Chapter One

I’m cold. I’m crawling through the dark, flat on my belly, elbows and legs

working. But I’m cold. So cold. The ground is hard, icy, cruel. The chill

presses through my clothes and skin, right to the core of me. And the fear

does, too.

I start to shake. A little at first. Then plenty, so that every bone in my

body rattles. Surely rattling bones make a sound. Like pebbles in a pocket.

No, louder. Like hand grenades jiggling in their crates in the back of a

truck. The sound will give me away.

I hear footfalls, soft and stealthy. A patrol. They don’t want others to

hear as they approach. But I hear. My ears are sharp, practised in the art of

listening.

I press myself into the shadows. Even the dark of night has shadows.

Perfect for hiding. I merge into the darkness and wrap my fingers more

firmly around the handle of my knife. I force my rattling bones to be still.

Feet and legs pass by. Two pairs. They’re so close to my face I could

lick the heels as they go.

I wait until there is nothing but silence.

I wait a little longer, then slip out of the shadows.

The way is clear now. I slither like a lizard, no longer feeling cold or

pain, fear or fatigue. I make straight for my target, pale and plump, almost

shining in the night. I pull back my arm, clench my jaw, then stab. I plunge

the knife in as deep as it will go.

A voice cries out, waking soldiers all around me, but I’m here now and

determined to finish what I started. I pull downward and the blade of the

knife rips the stab wound wide.

Identify the following things

• Setting ( day or night )
• Main character