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Chapters (79)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Sixteen
  20. Seventeen
  21. Eighteen
  22. Nineteen
  23. Twenty
  24. Twenty-One
  25. Twenty-Two
  26. Twenty-Three
  27. Twenty-Four
  28. Twenty-Five
  29. Twenty-Six
  30. Twenty-Seven
  31. Twenty-Eight
  32. Twenty-Nine
  33. Thirty
  34. Thirty-One
  35. Thirty-Two
  36. Thirty-Three
  37. Thirty-Four
  38. Thirty-Five
  39. Thirty-Six
  40. Thirty-Seven
  41. Thirty-Eight
  42. Thirty-Nine
  43. Forty
  44. Forty-One
  45. Forty-Two
  46. Forty-Three
  47. Forty-Four
  48. Forty-Five
  49. Forty-Six
  50. Forty-Seven
  51. Forty-Eight
  52. Forty-Nine
  53. Fifty
  54. Fifty-One
  55. Fifty-Two
  56. Fifty-Three
  57. Fifty-Four
  58. Fifty-Five
  59. Fifty-Six
  60. Fifty-Seven
  61. Fifty-Eight
  62. Fifty-Nine
  63. Sixty
  64. Sixty-One
  65. Sixty-Two
  66. Sixty-Three
  67. Sixty-Four
  68. Sixty-Five
  69. Sixty-Six
  70. Sixty-Seven
  71. Sixty-Eight
  72. Sixty-Nine
  73. Seventy
  74. Acknowledgments
  75. About the Author
  76. Praise for Destroy All Monsters
  77. Books by Sam J. Miller
  78. Back Ad
  79. About the Publisher

“What about her?” I asked, grabbing hold of him under the arms and hoisting him up into the air. He shrieked in delight.

“The queen is going to make a speech!”

“Wow,” I said, because the queen never makes speeches. Barely comes out onto her balcony anymore. “What’s the occasion?”

“People are scared,” Niv said, following him in from the other room. The radio was still squawking away in there. “Attacks, home invasions. Vandalism. Just yesterday a library got flooded out. Half the city is angry at the other half, and each half blames the other.”

Little Connor reached out his arms for Niv, and I handed him over. I’d avoided eye contact or alone time with Niv, ever since he kissed me, but it made me deeply happy to see how well he got along with Connor. Like, if Connor liked him, maybe he wasn’t such a bad person after all. Maybe I was wrong not to trust him.

“The Palace says she wants to make a plea for peace,” Niv said. “For calm. For understanding.”

I thought of my front-page photograph. How we were starting to shine a light on the Shield—bring him out of the shadows.

I did that, I thought proudly. Because of me, the queen has chosen to act. But pride gave way to fear fast. There were so many people who hated us. Who would much rather we just stay quiet.

“When’s the speech?” I asked.

“Sunday,” Niv said. “Noon. All the radio stations are going to be broadcasting it.”

“I want to go see Quang!” Connor cried.

“Well, you can’t,” Radha said. “I won’t have you out there while things are so topsy-turvy.”

“I can take him,” Niv and I both said at the same time. I smiled, and let myself look at him. He looked back.

“No,” Radha said, with harsher anger than I’d ever heard her use before. After that she paused for a couple of seconds, but she did not apologize. “Things are scary out there. If anything, the queen making a speech has me more frightened. She must know more than us—something bigger is going on than a few street fights and home invasions.”

Connor looked like he was about to cry again, so Niv pitched him forward suddenly, stopping inches away from the floor, prompting a shriek of terrified happiness. Niv laughed with him, and began to roller-coaster him around the room.

I hugged Radha. A train whistle sounded, crossing the bridge far above, and she flinched, and I held her tighter.

Twenty-One

Ash

A train whistle sounded, far below. The strip mall on Wolf Road was at the top of a hill, looking down on all of Albany. Twilight. I could see the steam from the train as it headed toward Utica. I sat on the hood of my car with my latest triumphant purchase across my lap.