I point out, “But people’s memories of you will be filled with fear and hatred. Is that what you really want?”
“I’m still remembered.”
“Sounds exactly like what the Heads are doing.”
The Distress falls silent.
I say, “You could be remembered for something else, something better.”
“None more from you. This is where we’re spending the night.”
I open my mouth to explain that it isn’t nighttime, but close it. What time is it? I was sent here during Free Hour. I was helped by Grace and Christina. Then captured by the Distress, before I ran away. I was recaptured, and now we’ve been walking for what feels like hours. How long have I been here? Is it the middle of the night?
“Greg, you can go first and Tooth will go second.”The Distress commands.
“Watching shifts?” I ask.
“They will stay awake while we sleep to make sure that none of the Things attack us. More importantly, they’ll make sure you don’t escape.”
I keep my face straight, but I’m smiling inside. I might have won over Tooth’s favor by standing up for him. While he’s watching guard, he may allow me to escape.
I ask a question that’s been burning inside my mind for a while, “What is that thing that attacked me?”
“We call them simply the Things but where they came from and how they even exist, we don’t know.”
“How many are there in here?”
“Don’t know the answer to that either.”
“Why are they so cold?”
“Don’t know.”
“Why do they attack you, only to run away?”
“Look,” The Distress says, “we don’t really know anything about them except that we are stuck with them until our disappearance.”
“But how do you avoid them or protect yourself against them?”
I need as much information as I can get before I leave. I don’t want to be completely vulnerable while I’m alone. The thought of being attacked by another Thing sends chills over my skin.
The Distress answers, “They attack alone, you’ll never see a group of the Things together. They attack either a person that’s all alone or a big group of people. Most people travel in groups of two for protection.”
I say, “So, since there are four of us, we have a larger chance of being attacked?”
YOU ARE READING
274 (Complex Series, #4)
Science Fiction-fourth book in the Complex series- Claire, known to most people only by her Complex number as 274, has always obeyed the Official's rules. You have to, unless you want to be sent away to the Unknown. Until, she meets Marie and everything changes. ...
