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‘It only takes a second to kill one,’ says Raffe ‘No reason to pause before skewering him’

There’s a moment of silence as they stare at e of questions, but all they ask is, ‘Can we catch a ride too?’

I glance at Raffe He nods It wouldn’t surprise me if this has now turned into a rescue el host back in our world

‘You don’t really believe her, do you?’ asks Little B

‘You got so better to do than listen to her?’ asks Howler

‘I don’t know if it’ll work,’ I say ‘But if you could help me find hellions and convince them to juether’

‘She’s as crazy as the rest of them,’ says Little B ‘No one has ever escaped the Pit without per the truth,’ says Raffe ‘We cohone of you’

They all look at each other

Raffe nods at me, and I tell them my story I tell them a version of it that I hope is a diplomatic one – one where I don’t ateway and what condition he was in e caot here, everyone is silent

‘If one of us is the gateway,’ says Beliel ‘Then that ht?’

I drop et out of here, he’ll be left behind for however long it takes him to claw and connive his way out of the Pit and onto earth I have no idea how long that will be But it’ll obviously be long enough to kill off all decency in him

41

You’d think since we’re in the natural habitat of hellions, the place would be crawling with the, because we can’t find any I’ve seen more hellions in Palo Alto than here

Black smoke rises on hell’s horizon above one of the city ruins I take a step onto the desert rocks near the sand, wondering how far it is to the nearest city I have a strange urge to see the ruins It ht be an indication of what my world could be like one day

‘Stop!’ one of the Watchers calls out just as I’m about to step onto the sand

A hand whips out of the sand and grabsto yank my foot back I kick the hand, but it pullsfor me

I try to scraetarms wrap around my waist, and a boot kicks the severed hand off

I shut ots off me!’

Raffe brushes the on irl,’ says Raffe with some satisfaction in his voice I openthe severed hand into the sand

A forest of hands sprout up fro for the scraps