Chapter 13

The rain is both a blessing and a curse. While it gives extra cover, this also means that I can't see or hear anyone approaching. I dig my way through the runny soil until I feel some edible roots and give them a light tug. As the storm rages on, the winds howling and whipping my face, I clutch my stash to my chest and venture forward.

Squinting, I make out a tall shape in the distance, its angles too sharp to be anything natural. Biting my lip, I stumble forward and hold on to the trees for support—my hand curls around one of the low-hanging branches. The rough bark digs into my skin, but I hold on tighter as the next wall comes into view. I run my fingers over its concrete surface until a fine line splits the wall in half, and the walls groan their approval to let me in. A wane slit of light slips through the center, the faint glow just enough for me to see the path ahead. Wiping the water dripping down my face, I enter a sheltered area and leave the rain behind.

The shutting of the wall reverberates through an empty room, and it looks like I'm stuck in a shipping container that has been long abandoned. Mutated creepers and weeds have wormed their way inside, puncturing the brittle metal floor and taking over the interior. Everything smells like moss and wet rot. Wringing the water from my top, I readjust my clothes and feel the heat from the bushes at my side. I turn and keep a firm grip on my knife. A fire cackles, its sparks fizzing out slowly. Before it dies out completely, a sharp blade presses against my throat—cold air whips against the wound. Warmth crawls down my neck. "Don't move."

The voice comes from behind me. Adrenaline rushes through my body. My fists are balled and ready to strike, but I force them to my sides.

"Sit." He shoves my shoulder until my back hits the wall, and I slide to the ground.

The figure steps near the campfire and rekindles it, his face unnaturally luminous in flames. In the split moment that he looks away, I grab his arm and twist it. Kicking his legs, I whip out a knife and hold it to his throat.

"Be careful. They're watching," he says. Then, he wrestles my weapon from my grasp and sends it flying into a pile of dried leaves. Frowning, I study his face and the two red lines running from scalp to collarbone. It's Seth.

"Who's they?" I ask, feeling stupid for hoping for an answer.

"You've already seen two of them, Aria. We're waiting for the others to join us." Seth loosens his grip on my neck slightly, but I remain stiff anyway. "I'm not what you think I am, just as Proxy isn't what we think it is. All I'm doing is helping you get out of this. Come with me," he says.

My voice catches in my throat. I'm aware of his rough fingers against my skin, coiled around my neck like my nightmares coming to life. Each breath becomes short and shallow. Seth is still speaking, but I'm not listening to anything as I pry myself from his gnarly hands. He lets me go this time.

"Sure, I'll go with you after you almost killed me." I roll my eyes and pick up the knife on the far side of the cramped space. Then, I make a break for it, push the doors open on the other side, and start on the muddy ground.

He catches up to me and yanks me back. "Aria, just look at this." He hands me a broken identification bracelet, and that's when I realize that it's deactivated permanently. I flip it over and study the back, where his name is scratched. Proxy only does this for people who've died in the bombings or from their war injuries. "This is my second chance."

I stare at him, feeling the metal bracelet beneath my fingertips. Studying Seth's expression, I wait for the slightest hint of a smile. Anything that tells me he's kidding or that this is some sick joke. There's nothing. Finally, I throw my hands up with a sigh. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Proxy thought I died when the bombs hit, but I've been living as a different person ever since. I only came back here for you and Jax." He brushes his fingers against the side of his face, and I watch in horror as he grabs his skin and peels the synthetic material back into his head. It finally disappears into his hair. Half of his face is normal, while the other half is made of a black piece of metal that cuts diagonally across his features. "Remember me?"

Jax's brother isn't dead anymore.

"Mateo?" I ask, taking a step back.

He grins and nods, his face clearer now that the curtain of rain doesn't stand between us.

"But I don't understand how you're still alive. Matt, you were dead before the snow covered your body."

"We need to keep moving, and I'll explain everything along the way." He grabs my hand and pulls me through the forest, taking sharp turns and powering his way forward. While he navigates around the trees with ease, I'm not half as graceful as him. After a while of endless turns and tripping over my feet, we finally arrive at the next area. Low-hanging branches weave their spindly, wooden fingers in a massive webbed structure, blocking the way ahead.

"Now, explain," I say dryly.

That earns me a chuckle and a disbelieving head-shake from Mateo. He points over the wooden barrier. "Our main camp is on the other side of this thing. Aria, this means that we've been here for a long time, watching while Proxy prepped this place for the Trials. Those who saved me belong to the outside world. We decided to wait until you guys came here, then we split up and help whoever we can."

"Seth was never real, then."

He holds up his synthetic skin. "See, I wear the mask that's modeled after Seth Cunnings. He left the Sanctuary for the outside world, so that's where I take his place instead. I memorize everything there is to know about him. After that, I put on an act for Proxy and everyone who knows him. Friends, family, and his girlfriend. After that, I start collecting information about Proxy and relay it to the Outsiders."

"What about the snow? I don't think we'd survive for long out there, so how did you make it here?"

"Those mad lads salvaged some winter trucks. That's how we covered enough distance before the engines were fried, and we continued on foot through our underground shelters, so Proxy couldn't see us coming."

As I juggle more questions in my mind, I follow Mateo through the woods. He makes a left turn and stops in front of some oak trees. Then, parting the leaves, he gestures towards his campsite. His home is made of logs, the spaces between the wood held together by hardened plant sap. Sheets of buttery lights escape the boarded windows. They cast withering hues on the grass; the fitful rays stark against the forlorn night. A fence surrounds the cabin, and I watch the bright blue sparks dancing across its surface. "Seems to me that you want us to find your camp. I mean, it's a pretty bright setup."

A shadow crosses Mateo's features, and he stares at the bursts of exo energy. "What we're doing keeps you safe. I'm sure Proxy wouldn't mind us taking some of its power supply."

I frown at his words, but he doesn't explain further. Sighing, I sweep my gaze over the tripwires and traps in front of the gates. Mateo walks a little further and starts a fire. Crouching down, he takes his time to examine the environment. He's watching and waiting, his eyes darting furtively as he searches the wooded expanse. A few seconds later, he kills the flames.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

He shrugs, but I catch a glimpse of uncertainty in his furrowed brows and the tight-lipped smile that doesn't reach his eyes. His jaw is clenched, and he's gripping his knife until his fingers start to tremble. Mateo leads me down until we get to the fence, where he opens the gate with his bare hands and lets me inside.

I point to the scurrying currents. "How did you make this without dying?"

He points to his necklace, holding it up for me to see under the light. It has some coded words on the back, and in front, his name is inscribed on it. "I won this in a physics competition, but I made a few tweaks to it." He takes it off and dangles it proudly in front of me. "This conducts the energy away, so I don't fry myself."

Then, he pauses and stills. Narrowing his eyes, Mateo gestures for me to stand beside him. "You hear that?"

I cock my head and listen, but there's nothing much except the slight whistle of the wind, the gurgling waters of a nearby creek, and the chirping crickets. Screeching birds suddenly burst through the canopies, breaking into their high-pitched warning cries. That's when I hear the Hybrid Species. The mutated animal's howl is soft and mournful. Mateo looks at the sky and squints at the moonlight filtering through the foliage. "Of course, they just had to come out now."

Silence again settles over the forest, but it doesn't last long. The ground starts vibrating, then comes the desperate pelting of hooves against the soil. Animals dart between the branches, searching for a quick escape.

Hybrid Species can't see well at night, so they rely on heat signatures to hunt. With his lips set in a taut, grave line, Mateo sets up small campfires in random places, forming a glowing trail that leads further south and branches out in all directions. He's trying to lure the animal away from us, and that method works since they usually take the bait. We start moving as soon as the last flame starts burning.

Following Mateo's lead, I keep my gaze trained on him. The pale moonlight spills over his muscled form and outlines his deft movements. We continue for a while until he veers off our straight path. Pointing ahead, he signals for me to follow him until he suddenly stops. There's venom on the ground.

I'm half-expecting to see a misshapen face of a beast waiting for us. Instead, a girl lies face-down in the grass, her clothes ripped and torn where the Hybrid Species feasted. Her body still shines with the saliva of the beast.

Fearing the worst, I flip her over and take her pulse. All I feel is a weak rhythm. I try healing the massive laceration across her chest, but her skin doesn't meld together. Between labored breaths, her eyes are frantic, and she tries to speak. A breathless whimper escapes her split lips. "Get her there. She knows what to do," she says to the trees. At first, I think she's delirious and mumbling to herself, but her gaze snaps to mine, and she shows me a design on her wrist. It's a small burn mark of two diverging arrows. "Find them."

Her final breath comes moments later.

Mateo sighs and grabs my arm. The leaves rustle behind us, and I smell a horrid stench like a carcass. It knows we're here, and we probably won't last for long before the Wolf Hybrid Species tears us to shreds. Its mutations mean it doesn't need the hunting strength of a pack. This feels like the worst way to die. The realization hits harder than a brick to the head.

A looming shadow emerges from the trees and melts into the darkness. We're prey now. Looking around, a deep snarling noise comes from behind me. I grip Mateo's arm until he winces, but he doesn't pull away.

Streaks of grey and black slowly materialize out of the shadows. The Hybrid Species studies me. It lumbers towards us until it stops a few feet before Mateo and me, savoring us with fierce eyes. Drool falls from its tongue, its canines dripping with venom.

It's now or never. I reach into my pocket and pull out a knife in one quick sweeping motion, driving it deep into its chest, aiming for the heart. Its claws dig deep into my skin as a vision of green explodes from the hole in its chest. Now's our chance. Mateo grabs my hand, making sure I'm keeping up with him. I'm sprinting, widening my stride to cover more ground. The knife did little to slow down the wolf. It tramples on the forest floor, crushing the dead leaves in hot pursuit. Its moist breath engulfs my body.

We press on ahead, and I pull Mateo with me. The wolf's tongue feels like sandpaper on the nape of my neck, its fur bristling and scratching against my back. I wince at the burning sensation trickling down my spine. The warmth grows to a slow throb while it hooks its claws deep into my skin. Biting my lip to stop a cry, I scramble to get up again, but the wolf swings out of nowhere, and I glimpse my blood on its fur and mouth.

Its eyes are hollow now, darker than obsidian, and crusted over. A knife flies out of nowhere, and it pierces the wolf's side. Whimpering, the creature struggles and writhes as the black coating on the blade takes on a life of its own. It moves and spreads over the wolf's moist snout, slowly suffocating it.

Mateo grabs my hand and leads me away. I can still see its body lying in the soil from where we are.

"That knife...was that you?" I ask breathlessly.

He rolls his eyes. "Who else would it be, genius?"

As my body heals, we saunter back to the camp, trailing along the edges of the thick vegetation. Just then, Mateo taps my shoulder and points in the distance. There's a metal cage with another wolf inside. Since it's asleep, we're careful not to make too much noise.

He stiffens, and his gaze flickers with uncertainty. Attached to the side of the cage bars, a yellow crystal gleams in the night.

Soon, the wolf begins to stir. I grab Mateo into the bushes. Though we're mostly hidden, I still feel horribly exposed. It doesn't help that he grunts from every slight movement, and it's then that I notice the gaping wound on his knee. Then, the door swings open, and the wolf is let out. It heads off in another direction, and the forest comes alive once again. The crickets chirp and the growls of nocturnal creatures slip through the bushes. Grabbing the crystal, Mateo points ahead.

"I've seen some Proxy researchers setting this up, and I think I know how it works," he murmurs. I follow him, and we stop at some glowing ferns. There's a small projector there, and there's an empty slot above. He places the crystal inside. It starts glowing, and the projector flares to life, shining a bright light ahead to reveal a hologram. The messy drawings and barely intelligible writing are of no use to us. But for someone else, this was a treasure. They must've tried working a way out of here.

After removing the crystal, Mateo walks to the iridescent bushes a few steps away. There's another projector near the base of an oak tree. Opening the top, I slot in the crystal, and a projection starts playing. A group of false immunes walks around like they're lost or searching for a way out. Even when the wolf approaches, they sigh and walk away like it's just another day for them.

Where are they now?