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Reznik always starts out slow and soft and builds to a big finish, the better to lull you into thinking he

"Well, what do we have here? What have they sent us froical creature froic?"

Reznik was just getting war back tears Fresh off the bus after going through God-knohat on the outside, and here’s this crazyon hi Reznik--or any of this craziness they call Ca to deal, and I’m a lot older than five

"Oh, this is cute This is so precious, I think I er than you in my little plastic cup of spicy barbecue sauce!"

Ratcheting up the voluht his face closer to the kid’s And the kid holding up surprisingly well, flinching, eyes darting back and forth, but notoff across the yard, just running until he couldn’t run anyet? Have you lost your o home? I know! Let’s close our eyes and make a wish and maybe Mommy will coet?"

And the kid nodded eagerly, like Reznik had asked the question he’d been waiting to hear Finally, so teddy-bear eyes into the drill sergeant’s beady ones…it was enough to break your heart It was enough to make you scream

But you don’t scream You stand perfectly still, eyes forward, hands at your sides, chest out, heart breaking, watching it out of the corner of your eye while so like a rattlesnake striking So ti to blow, you can’t predict it, and when it happens there’s nothing you can do to stop it

"Leave him alone"

Reznik whipped around No one asp On the other side of the line, Flintstone’s eyes ide; he couldn’t believe what I just did I couldn’t, either

"Who said that? Which one of you scuned his own death warrant?"

Striding down the line, face red with fury, hands clinched into fists, knuckles bone white

"Nobody, huh? Well, I’ to fall on my knees and cover my head, because the Lord God his holy self has spoken to h!"

He stopped in front of Tank, eating through his jurees outside "Was it you, puckerhole? I will tear your arroin

Cue the idiot

"Sir, I said it, sir!" I shouted

Reznik’s about-face was slow this time His journey over to me took a thousand years In the distance, a crow’s harsh call, but that was the only sound I heard

He stopped just inside e of vision, not directly in front of ood I couldn’t turn toward him I had to keep my eyes forward Worst of all, I couldn’t see his hands; I wouldn’t knohen--or where--the bloould land, which meant I wouldn’t knohen to brace for it

"So Private Zo the orders now," Reznik said, so softly I could barely hear him "Private Zo rye Private Zombie, I think I have a crush on you You make iving birth to a male child, so now it’s impossible forto land? My knees? My crotch? Probably the stomach; Reznik has a soft spot for stomachs

Nope It was a chop to ered backward, fighting to stay upright, fighting to keep ive hiive hiain The yard and the barracks were ringing, then jiggled and melted a little aselse, too

"Sir, he’s just a little kid, sir," I choked out

"Private Zombie, you have two seconds, exactly two seconds, to seal that sewer pipe posing as a mouth, or I will incinerate your ass with the rest of the infested alien sons of bitches!"

He took a deep breath, revving up for the next verbal barrage Having completely lost my mind, I opened my mouth and let the words come out I’ll be honest: Part ofthat felt a hell of a lot like joy I had kept the hate inside for too long

"Then the senior drill instructor should do it, sir! The private really doesn’t care, sir! Just--just leave the kid alone"

Total silence Even the crow stopped fussing The rest of the squad had stopped breathing I knehat they were thinking We’d all heard the story about the lippy recruit and the "accident" on the obstacle course that put him in the hospital for three weeks And the other story about the quiet ten-year-old who they found in the showers strung up with an extension cord Suicide, the doctor said A lot of people weren’t so sure