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"We have visitors," Virtue said Caine heard it, too: a car’s engine With gas as rare as food it was very unusual to hear an engine running

A white van drove slowly--as slowly as only an inexperienced and frightened driver could go--down San Pablo Avenue It ca it was trouble Trouble he could handle A fight would be a wonderful relief from the tedium

Out stepped Edilio, and a second later, Sa ahead with Sa unusually reticent, even a bit abashed Then Toto, the weird kid with the Spider-Man fixation, cli up his hand and crushing Caine’s hopes

"True," Toto affiro grab a couple of chairs"

"Caine," Sam said, and nodded

"Sam What do you want here? Is the surf up?"

Sam nodded to Edilio "This is his party"

When the chairs cae but rather forlorn desk There was no chair for Toto Caine didn’t care

"I’d offer you milk and cookies, but we seem to be out," Caine said He put his feet up on the desk just to remind them as boss here

"It’s true He has no ht to it "We can’t have this We need to get food production back up We need to think through how to deal with the lookers We need rules and organization"

"Yeah, brilliant," Caine said "I wish I’d thought of that Choo, enius That’s what you cao down there and start s kids around?"

Edilio pretended not to notice the sarcasm "No In fact, I don’t think you can help, Caine No one trusts you No one will follow you"

"That’s the truth," Toto said Then, in response to Caine’s withering glare, he added, "Spidey"

"Oh, I see," Caine said "No one trusts me, but they will follow Saint Sammy here Well, not to be impolite but--"

Caine’s hand caht in the chest Sah the air Ten feet At least--maybe even a dozen feet And when he hit, he landed on his butt, and the hed delightedly This was soaround and--

Saed to leap aside and dodge Caine’s next blow Sam’s hands were up, palms out Not ten feet away And the real problem was that Caine was still seated

It’s not easy toand your feet are up on a desk

"I’d actually rather not have to kill you," Sam said "But if your hand soin the air, carefully aiet

He looked at Sam’s face His brother’s eyes were focused narrowly on his own Sained experience since the old days when they were an even hter watches the opponent’s hands; a suy’s face

Caine had to carefully control his eyes, not shift, not look toward--