Embattlement: The Undergrounders Series Book Two (A Young Adult Science Fiction Dystopian Novel) Read Online Free PDF Page A

shake my head, too winded to talk, too sick to my stomach to imagine now what . I tense my shoulders, half-expecting to hear a shot echo through the forest at any minute. Knowing Blade, he’s got his hands on a weapon by now.
    Trout throws a skittish look around. “We’re a good bit off the trail already. We need to be careful not to lose our way. Do you want to keep going after him?”
    “Of course. Soon as I catch my breath.” I pull out my canteen and unscrew the lid with trembling fingers. I swish a mouthful of water around and peer into the distance. “This isn’t like Tucker. He must have spotted someone.” I can’t bring myself to say Blade’s name.
    Trout chews on his bottom lip. He slides his gaze in my direction. “Then Blade might know we’re coming.”
    “Or worse. He might have Tucker.”
    Trout frowns. “I say we spread out and flank the area. Pinch him off.”
    I get to my feet slowly. “All right, but don’t underestimate Blade,” I say, gripping Trout by the shoulder. Big Ed’s words echo in my ears: Remember, you can hear in all directions . “If he’s out there, you’re not gonna see him before you feel a knife in your neck. You have to listen for him. He could drop from a tree, come up from under the brush—out of anywhere—but I guarantee you won’t see him before he sees you.”
    Trout takes a step back, a flicker of fear in his eyes. “We don’t have to split up if you don’t want to.”
    “It’s a good idea to close him off. It’s our best shot at catching him. I’m just telling you to watch your back.”
    Trout nods, his face drawn.
    I pull my hair out of my face and stuff it down into the collar of my jacket. “I’ll go that way,” I say signaling east. “Cut back around after a half mile or so. If there’s no sign of either Blade or Tucker, we’ll head back toward the trail and see if Tucker’s made his way back to the others.”
    I watch Trout move off, and then turn and arc my way through the brush in the opposite direction. The hush of the forest has become almost unbearable, as if every tree is holding its breath along with me, waiting for Blade to leap out and skewer me with a sharpened spear. I almost jump out of my skin when an eagle screams down from the ridge, sending a nearby squirrel into a panicked spin.
    I take a steadying breath and creep forward, reluctant to move faster than I can process the dark undertones of the forest around me. A thick layer of pinecones crunches underfoot. Even my breathing seems to carry too far into the dawn air, but when I try to hold my breath, I end up gasping. I swing my gun around in a blind panic, certain I’ve given away my position to a loitering Blade. I wait for a few tense minutes before I relax my shoulders and will myself to keep advancing.
    Big Ed taught me all the forest’s secrets—prints, tracks, scat and sounds. I can’t help wondering how he would go about catching Blade.
    Of course he would have studied him. Like he studies everything and everyone. So now, when he needs to, he’d be able to predict Blade’s next move before he even makes it. I rack my brains, trying to remember something useful about Blade, something that makes him weak.
    The leaves rustle to my left. A loud bark. Seven o’clock. The hair on the back of my neck tingles. I spin around and peer through the greenish hue of the forest. More barking—but not the kind that makes any sense. Tucker would be growling if he’d cornered Blade— snarling if Blade had a hold of him. I glance around to make sure Blade’s not creeping up behind me, and then slide my gun off my shoulder and take off jogging in the direction of the barking. My heart thuds in my chest. Please, let Tucker be all right . I push my way through a clump of pines and out into a small clearing. My jaw drops when I see who has Tucker in a chokehold.

4
    I t’s a child .
    Even with the light of the first rays of dawn spilling over the forest, it takes me a minute or