Those Who Remain (Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

brief, horrible second, I think the worst has happened, but then, he calls for me.
    “I'm stuck. Laurie, my ankle… It hurts. I can't move.” His voice cracks and he waves so I can spot him.
    Crap!
    “Okay, it's okay. I'm coming down. Don't worry.”
    Each step I take, my heart beats faster. Using my hands to move down, I reach him with only a few scrapes and cuts. He's down in a ditch, sitting against the earth. His ankle is bent in a weird way, twisted. Peter greets me with a frown and wince. I crouch next to him, placing my hands on his injured ankle.
    “Hey! Don't touch it.”
    “I need to touch it, so I can fix it. It's okay, I know what I'm doing.”
    He stares at me, white with fear, when I take it firmly and place the other hand on his leg. “Wait… What—”
    Crack. He screams. I hope I did it right, my only experience with fixing broken ankles was on a training doll. Mom used to teach first aid to volunteers, and I liked going with her, watching her work. It was fun pretending to save people.
    When I look up, Peter is out cold. My hands find his cheeks, and I shake his head. He's limp and unresponsive. I sigh and try climbing up the ditch alone. I grab some vines and force my feet up. I fall, and fall, and fall again. My butt hurts, and the palms of my hands are red from the friction. My clothes are full of dirt, my body’s tired, but I prepare myself to try again.
    “What are you doing?” Peter slurs, a hand on his forehead.
    “I’m trying to climb up.”
    “What about me? You can’t leave me behind. Don’t leave me alone down here.”
    I bite my lip, feeling my cheeks get hot. “I’m not. I just wanted to get our stuff before some animal eats everything.”
    “Help me up. I want to go too.”
    Crouching down, I offer my shoulder for him to support himself. He's heavier than I imagined, but I help him stand up. He tries to put his injured foot on the ground, but yells at the pain and we almost lose balance. I steady both of us using the ditch’s wall of dirt.
    “I don’t think you can climb up, Pete.”
    “So what do we do, then?”
    My eyes go the top of the hole we are stuck in. “You wait here. I’m going to bring back our stuff. I can use our clothes to make a rope and pull you up.”
    He frowns at me. “You have to promise you won’t leave me here after you reach the top, okay?”
    “I promise. Just boost me up, so it’s easier.”
    We nod at each other. I move close to him, placing my hands on his shoulder. He’s looking right at me, big blue eyes fixed on my own. My cheeks are probably red again. Peter boosts me up using his hands and I climb up against his body, my feet on his shoulders. I’m embarrassed by the contact, but try to concentrate on reaching the upper vines.
    I’m almost there when I hear the steps and moaning. A shadow passes over me, and I spot a bald head, full of lumps, moving around near us. Crap.
    “Pete,” I whisper. “Peter, I’m going down again.”
    “Why?” He yells. “What’s going on?”
    I want to strangle him, really. Why’s he so loud? I climb down, he helps me and my body slides against his, before I plant my feet down on the ground again. His hands are on my waist, and for a long time we just stare at each other.
    “Laurie, what happened—”
    I place two fingers against his lips, pointing up. We hear footsteps. Peter nods and moves us closer to the ground. Dirt and grass fall inside the ditch as a group of monsters pass us by. We wait, holding our breaths. For maybe hours, we do nothing, not moving a single muscle and with our bodies pressed against the raw earth. Finally, only the sounds of crickets and the wind remain.
    Only after being sure we are safe that every single part of my body wakes up, feeling his hand touching me and his breath against my neck. I'm not the only one bothered by this, as he moves away quickly, as much the ditch allows.
    “How's your ankle?” I ask, voice weak. “Does it still hurt?”
    “Yeah. But