Fugitive X Read Online Free PDF Page A

been asleep?
    A fire was crackling near him. Nick grabbed for his pack and his knife, but they were both gone. “Not very attentive, are you?” he heard a voice say. The girl was tall, almost Nick’s height, with brown hair that was cut raggedly, unevenly short in a bob around her chin. She wore brown cargo pants rolled at the ankles and a green sweater, and had a backpack slung over her shoulders. Nick’s hunting knife was sheathed at her belt. Her arms were crossed in a casual pose as she looked at him, but she stood on the balls of her feet, balanced lightly, and gave the impression that she could bound off in an instant like a deer if she wanted.
    “Who the hell are you?” said Nick. “What do you want?”
    “I’ve been watching you wandering back and forth in the woods yelling.”
    How long had this girl been tracking him?
thought Nick. Was he really that easy to shadow? He shrugged, as if the news that he had been tracked was irrelevant. “You haven’t answered either of my questions.”
    “I’m a survivor, like you. Revolution 10,” said the girl. “I was going to just leave you to your own business, whatever that is, but there’s a rebel patrol coming through here soon from the west, and I decided why not, I’ll let this guy know, because it doesn’t seem like he has a clue.”
    “Rebels?” asked Nick. Were they the armed men he had seen?
    She uncrossed her arms and tucked her thumbs into the front pockets of her pants. “They’re unpredictable. Might just leave you alone, but who knows? Better to avoid them.”
    “Well, okay, thanks. Can I have my knife back?” said Nick.
    She tossed it to him. “Sorry. You can never be too careful.”
    He didn’t know what to make of the girl, or the situation. She could have robbed him or left him to get caught by the rebels. Was she really on her own? Could he trust her? But if she was lying, then to what end? He struggled to see what she stood to gain. The girl nodded. “Have a good life. Down with the bots, and all that.” She began walking away.
    “Wait,” said Nick. If this girl had been watching him, maybe she had seen something. . . . “My little brother. He’s missing. Thirteen years old. Have you seen him? Seen anything?”
    The girl stopped and turned back to Nick. “No. Kevin, that’s the name you were calling? Didn’t see anything. And what about the other one? You missing a third person too?”
    “How’d you . . . ?” began Nick.
    “Three packs,” said the girl, pointing at the backpacks near Nick’s feet. “Educated guess.”
    Nick hesitated. “My sister,” he said. He paused again, thencontinued, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. “Not missing. Taken by the bots.”
    The girl stepped toward Nick. She pushed up the sleeve of her right arm and held her forearm up to Nick. On the arm, in black ink, was a rough, obviously homemade tattoo that read “Peter, Amelie, Oliver.”
    “My parents and my brother,” said the girl.
    “I’m sorry,” said Nick quietly. He didn’t know what else to say.
    “They’ve done it to all of us,” said the girl. “Hope they all rust in hell.” She pushed her sleeve down, backing away from him. As her eyes passed over Nick a last time, her face softened, and she seemed to change her mind. “Your brother, Kevin. Maybe he was taken to the Freepost by a Post tracker. Or the rebels could have picked him up and dumped him in the Freepost. They’ve got no use for a little kid.” The girl studied Nick appraisingly. Nick returned her stare, fighting the reflex to hide his bot eye. She had large brown eyes, with flecks of gold. Pretty eyes, he couldn’t help but notice.
    The girl, apparently satisfied, nodded and held her hand out. “Erica.”
    Nick shook her hand. “Nick,” he said.
    Erica bent down, picked up Cass’s backpack, and slung it over her shoulder beside her own. “Come on then. The Freepost is your best bet. Try to stay quiet and keep up, and I’ll take you