Page 55

Over the hiss of the flare, a sound comes from the left, reminding me of those screeches we heard from the mutations locked in the cages.

Heart in my throat, I swing my attention toward the noise and the long, ominous tunnel. “What was that?”

“The monsters. What else?” Cadmus flicks his fingers toward Kenny. “C’mon, I’ll hoist you up there, too. Might as well get a head start before whatever’s down here finds us.”

I take hold of his jaw to make him pause. Large, black pupils stare back at me, the usual creases of worry all but gone from around his eyes. “You’re high, aren’t you?”

He snaps his head to break my grasp and chuckles. “You’re crazy.”

“I can see your eyes. They’re dilated. You took peyote before we came down here? Where the hell did you even get it?”

“Swiped it from the medicine woman’s tent, while Titus was passed out. You think I’m going to jump back into a fucking nightmare without something to dull it a little?” His tongue runs across his lips, and he sniffs. “Only took a little bit. Just enough to take the edge off.”

“You better be here for us, Cadmus. This can’t be like last time, where we had to rescue you from the marauders who would’ve slaughtered you. This isn’t about you.”

“I said I’ll be fine. What’s that word you taught me? Verisimilitude? See? I said it. Now step back.” Linking his fingers again, he hoists Kenny up next, who struggles, arms trembling to pull himself up. Cadmus snorts again, watching the kid’s feet dangle and kick while searching for purchase that isn’t there. “Fuckin’ pansy. C’mon, Brandon. Show this computer nerd how it’s done.”

At last, Kenny manages to pull his bodyweight enough to gain his footing, and a rope falls down from the shaft, gathering on the concrete before us.

The sound of screeching echoes from the left once more, and I catch Cadmus looking on, his brow furrowed.

“Shouldn’t Cali go next? Get her out of here first?” Brandon asks, handing me the rope.

Cadmus seems distracted for a moment, not bothering to answer as he continues to stare off toward the long stretch of tunnel.

“Cadmus?” Irritation simmers inside of me, and I’m certain this entire expedition will be spent snapping him out of his haze.

Blinking himself from the trance, he turns to me, then Brandon, shoving the rope back toward the soldier. “If I gotta bring up the rear, I’d rather be staring at her ass than yours.”

With a smirk, Brandon jumps up onto the rope, as if he’s done this a hundred times before, and climbs up into the shaft.

I follow after, struggling a bit more, but with a boost from Cadmus, I manage to get my feet up onto the rung and begin my climb up the surprisingly spacious shaft. I feared being claustrophobic in here, but there’s enough room to climb piggyback if one were so inclined. Twisting around, I watch as Cadmus takes the rope, but his attention snaps toward the end of the tunnel once again.

“Cadmus …” My voice carries an echo in the open space.

“You think she’s down there? Think that’s her?”

“No.” I don’t like the way he’s so fixated on something right now, as if he sees her. It’s hard to tell if it’s from the drugs, or his state of mind. “Grab the rope. C’mon, we don’t have much time.”

He shoots me a dubious glance that steels my nerves, and at the sound of screeching, closer than before, I shake the rope to get his attention.

“Let’s go, Cadmus!”

With reluctance, he hops up the rope, nearly at the mouth of the shaft, and grabs onto the rung, pulling himself up, and we continue our climb. A ticking, or scratching, sound piques my curiosity, and I pause a moment to listen. About ten rungs above me, Brandon climbs through the vent, leaving only Cadmus and I in the shaft.

The rope quivers.

The ticking stops.

I look down, beyond Cadmus, who half-heartedly climbs along, to see a white claw enter the halo of light from the flare. My heart pounds in panic when the rest of the creature steps into view. A faceless mutation, the likes of which I’ve never seen before.

“Oh, God!”

Cadmus looks down, and two more of them step into view. “Fuck! Grab the rope! The rope!”

As I twist to grab it, I lose my footing and fall against the opposite side of the shaft. Screaming, the world feels light, tickling my stomach as I slip past Cadmus.

Something grips my arm.