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But this…

"What should I do?" Consuela whispered

"Don’t tell anyone"

"Should I get Astrid? Or Sam?"

Perfectly reasonable questions Edilio wished he had a perfectly reasonable answer "Take off," Edilio said "Good job Sucks you had to see this"

She left, grateful to get away And Edilio stared down balefully at the thing…the person…the body…that would be like a dagger in Sam’s heart

In the aiaphage and the deal with the zekes, a tenuous order and calm had come to the FAYZ

Edilio felt that tenuous structure, the system Edilio had worked so hard to build, the syste apart in his hands now, like tissue paper in a rainstorm

It had never been real The FAYZ would alin

Saht of it rocked hirabbed hi up inside of him He wanted to run He couldn’t breathe His heart was pounding in his chest His veins filled with ice water

He knehat had happened

"Hey, Boss," Edilio said "You okay, asps Like a toddler on the edge of tears

"Sam," Edilio said "Come on, man"

Edilio looked froain

He had been there Sa The body of a twelve-year-old boy naet

The ht No one who could have borne witness

"Drake," Saone"

Sarabbed Edilio’s shirt "Don’t tell , Edilio It’s hiers off "Listen, Sam, I knohat it looks like I saw you I sahat you looked like that day So, I know, all right? But man, it makes no sense Drake is dead and buried under tons of rock in a mine shaft"

"It’s Drake," Sah, Sa out"

Sa he’d i burned alive

The blows of Drake’s whip hand Each one tearing strips of flesh…