SixteenFrom the moment the bike accelerated down the dirt track, I knew something had changed. Not just with Warren, but with everything. The air itself had a different smell about it, the mountains and hills seemed unreal, the half-light casting them in deep shadow, all features smudged.
Pressing my head against the reassuring solidness of Warren's back, I tried to bring some order to my thoughts. I had so many questions swirling around in my head I felt dizzy. What had the past few hours all been about? Where had those wild men come from, and why had the Sandmen suddenly arrived to save us.
Save us?
Now there was a contradiction in terms.
The Sandmen were supposedly there for our protection, keeping us safe at night from the terrors that lurked outside. We all knew, with grim certain
