“We can’t fight off an army of reapers. Not here.”

“We can’t let ’em get to Sanctuary,” growled Riot. “They’ll slaughter the monks and refugees and all them scientists and—”

Joe looked stricken. “I know. They have a few soldiers there, but they can’t stop an army. And my rangers are scattered all over the place. We have to warn them. That means either we go without this kid, in which case the reapers’ll carve him into lunch meat; or we put him on a quad and let the ride out there do the job for them.”

In the distance they heard the faint buzz of quads. They all looked that way and then at one another.

“Oh God,” breathed Nix.

Benny, whispered Tom, you know what you saw. Tell them. Tell them. . . .

“What I wouldn’t give for a minigun or an—”

Benny asked dazedly, “What’s a LAW rickett?”

Joe froze and stared down at him.

“What did you say?”

“That’s what it said. L-A-W-R-K-T. LAW rickett. I read it. M-R-E. R-P-G and—”

Joe suddenly bent close to Benny, his face inches away.

“A LAW rocket? God almighty, kid . . . where did you see that?” he asked in a fierce whisper.

Benny smiled and winked. “I can’t tell you,” he said. “It’s a secret.”

And then he passed out.

Chapter 90

90

BENNY FELT A LOT OF HANDS ON HIM. HE FELT HIMSELF MOVING. WHEN he opened his eyes, though, the movement had already stopped and he was back inside the airplane.

“Zoms!” he cried.

But no one reacted.

Nothing tried to bite him.

Maybe I’m wrong about that, he decided, and went back to sleep.

The sound of quads woke him up. Quads and shouts and a dog barking.

Benny still hadn’t seen any dog. He just heard one. A big one too.

“They’re coming,” said Riot. “God—Brother Alexi’s back with a slew of reapers. Gotta be fifty, sixty of them.”

“Oh God,” Nix said, “there’s too many!”

Someone laughed. Joe? Was Benny’s Zombie Card laughing? Silly.

He opened his eyes and saw Joe carrying something that looked like a big toy gun. Like one of those big plastic toys from before First Night. A Super Soaker. Mayor Kirsch bought one for his kids. Cost three hundred ration dollars. That was more than Mrs. Riley made in a whole season doing sewing.

“Nix?” he asked.

A small, warm hand took his, and Benny tried to turn toward her, but his head wouldn’t move. His whole body felt weird, like it was tied to a board. How crazy was that?

Nix leaned over, and he saw her face. She was so pretty.

“Nix, is your mom here?”

Pain flickered in her green eyes.

“Mama’s dead, Benny. You know that.”

“Oh. I thought I heard her laughing. She was baking muffins.”

Something hot and wet fell on his cheek.

A tear.