making sure I took up as much room as possible. Aaron came out a few minutes later, getting himsel

my small victory under wraps. But he wiped the smile off my face when he put his sheathed knife on the sid

s thinking you

he last man on ear

e, listening to him breathe. The steady sound was louder than the whirling fan above us, louder than the hum of the backup generator, louder than the beat of my own h

il somewhere in the thick of it, the face of my brother appeared, the light in his

tinned, and the damp musk of Dave's shoes that he'd left to dry by the front door. I could feel the soft currents of air from the low speed fan above me whisper across the invisible hairs on the bac

ooed chest filling my vision. But as lit

e," He said,

watched him pad to the bathroom on silent feet, my heart a jackhammer in my chest as I held the

the lights, rinsed the handful of bowls that were in the sink from yesterday then dumped his re-packed bag next to Dave's shoes. He

tight lipped silence, then

nostalgia. I wasn't one to attach myself to places, but four days was the longest we'd stayed in any one spot s

py this morning. It was the best mood she'd been in for months and I'd forgotten how much I'd misse

back to the bruised streaks of violet forcing their way from the s

. Her almost waist length hair was down, neat

Tired i

he darkening sky and the used bodies left in their wake. Tired of missing Nick, of not knowing wher

sleep we

nestled safely behind the giant walled cities of Light in the North, but I wa

eyes lit up like I'd never

, threading my fin

nk y

wha

ave. I know how much

choice. He was already passed out

u could've woke h

He cares for y

hade of pink kissing her chee

care

t felt like my he

ssed it into the tray of the ute with mine

yle, i

putting up with cranky pants is all it takes for

gave me a hug, surprising me with

how much I'd told Aaron last night... Her thanks would be the last thing she

towards us as if my very thoughts had summoned

pathetic look before waving Dave over, greeting him w

sked, pulling on his seat belt

and did the s

heel, sending his knuckles white as

to let go and bring the engine to life. I let out a frustrated sigh and kept my voice low. "I offered to sit up front s

ing out of the deserted parking lot and onto the bitumen road. I watched him a moment more t

me of his but the air between us had reached a point where it was threatening to suffocate me to death, and it didn't help that

er to pay with cash. They wan

, studying the band of light encirclin

uld work just as

kno

tantrums over

no matter how much they like to think otherwise, eve

oot now ask

never hurt one of us that way

erneath, they're just n

," I said, staring out the window again, "and Lillith wouldn't have

or your brother were taken, find

e same as us underneath, not o

their rescu

hurt. “I'd find a way to save them,” I said,

g them when no one else can? Not city folk, free folk or even the Scorchers can do it. Onc

for a way, and if in the end that meant tradi

, pulling off o

n she needs me." Our older brother always made her smile, an

is eyes on the road and

ext stop?" I asked, my eyes foc

r. Forty min

t. Pull

you n

er! One of our

he

r le

," He said, coming to a stop in the mi

it look lik

ng me to stay put. "You’

apped back, pull

sked, his stubbled face a

rying to stop me from c

angerous. I

I can climb up top. You know there

t," Dave said,

he do

er face in next to Dave's. "You know there's

, amused by the string of profaniti

he side of the car and into the open tray. I undid the blown bulb, keeping my eyes on the ground as much as I kept

lighter hours, even beneath their violet sky, but that didn't mean you wouldn't come across the occasional desperado, willing to risk everything for a sho

" Aaron called

ck, feeling the familiar kick of

he fast moving ground below. Losing a bulb was almost as bad as losing a man and

left harboured a thick mass of half dead forest, less than six foot away. A man on foot had

d tell by the way his arms jerked as he bounded towards us, closing the gap between hunter and prey. I slipped my gun from the holst

it ste

unfazed by the gushing holes. I shifted my weight onto my other foot and grinned. I might not have stopped him, but the Thornblood dipped bul

op. I slipped my gun back into it's waiting home and dropped to a crouch, searching the nearest bags for the extra bulb the boys had brought back with the new food s

d into the back window. I fell to the tray in a gasping heap, the pain in my crushed chest threatening to suck me into oblivion. I forced

f me, its loose hair blinding me as razor sharp teeth sunk into the front of my bare shoulder. A scream exploded in my ears, burning my throat. My frant

yes sucking me in, paralysing me until her blood dren