Girl Apocalypse

Discovery

“I’d just as soon kiss a man,” Gus’ voice was indignant, “in fact, it would be like kissing a man. I mean, what sort of a woman cusses and wears trousers?”

And to think I’d just been considering kissing him! I fumed, now picturing myself giving him a good kick instead, “the kind of woman that would have you flat on your back in a fight.”

Ellie snorted, and I immediately flushed again, hotter this time, “Not that sort of flat on your back…oh never mind!”

Gus gives a throaty chuckle behind me, and I breath deeply and concentrate on climbing again. Stupid blighter, getting into my head like that. There isn't time for stuff like this.

“Let’s start around the mountain now,” I glance upwards, satisfied that there isn't much climbing left until we reach the top. It's my best guess that they'd have built a survey building about halfway up. With any luck, we’d be able to approach from the back now.

We traveled in silence now, the only sound is our footsteps crunching over rocks and dead branches. We're moving sideways now, and it's an awkward sort of traveling, with one leg feeling longer then the other since we 're constantly at an angle from the steep incline. We're all breathing hard by now. This high on the mountain the trees have grown sparse and the shade is thin and only in patches now. I can feel my hair sticking to the back of my neck, and Ellie keeps moving her hat around on her head, like it's getting too hot. I envy the shade it gives her though, when we're moving through the patches of hot sunlight that bake the rocks and make them too hot to touch. Luckily we aren't hauling ourselves upwards anymore, so I only burn my palm once or twice when I brace myself on them.

Gus, who's walking in front of me, is grumbling to himself again. This time it seems to be more of a list of complaints and not directed at me. It's a good thing too, because I probably won't be able to resist punching him this time. When he comes to an abrupt stop all of a sudden I actually run into his back, and draw back quickly, face flushing again. My agitation makes me snap at him,

“What?”

Gus is pointing straight ahead through the thin trees. His hand shakes a little.

Ellie and I peer around him, and my breath catches in my throat. There in the distance, disguised by a thicket of tall, scrawny trees is a long brick building.

It's obvious why we didn’t see it from the desert. It blends in. The dusty brown bricks and green trim just sort of fade into the side of the mountain. It looks like it was built a very long time ago. It makes my stomach turn to think about it. Does that mean whoever is in charge has been hauling street kids away and killing them for years? Do all the wealthy aristocrats in London do this regularly for sport? Is it common knowledge, they came here for a nice holiday every year?

My fingers curl around the hilt of my dagger. I lean against the nearest thin tree trunk, trying to think of what to do, and the spring I’d stolen from the ship presses into my hip. I shift slightly, bottom lip caught in my teeth, trying to think of how to approach this. We're clearly looking at the side of the building. The best way to get in is probably the back.

“What’s the plan?” Gus whispers, and to my surprise his hand is suddenly on my shoulder, sending a jolt of electricity over my skin. I look up, startled, to see his eyes wide and full of excitement. He's with me now, now that he sees there really is a building. That I was right and there really might be something to my plan.

I shrug out of his grip, uncomfortable with the heat that’s prickling through me, “we approach from the back. See if you can find something here,” I gesture down at the forest floor, at the dead sticks and leaves that litter it, “break off a heavy branch or grab a rock. Anything you can use for a weapon.”