Evadere by Sara V. Zook Read Free Book Online Page A

her. This was a glimpse of poverty in another world. These people couldn’t contribute and so they were considered useless, meaningless and left for dead. The ones that did escape had to forage for what little food and water they could. They had to steal in order to survive. And medicine, I assumed, was nonexistent to these cave-like creatures. It was really no wonder that they were as fierce as they were. They were true survivors, even living off a land that flourished with absolutely nothing where they stayed. I couldn’t even begin to fathom how lonely Evadere must be for them.  
    “Are you going to tell the others what you saw?” Karn asked the two captive contributors who were still terrified standing before the revolting Scave.
    “No,” they both quickly answered, their voices quivering.
    Karn exhaled loudly. “Very well, contributors,” he finally said. “You may go. Release them so they can go home.” He turned around and met glances with Rooney who pressed his lips together tightly.  
    The other Scaves cut the wires away that had been binding the contributor’s arms behind their backs. They made grunting noises as if dissatisfied with Karn’s decision to set them free.
    “Thank you,” one of the contributors stammered.  
    “What are you waiting for?” Karn asked him. “Go.”
    The two men scrambled almost directly into each other before turning to leave. They started off walking nervously at first, then went into full sprint after a couple of yards. I wished that was me, able to get away from this intimidating group, able to have somewhere to go back to. Part of me sympathized with the Scaves as I could understand why they were the way they were, but the other part of me feared their ferociousness. Then again, Karn had just let those contributors walk away. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as he seemed.
    A sudden squeal like one made by an injured animal sent a burning sensation through the middle of my stomach. I looked out toward the two contributors as one had collapsed to the ground, a spear piercing his torso. The other contributor’s speed was now halted by the shock of seeing the now dying man by his side, blood pouring out all around him as, within seconds, he went from his knees to lying on the ground, dead.  
    A shrill scream escaped from my throat as Jo hurried to silence me by throwing her hand over my mouth. Rooney stood perched atop a large rock positioned on the side of the path, another spear in his hand. The contributor looked at the dead man and then looked up at Rooney in horror. He held his hands up in surrender, his feet stumbling backwards a little.  
    “Please!” he cried out. “Please, no …” Before he could finish, Rooney had thrown another spear. It zoomed through the air in perfect alignment with the contributor pleading for his life before making contact with his forehead. A stunned look appeared on his bloody face before falling forward in the dust.  
    The thud of his body against the hard ground sent me spiraling around in a circle as I now hunched over on all fours puking up what little fruit I had eaten, the once sweet juice soured by my stomach acids as I hurled it all back up, tears streaming down my face. How could I have possibly just felt sorry for the Scaves only moments ago? I had just witnessed the cruelest thing I had ever seen. Karn had told them they were free to go. He made them think they were able to return to their homes. Now I understood what that glance had meant that had been shared between Karn and Rooney. He wanted Rooney to kill them. The Scaves’ hatred toward the contributors was limitless.  
    “Get their bodies,” Karn instructed the two Scave men who had brought the contributors in. “Make sure nothing is wasted.”
    Were they now going to use the contributors’ corpses as a meal? I wondered, my guts instantly repulsed once again as I bent over to throw up, merely dry heaving this time, saliva pouring from the edges of my lips. I