Page 5 (1/2)
"People do go to the Red Zone, Benny They go there to post erosion portraits for the bounty hunters"
"Oh, yeah? Well, I know for a fact that most people pay kids to post the portraits for them How do I know? Because I’ve put up about a hundred of them"
"You--?"
"Zombie Cards don’t buy themselves, Tom And when people ask kids to put the pictures up, they don’t even say what they are Iat an erosion portrait, and no one ever mentions the word ‘zo this for me?’ They never say where They know that we know, but they can’t actually co weird, man"
"People are scared, Benny They’re in denial You’re only fifteen, so you and your friends don’t really understand what it was like during First Night"
"No joke, Mr Wizard That’s uess … people probably want to shelter you fro at Toht wake him up "How the heck can anyone shelter us? We live behind fences, surrounded by the Rot and Ruin Maybe you’ve heard of it? Big place, used to be called America? Filled with zoms? It’s not fair that people don’t tell us the truth"
"Benny, I--"
"It’s our world too," Benny snapped His words hit Tom like a slap Then into the silence Benny dropped another bo to Charlie if he’s the only one who thinks we ought to know truth"
To time as different emotions flowed like water over his face Finally he threw the last of his coffee into the bushes beside the porch, and stood up
"Tell you what, Benny … To to start early and head out into the Rot and Ruin We’ll go deep, like Charlie does I want you to see firsthand what he does and what I do, and then you can make your own decisions"
"Decisions about what?"
"About a lot of things, kiddo"
And with that Tom went inside and to bed
6
TOM AND BENNY LEFT AT DAWN AND HEADED DOWN TO THE southeastern gate The gatekeeper had Toatekeeping staff of all liability if anything untoward happened once they crossed into the Ruin A vendor sold Tom a dozen bottles of cadaverine, which they sprinkled on their clothing, and a jar of pepperoo that they dabbed on their upper lips, to kill their own sense of s stops them," said Tom "But this slows the Even drives so rooh a crowd of the," Benny said under his breath
They were dressed for a long hike To shoes, jeans, a durable shirt, and a hat to keep the sun fro his brains
"If it’s not already too late," To
Despite the heat, Toht jacket with lots of pockets He had an old ared into a worn leather holster Benny wasn’t allowed to have a gun yet
"Eventually," Toun safety in school," Benny protested
"You didn’t learn it fro Tom strapped on was a sword Benny watched with interest as Toonally across his body, fro above his shoulder so that he could reach up and over for a fast right-handed draw
The sas a katana, a Japanese long sword that Benny had seen To as he could re about his brother that Benny thought was cool Benny’s mom, as Tom’s adopted mother, was Irish, but their father had been Japanese Tom once told Benny that the Imura family went all the way back to the samurai days of ancient Japan He showed Benny picture books of fierce-looking Japanese men in armor Samurai warriors
"Are you a samurai?" Benny had asked when he was nine
"There are no saht that Tom had a funny look on his face when he said that Like maybe there was ht then When Benny brought the subject up a couple of times since, the ansas always the saood with the sword He could draw fast as lightning, and Benny had seen hi He threw a handful of grapes into the air, then drew his sword and cut five of therass The blade was a blur Later, after Torapes Tom had thrown six into the air He’d only missed one That eet
Of course, Benny would sooner eat broken glass than tell To that?" he asked as Tom adjusted the lay of the strap
"It’s quiet," Tom said
Benny understood that Noise attracted zo closer Benny didn’t think that was a very sed
"Then why bring the gun?" Benny persisted
"’Cause sometimes quiet doesn’t matter" Tom patted his pockets to do a quick inventory tohe needed "Okay," he said, "let’s go We’re burning daylight"
To on drums six hundred yards north, and as soon as that dreay the wandering zoreat Rot and Ruin and headed for the tree line
Chong waved to them from the corner tower
"We need to move fast for the first half -trot that was fast enough to get theh for Benny to ered after theain, and the zo on to more than one reaction at a time, turned back toward the noise The Imura brothers vanished into the shadows under the trees
When they finally slowed to a walk, Benny eating It was a hot start to ould be a scorcher of a day The air was thick with mosquitoes and flies, and the trees were alive with the sound of chattering birds Far above the followed," Tom said
"Who said ere?"
"Well … ever since we left you keep looking back toward the fence line"
"No, I don’t"
"Or are you looking to see if any of your friends ca, I irl?"
Benny stared at hi to tellfor Nix Riley?"
"A world of no"
"How come I found a sheet of paper with her name written on it ie’s"
"It was your handwriting"
"Then I guess I was practicing my pen for Nix Let it go"
Toht his smile He cursed under his breath for the next ?" Benny asked
"Far But don’t worry, there are way stations where we can crash if we don’t ht"