I’d heard all about cannibals before. They refused to be simple outliers, and no one else would accept them. The Savages didn’t exactly have an open-door policy, and there was no way in hell they could live in Centriole—the megalopolis.
Like everyone else though, they usually cliqued up in groups; safety in numbers and all that jazz.
They were unable to get food through connections or other means, so animals and people were their only options.
Nevertheless, hearing about something and seeing it were two entirely different things.
I listened to his heavy breaths as he grew tired and began to sweat. I turned away when he started to strip down individual bone, using the claw of a hammer to pull and pry.
After another stretch of silence, he began to whistle as he worked. Tuning out the noise around me, I leaned my head back and stared up at the ceiling.
Agiant cockroach darting down my arm woke me up.
I smacked it off and watched it take off across the dirt floor. The chain around my neck clinked at the sudden movement, instantly reminding me of where I was.
Looking out the open barn door, I saw it had begun to drizzle. The hazy blue-gray sky signaled it was early dawn.
I’d lost a full day thanks to a cannibal.
I took my first real breath and had never been more grateful for having a strong stomach. The smell of decaying flesh was so potent it burned my nose hairs.
Just for the hell of it,I tugged on the chain again, knowing it wasn’t going to magically unlock itself or come off the wall.
“He keeps the keys on a belt loop,” Arlen flatly commented.
She seemed resigned to the fact that we would be sautéed like fillets and then eaten with a side of flesh rolls. I was determined that wasn’t going to happen. This was just a minor setback I should have foreseen.
Every time I thought I was finally getting somewhere, this bitch called life decided she would try and break me down again.
I thought she would have fucked off by now and realized it would never happen.
I had already been to hell and back and now it was a part of me. There wasn’t much she could throw my way that I wouldn’t overcome. I think she forgot all the cards I’d already been dealt.
“Okay, Cali, you got this.” Looking around, I studied what was left of the woman on the table. Damn near all the flesh had been stripped from her bones, except for her face, which was untouched.
Not only did this make a plan begin to form in my head, but it made the inverted cross tattooed beneath her eye stand out like a beacon in the night. If she were part of Romero’s group, that meant they had to be around this area, just as Tito had said.
“You look like you might have a plan,” Arlen said, suddenly sounding much more alert.
I looked back at her and smiled.
I didn’t know shit about this girl but I wasn’t going to leave her here to become someone’s midnight snack.
Glancing out the door to make sure Lumberjack wasn’t coming, I began to explain.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ibit down on my lip and pushed two dirt-clad fingers into my stab wound.
“Fuck, this hurts.” Breathing through my mouth, I blinked to clear away gathering tears.
Arlen made a sound in her throat, watching me with a frown. Blood quickly seeped through my already stained shirt. I pulled my fingers out and pushed down on the inflamed skin, leaning over so blood would drip down on the ground, stopping when my head grew fuzzy and it felt like I would throw up.
I’m not sure how long we sat before Lumberjack showed up, reacting just like I thought he would.
“Oh, no, yer don’t!” He rushed towards me, grabbing for his key. “If yer dying I gotta skin yer now or the meat will go bad.”
I didn’t move from where I’d purposely slouched on the ground. I let him unlock the padlock, remove the chain, and drag me towards his table.
