Tell him.

I’m not ready to die right this second.

“Don’t think about it, then,” Jeb told him. “Maybe you’ll figure something out later. Give it some time.”

“What are we going to do with it? We can’t keep watch on it round the clock.”

Jeb shook his head. “That’s exactly what we’re going to have to do for a while. Things will calm down. Even Kyle can’t preserve a murderous rage for more than a few weeks.”

“A few weeks? We can’t afford to play guard down here for a few weeks. We have other things -”

“I know, I know.” Jeb sighed. “I’ll figure something out.”

“And that’s only half the problem.” Jared looked at me again; a vein in his forehead pulsed. “Where do we keep it? It’s not like we have a cell block.”

Jeb smiled down at me. “You’re not going to give us any trouble, now, are you?”

I stared at him mutely.

“Jeb,” Jared muttered, upset.

“Oh, don’t worry about her. First of all, we’ll keep an eye on her. Secondly, she’d never be able to find her way out of here-she’d wander around lost until she ran into somebody. Which leads us to number three: she’s not that stupid.” He raised one thick white eyebrow at me. “You’re not going to go looking for Kyle or the rest of them, are you? I don’t think any of them are very fond of you.”

I just stared, wary of his easy, chatty tone.

“I wish you wouldn’t talk to it like that,” Jared muttered.

“I was raised in a politer time, kid. I can’t help myself.” Jeb put one hand on Jared’s arm, patting lightly. “Look, you’ve had a full night. Let me take the next watch here. Get some sleep.”

Jared seemed about to object, but then he looked at me again and his expression hardened.

“Whatever you want, Jeb. And… I don’t-I won’t accept responsibility for this thing. Kill it if you think that’s best.”

I flinched.

Jared scowled at my reaction, then turned his back abruptly and walked the same way the others had gone. Jeb watched him go. While he was distracted, I crept back into my hole.

I heard Jeb settle slowly to the ground beside the opening. He sighed and stretched, popping a few joints. After a few minutes, he started whistling quietly. It was a cheery tune.

I curled myself around my bent knees, pressing my back into the farthest recess of the little cell. Tremors started at the small of my back and ran up and down my spine. My hands shook, and my teeth chattered softly together, despite the soggy heat.

“Might as well lie down and get some sleep,” Jeb said, whether to me or to himself, I wasn’t sure. “Tomorrow’s bound to be a tough one.”

The shivers passed after a time-maybe half an hour. When they were gone, I felt exhausted. I decided to take Jeb’s advice. Though the floor felt even more uncomfortable than before, I was unconscious in seconds.

The smell of food woke me. This time I was groggy and disoriented when I opened my eyes. An instinctive sense of panic had my hands trembling again before I was fully conscious.

The same tray sat on the ground beside me, identical offerings on it. I could both see and hear Jeb. He sat in front of the cave in profile, looking straight ahead down the long round corridor and whistling softly.

Driven by my fierce thirst, I sat up and grabbed the open bottle of water.

“Morning,” Jeb said, nodding in my direction.

I froze, my hand on the bottle, until he turned his head and started whistling again.

Only now, not quite so desperately thirsty as before, did I notice the odd, unpleasant aftertaste to the water. It matched the acrid taste of the air, but it was slightly stronger. The tang lingered in my mouth, inescapable.

I ate quickly, this time saving the soup for last. My stomach reacted more happily today, accepting the food with better grace. It barely gurgled.

My body had other needs, though, now that the loudest ones had been sated. I looked around my dark, cramped hole. There weren’t a lot of options visible. But I could barely contain my fear at the thought of speaking up and making a request, even of the bizarre but friendly Jeb.

I rocked back and forth, debating. My hips ached from curving to the bowled shape of the cave.

“Ahem,” Jeb said.

He was looking at me again, his face a deeper color under the white hair than usual.

“You’ve been stuck in here for a while,” he said. “You need to… get out?”

I nodded.

“Don’t mind a walk myself.” His voice was cheerful. He sprang to his feet with surprising agility.

I crawled to the edge of my hole, staring out at him cautiously.

“I’ll show you our little washroom,” he continued. “Now, you should know that we’re going to have to go through… kind of the main plaza, so to speak. Don’t worry. I think everyone will have gotten the message by now.” Unconsciously, he stroked the length of his gun.

I tried to swallow. My bladder was so full it was a constant pain, impossible to ignore. But to parade right through the middle of the hive of angry killers? Couldn’t he just bring me a bucket?

He measured the panic in my eyes-watched the way I automatically shrank back farther into the hole-and his lips pursed in speculation. Then he turned and started walking down the dark hall. “Follow me,” he called back, not looking to see if I obeyed.

I had one vivid flash of Kyle finding me here alone, and was after Jeb before a second passed, scrambling awkwardly through the opening and then hobbling along on my stiff legs as fast as I could to catch up. It felt both horrible and wonderful to stand straight again-the pain was sharp, but the relief was greater.

I was close behind him when we reached the end of the hall; darkness loomed through the tall broken oval of the exit. I hesitated, looking back at the small lamp he’d left on the floor. It was the only light in the dark cave. Was I supposed to bring it?

He heard me stop and turned to peer at me over his shoulder. I nodded toward the light, then looked back at him.

“Leave it. I know my way.” He held out his free hand to me. “I’ll guide you.”

I stared at the hand for a long moment, and then, feeling the urgency in my bladder, I slowly put my hand on his palm, barely touching it-the way I would have touched a snake if for some reason I was ever forced to.

Jeb led me through the blackness with sure, quick steps. The long tunnel was followed by a series of bewildering twists in opposing directions. As we rounded yet another sharp V in the path, I knew I was hopelessly turned around. I was sure this was on purpose, and the reason Jeb had left the lamp behind. He wouldn’t want me knowing too much about how to find my way out of this labyrinth.

I was curious as to how this place had come to be, how Jeb had found it, and how the others had wound up here. But I forced my lips tightly together. It seemed to me that keeping silent was my best bet now. What I was hoping for, I wasn’t sure. A few more days of life? Just a cessation of pain? Was there anything else left? All I knew was that I wasn’t ready to die, as I’d told Melanie before; my survival instinct was every bit as developed as the average human’s.

We turned another corner, and the first light reached us. Ahead, a tall, narrow crevice glowed with light from another room. This light was not artificial like the little lamp by my cave. It was too white, too pure.

We couldn’t move through the narrow fracture in the rock side by side. Jeb went first, towing me close behind. Once through-and able to see again-I pulled my hand out of Jeb’s light grip. He didn’t react in any way except to put his newly freed hand back on the gun.

We were in a short tunnel, and a brighter light shone through a rough arched doorway. The walls were the same holey purple rock.

I could hear voices now. They were low, less urgent than the last time I’d heard the babble of a human crowd. No one was expecting us today. I could only imagine what the response would be to my appearance with Jeb. My palms were cold and wet; my breath came in shallow gasps. I leaned as close as I could to Jeb without actually touching him.