Some people try to use their phones without the Followers noticing, but they’re having problems. No reception. Or some other reason they’re not working.

In the midst of all this, Alana stands very still.

She’s not surprised that some people are giving her significant looks, the classmates she saved back in the day, people who knew her secret, but never said anything about it.

Now they’re waiting for her to save them again.

Instead, she simply returns their stares. Waiting like she’s only another face in the crowd.

Buzz’s phone rings — at least his seems to work — and he answers and nods. He speaks to the crowd again.

“We’re all going to take a little field trip,” he shouts. “Please move quickly to the buses outside.”

A murmur runs through the crowd. Even for people at gunpoint, this is a lot to ask. Alana can see some of them thinking about it. There’s not that many of them. They can’t shoot all of us.

Buzz holds up his hands, like he’s addressing a pep rally as student body president again, and the crowd is getting a little too rowdy. “Before you think about doing anything stupid,” he says, “take a look at your phones.”

All around the gym, phones flare to life. People gasp and choke and wail as images dance over their screens.

Alana looks over the shoulders of the woman nearest her, whose eyes are locked on her phone.

There’s a live video, jerky and handheld, like a FaceTime call. It’s hard to make out what’s happening at first, but Alana sees the face, staring at the camera: dead-eyed and slack-jawed, moving forward, one step at a time.

“Baby,” the woman says. “Baby, wake up. What are you doing? Answer me!”

“Those are your kids,” Buzz says. “They’re on their way to meet you. If you want to see them, you should get on the bus.”

Alana takes her own phone out of her pocket. Grace does not look back at her. She only sees her daughter from the side, sitting in the seat of an unknown car, being driven somewhere.

Her wrist burns. She looks down and sees the scar from the binding is now red and inflamed.

When she lifts her head again, more people cast pleading looks at her, eyes begging her to do something to stop this before it goes any further.

She lowers her phone and looks back at them. In a clear, steady voice, she says, “We’d better do what they want.”

She walks through the crowd, right up to Buzz. He bows and gestures gallantly for her to go out the door.

The rest of her graduating class follows her.

27

A Lot of Sacrificing to Do Tonight

Wade is not particularly thrilled at being ordered around by a tool like Buzz, but he has to admit, he does like the job he’s been given.