Page 11 (1/2)

Robbie was grisly, with the blood, but the sheet we’d thrown on him stuck to his face, so at least I didn’t have to look at hiot them wrapped up and I laid the theet so and cover the bodies, so the kids wouldn’t see them if they came into the storeroo dead Dead men, to be specific

That’s when I felt the hit

There was a sound, like a big THUNK, but rabbed a chainsaw and rushed back into the store

"Dean?" I heard Astrid shout

"I’m back here!" I yelled

THUNK

The iain I was close to it

I scanned around withthat noise

THUNK And now a heavy chunking noise--the sound of cinder blocks caving in

I scanned the wall, running fro from the corner of the store near the storerooh!"

I saw Astrid’s light co toward me

Then I saw the attack site The ce in at the floor Then they s had crashed through the wall

"It’s a tractor or so to get in!" Astrid screamed

Behind Astrid, Chloe and the twins appeared with Luna at their heels, barking her head off

"Go back to the Train!" I yelled at them

"You always say that!" Chloe shouted back

More bricks crashed inside

There was an opening ht

"Get back!" I shouted

I pulled the starter on my chainsaw and it roared to life

"Dean," Astrid yelled "Dean! We need our her this tier Blocks rolled inward, toward us

Astrid pulled the kids away from the site

"GET TO THE TRAIN! LOCK YOURSELVES IN, OR YOU’RE DEAD!" she hollered, dragging them back, back, back

"Come on, Chloe!" Henry shouted, and the twins hauled Chloe off toward the train

Astrid took off toward the front gate Going for masks,

Who was trying to get in?

I would kill hi to wreck our store?

I would kill him

More cement blocks fell

And I saw the front of the machine It wasn’t a tractor, it was a palette lifter

My chainsaw roared and vibrated, shaking my arm

I loved that chainsaw It felt like a natural extension of my body

And so I stepped over the rubble, on top of it, and ducked through, into the black world

I was out and I was about to kill someone and I had never felt so alive or so full of blood or so bone-deep fantastic in allher head off

"Dean!" I heard Astrid call, her voice muffled "Dean, careful!"

But I didn’t need to be "careful" No "Kind" and "considerate" were all in th that puny mind could never wield

I pushed Dean, the whole personality, right out of s of the loader as it ca but he was too slow Way too slow

He pulled out a pistol and ai, slicing, I pulled hih

Neckarh torsobellyhip Done

Then ed in thelouder and louder It wanted

Voices

A boy and a girl

So like, Jake? Jake! I ca but I was too late Help ht, Two to kill Two to kill

ButIt was jaet it out

I could kill theh

I ROARED and turned

And then I was felled

Jake

He had hit

A ceround There was blood in ht

But then there was rope and he was tying ainst the ropes as hard as I could, bucking and fighting The rope cut into e,s bound behind ed

I would kill him Jake was a dead man

Then white-sneakered feet caas mask came into view

It was Astrid