Rage Within by Jeyn Roberts

Author:Jeyn Roberts
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Social Issues, Action & Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, General, Horror & ghost stories, Death & Dying
ISBN: 9781442423541
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2012-09-04T00:00:00+00:00

MICHAEL

It would have been easier if the woods were dark or if it were raining. At least then they’d have had extra camouflage. But no, the sun was bright and the forest twinkled as sheets of brilliant light warmed their bodies. They could have gigantic “I Am Here” signs above their heads and they still wouldn’t be any less obvious.

They were hiding out by the dorms. Somehow they’d managed to work their way through the woods in the early hours and cross the road back into the main campus area. There they’d taken refuge in the woods near some of the student housing. The trees weren’t as densely packed here as by the museum, but it was still better than nothing.

Michael glanced over at Ryder, who was crouched in the dirt next to a slightly bent-looking pine tree. Ryder ignored him, a giant scowl on his face. Ryder’s ankle was swollen and bruised, an injury that he’d incurred while running through the dark last night. It was a bad sprain; Michael didn’t have to be a doctor to understand that. It slowed them down and that was a major worry.

There were only the three of them left, and the girl was fading fast. Michael had laid her out on top of the soft moss to try and make her more comfortable, but it was a worthless gesture. Most of the time she stared up at the sky, her expression dazed, but a few times she focused on him, her eyes wide and clear.

“Don’t leave me,” she whispered.

“I won’t,” he said. Michael held her hand as she inhaled in short, panicky gasps.

“I’m so cold. Don’t leave me.”

Ryder covered his ears with his hands.

She tugged at the end of Michael’s shirt, trying to keep him close. Each time she breathed out, more blood seeped from the wounds in her stomach.

“You’re better off putting her out of her misery,” Ryder said.

Michael gritted his teeth. They’d been having this running conversation since they stopped to take a break. “I told you before. I won’t do that.”

The girl wheezed and gurgled, trying to get air past the blood pooling up inside her lungs.

“Then let me do it.”

“No.”

Ryder rubbed his ankle and retied his shoes. “You’re only making things worse. You know she doesn’t stand a chance. You’d put down a dog that was suffering, right? What’s the difference?”

“Shut up.”

The girl moaned.

“This is war, loser,” Ryder said. “You can’t be going all soft and sweet at a time like this. The strong survive. Sitting around and waiting for her to die, that’s just going to get us killed. Have mercy. Send her to heaven.”

The girl coughed. Blood splattered across her lips and cheeks.

Ryder continued. “Do you think those monsters have soft spots? Hell, no. I’ve seen them work. They’ll just as easily kill their own to get to their goals. That’s why they kicked our asses. They have their objective and they stick to it.”

“We’re not Baggers,” Michael said. “The moment we become like them, then we really have lost.

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