1269_UgliesFreeBook

214 Scott Westerfeld
“Do you think there was anyone . . . inside? When it
happened, I mean.”
“Probably not. But you never know. There could be a
whole trainload of Rusty skeletons in there.”
Tally swallowed, trying to imagine whatever was in
there, flattened and buried for centuries in the dark.
“The forest’s a lot clearer around here,” David said.
“Easier to work through. I’m just worried about these boulders
collapsing if we start prying rails up.”
“They look pretty solid.”
“Oh, yeah? Check this out,” David said. He stepped off
his board onto a boulder, and deftly climbed to a spot that
lay shadowed in the setting sun.
Tally angled her board closer and jumped onto a large
rock next to David. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness,
she saw that a long space extended back between the
boulders. David crawled inside, his feet disappearing into
the darkness.
“Come on,” his voice called.
“Um, there isn’t really a trainload of dead Rusties in
there, right?”
“Not that I’ve found. But today might be our lucky day.”
Tally rolled her eyes and lowered herself onto her belly.
She crawled inside, the cool weight of the rocks settling
over her.
A light flicked on ahead. She could see David sitting up
in a small space, a flashlight glowing in his hand. She pulled