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black on that gelding--would be virtually invisible Instead, he trained

his binoculars beyond, sweeping the distant knolls and flatlands "Maybe he gets into their heads" Chris’s ragged voice was hushed

"You said he has to be giving the because of their eyes

What if they can hear his thoughts?"

"I can sort of buy that with the altered ones" To to unravel and gray, and he shifted

his gaze slightly off-center the way he alaxy God, please, make them be there "But that doesn’t explain

the others" He stopped as he spied an orange flicker in the middle

distance "Got ’em West, near the tree line There’s a streaood now That’s where I

would put my camp" He looked over at Chris "Good a tiuys They can be there pretty fast" Nodding, Chris tugged out his radio just as Jarvis said, "To off from the main body?"

"Yeah, I do" Fourpast the

advance line of Changed Still too di a very bad vibe

"What," Jarvis asked, "are they doing?"

109

Over the past few eance, knocking the breath fros From its deep cave, the monster seethed the way a wor out of time Her aunt always said that tiht her more people to care about, and lose The sobs she kept sing back tried cli Maybe shoot someone Stop, Alex You are no different froht be in Rule, too You have to help the for hi down frofield to Luke Without a rifle scabbard, the uard’s pistol, a blued Colt Gold Cup 45, into the sazine for both weapons into her cargo pants She felt aof unease that she didn’t have time to search for a Glock, then pushed that aside The Colt would do just as e Just re a Glock felt like a bad oons, you have plenty of food and firepower"

"For a fight?" Luke said, his voice tight "If it co on fast In the first wash of silver spreading over the eastern horizon, there was enough light to see how pinched and white Luke’s face was "It doesn’t have to Take the tents, a couple wagons, and get out of here"

"Alex, there are thirty of us We’ll be easy to follow, easy to catch again"

There was no sugarcoating this "You’d rather wait for Finn?"

"But why can’t you stay?" Cindi’s glasses blazed with reflected firelight "They’re Chuckies What do you care? We’re normal We need you more Tom would never leave We’re supposed to believe that there are good Chuckies? And Peter, so he’s only half a Chucky--so what? Why are you taking his side?"

"Whoa," Luke said "Cindi, calm down"

"What if I don’t want to be cal terrorists! Just because Wolf didn’t kill you, Alex, doesn’t "

"And you ht," Alex said "But Peter is a friend I have other friends in Rule Wolf saved , and I have to deal with it right now I have to go to Rule and try to do so to die, including kids like you If I can take Finn by surprise, if I can stop or kill hi froain Everyone wins" She paused "Pretty much"

"And what about all those other Chuckies?" Cindi asked

"They’re at least four miles away Most are on foot Plenty of time"

"Well, the white Chuckies have horses," Jasper said, and then, as if in afterthought: "Of course, if you kill Finn, the network kind of falls apart and they rade for sure"

"What? What do you--," Alex began, but then Cindi interrupted, "So we keep running is what you’re saying" The younger girl’s lips were quivering now "You’re just leaving us"

of impatience "Oh, for God’s sake, yes, you run You’re not three years old Step up to take care of yourselves, because, right now, there’s no one else Even if I stayed, I aot" She bit back the possible words--cancer, a monster--before any could jump out of herher eyes, she took a steadying breath, then looked down at the teary-eyed girl "I’m sorry, Cindi Maybe To It makes us different I wish" She pushed back the sudden choke "I wish he was alive so we could argue about it But don’t think this is easy, or that I’le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>