Heart of Annihilation Read Online Free Page A

arm to my mouth and held my breath. The single pilfered round bit into my palm. After another brief, nerve-rending second, I stuffed the round into my pocket and moved.
    Behind the desk? I took a step in that direction. No. I needed to get out of this office. I took a deep breath. Calm down, I told myself, willing the panic to fade.
    If only Justet’s name was on the commander’s list, I would at least have an excuse to be here. But it wasn’t, and here I was in his office, with a bunch of stolen ammunition, in the middle of the night. Authorization or no, what would happen if the thief found out I’d discovered his little—okay, whopping—secret? Especially since I’d just popped him in the mouth in front of a room full of soldiers.
    I tripped over one of the boxes of ammunition on my way to the door. Rounds rattled across the floor.
    “Who’s there?”
    The voice bounced against the walls in the hall, trying to flush me out. It worked.
    In two steps I was in the hall. Light from the streetlamp backlit a figure facing me. I couldn’t take another step. He’d already seen me, what was the point of trying to hide? Perhaps it was just another soldier from the company with a lame-o mission like me—
    “Luginbeel, is that you? Lewis? Did you get that ammo back to the Deuce?”
    —or not.
    I didn’t speak or move. The moment I moved, the moment I opened my mouth, we would stop being strangers staring at each other in the dark.
    “Sanderford?”
    Now I recognized the voice. The spot above my ear throbbed so badly blue spots popped across my vision. I pressed two fingers to my head.
    Lieutenant Justet took a step. “What the hell?”
    He reached toward the light switch at the end of the hall. A current of energy raised the hair on my arms. I braced myself for the hallway to be flooded with light. Instead he seemed to change his mind, because his arms disappeared behind his back.
    If the cans of ammunition in Justet’s office didn’t imply guilt, the sound of him racking the slide of a pistol screamed it. Adrenaline flooded my veins. I turned and raced down the hall in the opposite direction, my boots squeaking on the polished floor.
    “Stop right there!”
    There was another door that exited into the side parking lot near the mess hall. I skidded, catching the corner of the door with my hand to keep my balance. The green exit sign glowed above the door.
    Something struck me from behind, slamming me into the opposite wall. The side of my head smacked into corkboard. Papers and thumbtacks rained down. A heavy body held me in place, his forearm jammed against my throat.
    “Who are you?” This was a different voice than Justet’s. An angrier, heavier voice to match the thick arm. “What are you doing here?”
    “Get off me!” I slammed my elbow into his ribs, and brought my knee up into his groin.
    Jackpot. The arm jerked away. I shoved him and the man fell against the opposite wall, groaning and cursing between breaths. A couple more steps took me to the door. A boot smashed into my lower back, throwing me against the glass pane of the door.
    I caught the push-bar, throwing the door open against the brick exterior with a violent clatter. My thigh hit the edge of a step. Hip, elbow, and shoulder struck concrete before I came to rest on my face, unable to breathe.

CHAPTER 4
    I gasped like a landed fish. A desperate roll put me on my back. I coughed, gasped, and coughed again before managing to catch my breath.
    The abrasions on my hip, arms, and hands stung with astonishing pain. My head pounded.
    Shadowy figures eased into my line of sight. I couldn’t seem to formulate a thought or a plan. I knew lying on the ground wasn’t a good idea. If I could only move. A boot pressed onto my collarbone, holding me in place. I grabbed the man’s ankle and tried to wrestle his foot off my shoulder.
    “Specialist Rose,” said Justet with a grin. A hushed rattle of laughter echoed from the surrounding figures. “Are