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"Youtoward the compound’s entrance, a hundred yards distant Under a blaze of spotlights, the area around it glowed like a brightly lit stage

"I just wanted to thank you," April said "For everything you’ve done"

"Anybody would have"

"No, they wouldn’t I e wondered if this was true He supposed it didn’t ether, and here they were Then he re of yours"

He reached under his jacket and pulled one of the Glocks free He racked the slide to chamber a round, turned it around in his hand, and held it out to her

"Remember what I told you One shot in the center of the chest They go down like a house of cards if you do it right"

"How did you get it back?"

He sed it toward her "Go on, take it"

It had become important to him that she have it April took it in her hand, leaned forward, and slid the barrel into the waistband of her jeans, resting against her spine

"Thanks," she said with a sood health"

For a full minute, neither spoke

"It’s pretty obvious how all this is going to end, isn’t it?" April said "Sooner or later, I e turned his face to look at her; her eyes were averted, the lights of the spots glazing her features "There’s always a chance"

"That’s nice of you to say But it doesn’t change a thing Maybe the others need to hear it, but I don’t"

A chill had fallen; April leaned her weight against hi Kittridge draped his ar her in for warainst his chest; her voice was very soft "The boy in the car"

"Yes"

"Tellinto the darkness "I think about him all the time"

A deeper silence fell Around them the camp had fallen quiet, like the rooone to bed

"I’d like to ask a favor," April said

"Nahtly "Did I hed; and yet this did not see like that"

"Yeah, well There haven’t been what you’d call a lot ofabout being eighteen, you know Not that it matters I don’t think this is a world where stuff like that uessis, it doesn’t have to be any big thing"

"It’s always a big thing"

April wrapped his hand with her fingers, slowly brushing her thuht and warm as a kiss "It’s funny Even before I saw your scars, I knehat you were Not just the Ar had happened to you, in the war" A pause, then: "I don’t think I even know your first name"

"It’s Bernard"

She pulled away to look at hi "Please, Bernard Just please, okay?"

It was not a request that could be refused; nor did he want to They used one of the adjacent tents-who knehere its occupants had gone? Kittridge was out of practice but did his best to be kind, to go sloatching April’s face carefully in the diht She made a few sounds, but notand tenderly, nestled against hie lay in the dark, listening to her breathe, feeling her warht be strange but it wasn’t strange at all; it seehts drifted, touching down here and there The better memories; the memories of love He didn’t haveto give away this life

He had just closed his eyes when froines and a flare of headlights April was stirring beside hi from the west, a roll of thunder Wouldn’t you know they’d be leaving in the rain

"Are they here?" Rubbing his eyes, Pastor Don was ee nodded "Get your gear, everybody It’s time"

Where the hell was Suresh?

Nobody had seen theGrey; the next he’d vanished into thin air Guilder had sent Masterson to search for him Twenty minutes later, he’d co, he said

Their first defection, Guilder thought A crack like that would widen Where could the et to? They were in thedown The days had passed in futility Still they had failed to isolate the virus, to draw it forth from the cells There was no doubt that Grey was infected; the ed thy Hiding! Those were Nelson’s words How could a virus be hiding? Just fking find it, Guilder said We’re running out of ti more of his tiht once again, and here he was Sleep was only a memory No sooner would he drift off than he would jolt awake, the walls of his throat closing in The seventy-two-hour deadline had co his eyebrows: Well? Guilder’s windpipe was so tight he could barely s; his left hand fluttered like a bird One whole side of his body was dragging as if a ten-pound dumbbell were tied to his ankle There was no way he could hide the situation froer

From the rooftop, Guilder had watched the Ar over the days How far aere the virals? How much time did they have?

His handheld buzzed at his waist Nelson

"You better come see this"

Nelsona dirty lab coat, his hair askew He handed Guilder a sheaf of paper

"What arim "Just read"

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

US CENTRAL COMMAND