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Behind her, Violent fought a hulking Nerd with a droopy face and giant hands Three other Sluts stood and watched as the Nerd threw a punch at Violent It connected with her ribs, and she stu a swift kick into his kneecap Instantly, his leg buckled He squawked and collapsed to the ground

"Wait," Lucy shouted "He can help us get back in!" Lucy ran to intervene, but one of the other Sluts stepped into her path and shook her head It was Julie Tanaka

"Keep out of this," Julie said

"Get up," Violent said to the Nerd He struggled back up, keeping his weight on his good leg "You fuckerswithout Ke out with you

Slut"

The Nerd hopped forward like he was going to attack Violent kicked him in the chest He stu, and his face flashed with panic

"No," he said

A rain of bricks fell out of the ceiling and puround Lucy jerked her eyes to the ceiling above her, terrified that the sa was about to happen to her, but no more bricks fell Violent stepped toward the Nerd’s broken body and knelt Blood oozed fro and fallen bricks that piled around hiers under his jaw to feel his pulse

"Dead," Violent muttered coldly

Lucy looked up, above the dead body An entire line of ceiling panels had broken away So A heavy curtain that had been holding the bricks and rubble hung down

Lucy’s stomach sank She stared at the short hall before her

Ten yards down, it cut right The floor was covered in dust No one had walked through in ages This was the main entrance to the library, where all the traps were

"I told you to stop!" Lucy shouted at Violent "We could have held hihed and arched one of her black tape eyebrows She kicked the dead Nerd’s shoe and said, "Well, he’s kind of useless now"

"We’re not getting back in the library, that’s for sure," Julie said "Those doors won’t budge"

"What happened in there?" Lucy said Every second she ay froht you had an understanding with the Nerds! You said we’d be safe!"

"This is Lucy, that girl who turned us down," Julie said with s And you set theirlie," Violent said "I didn’t set anybody up" Julie rolled her eyes "Can’t believe I thought you were Slut material"

It was a comfort to know that Lucy and Julie would have never been friends She could scratch that off the bottorets Violent looked Lucy up and doith a sneer, then turned to Julie, "Let’s get out of here"

"Yeah, that’s the thing," Lucy said "How?"

"It’s a hallway We walk out," Violent said

"But the booby trapsthere’s gotta beabout traps?"

"No," Violent said, "I don’t know anything about traps! Who the hell does? I grew up in Hillcrest"

Violent edged forward Lucy stared at the ominous hallway beyond the Nerd’s body Behind every surface hidden pockets of death lurked, coiled up and waiting to burst Lucy didn’t want to go down that hall She didn’t want to be crushed by bricks What she wanted to do was plop down on the floor with her arms crossed like a six-year-old’s and shout, "No!" She knew she couldn’t do that She was going to have to trust Will to find David, and she was going to have to get back through these deadly traps Her only shot at survival noas sticking close to Violent

"You know, ratulations," Violent said

"I visited them a lot I’m surprised we never ran into each other"

Lucy had assuh, like an evil orphanage or sole But not Hillcrest It was one town over froolf clubs and had wide black roads that were repaved every two years

People froh

"Do you know the bicycle shop on Sixth?" Lucy said "My uncle owns--"

"Shut up"

Violent picked up a brick and chucked it It scuttled to a stop at the end of the hall The other three Sluts liked Violent’s plan They chucked brick after brick down the hall to try to trigger any traps ahead Nothing happened

"Let’s go," Violent said