Author: Audrey Grey
Category: Fantasy
Go to read content：https://readnovelfree.com/p/26854_10
Thank God he stops making his crazy noises, and I grab a twenty-pack of canned tuna before we head outside.
Chatty Cat is practically glommed onto my face. With a little effort, and a lot of cursing, I peel him off. The cat and the tuna go in the wheelbarrow. He settles on top of the packages of ramen, curls up, and immediately begins to purr.
I pick my compound bow up and toss it onto the pile. Pretty sure Cal’s arsenal of guns trumps my one bow, but the weapon’s not for humans.
This close to the Shimmer—the magical veil that separates our world from the Fae’s—everyone needs to be armed. The things that seep from the other side are inhuman, and it’s not just the Fae.
When their magical war made everything go kablooey, the same magic transformed the nearest people into monsters we call darklings.
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The Shimmer isn’t just for keeping us out of their lands; it’s for keeping the darklings out.
But sometimes they find their way into the borderlands anyway. And lately, the killings have increased. My heart spikes as I recall how, for the last week, tracks from something inhuman have appeared outside my house. The paw prints definitely canine but too large to be normal wolves.
Pushing the thought from my mind, I snatch a lollipop from the wheelbarrow and pocket five more, savoring the sour-apple flavor that explodes on my tongue. After nearly a day of nothing to eat, my body jerks as the sugar enters my bloodstream.
An owl hoots from the roof, reminding me I need to hurry. The creature perches right above us, his amber eyes seeming to glow, his orchid-white feathers bright against the dark sky. For reasons I can’t really explain, the owl shows up nearly everywhere.
And his presence has gotten even more persistent in the last week too.
“Wouldn’t be a party without you,” I mutter before refocusing on the task.
I glance over my bow, the string close to snapping. A gun would be better, but ammo’s expensive. Especially iron-coated bullets, which are the only type that can put a Fae or darkling down.
In the Tainted Zone, iron is worth more than gold.
Chatty Cat suddenly begins to growl. At the same time, the white owl takes to the sky, his shadow flickering over the lawn and drawing my attention to movement behind me.
My heart slams into my throat as I whip around to see a light coming from my right, the bright orb bouncing over the lawn.
Flashlight.
Which means someone is attached to that flashlight.
2
Hell fire. I grab the splintery ends of the wheelbarrow handles and shove it across the lumpy grass, my boots digging into the soil for traction.
Heavy. It’s too heavy!
I aim for the woods twenty yards away. Every bump nearly topples the wheelbarrow as it careens all over the damn place.
A male voice yells behind me. “Stop!”
Yeah right. Does any criminal actually stop when they’re told?
I break into a sprint. Chatty Cat’s eyes are saucers, his claws dug into the ramen for dear life. My package of tampons straight up bounces out of my wheelbarrow.
Damn.
I barely hesitate before plunging into the dark woods. I’m hoping the guard won’t follow me. Most are terrified of the forest at night, especially this close to the Shimmer.
I crane my neck back, only to see the guard standing at the edge of the tree line. He lifts his pistol, squints, and then a red flash lights up his gun’s muzzle. At the same time, a loud pop splits the air.
The bullet hits the tree next to me, leaving a quarter-sized hole in the bark and propelling wood splinters into my jeans.
“You mother cracker!” I growl, sending my lollipop tumbling from my lips as I plunge deeper into the forest. My heart is lodged in my throat and I’m breathing so loud I can’t hear anything else. My too-loose jeans sag low on my sharp hip bones. My belt is fixed at the last hole, but still it’s not tight enough.
Yanking my jeans up, I blindly burrow deeper and deeper into the forest.