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Soe, “Hey!”

Caine had reached the power plant Sam had failed

Astrid stifled a sob If Sam was hurt…If…

Astrid felt fear like icy fingers reaching through her nightgown She stumbled into the kitchen She opened the junk drawer and found, after soht from it was faint and failed in seconds

But in the few seconds of light she found a candle

She tried to light it froas ran unlit because it required electricity to fire

Matches A lighter Surely there were some matches somewhere

But there was no way to find theht it

Astrid felt her way to the stairs and climbed to Little Pete’s room The Game Boy was beside his bed, where he always left it If he woke up and found itwhat he would do

She carried the Gaht from the LED to search the junk drawer No hter

She struck a flame and lit the candle

She had avoided thinking about Sam for the last fewthe fact that Sam had rushed off to stop Caine And he had not succeeded The only question noas: Had he survived?

A line froraphic memory “The center cannot hold,” she whispered to the eerily lit kitchen The verse played in her head

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,