Jordan, Zach, and Jeok had a fight with Qi Shan and Marlow from Archer’s inner circle. I need to learn more about Archer’s crew in the West. Several people died during that fight. The Savages from town were involved. Some shit went down.
Guff is the big heavy-set dude who sleeps in a hammock half the nights.
Maddy has some medical background. She is the Godmother of the place. Bo is the grandpa. I laugh at the thought.
Kai and Ty are thick as thieves. They’ve stayed in touch after some beef with the Chancellor back at Deene. Kai is an Outcast in the true sense of the word. He flew to the island by himself for whatever reason and got stuck here when the Change happened.
A year ago, there was an incident with the Savages from the town. Two people died. Olivia is some dark fucked-up story. Another kid killed himself. Everyone is hush-hush about it, sour faces and all. They don’t know what death truly is. On a mass scale. Or how fucked up some humans get when they have a gun and there is no law. Or what humans do when they live on the law’s blind side, like many in Thailand.
It’s getting brighter around—we’ve been hiking uphill toward the top of the island this whole time. My muscles are tense. Feels good. I control my breathing. The boys will get tired before I do.
It’s been about three hours, and when we reach a wide intersection at what looks like the highest point of the island, we stall.
“Where does the other road go?” I ask, looking at the path that crosses the main one and disappears in either direction.
“North. South,” Ty explains, looking around.
No shit, Sherlock.
“What are we waiting for?” I ask, annoyed, looking around, my eyes rising slowly to scan the trees.
And then I see it.
Cameras.
Not the hunting ones. Proper motion-activated, color footage.
Well, well.
“Shhhh… Don’t make any sudden moves.” Ty brings his forefinger to his lips, silencing me.
I am all ears.
There is a crack of branches somewhere in the jungles.
A pack of birds flap their wings wildly as they flee out of the green canopy.
And there are clicks.
One.
Two.
And I fucking know these sounds.
Rifles.
Oh, shit.
“Put your hands up!” a voice shouts from the distant bushes. “Now!”
Seriously?
My heart thuds in my chest. It’s anticipation. Adrenalin. I didn’t expect that.
I do as I am told, my head turning to look for the person the voice came from.
The boys raise their hands too. They are taller and broader than me, but they obey.