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But this was different It’s like that night Spider killed Jack, when I got yanked behind her eyes Like when Leopard wanted o, when Acne tried to kill her This was bloodlust, a killing frenzy There was so in with clawed hands, dragging it along and into

into a o--in a body she doesn’t recognize--push-push-push--and isn’t sure belongs to a girl Go-go, push-push, she/he/it is o: a red storh trees, pushpushpush, a swirl she/he/it sees through ht flashes of sun dazzle shining through breaks in the forest That portion of the forest curves, following a broad swath, ri a bowl of unbroken snow Behind, not very far, there is the pushpushgogo And there is another, al: GOGOGO, LET ME--

Very far ahead, there are six o--and then what she sees and where she is collapses There is another shiain to slip behind the eyes of so after three others One has a head of wild, untaht scent And there is a third, but heit?is hard to read; there is nothing to roll around the opushpushPUSH--

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Chris felt his mind try to push back, run away But he could only stare, frozen Petrified Lena was skeletal, all sharp angles and tented skin Sunken in their sockets, her dull eyes were sed with hollows the color of old coffee Except for the scarf, her clothes were torn, filthy Matted with forest rubbish, her thick hair was a tangle of dead leaves and broken twigs

"Lena" Her naled choke His heart suddenly kick-started in a chest that felt too narrow, his lungs squeezed between iron walls "Wh-whereH-how"

She said nothing, and for a split second, he thought, She’s not real This is a trick You feel guilty, that’s--

Then his eyes--the only working parts of hireen scarf Oh God His head ballooned with horror The last tiht we stayed in that school, when the Changed came Chris had stolen Lena’s scarf and deliberately placed it in a pile of bodies Because I wasn’t sure as happening to her He remeed, wrapped Lena’s scarf around his neck But now Lena had her scarf and that meant

"W-ait" He tried to step back, but his feet wouldn’t budge "L-Lena"

With no sound at all, she ca, he scra to the floor hard enough to rattle the s Gasping, he sprawled on his back His chest was drenched; his hair clung to his scalp

"Relax, it was a drea He armed clammy sweat from his forehead "Just a dreahthtstand clock Only five minutes had passed Except for the clock, the house was dead quiet

Dozed off Pushing to a sit, he propped hi about you, Lena?" he whispered This was going to eat hi, he rolled to hands and knees, then got a leg under, pushed to his feet, and staggered to the southThe frozen pond was a golden oval A long rectangle of blue-black shadow cast by the house stretched toward the far barn The corral was e

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Chris Take a chance like you did with Alex Stop hiding," he said to the rooht years old anymore Tell Hannah or Isaac about Lena and Alex, but tell someone Just do it If they understand, they understand If they don’t" Well, they wouldn’t kill him to protect themselves, would they? His forehead crinkled with sudden disquiet No, that was crazy Would he, if the situations were reversed?

"No," he said He’d give a person like him some supplies, then blindfold and lead hiht direction, and wish him luck If Hannah and Jayden were sive hi all they’d built

ht They’d ot, he should leave There was nothingchildren either If that was Jess’s plan, then she was insane These were only kids, trying to survive He couldn’t force them to come back, wouldn’t even ask

As for the rest--all those secrets--okay, now he knew Yay And so what? The only unanswered question hether the people in Rule suspected what Peter and the Council were up to and just kept theirback to dismantle the Zone, take on the Council?