“I don’t see anyone,” Jeb retorted. “Hey!” he yelled, and I flinched in surprise. I wasn’t the only one. Jeb waved his left hand over his head, the gun still clenched in the right. “Over here!”

“Shut up,” Maggie growled, shoving his chest. Though I had good reason to know she was strong, Jeb didn’t wobble.

“She’s alone, Mag. She was pretty much dead when I found her—she’s not in such great shape now. The centipedes don’t sacrifice their own that way. They would have come for her much sooner than I did. Whatever else she is, she’s alone.”

I saw the image of the long, many-legged insect in my head, but I didn’t make the connection.

He’s talking about you, Melanie translated. She placed the picture of the ugly bug next to my memory of a bright silver soul. I didn’t see a resemblance.

I wonder how he knows what you look like, Melanie wondered absently. My memories of a soul’s true appearance had been new to her in the beginning.

I didn’t have time to wonder with her. Jeb was walking toward me, and the others were close behind. Kyle’s hand hovered at Jeb’s shoulder, ready to restrain him or throw him out of the way, I couldn’t tell.

Jeb put his gun in his left hand and extended the right to me. I eyed it warily, waiting for it to hit me.

“C’mon,” he urged gently. “If I could carry you that far, I woulda brought you home last night. You’re gonna have to walk some more.”

“No!” Kyle grunted.

“I’m takin’ her back,” Jeb said, and for the first time there was a harsher tone to his voice. Under his beard, his jaw flexed into a stubborn line.

“Jeb!” Maggie protested.

“’S my place, Mag. I’ll do what I want.”

“Old fool!” she snapped again.

Jeb reached down and grabbed my hand from where it lay curled into a fist against my thigh. He yanked me to my feet. It was not cruelty; it was merely as if he was in a hurry. Yet was it not the very worst form of cruelty to prolong my life for the reasons he had?

I rocked unsteadily. I couldn’t feel my legs very well—just prickles like needle points as the blood flowed down.

There was a hiss of disapproval behind him. It came from more than one mouth.

“Okay, whoever you are,” he said to me, his voice still kind. “Let’s get out of here before it heats up.”

The one who must have been Kyle’s brother put his hand on Jeb’s arm.

“You can’t just show it where we live, Jeb.”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter,” Maggie said harshly. “It won’t get a chance to tell tales.”