Page 33 (1/2)

CHAPTER 1

Ironically, since the attacks, the sunsets have been glorious Outside our condo , the sky flae, reds, and purples The clouds catch on fire with sunset colors, and I’ht beloill catch on fire too

With the dying war other than keepingas I methodically zip up my backpack

I pull on my favorite boots They used to be ot a compliment fro down the sides She is—was—a cheerleader and known for her fashionable taste, so I figured these boots were h they’reboot company for serious wear Now they’re my favorites because the strips make for a perfect knife holder

I also slip sharpened steak knives into Paige’s wheelchair pocket I hesitate before putting one into Mo room, but I do it anyway I slip it in between a stack of Bibles and a pile of empty soda bottles I shift so she’ll never have to know it’s there

Before it gets fully dark, I roll Paige down the common hall to the stairs She can roll on her own, thanks to her preference for a conventional chair over the electric kind But I can tell she feels more secure when I push her The elevator is useless now, of course, unless you’re willing to risk getting stuck when the electricity goes out

I help Paige out of the chair and carry her on hts of stairs I don’t like the bony feel of ht now, even for a seven year old, and it scareselse combined

Once we reach the lobby, I put Paige back into her chair I sweep a strand of dark hair behind her ear With her high cheekbones and ht eyes, we could alive her another ten years and she’d look just like h, even if ere both seventeen, any more than people would htened as she is, the corners of her host of a sive her one back, trying to radiate confidence

I run back up stairs to help Mo,as obble down the stairs This is the first ti to hear it The cart is crae’s baby blankets, stacks of azines and Bibles, every shirt Dad left in the closet when he s She’s also stuffed every pocket of her sweater and jacket with the eggs

I consider abandoning the cart, but the fight I’d have with er and be e will be all right for the length of ti it down I could kick e could be in the relatively safer spot upstairs, rather than waiting for us in the lobby

By the ti, I’ and my nerves are frayed

“Re down El Cae Mill Then head for the hills If we get separated, we’ll meet at the top of the hills, okay?”

If we get separated, there’s notanywhere, but I need to keep up the pretense of hope because that may be all we have

I putNo wind, no birds, no cars, no voices I pull back the heavy door just a crack and peek out

The streets are deserted except for eht washes the concrete and steel with graying echoes of color

The day belongs to the refugees and raid gangs But at night, they all clear out, leaving the streets deserted by dusk There’s a strong fear of the supernatural now Bothto their pri until dawn Even the worst of the new street gangs leave the night to whatever creatures may roam the darkness in this neorld

At least, they have so far At soe of the cover of night despite the risks I’ we’ll be the first so that we’ll be the only ones out there, if for no other reason than that I won’t have to drag Paige away fro someone in trouble

Moht Her eyes are intense with fear She’s cried so much this past year since Dad left that her eyes are now perht, but there’s nothing I can do about that I start to tell her it’ll be all right, but the lie dries up in my mouth It’s pointless to reassure her

I take a deep breath, and yank open the door

CHAPTER 2

I instantly feel exposed My et shot any moment

I grab Paige’s chair and wheel her out of the building I scan the sky, then all around us like a good little rabbit running from predators

The shadows are quickly darkening over the abandoned buildings, cars, and dying shrubbery that hasn’t been watered in six weeks Soel with enors and a sword on the condo wall across the street The giant crack that splits the wall zigzags through the angel’s face,it look demented Below it, a wannabe poet has scrawled the words, “Who will guard against the guardians?”

I cringe at the clattering noise my mother’s cart makes as she shoves it over the doorway and onto the sidewalk We crunch over broken glass, which convinces er than we should have The first floor s have been broken