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Back The Drowned Cities Save as PDF
Chapters (53)
  1. Welcome
  2. Dedication
  3. PART ONE
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. PART TWO
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  52. Contents
  53. Copyright

Ocho drank from his bottle. It was some bottle that had used to hold… what? He studied the label. Some kind of cleaning fluid, if the bleached-out picture on the plastic was right. Showed a Chinese lady with a floor that was sparkling bright as the sun. Ocho drank again.

Van had found the liquor store in the back of the old lady’s sundries shop, hidden. She’d tucked all the booze away as soon as UPF showed up, but Van had that nose for liquor. Ocho drank while he considered his answer.

“Soft?” he asked, and handed the bottle up to the man who controlled his world.

Sayle snorted. “Soft?” he mimicked. “You know what I’m talking about.” He waved the bottle over at the company. “You recruited that war maggot?”

Ocho followed the man’s gesture to the bonfire, where the new recruit stood surrounded by soldier boys. At their command, Ghost was taking drinks from a bottle that they were passing around the fire. He was scared. Eyes like a rabbit, looking for a way out. The half-bars Ocho had laid on his cheek stood out, red and blistered.

“He’s tough,” Ocho said. “And he’s loyal.”

“How you figure?”

“Followed the doctor into hell.”

“That’s not loyal. That’s just stupid.”

“There’s a difference?” Ocho deadpanned, making Sayle snort his alcohol. “I figure if he’s fool enough to follow that crazy doctor, he might be smart enough to follow someone who saves his maggot ass.”

He took another swig of burning liquor. It was trash. Nowhere near as good as the stuff that got smuggled in on Lawson & Carlson ships when the recycling went out, but that was what you got with the homegrown stuff. Probably make him blind if he drank enough of it. His old man used to say you could drink homemade hooch and go blind.

“What you going to do when that little pup turns and tries to bite you?” Sayle asked. “Maybe puts a bullet in the back of your head?”

Ocho shook his head. “He won’t.”

“Big bet, Sergeant.”

“Nah. I’d put a million Red Chinese on that boy.” Ocho studied the recruit. “We’re all he’s got.”

When you were alone in the rising ocean, you grabbed whatever raft passed by.

23

COWARD.

COWARD. Coward coward cowardcowardcoward…

The word kept running through Mahlia’s head, and with every step away from the village, the accusation echoed louder.

I tried to tell them. I tried to save their dumb asses. They would have been fine, if they’d just listened to me.