggling against a bigger man. It was impossible to make out faces, but she guessed the man was middle age. Georgia ran forward and pushed off the wall, snapping her boot into the man’s shoulder. He bent over with the hit and Jay shoved his fist into his face.

There were three more people in the back of the storeroom, and the basement door had been opened. More were coming inside.

The cache had been completely infiltrated.

Elle was furious.

“We have to go!” she told Jay. “Now!”

They were sorely outnumbered.

“Alright, kiddies!” someone yelled. It was a male voice, deep and raspy. “Time to stop with the playground antics. One of my men is dead, and that’s not something I’m willing to overlook.” A pause. “Why don’t you just walk to the front of the room and surrender? We won’t hurt you, I promise.”

Sure, they won’t hurt us, Elle thought. They’ll only kill us.

She knelt and grabbed the flashlight, flicking the switch off again. The only light in the basement was the stream of sunlight coming in through the entrance. Three people were standing on the steps.

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” the man drawled.

Elle felt Georgia’s hand in the darkness. She leaned close to her head and whispered, “We have to draw them into the basement, then we’ll dash for the door.”

Georgia relayed the message to the others.

“I know you’re in here,” the man said. “Let’s not make this harder than it has to be. We won’t hurt you. We’ll give you a home. A place with food and water. How does that sound?”

Elle wanted to show him how that sounded, but she knew better.

She rounded the back end of the basement, tiptoeing around pallets. The kids followed suit. Elle silently instructed them to separate across the storeroom. She stayed where she was, almost directly in front of the basement steps.

The man kept talking, trying to draw the kids out of the basement, to the front of the room. Elle knew what he was doing; he was lulling them into a sense of false security, weakening their defenses. She slowly unzipped her backpack and reached inside, feeling for the right object…yes, there it was.

“If you come out now, we’ll give you a nice home at the Pits,” the man said.

At this, Elle froze. A chill ran up her spine.

“You’ll be taken care of.”

You lying dog, Elle thought. The Klan will never take me again.

Elle dug for the lighter in the bottom of her pack. She found it. Her hands were shaky; she willed them to cooperate. She flicked her thumb along the roller and the flame ignited. She was holding a box in the other hand – a box with a fuse.

Elle threw the package toward the steps, dropped the lighter back into her pack, and covered her head. The box exploded, sending sprays of fiery color into the basement. The men on the steps dove for cover, and one of them was knocked off his feet. The colored balls of fire kept popping, rattling the basement, creating chaos.

Firecrackers. One of Elle’s favorite post-apocalyptic weapons.

Elle sprinted toward the exit, climbing the stairs with lightning speed. She charged into the alley, the daylight burning her eyes. She glanced behind her. Jay was next, and then Georgia. Elle fixed her gaze straight ahead and kept running. They needed to hide.

The screams of the men in the basement didn’t fade until they were two blocks away. Elle slowed her pace a bit, but she didn’t stop until they were safely on the other side of the city, near Santa Monica Boulevard again.

She placed her hands on her knees, breathing hard. She was hidden behind an overflowing garbage can in the alley near an abandoned Mexican restaurant. Jay and Georgia came to a halt beside her. Elle reached up and touched her shirt. She was dripping in blood – not hers, but the man who she had stabbed inside the basement.

“Flash, where’s Pix?” Georgia gasped.

Georgia’s hair was mussed and her shirt was torn. Jay’s knuckles were bloody; Elle could see a piece of white bone protruding through the skin.

Flash leaned against the alley wall, struggling for breath. His glasses were sideways. “She was… right behind… me,” he panted.

Elle stood up. Pix was nowhere in sight.

“Did she make it out of the basement?” Elle asked.

“Yeah, I saw her come out,” Jay replied. “I didn’t check afterward, though. I was… running…” He seemed embarrassed. “I thought she was with Flash.”

As Flash regained his breath, it seemed to dawn on him that his sister was missing. “Pix?” he called.

“Shhhh,” Georgia hissed. “Dummy! Do you want the whole posse to come down on us again?”

Elle frowned.

They had no idea what had just happened.

____________________

Elle waited. Her heart rate slowed. Her fight or flight instinct vanished, and she crouched low, watching the street. They all watched, hoping Pix had just fallen behind and that she would catch up.

Elle counted the minutes. One, two, three… five… seven.

Too long.

“She’s not coming,” Elle stated. “They got her.”

“Who got her?” Jay demanded. “What was that, anyway? A basement full of food and thugs? We almost died down there, Elle!”

“Welcome to the city,” Elle replied.

“We can’t just leave her behind!” Flash said, eyes wide. “She’s my sister!”

“We can and we will,” Elle replied. “Do you know who that was in the storeroom? The Klan. We can’t mess with the Klan.”

“But they’ve got Pix!”

And she was as good as dead, if Elle was right.

Chapter Six

They were hiding out in a tiny, single-level apartment living room. The curtains were drawn and they spoke in whispers. They had backtracked as far as they dared, searching for Pix. There was no sign.

“Is she… dead?” Flash breathed.

They were sitting on the cold, damp floor.

“I heard that big guy in the basement say something about ‘The Pits,’” Georgia said. “He said he wanted to take us there. What is that?”

“Is that where they took Pix?” Flash asked, a spark of hope on his face.

“If it is,” Elle replied, “she’s dead.”

Jay demanded, “ Why? Have you heard of the Pits?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of them.”

“What are they?”

Elle grimaced. “It’s a Klan game,” she said. “They throw prisoners into big pits in the ground and make them fight. To the death. Klan members bet against each other – not with money, but with gold, guns or supplies. It’s bad. Very bad.”

“They’re taking my sister there?” Flash whispered. He was trembling. Jay and Georgia looked equally distressed. Elle just stared at them, thinking.

“They round up anyone they can find,” Elle answered. “Men, women and children. If you get taken to the pits, you’ve been given a death sentence. Nobody survives for very long.”

“What’s the point of that?” Flash sniffled. “Why do they do it?”

“Because they can,” Elle replied. “This is the world we live in, now.”

“You don’t seem too concerned about this,” Georgia snapped.

Elle shrugged.

“Sorry, but Pix is gone.”

“No. We have to rescue her,” Jay cut in. “We can’t let her die.”

“You have to,” Elle told him. “The Klan has her. There’s nothing you can do now.”

“Where are the Pits?” Flash asked quietly. His eyes were red, but he hadn’t shed a tear. Not yet. “Do you know where we can find them?”

“You don’t want to go to the Pits,” Elle stated, “unless you have a death wish.”

“We’re not leaving Pix to the Klan,” Jay answered.

Elle was dumbfounded. These kids would really go on a suicidal rescue mission to save one person from their group? Didn’t they know any better?

She was annoyed, but deep down, she was impressed. Something deeper than mere survival instinct held this group together. Something stronger.

“The Klan outnumbers you a hundred to one,” Elle pointed out.

“We have to try,” Jay replied.

“You really are clueless,” Elle answered.

“Please, Elle,” Georgia interjected. “You don’t have to come with us. We’re just asking you to tell us where it is… if you know.”

Elle met Georgia’s piercing blue eyes. She weighed her options. She could take off right now and leave these kids behind her, never thinking about them again. She had already wasted enough time trying to teach them how to find food – and look what had happened. They’d almost gotten killed.

Or she could tell them where the Pits were, and they would leave. Of course, they would die, because the Pits were in Klan territory and a group of naïve bunker survivors didn’t stand a chance of pulling off a successful rescue. Either way, Elle didn’t have to worry about them anymore. They’d be out of sight, and out of mind.

But as Flash stood there on shaky feet, Jay’s strong arm around his tiny shoulders, something grabbed her heart. For the first time since she’d come to the city, she felt sympathy. It had been a long time since she’d felt anything for anyone… even herself. Her world was cold and dark. Unfeeling.

“I can show you where it is,” Elle said at last. “But don’t expect to come out of this alive.”

She wasn’t being cruel. She was just being honest.

“Thank you,” Georgia breathed. “This means a lot.”

Elle shook her head.

Georgia had no idea.

____________________

The Klan’s territory spread through Hollywood, Culver City, Santa Monica and Malibu. Elle had spent months exploring the abandoned segments of the city, the parts that weren’t under Omega’s strict control. She knew every street, every building. She knew where the Klan spent most of their time, and she knew how they thought. How they operated.

“How far?” Georgia asked.

They had been walking for a long time. Elle shook her head.

“A while,” she answered.

Georgia sighed.

Flash hadn’t said a word since they’d left, and it was late afternoon.

Elle tried to talk to him.

“So, you’re nicknamed after a flash drive,” she said. “Why?”

Flash shrugged.

“My sister and I…we spent a lot of time on computers.”

“Doing what?”

He didn’t answer right away. Then, “Learning.”

From the tone of his voice, Elle had a feeling there was a lot more to the story than he was willing to talk about.

“You were in juvenile hall,” Elle said. “Were you a hacker?”

Flash looked up sharply, a mysterious light coming to his eyes.

“Maybe,” he replied. “Maybe we were.”

He refused to pursue the conversation, plunged deep into his own fear of losing his sister to the Klan. Elle lapsed into silence again. She didn’t feel like talking anymore.

As they moved through the city, Elle became more uptight. Every creak, every echo was suspicious. They were deep into Klan territory.

“Where are we going?” Georgia whispered, falling into step with Elle. “Elle? Please talk to us.”

Elle felt a twinge of guilt, keeping them in the dark like this. She wasn’t used to negotiating social situations, and her conversational skills were…lacking. She turned to Georgia and said, “The Pits are right in the heart of Klan territory. Like, the dead center. We just follow this road—” she pointed to a street sign that said Sunset Boulevard, “—and take it to North Highland Avenue.”

“Street names don’t mean anything to me,” Jay muttered.

“Well, they better,” Elle replied. “Pay attention to your surroundings. You never know when you might get lost.” She turned to Georgia. “So to answer your question, we’re about a mile and a half away.”

Elle was hoping that once they actually saw the Pits, they would abandon their plan to rescue Pix. Because the Pits, to Elle at least, represented hell itself.

The time dragged by. Moving quietly and slowly, it seemed to take an eternity to reach their destination. As they drew closer to the Pits, signs of Klan inhabitation became obvious. Buildings had been painted with the Klan symbol; a blood red X. Each point of the X looked like an arrow. It symbolized death and destruction.

It symbolized a new era of neo-civilization. A barbaric society.

Windows were painted with the X. Old billboards were covered with giant red X symbols. The boulevard widened and the street had been painted with big, red letters:

INTRUDERS BEWARE

TRESPASSING = DEATH

Below the words, blood stained the road. Elle turned to the others. Jay and Georgia looked terrified.

“You still want to go through with this?” Elle asked.

They didn’t answer. She took that as a yes.

They continued. They traveled under a freeway overpass. The bottom of the road and the support beams for the highway were covered in graffiti. Bright, vulgar phrases and warnings were painted along the walls and ceiling. Grotesque artwork snarled at them.

“Don’t look,” Elle warned. “It’s bad.”

But it was too late. Jay, Georgia and Flash were staring at the graffiti, mesmerized. Elle hurried on, reaching the end of the tunnel. An off ramp from the freeway slid onto a large boulevard. There was a park here. It was pretty – maybe the only pretty thing left in the entire city.

Elle dropped to a crouch behind a wall of foliage. There was a huge park up ahead. Barbed wire wound haphazardly around the outside of the park, dotted with sharp, pointed stakes. It was archaic. A sign sat on a protruding piece of concrete, once prominent in the never-ceasing flow of Los Angeles traffic. The words were difficult to make out.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Georgia hissed.

“Welcome to the Pits,” Elle whispered.

They had reached the Pits:

The Hollywood Bowl.

Chapter Seven

The Hollywood Bowl belonged to the Klan. From their vantage point near the off ramp, Elle and the kids could see the tip of the half dome that enclosed the world-famous stage. The seats around the stage were filled with hundreds of Klan members. They were screaming and yelling, throwing trash and bottles and crude comments. A huge bonfire lit the scene, tossing distorted, leaping shadows across the stage.

“The big stage is where they pit the toughest fighters against each other,” Elle explained.

“What about the Pits?” Georgia whispered, horrified. “Where are those?”

“Behind the Bowl,” Elle replied. “Come on. Follow me, and this time, do exactly what I tell you. The Klan has a lot more security than you’d think.”

Gang members roved the border of the park, patrolling, looking for people that dared trespass on their territory.

Elle stopped dead in her tracks. Georgia bumped into her back, pushing her forward. Elle barely regained her balance. She shot Georgia a harsh glare, gesturing ahead. Two Klan members were coming their way. They were loud, stomping along, talking in slurred voices. Clearly drunk.

Elle slid into a bush and the kids followed.

“…Come on, Elena,” the first of the two Klan members said. A male. “We’re missing it.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.”

“I’ve got a lot riding on this fight. Hurry up.”

“I’m hurrying…”

They passed slowly, but as soon as they were out of sight, Elle crawled out of the cover of the bush and looked around. Evening was setting in, masking the park in shadows. Torches were being lit, giving the area a tribal appearance.

“This place gives me the creeps,” Georgia muttered.

It should, Elle thought.

Jay and Flash said nothing, but Elle noticed Jay’s hand on the thirteen-year old boy’s forearm. Jay sensed her stare and Elle looked away, embarrassed.

I’m just not used to people, she thought. There’s nothing to feel weird about.

They came around the back of the park. It was quieter here, and the reason was obvious. Huge, animalistic kennels had been set up between the trees. People were crammed between trees, enclosed on all sides with sheets of cyclone fencing. Some of them held a single person – prize fighters – and others were filled with groups of prisoners.

Just beyond the cages, huge, muddy pits had been dug into the ground.

They were the small fighting arenas – the Pits.

“Who are these prisoners?” Georgia commented, frowning. “Gladiators?”

“Basically,” Elle replied.

“Bunch of maniacs, if you ask me.” Georgia took a deep breath – apparently she was more rattled by the sight than she wanted to admit. “Remind me never to visit Hollywood again.”

Elle fought the urge to turn back, to run away. This place brought back memories. Very bad memories.

Why am I here? Why am I doing this?

Again, she had no answer. It just felt like the right thing to do, she guessed.

“The Pits are just beyond where they keep the prisoners,” Elle whispered.

“Where will Pix be?” Flash asked.

“I don’t know. She could be in any of the cages.”

“How are we going to find her without being seen?”

“I’m working on it.”

Elle studied the area. The cages were lined up in two rows parallel to each other. Klan guards roamed between the cages, keeping watch. They carried long, pointed stakes. Occasionally one of them would shove the stake through the cyclone fencing and harass the prisoners, keeping them subdued.

“This is going to have to be insanely fast,” Elle said. “You’re going to have to trust me.”

“I’m not sure we can pull this off,” Jay replied, hesitant.

“Hey, you’re the ones who wanted to come here,” Elle pointed out.

“I know. But this… we don’t stand a chance.”

Elle sighed. Hadn’t she tried to tell him this before they came?

“Well, I’m here now, and I’m not leaving until I do some damage,” Elle snorted. “You can leave if you want to.”

Weird how the tables had turned. Seeing this place had reminded Elle how much she hated the Klan – how much she wished somebody would take them down.

“I have to help Pix,” Flash said, his voice soft.

“Well, I didn’t walk a mile down Sunset Boulevard and a thousand empty pawn shops to sit on my butt and do nothing,” Georgia replied. “I’m still in.”

Jay didn’t say a word.

“We need a diversion,” Elle said, narrowing her eyes at Jay. “Pix could be in any of the cages, and the only way we’ll have enough time to find her is if we open all of them.”

“You’re insane,” Jay stated.

“You’ve told me that before,” Elle replied. “Trust me, I know what I’m talking about. Jay and Flash, you create a diversion. A big one. Blow up something. See that bonfire on this side of the Pits? There are diesel tanks that they use to keep the torches burning.” She pointed. “See? Make a huge fire or explosion. Make it loud.”

“How do you know where to find all of this stuff?” Georgia asked.

“Georgia, you come with me,” she said, ignoring the question.“As soon as Jay and Flash blow up the tanks, these Klan members standing guard are going rush over there. We’ll have a chance to open the cages, if we’re lucky.”

“And then what? There are hundreds of Klan members in the arena around the corner,” Jay said. “We’re toast.”

“We’re going to run, and then we’re going to hide,” Elle answered. “And we’re going to stay hidden until the Klan calms down. Then we move on.”

“What if they capture us?” Georgia asked after a long silence.

“Then we’re dead.”

“If we separate from Jay and Flash, how are we going to meet up with them again?”

“We’ll have a meeting place,” Elle said. “Do you remember the bakery where we stayed last night? We’ll meet there. It’s far away from here and it’s hidden.” She turned to Jay. “Can you find the bakery on your own?”

Jay shrugged. Elle didn’t find that very reassuring.

“Any questions?” Elle offered.

Georgia raised her hand like a kid in a classroom. The gesture almost made Elle laugh.

Almost.

“How do we get the cages open?” Georgia asked.

“We cut the wire,” Elle said, pointing to the coil of wire twisted around the cyclone fencing. Elle drew a pair of wire cutters from her backpack. “I’m always prepared,” she grinned.

Then Elle pointed to a thickset, tall man with a shaved head. His forehead and cheeks were swirling with tattoos. He wore no shirt, just combat fatigues and a leather strap across his chest. The strap sheathed a sword on his back.

“He’s our biggest problem,” Elle whispered. “He’s the chief guard.  He gives the orders. You can tell by his tattoo, see?” The man had the Klan symbol tattooed on his left bicep. “We take him out, and some of our worst problems are eliminated.”

“Please tell me you’re joking,” Georgia sighed.

“I could,” Elle said, “but it would be a lie.”

“He’s huge. He’s like an anvil with legs.”

“I’ll take care of him. You focus on cutting the wire.” Elle handed Georgia the wire cutters. “You’ve got be quick.”

Jay interjected, “We’re probably going to die, aren’t we?”

Elle wanted to slap him. Yes, she’d known that this was probably a suicide mission, but that was before she had decided to help them. She had planned to lead them here and let them pull off the rescue attempt on their own.

But something inside her wouldn’t let her do that.

She wanted to do something about the cages sitting in front of her. She wanted to help. The world might be destroyed and society might have collapsed – but she could do a little good. She could help someone.

“You ready?” Elle said.

No one answered.

Elle took that as a yes.

____________________

“They’re all dead, Elle.”

Uncle stood in the doorway of the ranch house, tall and imposing. His scraggly gray hair hung limply to his shoulders. Rain drops slid down his wrinkled face. Elle sat on the floor, a book in her hands.

“Mom can’t be dead,” Elle stated. “She was supposed to wait for us.”

“I know. But she wasn’t there.”

“So she could still be alive, then.”

“My girl, your mother is gone, and so is your father and your brother.” Uncle took a step closer, and Elle was suddenly on her feet, drawing back. “Please, Elle. Listen to what I’m saying: they’re gone. You need to accept this. Life won’t get any easier until you do.”

“Life sucks,” Elle said, blinking back tears. “We’re living in hiding – people are dying all around us. There’s nothing left! It’s not going to get easier. Ever.”

Uncle’s eyes were red, as if he had been crying.

Elle remembered when the power had gone out, when everything had gone dark forever. She remembered the panic, the riots. The massacres and the whispers of a shadow army on the coastline. Her father and her brother, slipping out one night to find food. Her mother waiting at the window of their apartment in Beverly Hills, sitting there for three days. Sending Elle away with Uncle, into the hills, away from the city.

“She has to be there, somewhere,” Elle said.

“Hope is a good thing,” Uncle replied, “but in this case, accept the truth. Your family is dead, but you have us. You have your Aunt and I. You’re not alone.”

Elle threw her book into the fireplace. The flames consumed the pages, slowly eating away the words. She stared at it until it was a pile of charred, black debris. Uncle placed a hand on Elle’s shoulder. She shook it off.

Uncle was wrong. Mom had to be alive.

Johnny and Daddy were dead, but Mom…

She had to go back. She had to find her.

And Uncle couldn’t stop her.

____________________

Elle’s palms were sweaty. She waited with Georgia on the far side of the park, staring at the long rows of cages. The prisoners were filthy, caked in mud and dried blood. They sat and stared into space with vacant expressions.

“What the hell is wrong with people?” Georgia whispered. “This is barbaric.”

This is life, Elle thought bitterly.

“Remember, leave the big guy to me,” Elle replied. “You get those cages open and look for Pix. Then we’re out of here.”

“Okay, okay,” Georgia replied. Then, “Why are you helping us, Elle? You’ve really got no reason to.”

Elle frowned.

“I don’t know,” she said.

“Liar,” Georgia observed, lifting an eyebrow. “There’s something here that you want.”

Elle blinked, startled at Georgia’s perceptiveness.

But she didn’t answer. She didn’t like to talk about the past with people that she didn’t trust completely. Not that she thought Georgia was out to kill her, but still…information was valuable. She didn’t want to give it away so easily.

“Okay, they’ve got to be ready by now,” Elle muttered.

Jay and Flash needed to hurry up. The chief guard was walking closer, pacing up and down between the cages. This was their opportunity.

Come on, hurry up!

The explosion caught Elle off guard. It was huge. The diesel tanks roared into towering flames and detonated like bombs, flattening the foliage around them instantly. Heat burned Elle’s face and singed the hair on her arms. She shielded her eyes. The roar from the inferno was constant, like a waterfall. A wave of sound. Flames licked around the tops of the trees and seared the grass. Klan members lay twisted at unnatural angles on the ground, their skin charred and black.

Several guards were caught in the explosion. They struggled to regain their balance. Elle heard screaming and cursing. The chief guard slowly got to his feet, bewildered by shock and the blistering flames.

Even Elle’s ears were ringing.

“Here we go,” she told Georgia.

And then she was gone. She sprinted out of the cover of the foliage and ran between the cages, making a beeline for the head guard. The prisoners in the cages were watching the explosion, eyes wide.

One of the guards had dropped a stake after the explosion. It lay on the ground, untouched. Elle grabbed it as she flashed past. She came up behind the chief guard and slammed the blunt tip into the soft spot in the back of his skull with the full force of her running momentum. His huge, brawny body dropped like a sack of rocks.

She reached down and grabbed the sword on his back, drawing the gleaming blade in an arc around her head. Elle fastened the leather strap around her chest, sheathed the word and looked up, searching for Georgia. The tall girl was feverishly cutting through the wires on the second cage. The prisoners were pushing against the cyclone fencing, frenzied. Escape!

“RUN!” Elle shouted. “You’re free – get out and don’t come back!”

The prisoners pushed out of the first two cages, almost knocking Georgia and Elle underfoot in the process.

“Okay, I’ll cut,”Elle said, grabbing the wire cutters. “You look for Pix!”

“PIX?” Georgia yelled. “Pix? Where are you?!?”

There were just under a dozen cages here. Elle worked fast to cut the wires before the full force of Klan guards returned. If they were caught – especially Elle – there would be hell to pay.

“Elle!”

Pix’s small, pale face peeked through the bars of the last cage in the row. It was stuffed with younger children. Elle unlocked the door and the children flooded outside. Screams of joy and gratitude filled the air.

“Run!” Elle kept yelling. “You have to GET OUT!”

Stupid people! Didn’t they realize the clock was ticking?

Bam!

Something slammed into Elle’s shoulder. She saw stars. The world exploded in a burst of color as she tumbled to the ground, her shoulder throbbing with pain. She rolled to her feet, lost her balance, and grabbed the side of a cage to stand. The man who she had taken the sword from was standing there, and he was enraged.