I sighed. Suddenly, my bag was too heavy. Eyes still on me, Mitch opened the device and hovered his finger over a button. “I swear to god, Francis. Don’t make me turn the tracker on. Because it’s not going to come out in your favor.”

Frustration was the worst emotion to cry over. But the tears still threatened. “You don’t understand, Mitch. I have to go get her. Rose left, she went after me, and now she’s in danger.”

“So she’s going to the school. Isn’t that just perfect?”

“I have to find her. Please.”

Once more, I sounded young and hysterical, slowing down his pace. I was helpless, waiting for him to make all the decisions, hoping that this time, the loss wouldn’t be so big, so complete.

CHAPTER 28

A ROAD, A SCHOOL, AND AN AMBUSH

Rose

BECAUSE OF DERRICK’S STILL-HEALING INJURY, THEY had to take it slow, slower than Rose could handle, but she did it anyway. She focused all her nervous energy into taking care of Derrick. At first, he was resentful—he didn’t like being babied and sure as hell didn’t like being one-upped in the providing role. But after the first night, when Rose slept up against him, not bothering to ram blankets in between them for extra space, he seemed to come around. Rose knew his mood had a lot to do with the fact that they were still going after Frenchie even after the house of horrors, even after the bear trap. But this was the mission, and she was still on it.

Rose could tell Nam loved the woods as much as you could love something so vast and terrifying. But as much as they loved the spongey ground, the smell of air without mold, the freedom of being an individual, they obviously had trouble falling asleep without walls.

“I’m going to keep an eye out for a bit,” they said, watching the other two settle into the tent. “I’ll be in later.”

“Thanks for taking first watch,” Derrick answered. He really was grateful. He needed to rest, as much as he didn’t want to admit it.

There were a few moments when it seemed like Nam had something to tell but didn’t, like when Rose stopped to set a foot trap on their path in case anyone was pursuing them, or when she resisted lighting a fire to cook dinner in case it was seen by the Chief. Surely he was close behind them?

The next morning, they all heard it—the sound of rubber on cement and the low squeal of mechanics.

“The road.”

Rose fought every instinct in her not to run full tilt and burst out of the bush into the road. Instead, she paused.

“We need a tree.”

“Plenty of them out here,” Nam responded.

“One big enough to see what’s near,” she continued, “but not sparse enough that we’ll be seen.”

They circled until they found one. Rose dropped her bag and stretched.