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Go to her, Riley She has what you desire What you need You can see she no longer wants life She weeps because her heart’s been shattered You can coht No one there The voice, I realize, is inme I want it to stop so badly, I cup h The voice continues

Go to her Do not hesitate or she’ll get away This is your chance, Riley Poe Listen with not your ears but your being Her life force rushing through her with each beat You know you want it Soon you’ll realize you need it It will satisfy that unquenchable thirst You have it, don’t you Riley? A thirst that no drink can quench A hunger no food can satisfy She can help you It will ta inside of you Do it now, Riley Poe…

"No," I whisper out loud, but it’s a hisper The girl’s heartbeat beco that creates it With each thuh my body, desperation builds within ainst the wall to keep fro pulses inside of , aren’t you, Riley Poe? Save yourself Go to her…

My insides are on fire now--a burning that feels as though no auish the flairl, I move slowly forward and silently toward her…

"There you are," Riggs says "Been looking for you Eli’s on fire, so heads up"

My eyes focus on Riggs "What do you ht froleams off his dark hair "He’s run around the industrial park twice looking for you"

Shooting a quick glance left and right, I turn ht here all along"

Riggs walks closer and peers athis head and inspecting ht-headed, but I don’t confess it "Yeah, you always look kinda funny Where’s Eli?"

"Where’ve you been?" Eli says, suddenly besidestare In the darkness his eyes all but glow "Thought I saw so ether and it’s a look that happensthen?" he asks

"No" I don’t knohat I saw Everything is a blur to ainst hio," he says quietly "It’ll be dawn soon" His cell vibrates, and he pulls it out of his pocket and lifts it to his ear "Yeah We were just leaving Be there in fifteen"

With a quick glance at Riggs, then hway 21 at the side exit of the industrial park, we slip behind an old run-down oil and lube and hit the woods behind it We reach the train yard within minutes, find the Jeep and climb in Eli drives From my peripheral vision, I can see he silently watches ’s , as if I fell asleep and woke up hours later As we pull onto the service road, I rest my head and stare at the scenery as it flashes by Quickly, we make our way to Bay Street, then hit Whitaker and take the squares slowly We see nothing out of the ordinary When Eli pulls into a parking space next to Forsyth Park, the others are there, waiting The sun is a thin golden crack, edging through the clouds overhead, and the light surrounding us is hazy A slight s leaps froe of the Jeep I use the door

Seth imht’s over though I’m exhausted"

He nods and drapes an arm over my shoulder "I think I could eat fifty Krystals byto do with your tendencies, Seth Poe You couldhis war unusual?" Phin asks He’s talking to Eli, but looking at s," Eli responds "Mostly male, a few females All youth"

"Same with us," Luc says, and ot his ass beaten by a ferowls