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"If we stay that way Soer kids, like Eli and Ellie and Connor--they still ht"

"Okay, yeah, I’ with a hankering for a people-burger, but I can’t live every day waiting for the other shoe to drop Knohat I think is really bugging you?" Jayden stretched across the table and gave the back of her left hand a tentative touch "You’re freaked because you think you , and I don’t like aze to his fingers, long but rougher now and calloused fro horses "And I didn’t give Chris a choice"

"He wouldn’t have taken the drug You know that," he said, gently "Besides, how do you know that we didn’t save him? What if the decoction was exactly what he needed? Think about that This could be soht help us in the future"

She had to be careful They ood team Just because Jayden wanted e hie boy whose face revived a host of other memories, most of them very bad "If we understood it It’s not an experiain until" Until one of us is injured so badly we’ll die anyway After anotherup her irl? The one Ellie saw?"

"I don’t know," Jayden said, his tone as suddenly stony as his face "Tomorrow, I’ll take Connor and we’ll fetch Isaac to take a look at this kid While I’m there, I can check with the others, see if anyone turned and got away before they could beyou knowdealt with Just be glad that girl was alone I’m not sure Ellie would’vethere? We’ve been so careful We’re in the middle of nowhere The winter won’t break for anotherback where there were no kids in the first place And she was out during the day Jayden, what if they’re adapting, or changing again?" Lord knew, they already had enough proble over their days, too

"I don’t know, Hannah If they are, there’s not much we can do about that Let’s just chalk it up as oneback froht smile "Or a God-ed to her books "Don’t be angry with me"

"Angry? Oh, Hannah" There was a short silence and then the heavy tread of his boots as he headed for the door "I wish I could be, because that would be so much easier"

38

Two hours into this, and he was still doing all the talking, telling stories fro with a saw, and I’ency roohbor, this lady doc, and show her--"

"S-sootten, Weller pulled fro He’d settled Tolazed, a little unfocused Setting his own er to one of Toh nut, but not even he could fight two Xanax, their alu through cheht but entirely appropriate

"Made theave the boy a little shake "To himself, To on his chest, but when he tried to drink, the ers

"Here, letand set it down beside his "Tell me what you saw"

"They’re different"

They "More than one?"

"Uh-huh" Toic nod "Boy, in thethe trees"

"A boy Waiting?"

"No" To" He licked his lips "He should’ve comecome after me I was beat up Hurt Had the Bravo by then, probably could’ve taken him down, but if there’d been moredon’t know if I would’ve ? No, s’not right Studying Maybe evenconnected soot his attention Jesus Christ, don’t tell ured out how "How do you know that, Toirl?"

"Yeah Jusssa feeling I think there were others, too"

"More Chuckies? Back in the trees?"