“It was stylish and you’re just jealous.”
“Tan,” Roman said. “Where the hell did the knife come from?”
“Oh, this? I pinched it from behind the bar while Griff was out the back.”
“You knew he had it?”
“No. I was looking for another drink.”
Despite himself, Roman grinned. “Typical.”
Tan shrugged. “I don’t want to die sober.”
“We’re not going to die.”
Tan raised an eyebrow at Roman. “It’s us against over a dozen Adrenalites. And the militia. I don’t know about you, but I ain’t betting on us.”
Roman’s response died in his throat. Tan was right. There really wasn’t any denying it. So why are we even trying? He dug his hands into his pockets, hunching his shoulders as he quickened his pace again. Guess I am just a stubborn bastard. Even if he didn’t live through this, he couldn’t live with himself if he gave up.
Because if it were Ruby trying to save me, she wouldn’t give up.
“Roman?” Ruby pounded on the door to her own home with her uninjured hand. “Tan?”
No answer. Ruby kicked the door in frustration. Her key to the door’s multiple locks, which usually hung around her neck, was gone. She couldn’t remember where she had lost it — maybe Gavin’s thugs had taken it, or it had fallen off somewhere.
Ruby shivered. The rain had stopped an hour ago, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, but her clothes were still damp and clung to her skin. She wanted nothing more to than to lie in front of a warm fire and sleep. Just the thought of it filled her with longing. It felt like weeks since she had last slept.
She looked up the wall of her house towards the window on the second story — the only one they hadn’t boarded up. Normally it wouldn’t have been a hard climb to get up there. But her legs were weak from exhaustion, and her right hand was crippled. This was going to be a challenge.
But inside were dry clothes. And, more importantly, her bow.
Ruby wrapped her legs around one of the steel beams that supported the wall and began to pull herself up. The knife wound on her leg stung as it rubbed against the beam, but she ignored the pain and kept going. Alternating her grip between her good hand and holding on with her thighs, she inched her way high enough to reach the windowsill. Grunting, she dragged her body through the window and into her room.
Her bow and quiver of arrows sat in the corner. Ruby picked up the bow and kissed it. “I’ve missed you,” she said.
On the other side of room sat her pile of spare clothes and straw pillow. She redressed into grey trousers and shirt, her second pair of boots, and a leather jacket. Lastly, she slung her bow over her back and hung her quiver from her belt. It felt damn good to be properly armed again.
Ruby ripped her last shirt into rags for a new bandage. Her stomach churned when she removed her old bindings and she saw what was left of her little finger. Gavin had sliced it just before her first knuckle. Now it ended with a dark blood clot. A sliver of pale bone poked out. Still, Gavin got the worse end of the deal.
Before re-wrapping the wound, Ruby moved to Tan’s room and took one of his half-finished bottles of whiskey. She took an arrow from her quiver, lodged it in her mouth, then poured the alcohol over the wound. Burning pain flared across her hand and up her arm. She mumbled a garbled curse through the arrow, spat it out, took a couple swings of whiskey, then a few more.
She wrapped the new bandages around her hand, carefully arranging them so she could still use the rest of her fingers.
She moved on to Roman’s room. Stacked against one of the walls was a collection of ancient books, tattered and worn, ready to dissolve into dust at any moment. The floor was cluttered with broken trinkets and gadgets of the Ancients, most of which Ruby didn’t recognize. She sighed. He still wants to be a historian. And he still could be. If only he wasn’t so stubborn.
She left and set off towards the Mutt’s Tail. It was unlikely Roman was there, but she didn’t exactly have many other ideas.
The bar was closed when she arrived. She pounded on the door, yelling for Griff. At the very least, she wanted another drink. No response. Frustrated, she kicked the door, rattling it from its hinges.
Griff’s voice came from inside. “Who’s there?”
“Ruby,” she responded. “Open up. It’s important.”
A moment later the door swung open and Griff’s face appeared. His eyes looked her up and down, pausing for just a moment at the bandage on her hand.
“I’m looking for Roman,” she said hurriedly. “Did he come here last night?”
“Aye. He looked in much the same shape you do now.”
Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. “When did he leave?”
“Not sure. I let him and Tan sleep here. They were gone when I woke up.”
“How long ago was that?”
Griff scratched his balding head. “An hour ago. When the militia came through.”
“The militia what?”
“They woke the whole neighbourhood with their shouting. Hundreds of them.”
Ruby pursed her lips. “Where were they going?” she asked.
“South.”
“Shit.” Ruby turned and walked away, heading south. Despite her tiredness, she set a quick pace. She was sure that wherever the militia were going, Roman would be there too.
Roman climbed the latest mound of rubble blocking the road — this far into the outskirts there were nearly as many collapsed buildings as there were standing. When he reached the summit the power station rose into view, a hundred yards ahead. Giant steel towers cut black scars in the morning sunrise.
“Can’t see much from here,” Caleb said.
Roman pointed to a building ahead, one of the last multi-storied structures this far out. “We’ll get onto that roof. It’ll give us a decent view of the place.”
“Reckon that’s safe? I don’t like the idea of being crushed when the whole place comes down.”
“What part of any of this do you call safe?”
“Fair point.”
Roman scowled at the rising sun. He had hoped to arrive before sunrise, but now they would have to approach without the cover of darkness.
“Ever been here before?” Tan asked. During the journey, he had used his stolen blade to cut off what little of his frizzy hair that Gavin had left him. He looked barely recognizable without it.
Roman shook his head. He had never had a reason to come to this side of the outskirts before. Outside Legacy, on the south side, there was nothing but barren wastelands. That and the wind farms.
“I did, once,” Tan said. “I lived out here for a couple months, while I was hiding from a completely unreasonable employer. Fucking eerie, this place is.”
“What about the station?” Roman asked. “Did you ever go there?”
“Nah. I wasn’t one to stick my nose in the Ministries affairs.”
Caleb slapped a hand on Tan’s back. “As ever, you are the definition of uselessness.”
They reached the building Roman had pointed out. He ran a wary eye over it. Some of the cracks in its walls were wide enough to slip an arm into. Tan stopped, hands on his hips. “Sure about this, Boss?”
“Not at all. Come on.”
The doorknob snapped off when Roman grabbed it, so he just booted the door open. Inside, small red leaves of rado-weed grew out of the fissures in the walls. The air reeked of the bitter herb. As they entered, Caleb ripped off a handful of leaves and chewed on them.
Roman led them up the stairs. Almost every second step had collapsed, and the rest creaked in an unsettling manner. Clouds of dust rose from each footfall and Roman wondered just how long it had been since anyone had climbed these steps.