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To his head He reached over his shoulder and slowly drew his sword All around the arena the guards, already alert, raised their weapons, edged forward, and pointed guns at Tohtened his arm and pointed the tip of his sword at Preacher Jack and White Bear Firelight gleae "Hear"You’ve spoken your piece and you’ve laid your curse, Matthias Now hear mine Not a curse … but a promise I speak to everyone here, so listen to what I have to say" He paused and surveyed the crowd "Walk away," he said "Lay down your weapons, throay your betting slips, and walk away Gameland is closed Walk away"

White Bear stared at him "Says who?"

"Says the law"

"This is the Ruin! There is no law"

To as if Tom was a statue made of steel His eyes were fixed on White Bear "There is now"

Preacher Jack snorted "You have no right You have no power The Matthias clan is the only power in the Ruin … now and forever"

"Walk away," To now to the crowd "Last chance Everyone here gets a pass if you walk away Everyone except Preacher Jack and White Bear To use their words: If you stand with them, you fall with them Walk away"

"You’re a fool and a madman," declared White Bear "You corandstand play" He gestured to one of his guards, a beefyback for the Oilers before First Night "Take that stupid sword away frouard racked the slide on his purinned "Absolutely, boss"

To his index finger like a gun at the approaching guard He raised his thumb as if it was a pistol’s ha crazy, Iuard "You alere"

"Your call" To"

There was a sharp crack and the guard was plucked off the ground and flung backward He landed on his back, gasping, eyes wide, blood pu from a dime-size hole in the center of his chest Toer as if he had really shot the man The crowd sat stunned, unsure how to even react Even Preacher Jack and White Bear were frozen in place

"I warned you," Toone now, his voice suddenly harsh and bitter "You should have listened"

And then the killing began

78

"BENNY!" CALLED NIX SUDDENLY SHE SPOKE IN A WHISPER, BUT IT see"

"What is it?" he said, fu blindly in the dark to try and cross to her side of the tunnel Then he heard her cry out in revulsion at the sa flesh They had worn cadaverine so long that they had becoone and this stink had not come from a bottle "Nix … ?"

She pulled hi hard and round into his hand Benny knew at once what it was A bone He felt around and discovered other bones Bones that had been completely cleaned of flesh, and so

"God!" Benny said, and alainst his ear "It’s heavy… "

He grunted as he got her usted hih bone About eighteen inches long, with bulbed heads at both ends; one end hed it in his hand

There was an awful sound behind the

"Hurry!" Benny said, and they clattered ah bone for him and a pair of stout shinbones for Nix The darkness was filled with moans and the shuffle of slow feet Ti," Benny said

Nix jabbed hiive et out of this"

Even though she couldn’t see it, Benny grinned in the dark Crazy, brave, unpredictable, wonderful Nix Riley He loved her so e, hoop as he raised his grisly weapons and charged down the tunnel tocry and followed hiuards bellowed in fury and raced toward Tounfire erupted frouards went down in a bloody tangle Hector Mexico leaned out of a second-floorand lobbed a pair of fragrenades into the stands The crowd started to scatter, but some were too slow The explosions were enoruards over by the tent, and immediately the screa dead as dozens of zoms swarmed over the even as the dead shambled out into the arena; then they saw the twoat the cloth strips that held the zo as they worked

Then the back doors of the hotel burst open, and Solomon Jones led the team of free and unaffiliated bounty hunters out into the fray Magic Mike, LaDonna Willis and her twin sons, Vegas Pete, the hulking Fluffy McTeague in his pink carpet coat, Basher with his baseball bats, and all the rest