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Two figures trotted out next The first to pull together was Luke, weighted doith rifles "Luke!" Cindi started forward, relief singing in her veins She’d had visions of Luke with his throat torn out and blood splashed over his chest "What’s--" She skidded to a stop as a second person caetup, with an Uzi in her hands and a bolt-action rifle over her shoulder

Hey, haven’t I seen her somewhere before? "Who are you?" she asked

"My nauys? How come you’re with Finn?"

At that, all four of them--Cindi, Luke, Jasper, and Chad--looked at one another before turning to the girl Cindi opened her mouth, but Luke beat her to it "Alex?" Luke said "Toirl halted inover her face "Youyou know Tom?" One hand went to her throat "You’ve seen Tom? You’ve seen him?"

"Sure, we all did," Jasper said, and Cindi could have strangled the stupid kid "Toreen eyes went suddenly glittery and wet "Was?"

"Yes" Luke tossed Cindi an unhappy glance before turning back She knew just how he felt

"I’m sorry, Alex," Luke said, helplessly "But Tom’s dead"

108

"I don’t see the their horses down the shirill of hardwood and evergreen to the lookout that perched southeast on a broad basalt plateau a hundred yards up fro in the lookout’s cab soround, he lowered his binoculars Overhead, the brightest stars shone froed the horizon To his right, clouds sreen basketball of a moon balanced on the rie swatches of bare ground, they no longer had the advantage of reflected ht Shadoavered over this southern approach Bad luck for theht soon It’s the damn clouds Glass it south and wait for it," Jarvis said "They’re already over the rise Can’t ot weaponsThere Dead ahead You see them?"

"Yeah" The shadows rolled aside as if soh his binoculars, To that re over a checked tablecloth With the fitful light, it was i about here, but he guessed there ed The sizes see ni on fast, spilling down the hill At that pace, they’d be here in less than thirty s of sun

S atThe light would work to To Finn’s h Ten, fifteenat Toht elbow "Top of the hill? See those horses?"

"I see the

over the crest He’d known some would ride: Mellie, Finn, a few of

Finn’s leaed I told you about"

"The ones in white? On horseback?" Jarvis sounded startled "I

know horses don’t react quite as bad, butmy Godthere have

to be at least twenty or thirty of the the charge?"

Chris asked "Wouldn’t you want your best guys on point?" "Well, not if you want theol hordes" Toht

and left, broader in the chest and clad in what looked like soft gray

and white winter cae From the occasional wink of ht be carrying

bulkier runts take

the bullets"

"Our grandkids as cannon fodder" Jarvis was silent a moment

"Spooky, the way they move, how quiet they are" Another brief

silence "How’s he controlling the to pick up Finn and

failing Until sunrise or the riders were closer, Finn--probably all in