Page 2 of A Sacrifice in the Smoke

Gushlan drops her gaze to the damp concrete below our feet. “I’m not sure. Maybe I thought I would get in trouble for running? I was embarrassed I didn’t kill the weeper like anyone else would’ve. She just looked so human. And… I could’ve sworn she wastalking.”

“Do you remember what she was saying?”

The girl’s dark brows knit. “No. Wait, why don’t you sound more surprised? We’re talking about a talkingweeper.”

I bite my lip. My first instinct is to tell her the truth, confide in her that I’ve met the same one… but I’ve been betrayed too many times. I’ve learned too much, too quickly cradled within the cruel walls of this city. “I’ve been thinking about it, I guess,” is all I say, in the end. “Maybe some weepers are able to hang on to threads of their humanity before the virus destroys it.”

Gushlan blinks at me. In the brightness of her lavender eyes, I see a shadow of horror. “I can’t believe that. Not if we need to be down here killing them every week.”

I hesitate. For a few seconds, the only sound in the tunnel is a water pipe, rumbling and trickling. I could let the conversation die, avoid angering yet another person who’s beginning to feel like a friend, but something about our words feels important. Slowly I say, “There’s obviously a part of you that does, though, because you didn’t kill that weeper.”

The human’s mouth snaps shut, then she scowls. “We can’t tell anyone about this—I’m serious, Charlie. Knowing things in this place gets you killed.”

Once again, the hum of running water fills the silence between us. “We need to find her,” I say after a long pause.

“Saywhatnow?”

“Don’t you want to know the truth?” I toss over my shoulder. Gulshan hesitates while I charge on, hurrying deeper into the tunnel, trying to figure out a way to lure the weeper out without alerting anyone else.

“This is a really dumb idea, Charlie,” she says at last, her voice coming from a few paces behind me.

“Don’t worry,” I say with a false bravado, wrapping my fingers around the pistol at my hip. “I’ll shoot if necessary.”

She catches up to me and eyes the gun. “In case you forgot, bullets don’t kill weepers.”

“No, but it’ll sure as hell slow them down enough for you to jump in with some sword action, right?”

“Where’d you even get that?” Gulshan’s eyes shift to my pistol. “We don’t have that type of gun in the weapons room.”

“It’s on loan,” I say, “from a... colleague.”

The heat in my cheeks and flutter in my stomach taunts me, as if my own body is calling me out. I remind it that Noah and I shared one kiss, one time. It was a mistake—thelastthing I need right now is for my judgment to get clouded. I need to stay focused onsurvival.

“The bounty hunter.” Gulshan arches a brow at me. It’s not a question, but I nod anyway. “Not that it’s any of my business, since you can do whatever you want, but he seems like bad news.”

You have no idea, I want to tell her. Instead, I force a smile. “He’s not too bad. Not all the time, at least.”

“If you say so.” Gulshan falls silent for a moment. Then she says, her tone eluding to just how thrilled she is about it, “Okay. Come on, let’s find that weeper.”

I smile, and she gives me a tentative smile back.

After that, we search the tunnel for over hours, clearing traps and grates as we pass them. By the end, my clothing sticks to my aching muscles and my teeth chatter from the cold damp. I want nothing more than to go back to the hotel and take a hot bath.

Then, on our way back to the elevators, Gulshan comes to an abrupt stop.

I nearly collide with the girl’s back. I say her name, but she doesn’t respond. When I sidestep her and spot a weeper crouched over a grate a handful of yards away, my breath catches.

“That’s her?” I whisper.

“I think so?” Gulshan whispers back with obvious terror. “It’s hard to tell from here.”

Just as I’d hoped, itisthe same weeper I saw not too long ago. The weeper is wearing torn jeans, stained with I don’t want to know what, and a baggy sweatshirt. Her hair is matted and even more has fallen out since the last time I saw her.

Her words still echo in my ears.There is no sanity in the dark. There is only chaos.

“I’m going to get a little closer,” I tell Gulshan under my breath.

Her pulse ricochets. “What exactly is your plan, Charlie? We can’t just strike up a casual conversation.”

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