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"Nobody’s gonna know," he said "I won’t tell anyone"

He tried to grab ain I slapped his hand aith my left and popped hiht It opened up a faucet of bright red blood It ran into his asped "At least you’ve got so knew in your life isn’t dead"

He busted out in tears Fell onto the path and gave in to it, the bigness of it, the big Buick that’s parked over you, the horrible feeling that, as bad as it’s been, it’s going to get worse

Ah, crap

I sat on the path next to him Told him to lean his head back He complained that made the blood run down his throat

"Don’t tell anybody," he begged "I’ll lose hed I couldn’t help it

"Where’d you learn to do that?" he asked

"Girl Scouts"

"There’s badges for that?"

"There’s badges for everything"

Actually, it was seven years of karate classes I dropped karate last year Don’t reood ones at the time

"I’m one, too," he said

"What?"

He spat a wad of blood and in"

What a shock

"What in?" I asked

"You wouldn’t have hit me if you weren’t"

14

ON OUR SIXTH DAY in caray in the bright afternoon sky

There was a lot of shouting and running around, people grabbing guns, waving their hats and shirts or just spazzing in general: crying, juht they were rescued Hutchfield and Brogden tried to calm everybody down, but weren’t very successful The drone zipped across the sky, disappeared behind the trees, then caround, it looked like a blimp Hutchfield and Dad huddled in the doorway of the barracks, watching it, swapping a pair of binoculars back and forth

"No wings No s And did you see that first pass? Mach 2 at least Unless we’ve launched so is terrestrial" As he spoke, Hutchfield was popping his fist up and down in the dirt, beating out a rhythreed We were herded into the barracks Dad and Hutchfield hovered in the doorway, still swapping the binoculars back and forth

"Is it the aliens?" Sa, Cassie?"

"Shhh"

I looked over and saw Crisco watching me Twentyto beat the to karate kick theht," I said, nervously runningto run," he said "I’ Moht up, Dad told me later If you blinked, you missed it

We reacted to the drone the way anyone would react

We freaked

Some people ran Grabbed whatever they could carry and raced into the woods Some just took off with the clothes on their backs and the fear in their guts Nothing Hutchfield said could stop them

The rest of us huddled in the barracks until night came on, then we took the freakout party to the next level Had they spotted us? Were the Stormtroopers or clone army or robot walkers next? Were we about to be fried by laser cannons? It was pitch-black We couldn’t see a foot in front of our noses, because we didn’t dare light the kerosene la Huddled on our cots, juned the best ht watch If it moved, shoot it No one was allowed outside without perave perht lasted a thousand years

Dad ca into er

"You don’t believe in guns," I whispered

"I used to not believe in a lot of things"

A lady started to recite the Lord’s Prayer We called her Mother Teresa Big legs Skinny ar the way she had lost her dentures She was alorking her beads and talking to Jesus A few others joined her Then soive those who trespass against us’" At which point her arch nee professor named Dawkins, shouted out, "Particularly those of extraterrestrial origin!"

"You’re going to hell!" a voice yelled at him in the dark

"Hoill I know the difference?" Dawkins hollered back

"Quiet!" Hutchfield called softly fro, people!"

"His judgment has come upon us," Mother Teresa wailed

Saun between rab it and accidently blow my head off

"Shut up, all of you!" I said "You’re scaring my brother"

"I’ in my shirt "Are you scared, Cassie?"

"Yes," I said I kissed the top of his head His hair s

If ere still there in the

"No, you’re not," he said "You’re never scared"

"I’iggled His face felt warm in the crook of my arm Did he have a fever? That’s how it starts I toldparanoid He’d been exposed a hundred times And the Red Tsunami roars in fast once you’re exposed, unless you have immunity And Sammy had to have it If he didn’t, he’d already be dead