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  “I know, Lib … but I have to get you all out of here before someone else gets hurt.”

  “No! Leaving is what you do!” Libby yelled at me, tears streaking down her face. I forgot everything around us and just stared at her. I’d never seen her like this. “But not me. I can’t just leave right now, Jack. I won’t!”

  Libby always showed exactly what she felt, plainly on her face. Right now her eyes were filled with pain and rage. I knew I couldn’t take her out of here right now or she would never forgive me. I wasn’t planning on running out on the rebels in the middle of all this—I just wanted to get Libby, Parker, and Finn to a safe place first.

  But I didn’t argue with her. Libby was suffering, and if lashing out at me helped her deal with this, I could take it. I closed my eyes for an instant and rubbed the bridge of my nose with my right hand.

  “What’s going on, Jack?” Parker yelled. “Who’s doing this?”

  Opening my eyes again, I leveled my gaze at my brother and gave him a hard look. “Who do you think?”

  He paled and looked past me at Marisol’s body. “I—I didn’t think it was this bad.”

  “I didn’t share all the gory details of this war with you, but I told you it isn’t a game. I told you they kill people.” The truth was, I’d left out a lot of the more horrific specifics. I’d never told him about the appalling things their leader, Steve Campbell, had done to those he’d caught. I’d never explained the things I felt he didn’t need to know.

  Pulling Libby in for another hug, I stared at my brother over the top of her head. “This is what reality looks like, Parker.”

  “I know. You told me.” His voice was so soft I could barely make it out over all the commotion. “But seeing it is different.”

  “It is.” I suddenly felt guilty for bringing him here. Maybe I should have forced him to let me come alone. It was a stupid mistake. “You shouldn’t have seen it. Dad didn’t want you to see this.”

  “No.” Parker’s eyes had fresh fire in them. It surprised me, even though it probably shouldn’t have. He wasn’t ready to run. He was ready to fight. “I needed to see this … and now I need to help. You have to let me help, Jack. What can I do?”

  “Libby, you stay with Finn.” When Libby started to protest, I just talked over her. “You want me to stay and help. To do that, I need to know you’re safe. We won’t leave until we stop this, Lib. I promise. Parker, come with me.”

  Finn stepped forward next to Libby. “Shouldn’t we call the police or something?”

  I couldn’t stop the harsh laugh that escaped. “Yeah, sure. Go ahead and call them. That should help.”

  Finn looked offended. “Why not?”

  I peeked around the corner of the trailer toward the area where the shots were coming from. Two police cars were parked there. I hoped maybe I’d been mistaken, but no. When I’d run out to get Libby, I’d caught a quick glance at flashing lights on top of a white car out of the corner of my eyes. “Because, Finn, the Takers aren’t stupid, and they can take over anyone they want. The police are currently the ones shooting at us.”

  Ten

  Parker

  “What? They took over cops?” Finn said as both he and I gaped at Jack.

  I turned my eyes on all the rebels around us. None of them looked at all surprised. Libby just looked devastated. But Takers were obviously responsible. It was the only option that made sense. They hadn’t announced themselves. They hadn’t told us all to come out or tried to arrest us.

  They had just started shooting.

  And they hadn’t been trying to scare us—they’d been shooting to kill.

  The rebels were shooting back. Hiding behind cars, trailers, and metal walls. They appeared to have plenty of ammo. They had seen this, and worse, before.

  “It’s a definite possibility. You guys keep forgetting. They can use anyone, Finn.” Jack lowered his chin and gave Finn a hard look. “You should know that better than anybody else.”

  Finn shivered and nodded. Thinking of Finn made me remember something I’d almost forgotten … someone I’d almost forgotten … Chloe. Was she still in the van? I could see in Jack’s face that he’d had the same thought.

  “Finn, take Libby and head back to the van. Check on Chloe and make sure she isn’t causing any trouble and doesn’t go anywhere.” Jack’s eyes darkened. “I’m going to need to have a little chat with her when I get back.”

  I shook my head. “You think she had something to do with this?”

  “Maybe … but I’m certainly going to ask.” He shrugged and tossed Finn the keys. “If anyone heads in your direction, or the shooting stops and we aren’t there within fifteen minutes, drive away until we call you to come back.”

  Finn hesitated and looked at me. When I gave him a firm nod, he took Libby’s arm and started toward the van. She wasn’t resisting anymore. Her eyes were vacant, her mind elsewhere.

  Jack put both hands on my shoulders until I locked my eyes on his. “Stay with me and don’t get shot.”

  “Uh … okay,” I barely got out before he took off. We dodged in and out around trailers, through trailers, and under trailers until we got over to where Randall was holed up with two guns and a huge bucket of ammo.

  “What can we do?” Jack asked, pushing me back until I felt like I’d been plastered against the side of the trailer. My heart was banging a staccato rhythm in my ears. A couple of feet in either direction and they could see me. It was surreal and terrifying.

  Randall eyed us both, then spoke to Jack. “Can he handle a gun?”

  “No,” we both said at the same time.

  “You said these guys are being controlled by the Takers?” Everything about what was happening in this camp felt wrong, and I couldn’t find a solution that felt right.

  “They could’ve been blackmailed into it or something else, but it’s more likely they’ve been taken.” Jack hesitated, like he could see my argument coming from a mile away.

  “How can we kill them?” I asked.

  “Easy,” Randall scoffed before firing off another six rounds. “They’re shooting at us.”

  I gave Jack a hard look. “If they’ve been taken over, they’re like Finn. They aren’t doing this. If we kill innocent people, then we’re no better than the Takers.”

  Randall spun around with his eyebrows impossibly high. “What did you just say?”

  Jack groaned and put a hand on Randall’s shoulder to mollify him. “What do you want us to do, Parker? I know what you’re saying, but we have to defend ourselves.”

  Randall waved dismissively in my direction and started shooting again.

  “Find a way to stop them without killing them,” I pleaded. “If anyone can do that, I know it’s you.”

  Jack stared at me, expressionless, for several seconds but I could see the battle raging behind his eyes. He reached into both boots and pulled out a knife in each hand. “I can’t promise not to hurt them … but I promise not to kill them. Good enough?”

  I nodded. “That’ll work.”

  Randall looked back at us like he was getting ready to argue.

  “I’m going to have to get closer.” The muscles in the side of Jack’s jaw clenched so fast it looked like a spasm. “Try not to shoot me, Randall.”

  The rebel leader shook his head. “I’ll do what I can. You be careful, Jack.”

  “I’m going with you,” I said. Jack didn’t respond, so I followed him as he darted past the backs of several trailers, circling around to where we could see a single police car parked.

  “We’ll knock them both out and let the rebels sort out whether they are innocent or guilty later,” Jack said.

  I listened intently and followed Jack’s movements like my life depended on it—which it probably did.

  When we got behind them, Jack held up his fist to tell me to stop and wa
it. It was the same communication he’d taught me when we attacked the Takers’ base. I watched him carefully, waiting for his next instruction. The two officers were by the car, firing over their doors with a ton of ammunition scattered in boxes across the front seat. I counted to ten, watching and waiting.

  Jack seemed to be listening for something specific, but I couldn’t tell what … until I saw Jack find him. He pointed to a third officer twenty feet to our left. The third man had ducked behind a tree to reload.

  Jack gave me a confident nod and I could tell exactly what he was thinking: Three armed men? When we have no weapons? No problem.

  How on Earth could we be related? My thoughts were more along the lines of, We don’t outnumber them. We obviously need more people to help … and bulletproof vests.

  When the third guy finished reloading and started shooting in a different direction, Jack signaled and we moved. The shooter behind the tree had his sights on his victims in the clearing. He didn’t hear Jack sneak up until it was too late. Jack wrapped his arm around the cop’s throat and squeezed tight until, a few seconds later, the man stopped fighting back.

  Slowly lowering the guy to the ground, Jack felt for a heartbeat. When I heard the guy take a breath, I finally felt like I could take one too.

  “H-how did you know when to stop?” I whispered, so quietly that I wasn’t even sure Jack had heard me until he answered.

  “Three seconds.” He grabbed a thick but short stick from nearby and stood up, handing it to me. “Dad taught me those three seconds are the difference between being a fighter and being a killer, between victory and defeat—and for your enemy, those three seconds are the difference between life and death. Three seconds after they pass out is enough time to be sure your enemy is fully unconscious, but it’s usually not enough time to kill him.”

  “Usually?” I took the stick but didn’t even look at it. My stomach felt a little uneasy about our conversation.

  “Yeah … ” Jack’s mouth formed a grim line, and he started inching toward the shooters by the police cars before finishing quietly. “It’s the ‘usually’ part that can make things a little tricky.”

  He gestured for me to follow him behind a tree. Once there, he kept peeking out and then ducking back in.

  His frown deepened every time he looked out until I asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t find a good position to get the older officer based on where he’s standing. The only place I can hit him from here is neck or head … both lethal.” He tapped the hilts of his blades together and shook his head. “I need to make him move.”

  Sneaking a glance around the tree, I could see what he was talking about. I swallowed back a rush of fear, knowing what I had to do.

  “Be ready,” I said, knowing Jack would argue with me if he knew my plan … but what was all my running good for if not a situation like this?

  “What?”

  “Don’t let me die. Now go!” I whispered, then bolted out from behind the tree in a direction where the older officer couldn’t help but see me and would have to step away from the car to get a good shot.

  Before I even made it ten feet I heard the zipping noise of Jack’s blade slicing through the air. The younger officer cried out. I didn’t look back, but I heard footsteps as the older officer stepped away from the car and followed me. My heart pounded thunderously in my head. Everything was moving so slow—yet so fast that I couldn’t move or do anything to protect myself.

  Another zipping noise sounded just before the next gunshot rang out. Pain burned through the left side of my head; I tripped and fell to the ground as everything around me slowed down. Visions of Addie laughing, my mom smiling at me across the kitchen counter, Finn goofing off in the backyard … they pelted me from all angles.

  My life, here and gone in an instant.

  The gun fell from the officer’s fingers as he yelped out in pain. I just caught sight of a whirl of motion near the car before a crowd of rebels with guns surrounded all three men.

  I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t blink. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack running toward me. I thought I could hear him yelling my name.

  “Parker! Parker, are you hurt?” His voice began to slice through my haze. “Parker! Did he hit you?”

  I slowly turned my face toward my brother. The sheer wild panic I saw on his face was nearly as shocking as the fact that I’d been shot. Drawing in my breath, I felt the world start moving like normal again, and color rushed back into Jack’s face when I finally said, “I—I’m okay … I think I’m okay.”

  Jack reached out to the left side of my head and his fingers came back with a drop of blood. “He just nicked the top of your ear. You’re one lucky idiot.”

  “I guess I gotta be lucky at something,” I groaned as I rolled over and up onto my knees. Relief flowed through me at the knowledge that it could have been so much worse. “Besides, it worked, didn’t it?”

  Jack smiled and I saw respect in his eyes. “It did.”

  The chaos all around us had stopped. There were no bullets, no yelling. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath as it watched our fight end.

  Jack helped me up and then jogged over to a nearby trailer. He came back with a couple of dishtowels in his hands. He crossed to the older officer, who glared at him over the top of his gag. Some rebels stood ready with rope to tie him up, but were waiting for Jack as he carefully retrieved his knife from the man’s biceps, wiped it off on one of the towels, and sheathed it. He tied the cloth tight around the man’s wound. By the time he’d finished, I’d taken Jack’s other dishtowel and walked over to the younger officer. This one looked more scared than angry and was in quite a bit of pain.

  I considered repeating Jack’s steps, but the knife was embedded in the man’s forearm. I was nervous that if I pulled it wrong, I might do more damage than good.

  Jack stepped up, grabbed the hilt of the knife, and looked at me. “Ready?”

  I nodded. When he pulled out the knife, I quickly tied the cloth tight around the man’s arm. The wound was still really bleeding, but the towel did its job. The rebels tied this cop up as well. Jack wiped the knife on the makeshift bandage before sticking it back in his boot.

  “We’re not a bad team, you know?” I spoke the words hesitantly, but I felt I needed to say it. Jack needed to recognize that I could be more than just someone who always got in his way.

  He nodded but didn’t look at me. “I know.”

  Randall approached us. He’d taken a bullet to the shoulder since I’d seen him a few minutes before, but someone had already wrapped it up and he looked like he’d be fine.

  “That was incredibly brave—and incredibly foolish. But thank you, both of you.” Randall shook his head and looked over his shoulder at a few of the others, who were covering Marisol’s body with a white sheet. “I’d hoped things might get better after … after what Danny did.”

  “They will.” Jack was trying to sound confident, but the hesitation in his tone was hard to miss. “I just need more time.”

  Randall leaned toward him. “What are you working on, Jack?”

  “Danny gave me something I have to sort out.” Jack spoke the words quietly, looking around us as though there might still be someone we couldn’t trust who was listening.

  “God, please no.” Randall paled as he spoke, and it took me a moment to catch up. “Please tell me he didn’t give you the formula to Eclipse. I thought we were finally done with that. If he gave it to you—”

  “No, Randall.” Jack reached out and placed his hand on the man’s shoulder to reassure him. “Danny made sure no one can make Eclipse. That plague is gone, for good.”

  The color returned to Randall’s face. I wondered if maybe I should quietly slip away and go check on Finn and the others at the van, but then Jack gave me a look that glued me in place.

&n
bsp; “All I can tell you right now is that we are trying to help, and that it’s very important.” Jack looked me straight in the eye for several seconds. His message came through: something had changed back there and he meant what he was saying—we. Then he turned back to Randall. “Danny left me a message. He told me to tell you that ‘it’s time to begin’? I know he was pretty paranoid by the end, but does that mean anything to you?”

  “Yes,” Randall said without hesitation, and deep sadness fell over his face like a shadow. “I have something to give you. Wait here while I go get it.”

  “We have to go check on our friends.” Jack looked reluctant to leave, but we both knew we needed to make sure everyone else was all right. “Meet us at the van?”

  Randall nodded and walked away as we turned back the way we’d come.

  I looked at the people shuffling around the clearing. They looked damaged, but resilient. Marisol was the only one they’d lost. Even the other man they’d hit was awake and bandaged. It looked like he would make it, too. They’d been lucky.

  “Maybe they should all move away?” I spoke without thinking, but then pushed on because it felt like a valid question. “It obviously isn’t safe here right now.”

  “They have nowhere to go.” Jack looked around sadly and kicked a rock across the road in front of us. “All of the rebel camps have been compromised in one way or another. There’s nowhere the Takers can’t find us anymore. We can’t leave, not without scattering to the wind and abandoning the sense of community we’ve fought so hard for. At least here, when we’re a group, it’s impossible for them to steal a couple of us away at a time and throw us in their prisons without anyone noticing. They have to fight us all together or not at all. Plus, running is exhausting. It doesn’t make for an easy life. Prey don’t get to relax. If they relax, they die.”

  I didn’t know what to say. On the one hand, I was so surprised that Jack was telling me any of this. Maybe this was his attempt to do what Dad asked in his message. I hoped so. I’d never been through what the rebels had. I wanted to understand, and at the same time I was so grateful that I didn’t. How could I relate to their lives?