Page 233 of Fangs
“Roe, listen to me,” I said in a low voice. “You have to get out of here. They’re going to keep hurting you. You need to get away andrun.Don’t stop until you literally can’t keep going. Then find a small shelter and sleep a little, but don’t make a fire.”
“Em—” he tried to interject.
“Don’t make a fire for at least three days; you have to run as far as possible. Pick a mountain and go toward it to make sure you’re not going in circles. Try not to leave tracks.”
“Em, I can’t!” he whispered through tears.
“Youcan,” I said firmly. “You fought a horrible sickness that was tryin’ to kill you forten years, Roe. You are so much stronger than you think.”
He stared at me, shaking.
“My friends from the Vault might be searching the woods. Or my brother Wolf and his crew. You can trust them. Do not come back here, no matter what you hear. Even if you hear me screaming,do not stop.Do not trust the Voiceless, no matter what they say.”
“I don’t want them to hurt you,” he whispered, eyes huge with fear.
“I know, but they’re gonna hurt me whether you’re here or not, and it will kill me if they hurtyou.” My voice broke, tears brimming in my eyes.
“I’m scared,” he confessed.
“I am, too, but we both need to be brave, ok?”
He took a deep, shaky breath. “Ok.”
“If you take off Sax’s jacket, you can prop it up here and make it look like you’re just sleepin’ under it.” I glanced around the camp. They still had probably an hour before the camp was packed up. “How good are you at throwing?”
“I’m pretty good.” He puffed out his thin chest a little. “I killed a prairie dog with my slingshot.”
“That’s amazing,” I whispered, trying to muster a smile. “Ok, I need you to find a small rock and throw it as hard as possible at the mules to create a distraction. As soon as the mules freak out, you go straight to the woods and don’t stop running, ok?” I reached through the bars and squeezed his hands. My voice wobbled, but I managed to continue, long-forgotten words suddenly surfacing in my head, “You can do this. My brother used to tell me that bein’ brave doesn’t mean you aren’t scared; it means you’re scared, and you do it, anyway.”
He squeezed my hands back, tears still in his eyes. Then he let go and found a small rock in the dirt.
“I’m gonna keep looking at you so they don’t suspect us,” I whispered. “Make sure no one’s watchin’ you.”
He sat, quiet and alert, for almost a full minute before he moved, chucking the rock hard and then huddling down. It clattered somewhere in the distance, and he winced. “I missed.”
“It’s ok. Count to a hundred and try again.”
I watched his face as he concentrated. A Voiceless walked past us, carrying buckets of water. Their eyes scanned us carefully, but then they moved on. Roe’s fingers dug another rock out of the dirt. He bounced it in his palm, testing the weight, before closing his fist around it. He scanned the camp without moving his head, and I pleaded with my power, the universe, the gods, and whoever would listen that Roe would get safely away.
Roe moved swiftly, flinging the rock as he bit his lip in concentration. I heard the mule bray, and chaos erupted.
“Put the jacket up and go,” I hissed at him as I turned around and moved to where I hoped I was blocking him from most of the Voiceless’ view. I held onto the bars and craned to see where the mule was trying to break free of the pack line, hoping I looked appropriately surprised and curious. Several of the Voiceless glanced at me, but then they went back to struggling with the mule. I forced myself to count to a hundred before I turned back around like I’d lost interest. Sax’s jacket was propped up like Roe had curled into a little ball; I lay in my cage next to it and closed my eyes, straining my ears for any sound of alarm.
Please. Please. Please.I begged to the rhythm of my pounding heart.
It took the Voiceless at least half an hour to get the mule line back under control. A Voiceless approached at one point, and I sensed them standing over me. I kept my breaths as even as possible, clenching my shaking hands. It felt like they stood there for an eternity, but finally, they moved away. It was another hour before they had everything packed up, and as I watched them secure the final things to the mules, I prayed I’d given Roe enough time. I couldn’t forget how fast the Voiceless had moved through the woods with their cybernetic limbs.
Someone approached my cage. “Wake up, Ember.”
I sat up, rubbing my gritty eyes as he unlocked the door and beckoned me to crawl out. I did so, watching as the Voiceless glanced at Sax’s jacket.
“Get up, child.”
I stood, shakily stretching my cramped limbs and watching the Voiceless stare at Sax’s jacket. When nothing happened, he walked closer.
“Boy! Wake up.”
He nudged the jacket with his foot, and it collapsed inward. He snatched it up and stared at the empty spot beneath it before his eyes flashed to me. I had planned on acting shocked, but I couldn’t help the victorious smile that crossed my face.
