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The kids ca for their parents’ trucks and SUVs, and Van thought and prayed they hadn’t lost a single child
They had lost four or five adults, however, and he didn’t knoho, other than Tank Tankredo and Jenny Vinnerling They didn’t have time to take a census as people exited, so Van shouted to Turner and Doogie to get their faive a ride to anybody who needed one Van was a singleSuburban could carry a crowd
As it turned out, To to save Jenny, so the three Vinnerling children were the only people Van needed to accoht, Janene ten, and Nick fourteen
The younger kids were in tears, but Nick’s jaas tight with anger and hisHe wanted to drive his brother and sister away in his parents’ Mountaineer
As the tires of departing vehicles squealed across the blacktop, Van Colpert kept one eye on the front door when he said, "I know you could drive if you had to, Nick, I suspect you could do anything you had to, but there’s nobody home now for you and Cubbie and Janene We don’t knohat’s happening, what’s next, this is so to stay with ether froht way"
The boy was in shock, in grief, but he had never been a bad kid, strong-willed but never willful He relented at once and helped his siblings into the backseat of the Suburban He sat in the front with Van
As they drove onto the highway, close behind the last of the departing vehicles, Nick showed Van a 9mm Beretta that he had snatched off the floor in the roadhouse "I’ it"
"You kno to use it?" Van asked
"I’ve been target shooting since I elve"
"Target’s different than shooting for real"
"It would have to be," Nick said, which was just the right answer, as far as Van was concerned
In the backseat, the two children were sobbing
The sound of them tore at Van, the sound of the to restore their lives to them All he could hope to do was help thes?" Nick asked
"So to see theain, aren’t we?"
"I’d bet on it" Van passed his cell phone to the boy "Call the police, 911"
He wasn’t all that surprised when Nick tried to place the call and then said, "There’s no 911 service"
With a first-time-ever lack of respect for speed limits, Dolly Samples drove while she, her husband, Hank, and her sons, Whit and Farley, worked out ould do hen they arrived home
Loreen Rudolph, her husband, Nelson, and their kids would bein with the Samples family for the duration because their house had soenerally more defensible than the Rudolph place Loreen and Nelson would be bringing a lot of canned food and bagged staples, tools, aoods that would be necessary to fortify and defend the Saht," Dolly said, "and we have to hold fast to theirto be some hard times ahead, too, you better believe it"
"Well, ays knew soured it would be the Chinese or the Russians or soht outer-space aliens, but if that’s what it’s to be, so be it"
"I wish I’d have thought to grab ot out of there," Dolly said
"It’s just a dish," Hank said
"Well, it’s not just a dish It was ured to pass it along to ot married"
"I’ot what dish it was you took tonight If we get through this with all of our fingers and toes, I’ll go back and retrieve it for you one day"
"You’re a thoughtfulall those kids gathered together in all that turood woman, Doll"
"We sure love you, Mom," Farley said from the backseat, and Whit echoed that sentih this," Dolly said "Love and the Good Lord and the backbone to protect our own And pu to bake a couple toht"
Chapter 72
In their roo suitcases that contained their Urban Sniper pistol-grip shotguns, which fired only slugs, not buckshot These weapons were essential at the end in New Orleans and would probably againThe kick was the un with the stock high, but instead from a forward-side position, so she didn’t have to worry about dislocating her shoulder They loaded the Snipers and put them on the bed with boxes of spare shells
Five-year-old Chrissy Benedetto sat in an arrape soda that Michael had bought fro machine She hadn’t seen Carson kill the not-mommy, and in spite of her nasty teddy-bear experience, she seemed only mildly unsettled by recent events
"When will et uns
"Soon," Carson said, because she had no idea how to tell a girl this young that herso s so she could not draw deep breaths
The girl said, "She’s going to be very mad at the stupid pretend mommy"
"Yes, she will," Michael said "And she should be"
"Where’d that stupid pretendto find out," Michael said, "and we’re going to send her back there and lock her away so she can never corape"
"I made it myself," Michael said
"Oh, you did not"
"Show irl held the bottle so he could see the label
"You’re right," he said "Carson here rape, Carson"
Carson said nothing because she was afraid her voice would break She couldn’t stop thinking about Denise Benedetto with the silver disc on her te from it and from her nose Me isn’t me Tell my baby
"Who’re you people?" Chrissy asked
"We’re friends of your et you"
"Where is she?"
"She’s in the city, buying you new teddy bears"
"What city?"
"The big city," Michael said "The biggest big city, where they have the most teddy bears to choose from"
"Wow," said Chrissy "I wish she was here"
"She will be soon," Michael said
Carson said, "I have to get some fresh air Just athe promenade, put her back to the motel wall, and wept quietly
After a ht Michael had come to comfort her, but it was Deucalion
He said, "This is new for you"
"There’s a little girl with us now I’ to be the only one in this town"
"What’s softened you?"