What about Rat? I asked, pushing on my door.
As the door squeaked open, a wiry boy with lank brown hair jerked around, beady eyes widening. He was older than me and Stick, with sharp features and a front tooth that stuck out like a fang, giving him a permanent sneer.
Rat swore when he saw me, and my blood boiled. This was my space, my territory. He had no right to be here. Rat, I snarled, bursting through the doorway. Why are you snooping around my room? Looking for things to steal?
Rat held up his arm, and my stomach went cold. In one grubby hand, he held an old, faded book, the cover falling off, the pages crumpled. I recognized it instantly. It was a made-up story, a fantasy, the tale of four kids who went through a magic wardrobe and found themselves in a strange new world. Id read it more times than I could remember, and although I sneered at the thought of a magical land with friendly, talking animals, there were times when I wished, in my most secret moments, that I could find a hidden door that would take us all out of this place.
What the hell is this? Rat said, holding up the book. Having been caught red-handed, he quickly switched to the offensive. Books? Why are you collecting garbage like that? As if you even know how to read. He snorted and tossed the book to the floor. Do you know what the vamps would do, if they found out? Does Lucas know about your little trash collection?
Thats none of your business, I snapped, stepping farther into the room. This is my room, and Ill keep what I want. Now get lost, before I tell Lucas to throw you out on your skinny white ass.
Rat snickered. He hadnt been with the group long, a few months at most. He claimed hed come from another sector and that his old gang had kicked him out, but hed never said why. I suspected it was because he was a lying, thieving bastard. Lucas wouldnt even have considered letting him stay if we hadnt lost two members the previous winter. Patrick and Geoffrey, two Unregistered brothers who were daring to the point of stupidity, who bragged the vampires would never catch them. They were too quick, they claimed. They knew all the best escape tunnels. And then one night they went out looking for food as usual and never came back.
Kicking the book aside, Rat took a threatening step forward and straightened so that he loomed over me. You got a big mouth, Allie, he snarled, his breath hot and foul. Better watch out. Lucas cant be around to protect you all the time. Think about that. He leaned in, crowding me. Now get out of my face, before I bitch slap you across the room. Id hate for you to start crying in front of your boyfriend.
He tried pushing me back. I dodged, stepped close and slammed my fist into his nose as hard as I could.
Rat shrieked, staggering backward, hands flying to his face. Stick yelped from behind me. Blinking through tears, Rat screamed a curse and swung at my head, clumsy and awkward. I ducked and shoved him into the wall, hearing the thump of his head against the plaster.
Get out of my room, I growled as Rat slid down the wall, dazed. Stick had fled to a corner and was hiding behind the table. Get out and stay out, Rat. If I see you in here again, I swear youll be eating through a straw the rest of your life.
Rat pushed himself upright, leaving a smear of red on the plaster. Wiping his nose, he spat a curse at me and stumbled out, kicking over a chair as he left. I slammed and locked the door behind him.
Bastard. Thieving, lying bastard. Ow. I looked down at my fist and frowned. My knuckle had been cut on Rats tooth and was starting to well with blood. Ew. Oh, great, I hope I dont catch something nasty.
Hes going to be mad, Stick said, venturing out from behind the table, pale and frightened. I snorted.
So what? Let him try something. Ill break his nose the other way. Grabbing a rag from the shelf, I pressed it to my knuckle. Im tired of listening to his crap, thinking he can do anything he wants just because hes bigger. Hes had it coming for a while.
He might take it out on me, Stick said, and I bristled at the accusing tone, as if I should know better. As if I didnt think of how it might affect him.
So kick him in the shin and tell him to back off, I said, tossing the rag on the shelf and carefully picking up the abused book. Its cover had been ripped off, and the front page was torn, but it seemed otherwise intact. Rat picks on you cause you take it. If you fight back, hell leave you alone.
Stick didnt say anything, lapsing into sullen silence, and I bit down my irritation. He wouldnt fight back. He would do what he always didrun to me and expect me to help him. I sighed and knelt beside a plastic box by the back wall. Normally, it was hidden by an old sheet, but Rat had ripped that off and tossed it in the corner, probably looking for food or other things to steal. Sliding back the top, I studied the contents.
It was half full of books, some like the paperback I held in my hand, some larger, with sturdier covers. Some were moldy, some half charred. I knew them all, front to back, cover to cover. This was my most prized, most secret, possession. If the vamps knew I had a stash like this, theyd shoot us all and raze this place to the ground. But to me, the risk was worth it. The vamps had outlawed books in the Fringe and had systematically gutted every school and library building once theyd taken over, and I knew why. Because within the pages of every book, there was information of another worlda world before this one, where humans didnt live in fear of vampires and walls and monsters in the night. A world where we were free.
Carefully, I replaced the small paperback, and my gaze shifted to another well-worn book, its colors faded, a mold stain starting to eat one corner. It was larger than the others, a childrens picture book, with brightly colored animals dancing across the front. I ran my fingers over the cover and sighed.
Mom.
Stick had ventured close again, peering over my shoulder at the tote. Did Rat take anything? he asked softly.
No, I muttered, shutting the lid, hiding my treasures from view. But you might want to check your room, as well. And return anything you borrowed recently, just in case.
I havent borrowed anything for months, Stick said, sounding frightened and defensive at the thought, and I bit down a sharp reply. Not long ago, before Rat came to the group, I would often find Stick in his room, huddled against the wall with one of my books, completely absorbed in the story. Id taught him to read myself; long, painstaking hours of us sitting on my mattress, going over words and letters and sounds. It had taken a while for Stick to learn, but once he did, it became his favorite way to escape, to forget everything right outside his door.
Then Patrick had told him what vampires did to Fringers who could read books, and now he wouldnt touch them. All that work, all that time, all for nothing. It pissed me off that Stick was too scared of the vamps to learn anything new. Id offered to teach Lucas, but he was flat-out not interested, and I wasnt going to bother with Rat.
Stupid me, thinking I could pass on anything useful to this bunch.
But there was more to my anger than Sticks fear or Lucass ignorance. I wanted them to learn, to better themselves, because that was just one more thing the vampires had taken from us. They taught their pets and thralls to read, but the rest of the population they wanted to keep blind, stupid and in the dark. They wanted us to be mindless, passive animals. If enough people knew what life was like before how long would it be until they rose up against the bloodsuckers and took everything back?
But there was more to my anger than Sticks fear or Lucass ignorance. I wanted them to learn, to better themselves, because that was just one more thing the vampires had taken from us. They taught their pets and thralls to read, but the rest of the population they wanted to keep blind, stupid and in the dark. They wanted us to be mindless, passive animals. If enough people knew what life was like before how long would it be until they rose up against the bloodsuckers and took everything back?
It was a dream I didnt voice to anyone, not even myself. I couldnt force people to want to learn. But that didnt stop me from trying.
Stick backed up as I stood, tossing the sheet over the box again. You think he found the other spot? he asked tentatively. Maybe you should check that one, too.
I gave him a resigned look. Are you hungry? Is that what youre saying?
Stick shrugged, looking hopeful. Arent you?
I rolled my eyes and walked to the mattress in the corner, dropping to my knees again. Pushing the mattress up revealed the loose boards underneath, and I pried them free, peering into the dark hole.
Damn, I muttered, feeling around the tiny space. Not much lefta stale lump of bread, two peanuts and one potato that was beginning to sprout eyes. This was what Rat had probably been looking for: my private cache. We all had them somewhere, hidden away from the rest of the world. Unregistereds didnt steal from each other; at least, we werent supposed to. That was the unspoken rule. But, at our hearts, we were all thieves, and starvation drove people to do desperate things. I hadnt survived this long by being naive. The only one who knew about this hole was Stick, and I trusted him. He wouldnt risk everything he had by stealing from me.
I gazed over the pathetic items and sighed. Not good, I muttered, shaking my head. And theyre really cracking down out there, lately. No one is trading ration tickets anymore, for anything.
My stomach felt hollow, nothing new to me, as I replaced the floorboards and split the bread with Stick. I was almost always hungry in some form or another, but this had progressed to the serious stage. I hadnt eaten anything since last night. My scavenging that morning hadnt gone well. After several hours of searching my normal stakeouts, all I had to show for it was a cut palm and an empty stomach. Raiding old Thompsons rat traps hadnt worked; the rats were either getting smarter or he was finally making a dent in the rodent population. Id scaled the fire escape to widow Tanners rooftop garden, carefully easing under the razor-wire fence only to find the shrewd old woman had done her harvest early, leaving nothing but empty boxes of dirt behind. Id searched the back-alley Dumpsters behind Hurleys trading shop; sometimes, though rarely, there would be a loaf of bread so moldy not even a rat would touch it, or a sack of soybeans that had gone bad, or a rancid potato. I wasnt picky; my stomach had been trained to keep down most anything, no matter how disgusting. Bugs, rats, maggoty bread, I didnt care as long as it faintly resembled food. I could eat what most people couldnt stomach, but today, it seemed Lady Luck hated me worse than usual.
And continuing to hunt after the execution was impossible. The pets continued presence in the Fringe made people nervous. I didnt want to risk thievery with so many of the pets guards wandering about. Besides, stealing food so soon after three people had been hanged for it was just asking for trouble.
Scavenging in familiar territory was getting me nowhere. Id used up all resources here, and the Registereds were getting wise to my methods. Even if I crossed into other sectors, most of the Fringe had been picked clean long, long ago. In a city full of scavengers and opportunists, there just wasnt anything left. If we wanted to eat, I was going to have to venture farther.
I was going to have to leave the city.
Glancing at the pale sky through the plastic-covered window, I grimaced. The morning was already gone. With afternoon fading rapidly, Id have only a few hours to hunt for food once I was outside the Wall. If I didnt make it back before sundown, other things would start hunting. Once the light dropped from the sky, it was their time. The Masters. The vampires.
I still have time, I thought, mentally calculating the hours in my head. Its a fairly clear day; I can slip under the Wall, search the ruins and be back before the sun goes down.
Where are you going? Stick asked as I opened the door and strode back down the hall, keeping a wary eye out for Rat. Allie? Wait, where are you going? Take me with you. I can help.
No, Stick. I turned on him and shook my head. Im not hitting the regular spots this time. There are too many guards, and the pet is still out there making everyone twitchy. I sighed and shielded my eyes from the sun, gazing over the empty lot. Im going to have to try the ruins.
He squeaked. Youre leaving the city?
Ill be back before sundown. Dont worry.
If they catch you
They wont. I leaned back and smirked at him. When have they ever caught me? They dont even know those tunnels exist.
You sound like Patrick and Geoffrey.
I blinked, stung. Thats a bit harsh, dont you think? He shrugged, and I crossed my arms. If thats how you feel, maybe I wont bother sharing anything I bring back. Maybe you should hunt for your own food for a change.
Sorry, he said quickly, giving me an apologetic smile. Sorry, Allie. I just worry about you, thats all. I get scared that youll leave me here, alone. Promise youll come back?
You know I will.
Okay, then. He backed away into the hall, the shadows closing over his face. Good luck.
Maybe it was just me, but his tone almost implied that he was hoping Id run into trouble. That I would see how dangerous it really was out there, and that hed been right all along. But that was silly, I told myself, sprinting across the empty lot, back toward the fence and the city streets. Stick needed me; I was his only friend. He wasnt so vindictive that hed wish me harm just because he was pissed about Marc and Gracie.
Right?
I pushed the thought from my mind as I squeezed through the chain-link fence and slipped into the quiet city. I could worry about Stick some other time; my priority was finding food to keep us both alive.
The sun teetered directly above the skeletal buildings, bathing the streets in light. Just hang up there a little longer, I thought, glancing at the sky. Stay put, for a few more hours at least. Actually, feel free to stop moving, if you want.
Vindictively, it seemed to drop a little lower in the sky, taunting me as it slid behind a cloud. The shadows lengthened like grasping fingers, sliding over the ground. I shivered and hurried into the streets.
CHAPTER 2
People will tell you that its impossible to leave New Covington, that the Outer Wall is impenetrable, that no one can get in or out of the city even if they want to.
People are wrong.
The Fringe is a massive concrete jungle; canyons of broken glass and rusting steel, skeletal giants choked by vines, rot and corrosion. Save for the very center of the city, where the looming vampire towers gleam with dark radiance, the surrounding structures look diseased, hollow and perilously close to collapse. Below the jagged skyline, with few humans to keep it in check, the wilderness outside creeps closer. Rusted shells of what were once cars are scattered about the streets, their rotted frames wrapped in vegetation. Trees, roots and vines push up through sidewalks and even rooftops, splitting pavement and steel, as nature slowly claims the city for its own. In recent years, a few of the looming skyscrapers finally succumbed to time and decay, tumbling to the ground in a roar of dust and cement and breaking glass, killing everyone unlucky enough to be around it when it happened. It was a fact of life anymore. Enter any building nowadays, and you could hear it creaking and groaning above your head, maybe decades away from collapse, or maybe only seconds.