CHAPTER TWENTY‑THREE

“Why didn’t they go after him? ” Cordie asked.

“’Cause they’re dorks, ” Lilly said. “They’re too damn lazy. Or just chicken. Those Thaks can be dangerous, but they’re worth it. You get to keep the whole carcass, and don’t have to share. It’s like a reward–a bounty, you know? ”

“What’s a Thak? ”

“Like an outcast. If you’re a fuck‑ up, you get kicked out of the village. Then you’re fair game. The woods are full of ’em. ”

“How do you know he was one? ” Cordie asked. She stopped dragging the body to wipe sweat out of her eyes.

“You can tell, ” Lilly said. “For one, they act crazy”

He bad acted crazy. Yelling like that. And not recognizing Cordie. Of course, it was no wonder he didn’t know her, the way she looked. And he’d only given her a glance.

She’d come damn close to calling out. She stopped herself, though. He would’ve tried to rescue her. They’d have killed him, for sure.

“Also, ” Lilly said, “you can tell because they’re strangers. If you see a stranger around here, you can bet it’s a Thak. Gotta watch out for ’em. My best friend got killed by one. The shit he did to her…”

Cordie wondered what could shock a girl like Lilly. She didn’t ask. She didn’t want to know.

“One came in the village, just last night. Christ, he killed half a dozen of us. They’re bad. Real bad. Most of us, we never go anyplace alone, case we run into one. ”

They resumed dragging the body. It seemed heavier than before. “How much farther’s this village? ”

“We’re almost there. ”

“God, I hope so. ” She struggled forward. The woods were hot and still. Not a breeze stirred.

Sweat rolled down her skin. Kigit’s ankle was slippery in her wet hands, and several times she lost her grip.

“Can’t we rest? ” she asked.

“We’ll be there in a minute. ”

“I saw a Thak last night. I’ll tell you about it, if we can rest a second. ”

“Okay. Make it quick, though. ”

Cordie dropped the leg. With sweaty hands, she wiped ropes of wet hair away from her face. She was dripping. She wished she had a towel.

u saw a Thak? ”

Cordie nodded. “Yeah. It killed some kid. And…” She couldn’t bring herself to speak Ben’s name. “And my boyfriend. ”

“You mean them? ” Lilly nodded toward the boys who were walking a short distance ahead, with their burdens of arms and legs.

“That’s…? ”

“That’s them. Who do you think? ”

“I guess I knew, ” she admitted.

“Let’s get moving, ” Lilly said.

They lifted the legs, and started forward.

“That wasn’t any Thak you saw. ”

“Huh? ”

“Their heads got ripped off. That wasn’t a Thak. What’d he look like? ”

“He was huge, ” Cordie said. “I don’t know, maybe seven feet. That’s about all I saw. It was dark, and I only got a glimpse. But I heard him. God, he had a voice like… it was horrible. ”

“He yelled Krull, ’ right? ”

“Yeah. ” Cordie blinked sweat off her eyelashes. “Who was he? ”

“The Devil. ”

In the village, Cordie was led directly to a hut. “Stay here, ” Lilly said. “Grar has to see you. ”

Then she was alone. She sat cross‑ legged in the center of the hut. The floor was specked with sunlight from the leafy roof. She sighed. It felt good to be rid of the body. But later…

She didn’t want to think about later.

At least for the moment, she didn’t seem to be in danger.

They’d accepted her.

They’d fucked her raw. Kigit had tried to kill her. But she’d done everything right, so far. She was almost one of them.

With both hands, she wiped the dripping sweat from her face. From her shoulders and breasts.

She would like to go back to that stream.

And Dad.

The pelt over the hut’s entrance flapped open, and a creature swung in on hairy arms. Cordie flinched. She gripped her thighs, digging fingernails into her wet skin, fighting her urges to flee or scream.

The creature, she realized, was a man. A man of hideous deformity, legless and bloated. His mouth twitched into a mockery of a grin.

“Grar? ”

The monster swung himself closer.

Cordie squeezed her thighs harder. Her fingernails pierced her skin.

Inches from her knees, he stopped. His eyes roamed her body.

No!

Not him!

Watching his gummy eyes, she knew she would die before letting him take her.

She crossed her arms over her breasts.

The creature growled.

“No, ” she whispered.