Page 49 (1/2)

If he detected her lie, he gave no sign He let the clipboard fall to his lap "Well, you appear to be in perfect health Wonderful teeth, if you don’tto be done there"

Was she supposed to say thank you? Above her face the spider still loo ominously

"Now then, let’s see if we can’t finish up quickly and get you on your way"

Suddenly so of his features, but not just there; it was as if the air of the rooorously pu sound, then reached above her face to dran one of the spider’s legs At its tip, spinning in ti drill bit

"This will be easier if you don’toutside, clutching her s to her chest When she’d started to screaiven her a leather strap to bite on On the pale skin of the inside of her foreared and then cauterized in place, was a shiny its she’d seen on the paper: 94801 That’s who you are now, the doctor had explained, re the strap, noith its eloves and stepped to the sink to wash his hands Whoever you thought you were, you’re not that person anyone, replaced by an open-backed five-ton Sara saw the words IOWA NATIONAL GUARD imprinted on the driver’s door-the first evidence of where she was A guardat the front of the cargo bay, his back braced against the cab, idly spinning his club on its leather strap Some of the women were already there and a few of the men as well Everyone was sluht of all that had occurred

She took a place beside one of theofficer she knew as Lieutenant Eustace He had been the scout who had brought theled his shorn head close to Sara’s

"What the hell is this place?" he whispered

Before Sara could answer, the guard sparked to attention "You," he barked, gesturing at Eustace with the end of his club "No talking"

"Who are you people? Why won’t you tell us anything?"

"I said, keep quiet"

Sara understood as about to happen It was the in, the one demonstration of their powerlessness that had yet to be delivered

"Yeah?" Eustace’s face lit with defiance, the last of his energy spitting fro for; he didn’t care "Go to hell, all of you"

The guard took a long stride forward and, with a look of absolute boredo down on Eustace’s knees Eustace rocked forward, clenching his teeth in barely contained agony Nobodyintently at the floor

"Motherfker," he gasped

The guard spun the club around and backhanded the heavy end into Eustace’s nose A wet exoskeletal crunch, like the sound of an insect sta Sara across the face Eustace’s head snapped back, his eyes fluttering in their sockets He ran his tongue along the inside of his upper lip and spat a shard of a tooth away

"I saidfkyou"

Blow after ha blow: his face, his head, the bony joints of his hands By the time Eustace toppled over, his eyes rolled back into his skull, his features crushed into a pulpy mass, blood had rained down on theuard paused to wipe his baton on his pant leg and dragged his eyes over the group "It’s pretty s"