Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne

Author:Emmy Laybourne
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: 2013-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

DEAN

DAY 14

The cadets jumped down onto us, forcing us backward down the staircase.

They screamed war cries and were laughing with the raw exhilaration true bullies feel.

Punching and kicking and pushing, they whaled on us as they pushed us down to the bottom of the stairs.

I fell to the cement floor, bashing my head and my shoulder. Something tore inside my shoulder. It screamed in protest, and I had trouble gathering up my body again. I felt jumbled and frozen with the pain of it.

I just lay back down on the floor.

“Zarember, go get Anna and the others,” the lead cadet ordered. “Tell them the sweet little sissies opened right up for us.”

One of the two cadets started back up the stairs.

I saw Jake sit up, shaking his head to clear it, trying to recover.

“Mickey?” Jake said. “Mickey Zarember?”

The figure on the stairs stopped and turned.

“Who are you?” he asked.

He had short brown hair and a huge bruise on one side of his face.

“Jake Simonsen. Remember me? I was a prospective at the Academy … I stayed with Jamie—”

“Holy crap, Payton,” Mickey Zarember said, coming back down the stairs. “I do know this kid. Jake. He stayed with Jamie Delgado. This kid can hold his liquor!”

Mickey wanted to cross to Jake, you could feel it, but he waited for a nod from Payton. Payton did not nod.

He swaggered over to Jake himself.

“So we know you, huh, kid? Lucky for you. Pretty darn lucky.”

Payton gave Jake a hand and pulled him to his feet. He pulled Jake real close, right up to his face.

“Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Bradley Payton, squadron commander of the Fightin’ Fourth,” he said. “And you are?”

“Jake Simonsen … sir,” Jake answered, finding his footing.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Jake,” Payton said, his face just inches away from Jake’s. Then he released his grip and Jake backed away a step and looked at the floor.

“I hope you got a lot of food, kid. ’Cause we’re starving.”

“Yeah, totally, whatever we got is yours.” Jake grinned, the model of jocularity. “We have more than we can use!”

I shot him a look.

Jake smiled right at me and I read total terror behind that smile.

There were five of them, including Payton, and a little girl. The girl was somehow wearing a white jacket that wasn’t filthy. She looked strange and withdrawn.

“This is Anna. She’s my niece and she’s our little decoy. Our lucky charm.” Payton ruffled her hair. “Like a rabbit’s foot. Only don’t touch her. Nobody touches her. It’s one of our rules. That’s because she’s my cousin.”

The girl looked far, far away. She smoothed her hair down with utter detachment.

None of them had an air mask or was wearing any layers so that meant they were all either AB (paranoia) or B (sexual dysfunction). They had guns. Shotguns and handguns. Each one seemed to be packing something.

As they clattered down the staircase, my mind was racing a million miles an hour.

Could I somehow go out and warn Astrid?

Would she know to

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