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A blaze of light in the s, and footsteps on the porch-heavy, stuast rose quickly, all his senses instantly alert The Springfield was in his hand He racked the slide and released the safety The door shook with three hard pounds

"Soast turned and saw her standing at the bottoast spoke to her in a harsh whisper "Go, quickly!"

"Is anybody inside there?" A man’s voice on the porch "I can see the smoke! I’ll step away!"

"Aodsakes, somebody, if you can hear ast moved to theand looked out Not a car or truck but a snowhts, at the foot of the porch, was a man in a parka and boots He was positioned in a crouch, his hands on his knees

Wolgast opened the door "Keep back," he warned "Let me see your hands"

The man lifted his ar, and that hen Wolgast saw the blood, a bright ribbon down the side of his parka The wound was in his neck

"I’ast stepped forward and raised his gun "Get out of here!"

The man sank to his knees "Jesus," he moaned "Jesus Christ" Then he tipped his face forward and wretched onto the snow

Wolgast turned to see Ao inside!"

"That’s right honey," the ive a listless wave He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand "Do what your daddy says"

"Amy, I said inside, now"

Aood," the ast "She shouldn’t see this Jesus, I feel like shit"

"How did you find us?"

The man shook his head and spat onto the snow "I didn’t co for you, if that’s what you mean Six of us were holed up about fortycamp We’d been there since October, after they took out Seattle"

"Who’s they?" Wolgast asked "What happened to Seattle?"

Theas everywhere else Everybody’s sick, dying, ripping each other to shreds, the Aroes up in smoke Some people say it’s the UN or the Russians It could be the man in the moon, for all I know We headed south, into the ht we’d ride out the winter and then try to make it into California Then those fkers caot a shot off I hauled ass out of there, but one of them bit me Bitch just swooped down out of nowhere I don’t knohy she didn’t kill me like the rest, but they say they do that" He suess it was my lucky day"

"Were you followed?"

"Fuck if I know I smelled your smoke at least a mile from here Don’t kno I did that Like bacon in a pan" He lifted his face with a look abject wretchedness "For godsakes, I’un"

It took Wolgast a"What’s your naast asked

"Bob" The ue "Bob Saunders"

Wolgast gestured with the Springfield "We have to ast following at five paces The ress was slow in the deep snow Every few steps he paused to brace hi hard

"You knohat’s funny?" he said "I used to be an actuarial analyst Life and casualty You s Macs for lunch every day, I could tell you when you were going to die pretty uess nobody ever ran the tables on this, did they?"

Wolgast said nothing

"You’re going to do this thing, aren’t you?" Bob said He was looking away, into the trees

"Yes," Wolgast said "I’ht Don’t beat yourself up about it" He breathed heavily, licking his lips He turned and touched his chest as Carl had done, all those h here, okay? You can shoot h the head first, if you want, but ht short by the man’s frankness, his hter I drew on you," he added "She shouldn’t know about this And burn the body when you’re done Gasoline, kerosene, so the bank above the river In the ht, the scene possessed an unearthly stillness, bathed in blue Wolgast could hear, beneath the snow and ice, the river’s quiet gurgle As good a place as any, Wolgast thought

"Turn around," he said "Face me"

But the man, Bob, seemed not to have heard him He took two un, unaccountably, to undress, re it into the snow, then unfolding the suspenders of his bibbed snowpants to pull his sweatshirt over his head

"I said, Turn around"