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"Another thing that’s going to change is the e are using electricity Alex has worked hard to y plan that conserves our resources as ht away"

Alex stood up

"Yeah, uhts on here in the kitchen and also in Living Room area--"

"The school," Josie corrected

"And besides that," Alex continued, "the other parts of the store will be dark"

"Dark?" asked Caroline

"Like how dark?" said Henry

"It will be pretty dark, I think But don’t be scared because, remember, this store is coet in here Everything in the store is a known quantity," Alex said

He was half talking to hi hiht," Josie added

Batiste, Ulysses, and Max seehts, but Henry and Caroline looked scared

Chloe was just scratching her head Scratching hard and with purpose

Niko laid out the work plan for the day

The big kids would be helping to consolidate the frozen food in the kitchen freezers, to save on power

I could see the planning behind the big change in routine We couldn’t waste the energy to have the kids scattered all around the store working Niko wanted theht a certain area of the store

Itmade me irritated and what I realized was that I was pissed that Alex hadn’t toldout and he didn’t tellthe store while I was stuck in the Kitchen He and Niko were beco out with the kindergarteners

I didn’t like Niko spending ht tohe knew and vice versa

Now that I are of not hanging around with my brother, it was all I could think about At afternoon free period I tried to get hi with Niko And at dinner Alex asked Niko to go with him off to look at a set of video walkie-talkies he had found and orking on in our Living Room area So I cleaned the Kitchen

I went to my hammock in a huff, determined to talk to Alex the next day

It felt like I’d only been asleep for a moment when I was shaken awake

It was Jake

"Get up!" he whispered "There’s a wo docks She wants us to let her in"

Niko, Josie, Brayden, Jake, and I all stumbled into the common hallway of the Train Jake motioned for us to be quiet and to follow him

Once ere out of earshot of the kids, Niko turned to Josie

"Josie, please stay here and make sure the kids stay safe"

"I want to come," she whispered "They’re asleep They’ll be fine"

"We need you here," Niko said

"Co to win points with his new girlfriend

"The answer is no I need to know that the kids are safe and here," Niko said "The rest of you come on"

Niko took off toward the storeroom, I folloith the other boys and Josie crossed her ar

"You’re so sexist," Josie hissed after hiuess

In the storeroom we heard an electronically transmitted voice A woman

"Hello? Are you back? Please! You have to hurry"

Jake pointed andsoht on the wall

A woman’s face, head wrapped in a shawl, face covered by layers ofmy rounds and I saw her," Jake said "I didn’t even know there was an intercoed

Niko pressed a button on the intercom

"Hello We see you How many of you are there?"

"Justher neck to look behind her

Niko took his finger off the button He turned to us

"Listen," he said "I want to let her in, but we can’t We physically can’t We don’t kno to retract the security gate and we don’t have keys to the door"

"I don’t trust her anyway," Brayden said "See how she’s looking behind her all the tiot people with her No question It could be a trap"

"I think she’s alone," Jake said "But Niko’s right We couldn’t get the door open if anted"

"Please!" she said, pleading "Please hurry!"

She removed the material from around her face, maybe so we could see she was honest There were dark circles under her eyes and they were riing you!"

Niko grabbed his hair and pulled He was in agony

"What about the hatch?" I said "We open the hatch and throw a ladder down!"

"Yes!" Niko said "Yes!"

But then the woman screamed And her face disappeared from theA voice that was fa to the woman and his speech was interrupted by heavy sounds The sounds, I think, of hi her

"This Is MY STORE"