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"I’m notThat’s not," Albert said "Please Please don’t killto kill you?" He turned to Lance "Where did he get that idea?"

Lance played along "I have no idea, Turk"

"Maybe because of this," Turk said He leveled his rifle at Albert’s face

So exploded

Albert heard no sound

He was on his side

Blood covered his right eye, blinding him Or maybe his eye wasn’t there any in his lungs Heard his heart slow

Turk looked at once alarer kids backed away, tripping over each other, and ran

Lance punched Turk’s shoulder in rough congratulations Albert’s one good eye went dark

Chapter Twenty-Two

12 HOURS, 48 MINUTES

"THAT IS A lake," Sam said "That is definitely a lake"

"I can’t believe we didn’t even know this was here," Dekka said

The sun was still not up, but a pearly gray light showed a long slope heading down to a vast body of water Bigger than anything Sarew in tufts Aly, stunted pine trees showed here and there, but the shore itself was fore jumbled rocks broken up by narrow, halfhearted sand beaches

At the limits of their vision was a small marina with perhaps two dozen boats at the dock

The barrier sliced right across the lake, but the part on the inside was more water than the kids of Perdido Beach could ever need or want

"You think it’s drinkable?" Dekka wondered

"Let’s find out," Saed downhill toward the shore, careful not to trip, but anxious to see and taste It would be too cruel to get here and find that it was salt water That would be one more dirty trick, one ht doom them all

He reached the lakeshore with the others close behind The pale rock was shifting and unsteady, so he felt his way gingerly

He pulled off his shoes and then impulsively dived in a flat arc into the water

It was shallow near the shore and he scraped his chest on subed rocks, but with two strokes he was out in water over his head

Sa water he looked back to see Jack, Dekka, and Toto standing uncertainly on the rocks "Ladies and gentlerin, "we have fresh water"

In so less than five seconds, the three of them splashed in after him

"It’s water!" Jack cried