The Enemy Read Free Page A

look. Okay? If we’re looking in the Whittington we should look in the pool as wel . We search everywhere, in’t that right, Arran?”
    “Suppose so,” said Arran.
    “Waste of time,” said Ol ie. “When have we ever found a vending machine with anything in it?”
    “You agree with me, don’t you, Deke?” said Freak.
    “He agrees with everything you say,” Achil eus scoffed.
    “Try me,” said Deke.
    “The world is flat,” said Freak.
    “Yes it is,” said Deke.
    “Penguins can fly,” said Freak.

    “Yes they can,” said Deke.
    “I am the greatest kid that ever walked the earth,” said Freak.
    “Yes you are,” said Deke.
    “Ha-ha, very funny,” said Achil eus.
    “Akkie is a jerk,” said Freak.
    “Yes he is,” said Deke.
    “I think you’ve made your point,” said Arran, trying not to smile. “We’l take a look.”
    Ol ie sighed. This was a waste of time. What they needed was proper food, not junk. But Arran had spoken, and he was their leader.
    Ol ie shoved a hand into his jacket and rol ed the heavy steel shot between his fingers. The cold hardness comforted him.
    He didn’t like the idea of exploring the swimming pool. He was always scared on these hunts, and going into the unknown like this just made his heart race faster.
    “Come on,” said Arran. “Let’s go.”
    “Searching the swimming pool is a genius idea,” said Freak.
    “Yes it is,” said Deke.

    T he glass doors of the swimming pool were cracked and so covered with dust on the inside that it was impossible to see anything through them. Deke hefted his sledgehammer and took a swing, aiming for a spot next to the handles. The glass exploded with a bang and fel out of the frame in sparkling nuggets.
    “Cool,” said Freak.
    “Yes it is,” said Deke, who loved destroying things. In the early days, just after the disaster had happened, and before he understood the dangers, Deke had wandered the streets in delight—breaking, burning, smashing—hardly able to believe that there was nobody around to stop him, and that he could do whatever he wanted.
    That crazy, joyous freedom had been cut short when he’d discovered that not al the adults had died. And those who had survived would treat you far worse than any parent, teacher, or policeman, if they ever caught you. A parent might have grounded you, a teacher might have kept you in after school, and the police might have arrested you, but none of them would have tried to eat you, like the grown-ups who wandered the streets these days.
    He stil got a kick out of destroying things, though, when he got the chance, which was why he often volunteered to join a scavenging party.
    He stood back from the shattered door to let Achil eus see inside.
    Achil eus leaned in and looked around.
    “We’l need the flashlights.”
    They al carried hand-powered LED dynamo flashlights that didn’t need batteries. They quickly fired them up by pumping the triggers that spun the flywheels inside. After thirty seconds the flashlights were charged enough to give a good three minutes of light.
    They stepped into the entrance lobby and shone their beams across the dirty floor and wal s. Ahead of them was the reception desk. To the right, past a turnstile and low barrier, was a smal seating area that opened out on to the pool. A wide passage led the other way to the changing rooms.
    The reception desk was covered with cobwebs, and the faded, peeling posters on the wal s were from a different world. They showed smiling, happy children and talked of health and fitness and community activities. There were a few animal trails in the dust, and debris on the floor, but no sign of any recent human activity.
    “Vending machines used to be through there,” said Freak, nodding toward the fixed tables and chairs in the seating area.
    “We’l take a quick look,” said Arran, and without having to be told, Achil eus led the way. He climbed over the turnstile and dropped into a crouch on the other side, spear