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I was being paranoid.
Most of me didn’t believe it. The kid didn’t seem sick.
I stayed there, hidden, dripping onto the dirt, thinking.
When Qui
“Hey! I’m over here! I found a way out!”
The light hit me, and I raised my hand to shield my eyes. I didn’t want him to see my face. I was sure he’d be able to tell from my expression that something was up; that I had something new to be afraid of.
There’s always something new to be afraid of.
I lowered the knife, so he wouldn’t see it.
I thought about things. It disgusted me. I thought about where I should stab Qui
“That river swept me down pretty far.”
I pretended to rake the water from my hair with my fingers, not looking at Qui
“Yep.” Qui
“We can use the rope. We’ll get you across the river,” I said.
“I’m not scared, Billy.”
I bent over, began gathering up my things.
“I’m going to wash out my clothes.”
“That’s a good idea, Billy.”
Qui
“You should wash your pants and boots, too, Qui
“No way I’m getting back in there,” he said. “But now you believe me?”
I had to think about that.
“About the water?” I said. “Yes. No more games.”
“No more games, Billy.”
Sure as shit, Qui
I tied the laces on the boots together through the belt hoops on my jeans, so I wouldn’t lose anything in the water. I was so careful. The knife was always ready. Qui
Qui
This is just how Qui
I was going to kill this kid, and there was nothing he could do about it.
And I thought, It’s bullshit. He’s the one hiding stuff. He’s sick. It’s been nothing but lies since the first time Qui
He will try to kill the youngest kid first. Then he will eat him. It’s what they do to Odds.
I shook my head, tried to clear my brain.
The Rangers used to take the sick Odds out and shoot them in the fucking street.
Leave them for the harvesters.
What was I going to do?
I rolled my pants and boots into a ball and tucked them under my arm. I stood up and shrugged. “You done eyeballing me yet, Qui
“Heh-heh, Billy. See how you like it?”
“I don’t really care.” I stood and watched him.
It was a stare-down, and neither one of us was budging.
This was Jack’s game.
I was the King of Marbury.
I turned around, got right up to the edge of the river. “Your clothes stink, Qui
My turn to fuck with the kid.
“I’m okay, Billy.”
“Sure you are.”
I jumped into the water.
Staying close to the edge, I scraped the uppers of my boots and washboarded my jeans against the concrete wall of the river, but all the time as I worked at cleaning my stuff, keeping afloat, pulling myself back toward the shadows cast by the flashlight Qui
I was going to kill this kid, and there was nothing he could do about it.
And it hit me, how the black worms never once got after Qui
Because he was one of them.
And now I was going to kill this kid.
I put my head under the water and screamed.
* * *
I sloshed my wet things over the edge and onto the dirt at the bank.
I suddenly felt so worn, like I didn’t have nearly the strength to pull myself out from the water. I twisted the hilt of the knife around in my grip. I was nervous and excited, trying to force myself to just get it over with, but I didn’t want to watch myself do it.
Qui
Watching.
Fuck you, Qui
“Need some help, Billy?”
He offered his open hand for me, stooping at the edge of the river.
I stayed there for a moment, considering what might happen if I yanked him out into the water, let the current take the kid down, over the falls. That would solve a small problem.
I had to do it.
And I thought, Maybe I should try to find Seth again, to beg him to do something for this kid who I didn’t particularly like, and certainly didn’t trust.
If I could find Seth.
But I wanted to ignore things, to convince myself that it wasn’t Qui
“Thanks, Qui
I grabbed his wrist.
He pulled me from the water.
* * *
I spent a few minutes squatting by the river, wringing and rewringing out my pants until they were reasonably damp enough to put on. All the while, I kept the knife pi
Qui
Qui
Boys who survived in Marbury always watched.
I had no idea how long we’d been down in the Under.
It seemed like forever.
Click.
Click. Click. Click.
The sound startled me, and I jumped.
It was only Qui
He noticed, smiled. “Sorry, Billy.”
I was too nervous, preoccupied in wondering how to deal with Qui
It had to be something that happened to him recently, too, otherwise Qui
But I couldn’t will myself to kill the kid. I thought about the horrifying sound of a knife plunging into Qui
What would it sound like?
How hard would he fight back, and how long would it take for him to die?
Zip.
Qui
“What’s this thing you got in here, Billy?”
Fuck.
The lenses.
I whirled back to see what he’d done, but it was too late. Qui
I grabbed for his hands. “Leave that alone!”
Qui
And speaking to no one in particular, like he was making a judgment call for this lightless and fucked-up universe, Qui