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"Uh-oh," he said aloud The sound of his voice didn’t matter now The roar of the fire was immense, the heat like an open furnace

"BENNY!"

He turned and had to squint through the yellow glare to see Nixtouched his shoulder, and Benny screarabbed hih Benny’s shoulder as the fiery fingers ignited the fabric of the carpet coat

Benny shrieked in pain and swung the bokken with all his force The zo pieces and the creature fell away But its hand still clutched the fabric of Benny’s coat Benny kicked and slapped and haers fell away He slapped at the flames on his shoulder The carpet coat was old but not as sun-dried as the rags the zoers of fire, he could feel burns on the skin of his shoulder and upper arm If it hadn’t been for the thick fabric of the coat …

Then another hand grabbed hi the sword to strike, but it was Nix Her face was black from smoke, and her eyes ild

"COME ON!" she screeched, and dragged him away Heat pounded the too hot to breathe

"Where’s Lilah?" he yelled

"I don’t know God--we have to go!"

They ran The zoms were drawn to the massive flames, and as they crowded toward the coht pieces of burning cloth and burning flesh and whipped the new blazes here and there and soon … everywhere As they ran it seeht fire

FROM NIX’S JOURNAL

(Benny: If you are reading my journal, STOP This part is private If I find out that you read this, so help me I’ll beat you to death and then when you reaniain)

Dear Future Nix:

I haven’t written for a while I’ve been too busy collecting zombie information I tried to talk to Lilah about this, but she doesn’t understand boys At all Not even a little bit

Benny keeps wanting me to act like we’re a couple And we ARE a couple, but sometimes I just can’t do the lovey-dovey stuff It feels weird I never had a boyfriend before, and even though I’ve liked Benny since--what? Since ere six?--I’et totally wrapped up Not that there’s anyone else We’re out in the Ruin and there really is NO ONE ELSE It’s just that ever since last year it feels like there’s stuff wrapped aroundscared That’s always real And being angry I’ry Benny doesn’t know about that I’ it

It’s really confusing Benny and I are never going back hoe Do I want to be with him because we don’t have a choice or because that was our choice?

You’re reading this in the future You kno it all worked out I don’t

I do like Benny I probably love him, but it’s hard to tell the difference between the crush I’ve had all these years and real love

What does that feel like? Will I ever know?

38

WHEN LOU CHONG WOKE UP THE FIRST TIME, HE THOUGHT HE WAS in hell

When he woke up the second ti he are of was pain The bones of his face ached so deeply that his gums hurt When he tried to move his head, the strainedpain that lanced through him He tried to touch his face, to see how bad he was hurt, but his hands would not move Which hen he felt the pain in his wrists and ankles

"W-what?" he asked Except that he could not speak A thick and noxious rag was tied around his head, a knot of it shoved between his teeth All he could do was groan Like a zo to clear them Vision returned very slowly At first all he saas dirt and sorass At least that helped hiround

And he was bound and gagged Panic was a tre that fluttered inside the walls of his chest He wanted to scream out, to attract attention, to be able to say, reasonably and calize for whatever he must have done to have made someone this mad at him Had Captain Strunk thrown hiie broken sos froht thes at the old Pettit place?

Pain rolled up and down hi He could not believe that he was capable of hurting in so runt of less noise

"Well, well," said a voice "Look who’s awake" A booted foot stepped down inches fro to have to quiet you" The ely fa’s head hurt too ical sense of it

He tried to crane his neck to look up, but he couldn’twas tied in some way to whatever had been used to bind his ankles and wrists

"Please …" It was just noise, but theto say so, little man?"

There was a flash of silver and then the pressure of cold steel against his cheek … and then the ends of the gag dropped away, the tough cloth parting like gossah thehed and spat to force the dirty rag out of his mouth The corners of his mouth felt stretched, his cheeks were raw and abraded His arled around, trying to work free of theht

"Don’t worry, littlestarted to look up, but the man stepped so close that the sour stink of his boot leather filled Chong’s eyes and nose

He tried to speak, but his throat was dry as paste "W-why?" he croaked "Who are you?"

The ain It was a friendly sound, totally at odds as happening And it was ly familiar It almost sounded like …