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Chapters (42)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. Acknowledgments
  40. Discover More
  41. About the Author
  42. Also by Richard Lange

Jesse jiggles the pick to scare him before withdrawing it. He nods to Sanders, who puts the jug to Beaumont’s mouth and holds it while he drinks.

“Thank you, brother,” Beaumont says when he’s had his fill.

“I’m not your brother,” Sanders says.

A fly lands on Beaumont’s cheek and laps at the blood smeared there. Beaumont shakes his head, but the fly just hops to a new spot.

“May I use a toilet?” Beaumont says.

“Not until you take me to the motel,” Jesse says.

“Some food?”

“No. Nothing.”

Jesse slides the gag back and closes the crate. He checks the padlocks after Sanders snaps them shut.

The men leave the camper. Children are playing with sparklers in the motel’s parking lot, twirling them, tossing them, fighting fiery duels.

“God bless America,” a girl sings, marching like she’s in a parade. “Land that I love.”

“We’re going after them tonight,” Jesse says to Sanders.

“Do you have a plan?” Sanders asks.

“Dust them all,” Jesse replies.

A bottle rocket explodes, loosing a swarm of sparks. The last of the sunlight is draining from an orange cloud becalmed above Charleston Peak, and the sky is getting darker by the second.

26

26

JeSSE DON’T KNOW BUT I DON’T BELIEVE IN HEAVEN NO MORE. When I died last night I didn’t see no mansions nor streets of gold nor angels. And no good God would’ve let Jesse kill Abby so he’s bunk too. The sun burned like lye when I run out the door after her. I wasn’t thinking. I heard her crying and wasn’t thinking. There wasn’t no sense in me going out there. You can’t bring nothing back from ashes.

We was in Houston Texas when I found her. Jesse was out hunting. I’m to keep to the room when he’s gone but I sneak out sometimes. I know what fifteen minutes looks like and I never go more than that. I walk to the swimming pool if we got one to a washing place to McDonald’s. Once I stood outside a drive-in movie and watched a show about some boys in jail and once I peeked into a tavern where a lady dancing with her titties hanging out called me sugar. Come in and enjoy the show, she said and I said, No ma’am I got to get to work.

In Houston I was on my way to a market with a quarter to buy me a Hershey Bar. Abby was sitting under a car in the parking lot. I called her to me but she wouldn’t come till I spent that quarter on jerky and gave her some. Then she followed me all the way back to the room purring and rubbing on my legs.