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I swung at hiet his rabbed his hair and pulled I bit my brother on the arm and drew blood
I saw red, like people say they do A sheet of blood red was over my eyes and I couldn’t think Just pummel Pound, tear, destroy
We reached the bottom of the staircase and Alex tried to squirm away from me I launched myself at him
Jake tackled me
I hit the cold cement and I cursed him and raked at his face
"Jesus Christ!" Jake cursed "What happened up there?"
I roared at him I had no words
"What happened to your brother?" Jake demanded of Alex
Alex was crying I hadround with his knee in my stomach My arms were behind my back, somehow In addition to football, Jake had also been on the wrestling team And he had maybe fifty pounds onright beside us
"I sealed it," he said "It’s done But we’re gonna need to cover the hatch with plastic sheeting and the loading-bay doors back here, too I’ll get the staple guns if you guys get the--"
I estured towith Dean?"
I swear to God, I wanted to rip his throat out
CHAPTER SIX
THE GATE RATTLER
Jake strained to keep e hammered in my heart I wanted up!
I heard this weird whine A panicky whine
It was co from Brayden
"What is he?" Brayden said His upper lip was curled back in an expression of disgust "What is he? What is heabout?" Jake said, still struggling to keep hed two hundred pounds I was flattened against the cold cement floor
"Look at hiht fro about?" Alex said He sounded scared He sounded like he was crying but I couldn’t see hi at his hair, looking all around
"It’s everywhere!" he cried "Sainst a stack of giant boxes
"Brayden, there’s no s’s okay"
"There is evil everywhere!" Brayden wailed
"Dude, you’re flipping out," Jake said
Niko went over to Brayden
"Don’t touch me!" Brayden screamed
"Look," Niko said to Jake "His pupils are completely dilated"
"Get away from me," Brayden said
"It must be the air" Niko careen Wein the cheent in the air"
Niko looked funny, too, though I wasn’t quite up to saying so
He had blisters around his eyes, like a raccoon mask And his hands, when he touchedred lace gloves
He started to cough It sounded wet in there
He coughed into his hand and caht of his hands and he looked at theerated I started to laugh
Not a cool, ironic laugh but kind of ait like it happened, okay?
Brayden was seated on the floor, curled in a little ball, sobbing hard, jagged sobs
Good
I closedIt was loud, like I had the heart of a gorilla
All I could say was "Agghrr…"
I was trying to say Alex But it didn’t coet cleaned up," Niko said He had his shirt off and was exa over his skin It followed the underlying veins He was starting to look like a biology class illustration of the circulatory systehhrr…" I wanted to say I was sorry
"We need soap and water," Niko said "And I think I should take soet it," Alex offered
"Sahalia, you should change, too," Niko said Sahalia looked freaked out Herdown her cheeks She headed toward the doors back into the store, giving Brayden a wide berth
"Hey, would youus some clothes, too?" Niko asked
She looked back at all of us
"Sure," she said "Whatever"
I tried to say, Let ainst Jake’s bulk