Alexandra Mullen Palacio

Scavengers

I wake before the sun. It's the best time to scavenge. The beasts sleep at this time. They come out at night but they hide in the hills before the dawn. I sneak a quick glance out the window. It's dark and still. I throw my hair up and nudge Antoine sleeping beside me. "Leah." With one word, he sits up and rubs his eyes. He told me once that he liked to sleep late in his past life, before the change. Now we wake at the slightest noise, we are always on alert. We have to be.