Free Chaos by Sarah Fine

I feel.
    I lay there, hurting inside and out, thinking someday couldn’t possibly arrive soon enough.

SEVEN
    S OMEONE PRODDED MY ACHING shoulder, and I lurched awake from a dream of slow dancing with Malachi in an abandoned warehouse as it collapsed around us.
    “Takeshi went up to scout. It’ll be sundown soon. We’re packing up to head out,” Ana said softly. Her hair was freshly braided, and she looked happier than I’d ever seen her. The sling for the grenades was on the floor next to her thigh sheaths, laid out so she could arm herself.
    I directed my gaze at the wall. “All right. Hey, did he tell you how he found us so quickly? This city seems pretty huge.”
    “The explosions against the dome got everyone’s attention,” she said, sliding a knife into a sheath. “He was following the enforcement squad to try to find out why. Apparently, Ibram commands them, and he’s close to the Queen. And Tak loves to make their lives more difficult.”
    “Does Takeshi seem the same to you, Ana? Is he the person he was before he was taken?”
    She raised her head and stared at me. “Are you implying something?”
    I shook my head. “It just seems like this place would change a person.” Into what, I didn’t know.
    Her fingers curled around the hilt of the knife. “He is still Takeshi.”
    I looked away from her predatory glare, hearing footsteps on the stairs. I sat up as Takeshi descended into the safe chamber. A single lightbulb hung from a twisted wire that threaded its way along the ceiling, nearly brushing the top of his head as he joined us. “How’s the shoulder?”
    I moved it gingerly. “Achy. But all things considered, pretty good.” It hurt like a bitch, but there was no way I was going to complain.
    “You’re lucky,” he said, watching me swing it in a slow arc, testing my range of motion. “People in the city heal quickly but badly. It’s hard to die here, but it’s also hard to stay whole. Like everything works to increase the suffering.”
    He turned to Ana. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing to the sling.
    Ana let out a dry laugh. “Grenades. Michael came up with them after you were gone. They explode ten seconds after you push the button.”
    Takeshi knelt next to her and picked up the belt. Carefully, he lifted a flap on one of the little pouches and peeked inside. “Amazing. They’re so tiny. How powerful?”
    “Really powerful,” Ana said in a choked voice, and I had no doubt she was remembering the blast that had taken her out.
    Takeshi brushed a few tendrils of hair away from her cheek, but then returned to examining the grenades. “These are very valuable. There is no one in the city who wouldn’t want them.”
    “What are you talking about?” I suddenly wanted to take the sling out of his hands.
    He seemed to sense that, because he set it down next to Ana. “There is no currency here. It’s a barter system. And with those, even one of those, you could have nearly anything you wanted.”
    “All we want is to find Malachi and get out of here.” I didn’t like the bright look in his eyes as he stared at our most powerful weapon against the Mazikin, and I couldn’t help but remember what he’d said about looking out for himself and no one else. He’d been nothing but kind to me, and he obviously loved Ana, but I guess I’d expected someone mor e . . . noble?
    I pushed myself to my feet and scooped my cloak from the rocky floor of the chamber. “Have you been free all these years?”
    Even if he really had safe chambers all over the place, I didn’t see how it was possible for him to get around so easily without allies or friends. His face was painted on walls all over the city.
    Takeshi leaned back from Ana and looked at me. “I got away from them very quickly after they brought me into the city. After that it was a matter of survival.”
    “And who helped you with that?”
    His eyes narrowed. “I’ve bartered or stolen what I needed. I don’t take human