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Her grandson glanced momentarily at the trash can on the corner beside the a mental note to keep her wheelchair a little farther away froun to wilt, but that was fine Doris kneas the way of all things, and each falling petal was a gentle reminder that soon--maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe next year--her time would come too The tunnel would open for her, and she would ht with a

Chapter 24 It's a Dog's Life

Nick could tell there was so should have had Afterlights, but there was not a single one to be found They did find an abandoned Afterlight den--a crossed factory, filled with evidence of Afterlight activity, but not one soul reot where they were going," Johnnie-O suggested

"Or maybe they were captured by Mary," Charlie said

"Or maybe sumpin' worse," said Zin--and by Kudzu's reaction, everyone suspected shewasn't exactly a bloodhound, but his senses were ot close to the factory, Kudzu began to back off and howl He wouldn't get near the place

There was definitely a strange feeling in the air--the residue of some bitter circumstance It called for a visit from the Sniffer

The Sniffer was a kid they picked up in Chattanooga, whose sense of ss that didn't actually have an odor Like the scent of so lampshade) or the aroht think he'd have a monumentally distorted nose, and yet he didn't It was a dainty little upturned thing

"It's not the size of your nose that matters," the Sniffer often said, "it's how deep your nasal cavity goes," and this kid was nasal cavity all the way down to his toes In fact, when he sneezed, he could splatter an entire roo ht hio through the door--but at least he was able to tell them why

"I smell misery," he said "The place reeks of it" Then he pointed southwest, roughly in the direction of Memphis "That's the direction the misery went"

"Just our luck," said Zin, still trying to cal

"Whatever it was," Nick said, "let's hope we don't run into it on the way"

And whatever it was, it was apparently strong enough to scare the Sniffer off He deserted Nick's ar no desire to follow the misery to Memphis

Zin just wanted to leave Nashville Kudzu's reaction spooked her, and the sooner they were on their way, the better The Ogre, however, had his own agenda They lingered in the city He said it was because they were still looking for stray Afterlights, but that was a lie They stayed because the Ogre had another secret task for Zin This was the big one, and looking back, Zin realized this was the task he had been leading up to all along

They were back at the train, and Zin couldn't find Kudzu It wasn't unusual for hi a bit of so that reeked of bad intentions

She finally found Kudzu in the parlor car--the Chocolate Ogre's private retreat The dog was licking chocolate frore's hand

"Kudzu! Co reluctantly turned and strolled over to its ood core said

"The best," answered Zin

"I know you really care about hiuess I can understand why you did what you did Ripping him from an abusive owner, and all"

Zin knelt down and scratched Kudzu's neck "Had to do it I saved him from a fate worse than death"

"Maybe you didbut that doesn't change the fact that you ripped a living thing out of the living world"

She looked up at the Ogre, who sat in his stained chair Was it her iination, or was there more of the brown stuff on hi, Zin, because it's important" He leaned forward "When you ripped Kudzu, did you just rip his spirit, or did you rip the whole dog into Everlost?"

"I guess I ripped everything, sir," Zin said "I y spirit out of his body or nothin'; I grabbed him, pulled him into Everlost, and there he was It's not like there was a dead dog left behind when I ripped him here--I ripped hi a tu purred like a kitten "He didn't sleep for nine months, neither, on accounta he never officially died"

"So " said the Ogre, "somehow, he was flesh until you pulled hiht--he's an Afterlight just like any of us He don't grow old, he don't get sick, he don't change, and he got the glow"

"Still, by taking hi"

Zin didn't like the direction this conversation was going "Noelse I done," she said defensively "No worse than any of the things you made me to do," and then she added "sir," a little snidely

"It is worse, and I think you know that"

"Well, that there's water under the bridge Nuthin' I can do about that now"

And the Ogre quietly said, "Yes, there is"

Zin didn't want to hear this "C'o"