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But if he were being honest instead of just angry, he’d have admitted that Astrid had her own probleuilt and didn’t need one uilty about

Little Pete was in a coh it was stupid to do so and she was the furthest thing from stupid

But Little Pete was her brother Her responsibility

Her burden

After that rebuff Sam had stood aardly while Astrid spooned artichoke and fish soup into Little Pete’s nerveless lips Little Pete could s He could walk if she guided him He could use the slit trench in the backyard but Astrid had to wipe him

That was Astrid’s life now She was a nurse to an autistic boy with all the power in their world locked inside hione No way to knohere he was in his strange, strangeHadn’t touched hi Astrid and Little Pete And the twinned undead creature Orc and Howard kept watch over

If Drake somehow escaped, there were probably only two people who could take him on: Sam himself, and Orc Sanored the bottles beside Orc’s couch and "confiscated" only the one in plain view on a kitchen counter

"I’ll dual"

Howard shrugged and sleareed and need in Sam’s eye But Sam himself hadn’t known He had intended to smash the bottle or dump it out on the street

Instead he had carried it with hih the dark streets Past burned-out houses and their ghosts

Past the graveyard

Down to the beach He’d cracked the seal, ready to pour it out on the sand Instead he’d taken a sip

It burned like fire

He took another sip It burned less this time

He headed up the beach He knew in his heart where he was going now He knew his feet were taking hi at the top of the cliff The effect of the booze was undeniable He kneas drunk

He looked down at the se painted luht where he was standing, Mary had led the preschoolers in a suicide leap All that kept those kids alive was Dekka’s heroic effort

Now Mary was gone

"Here’s to you, Mary," Sam said He upended the bottle and drank deep

He had failed Mary Froe of the littles and run the day care She’d carried that load almost alone

Sam had seen the effects of her anorexia and buli to her, or hadn’t wanted to

He’d heard nervous gossip that Mary was grabbing whatever ht would ease her depression

He hadn’t wanted to know about that, either

Most of all he should have seen what Nerezza was up to, should have questioned, should have pushed

Should have