dekka

Yeah, let__ get John here. That way we can stall for a while longer. We can keep on doing nothing for just a little while longer.__lbert said, __ake it easy, Howard.___ake it easy?_ Howard jumped to his feet. __eah? Where were you last night, Albert? Huh? Because I didn__ see you out there on the street listening to kids screaming, seeing kids running around hurt and scared and choking, and Edilio and Orc struggling, and Dekka hacking up her lungs and Jack crying and__ou know who couldn__ even take it?_ Howard raged. __ou know who couldn__ even take what was happening? Orc. Orc, who__ not scared of anything. Orc, who everyone thinks is some kind of monster. He couldn__ take it. He couldn___but he did. And where were you, Albert? Counting your money? How about you, Astrid? Praying to Jesus?__strid__ throat tightened. She couldn__ breathe. For a moment panic threatened to overwhelm her. She wanted to run from the room, run away and never look back.Edilio got to his feet and put an arm around Howard. Howard allowed it, and then he did something Astrid never thought she would see. Howard buried his face in Edilio__ shoulder and cried, racking sobs.__e__e falling apart,_ Astrid whispered for herself alone.But there was no easy escape. Everything Howard had said was true. She could see the truth reflected in Albert__ stunned expression. The two of them, the smart ones, the clever ones, the great defenders of truth and fairness and justice, had done nothing while others had worked themselves to exhaustion.

Where__ Dekka?_ Astrid asked.__n the basement,_ Edilio said. __he kept going for a long time. Her and Orc and Jack. But she__ sick. Tired and sick. And she got a bad burn on one hand. That was it for her. I made her go to Dahra. Lana will_you know, when she__ done with_Man, I__ sorry,_ he said as he began crying again. __ can__ be digging graves. Someone else has to do that, okay? I can__ do that anymore.

Hey, Sam,_ Drake shouted. __ thought you__ like to know this isn__ my whole army.__am didn__ doubt it.__our girl Brianna tried to stop us._ Drake waved a bowie knife in the air. __ took this from her. I whipped her, Sam._ He snapped his whip hand. The crack was like a pistol shot. __ broke her legs so she couldn__ run. Then . . .__ekka was halfway over the side, ready to swim ashore. Jack grabbed her and held her.__et me go!_ Dekka yelled.__old her,_ Sam ordered Jack. __on__ be stupid, Dekka. He wants us to come rushing at him.___ can beat him,_ Jack said. __ekka and me together, we can kill him.__am registered the fact that Jack was actually making a physical threat. He didn__ remember ever hearing that kind of thing from Jack. But Dekka was Sam__ greater concern.____ going to kill him,_ Dekka said in a voice so deep in her throat she sounded like an animal. ____l kill him. I__l kill him._ Then she shouted, ____ going to kill you, Drake. I__ going to kill you!__rake grinned. __ think she liked it. She was screaming, but she liked it.___e__ lying,_ Toto said.__ho?_ Sam snapped.__im._ He pointed at Drake. __e hasn__ killed that girl or hurt her.__ekka relaxed and Sam and Jack let go of her.__ruth-teller Toto,_ Sam whispered. __e can tell when people are lying.___ just decided I like you,_ Dekka said to Toto. __ou might be useful.__oto frowned. __t__ true: you just decided you like me.