Page 44 (1/2)

"Tellto tell htens up Never o"

I shake my head, confused Is this a joke? I look down at his hand on "

"I et o by yourself I stay here, and you go find my brother"

"Okay, now, you promised to hear " I push his hand off"My promise was to Sammy, so drop it"

He doesn’t "But you don’t knohat’s out there"

"And you do?"

"Better than you"

He reaches for ainst his chest Oh no, buddy "Then tell me what’s out there"

He throws up his hands "Think about who has a better chance of living long enough to keep your proirl or because I’ if just one of us goes, then the other one would still have a chance of finding him in case the worst happens"

"Well, you’re probably right about that last part But it shouldn’t be you who tries first He’sto wait around here for a Silencer to knock on the door and ask to borrow a cup of sugar I’ll just go by myself"

I pushout at that very second He grabs my aretting that I’o with me, not the other way around"

He drops his head "I know I know that" Then a rueful laugh "I also knehat your ansould be, but I had to ask"

"Because you think I can’t take care of myself?"

"Because I don’t want you to die"

66

WE’VE BEEN PREPARING for weeks On this last day, there wasn’t ht; Evan thought we could reach Wright-Patterson in two or three nights, barring an unexpected delay like another blizzard or one of us getting killed--or both of us getting killed, which would delay the operation indefinitely

Despite keepingBear to fit into the backpack Maybe I should cut off his legs and tell Sammy they were blown off by the Eye that took out Camp Ashpit

The Eye That would be better, I decided: not a bullet to Vosch’s brain, but an alien bomb jammed down his pants

"Maybe you shouldn’t take him," Evan says

"Maybe you should shut up," Ithe zipper closed "There"

Evan is sht he was your bear"

"Woods?"

His smile fades

"You didn’t find me in the woods," I rerees colder "You found me in the middle of a snowbank"

"I meant I was in the woods, not you," he says "I saw you fro Not because I believe hiht not to

"You’re not out of those woods yet, Evan You’re sweet and you have incredible cuticles, but I’m still not sure why your hands are so soft, or why you sirlfriend’s grave"

"I told you last night, I haven’t helped around the farun earlier that day I don’t knohat else I can--"

I cut hi you because you’re handy with a rifle and haven’t killed h you’ve had about a thousand opportunities Don’t take this personally, but there’s soet about you and this whole situation, but that doesn’t ure it out, and if the truth is so that puts you on the other side of me, then I will do what I have to do"

"What?" Srin, shoulders up, hands stuffed deep in his pockets with a sort of aw-shucks attitude, which I guess is ood kind of crazy What is it about him that makes me want to slap him and kiss him, run from him and to him, throw my arms around him and knee him in the balls, all at the same time? I’d like to bla tells er than a few months