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stuck, and he shoved it open with his shoulder.
    My heart was beating heavily. I felt hot, like I was going to throw up.
    He pulled a girl outside by one arm. He didn’t bring her as far as the others, and one foot leaned up on the walkway as her body lay on the ground. She had a coat on, but wasn’t wearing shoes. Her long hair sprawled across the powdery snow and looked like spreading blood.
    I held my breath as he walked back inside to search.
    Becky made a noise—a deep, heavy breath—but I couldn’t take my eyes off the dark, open door.
    This was all my fault, too. Maybe the people who’d followed me to the fence had done so because they wanted to—maybe—but these people in the fort hadn’t done anything. I’d shown up, and now they were being tortured and searched. We were all just trying to survive, but trouble followed me everywhere I went. No, more than trouble. Death and pain.
    Iceman reemerged. He saw the girl’s foot resting on the walkway and pushed it off with his shoe. He moved on to the next door.
    From there he pulled a short, skinny girl and dropped her in a heap in the snow. It was Lily! I had no idea whether she was a human version of a robot Lily I knew, or whether the Lily I knew had been human and they’d caught her when she’d tried to escape. None of this made sense yet.
    From other rooms I saw Mason and Tapti. There was a kid from Havoc who I didn’t know, and a couple of girls from the Society.
    I stared at Mason for a moment, trying not to hate him. It wasn’t his fault. Or maybe it was. Maybe everything Jane had told me was a lie.
    Becky breathed heavily again, and I slid back to her. Some of the tension on her face had eased, but I didn’t want her to wake up now. I sat next to her, poised to cover her mouth or hold her body still.
    Another door opened. It was close. It had to be just on the other side of the wall, the next room over. I heard him drag whoever it was, something bumping sharply. And then he was back in the room. Something bumped, and then bumped harder. There was a clatter—maybe emptying a bucket? Or a box? And then a heavier thump and scrape, like dragging furniture.
    And then quiet.
    Carrie’s door opened, and something below us crashed.
    Becky’s eyes shot open and she took a breath, about to speak.
    I clapped my hand down over her mouth and looked into her wide, scared eyes. I put a finger to my lips and listened.
    We heard one of the girls below dragged out of the room—the scuffling of Iceman’s feet across the floor and the rattle of a body across the floorboards—and then he returned for the other. He came back a third time. Carrie had hardly any furniture down there, almost nothing for him to search.
    There was a tremendous crash, like he’d thrown Carrie’s bed over. Becky’s good hand clutched my arm. Neither of us was breathing.
    He was pounding now—on the floor?
    Voices. Dozens of them, outside by the road. I wanted to look, but didn’t dare move.
    The truck rumbled closer, following the voices.
    Iceman’s feet stomped around in the room for a few moments longer, and then he was gone.
    I looked at Becky.
    She mouthed the words, Where are we?
    I leaned close to her ear. “I’ll explain later. Stay here.” I scooted back to the vent that overlooked the courtyard.
    Everyone was awake again now, shivering and struggling to their feet. Jane had moved toward the center of the courtyard and sat on the crumbling edge of what looked like a well. She was massaging her shoulder. A few of the other girls sat next to her. Mason stood by himself.
    I forced myself to look at someone else. Carrie was sitting now, quiet and alone. It seemed like the only people who were talking to each other were the people I didn’t know. Everyone I recognized from Maxfield was stony faced and somber.
    Others were pouring into the fort through the main gate. It looked like whoever was driving the truck had gathered the kids from the green barracks. Unlike those with