Naomi Grim: Complete Novel (Parts 1-4) (The Silver Scythe Chronicles) Read Online Free Page B

against my skin.
         I
took one last look at my city. The beautiful buildings and wonderful shops.
Even standing in the midst of every Grim in my colony, I felt so alone. No one
could do anything to save me, like I had saved the kids at Kennedy High, not
even my parents.
         I
could tell Dunningham wasn't happy. The crowd wasn't as excited as they usually
were for an execution. He held his fist in the air. "Long live the
Grim!"
         The
crowd repeated the chant, but not with the usual fervor. Dunningham had to
repeat it four more times before he was satisfied. I took a deep breath and
waited for someone to kick the block from underneath my feet. Everyone watched
in silent anticipation.
         A
caw came from somewhere above me. I lifted my head in time to witness a black
raven soaring above me. I would have given anything to become that bird so I
could fly away from my impending death. The raven drifted across the
slate-colored sky until it became a small black dot and then disappeared.
         "Long
live the hybrids!" a man's voice shouted from somewhere.
         Everyone
looked around. A worried murmur ran through the crowd.
         "Long
live the hybrids!" I spotted a man, Moore, to be exact, standing on the
roof of Brickman's. Everyone's attention was drawn to him.
         Moore
was only the distraction. I think I was the first to see the others. Several
other Forager men, some I recognized and some I didn't, appeared on the roofs
of the stores and restaurants that surrounded the square. They held bows and
arrows, which they aimed at the crowd. Something whizzed by my head, and I
looked back to see the Watcher standing next to me fall back and land on the
platform.  An arrow protruded from his chest. He wasn't going to die. He had
too many years left, but he was horribly injured.
         It
only took two seconds for it to happen. The square broke out into the most
chaotic scene I'd ever witnessed.
         The
Watcher tried to pull the arrow from his chest, but it wouldn't budge. Several
Watchers whisked Dunningham from the stage while others aimed the silencers
they always kept tucked in their jackets at the Foragers on the roofs. The
Grims in the crowd ducked, trying to avoid being struck by an arrow.
         No
one was paying any attention to me. I took the rope from around my neck and
sprang from the platform. As I jumped from the stage onto the concrete,
something caught hold of my cloak. I turned to see Doyle pulling me toward him.
I struggled to get out of the cloak, but he grabbed my arm before I could.
         I
looked him dead in the eye. I wasn't the least bit afraid of him. I knew he
couldn't kill me himself. My death was supposed to be a public execution. An
example to the others of what would happen if they broke the rules. Dunningham
would flip if Doyle took it upon himself to kill me with no one watching. But
most importantly I knew his secret.
         "I
know about you. I know you've been working with them. I know you go to the
Outskirts to see Dunstan. I know all about you."
         He
looked surprised for a moment then he quickly recovered.  "I don't know
what the hell you're talking about and you don't either."
         "Let
me go or I tell Dunningham everything. He'll hang you right next to me."
         He
thought for a moment, then he let me go. I looked back as I ran. He stood there
watching me.
         Many
of the Litropolites began pushing and throwing punches. They would pay for that
later.
         Grims
grabbed and held on to their children. Several fights broke out, and Grims had
dispersed, running into stores and homes for safety. The Grim men were caught
off guard. Aside from the Watchers, none of them had weapons on them.
         I
pulled my hood over my head and dodged through the crowd. I wanted to see if my
family was okay, but I had to be smart. None of them could be killed, but I
could. I had less than a hundred years. I was mortal now,