Outpost (Razorland, #2)

by Ann Aguirre

would not leave these men to be desecrated as the others had been. It seemed odd to me that I would find that offensive. After all, down below, we had routinely put our dead out to feed the Freaks. But they had never returned any of our offerings in such a hideous fashion. They ate until they could hold no more and then they left the rest for the tunnel creatures. Perhaps, then, it was the obvious loathing those poor impaled heads represented. I had never thought Freaks capable of strong emotion, other than hunger, but it had become obvious that these were. Once the gates closed behind us, the guards dropped the reinforcing timber. In the time I’d been here, I had never seen the great doors sealed in this way. Which established how unprecedented these attacks were. We’d warned them that the Freaks were changing, but even I didn’t expect these tactics. My heart thumped wildly in my chest, both in reaction to the fight and the alarm at the unknown. It seemed that the Freaks got smarter all the time, but why? Then again, if I could answer that question, I could rule the world. I puffed out a shaky breath and rubbed my hands along my arms. “Any thoughts?” I asked Fade. He shook his head. “If we could somehow study the Freaks, catch one or two and observe them, that might help.” I choked out a shaky laugh. “I’m sure that would go over well with the good folk of Salvation.” Fade trailed a finger down my cheek, and it came away tacky with blood. “You’ll notice I’m not in any hurr...