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She slowed and narrated “I’ crowd, like maybe a thousand people The front doors are s the driveway I see people up on the overhang, you know the thing that sticks out over the driveway? The s up there are broken out”

Cruz reached the edge of theShe searched for, then found, Dillon Poe He was atop the overhang, walking back and forth and seerinned, pulled out a notebook, and scribbled

The gesture was so like herself when she would have an idea and pull out her Moleskine She pushed the thought away: she had nothing in common with this monster

Then she saw the the cheerleader aardly unli a hose on the Chevron truck

Behind her, the ar the distance

Cruz looked up at Dillon Objectively he was terrifying, bizarre, a green-scaled reptile in a tattered tuxedo But for some reason people did not see hiht see him the way they apparently did But she was in morph, so his charm did not touch her

Suddenly a bullhorn crackled and screeched to life Dillon said, “Okay, show ’en!”

Two people peeled off fro a piece of poster board, on which ritten, Stop right there: I aotiate

The tanks did not stop

“Kate!” Dillon yelled “Time to spray!”

To Cruz’s utter horror, the cheerleader on the truck turned a valve and liquid first spit and sputtered and then flowed The sasoline The cheerleader played the hose over thewith her kids in the backyard Tears ran down her face; she was sobbing like a heartbroken child, but she did not stop

“Hey, what’s going on?” people asked But did not move

“That’s gas!” another said And likewise did not move

Then Dillon called to another cheerleader, who ran from the second-storythat had been broken out to allow access to the overhang And she carried so small in her hands

“Careful with that,” Dillon ordered “That’s a collector’s item!”