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"Because they’re starving" A tiny girl to begin with, Sarah had shriveled At her right hip, a holstered Sig P225 jutted like a black knucklebone Greg wondered if she even kne to fire the thing She turned Greg a hollow stare "You can only live on watered-down oatmeal, corn syrup, peanut butter, and the occasional acorn for so long We’ve already lost seven kids Another feeeks, they’re going to start really dropping like the old people"

"Without their pills, those old guys were going to kick anyway," Pru said "Nothing Kincaid can do about that either Get pneu trouble"

"We’re already in deep trouble" Sarah spooled a listless curl around a finger "Why do you think they et a little ht as well paint a bull’s-eye on our backs"

"Sarah’s right," Tori said "Wasn’t it just yesterday that oldwas going to shit his pants"

"The guy was just scared" Greg still thought they could’ve talked the old er Mini-14 put the period to that conversation In a bedrooe of three scrawny parakeets The sightback, and it’s worse since the rationing They’re killing horses, they’re shooting dogs" Sarah ruffled the shepherd’s ears "Jet and Ghost are still alive because they guard the kids, and Daisy’s yours, Greg But they’ll come for them, too, eventually"

"Then people, I bet" Pru’s expression darkened "Start off with the real old guys on’t last et real," Greg said "This isn’t Lord of the Flies The Council would never allow it"

"Oh, like they’re so relevant" Pru gave an exaggerated eye-roll "The only reason they’ve held on this long is because everyone was fed, and the village was real tight before everything went to hell They had Peter, their h to survive but Spared anyway--and his grandpa’s on the Council Then, here coer’s grandson A total God thing, and everyone caled, killed them all People were fed; they felt safer Reer would bless us and spout all that crap about holyin, it’s all falling apart"

"Then we have to get out before we all starve, or get traded for food or soirls around as a reward The way soh Tori’s eyes, but when she said nothing, Greg looked back at Sarah "He’s one of your guards"

"Yeah, and I sleep so , but you can hear the wheels turning If he could figure a way"

"I’ll get hi the saely toneless "I never used to worry When Peter and Chris were in charge, they were like this indestructible tea, we can’t count on the adults anymore We need to take care of ourselves So, either we take over or we leave"

Greg threw up his hands "And go where? East is out Lot of cities, lot of people, a ton of Changed That’s why Peter and Chris didn’t want us patrolling out that way South is no good either Once beyond thereal crowded"

"If there’s anyone left" Tori wrinkled her nose "I don’t like south anyway That earthquake teeks ago? From the cave-in? That was pretty weird"

If a cave-in’s all it was A finger of unease dragged over Greg’s neck Subsurface vibrations hat one of the real old-tiet spontaneous coold second, and the rock’s inert For that h explosives, and a lot of theh explosives, and why do it at all?

Aloud, he said, "So that leaves west Wisconsin, Minnesota"

"Wyoo north, maybe even into Canada"

"Oren is north," Sarah said "Chris and Lena went north"

There was a silence "They went east," Greg said

"Greg, Chris knew east was dangerous, and he’s been to Oren So if he’s alive"

"Big if," Greg said

"Yeah, and I’ll bet he’d be real glad to see us, too, seeing as how he’s come back to rescue us and all," Pru added sourly

"Nosaid "We’d need wagons, food, ammo, horses All stuff we don’t have"