“Freak,” Ruth muttered at last and turned her back on me in blatant dismissal. “Regardless, Zeke, I wanted to ask you about camp rations. We’re awfully low—what do you want me to do tonight and tomorrow?”
He gave me an apologetic look. I rolled my eyes and walked away, leaving them to talk, as it was obvious Ruth wouldn’t let me get another word in with Zeke. Not that she could’ve stopped me; I had no issues staying where I was, just to spite her. But watching her with Zeke, hearing her heart beat faster just from being close, her pulse fluttering wildly in her neck, I felt, for the first time since that lonely night on the road, the first stirrings of Hunger.
And I knew I would have to choose one of them, very soon.
Chapter 13
“There’s something strange about her,” Ruth murmured.
I opened my eyes as Ruth’s low, sulky voice drifted to me through the tent fabric. According to my internal clock, the sun had just gone down, though the sky overhead was still light. I could hear the camp moving around outside, getting ready to head out, but I stayed there for a moment, picking out bits of conversation, listening to voices drift through the walls.
“Don’t you think it’s odd,” Ruth went on, her voice earnest, “that she showed up in the middle of the night and just happened to stumble upon Zeke and Caleb? What do we know about her? Why was she wandering around at night—Zeke never said anything about that. How was she able to survive all that time by herself?”
I felt a prickle of apprehension. The stupid girl was still at it. A growl rose to my throat, and I had to stop myself from fantasizing about dragging her off into the woods.
“I think she’s hiding something,” Ruth went on. “Worse, I think she’s dangerous. If she came from a vampire city, she could be anything. She could be a thief, or a murderer. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s killed someone before.”
I rolled upright and exited the tent, stepping out into the open. At the fire pit, Ruth fell silent, but I could see her glaring at me over the top of Teresa’s head. The old woman looked unconcerned, ladling soup into bowls, but Matthew and Bethany turned to watch me over their shoulders, their eyes wide.
Stifling my anger, I spotted Zeke and Darren standing a few yards away, talking to Teresa’s husband, Silas. The old man was pointing a withered hand to the sky, and the boys were nodding solemnly as if it all made sense. Curious, I headed in that direction, trying to ignore the whispers behind me.
“You sure about that, old man?” Darren said as I came up. Zeke smiled at me and nodded, and my gut prickled. Silas snorted through his white beard and glared at Darren.
“My elbow ain’t never wrong,” he announced, bushy eyebrows bristling. “It only aches like this when there’s a storm coming. Considering it feels like it’s about to fall off, I’d say there’s a big one on the horizon.”
The horizon was clear. The first stars glimmered over the trees, and the sky was turning a deep navy blue. I could see why Darren was skeptical, but Zeke studied the sky as if he could see the storm approaching.
“Good,” he murmured, as a sudden gust of wind tossed his hair. “It’s been a few days since we crossed that stream. Water is running low—this will come at a good time.”
“Are we going to stop?” I asked. Darren snorted.
“No,” Zeke replied, ignoring his friend. “Unless it becomes truly dangerous, Jeb will want to press on through the storm. Rabids like to hunt during bad weather. You can’t hear them coming until they’re right up on you. It’s not safe to stay put during storms.”
I remembered another storm, watching the rabids close in on all sides through the rain, and shuddered.
“If the rain comes at all,” Darren put in, making Silas frown. “But I suppose death by lightning is better than death by rabids. At least I won’t see it coming.”
“Well, if anything, you can finally get a shower,” Zeke retorted. “No wonder we can’t shoot anything—they can smell your stink coming a mile away.”
Darren casually flipped him the finger. Zeke only laughed.
*
TRUE TO SILAS’S PREDICTION, dark clouds soon billowed on the horizon, blocking out the moon and stars, and the wind picked up rapidly. Lightning flickered, eerie white strands snaking through the clouds, and thunder boomed an answer.