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The leader ja people at DIA! Don’t you idiots know that?" he shouted "They’re sorting theo down They don’t want any witnesses!"

I looked at Niko

Sahalia was behind us

"He’s crazy," she said "He’s paranoid"

Three other cadets had coht be crazy," I pointed out "But what about the rest of theues None of theuess the rest of theirl?" I wondered aloud

Then there was a bang and the little kids were screa in one of the back s He’d hacked it doith so in the door

Niko got up and grabbed his backpack, which I know had the gun in it

But before he could get the gun out, the cadet got the door open and they were inside

"Jesus H!" the leader shouted "This bus is stocked!"

He let out a crazy, happy whoop and picked Sahalia up and kissed her on the mouth She squirmed away as Niko shouted, "Get your hands off her!"

The leader smacked Niko across the face

Niko’sit off his face

"Stop it!" I screao and turned on rabbedI want to know and I’ll let your driver keep his gas h the air mask Sahalia was on the floor in the aisle She started pulling Josie out of the aisle, away fro up the steps now They were high-fiving one another, happy about their conquest

"First off, what’s with hi at Josie

"Hiht Josie was a boy--okay, I would go with that "He’s type O and we had to--"

"And that guy?" he cut ot shot," I said "We’re taking him to the airport to find a doctor"

"Jesus Christ!" he yelled and I saw his cadets ju people at the airport They’re out to get us all Brayden here is dead He’s as good as dead"

Was that true? I didn’t think so This guy was clearly crazy

Sahalia started to sob I do not knohy she did that It drew the leader’s notice

"Aw, did you have a little so for Brayden? Don’t cry, baby Payton atch out for you"

He put his hand down and touched her on her face

"I’ll take good care of you, honey You can be et forward so he could, I don’t know, juuy, but the cadets near the door stopped hiet skunked?" Payton demanded

"Skunked?"

He rolled his eyes

"The white fuzz It grows on rubber Eats the tires Where’d you get the bus?"

"We were locked inside a store with the bus," I said "We sealed in the air, so it wasn’t exposed--"

"So you left a big sealed-in store, filled with food and water, to try to get Brayden here to Denver?"

"Yeah" I shrugged

"And how long you been on the road?"

"What do you mean?"

"How many hours you been on the road? After twenty-four hours, tires start to skunk"

"We left the store around 10 aot so back to ht Niko’s eye and he shook his head just a bit

"The King Soopers," I lied

"Which one?"

"In Castle Rock"

"Which Effin’ One?"

"The one … the one…"

"You’re a LIAR!" he shouted

Then he ripped me across the face I don’t think it would have cut

It felt like fire acrossdown my neck

Batiste shouted it out: "We came from the Greenway in Monument," he yelled "The Greenway in Monuhed "Now that I believe!" He s to Monu to die if we don’t get to Denver!"

Payton pulled her to hiet hi and scared She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed his filthy cheek

I was afraid he’d grab her and kiss her hard Or worse