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She nodded "I’ht"

Michael directed his attention to Peter again, lowering his voice confidentially "Could I speak to you? Outside?"

Peter stepped onto the porch behind Michael, in ti out of the shadows

"Tell him what you told me," said Michael

"Dale? What is it?"

"Look," thearound nervously, "I probably shouldn’t be saying this, and I have to get back to the Wall But if you’re planning on getting Alicia and Caleb out of here, I’d do it at first light I can help you at the gate"

"Why? What’s happened?"

It was Michael who answered "The guns, Peter They’re going to get the guns"

Chapter FORTY-ONE

In the Infirirl

Airl, this one-hundred-year-old girl, was named Amy Is that you? she’d asked her Is that your naht have actually s since she had heard the sound of her name? That’s irl, instead of the gown It didn’t see to wear, and a pair of shoes Sara should have thought of that before returning to the Infirhter-boned and sliaps she liked to ride in, snug at the waist and seat, that would fit the girl well enough if she cinched theht She needed a bath, too, and a haircut

Sara didn’t question anything Michael had told her Michael was Michael, that’s what everyone said, ood But the one thing he wasn’t, not ever, rong There would come a time, Sara supposed, when this would happen-a person couldn’t be right all the time-and she wondered ould become of her brother on that day The ceaseless effort he applied to being right, to fixing every problem, would suddenly collapse inside hia towers of blocks and then pulling the the whole thing to fall; and when it fell, it happened swiftly, all at once She wondered if that’s ould happen to Michael, if there would be any part left standing He would need her then, as he had needed her thatin the shed when they’d found their parents-the day when Sara had failed him

Sara had meant it, when she’d told Peter she wasn’t afraid of the girl She had been, at first But as the hours and then days had un to feel soirl’s watchful and , and yet not-she’d begun to feel a quality of reassurance, even of hope A feeling that she was not alone, but evenfroht of terrible dreams to step back into life

Daould soon coht before had evidently not repeated; Sara would have heard the shouts It was as if the night were holding the last of its breath, waiting for ould come next Because what Sara hadn’t told Peter, or anyone at all, hat had occurred in the Infirirl had suddenly sat bolt upright on her cot Sara, exhausted, had just lain down to sleep; she was roused by a sound she realized was cole continuous note, rising at the back of her throat What is it? Sara said, rising quickly to go to her What’s wrong? Are you hurt, has soave no reply Her eyes were very wide, and yet she see was happening outside-the roo fro and feet racing past-but while this seemed important, a fact worthy of her attention, Sara could not look ahatever was going on outside was being waged here also, in this rooirl’s eyes and the tautness of her face and throat and in thefros continued this way for some unknown nu to Michael, though it felt like an eternity-and then, as quickly and alarirl fell silent She lay back down on the cot, pulling her knees to her chest, and that had been the end of it

Sara, sitting at the desk in the outer roo if she should have told Peter about it, when her attention was taken by a sound of voices on the porch She lifted her face toward theBen was still sitting at the rail, facing away-Sara had carried out a chair for him-the end of his cross visible where it protruded fro below hi there? she heard Ben say, his voice gathering into a tone of warning Don’t you know there’s a curfew?

And as Sara rose to her feet, to see who his cross before hih the trailer park, darting from shadow to shadow: they made their final approach to the lockup in the cover of the trees

No guard

Peter gently pushed open the door, which stood ajar As he stepped inside, he saw a body pushed against the far wall, its ar fro at his back

"Where the hell have you been?" she said

Caleb was standing behind her, holding the blade

"A long story I’ll tell you on the way" He gestured toward the body on the floor, which he now recognized as Galen Strauss "I see you decided to get started withouthe’ll reuns," said Michael

Alicia nodded "So I figured"

Peter explained the plan First to the Infirirl, then to the stables, for mounts Just before First Bell, Dale, on the Wall, would call sign In all the confusion, they should be able to slip out the gate, just as the sun was rising, and make their way down to the power station Froure out what to do

"You know, I think I ot ht" She looked at Michael "You too, Circuit I wouldn’t have figured you as someone ready to storm the lockup"

The four of the; Peter didn’t think they had more than a few minutes They moved in quick silence toward the Infiriving the