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AS JANE NEARED THE alcove, she sensed something was wrong.
The room was quiet. Too quiet. An ominous silence hung over the dank hallway—the creepy kind that prompted children to look under their beds for imaginary monsters.
She was still fuming after her conversation with Garr, and she almost missed the unnatural stillness.
Her instincts sounded an inner alarm, wresting her attention back to the present. She slowed to a snail’s pace, all of her senses alert as she approached the alcove where they’d left their newest Runner.
Her nerves were on a razor’s edge as she edged nearer the doorway, trying to peer inside before committing herself. She felt the cramping between her shoulder blades as she tensed for action. She couldn’t explain the cause of her sudden alarm, but every instinct she possessed was clamoring to be heard.
“Hey, Country Girl, where you at?” She called out with as much bravado she could muster. Aubrey, the baby Runner, should be cowering in a corner, at best. But she heard no betraying sounds inside the room. No greeting, no welcome, no sign of Aubrey at all.
“Country Girl, you better not be playing hide and seek, down here of all places.” Her heartbeat rose as the silence continued, unbroken. “I’ve got no time for stupid games. It’s me, Country Girl, and I’m coming in.”
The stubborn silence mocked her, and she felt foolish. Aubrey was no threat to her, yet she couldn’t deny her morbid sense of foreboding. She took a deep breath, counting to three.
In one swift leap, she covered the distance into the room, landing in a half-crouch. She pivoted in a wary circle, taking in every detail around the circumference of the chamber.
There was nothing to see. Even the blankets they’d spread on the floor for Aubrey were gone. Only a few scuff marks in the dust remained as evidence anyone had been there. The nondescript room was empty.
Country Girl had disappeared. But where?
Jane returned to the threshold, crouching down to inspect the dust on the concrete floor. There were a decent number of over-lapping footprints going back and forth to her left, pointing back to where Amos and the others were.
Of course, these included her own prints, and those who helped guide Aubrey the Fainting Wonder to the alcove.
Jane shifted her weight in the opposite direction, spying a single set of footprints leading away, down the right-hand tunnel. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the tracks. In the damp underground, it was difficult to guess how much of a head start Aubrey had, but it couldn’t have been long.
Struck by a sudden hunch, Jane made a quick search of the storage bins. Just as she’d suspected, Country Girl had taken a rucksack, the blankets they’d covered her with, and most of the food rations.
Whatever Aubrey’s reasons for deserting the group, she’d been smart enough to pack provisions. But where had she gone, and why?
Jane shivered, but not from the cold and damp.
The first explanation was simple, but terrifying. Aubrey still had her Implant, and it was clear the Trackers had identified her as a Runner. Which meant she was fair game for a deadly hunt. They’d be coming for her, tracking her relentlessly.
But if that were the case, why would she run away from the people who were helping her? It didn’t make any sense.
Jane crossed to the darkest corner in the alcove. She knelt, prying at a concrete block near the base of the wall. It came loose with a grating protest. Jane coaxed it to one side, rotating the heavy block to reveal a small cavity behind the wall.
She leaned closer, squinting in the meager light. Ah, there it was, right where she’d left it. Just the little metallic beauty she both wanted and needed. If what she suspected was true . . .
Jane reached into the dark hole, seizing her prize with a trembling hand. There was a sour taste in her mouth as she examined the cloth-wrapped package for the first time in over a year. The memories it evoked were dark.
Jane held the heavy package in one hand, shoving the brick back into place with the other. She took a further moment to smooth the dust on the floor, effectively disguising the whereabouts of her hiding place.
She stayed on her knees, surveying her effort with a critical eye. This was no time to get sloppy.
Satisfied, she got to her feet, brushing the grit from her hand on her pants. Mentally bracing herself, she unwrapped the package.
The handgun was heavy, but it wasn’t the only reason her hand was shaking. She throttled her emotions, disassociating herself from any thought of the past. She needed her weapon, plain and simple.
She stepped back, sighting down the snub-nosed barrel with a veteran’s eye. No one else knew she’d hidden her weapon here. She’d lied about getting rid of it a year ago, and nobody had had the heart to question her further.
Minutes later, Jane strode out of the alcove, following Aubrey’s trail down the tunnel. If Aubrey had chosen the other direction, Jane would’ve already met her. No, the single trail of footprints leading into the tunnels was the path she needed to follow.
The pistol was a heavy lump tucked in her belt, cold and hard, uncomfortable and yet comforting all the same. The magazine was fully loaded. She’d double-checked before starting out.
Amos and the others insisted on the long-bladed knives because they preferred weapons of stealth and silence. But Amos and Company weren’t here, and they weren’t tracking a Runner escapee.
Jane wasn’t taking any chances.
Despite the risk, Jane thumbed the safety off. She settled into the loping, ground-eating stride which she’d long ago perfected.
“We’ll see now, Country Girl,” she muttered under her breath, her expression tense and brooding. “You’re no match for me.”