Reed was slick with sweat and cool to the touch, and his heart beat so hard it vibrated in his chest. Nate wrapped his arms around Reed in a clumsy hug, shaking too much to do anything but get close. “It’s okay,” he tried to say. It came out like a sob.
Dres scruffed his big hand into Nate’s hair. He dropped the other onto Sandy’s shoulder, directing her into the crowd. Reed led Nate away from the railway, but Nate stumbled with each step, unwilling to let go of Reed and walk properly. If he let go, he was going to fall. His legs were finally catching on to the terror he’d ignored in the train.
Twisted metal creaked, and the flames made a hungry rattling sound. The crowd was loud too, shouting at the survivors. Nate pressed his face against Reed’s arm to block it out. He’d helped them get free of the fire, but they weren’t much safer down here.
Sparks took his hand and tugged him along.
“I lost your wrench,” he told her hoarsely before darkness swamped his vision.
CHAPTER FOUR
The thick sting of smoke and flaming gasolex burned in Nate’s nostrils. He opened his eyes and caught a bleary look at Reed and Sparks arguing a few steps away. Several blocks down the street behind them, the railway billowed fire and smoke. He turned his head slowly, fighting dizziness. A rough brick wall poked at his back through his thin shirt.
“You shouldn’t have come out here!” Sparks was saying.
“He could have burned up there.” Reed rubbed his palms against his short hair as he paced. “He could have died.”
“And now we got seen helping those sludgestains out of the wreck because you stuck your neck out. To what? Watch him try to kill himself?” Sparks gestured toward the black smoke in the sky. “It’s not like you did anything.”
“What if we hadn’t come? He’s out cold. Anyone could take him.”
“Take him where? You’re not thinking straight, Reed.”
“Look at him! Of course I’m not thinking straight!”
“Hey,” Nate said after three aborted attempts to speak around the sticky soreness in his throat.
They both turned. Sparks blew out a heaving breath.
Reed balled his hands into fists, coiled up like he was about to snap in two.
“I told you,” Sparks said, slapping Reed’s shoulder. “The smoke made him pass out. He’s fine.”
“His head’s gashed open.” Reed scowled. “He’s notfine.”
“I’m okay.” Nate mapped out the swollen, sticky spot with his fingers. His pulse throbbed through his head, hot beats of pain. “Ow.”
“That was great, you know.” Sparks offered Nate her yellow scarf. “You got everyone out. I mean, not the ones in the first car—they’re charred up—but the rest.”
“How are the people who got out?” Nate licked his dry lips. He took the scarf and pressed it to his head. His blood left a vivid red stain when he checked, but it wasn’t a lot. Head wounds always made a mess.
Reed glanced at Sparks and gave a quick shake of his head.
“What?” Nate asked.
“It doesn’t matter.” Reed crouched, focusing on Nate. He drummed his fingers against his thighs. “Don’t think about that right now.”
“I’m not a kid. Tell me.” Nate glanced at the smoke. “Did they kill everyone who made it out?”
“They didn’t killeveryone,” Sparks said. “Just some of them. The rest ran off. A few went with the Breakers.”
“The Breakers? They were really there?” Nate wiped grit out of his eye and stared at her. Everyone knew about the Breakers, but hardly anyone knew someone who ran with them. Knew what they looked like. They were shadowed, buzzing messages on tickers and the offer of work to anyone willing to run chem. Powerful people who sent Couriers out to carry their messages and the A-Vols to do their dirty work.
“Three of them, anyway. You should have seen them. Dressed fine as can be.” Sparks pretended to adjust the collar of her shirt and threw her shoulders back.
“How do you know it wasn’t people from the wreck?” He looked at Reed.
“I wasn’t watching all that.” Reed rubbed the back of his head. “I was watching you.”
