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TJ got in front ofme back away froot a cure, right? We’ve got a procedure here?"

TJ said, "Cover your ears,into his ears, it looked like cotton balls The people aroundtheir ears with their hands

"But why are--"

Owen stepped up behind the girl, pulled an automatic pistol frorass in front of her

Her body flopped to the ground The other three new arrivals flew into a panic

I had thought everyone was covering their ears for the gunshot, but then the piercing shriek started, the cry of the spider creature I wedged ers into my eardru arette butts wedged into his ears--flipped the girl over I could see the spider trying to detach and crawl out of her skull now, growing out of the girl’s ue TJ uncapped both jugs, then carefully poured the contents of one jug into the other Mixing soed fro of this new concoction Owen stepped back and TJ poured the entire contents of the jug into the girl’s mouth

The shriek was cranked up to a level that sent a treirl’s cheeks and lips dissolved under the acid, the liquid running out of ragged holes in her skin The spider was dissolving, too, legs falling off as it thrashed

Eventually, its horrific cries died down, and it was still

Owen stuffed the pistol into his pants and grabbed the girl’s feet He said, "Co"

The one I’d been calling Wheelchair Guy shouldered past ed her toward the now-roaring bonfire On the count of three they tossed her corpse right into the blaze, sending an explosion of sparks heavenward The flames tore into her flesh and I smelled what I had o

Then, finally, I saw

Bones

In the bonfire Bones and bones and bones It was full of the and ar out like sticks Hundreds and hundreds of bones

The girl’s hair was burning Her ju off of her in black strips, like the skin on a hot dog roasted over a ca to her

I will remember that sain

Owen said to ot one more"

"No No That … cannot be the only way to do this"

Owen growled, "Bull shit You didn’t have no problem when it was Sal you were callin’ out Now you lose your fuckin’ nerve?"

"Man, I don’t remember--okay, look, that was then That … that’s the past and it doesn’t matter now I can’t do that anymore I’m sorry"

There was a commotion behindat Kevin, the basketball player kid He was sprinting toward the fence The kid leaped, landing halfway up the fence with his fingers hooked in the links He scraround like a crash-test duht A pool of blood spread below his face A chunk of his skull was

I never heard the shot that took hiun along ings outstretched, riding the ther lazily overhead Maybe they were buzzards, hearing the sounds of death like a goddamned dinner bell

TJ said, "Stupid motherfucker What, he thinks we’re all here because none of us kno to cliot one in thekid was paralyzed with fear His hands were still bound behind him His eyes ide, his lips hite, histhe blood out of them Oalked up behind him and put the pistol to the back of his skull

"You check hiht now Hiate Fuckin’ Carlos runnin’ around here, that’s bad enough Now multiply him by three, or six, or a dozen The feds will come into this place a month from now and find nothin’ but chunks of ot a wife I’et hoet torn to pieces We’re all we got But when that gate finally opens and they give the all-clear, I’m walkin’ outta here As a man Help me, or don’t It’s up to you"

To the kid I said, "Open your goddaonna shoot you in the head"

The kid obeyed I pulled at his lower lip, then his upper The kid had braces I saw nothing else

"He’s fine"