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That seeuard, and she turned sharply to Benny "Is he telling the truth?"

"I … think so," Benny said quietly "What’s he got to lose? If we die, then Preacher Jack proves to the crowd that we’re sinners If we o, Preacher Jack and White Bear prove that their word is good Either way they win"

Nix chewed her lip He stepped closer and touched her cheek

"Hey … are you okay? No, wait--that is the stupidest question ever asked What I mean is--"

Nix blinked and s and s, and in a tiny whisper filled with enormous emotion said, "I don’t want to die down here, Benny"

"Hey!" yelled White Bear "When you two lovebirds are done ood esture at exactly the sahed out loud, and the audience applauded

Before Benny released Nix he whispered, "We can do this Find the bell, get out"

"Warrior sreed

"Hey!" yelled Nix "Aren’t we supposed to have weapons or soe "The Children of Lazarus carry no weapons, and yet they strike with the power of the righteous Hoould it be fair to ar to face two zoht and age as us?"

The smile on Preacher Jack’s face was truly vile It was filled with everything polluted and corrupt and unnatural that could show through s blue eyes

"Prayer and true repentance are your true weapons," he said

He stepped back, and other faces began filling the edge of the pit Torches were placed in stands ht turned the maze into a dirabbed Benny’s ars ures shuffled toward therydead

73

CHONG STOOD IN THE SHADOWS AND WATCHED TOM IMURA WALK UP onto the hotel porch There were two guards there, both of theuns They stiffened as Toestured for hiao around--"

Those were his last words Chong never saw Toht steel that seemed to whip one way and then the other, and suddenly bothaway from Tom Blood painted the wall and door of the old hotel

It was the fastest thing Chong had ever witnessed, and on a deep gut level he knew that it was necessary, but it was also wrong These ht in zombie pits, and yet their lives had ended in the blink of an eye They were discarded Tom used chiburi--a kenjutsu wrist-flick technique that whipped all the blood off his sword blade The sword gleamed as if it had not just been used to take two hu crept up the porch steps He looked sad "Sorry you had to see this, Chong"

"Me too," said Chong sadly "Guess we had no choice"

"Not if ant to save Benny and Nix"

"This is war," said Chong "And these people are ’s uninjured shoulder "Listen to ets, kiddo, never forget that There areHe absently touched the bite on his other shoulder "Aren’t you going to quiet theet Let thes I’ll take care of theht noe have to find Benny, Nix, and Lilah"

Chong said, "I hope she’s okay" He are that he’d said "she" rather than "thes didn’t work out with you two," Tom said "For what’s it worth … she couldn’t do any better"

Chong didn’t reply

Tom quietly opened the front door and stepped inside And stopped dead His eyes ide, and when Chong followed him in, he also stared On one side of the room, weapons, a; on the other were hundreds of s on a nail driven into the wall Suard

"What is all this?" asked Chong in a hushed voice

To Then he touched the barrel of one of the new rifles "Probably scavenged apointed to the older weapons "And these?"

"They probably collect firearms from everyone who comes to Ga each other over bets" He bent and read several of the s?"

To"

"Lucille Flax" Chong looked up, confused "I don’t understand Mrs Flax is un here with Adrian Flax’s na, "are you trying to say that they’re here? That my math teacher and her husband come to Gameland?"

"How else would you read it?"

"It doesn’t ular people…Mrs Flax doesn’t co … no matter how often you see someone, you can’t ever say that you really know them Everyone has secrets, everyone has parts of themselves that they hide from the world"

"But … Mrs Flax? She’s so … ordinary"

"Well, kiddo, it’s not like people walk around with signs saying, ‘Hey, I’ his head "And I was running home to people like that?"

"Reood people than bad Even so … you always have to pay attention"

Chong sighed "I guess this shouldn’t hitaround Charlie and the Haht they were--"