Eve looked at her with huge eyes and then looked over her shoulder, as if she could see her own memories. Her words came out all in a rush. “I was running after Ry-Ry, and I lost my way ’cause there were angels in the woods, and then the gray people were there and I ran some more and I tripped and fell. Where’s my mommmmeeee?”

Nix pulled her close again, and the child’s face vanished into a swirl of soft red curls. “Shhh, it’s okay, Eve. Everything’s going to be okay. We’ll find your mommy.”

Benny looked down at the child clutched in Nix’s warm arms. He was far less certain about that.

He wasn’t certain about anything. He thought about the sheer number of zoms that had come out of the forest.

Don’t forget the first rule about the Ruin, whispered Tom’s voice. Out here everything wants to kill you.

Benny closed his eyes, and even now, separated from the madness of the ravine, he wasn’t at all sure if the voice was a memory or a ghost.

Or something worse than both.

Please don’t let this be me, Benny thought. Please don’t let me be going crazy.

The sun shone and the birds sang in the trees and Benny tried hard not to scream.

Chapter 11

11

IN A QUIET TONE SO THAT ONLY BENNY COULD HEAR HIM, CHONG MURMURED, “Some day, huh?”

Benny jumped, and Chong shot him a puzzled look.

“What are you so twitchy about?”

For a moment Benny wondered if Chong could read his thoughts.

“Sorry,” said Benny when he was sure his words wouldn’t come out choked and twisted. “Yeah. Weird day.”

Chong sneaked a glance over at Lilah and sighed softly. “You know, I think I liked being down in that hole better. All the zoms wanted to do was eat me. I think Lilah would enjoy skinning me alive.”

Benny followed his gaze and half smiled. “It’s not you, man.”

“What?”

“She’s not mad at you. I mean, she is . . . but not any more than usual.”

“I fell in, and you know how she is with the whole thing about me being a clumsy town boy and—” began Chong, but Benny cut him off.

“It’s the kid. I . . . think she looks like Annie.”

Chong winced as if Benny had punched him in the stomach. “Oh, man . . .”

“Yeah.”

Benny understood Lilah’s pain. He and Tom had quieted the zombies that had once been their parents. Tom had helped him through it, though; and later, when Tom passed, Benny had been spared the horror of quieting him. Tom never reanimated. However, Lilah had been all alone with Annie. She had no older sibling to help her through it. Benny was wise enough to understand that no matter how bad his own experiences were, there were some people who had it worse.