Frenzy (The Frenzy Series Book 1) (10 page)

On the steps of Town Hall, Saul sat down heavily. “Don’t be. I’ve wondered the same thing myself. I was just never brave enough to voice it.”

“I’m not brave.”

His eyes found mine. “You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met. It’s one of the reasons I want to marry you. Not because you asked me or because of your situation at home, but because I admire you. I respect you, Porschia.”

“Thank you. I admire you, too.” It wasn’t a lie. I’d come to realize that Saul was a good man and a hard worker. He had many admirable qualities, and I respected him, too. It was a good start. I climbed the steps with my bag in hand and pulled the door closed behind me, watching him stand and jog toward his house.

Behind a small door beyond the foyer was an old bathroom. How I wished indoor plumbing was still available. Or lights, for that matter. I quickly pulled the items out of my bag, pulled Ford’s pants on and then removed my dress, pulling his shirt on over the top. I had to roll the sleeves up, but it worked. Ford was taller than me and skinnier, so the pants were tight around my hips. On the hem, the darting was strong. Mrs. Dillinger supervised my efforts and made sure they would hold for the week. She also promised that once the week was up, I could cut the thread and it would be like they’d never been altered at all.

Stuffing my dress into the bag, I looked at myself in the mirror. The glass was fading along the edges but I could still see my reflection. In these clothes, I wasn’t Porschia. I was a badass huntress and no Infected was going to come near me tonight.

I tucked my bag beneath one of the pews. After tomorrow’s morning rotation I would have to stop by for my rations and could grab it then. Saul stood when he heard the door open, but I wasn’t prepared for his mouth to gape open at me. My skin warmed.

“They should let women wear pants all the time.”

I giggled. “I take it they don’t look stupid?”

“Definitely not.”

“Are you ready to go meet the others?” I fitted my knife sheath along my right hip and made sure I could reach it easily.

Saul held out a hand. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” He looked up at me and then at the ring on my hand.

“Let me see yours,” I asked. His was silver and larger, with a shiny black stone on top. “I wonder how they got these, and how they choose them.”

“They reuse the rings with every rotation,” Saul explained.

“Makes me wonder which one Mercedes wore.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for thinking about her. She’s your sister.”

“She is, you know? Everyone acts like she’s dead, but she’s not. We might even see her tonight.”

Saul put his hands on my shoulders. “Listen, Porsch. If we do see her, you can’t go near her. It’s not safe.”

I nodded my head, tears filling my eyes. Silently, I prayed that I wouldn’t see her again, though everything within me wanted to so badly.

“I know,” I croaked.

He pulled me in for a hug. When I let go of him, we walked toward the river. There was a log that had fallen across the gurgling water years ago. It was broad enough to walk across, but rumored to be slick with moisture and algae. It was the only crossing safe enough for all of us.

Tim, Mary, Vincent, and James were already waiting for us, and everyone was obviously amped up. The Freemans held several long strands of twine and rope. Vincent was reminding James of the importance of tying the knots so they would slip, snaring the animals and tightening more and more as they struggled to get free.

Tim and Mary were nearest the tree. “As soon as our tour guide arrives, we’ll cross,” Tim joked.

Dara appeared a second later, small and graceful in her movements. “I was merely waiting for all of you to arrive. Just so you know, it’s never a good idea to split up like you’re planning to do. It divides my attention and the rotters might take advantage of the situation. Maybe not tonight, but if they catch on...”

Dara’s platinum-blonde, silky hair made her look ethereal in the moonlight. With a curled upper lip, she all but growled at Mary, who was still wearing her dress. When she found me, Dara smiled. “At least one of you has brains. You might want to wear something like her tomorrow. Easier to run in.”

Mary huffed and crossed her arms. “This is all I have, and I can run in this as easily as pants. Deal with it,” she bit back.

Dara smiled, revealing her fangs. “I won’t have to beyond tonight. You’ll have another watchdog tomorrow.”

My stomach roiled. Would it be Tage?
Saul is thinking the same thing
, I thought. He pursed his lips and when Dara took off across the trunk, he followed behind her, motioning for me to join him. The trunk
was
slippery. The soles of my boots were sliding all over the place, but in the end, I stayed upright and made it across. We all did.

At the other side, we all agreed on the same plan. The Freemans would set snares up the middle. The Browns would take the forest to the east, and Saul and I would set off to the west. Dara said she would stay centered and would go where needed. “Just scream like you’re dying if you need me. I’ll be right there.” She flashed her fangs and took off after the Freemans.

I bet she’d be there…to suck us dry.

Although we tiptoed through the forest, the leaves crunched noisily beneath our feet. Harsh puffs of visible breath escaped my mouth as we reached the top of the first hill. “We have to go further away from the Colony, so we’ll be walking for a while,” Saul whispered.

“Sounds good.”

I followed his footsteps, careful to stay close. Night descended like a thick blanket, but the sky was clear. The moonlight was bright and though I couldn’t see perfectly, visibility was better than expected. My other senses were heightened. From above us came the hooting of an owl, while nearby, small creatures scurried through the dried undergrowth.

Saul’s feet stilled and he raised his crossbow. “Stay with me. No matter what.”

“No matter what,” I mouthed back. Was it an Infected? I peered around his shoulder to get a good look, but saw nothing. Saul took aim.

From just ahead, there was movement. A large buck raised its rack high, its eyes and muscles tense and alert. Saul eased the bow into position, aimed, and squeezed the trigger. The animal reared when the arrow hit its flank but took off, frantically trying to get away from us. Saul sprinted after it. “Come on!” he yelled.

I ran after the two of them, keeping Saul in sight until a loud thump from behind me stopped me in my tracks. The hilt of my knife was cold in my hand as I eased it from the sheath. Footsteps. “Dara?”

No answer.

“Saul?” It couldn’t have been him. My pulse throbbed in my ears. That sound and the autumnal song of crickets was all I heard. I faced the sound and backed in the direction that Saul had taken off in. My heart was about to explode.

From behind, crunching leaves. Louder. Closer.

“Who’s there?”

From the valley beyond me, too far away to help, came Saul’s voice. “Porschia?”

Another crunch, closer this time. The pines were blocking the moonlight, making it even more difficult to see. I reached into the darkness in front of me. “Mercedes?” I whispered. Could it be her?

“Porschia?!” yelled Saul.

“Here.” My voice was raw. Shaking, I held my knife up in front of me. The dark blade glinted as I moved backward, trying to put distance between myself and whatever was approaching.

I could hear Saul running to me. When he was close, I turned toward him. “Hey!” he beamed, but then his smile was replaced by an all too serious look. He put two hands out in front of him. “Easy.”

I was still holding the knife, my hand trembling with fear. “Sorry. I heard something and got scared.”

His eyes scanned the area. “I don’t see anything,” he said, pushing my hand down. “You can put it away.”

“Did you take him down?”

Saul smiled. “Bet your ass I did. Let’s go get him.”

Relief loosened my taut muscles. We had food. One deer wouldn’t feed the entire Colony, but it was something. And something was better than nothing, any day of the week.

Dara caught up with us at the bottom of the valley where the buck lay bleeding out, another arrow piercing its neck. Every part of Dara shook violently. Her eyes flashed in warning. “GO!” she roared, pointing for us to make tracks.

“We have to carry it back,” Saul protested. We couldn’t just leave it there. The Colony needed the food.

Dara bared her fangs and sank to her knees. Her lower lip quivered, raking against her long, delicate fangs. “I’m starving. I’ll bring it to the river, I swear, but I need this.”

She pierced the deer carefully to avoid the arrow wound and drank greedily, kneading its fur and flesh, digging her long nails into its hide. She gulped and moaned, pulling the animal against her body. Saul backed away from the sight and grabbed my arm. “Let’s go.”

We ran.

Climbing onto a low tree limb, Saul and I waited and watched for more game. We stayed silent until the ebony cloak of night lifted and turned gently, fading the sky from black to royal to pale blue. Golden-edged wisps streaked the sky merrily.

“We need to get to the pavilion.”

Saul nodded. Purple circles ringed the skin beneath his eyes. “Yeah.”

He climbed down first and then grabbed me as I jumped. “I’ve never seen them feed like that,” he confided.

“Me either.”

“It seemed like she was desperate.”

“That’s a bad thing. Desperation usually equals bad decisions.” For me it did. Because if I wasn’t desperate, if Mother hadn’t made her ultimatum, I would never have applied for the rotation or stepped one foot across the river. But then I wouldn’t have met Saul, either.

We trekked out of the forest, ignoring the birds that chirped in the canopy above. Slipping and sliding over the tree trunk, our feet found Colony soil. “We need to run,” Saul said. The others had left us.

“Let’s go.”

It was almost daylight. We were late. The others were probably worried about why we hadn’t emerged from the forest. The night-walkers were probably irritated. Roman was probably the most volatile. I got the impression that he didn’t like to wait, but at least Dara had taken her fill last night. She wasn’t starving for Saul’s blood.

When we got to the pavilion, every head turned toward us. On the faces of our teammates was relief. Roman stalked toward us. “Where have you been?”