Vic took the smallest of steps to the circular station at the back and placed her wrist in. It lit up green before she quickly snatched her hand back and tucked them under her arms.

  I kept the glare firm on my face as I led Vic to the exit. The others scrambled out of the way, as if we had some sort of disease as we headed for the ladder, but one kid stepped in front of our path. He was tall and had dark skin with nearly black eyes. He had scratches all over his face and a wound on his neck. He had removed his jacket, and his black, tattered T-shirt revealed more wounds across his body. He’d had a run in with a Reek it would seem.

  “Who would have thought that little, terrified Victoria would be the legendary Ghost,” the man said, tilting his head at Vic.

  I shoved her behind me, but the man peered around my shoulder.

  “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. But now that you’re here, in the flesh, it’s so clear to me that I feel like an idiot for not noticing the similarities earlier.”

  “Move, Blane,” Vic said with a quiet firmness. She was still tucked behind me, and one hand clung to the back of my jacket.

  He chuckled. “You’re responsible for more than a few of my men dying.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You and that hoard you travelled with.”

  “I didn’t travel with them,” Vic said.

  “You brought them right to us, every one of us has felt the wrath of the Ghost and her hoard of Reeks.” Blane sneered, and I subtly positioned myself closer to Vic.

  “I di-didn’t… I didn’t mean to… it wa-wasn’t meant to… I only wanted to survive,” Vic stuttered.

  “Oh yeah, you survived all right. Look at you, not a scratch on you.” Blane took a step forward, and I stopped him with a low growl. His eyes flickered to mine. “I wouldn’t be teaming up with this one if I were you, buddy. She’s a plague. Wherever she goes, death follows, and she doesn’t give two shits about whose death it is… including yours.”

  I glared. “I’ll take my chances.”

  “Good luck.” Blane’s brows flickered up, and he stepped out of our way with a dramatic wave of his hand. I pulled Vic ahead of me, and she placed a hand on the first rung of the ladder. “Let’s hope your hoard doesn’t reach Sienna and Theo before you do.”

  Vic paused, glancing back at Blane. “They’re… here?”

  “Where else would they be? I’m surprised they lasted this long, though; it seems all three of you have a few tricks up your sleeves.” Blane glared down at the cuts on his body. “They’re the reason I’ve got these wounds in the first place. They’re responsible for more than half of my men being ripped apart. I hope we find them before you bring your death hoard down on them. Because if we do, they’ll be begging for the Reeks to tear them apart by the time we’re done”

  I said, “If you hurt them—”

  “I won’t have to do anything, not from the look on her face.” Blane tilted his head towards Vic. “This one will do it all for me, isn’t that right, Vic? You’ll go out searching for them, and your pack of monsters will finish the job for me.”

  Before I had a chance to react, before I could pull her back, Vic lunged at Blane. She snapped, her eyes went wild, and her fists connecting lightning fast. The knife hidden in her sleeve jacket shot out just as quickly, and before I could even breathe, the blade was embedded in Blane’s right eye.

  Blane’s mouth stuttered open, and an ear-splitting scream filled the small camp. His hands grappled for the blade still stuck in his eye. Vic pulled it out, the blade slicing through Blane’s hands. He covered his face and fell to his knees and bellowed another scream.

  It all happened so fast I hardly had time to register what to do.

  The others screamed about this being a safe zone and she would pay. Someone yanked at my back, but I pushed them off, swinging my arm back and connecting with their face. I pushed Vic up the ladder and away from the camp, gasping as we reached the surface, hands still clawing at my ankles.

  I didn’t say a word or ask any questions as I gripped Vic’s wrist, and we ran like hell. What the hell just happened in there? I couldn’t help glance at Vic, even while I kept my focus on the tree roots and littered forest floor. Little Vic, this innocent girl, had turned into a stone-cold killer.

  SIENNA

  My feet hit the ground with a thud. “More coming from the north,” I whispered. Theo had Camilla under his arm, holding her up.

  “They’re surrounding us.” Theo grimaced.

  “Leave me behind already,” Camilla said, pushing feebly against Theo’s chest, but he didn’t loosen his grip. She sighed. “You can’t out run them with me, and they won’t stop hunting you guys. Blane is not the kind to give up on vengeance.”

  We had been on the run for two days now after hearing word Blane had survived the Reek attack and had put a price on our heads—two artifacts and additional rations. Nowhere was safe for any of us. Camilla hardly had the energy to stand, let alone run through the forest. And every camp we approached was littered with more of Blane’s thugs. We avoided as many as we could and killed those we couldn’t. After only two weeks in the forest, I was already feeling immune to the guilt of killing other kids.

  The last two nights were spent in the forest, high up in the trees. Camilla couldn’t even climb. We hoisted her up using a rope and secured her to the tree, but we wouldn’t last long out here.

  The Dred Wulfs caught our scent the second night. Likely Camilla’s healing wound acted as a homing beacon for the night creatures. I hadn’t slept in days, perched on the bough of a tree, fending off Wulfs and Reeks hunting us below.

  But we’d survived, so far, and we weren’t about to give up now.

  “Come on.” I pulled Camilla to my side, ignoring her plea to leave her. I wouldn’t do that, not now.

  Theo took up the lead; he could defend us better with his guns, though I was certain he’d run out of bullets soon. We were running out of time and still more than a mile from the next camp. If we didn’t check in before night fall… Well, I didn’t want to think of that now. I had to stay focused.

  Gunner hadn’t extended any more help to us since our incident in the tunnels of Venzier, and he’d held true to his word that he wouldn’t let us back in. Theo and I had retraced our steps the next day trying to find the tunnel system, but the way out we’d taken was sealed up, and we couldn’t find the tunnel slide.

  “You guys are wasting your time with me,” Camilla hissed. Her energy faded more and more each day. Her body was nearly a dead weight at my side, but I hid the struggle it took to carry her along.

  “Stop talking, you need your strength.”

  Camilla let out a snide cackle. “I’m dying, Sienna. I’m going to die. Stop trying to prevent the inevitable from happening and just save yourselves.”

  I shook my head, looking away from her pale face and chapped lips. She was burning hot, her skin blanched and clammy. I knew what it meant, and I knew the salve couldn’t reverse what had already begun, but I wouldn’t admit it. We just needed to get to a camp. Rest would help her heal. I didn’t want to admit, even to myself, that if it came down to it, I wouldn’t risk Theo’s life to save Camilla’s… but I hoped I wouldn’t have to make that choice. For now, we were still running, still moving, but if a time came when we couldn’t escape I knew what I’d have to do.

  We were silent for a few moments, nothing but the cold wind and subtle crunch of leaves under our feet sounding before Camilla spoke again.

  “I tried to find her,” she whispered.

  “Who?”

  “Vic,” she replied.

  I swallowed back the lump in my throat and focused back on the worn path. Ahead of me, Theo’s body tensed. I knew he could hear Camilla despite her quiet voice, but he didn’t stop his quick pace.

  “I knew there was no way she could survive this place, survive those Reeks. So I looked for her, any chance I got. Every camp we entered, I asked about her. Had anyone seen her, was she still alive?”

  “Camilla, you need to stop talking. Save your energy,” I interrupted. I didn’t want to hear this, not now, not here. I couldn’t let myself remember Vic and how fragile she was… She could never survive a place like this.

  “I thought I saw her once. Right before the Reek ripped off my arm,” Camilla continued. “We were out looking for artifacts in the daylight, there were hardly any Reeks around, and we had a large group to fight them off, so none of us were worried. But then they came. Out of nowhere it seemed, a hoard of them pounced, and there was no escaping them. That was when I lost my arm, when everything went to hell. But that day, when those Reeks attacked, I could have sworn I saw her among them. I could have sworn I saw her silver eyes peering down on me as Blane dragged me away. She was like a ghost among them. I wasn’t sure if what I saw was real or if it was some dying delirium.”

  Camilla went quiet again, and I couldn’t find the words to respond to her. She had hated Vic, had tortured her… yet she had looked for her.

  Footsteps sounded to our right, and Theo swiftly took out the two Reeks barrelling towards us. My feet stumbled over a root, and Camilla and I both fell to our knees.

  “Get up,” Theo ordered, gripping my arm and trying to pull Camilla up with me. She faltered and fell back to her knees. “Come on.”

  “They’re over here!” someone shouted in the distance. They were close now, and we couldn’t out pace them, not like this.

  I forced Camilla back to her feet. Ducking low, I wrapped one arm around the back of her leg and the other firm around her wrist. Her body was limp as I hoisted her over my shoulders, standing on tired, weak legs I forced to move.

  “I should—” Theo started.

  “No, we need your guns,” I said. “I’m no use with my knives. Just run.”

  Theo didn’t waste time arguing and took off down the path. I was much slower with the weight of Camilla pulling me down, but I forced my body to push harder. I wouldn’t die in this forest at the hands of my own kind.

  “I wanted to tell her… I was sorry, for what I did. For everything we did to her… and to you.” Camilla’s voice was a whisper in my ear.

  “Not now,” I ordered.

  “If you ever get the chance… will you tell her that for me? Will you tell her… I’m sorry?”

  I clenched my jaw, tightening my hold on Camilla’s limp body. “You can tell her yourself,” I said.

  “Please,” she breathed.

  A bullet whizzed past me, striking a tree only a few feet away. I swore under my breath.

  Theo turned sharply around and aimed four shots behind me. The stifled screams told me he’d hit his mark and we continued running.

  “Please,” Camilla pushed out.

  I let out a heavy breath through my teeth. This wasn’t the time for promises, especially ones I would never be able to keep. But the limp body in my arms told me we were running out of time. “I’ll tell her,” I finally said.

  “Thank you,” Camilla whispered.

  We were close to a camp; I knew we were because I began recognizing familiar paths and trails. My legs were like lead, and I could hardly lift them over the leaves scattered across the forest floor.

  I managed one more step before my legs gave out, and I fell to the ground. Camilla toppled away from me, her body hitting the dirt with a thump. Theo scrambled back, and I forced myself to my feet. Not here, not like this.

  “Go,” Theo said, as he pushed past me, and the sound of gunfire erupted again.

  I lifted Camilla back into my arms. Every muscle in my body was taut and barking in protest, but I made them move. Forced them to keep going.

  The camp was only a few feet away now; we could make it.

  Something slammed hard into my side, and again I was on my back, Camilla wrenched from my grasp.

  The Reek that had taken me down bared its cracked brown teeth, revealed a jagged line inside its pitted mouth, and a guttural scream sounded. I slammed my fists together and staggered to a knee as it lunged for me. My blades sliced through its body.

  I pulled my arm back and thrust the knife in deeper, and the Reek dropped limp to the ground beside me.

  Theo raced back to me.

  “I’m fine,” I said, but still he reached for my face and looked for any wounds. “I’m fine!” I repeated, pushing his hand away and crawling to where Camilla lay silent a few feet away.

  My heart stopped when I neared. “Camilla?” I said. “Camilla!” I shook her but she didn’t respond. Her eyes stared unblinking into space, and her mouth was slightly parted, but no air escaped her lips. I placed a finger on her neck where a pulse should have been, but there was none.

  I screamed her name again, my eyes filling with tears, and I didn’t know what to do. Theo was behind me then, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me away. I struggled against him, but I was so weak and so tired he easily lifted me to my feet and towed me towards the camp hatch.

  A sob escaped me, and I wasn’t entirely sure what for. We hadn’t been friends for a long time, yet in this last week, all of that was washed away. She’d looked for Vic. Every pain, every hurt between us was gone, and I suddenly understood—both of us had been doing the same thing, just trying to survive. She had done the only thing she knew how to do—what we were trained to do—fight and push and live for as long as she could. And in the end, when I actually wanted to, I couldn’t save her.

  “They’re coming. We have to get into the camp. There’s nothing you can do for her now,” Theo whispered in my hair, and his arms wrapped tighter around me.

  I couldn’t look away from her. Her arm rested in an awkward angle, one leg tucked under her, and her eyes still fixed on something in the distance.

  She was gone.

  I heard the hatch open somewhere, felt Theo pull me down into the camp. Then the door closed and locked, and everything outside disappeared.

  The others inside the camp had been convinced not to attack us or open the hatch purely by the guns Theo kept aimed at them through the entire night. A few had their own weapons out, guns among the mix, but Theo had two, which was rare. I sat numb by his side. Neither of us slept.

  The clock hit 06:00 in what seemed like no time at all.

  “Everyone out,” Theo ordered, keeping his gun trained on each kid as they passed. “If you even think of bringing anyone back here for us, you’ll be the first ones to die.”

  The hatch closed behind the last kid and Theo sealed it shut, finally putting his guns away and rubbing his hands over tired, bloodshot eyes. He tilted his head side to side, stretching out his neck before wrapping his arms around my back and pulling me into his chest. I let out a long sigh and closed my eyes.

  Seconds later, a bang rapped on the steel hatch, and I heard a familiar voice on the other side. “Open up, I know you’re down there.”

  Theo looked ready to leave the door locked, but I pulled the hatch open, and Gunner jumped down swiftly into the camp.

  “Thought I’d find you guys here,” he said with a crooked grin. “Where’s the other one?”

  My eyes dropped to the ground.

  “I see,” Gunner said. No sympathy in his words. He moved to the back of the room and checked in before pulling out a water canister to fill up.

  “What are you doing here, Gunner?” I said a little more harshly than intended.

  “Sheesh, don’t have to sound so disgusted to see me.” Gunner shook out his wet hands. “Just came to give you the good news.”

  “And that is?”

  “Blane has removed you two from the top of his hit list. It seems he has bigger fish to fry. Some Ghost took his eye literally right from its socket, in a camp no less.” Gunner grinned. “That means the price on your heads is no longer the highest paying job. All focus is on the Ghost. You can come back to Camp Ten now.”

  “What, were you missing us?” Theo asked.

  “Hardly,” Gunner said. “But you guys have a hefty supply of dried meat, and I’ve used all mine up.” He shrugged.

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Listen, just grab your things and let’s get going. I didn’t come all this way for nothing, and I didn’t steer those Poachers in the wrong direction just to get your snarly looks and rude attitudes.” Gunner threw my pack at me unceremoniously.

  “What happened to you only looking out for yourself?” Theo asked, as he shoved the blanket he’d wrapped around my shoulders at some point last night into my pack. He wasn’t quite relaxed around Gunner, but we both trusted him more than any of the others.

  “Do you never listen?” Gunner said over his shoulder as he scaled the ladder. “This is for me. You have meat and I’m hungry!”

  “Sure,” I mumbled, letting Theo help me up the short ladder as I followed Gunner up. My legs were tired from running with Camilla on my back, but there would be no time to relax.

  We started into a jog towards Camp Ten. I couldn’t help but glance back to where Camilla had been the day before, her body gone already, as I had suspected. Losing people was something I had to get used to out here, a reality now a part of life, but it didn’t stop the guilt and pain from piling up.

  Tearing my eyes away, I looked back to Gunner who ran ahead of us. “So, who is this Ghost that Blane has it out for?”

  Gunner shrugged. “Some tiny, little thing, hardly ninety pounds soaking wet, and not the kind of person you’d think anyone would be scared of. But the stories I’ve heard… she sounds ruthless.”

  “She?” I said.

  “Yeah, some dark-haired, silver-eyed girl,” Gunner said.

  I stopped dead in my tracks. Theo nearly ran into the back of me. A dark-haired, silver eyed-girl… could it be? She was like a ghost among them, Camilla had said. But there was no way she could have survived out here. No way she could have become a legend in the six weeks since I’d last seen her. She was too kind, too sweet… wasn’t she? She’d always told me I underestimated her—and this place changed people—it could have changed Vic, too.