Alive Like Us Read online

  But Esme was miles away, fighting for her life. The only way Kai would see her again was if he delivered the first person who treated him with kindness and generosity in years.

  Even if Esme was here, Sanna’s generosity was bound to have its limits. And inviting an unclean into her precious sanctum would be one of them.

  He usually didn’t mind lying, but something about Sanna’s trust made him feel particularly slimy about it. She’d seemed legitimately upset by his scars this morning, and her promise to avenge him had been genuine. The thought of Hayes getting beat by a girl half his size gave a rare boost to brighten Kai’s grim mood. If only he’d met Sanna years ago...

  Forget it. What good was it to think about the past? It’d never helped him before.

  If he was honest with himself—which he generally avoided—he would admit that this whole mission was making him cross lines he’d swore he never would. Iris had warned him that horrible things might happen if he’d tried to kidnap Sanna by force alone. So, he’d steeped her tea with valerian root this morning, as Iris had shown him, and waited for it to take effect. He shouldn’t have been so relieved when it didn’t work

  He shifted the bow he’d retrieved when they passed the lake and rolled his aching shoulder. The dense pine and birch forest thinned as they drew closer to Lake Superior, the gray sky mirrored in its vast waters.

  He had to think of another way to get Sanna to Iris. One that didn’t involve drugging her for a week, since there was no way he was using the rest of the powdered root at the bottom of his bag.

  What if he were to tell her the truth—that Iris wanted to meet her for reasons she refused to explain? That his sister’s fate hung in the balance? Would Sanna go with him? God knows he wouldn’t risk the journey for complete strangers. It didn’t help that he’d lectured her about the plight of the uncleans. He’d been lucky that she didn’t ditch him at the cabin.

  If he couldn’t drug Sanna, couldn’t physically force her and couldn’t tell her the truth, that left him only one option—persuasion. He had to convince her that taking a dangerous, week-long journey to meet a woman who used Infected like they were puppets could help her in some way. No big deal, right?

  He might be stuck using the valerian root after all.

  Sanna giggled up ahead. She’d paused to watch Frankie try to scrabble up a tree. A fat squirrel sat on a branch, chattering at him, its bushy tail flicking. The sunlight knifed through the clouds, turning her white-gold hair into a halo.

  “Does he ever catch one?”

  “I think he's more into the thrill of the chase.” It struck him that she might have a boyfriend, or something even more serious. She looked old enough—late teens, probably. Most colonists got married by then.

  Sanna’s smile faded. She straightened, her focus shifting to the forest behind Kai. “Something’s coming.”

  Kai nocked and arrow, swinging around. “Stay behind me.”

  He could feel rather than see her eyes roll. Frankie growled. Something scuttled out from the tree line, low to the ground and camouflaged by snow.

  Kai tensed. They should run for the trees. They were too exposed out here. He considered dropping the pack, but maybe it could serve as a shield. Sanna glared at the forest, her knuckles blanching as she squeezed her axe.

  A male Infected staggered into view, his fine clothes ripped and bloodied. He was a fresh one—his clumsy gait and thick head of coppery hair a dead giveaway. He slumped onto all fours and bared his teeth. The stance was typical of new Infected—like infants, it took time for them to how to walk. And run.

  “Nico,” Sanna gasped.

  “He’s gonna charge.” Kai took aim and drew back.

  The Infected sprung forward, zigzagging. Kai’s fingers slipped on the bowstring just as Sanna lurched into view, blocking his shot. He jerked to the left at the last moment, his arrow sailing into the trees.

  “I could’ve killed you,” he turned to Sanna. “What were you—” the rest of the sentence died on his lips. She was walking towards him. The beheaded Infected was sprawled behind her in a pool of oily blood.

  No normal person could move that fast. Iris was right. She was dangerous.

  Sanna bent to wipe her axe clean, then passed him without a second glance. Her eyes glittered with tears. “Let’s go. There could be others.”

  For split-second, Kai longed to head in the opposite direction. “You should have let me handle it.”

  “Why?”

  “You knew each other.”

  “So?” Sanna rubbed her sleeve across her eyes. “It’s not like we were in love or anything. We just dated. It ended badly even before he was bitten. The Bone Boys tried to kidnap me a little over a week ago, but a small horde got in the way.”

  She must still be single. The thought stunned him, surging up from some lonely corner of his heart. He shoved it away. He’d be a real idiot to get tangled with a girl who’d just beheaded her ex. Better to stay friends and focused on the goal. He’d convince her of Iris’s many questionable merits, and then leave her at the weird lady’s door.

  Kai scanned the forest behind them. Nothing. He caught up with Sanna, who’d strode ahead. “You mean he gave up a life with you on the inside just to connive a bunch of losers with tattoos. No wonder the Infected got him. Sounds like an idiot.”

  “One of their new recruits tried to scale our walls last summer and died in a fall. My dad had brilliant idea to string him up as a warning, hoping to scare the others off. I guess they decided to retaliate instead. The whole thing’s turning into a war. I was just a pawn.”

  “No, pawns are expendable. They chose you because they knew you were valueable.”

  “That’s probably the nicest way anyone has ever described an attempted kidnapping,” she said wryly. “You have a way with words, Kai Merrick.”

  “I learned from the best. My mother was a writer who got into politics after my sister was born.”

  “In New Hope?”

  “Yeah,” Kai said, surprised he’d even mentioned her. “She used to say words were more powerful than any weapon. I don’t know if I believe that anymore.”

  “She sounds very special,” she caught his gaze, her brilliant blue eyes reminding him Iris. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “It’s been a long time. We should hurry.”

  Sanna broke into jog. Kai followed, and Frankie loped beside him. Every few feet Kai would survey their surroundings, feeling edgy and awkward. He wondered where the Infected he’d seen last night had gone, and the Alpha who flew in this direction a few days ago.

  “By the way, you’ll need to get a physical once we cross through the gates,” Sanna warned as flashes of Erling’s rusty metal walls appeared between the pines. “My mom or Haven will give it. My dad or his second-in-command Raj might interview you, too. Hey,” she stopped, sniffin the air. “Do you smell that?”

  “What?”

  “It smells like,” she sniffed the air and studied the clouds. “Metallic. Like rain. Weird. It’s not going to rain in the middle of February, is it?”

  “Who knows,” Kai said quickly. “So, uh, security is pretty tight then?”

  “Yeah. We’re the only colony this far north, so we get a decent number of travelers. As long as you pass the blood test and don’t have a bounty on your head.”

  Kai stumbled. The bounty. He hadn’t thought about that in years—when he’d been with the Inferno, it hadn’t mattered. What if it was still active? Surely it would be buried by now. He probably wasn’t even that high on the list anymore. But if it was still active...

  He should stop. Turn back. Crossing Erling’s gates could be the same as walking into a jail cell. But then what? What if Iris did something to Esme? He’d left his sister in a nest of snakes, and there was only one way to get her out.

  Wanted posters were mailed to the colonies. It’s possible that Erling lost his over the years. And if they hadn’t, his would likely be at the bottom of a stack somewhere. If he fo
und it before anyone realized who he was, he’d be safe.

  “Hurry up,” Sanna said. She was a few yards ahead of them. “We should get to the Gauntlet before the storm starts, otherwise they won’t send out an escort.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Kai followed after her, his stomach churning. Kai had started to wonder if Sanna was even human—and if she wasn’t, then what did that make the people who’d raised her? And how merciful would they be to a murderer in their midst?

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  NINE DAYS AGO, SANNA been lucky. She wasn’t so sure it would happen again.

  Sanna stared down at the thin strip of land known as The Gauntlet—a barren swath of ground between the dense forest surrounding Erling, and the line of flags marking the reach of her archers. During the summer the Infected would hide in the tall grass outside the Kill Zone, ready to pounce on unsuspecting travelers like giant spiders. Winter usually offered a reprieve, but there was no guarantee the snow-swept field wasn’t riddled with them now.

  It was a short distance, less than a half mile, but one that was soaked in the blood of the unprepared. Sanna had seen it happen hundreds of times. Caravans almost always made it. People on horseback had a chance. But those on foot like her and Kai? Slim to none.

  The deaths had gotten so bad that her father had signs posted on the edge of the forest, warning people to turn around if they weren’t properly armed. Kai studied them as they passed but made no mention of the stick figures being chased by the Infected.

  Sanna and Haven had received an escort when they left. If she built a large enough fire now, it was possible the guards might send a team out to fetch her. But she feared they were running out of time.

  A faint tremor traveled through the thick sol`s of her boots. “Do you feel that?”

  “What?” Kai asked.

  “It’s like the ground is...” she paused, trying to make sense of the strange feeling. “Pulsing.”

  Frankie, Kai’s ugly mutt, growled beside her, staring into the white. The Infected were out there, all right. She could feel them squirming awake beneath the snow. “This isn’t going to be easy.”

  “The cabin’s not that far,” Kai began. “We can turn back—”

  “No. They’re behind us too. Probably the same ones you said attacked the cabin last night.”

  Kai spun around; an arrow nocked. “Where?”

  “In the forest. Waiting.” They were gathering like a pack of wolves, waiting for the moment to strike.

  “How do you know?”

  She squinted as the wind shrieked across the field, stirring the snow into an icy, needling haze. “Once we cross those flags, the archers will protect us until the gates can be opened. Are you ready?”

  Kai’s lips pressed into a thin, determined line. “Stay close.”

  “I was about to tell you the same thing.”

  The forest rustled behind them. Frankie whirled around and barked as three Infected emerged from the dark woods.

  “Now!” Sanna shouted. They bolted across the field. Frankie streaked past them, disappearing into the white. The Infected were gaining on the, and one, a female, had surged ahead of the others. Her bulbous, waxy head was covered with stringy red hair. Yellowish crust had built up around the bottom half of her eyes. She snapped the air with her jaws, her mouth ringed with sharp, pointed teeth. Borderline stage-two. Possibly venomous.

  “Hurry!” Sanna grabbed Kai’s arm and half drug, half pulled him towards the flags. They were so close. Just a few more yards—

  The ground exploded. White clouded her vision as a force barreled into her, slamming her into the powdery snow. Two coppery discs loomed over her, dark irises jiggling behind them as if trying to focus. Above them, the heavy clouds split open, and thick clumps of snow further obscured her vision.

  Time to play. The voice slithered into her brain.

  Sanna swung her axe with a cry. A scabbed arm pinned her down. She landed a kick. The stage two’s ghoulish face lurched into view, his mouth hinging wide like a giant snake. His fat, forked tongue licked her cheek. You’re mine now.

  The stage two jerked to the side, Kai’s arrow sticking out of his neck. His grip on her loosened and Sanna shoved him off with a grunt. She rose, ready to finish him, but he’d already vanished into the white.

  Kai appeared, his dark hair loose around his shoulders. He had another arrow nocked and ready. “Did I get him?”

  “Through the neck.”

  “Not good enough.” He stood with his back to hers, scanning the wintry landscape. “Where did they go? It’s so hard to see.”

  “They’re out there, watching us,” Sanna whispered, the strange energy thudding through her. “I can feel them.”

  A flicker of movement caught her attention. The stage two appeared again, blocking their way to the Kill Zone. He reached up, snapping the arrow on both sides of his neck. Black blood oozed from his throat like a gruesome choker.

  “I’ve got this one,” Sanna said.

  “Fine. I’ll get the others.”

  Others? Sanna spotted three stage ones creeping behind them, their pale bodies nearly hidden in the snow. Could he handle all three? Even one was dangerous—what they lacked in power or venom they made up for in sheer speed. He took one out with an arrow and charged.

  The stage two hissed. Yellowish fluid arced towards her. Sanna lurched to the side, and the snow steamed where it landed. The stage two advanced, his forked flicking the air, seeking her out.

  Sanna unsheathed her dagger and shifted her stance. She drew in a steading breath. Years of training taught her to wait. Be patient. Now.

  She leapt forward and for a moment she was flying. She brought down the axe hard aiming for his skull. The stage two stumbled back, and she hacked his shoulder instead, tackling him. He sprawled out as he fell, black blood oozed from the wound, congealed by the frigid temperatures. She rammed her dagger under his chin, severing the all-important brain stem.

  A stage one lumbered towards her, his clothes stretched tight over his bloated body. His shoulder length hair was matted with brush and leaves, and a bite wound the size of a human mouth festered on his cheek. Jace?

  He advanced, his long arms flailing. Sanna reached for her axe. It wouldn’t budge. She braced her foot on the stage two and yanked, a deep cry ripping from her chest as she tore the weapon out. Jace landed a blow, his claws ripping fire across her chest.

  She swung the axe up, bracing the handle with both hands as she pressed it to his neck. His slobbery jaws bit the air near her nose, his gaze burning with malice. She kicked his stomach, shoving him off. He flung backwards, his arms reeling. She swung again, but he dashed to the side and her axe bit the earth.

  He pounced, flattening her.

  She braced her hands against his shoulders, struggling to keep him at bay. Jace snapped the air like a rabid dog, drawing closer, his face inches from her own. So easy. The voice whispered. You’re just a weak human, aren’t you?

  Jace collapsed onto her, a dagger buried into the back of his neck.

  Kai stood above them, breathing hard. His ragged coat and mismatched boots were splattered with what looked like ink. Sanna kicked the body off her and stood. The wind tore her hair loose from its braid. She squinted through the twisting, straw-colored strands and took in the carnage Kai had wrought. Headless bodies of the stage ones littered the background.

  It was terrible. Amazing.

  “We gotta keep moving,” Kai said, pulling his dagger free.

  Sanna nodded. They took off for the line of flags.

  You really think you can escape me, human?

  Kai’s face was a resolute mask. Only she’d heard the words. The wind gusted as they crossed into the Kill Zone. Relief washed over her. They were safe now. The archers would protect them.

  Kai glanced over his shoulder and muttered a curse. Sanna followed his gaze. The breath froze in her lungs. Infected poured out of the forest, far more than she’d ever seen. They were heading straight for t
hem in a giant, writhing wave.

  “Run!” she shouted. Time slowed as they sprinted to Erling’s metal wall. The thunderous rumble of the stampede grew louder with each passing second. “Sanctuary!” She cried, beating the door with her fists.

  Kai spun towards the horde, an arrow nocked and ready. “They’re closing in! Why won’t they open the doors?”

  “There’s too many of them. They’ll try to thin the horde first. They won’t risk it Erling being overrun.” A coarse rope unfurled over the edge. “Here. Climb up.”

  “You first.”

  Sanna tried to reach for the rope, but her arms and legs were stiff at her sides. Unresponsive, just like at the cabin. A strange coolness radiated out from her heart, encasing her body in invisible ice. She tried to scream, but no sound came.

  It’s time. Join us.

  Arrows whizzed overhead, hitting their targets with soft thunks.

  “What are you doing? Get up there.” Kai threw down his bow and unsheathed two daggers. “I can’t hold them forever.”

  They’re gonna tear him apart. The intruding voice was like a putrid sludge coating her brain, muddling her thoughts. A fresh onslaught of nausea turned her stomach. Her cells were being ripped apart by some invisible force.

  Get out of my head. Sanna gritted her teeth. In her mind’s eyes, she was in that frozen lake.

  A frigid hand wrapped around her ankle, pulling her deeper into the darkness. The stage two. His head hung at an odd angle and his milk-white eyes stared up at her, sightless. She kicked him, breaking free. She swam to the icy ceiling. The surface was cold and hard to the touch. She pounded it with her fists, her lungs burning. The ice webbed and shattered. Leave me alone!

  She was back at the base of Erling’s wall. The invader was gone, ripped out like a noxious vine, leaving her hollow. Exhausted. She dropped her axe and fell forward, her knees landing hard on the snowy earth. A horn bellowed from above. An archer pointed to the forest from his perch on the wall.