Chapter 30 · The Shelter Under the Well

Cole's knife catches the first hunter in the shoulder before I can blink.

The man goes down screaming. The sound echoes up the stairwell like a siren. I press Wren against my chest and run. My boots slip on the concrete. Someone's blood—I don't know whose. Cole's right behind me. I can hear his breathing, harsh and fast.

"Go," he'd signed. Just that. One handed. The other hand already moving.

I go.

The door at the bottom crashes open under my weight. Cold air hits my face. East Industrial Zone spreads out in front of me, all rusted metal and broken windows. Building 47 is supposed to be three blocks north. Derek said the safe house was in the basement. He said no one would look there.

I don't know if I believe him. But I'm out of options.

Footsteps pound behind me. I risk a look back. Cole's there. Blood on his shirt—not his. The other two hunters are slower now. More careful. They saw what happened to their friend.

Wren starts to cry. The sound cuts through everything. I try to hush her but my hands are shaking. "It's okay," I whisper. It's not okay.