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He bore the h he had been lynched

Tanner was there, too, looking down at him

"Is he dead?" Brittney asked fearfully

Tanner did not answer Brittney knelt beside Edilio She could see grains of sand race of God

Brittney touched his face Her fingers left a trace of mud behind

She stood up

"The demon," Brittney said "The evil one"

"Yes," Tanner said

"What should I do?" Brittney asked

"Good," Tanner said "You must serve God and resist evil"

She looked at hi with tears "I don’t kno"

Tanner looked past her, raising glowing eyes to the hill that rose behind Brittney

She turned away fro slowly in a pillar of dust Saw Astrid with her little brother Saw children running up the hill, still panicked

"Calvary," Tanner said "Golgotha"

"No," Brittney said

"You must do as God wills," Tanner said

Brittney stood still Her feet did not feel the warht breeze from the ocean She did not smell the salt spray

"Climb the hill, Brittney Climb to the place of death"

"I will," Brittney said

She began to walk She was alone, everyone else ahead, she the last to cli down to earth Astrid was racing ahead, pulling Nemesis with her

How did she know to call him that? She had known Little Pete before, back in the old days She knew his name But in her e of pure rage

Is he the evil one, Lord? She stopped, momentarily confused as Astrid and Little Pete ran ahead

Her are

And her braces were turning liquid, leaving only a s twisted at iles

Brittney passed him by

She would meet the evil one when she reached the top And then would come the battle

"Everyone hold hands," Mary said

The children were slow to react But then, one by one, their little faces turned to the sunset, they reached out for each other