Free Edge of Mercy (Young Adult Dystopian)(Volume 1) (The Mercy Series) by C. C. Marks Page B

direction, I wasn’t alone. The two guards, John and Levi, who I’d brought plates of food to days ago, stood at attention beside the chamber doors. Usually when I passed this way, they distracted me with empty conversation. Life down here was pretty dull. Yet, as I approached, they ignored me. My punishment might as well start now.
    With resignation, I slid down the opposing wall at the opposite end of the hallway, until my rump rested on the floor. Might as well be as low as my chances of a painless consequence.
    What would happen to me now? Best case scenario—I had to clean toilets for a few weeks on top of my usual evening chores. Worst case scenario—I was escorted out of the community at dusk into waiting claws and ripped apart. Though I wouldn’t like either one, I could literally live with a few dirty toilets. The other was unthinkable but still possible.
    My attention wandered down a dark corridor a little to my left, where the hallway took a sharp turn away from the council chambers and away from the direction I usually followed to Star’s room. I’d never been that way, never wanted to go that way. We were warned that wandering away from the main areas could be dangerous. Many sections of the former hospital where we lived were closed off, inaccessible because at one time, the place was overrun by former patients who’d been infected. A few brave souls re-killed them, or at least that was the story Zeke gave me. I didn’t doubt some could have survived.
    Yet, as I stared into the blackness of an unknown path, I thought I heard a quick low shuffle, like booted-feet moving over concrete floors.
    I waited for someone to emerge, but after a few expectant moments, no one appeared. A quick glance at the guards showed no change. Obviously, they either hadn’t heard or didn’t care. They were, once again, ignoring me completely.
    A wild thought occurred. I could sneak down the corridor and see for myself what made the noise. If it were a Draghoul loose in the building, I might be able to warn the others before it attacked. Maybe then they would think twice before sending me outside the walls. If I saved lives, my worth in the community might rise.
    Of course, if something were there, I could die before I got the chance to warn anyone. The Draghoul were fast and quiet when they wanted to be. They were excellent hunters. I knew that firsthand.
    I rubbed a hand over the back of my aching neck and shoulders. It was highly possible I was dead anyway. My fate here was precarious most days. All the more reason to at least take a chance.
    I inched my way to a standing position, keeping an eye on the guards. They were talking and laughing over something one was holding out to the other. Just as I expected, they didn’t even glance up as I stepped into the dark corridor and moved out of sight.
    Almost immediately, the thought that I’d made a massive mistake crashed over me. I’d left my flashlight in Quillen’s room last time I was there. Just inches ahead of me was completely blacked out, and I moved forward at a pace to match the speed of growing crops. Inch by inch, I felt my way along the wall, listening for sounds of life, or walking death, or whatever you called it.
    This was stupid. Why was I pushing myself into almost certain danger? What was I trying to prove?
    I’d just about made the decision to turn around and head back to the safety of the light behind me when I spotted a pinprick of light ahead of me to the left. Where there was light around here, there was probably life.
    With a little more purpose than before, I carefully made my way toward the light, sliding over broken pieces of the floor. The dark hindered my progress, but my confidence grew as I closed in, and soon I could see a door cracked open just enough to allow a small thread of light to spill out.
    Cautiously, I opened the door, the muscles in my legs twitching with an urgency to run if necessary. Once the door swung free, I eased inside