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Back The Enemy Save as PDF
Chapters (69)
  1. Table of Contents
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
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The Kid sat down cross-legged on the floor and looked glum.

“Had me heart set on it,” he said. “Was gonna get you all out of here. Was gonna be a hero for the first time.”

“You are a hero,” said Sam. “But you’re not Hercules. You can’t do the impossible.”

“You want to leave them too?”

“If they don’t want to come, we can’t force them.”

The Kid jumped up and grabbed Sam. “Persuade them, small fry. The gift of the gab, the wagging tongue. Only we can’t waste too long here. The more noise, the more light, the more chance that the butchers will stir from their slumber and come sniffling after us.”

Sam knelt by the twins, who were sitting huddled together with wide, scared faces.

“We’re used to it here,” said Jason. “It’s safe from strangers. We get food. We don’t have to worry about anything.”

“But they’re going to kill you,” said Sam.

“You don’t know that.”

“What happened to Mark?” said Rhiannon. “And that other girl?”

“They got well,” said Claire. “Nick helped them to go up into the light. When we’re well, when we’re strong, they’ll help us too.”

“You’re idiots,” hissed Rhiannon, and Claire began to cry.

“Just keep it quiet,” Rhiannon whispered, and then moaned in pain as she tried to walk, biting her lip to stop from crying out.

“My legs are so stiff,” she said.

“Unstiff them,” said the Kid. “We have a good deal of climbing to get done before we’re home free.”

“Okay. I’ll try.”

“So,” said the Kid. “Do we leave them or take them with?”

“Let’s go,” said Sam.

“We’re gone.”

47

The Kid scampered down the length of the car, almost on all fours, keeping low. Sam followed. The Kid had broken the window in the door at the end. The glass in the door of the next car was also broken. Sam looked at the gap between the cars—he thought he might just be able to squeeze down there. He caught the Kid’s eye. The Kid glanced at Rhiannon and shook his head.

There was no way she’d fit.

Instead, the Kid laid his piece of cardboard over the jagged lower edges of both windows, and wriggled through.

He turned in the opening and grinned back at the others, beckoning them to follow.

Sam helped Rhiannon along the car, leaving Jason and Claire crying behind them. Rhiannon was struggling to catch her breath, and wheezing horribly. They made it to the window, though, and Rhiannon climbed up onto the cardboard.