Free Zero Trilogy (Book 2): Day One by Summer Lane Page A

commanded. “Out.”
    Elle slowly stood, swaying. She was dizzy. She touched her cheek. It had been slashed open during the tumble down the mountain. It stung. She could feel her lip going numb.
    At the base of the sloping hill, she saw the curved sword beside her katana. She picked up her weapon and sheathed it. The guard lay on the ground, trembling, bloody. Bravo backed away, never removing his laser-like gaze from the man.
    “Remember that we let you live,” Elle said. “Come on, Bravo.”
    They left the guard in the silence of the woods.

Chapter Nine
    Elle ran quickly and quietly, dodging boulders and making her way through the pine trees. The smell of sugar pine and cedar was strong in the air. The morning was crisp and silent. Elle was little more than a shadow, sprinting through the forest. And beside her, Bravo ran, too. He was quieter than Elle, his hunter’s instincts making him fast and alert.
    Elle’s heart raced.
    There was no stopping now.
    There were no more options. This was the last resort.
She had stopped during the night only to tend to the cut on her cheek. It wasn’t as bad as she had thought – surface level. Enough to leave a scar but not enough to kill her. She had a medical kit in her backpack. She swiped the wound with antiseptic – it had stung worse than anything in the world – and slapped a bandage over it. The rest of her wounds could wait. All she could do was run.
    Since escaping the Slaver encampment last night, the Slavers had realized that one of their guards was missing about thirty minutes after Elle and Bravo hadleft him at the bottom of the cliff. An alarm had rung through the stillness of the forest. They hadn’t stopped moving since then.
    Elle was tracking the progress of Jay, Georgia and Flash. She had almost caught up with them. They were nearly out of the thickest part of the forest, moving toward the sloping, open mountains that led toward Palm Springs.
    Dawn was just beginning to break over the hills. The desert was below Elle, and she could see three figures moving down the slope of the mountains. They were moving quickly, too. Elle’s heart lifted.
    “Found them,” she panted.
    About time
. Bravo hung his tongue out, tired and thirsty. Elle offered him a quick drink of water.
Humans move slow
.
    “Don’t antagonize me, I’m not in the mood.”
    I’m just stating a fact. Don’t be so touchy
.
    Elle ignored Bravo and began her descent down the mountain. Bravo seemed to roll his eyes before following, allowing her to lead the way. Elle reached the bottom of the big hill at nearly the same time as the kids. They hadn’t yet looked behind them. They moved ahead, never stopping, never waiting.
    “You know,” Elle commented, jogging. “We came all this way to rescue them and they didn’t even stop to see if the two of us were still alive. They just ran.”
    What else did you expect
? Bravo pointed out.
They’re just children
.
    “So am I!”
    You were born older, Elle. We both were
.
    Elle pondered this.
    “Still,” she said. “It would have been nice.”
    Yes
, Bravo agreed.
It would have been very nice
.
    Niceness was for losers and dead people in the apocalypse. Only the tough survived. At least, that was Elle’s humble opinion.
    At last, Elle and Bravo caught up with the kids.
    “Hey,” Elle called. “Wait!”
    Jay turned around. Georgia and Flash whipped their heads backward. Flash stumbled and fell on his face. Elle couldn’t help it what she did next.
    She laughed. She laughed long and hard, clutching her stomach.
    “You guys are still so green,” she giggled.
    “Shortstack!” Georgia cried. “Thank God, you’re alive!”
    She rushed toward Elle and threw her arms around her neck. Elle stayed still, unsure what she should do with her arms. So she just stood there, arms at her sides, until Georgia pulled away.
    “What happened to your
face
?” Georgia gasped.
    Elle shrugged.
    “We thought you were dead,” Jay said, shaking his head.