Among the Brave by Haddix Margaret Peterson

Author:Haddix, Margaret Peterson [Haddix, Margaret Peterson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Childrens, Adventure, Fantasy
ISBN: 9781439106709
Goodreads: 9437069
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published: 2004-05-01T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

Know what I think that noise was?” a second voice called out. “Mice. Or rats, maybe. Hey, tell you what. You run back there and flush them out, drive them straight toward my cage, and I’ll catch them with my bare hands. I’ve done it before. Ever had rat roasted on an open flame? Mmm-mmm. Delicious.”

It was Mark’s voice, sounding twangier and more hickish than ever. Trey’s knees went weak with relief.

But so what? Trey reminded himself. That just means the two of us will be imprisoned together.

The footsteps stopped.

“I am a master guard in the Population Police,” the first voice snapped. “I don’t eat rats.”

“Hey, hey, didn’t mean to insult you,” Mark said. “I should have thought about who I was talking to. I ain’t used to being around fancy officials and all. It probably ain’t rats or mice, nohow. Not here. Not some highfalutin place like this.”

“Hmmph,” the guard said. But, miraculously, he didn’t continue walking toward Trey’s room. Instead, he muttered, “No funny business.” And then his footsteps began to retreat. Trey thought, by the way they echoed, that he might even be climbing stairs.

Trey exhaled very slowly. He took another deep breath, then tiptoed to a doorway that seemed to lead out into the rest of the basement. Feeling ridiculously brave, he peeked around the corner.

Mark was, indeed, crouched inside a cage, out in the middle of the floor. The cage was small—Mark couldn’t have stood up in it. Trey had the impression that the cage wasn’t even meant for humans. It was like the Population Police were just improvising, using whatever they could find lying around at the Grants’.

Will that make it easier for me to set him free? Trey wondered.

The guard wasn’t anywhere in sight now, but Mark’s cage was directly under a large, glaring overhead light. I’ll wait until they turn that out, Trey thought. Then I’ll creep nearby. A pile of boxes stood behind the cage. Trey could hide there.

Trey’s plans were shaping up nicely. The only problem was, what were he and Mark going to do after Trey released him? If they had time to slide a stack of boxes over under the broken metal duct . . . if they could do it quietly . . . if the boxes were sturdy enough to climb on . . . if they were able to climb back up the duct . . . if everything fell into place, he and Mark would be safe.

Trey didn’t like dealing with so many ifs, but he didn’t think he had a choice. He sat back, waiting until the light went out.

Instead, after just a few minutes, the guard called down, “Prisoner, prepare to be interrogated.”

Trey grimaced, remembering the conversation he’d overheard earlier. We’re just keeping that prisoner here until we finish our interrogation. Then we’ll dispose of him. It won’t be more than a few more hours. What if he didn’t have time to rescue Mark before they took him away? How much

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