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“Mostly just bottled water, and a couple bottles of vodka,” Blue said “How about you?”

“Cherries, olives, water,” I shrugged “It wasn’t that great, but we can always use the water”

“Check it out” Lazlo leaned forward between the seats He plucked a perfectly tied cherry stem froue You knohat thatin an attempt to be seductive

“That you’re an idiot?”

“Whatever I’hi ree, he turned up the stereo, causing “You Give Love a Bad na out of the speakers I settled back into the seat, preferring Bon Jovi to conversation

We sped past what little ree thing to get accusto that most of the human race was dead or infected I lost my appetite and handed Harlow the rest of the jar of cherries

I tried to get soave way to more vacant desert, and the sunin a as station just before the sun set Getting gas was a hit or a miss As quickly as the pandeas, never to be refilled, while others had lost all their customers before they had a chance to run out

We were lucky this time, and Lazlo went inside to steal beef jerky while Blue filled the SUV up

Blue got in the passenger seat, and I took a turn driving while he rested Eventually, everyonetohow loud Ripley snored Harloitched a lot in her sleep, jerking and occasionallyher, but I decided she needed the rest ht for quite a while when I saw so, so I slowed to a stop I sat there, blinking at it

“What’s going on?” Blue asked groggily and sat up straighter The car stopping had woken hi to the road in front of us

“It… it looks like a tiger” Blue sounded just as confused and uncertain as I was “What the hell is going on? We’re in Nevada, not the Sahara Where are all these ani from?”

“I don’t know,” I shookit a wide berth A little ways down the road, at the er stood Half a mile down the driveway, I saw soers, all the ere lit up With glowing yellow light Like they had electricity and inhabitants

“What do you think?” I looked over at Blue

“It wouldn’t hurt to check it out,” Blue shrugged

Like every other bad decision in , and turned onto the driveway

– 7 –

Vehicles were parked around the ranch,a se and dark broith a porch in the front It would’ve looked norun propped up next to the door, if it wasn’t for the er sprawled out on the porch