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Matthew, my former best friend, had beheadedas she said, "Still feel the same way about your friends?"

No No, I did not I’d barely cracked open the book before I’d alame And he remembered the past! He knew about his betrayal My nausea worsened as I gazed at the back of my hand, at my icons

Did the Fool stare at his hands so s must be earned

25

The Hunter

The secondI winced Infected to high hell and back I told coo-yôn, "If you doan have a plan--or an aret us out of here, then we need weapons"

Say we could somehow make it topside I knew of only tays in or out: one for people, and one for trucks The first was insanely guarded, the second iuarded

"No weapons" He stretchedease But then, I’d lost weight and he’d gained ht now

He started down the et to the elevator, , bedded-down slaves Everyone down here sees, myself included

The other men didn’t holler to be freed or to join us ’Cause they all knew this escape atte: "Du?" "We’ll be dining on them all week"

Matthew and I neared the elevator "Coo-yôn, I can’t see shit But I know the guards have autoain, what choice did I have but to trust this boy? When we arrived at the elevator, I frowned No guards?

Da All it did wasthrob soet past the dozen or so slavers above anyway

Matthew shoved the elevator gate aside, helping ht switch We started upward "If they ain’t waiting for us, then get ready to run for the door"

We were about to reach topside! Never thought I’d live to see it again

The elevator clanged to a stop He dragged back the door with a screech, and I tensed to fight

No one "I’ll be dae area with corrugated led frohout "Where is everybody?" Maybe the Fool had timed this rescue while the men were away