Read Online Among the Enemy by Margaret Peterson Haddix - Free Book Online

car!"
The officer gave him a startled look, but when Matthias opened the car door, the officer slipped through it. Matthias shoved him on over to the passenger side and slid into the driver's seat.
The Population Police officer and the man in the tree were still shooting at each other. Matthias ducked down low, twisting wires together and praying. He'd seen other boys on the street hot-wire cars. He'd never actually done it himself before, but maybe, maybe ...
The engine roared to life, and Matthias stomped on the accelerator. He had to stretch his leg out as far as he could, and still his toes barely touched the pedal. But the car lurched forward. At the last minute, Matthias managed to swerve to miss the side of the cabin, and a few final bul-lets pinged off the back of the car.
And then they were out of range of the man in the tree.
    The Population Police officer still kept his gun trained toward the woods. He fired over Matthias's head, shatter--ing the window. Shards of glass rained down on Matthias, but he only ducked down lower and pressed the accelerator harder. He heard an angry squawk off to the side, behind them.
"Oh," the officer muttered. "That one was just a bird."
The officer let his body sag back against the leather seat. Matthias could see the beads of sweat along his hairline.
"You ... saved ... my life," the officer whispered.
Matthias hadn't thought of it that way. He felt more like he'd been involved in a kidnapping. He kept his foot on the accelerator, putting even more distance between them and the cabin.
"That's ... not how it usually works," the officer said. He sounded dazed. "Population Police officers are supposed to fight to the death. Never give up."
"I don't see how it would have hurt the, uh, bad guys if you died," Matthias said, because he had to say something. It was strange talking to someone he might have wished dead a few minutes earlier.
The officer wiped the sweat off his face with the back of his hand.
"I could say I made an executive decision to go back for reinforcements," he mused. "Since there were so many rebels." For a minute, Matthias feared that the officer was making fun of Matthias's lie: There are dozens of them. .. . But the officer's expression was serious. Matthias remembered how the bullets had seemed to come all at once. Maybe there really were other men in other trees, he thought.
"Let me drive now," the officer ordered.
Matthias took his foot off the accelerator. He had to slide practically his whole body down under the steering wheel to reach the brake. It was a good thing he hadn't needed to stop quickly.
The officer slid over into the driver's seat, and Matthias opened the door and circled around behind the battered car.
    I could take off running into the woods now, Matthias thought. But would the officer chase me? Would I put Percy and Alia and Mrs. Talbot and the man in the tree in even more danger?
The officer still had his gun; he was watching Matthias in the rearview mirror. Matthias got back into the car on the passenger's side.
What will Mrs. Talbot do without her car? he wondered. Will she and the man in the tree find each other now that the Population Police are out of the way? What if the man in the tree was lying about Percy and Alia being safe?
Not knowing made Matthias ache all over. Oh, God, protect Alia, oh, God, protect Percy kept running through his mind, to the same rhythm as the wheels.
The Population Police officer was still watching Matthias, glancing back and forth between Matthias and the road ahead.
"You know, you never did answer my questions," the officer said. He was going very fast now, much faster than Matthias would have dared to drive. He kept one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on his gun.
"Questions?" Matthias repeated.
"Why were you standing there in the middle of the road?"
"Oh, I was just passing by," Matthias said vaguely.
"Passing by? Out here in the middle of nowhere?"
Matthias heard the suspicion in the officer's voice;