The visitor arrived at sunset three days later.
We were just finishing dinner, wondering how much time the generator had left, when shouts erupted outside. Then Floyd barreled in, ice coating his overalls to the waist. The weather had turned nasty again, vicious winds whipping down from the peaks with the promise of more snow. I ran to meet him in the foyer.
“Company, Noah!” Floyd’s hands were on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. “Me and Hamza were on watch. He came with his hands up.”
“Who?” I demanded, already moving past him. The wind caught the front door and nearly slammed it into my teeth, but I got a hand up in time. “Someone looking to join us?”
Floyd’s head swung back and forth, his dark cheeks still bellowing. “It’s Ferris Pohlman. Says he has a message from Ethan.”
My heart rate spiked. What did Ethan want? “Get Min. I’ll bring him in.”
Floyd nodded and hurried upstairs. I threw on the closest jacket, removed my pistol and checked the magazine, then stepped out into the bitter cold. I spotted Hamza, Lauren, and Casey at the bottom of the street. Guns drawn, they were wading up the cul-de-sac surrounding a skinny figure in a red parka. I waited for them where I stood.
“You search him?” I called as they got closer.
Lauren nodded, held up a small pistol. “He had this.”
“I handed you that,” Ferris whined, sunflower-blond hair curling atop a narrow, pointy head. “Noah, can we please go inside? I’m freezing my ass off out here.”
I didn’t move. “Tell me why you’re here.”
Ferris rolled his eyes. “I already told these guys. Ethan sent me. He has an offer.”
I stiffened. Crossed my arms. “Well?”
Ferris gave me an apprising look. “So you’re in charge of everyone now?”
I frowned. Was getting ahead of myself. Min should be the one to question him, not me. “You’re right, let’s go inside. Don’t think about doing anything stupid.”
“Your house has lights on, Noah. I want in there. No stupids, I promise.”
We found the others hastily assembling. Ferris moaned with pleasure at the warmth, unwrapping his slush-caked garments and piling them on the floor. “Man, this is nice. I walked straight across the lake, which was a mistake. Colder than Santa’s balls with that wind.”
He was making small talk, but I read the tightness in his shoulders. The hard line of his jaw. Ferris was sweating even after shedding his extra layers. Nervous. Maybe even scared. I glanced at Min, who was standing by the hearth. She flared an eyebrow. I shrugged. Hear him out, I guess.
“Ferris,” she called, silencing murmurs. “Come over here where everyone can see you.”
“You?” Ferris seemed taken aback. He glanced around quickly. “Seriously?”
Derrick gave Ferris a hard look. “You gotta problem with that?” He stepped over Anna and Aiken to get in the smaller boy’s face, squinting down at him like a prosecutor. “What are you doing here, Ferris? Ethan never gave you any big jobs before. But now you’re his ambassador or something?”
Ferris edged away, his face reddening. “No one else would go, all right? Not with Noah’s reputation. Ethan needed a messenger, and I . . . I took the deal he offered.”
“What deal?” Min said sharply.
Ferris lifted his chin. “That’s between me and Ethan. Now do you want to hear this or what?”
Min regarded him for a moment longer, then nodded, indicating with a hand that he should address the whole group.
I turned to the four kids on guard duty who’d followed me inside and were standing at the edge of the foyer. “Lauren and Casey, you two go back down the street. Be vigilant. Hamza, you and Floyd circle the house, then one of you watch the cul-de-sac while the other mans the back deck. Make sure nothing funny’s up. If anything seems the slightest bit off, sound the alarm.”
Though I knew it pained them, they agreed, heading back out into the gathering darkness. I wanted eyes everywhere, whatever our guest claimed. Derrick’s suspicion had struck a nerve with me—Ferris Pohlman was prickly and annoying by nature, an odd choice for diplomat.
I stepped back into the great room and stood behind the sofa, listening intently. I spotted Tack in his corner, beside the hole he’d punched in my wall. Our eyes met briefly, then he looked away. He hadn’t spoke to Min or me since finding us together in the kitchen.
Ferris was clearing his throat. “First, Ethan wants everyone here to know that Sarah is the one jacking the weather around, and that he’s pissed off about it, too.” Ferris snickered. “And he is mad, believe me. I don’t think she’s welcome back in town anytime soon. There were some wolves, a bear, and all kinds of craziness. Anyway, that’s not us.”
Min spoke up. “You’re saying Ethan isn’t in control. That Sarah’s running the Program.”
Ferris made a pinched face. “Wasn’t she always? Anyway, I was supposed to say that part about the weather and I did. Moving on.” He swallowed, as if summoning the courage to speak his next lines. Whatever was coming, I sensed it was going to start a fight.
“Ethan demands that everyone report to the sheriff’s office by tomorrow night.” Ferris nervously licked his lips. “He calls for your unconditional surrender. There might be more of you here, but our people are pretty juiced from eliminations and aren’t close to the deadline. How many of you can say that?”
“Not a chance,” I said immediately, although a sliver of worry began worming through my gut. Most in this house were just above the cutoff. We’d worked hard to rehabilitate the group—everyone had at least one spare reset, for comfort’s sake—but in a war of attrition we were doomed.
“Surrender my ass.” Derrick stepped forward and got chest to chest with Ferris again. It had the feeling of history between these two. “How’d those guys get so charged up, Ferris? You want to talk about that?”
Ferris clamped his mouth shut, a sickly flush infusing his cheeks. He looked away.
“Yeah, you don’t wanna talk about mowing folks down at the zones, do you, champ?” Derrick’s voice smoldered with condemnation. “You manned one of those posts, probably shot some people in this room. But now we’re supposed to walk down Main Street with our hands up, knowing more people still have to go?”
“They made me do that stuff, okay?” Ferris’s eyes darted the room, looking for a safe landing spot and not finding one. “You found a way to bail at the silo, sure, but I never had the chance! Town is like a prisoner camp now. Nobody’s allowed anywhere without one of the Sith Lord assholes watching you. You think Toby and Mike were nuts before? They don’t care about anything now. They just want to end the phase.”
Now Min got into Ferris’s personal space. “Then why in the world would we surrender?”
“Honestly? I don’t know.” Ferris backed up, then barked a harsh laugh. “I think Ethan sent me to screw with your heads. But facts are facts—if you try to fight, they’ll crush you. This was probably just to rub your noses in it.” He took a breath, then spoke in a rehearsed manner. “Ethan orders you to appear at the jail, unarmed, by sunset tomorrow, or else . . .” He shrugged, then pointed to Kyle’s list on the wall. “You’ll join the others.”
Ferris nodded, rubbing his beanpole arms with his hands. “There. Message delivered. I’m done. You guys got any cigarettes?”
“That’s ridiculous.” Tack stormed forward, unable to hide his temper. “Ethan’s offering nothing? That’s his negotiating stance?”
Ferris shrugged. Voices erupted in anger. The room seethed, people rising, shouting and pointing fingers. Ferris stood in the center of it, cringing inside a ring of resentment, a helpless pout on his face.
Something didn’t feel right. Ethan could be petty and cruel—and he’d never be accused of being a genius—but he was also a man of action. Sending Ferris to taunt us like this didn’t fit his style. Plus, it would only put us on guard.
Unless . . .
I walked to the door, put on my coat, and stepped out into the night. The cold hit me like a stomach punch, though the wind had died. I had floodlights on all around the house, pools of illumination in the otherwise seamless black. I walked over to the driveway, then down into the cul-de-sac. It was too dark to see our post at the bottom of the street, so I whistled. A second later I heard the proper return. Lauren and Casey were on the job.
Shrugging, I headed back up the drive. Then stopped. I turned slowly around, taking in the night sounds. I stood there a moment as something nagged at me. The answer came.
Hamza. Floyd. I’d told one of them to stand watch here after they circled.
I jogged back up toward the house and called out. “Floyd? Ham?” No response. My pulse increased to double time. I hurried past the garage and started around back. A twig snapped and I froze, listening intently, casting my senses out like a net.
Nothing. So I called out again, and got no answer.
I cut across my yard to a set of stone steps running down its middle. They descended to a crushed-stone path that disappeared into the woods, a wild stretch of forest ending with a sheer drop to the houses a street below. That cliff was unclimbable, especially in this weather, so there’d been no reason to set a guard there. Yet as I knelt, I saw footprints in the snow. Coming up.
I spun. Someone was supposed to be watching the deck.
I took a running step, but tripped and went sprawling. I rolled, then nearly screamed. Hamza’s face was half buried in the snow.
At the same moment, I heard someone cough.
I flattened myself beside Hamza’s lifeless body. Tried to control my breathing. Then, slowly, I craned my neck to look back up at the house. As my eyes adjusted, I spotted movement under the deck. Something flickered in the darkness beside the HVAC units.
I carefully withdrew my Sig Sauer and put my finger on the trigger. Slid over poor Hamza, mouthing a word of prayer. Then I slithered toward the house, inches at a time. I didn’t know where Floyd was. Had no time to yell for help. Enemies were prowling the property, and I had to stop them.
Footfalls in the snow. I whirled, spotted Floyd jogging toward me, gun in hand.
“Noah?” he called. “You okay? Seen Hamza?”
“Floyd, get down!”
Bullets peppered the snow around him and he dove for cover. I rose to a knee, fired into the gloom beneath the porch. Someone screamed, then a barrage of lead whizzed past my head. I dropped flat as three shapes emerged and raced down through the yard, vanishing into the woods.
I fired after them as Floyd scrambled to my side. “You hit?” he hissed, the whites of his eyes reflecting moonlight.
“No. But they got Hamza.” My voice hitched. “Twice, I guess. He’s gone.”
“Bastards!” Floyd was reloading, his chapped lips forming a snarl. He lurched to his feet, preparing to give chase, but I grabbed the sleeve of his beefy forearm. “They were messing around under the deck, Floyd. Then they just ran. Why?”
Floyd was breathing hard, nostrils flaring in rage, but he kept his head. “We’d better check, I guess. I’ll cover you.”
I pounded his shoulder in thanks, then scurried for the deck. The wooden structure rose on long stilts and was bolted to the back of the house. The space beneath was roughly eight feet high and ten deep, sheltering the HVACs and essential utility hookups. I crept in slowly, wary of traps, but it quickly became obvious I was alone.
I snapped on my flashlight. Swung it in a slow arc. Noticed a small gray block molded to the gas line below the meter. Something was jammed into it. A cell phone. Cheap, by the look. As I watched, the display blinked on. 2:00. Then 1:59. 1:58.
My eyes popped. I turned and ran, barely missed cracking my skull on a crossbeam. “Bomb!” I yelled at Floyd, not pausing as I sprinted up the steps to the deck itself. “Get away from the house, Floyd! Get Lauren and Casey!”
I didn’t hear his reply as I slammed into the back door. Mercifully, it was unlocked. Bursting into the kitchen, I found everyone else still huddled in the great room, interrogating Ferris. All eyes whipped to me.
“Bomb!” I shouted, waving my arms. “Under the house! Everyone get out now!”
No one moved. They all blinked at me in surprise, even Ferris. Min’s face went white.
“What’s going on, Noah?” she said.
I could barely speak, the clock in my head paralyzing my tongue. “In one minute this room is going to explode! His visit is a trick! Go, now! There’s a bomb under the deck!”
People leapt to their feet. Faces turned to each other, eyes wide. But no one was running for the door. Derrick grabbed Ferris by the shirt and dragged him close. The weasel-faced boy began screaming that he didn’t know anything.
They weren’t moving fast enough. It wasn’t real to them yet. In a panic, I aimed my gun at the ceiling and fired over and over, yelling, “Bomb!” between each pull of the trigger.
The stasis broke. Everyone bolted for the front door, but they were putting on jackets and scarves, taking way too much time. I screamed at them, dragging Min by the hand and shoving people before me. “Get out! Get out! Forget the jackets! Go! Go! Go!”
People finally got the message, abandoning their gear and charging into the bitter cold. I stood by the door, propelling them out one by one. Min hesitated, waiting for me. I thrust her at Tack, and he tugged her outside.
The front stoop became clogged with bodies. Someone fell.
A dragon’s roar erupted behind me. Orange light rocketed up through the floor, swallowing the great room in a molten fist. Then something vast and unseen lashed out and struck me in the chest, and I remembered nothing more.
Stars. Colors. Spinning vortices. Endless void.
I awoke in ash and debris. My consciousness floated on an ice-tinged breeze.
A tinny ringing, but the world was silent.
Burning fire. Fierce cold. I stared at a hole in the side of my house.
My hearing came back all at once, like a tuned channel.
The growl of flames eating wood. Snapping gunfire. Ping. Ping. Ping.
Screams. Grunts. Howls. Dark streaks in the snow.
Something moved beside me. Then it rose with a startled gasp. A moment later the shadow fell again, making a terrible gagging sound. It rolled to face me, features slack, eyes fixed and unblinking like a doll.
Bye, I thought kindly, adjusting the ski hat on the doll’s sticky red hair.
I blinked. No. Not a doll. Maggie. She wasn’t moving. Didn’t disappear. That meant something, something bad. But I couldn’t remember what.
“I think I hit my head, Maggie,” I gurgled, throat raspy and wet. I staggered to my feet, found that the left one didn’t work. It didn’t appear to be there.
I was in my front yard. My house was breathing a black mist. Shattered windows. Frames broken to pieces. I suspected I’d flown through one of them when the dragon coughed.
People were running all around me. Ducking behind trees. Moving in pairs.
Others were across the street. These were bad people. They wore black masks and waved shiny metal objects.
I could tell something was wrong with me. This event was important, but I couldn’t get my thoughts to process. Suddenly dizzy, I sat down in the snow. Maybe someone would help me.
Clouds of white smoke swirled in the sky above. Rising and falling. Dancing like leaves. Sometimes gray pieces fell in waves. Shards of soft glass. I opened my mouth and stuck out my tongue.
Phantoms flew from place to place, screeching, clawing, pointing their hands at shadows. Sometimes they’d collapse and lie still. Heaps of ragged cloth. Bags of potatoes. A discarded toy, dropped and forgotten.
Then, a miracle. They would shimmer. Disappear. Then snap back. Jump up and shake like a wet dog. I laughed. Clapped.
One girl stood in the golden halo, barking words that flew like arrows. The others swung on the fiery lines she cast, dancing for her, forming walls. Shields. Knife points.
Min. Min, bathed in light. The others revolved around her as she spun webs.
It was beautiful. She was beautiful.
The demons were disappearing more often now. They turned and melted back into the trees. Shapes followed, shouting, hounds on the scent. I tried to go with them, but I fell forward on my face.
I rolled. Could see my house again. Except it had been transformed. A sinuous red pyramid, wreathed in black, stretched into the night sky. I gasped, tears streaming from my eyes as orange hands tried to embrace me. Then I was floating, flying, my house racing the other way.
No. I was moving. Someone was dragging my shoulders.
I looked up. Scorched face. A terrible scowl. I felt sad for this person. Wanted to make him feel better. But I could only say one thing. “I hit my head.”
The face pulled close. Yelled. I knew that voice. “Tack,” I whispered, suddenly able to speak. “But that’s not your real name.”
“Lie still, Noah.” He wouldn’t look at me. “You’re . . . It’s not good.”
“Bad,” I agreed. But truthfully, I felt okay. I didn’t feel anything at all.
More thunderous cracks. Tack spun, then swore, diving to the side. I managed to roll onto my stomach. Saw a line of telephone poles. No, trees. The demons were back, poking from the branches.
My vision doubled. I tried to blink. Found I couldn’t.
“I think I hit my head, Tack.” But he was pointing down the driveway. A demon fell. I cheered weakly. Good job, Tack.
I tried to clap, but my hands wouldn’t move. The world slipped into a soft dream.
Min. Bathed in white. So beautiful.
I awoke gasping. Scrambled to my knees. I’d been lying in the snow in front of my house, which was burning like a monstrous version of the signal bonfire. Gunfire sang on all sides. I spotted Tack crouching behind a woodpile to my left and scuttled over to join him.
“Good to see you back,” he croaked, assault rifle in hand, his eyes glued to the tree line across the cul-de-sac. “You were—”
“Let’s not dwell on it,” I interrupted, shivering at the memory. The blast had tossed me from the house and broken my body. It was a mercy I’d finally bled out and reset. Now I was back— remade—and in the game. And intensely, overwhelmingly angry.
Then I felt a stab of panic. “Where’s Min?”
“Shed out back.” Tack was watching the darkness for movement, hunting another target. “She improvised a command post there.”
“Then why are you here?!” I demanded, searching my jacket for a weapon. I found the pistol I kept inside the lining and checked the mag. Good to go.
“She ordered me to guard the driveway.” Tack dropped behind the logs to reload. “You should see her—barking out commands like General freaking Patton. I did as I was told.” But I could tell it was grating on him. Tack yanked back the charging handle like he was strangling a rattlesnake. He was worried about Min, too.
“You’re right,” I said. “Sorry. What’s the situation?”
“They hit us from both sides after the bomb went off. The whole house went up.” He looked at me then. “If you hadn’t warned us . . .”
“Got lucky. Now let’s pay them back.”
Tack grunted. “It’s quiet up here. I think they bounced. Let’s check in with the others.”
I nodded. We rose and scurried across the driveway. Nearly tripped over two still forms lying beside the garage. Heart in my throat, I knelt to check. Finn Whitaker. And poor Ferris, the world’s worst emissary. Neither were on our side, but I felt empty just the same.
Tack pulled me by the arm. We sped around back, nearly got lit up by Sam and Carl, who were hunkered behind an overturned picnic table and covering the approach.
“Don’t shoot,” I hissed. “It’s Noah and Tack!”
“Hurry,” Sam growled. “They’re everywhere. Tell Min we can’t stay here.”
We passed their position and ran down to the shed. Min was there with Akio and Derrick. Behind them, Anna and Rachel were huddled in each other’s arms, cheeks stained by ashes and tears. Min glanced up, and I could see the relief in her eyes.
“Casey and Lauren were cut off and fell back into the neighborhood,” Derrick was saying. He nodded as we joined the grim conference. “I don’t know where they are now.”
“Those girls can look after themselves,” Min said. “I know where they’ll go. As for everyone else—we’ve got the cousins guarding the driveway, Darren, Benny, and Leighton are watching the path behind us, and Richie and Kyle are down in the woods. Any word on Floyd or Aiken?”
Akio shook his head. “They got hit right out the front door, but they both got up and ran into the neighbor’s yard. They could be fine.”
“What about Cenisa?” Min asked. The way her lips trembled, I knew she feared the answer.
“Gone.” Derrick ground his teeth, eyeing the floor. “Dropped twice. Didn’t get up.”
Pain flared in Min’s eyes. “I haven’t seen Maggie, either.”
“She’s gone,” I said softly. There was a moment of silence, then Derrick punched the wall. “I’m gonna kill Ferris,” he seethed, shaking out his hand.
“Too late,” Tack said flippantly. “Someone beat you to it. Finn, too.”
Derrick blinked, then sniffed hard. “This is crazy, man. I used to play soldiers with those guys as kids. What the hell are we doing, y’all?”
“Trying to stay alive,” Tack fired back. “They came to kill us, remember?”
“We can’t stay here,” Akio said, deftly changing the subject. “The house is gutted and it’s too cold outside. We need a new base.” As if to emphasize his point, the wind rattled the shed’s wooden doors, stoking the fireball only steps away.
“They’re still out there.” Derrick’s eyes were tight. “I saw Toby, Mike, and Lars working together. Benny said he spotted Chris and Spence in the woods.” He glanced over at me. “They came up that cliff-side in the backyard. I thought it was unclimbable too, but we forgot how jacked up they are now.”
I grabbed my hair with both hands and pulled, tasted ashes in my mouth. I didn’t set a guard there.
“I popped Tucker by the garage,” Akio added, scratching his cheek. “He got up, though. That makes eight in their attack at least, counting the dead.”
“Has anyone seen Ethan?” Min asked, and for a moment there was murder in her eyes.
Everyone shook their heads.
Her shoulders pushed back. “Akio’s right, we need to move. And if they attacked us here, that means they can’t be there.” She spoke briskly. “Get everyone together. We’re making a run for town. There are buildings we can occupy and defend.”
“The library!” I blurted, feeling a surge of inspiration. “It’s too big to blow up in a sneak attack, but there aren’t many ground- floor windows. We should have enough people to secure it.”
Min nodded. “Good idea. Go! We’ll move as soon as we’re all together.”
It took ten more minutes to get organized and gather our remaining supplies—mostly weapons and ammunition we’d been smart enough to leave in one of the SUVs. I spent the time creeping through the snow, anxiously whispering at where I thought our people were stationed. Thankfully, we didn’t see an enemy the whole time. Perhaps they were retreating. If so, we had to move fast.
Min’s plan was smart, but required speed. We needed to beat them back to town, or at least slip by them before they guessed our intentions. I was hoping they’d assume we’d just move a few blocks over and lick our wounds. Instead, we’d get behind Ethan’s lines and give him a nasty surprise.
Our number had dwindled to fourteen. Min put me in charge of the caravan, but our vehicles had been disabled in the firefight. So many flat tires. We had no choice but to walk. I sent a team of four to scout the street—the cousins, Darren, Benny—while the main group traveled behind them. Min, Rachel, Anna, Derrick, and Leighton were guarded by me, Tack, and Kyle. Richie and Akio brought up the rear. Everyone moved at a fast walk.
Good news arrived first. Floyd and Aiken burst from the woods halfway down the block, Aiken and Anna colliding in a hug that could’ve broken bones. Spirits buoyed, we continued to the valley floor. Min wanted to check the boathouse for the soccer girls, then circle the lake and sneak onto Library Avenue. A decent strategy, until it all went wrong.
We’d reached Shore Point Road, were a hundred yards from the docks when they hit us from both sides. The deadly crossfire began with no warning. Sam, Akio, and Kyle were instantly cut to pieces.
“Everyone down!” I shouted.
It was so dark I could barely see, but shadows were moving on the road. I was lying side by side with Benny and Floyd. We fired into the black, pausing only to reload. Bullets whizzed overhead. I heard a grunt behind me, glanced over to see Darren’s face go slack. But he phased back in seconds later and rejoined our line. Then Carl flopped down in the snow beside him.
“Hold them here,” I shouted, then shimmied back and scurried in the other direction, passing where Anna, Rachel, and Aiken were cowering with their hands over their heads. Another line had formed on our opposite flank. Sam and Tack were shoulder to shoulder with Min, Akio, and Leighton, everyone firing into the gloom.
“They’ve got us pinned,” Sam said. “And they’re using automatic weapons.” A ripping sound like a buzz saw echoed in the night. We made ourselves small as the deadly hail scythed through the air above us.
Sam was right. They had us trapped out in the open. Sitting ducks. I was planning a blind charge into their teeth when a quick succession of pops sounded ahead. The automatic firing stopped. Moments later Casey and Rachel ghosted from the darkness.
“They’re all down on this side,” Casey shouted, “but they won’t be for long. Let’s go!”
I didn’t argue. Rising to a knee, I yelled back the way I’d come. “Everyone, fall back this way! Now!”
The other side was still taking heavy fire. They ripped off a long barrage, then sprang up and retreated toward me, gathering the group in the middle. We all followed Casey and Lauren as they dashed off the road and onto the frozen lake.
Min stopped at the edge, waving everyone forward. “This way! Hurry! They won’t have any cover on the ice, and can’t surround us.” When the last person ran past, I grabbed her hand and we rushed toward the boathouse end of the dock. Though slick, the lake ice was puckered and covered in snow, giving decent traction. The others had gathered by the last pylon and were counting off. One was missing.
“Anyone seen Leighton?” I called out.
“Here!” a voice shrilled. Leighton was somehow behind everyone, just now running out onto the ice. “They’re right on me!” he shouted.
A machine gun screamed again, and we cowered under the dock’s pilings.
“Get the others away,” Sam growled as Leighton finally slipped and slid his way to join us. “Carl and I will hold them here, then we’ll meet you at the library. Go!”
Min seemed about to protest, but there wasn’t time. “Don’t wait too long,” she said, then gripped Sam by the shoulder. I began herding everyone else out onto the open lake ice, into the howling wind and suffocating darkness.
Moments later gunfire echoed, a rapid firefight fit to wake the gods. It ended abruptly. The sound repeated as we worked farther out onto the lake, then did so again.
The cousins were holding the door closed. I said a prayer for them. As silently as ghosts, we slipped into the infinite black and disappeared.
The crossing was slow and painful, a slipping, sliding mess of falls and curses. Whatever time we might’ve saved by taking a direct route was being squandered by the snail’s pace we were forced to endure.
But finally, the ruined marina’s dark outline hove into view. I was trudging beside Min, who seemed lost in thought. I put an arm around her and her head jerked up, lips smiling faintly before the frown returned. I knew she was worrying about how to take care of everyone. What we were going to eat tonight. Where we’d sleep. How to protect us from the stalking murderers our classmates had become.
I wanted to say something comforting, but no words sprang to mind. I didn’t have the answers. Then the first grumblings shook the ice, and all other thoughts vanished in an onslaught of dread.
Min’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates. “Oh, no.”
I remembered Sarah’s expression on the webcam. Like she’d found something new.
A low rumble reverberated from the surrounding mountains. The ice beneath our feet began to vibrate, then hiss and snap. I felt the deep, primordial panic of a land creature suddenly aware of a bottomless depth of water beneath its feet.
“Run!” Min shouted.
We took off like a flight of panicked birds, racing as fast as the ice would let us. The roaring increased. I saw hairline cracks spiderweb beneath my boots, then whole sheets began to crack apart.
Around the valley, invisible peaks groaned. Out on the ice, the once solid surface broke into pieces, large sections popping up and calving sideways like icebergs.
The marina was close—less than fifty yards away. We could make it.
With a shriek like a screaming baby, a massive sheet of ice reared up beside me. Tipped sideways. I watched in horror as Floyd and Lauren slid soundlessly into the black water, twin Os on their faces. Then the berg overturned completely, covering them both.
Casey stopped, screamed, but I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward shore. More huge chunks were shaking apart. We had seconds to reach solid ground. After a few yards Casey shook me off and raced ahead, crying as she ran for safety.
The kids with the best footwear reached the wharf first and began scrambling up ladders. The ice began to shred all around us. I took another step, felt my sneaker go through. In a panic, I spun, losing my footing and sliding toward a yawning patch of open water.
My legs went in and the cold was impossible. It seeped into my bones, stunning me, turning my muscles to jelly. I began to slide down into the inky depths, mind blank, limbs slack and useless.
Something snagged the back of my jacket. Pulled me back from the edge. My brain jolted into action, began to function again. I gasped, whipped my arms out, flipping over to look behind me. Min was on her butt with my jacket hood gripped in both hands, dragging me across the ice. Yelling at me the whole time. Then Derrick and Tack appeared, and together they hauled me upright.
“Em fiiine,” I said through chattering teeth. “Guhhhoo.”
I staggered the last few yards, grabbing the bottom ladder rung just as the ice dissolved beneath my feet. I was pulled, towed, and cajoled up to the dock, then managed to stumble down to the stone wharf under my own power.
Blinking like an invalid, I peered around. Though it was dark, I could see buildings up and down the block. There was a fire burning in the southwestern hills—my house, spreading to consume the woods surrounding it. With the wind howling, nothing would stop the conflagration from burning down that whole section of the valley.
Min and Tack were arguing, gesticulating wildly. Something about a library. Min pointed at Town Hall and shouted something, while Tack vehemently shook his head.
It all became too much.
I crumpled to the snow-covered flagstones and passed into a dreamless sleep.