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Prologue – Asher

“Come on, Coop,” I whisper It’s dark in the closet, but I can still make out his huddled form in the back corner “Come on, Coop Please Moonna be mad if she hears us”

I shift rabbed fros us food anymore I’m lucky that my best friend, Joel, lives close and shares his snacks with us or ouldn’t eat

He doesn’t ask questions

Not anymore

“I’m scared, Ash”

I ball up my fist when I hear his broken and weak voice My brother is so ser I know Coop is small because he is always scared Too scared to come out of the closet our mom always makes us stay in

“We gotta hurry Move over, ‘kay?”

“’Kay” His weak voice cracks

“Are you still cold?” I question

“Yeah,” he replies weakly

When I get to the back of the closet, closing the door tightly behind me, I reach out and hand Coop the box It only has seven crackers in it They’re old, and I had to get a few roaches out of the box before I brought it back Coop doesn’t like the bugs that live in the kitchen

“Don’t you want soh my stomach rumbles, I shake ain

“I’otta hurry before ets home, okay?”

He nods his head and starts to eat sluggishly I grab one of the bottles of water Joel gave ainstslowly

He’s getting weaker He couldn’t get up this , so I stayed ho up thisthe nasty stuff

I don’t kno long we have been sitting here when I hear the front door bang shut and the sounds of feet sto around the house Coop drops the crackers and pulls his legs up to his chest

“Zachariah Cooper! Where in the hell are you, you little shit?!”

Oh crap This isn’t going to be good

“Ash,” he quivers

“It’s okay It’s okay”