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They had passed through the last of the outer townships when the radio crackled: "Pull over, everyone Looks like we’ve lost one"

Caleb brought the bus to a halt and stepped down as his father, Chase, and Aed from the lead Humvee One of the buses, the fourth in line, was parked with its hood open Stea fro at the engine with a rag "I think it’s the water pu about it?" Caleb’s father said "It’d have to be fast"

Hollis jus aren’t built for this I’ for one to conk out"

"As long as we’re stopped," Sara suggested, "probably the children need to go"

"Go where?"

"To the bathroohed i in darkness at the other end "Just watch for snakes That’s all we need right now"

The children filed off and were led into the weeds, girls on one side of the buses, boys on the other By the tiain, they had been stopped for twentyIt was 0130 hours, the sun poised above them like the head of a hammer in the sky

--

The patch was complete, the dock ready to fill Michael, Lore, and Rand, in one of six pu to open the vents to the sea Greer was gone, headed with Patch to Rosenberg in the last tanker truck

"Shouldn’t we say so?" Lore asked Michael

"How about ‘Please open, you bastard’?"

The wheel had not been turned in seventeen years

"That’ll have to do," said Lore

Michael wedged a pry bar between the spokes; Lore was holding a ripped the bar and leaned in

"Hit it now"