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"Did what? The EMPs?" He shook his head "If this was a book or ive you all the answers Tidy everything up, wrap it with a bow We’ll never know, and it doesn’t matter This is like war, Chris When the soldiers co your faround, all you think about is the mission and your buddies, your brothers It’s not political There’s no big picture You don’t agonize over thenarron to the essentials Yeah, some days--the impossible days when no matter how careful you are, someone will die--you wonder what it’s all for But in the end, there are your brothers, your people, and only that You’re not looking to die, but you’ll sacrifice it all for theot stateside?" He paused, wondering if he really wanted to adht that, hell, in a fewhe said noould oing back Deserting Had it all an but then workcountry, easy to get lost But my best friend, Ji was up when I mentioned the Waucamaw My family was in Maryland; there are plenty of nice places to ca to the UP? I think that’s why Ji: to remind me of my brothers, my people But thenthe world died and it just wasn’t an issue any had happened?"

"I’ll never knoill I? I’d like to think that I would have But then I found"--he sed back the lump--"found my people anyway Found Alex and Ellie For a little while, I got back what I’d lost So, to hell with the rest, Chris How this happened, who did itall I care about, all that ain"

Chris was silent a long moment "It was the whistle, Tom," he said, quietly

"What?" For just a second, he’d been back in the Wauca in with an armload of wood as Alex looked up with a s about?"

"Alex," Chris said, shaking out the dregs before carefully twisting the cup back onto the therh, impossible note that pierced his heart "How do you know?"

Screwing on that cup seeave the whistle to a boy we brought back from Oren I think her idea was that if Alex and you were in Rule, Alex would put it together that Ellie was soet her So if Alex had a whistle at the mine, she must’ve found hers on that boy Too o after Ellie I got here too late, and the rest was just"--Chris tightened the cap--"lousy tiotten back sooner, I h, probably not One way or the other, Jess was bound and detero, and then me, too"

He didn’t knoas supposed to feel "Why are you telling me this?"

Chris’s violent red eyes met his "It’s the end of the world, Tom Rule is done I don’t knoe have a toet clear in your head You found your people, and you never lost them Alex left because she wasn’t sure she could count onhoas back then, she’d have been right But I don’t think she would’ve felt the same way about you, Tom," Chris said "Not then--or ever"

Daas an hour away, more or less, as Chris walked the now empty hospice halls All the ter dead Illuht, the halls were sultry with shadows He slowed as he approached the only occupied rooht floral perfu a moment, he quietly rounded the corner and saw first the woe bedside chair

"Oh I’ to back out "I didn’t know--"

"No, no" Between the soft upholstery and a blanket, his grandfather looked gnoreen es and taut skin over stark ridges of bone "You’re not disturbingthe kids, butsoon," Chris said

"What about you?"

"I’ether" Although Chris had a very bad pre wouldn’t be quite so si "You don’t need my permission"