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That infor to draw you out?”

“It won’t work,” he assured et hungry enough, they’ll charge, and we’ll put ’em down”

I wished I shared his confidence in the power of walls for keeping bad things out Down beloe had barricades, of course, but we hadn’t relied on them exclusively Patrols went out to keep our territory clear, and itWho kne many were out there? I remembered Nassau’s fate; that was the closest settlement to where I’d lived down below When Silk—the coate, the reality orse than anything I’d i on the dead after they annihilated the living It scared h They had uards, of course, and not all of them hunted, as we did down below More citizens lived in Salvation, so they could spread the work out

From the other side of the wall ca Just once, whichI’d never heard more than two bells, so I didn’t know if there were other warnings

“How shot

“Twelve or so,” he answered, raising his weapon “It’s based on soe, dots and dashes”

That didn’t clarify anything, but before I could ask, ht hted with Old Girl and dropped the first It didn’t seeed weapons, but ht, either A breach in security would be disastrous

As I watched, the surviving Freak knelt beside its fallen friend and then shrieked as if ere the rief and loathing I glanced at Longshot, as holding fire The thing didn’t run, although it could have Its eyes glittered in the laht I saw soht I did

It’s a shadow, playing tricks

“Sometimes they sound like they have minds in their rotten heads,” he said, as if to himself

Then he took the second shot, so the other died beside the first Afterward, Longshot rang the bell once, paused, and then once again, reporting his kills The townsfolk had learned to sleep through the racket This inforuards, so they could track how , they would send an arh that if they attracted other Freaks, they could feed without the good folks of Salvation having to watch I approved of the practice; fortunately, the people here didn’t have to be lectured on the iiene

That was the only thing Salvation had in coe, the enclave where I had been raised Up here on the safety of the wall,useless Stalker took no better to being cut out of the action He had a valid point when he’d said, o:

You, you’re like me

I’d replied, You mean a Hunter?

Yes You’re strong

It was true … but here, physical strength didn’tThey wanted us to learn new roles and forget that we’d once led different lives I found it tough, as I’d loved being a Huntress Yet Salvation offered no siirls; I couldn’t even wear my own clothes

For sounfire, until the bell stopped tolling death Gradually the night noises resumed—and that was another way you could tell Freaks had retreated When all the animals went still and silent, an attack had to be i of a bird whose name I didn’t know

“What is that?” I asked Longshot

He always had the utmost patience for htjar They coain”

Not for the first tiet out of your way before someone catches us here”

“Appreciate it” Longshot kept his eyes fixed on the trees

Stalker glided down the ladder with the grace that e We took every opportunity to keep our skills sharp because, deep down, I couldn’t believe the guns would last forever Life down below had taughtasin the Topside gangs had given him a similar philosophy

They’d placed Stalker in a different foster home, where he could do valuable work—therefore, they apprenticed hi how to an stayed with Doc Tuttle and his wife; it was a long ht infection I stayed with her as h after the first few days, they o, she joined us in the schoolhouse In the afternoons, she assisted Doc with patients, cleaned his instruenerally made herself useful As for Fade, he went to live with Mr Jensen, the man who ran the stables, and he cared for creatures like the ones that towed Longshot’s wagon