Near the Bone by Christina Henry (the mitten read aloud txt) 📕

Mattie nodded. “He . . . does. Gun.”

C.P. gestured to Jen. “Let me take Griff. You take her.”

“She has a name,” Jen said. “Samantha.”

It was strange to hear that name coming out of someone else’s mouth, to hear someone else claim it on her behalf.

Jen passed Griffin to C.P. Griffin’s eyes were rolling around in his head. He seemed to be barely conscious, and Mattie wondered how well he could walk even with assistance.

Jen held out a hand for Mattie to grasp. The other woman had a strong grip and she pulled Mattie up like Mattie was made of air. Mattie held tight to Jen’s hand as her legs trembled. She wasn’t sure if she could walk forward.

“You’re just a little fairy thing, aren’t you?” Jen said, scooping her arm around Mattie. Jen was much taller, almost as tall as William. The other woman smiled at Mattie to show that she didn’t mean anything rude by her comment, and Mattie again felt that warmth bloom in her chest. She looked down at the ground, though. She didn’t know if she ought to be so familiar with someone she’d just met.

Someone who saved you. Someone who did what you should have done to William years ago—hit him in the head with a rock until he stopped moving.

Mattie would never forget how fierce Jen had looked, how she hadn’t hesitated.

You used to be like that. You were fearless until William beat it out of you. You need to stop thinking the way he taught you to think.

They all shuffled along in the snow like weird three-legged animals, Griffin supported by C.P. and Mattie supported by Jen. Jen’s long hair was loose under her cap and it kept tickling Mattie’s face. Mattie was suddenly conscious of her homemade dress, her heavy coat and boots.

Jen wore trousers like the men—jeans, they’re called—and a brightly colored jacket made of some soft material under a puffy vest. She seemed warm and comfortable and able to move easily, and Mattie was wearing clothes that trapped her, held her in place.

She was unable to stop herself from checking over her shoulder frequently for William. He’d never let Mattie go now, not when she knew his secret.

I killed your mother.

That was what he’d said. He’d killed her mother.

I can’t remember her face, and now I’ll never see it again.

“I gotta take a break,” C.P. said.

They’d reached a place where there were several large boulders clumped up together. One of them had a low flat top, perfect for sitting. C.P. carefully lowered Griffin to the boulder and sat down beside his friend. Griffin slumped backward immediately, his body propped at a strange angle by his large pack.

“Get his pack off him,” Jen said.

C.P. helped Griffin out of his pack and propped it under Griffin’s head. Griffin closed his eyes.

“Don’t go to sleep,” Jen warned. “That guy could pop out of the woods at any minute.”

She turned to Mattie. “You should probably sit down, too, and let me take a look at your head.”

Mattie perched on the edge of the rock near Griffin. Jen took Mattie’s hat off and Mattie saw the other woman flinch when she looked at the wound.

“It doesn’t look too good,” Jen said, wrinkling her nose. “It’s clotting, but it’s pretty long. You’re lucky it’s shallow, though.”

“Lucky,” Mattie said. Her voice was still small and strained.

“I bet it doesn’t feel too lucky, though,” Jen said with a little laugh.

Mattie gave her a half-smile back and shook her head. “Where . . . are . . . we . . . going?”

“Dunno,” C.P. said. “I just wanted to get away from that nutjob.”

Mattie said, “Down . . . the . . . mountain. Away.”

“It takes about a day or so to get back to the base when we’re all in good shape and moving along, and there’s no snow to slow us down. With you and Griffin like this, it will take a lot longer, and I don’t think either of you are in any condition to do a lot of walking. We need to find someplace to hole up for a day or so and rest before we try.”

“A . . . day?” Mattie shook her head. “William . . . goes . . . to . . . town . . . and back. Same day.”

“Well, I don’t know how he does that unless he’s got a vehicle, like an ATV or something. You just can’t do the hike that quickly no matter what kind of shape you’re in,” Jen said.

“ATV?” Mattie asked.

“All-terrain vehicle. Like a little car, but with big wheels so it can go over rough ground. Does he have something like that?” C.P. asked.

“No,” she said. “I’ve . . . never . . . seen.”

Though now that she considered it, of course it made sense that William might have some kind of vehicle stashed away somewhere. How else could he have brought up all the heavy gear he’d bought the other day? Did she really believe that William had dragged it all up the mountain on a sled?

If he did have a vehicle he’d made certain that she didn’t know of its existence, and the key would certainly be on his key ring. Which was on his person, and they’d never get it off him as long as he lived.

Not that it would do her any good if she found a vehicle, in any case. She didn’t have the least idea of how to operate one.

Mattie shivered. She’d been sweaty from the exertion of the fight and the fast pace, but now that they were sitting still her body was cooling. Jen noticed and sat down next to her, so that all four of them were crammed on the flat lip of the boulder. Jen put her arm around Mattie’s shoulder and pulled her close.

“You’re not dressed for this weather,” she said, rubbing her hand up and down Mattie’s arm. “And it will be dark in a few hours. We need to find a safe place to pitch the tents and start a fire.”

“We should go up to those caves,” C.P. said. “You know, the ones where we saw the tracks.”

Mattie stiffened. “You . . . went . . . to . . .