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The scout reaches theroof, and he drops onto the patio below, his feet cracking the concrete when he lands He slices the sword in the air in front of hio over the last week of training in my mind

The moment my feet push me forward, the scout roars and rushes atbehind hilasses the second before his sword swings across h for hi trail the sword left behind Pain attaches itself to my neck and travels to my waist I’m knocked backwards and into the pool

Whenoff with the scout His bare hands are up and out; he bobs his shoulders left and right The scout laughs and drops his sword to the concrete, and he thenstance Before I can heave ht onto his left foot and circles his right behind hiht shoe comes back around and connects with the scout’s face with a force that staggers him back several feet

The dazed scout picks up his glea sword I’m up out of the pool before he can reach Sa sword The blades ht I can’t see for an instant When the light fades, the scout’s sword breaks at the exact spotthe er into his chest and rip it doard He turns to ash and it covers my feet

The house finally collapses--beams of wood crack in different directions, s pop and explode fro over it all like a book with a broken spine A storh the sky, landing just on the other side of the house

"We have to get to Six!" Sa can onlyone With my one free hand, I heft the Chest up and over the backyard’s brick wall aftersure the coast is clear Sam tosses the rest up to me and I then pull hirass beyond the wall Securing everything behind a thick bush, we run around to the front yard

In the middle of the driveway, just feet from our SUV, Six has a scout in a headlock, thein the squeeze Two , cylindrical tube right at ht blasts me backwards I can’t breathe I can’t see I roll into the high grass and feel the heat from the house

When I’ above s; er still encases oing froht wrist I try swinging s up and over ish fro blast I just endured The barrel of the tube is set between un Six turned on the drunk adorians’ mission is a success Number Four, check On to Nuhts in the tube spark to life, swirling until they becoer, Bernie Kosar clah The scout wobbles above me for a second before his head is separated froht next to mine; our noses touch before the head cru I can not to breathe it in The body above me falls over and covers my jeans with ash

"Get up already," Six yells, suddenly in the exact spot the scout had been

Sam appears above ht now, John"

The sound of sirens pierces the night A mile away, maybe less Bernie Kosar licks my left temple and whimpers

"What about the third one?" I whisper

Six looks over at Saainst him Best moment of my life," he says

I’m draped over Six’s shoulder, and she dumps me into the backseat of the SUV Bernie Kosar settles hiht hand Saets behind the wheel while Six retrieves our stuff As soon as we’re on the highway and I no longer hear sirens, I’er’s handle transforer in the foot well

Fifteen minutes later, Six tells Sa lot of a closed diner She ju the door open

"Help me," she orders

"Six, I don’t want to be a dick right now, but I can’t really s"

"Dude, just really try We have to get them off our tail," she says "If we don’t, then you’re dead Think about it"

I struggle into a seated position and feel blood circulate to s I cli no idea what she needs help with

"Find the bug," she says "Saer," he says

"Find the what?" I ask

"They use bugs to track vehicles Trust me They did it with me and Katarina"

"What does it look like?"

"I have no idea But tih There isn’t a single thing in the world I think I could do fast right now But nonetheless, Six goes racing around the SUV while I slowly drop to a knee and, starting at the bu his way forward I spot it aler than a quarter stuck to the plastic cover of the gas tank

"Got it," I yell, plucking it off I pullon my back She briefly studies it, then drops it in her pocket

"Aren’t you going to destroy it?"

"No," she answers "Check again We have to make sure there isn’t a second, or a third"

I crawl back under withfro