Gone (Gone #1)(102)

Heads were nodding. Looks were being exchanged.

"Coates kids, Perdido Beach kids, we're together now. We're together. Maybe you did things to survive. Maybe you weren't always brave. Maybe you gave up hope"

A girl sobbed suddenly.

"Well that's all over now* Sam said gently. "It all starts fresh. Right here, right now. We're brothers and sisters now. Doesn't matter we don't know each other's names, we are brothers and sisters and we're going to survive, and we're going to win, and we're going to find our way to some kind of happiness again"

There was a long, deep silence.

"So," Sam said,"my name is Sam. I'm in this with you. All ihe way" He turned to Astrid.

"I'm Astrid, I'm in this with you, too."

"My name is Edilio. What they said. Brothers and sisters. HttntanosT

"Thuan Vong" said a thin boy with yet-unhealed hands like dead fish. *Tm in."

"Dekka,"said a strong, solidly built girl with cornrows and a nose ring. "I'm in. And I have game"

"Me too" called a skinny girl with reddish pigtails. "My name's Brianna. I... well, I can go real fast"

One by one ihey declared iheir determination. The voices started out soft and gained strength. Each voice louder, firmer, more determined than the one before.

Only Quinn remained silent. He hung his head, and tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Quinn" Sam called to him,

Quinn didn't respond, just looked down at the ground.

"Quinn," Sam said again. "It starts fresh right now. Nothing before counts. Nothing. Brothers, man?"

Quinn struggled with the lump in his throat. But then, in a low voice, he said, "Yeah. Brothers."

"Okay. Now let's get everyone some food " Sam said.

When they started out again* they no longer spread in every direction. They didn't march like an army, but they came as close as a bunch of traumatized kids could. They walked with their heads a little higher.

Someone actually laughed, it was a good sound.

In a low voice Astrid said, "Nothing to fear but fear itself"

"I don't think I said it quite that well"

Edilio slapped him on the back. "You said it well enough, man"

"Sam's back." "What?"

"Sam. He's back. He's coming down the highway" Howard's chest tightened. He was halfway down the steps of town hall, on his way to McDonald's for one of Albert's waffle-burgers.

It was Elwood, Dahra Baidoo's boyfriend, who had delivered the news. He sounded relieved, there was no denying it. He sounded glad. Howard made a mental note that Elwood was disloyal, but he realized at the same time thai he might have bigger issues to worry about than ElwoxTs loyalty.

"If Sam's coming back, it's on the end of a leash held by Drake Merwin," Howard blustered.

But Elwood was off to tell Dahra and was no longer listening.

Howard looked around, feeling a little lost, not quite sure what to do. He spotted Mary Terrafino pushing a shopping cart loaded with juice boxes, A&D ointment, and some bruised apples across the plaza toward the day care. Howard trotted down the steps and caught up with her.

"Tsup* Mary?" he asked.

"Um, your time?" Mary said, and laughed at her own wit. "Yeah, you think? My time's up?" "Sam's on his way" "You saw him?"

"I had three different people tell me he's coming down the highway. You better rush out and stop him, Howard" Mary crowed.

"He's one guy, we'll kick his butt"

"Good luck with that," Mary said.

Howard wished Ore was here. With Ore al his side, he didn't have to put up with any of Mary's lip. But one-on-one was a different storv.

"You want me telling Caine you're on Sam's side?" Howard demanded.

"I didn't say I was on anyone's side. I'm on the side of the prees I lake care of. Bui here's whit I notice, Howard; I notice you hear Sam's name and all of a sudden you're ready to wel yourself. So, you know what? Maybe it's you who is disloyal. After all, if Caine is so great, why would you be scared of Sam? Right?" She leaned against her basket and got it rolling again.

Howard swallowed hard and argued with his own fear. "It's no big thing" he told himself."We have Caine and Drake and Ore. We're cool. We're cool*

He believed that for a good twenty seconds before he broke and ran for Ore.

Ore was in the house he had taken over and now shared with Howard, just across the street from where Drake lived. It was on a short street, the closest place to town hall that you could live. Kids called it Bully Row.

Ore was asleep on the couch with a DVD of a kung tu movie playing at blasting volume on the TV. Ore had taken to staying up through the night and sleeping days.

It was a lousy house, in Howard's opinion, badly decorated and smelling of garlic, but Ore hadn't cared. He wanted to stay close to the action in town. And he wanted to stay close enough to keep an eye on Drake across the street.

Howard searched for the remote and shut off the TV. There were empty beer cans on the glass-topped coffee table, and cigarettes in an ashtray. Ore was now drinking a couple beers a day.

Since Bette. That's when the drinking had started in earnest. Howard was worried about Ore. Not that he exactly liked him, but Howard's fate was bound up with Ore's and he didn't like the picture of what his world would belike if Ore dumped him.