Endurance by Ann Aguirre Page B

response, he thrust the piercing tip of the weapon through the hole where the handle used to be. She heard a soft pop, and then he thumped his shoulder into the door. She winced with each impact; it must hurt him, but he didn’t falter. Once, twice, and on the third try, it shoved open with a loud squeak.
    “We’re free.” Well, maybe not entirely, but he deserved that unqualified praise. “Shall we go see what lies above?”
    “Has to be better than that .” He cast a glance behind him, and she knew exactly what he meant.
    “And Freaks trying to eat us. Do you think I should put out the torch?”
    To her surprise, he ducked and kissed her lightly on the mouth. She stared up at him in bewilderment. “Why did you do that? It’s…not an answer.”
    “Did you like it?”
    “That’s a different question.”
    “Answer mine, and then I’ll answer yours.”
    A hot flush washed into her cheeks, and in the light, he would see it. Thimble mustered her courage and whispered, “Yes. I’ve wanted that for ages.”
    “I couldn’t,” he said softly. “There were rules.”
    “There aren’t any now, except the ones we choose.”
    He nodded. “That’s the best part, even if the rest is terrifying.”
    “But you said you’d tell me why.”
    “You’re the only person who ever asked my opinion on anything. Now or then.” With a dark look, he mimicked the elder, “‘ Shut up, Stone. Breeders don’t need to think. ’”
    “And that’s why? Because I notice you have a mind as well as a fine, strong body?” The hot feeling in her cheeks increased.
    As a Builder, she wasn’t supposed to notice him like that, but she had . Maybe he would laugh at the idea she’d been gazing at him with these feelings for much longer than he’d been aware of her. They were so alone, and if he didn’t feel the same, everything would be ruined.
    But his face fell into pensive lines, lit with gladness that she saw him as more than anyone else ever had. At least, she guessed that was how he felt, because it echoed her own state of mind perfectly. With him, she wasn’t just an imperfect Builder. She could be anything with him.
    “You make me feel like a whole person.”
    “Me too,” she whispered.
    Then he took up their belongings and their brat, and they went on, together.

Twelve
    Two smaller tunnels led up more stairs. Then more. Stone didn’t know how he felt about that; he expected to emerge into the fire that would burn the skin from his bones. Thimble clung to his hand as if his presence gave her courage, but she was moving slower now. Her leg dragged.
    She can’t go on much longer.
    This was a hallway, not a tunnel. Stone didn’t know why he felt sure of that when he’d only seen pictures from the old world, but the walls were smoother. Polished. They gleamed in the torchlight. But before he could explore more, a Freak burst through the doorway. It didn’t hesitate this time. It had already scouted them twice before, and it had been mustering its strength while the journey drained theirs. The beast hurtled forward, using its momentum to knock Stone back. He didn’t have the weapon; Thimble was using it as a walking stick, and he had Boy23 cradled in one arm. Helpless to fight with any force, he reeled into the wall, shielding the brat with his chest.
    Thimble screamed. Stone curled his hand into a fist and slammed it backward, but he couldn’t see behind him, and he didn’t dare turn. Not if it meant the Freak would have a shot at hurting Boy23, who cried in soft little huffs of breath. This was strategy. The Freak had watched them and learned their behavior patterns. It had timed its strike perfectly, attacking when he was tired and carrying his brat. Fortunately, the packs got in the beast’s way and it tore at their possessions, trying to get at his flesh.
    Items dropped out, clattering to the floor. Teeth sank into his back. Claws raked him.
    And then the Freak shrieked. He spun then, just in time to see