Thornhill (Hemlock) by Peacock Kathleen

Author:Peacock, Kathleen [Peacock, Kathleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-09-09T22:00:00+00:00

16

I SHOVED THE WIRE CUTTERS INTO MY POCKET AND SLID the plastic casing of the HFD back into place.

A sweep of light pierced the darkness in the distance: the flashlight from a guard on patrol. It looked like it was headed away from us, but the sight still sent a trill of fear through me. We had already dodged two patrols on our way here.

I started to climb back down. When I was halfway to the ground, I remembered the reader. I slipped it out and managed to hit the power switch while keeping a grip on the pole with my other hand. Silence. The HFD was down.

“Eve?” My voice was barely a whisper, but I knew she’d hear. “It’s clear.”

I reached for the next rung. My hand, slick with sweat, slid against the metal, and I lost my grip.

The ground and pole blurred together as I fell. I hit the hard-packed earth and all of the breath was forced from my lungs in a whoosh. Dazed, I stared up at the sky. The clouds and stars swirled together like the Van Gogh poster Tess had in her bedroom—what was that painting called?

Eve was speaking to me, but she seemed far away.

Starry Night, I remembered. That’s the painting.

I forced myself to a sitting position.

“I’m not sure you should be moving. You hit the ground like a sack of cement.”

I ran a hand over my skull. Nothing seemed to be dented or leaking. Unsteadily, I climbed to my feet. A sharp burst of pain radiated through each vertebra, but it faded after a moment. I was pretty sure nothing was broken. “I’m okay,” I lied.

I turned to the fence. There was no sign of life on the other side. Hank’s only instruction had been to pick a spot somewhere along the western edge of the camp. We’d headed to the shifting zone and then walked along the fence until we found a spot that seemed like it would be outside the areas the guards patrolled. “How long do you think we’ll have to wait?”

Eve shrugged. “As long as it takes.” I shot her an exasperated look and she sighed. “He’ll be here. Curtis doesn’t say things without following through.”

My laugh was so sharp and sudden that it was out of my mouth and bouncing off the fence before I could even think about holding it back.

“And here I thought ‘Don’t draw attention to yourselves’ was obvious enough that I didn’t need to include it in the instructions.” Hank materialized out of the darkness on the other side of the fence looking for all the world as though he had recently thrown himself down a ravine. He was wearing a black denim jacket over a ripped black shirt and his black jeans were caked in mud and shredded at the knee.

I almost asked if he was all right, but the words stuck in my throat.

“Curtis!” All of Eve’s swagger and bravado fell away, leaving her looking oddly awkward and young. Words tumbled from her mouth as she approached the fence.

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