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"Charley?"

I blinked to attention and saw Cookie stuht the way Clearly she hadn’t taken advantage of Misery’s sporting goods departht here There’s been a cave-in"

She stopped and looked up "My goodness Is she under that?"

"I think she’s on it, but she’s hurt Did you get ahold of Uncle Bob?"

"Yes, and Agent Carson" She leaned against thelabored fro?" I asked when I noticed the leg warmers around her ankles

"Don’t start with me How did this happen?"

"I’m not sure yet"

"The ht that would get an e, and I realized her hand had gone liet her soht"

With ht, I could just ainst A loose support beaht not want to do that," I said, just as the bea down around us

22

If all hell breaks loose, blare echoed against the cavernous walls as rocks and dirt broke free fro I reflexively covered my head with an arm and watched the landslide froht away astonishedin a vacuuravity a kick start My stoht, and in an instant, tiling against a category 5 hurricane

Rocks and debris hung inin the dark cavern I reached out, ran ers

I could have run under the cascade of earth and debris and h unscathed I could have run for help Instead, I risked a glance around Cookie was frozentoward her body, a body that would break like a ht She would be crushed

I sprinted through the thick air, dived, and threw all shot back with a roaring vengeance I est of the rocks as the explosion burst around us, but I didn’t quite clear the boulder as it plu weight scraping along my spine A fire erupted down my back, and I claht of pain as I covered Cookie’s head withcontinued for a few seconds more, then silence Just as quickly as it had started, it stopped As fine streams of dirt dwindled and the dust settled around us, Cookie let rip the ainst

"Really?" I said, oing to screa dirt frounk frood, are you?"