As Night Falls Read Online Free PDF Page A

one dark, trembly eye and one bright blue one.
    “I don’t know when or why or what you’re lying about, Mom.” Ivy took in a breath deep enough to make her chest swell. “I just know that you are.”

ESCAPE
    N ick edged through a scatter of dry leaves. The sound was whisper-light, yet it had the force of buildings toppling. He could see the road unspooling before them. He put down a last cone without considering its placement. This was pure charade now; soon Harlan would toss aside the few he still held, and then he and Nick would be gone.
    Instead of dropping the cones though, upset bloomed on Harlan’s face. His faulty memory had kicked in, and now he was watching his only friend walk away from him, with no idea why. A full second ticked by as Nick weighed the risk of trying to hiss a reminder in Harlan’s cabbage leaf ear—which he would have trouble reaching—versus waiting for him to remember the plan.
    Understanding dawned and Harlan moved over alongside Nick. They stood beside a pack of trees bordering the bridge.
    The guard’s back was turned as he observed the fourth inmate board the bus, moving slowly, enjoying the last remnants of his freedom. Old-School must’ve already given up on his. Nick could picture the ancient inmate selecting a seat and sitting down, silent and resigned.
    In just five seconds—not as many as Nick had wanted; the teenage driver had introduced infuriating delay—the light was going to change and both cars would take off. The driver of the SUV didn’t appear to be as impatient, but that didn’t mean she’d stick around.
    Nick seized the handle on the rear door. He knew it wouldn’t be locked—cars here never were—but Nick’s heart still pulsed until he felt a reassuring give.
    This vehicle might wind up being even better than the kid’s. Its windows had that nice tinting that had become standard while Nick was inside. He’d seen the evolution take place on TV ads and cop shows.
    Harlan crowded close, bumping into Nick, and their entrance was clumsy.
    The driver twisted around. She sucked in one quick breath—it made a
click
in her throat—at the sight of Harlan filling the plank of seat behind her, his head pressed up against the roof. Harlan barely got his legs out of the way before Nick let the door swing shut. He heard a second thud that he couldn’t account for.
    “Drive,” Nick said conversationally. “And we’ll let you live.”
    The guard was just beginning to frown as he surveyed the suddenly transformed makeup of his work crew.
    The car in front of them drove off slightly ahead of the green.
    A bullet rang out, fired up at the gray, featureless sky. A warning shot, an alert, or perhaps simply sheer futile fury on the part of the guard.
    “Drive!” Nick roared.
    Harlan cringed, curling in on himself, the massive vehicle shaking with the movement of his body.
    The light changed and the SUV rocketed through.
    —
    This car was as nice as someone’s living room, provided that living room was inhabited by a half-dozen teenagers. The floor was covered with wrappers and stray cosmetics and bits of food, the seat ridged with something sticky. Nick saw a flurry of white that resembled dandruff. A wink of silver in the low light made him realize that the dust was actually nail filings. Quick as a snake’s tongue his hand shot out, closing over a slim, sandpapery blade that had gotten wedged between the door and the seat.
    He refocused on the woman in front. Her grip on the wheel was unsteady, and the great vehicle gyrated as it drove forward.
    “Give me your phone,” Nick said, back to his original friendly tone. There wouldn’t be a signal out here, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He had spent months going over each of the changes that had taken place during his twenty-four years inside, and pondering their effects. His escape wouldn’t be felled by the widespread use of computers or the arrival of 911 in the area.
    He became aware of Harlan