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"It was the dead who gave us the idea," said White Bear "’Bout a year ago they started ht say"

Nix frowned "Flocking?"

"We call it swar, but yes," said the preacher "It’s one of God’s mysteries"

White Bear nodded "It started down in Mexico and in some of the Nevada towns Masses of the dead who had been standing around doing nothing for years just up andout of some people Bunch of settleets worse Or better, depending on how you see it So, and soon all the others in the area do the sa in the sa to ured out how to steer the swarms"

Benny stiffened "You led a swarht!"

"I did that," admitted Preacher Jack "White Bear’s scouts said that To there, so I sent soather some swarms It onderful, wasn’t it? I counted seven thousand of the face turned dark "And then you burned them"

Uh-oh, said Benny’s inner voice "You, u on a s" Preacher Jack’s eyes were filled with dangerous light

"I didn’t see you"

"That’s because you did not look up"

"Huh?"

"Until the fire reachedchair on top of the way station A grand vieatch the Children of Lazarus corand vieatch the you and this slut and the white-haired witch out of the station I wanted to see the ht "You clai a warrior, and you bla myself when you attack me? I mean … what did we ever do to you?"

White Bear smiled at him with burned lips "See this face? Tom did this when he set fire to Gameland Nearly killed me"

"Tom was--"

"Hush, boy," snapped Preacher Jack His s version of hi "White Bear’s face is his face Warriors have scars, and his scars are between him and Tom That’s not the reason you owe us a blood debt No … the reason you two and To to pay, indeed must pay, is because you tricked the Children of Lazarus--God’s own sacred swar Charlie and his h to flay the flesh from your bones"

"But he--"

White Bear suddenly stepped forward and grabbed a fistful of Benny’s vest and with a flex of his huge biceps lifted hiht into Benny’s face "You killed Charlie I don’t understand it, because Charlie was a powerful reat warrior, but somehow you blindsided him and you killed him You!" He spat full in Benny’s face "You killed my brother"

Benny stared in absolute shock "I--I--"

White Bear swung around and sla rabbed an aret news from town," said White Bear in a deadly whisper, "that uess as involved in that?" He pulled Benny off the wall and slaain The thin laths cracked as Benny’s shoulders and head crunched through the plaster "Both of my brothers are dead because of you and your puke brother and your puke friends My only nephew is dead! Zak Junior is dead Killed by you and this redheaded daughter of Judas!"

With that he flung Benny across the room so that he crashed into the far wall and slid down into a heap Nix tore free of the bounty hunters and ran to hihed and moaned softly Blood trickled from his hairline and left ear

White Bear stood above theht with hatred Worse still was the look on Preacher Jack’s face It was as if his features were lit from within; his eyes burned with fire and an absoluteBenny had ever seen He and Nix huddled together and stared up at the preacher as he stalked across the room and bent over them

"You killed Charlie Matthias and you killed Zachary Matthias," whispered Preacher Jack And then the man whispered four words that made the whole world spin into red lunacy

"You killedWhite Bear had given him

"W-what … ?" he stammered

"Hoould justice survive in the world if I let you go unpunished?" said Preacher Jack icily "Hoould that , anything that would htened and turned away

"Enough," he said "Take them to the pits"

PART FIVE

FUN AND GAMES

Understand death? Sure

That hen the ot you

--STEPHEN KING, ’SALE M’S LOT