Read Online Renegade by Antony John - Free Book Online Page A

the angry red bite mark.
    I wanted to tell Rose that there was still hope. I wanted to hold her hand. Instead I remained disconnected, unwilling to lie and unable to touch her without causing pain. The future was as clear to me as if I were a seer: Rose growing sicker, and dying. Rose must have seen it too—her cheeks twitched from the effort of pretending that everything was all right.
    â€œWe need to find the rats. Need to destroy them,” I said. But the truth was, I just needed to get out of there before I broke down.
    â€œI’ll help,” said Alice.
    Jerren and Ananias were waiting outside the cabin. They knew what was going on, and were as helpless as me to do anything about it.
    â€œHow many do you think there are?” I asked.
    â€œMore than one,” said Ananias. He lowered his voice. “Rose and Dennis were bitten at the same time. They woke up together. Neither of them saw anything, though, so it’s hard to believe there’s an entire pack of rats. Plus, we would’ve heard something before now, right?”
    I strode along the corridor and pushed open the door to the cabin where I’d seen Rose the previous evening. It was so different from the cabins on the other ship—here the walls were perfectly straight, and there were no gaps between the floorboards. Unless the rats were tiny, it was hard to imagine how they might have gotten into the cabin at all.
    Jerren moved a small wooden chest to one side, revealing a rectangular hole in the wall. It was about the size of a hand, easily big enough for a rat to crawl through. “Vents,” he explained. “The ship would have had a system for circulating warm and cold air.”
    â€œSo these vents are in every cabin?” I asked.
    â€œProbably, yes.”
    Alice pressed her ear to the hole and raised a finger to her lips, demanding silence. For several moments she listened for the telltale sounds of rats, but heard nothing.
    As she pulled away, Jerren joined her. “Let’s combine,” he said. “If there’s a sound in there, I’ll draw it toward us.”
    They could have settled for touching arms, but held hands instead, fingers twined. It was only a moment before Alice’s eyes grew wide. She’d heard rats, all right.
    â€œThey’re that way,” she whispered, pointing to the front of the ship.
    Ananias peered around the cabin door and along the corridor. “How far? There’s only one more cabin between here and the galley in the ship’s bow.”
    Alice and Jerren exchanged glances. “If I had to guess, I’d say they’re hiding out between the galley and the other cabin,” she said.
    â€œSo how do we trap them?”
    â€œWe don’t. Jerren and I will go to the galley and block the ductwork. You and Thom head to the cabin next door and combine. One big flame in such a small space will kill them for sure.”
    â€œWhat if that’s not all of the rats?” I asked.
    She passed by me and began walking along the corridor, eager to begin. “They move in packs, remember? I think they’ll be together.”
    Ananias and I slipped into the neighboring cabin and located the vent in the wall. This one had a cover, but it was easy to remove. We stared at the dark space behind, and waited for Alice’s signal.
    Jerren joined us almost immediately. “We’ve jammed a piece of wood into the duct. They won’t be able to escape.”
    As he spoke, the sound of skittering paws echoed faintly along the duct. Frightened by activity in the galley, the rats were heading our way. Ananias stood before the hole, palm raised, poised to unleash fire. I held my hand just above his.
    A moment passed. Then another. “Is Alice giving us a signal?” he asked, turning to face Jerren. “Can she hear—”
    With his back to the hole, Ananias didn’t see the rats appear. They were side by side, frozen in the sliver of