Z 2134

back as a blue beam of heat fired over their heads and smashed into a large tree ahead of them, evaporating it in an instant.
    “Fuck!” Liam screamed, then ducked, running in a zigzag, following the black orb deeper into the trees.
    “You OK?” he called back to Ana, who was racing as fast as she could to keep pace, her hand still somehow in his.
    “Barely,” she said as Liam’s fingers circled tighter around her wrist.
    Another blast, this time closer, hit the ground behind them, sending up a chunk of earth.
    “Duncan!” Liam screamed, then dropped to the ground, pulling Ana down with him. He shoved her head into the snow and peeked past her. Ana looked up and followed his gaze and saw the orb they’d been following make a 180, spin through the air, then throw crackling blue light through the forest.
    There was a deafening explosion, surprisingly loud considering the size of the orbs. Then Duncan’s orb hovered back to a few feet above them. “It’s OK,” he reassured from the monitor. “Hang tight, we’re almost there.”
    To punctuate the promise, the ground started moving about a hundred yards ahead. They felt the rumble before they saw the spot — a large, circular metal plate, camouflaged beneath the snow, spinning as it surfaced.
    “Let’s get going. We’re getting you two out of here,” Duncan called from the platform’s middle. “And we don’t have very long.”

CHAPTER 30 — Jonah Lovecraft
    J onah hid behind the tree, panting, trying to decide if he should take a peek back.
    He might’ve outrun Egan, but probably not. Even if he had, the crazy fuck wasn’t likely to give up so easily. Something was wrong with the asshole, keeping his daughter and the others locked away, prisoners from society. Jonah could understand why he was hiding from City 6, but why hide from the Village? Those people helped one another and would certainly have considered him a hero. They could live normal lives.
    But no, Egan had created a little enclave with nothing but himself, his wife (if they were actually married), a dwarf, and three 10-year-old soldiers.
    How long does he hope to go on like this?
    He wondered if Egan was being overly paranoid or had just gone fucking nuts.
    Whatever the case, Jonah needed to put as much distance between himself and them as he could, and as quickly as possible. But first, he had to lose Egan.
    Or kill the man.
    His back against the bark, Jonah peered around the tree, watching Egan as he ran off in the opposite direction. That would’ve been good if he weren’t screaming like an idiot. He may as well have tied a string of raw meat to his neck, saying, “Here, zombies, come and get me!”
    “Jonah!” Egan’s voice raged through The Barrens.
    Shut. Up! You’re gonna attract the zombies, you idiot!
    “Come back here and face your crimes, you coward!”
    Jonah’s heart pounded as Egan’s voice thundered. He dared another glance, casting his eyes 80 yards away or so, spying a path, winding up the ridge and away from the underground station. If he could get there, he could lose Egan and then double back the long way and catch the train tracks, and find his way to Ana, assuming she was still alive or he could find her in The Games.
    Stop it; you WILL find her. One thing at a time, though.
    His headache pounded seemingly in rhythm with his racing heart.
    “Jonah!” Egan screamed again, moving mercifully farther away.
    After another minute, Egan moved far enough that Jonah figured it was safe to race toward the path. He lowered himself to a launching position, ready to bolt, but stopped short when he saw one of the boys who had saved him from the shack — the one who had watched over Calla when she fed him for the first time — storming through the woods, rifle in his hand, kicking up snow as Calla followed with a matching rifle.
    Shit.
    Jonah wondered if Calla’s treachery had been discovered. Did she regret her decision to help him? Would she try atoning for her lapse in judgment by shooting him if given the chance? Or, like a half hour before, was Calla his only hope?
    He had few options. Save for a pipe, Jonah was defenseless, and he couldn’t count on anyone’s help. He had minutes, if not seconds, to make a choice, then turn that decision to action. His enemies were armed, with their circle closing quickly around him. Inertia equaled death.
    “Jonah!” Egan’s scream was loud enough to knock trees down. Not just louder, closer . He was doubling