Gone (Gone #1)(91)

"You're welcome, but like I said, it may be temporary. They're not really trying to get in yet. When Pack Leader gets here, that could change. They're strong, you know, and smart"

"You're bleeding yourself," he sad. "I'll tlx that," she said, almost indifferent. "I've gotten kind of used to being cut up one way or another"

She pressed her blood-covered hand against her leg. "Who is this Pack Leader?" Sam asked.

"He's the head coyote. I tricked him into letting me come here. I hoped Pd be able to get away. Or at least have something to eat besides roadkill. Coyotes are smart, but they Ye still just smart dogs, basically. Are you guys hungry? I am,*

Sam nodded. Then he climbed stiffly to his feet, moving like an old man.

"As soon as Pm done with my leg, Pli do yours" Lana said. "We have a pretty good supply of (bod and plenty of water, at least for a while. The question is whether Pack Leader will be able to find a way in here"

Astrid said, "You're talking about this coyote like he*s a person"

Lana laughed."Not a person you'd want to hang out with"

"Is he ... is he just a coyote?" Astrid asked.

Lana stared at the girl. Now she could see the intelligence beneath the pretty-girl looks. "What do you know about that?" Lana asked cautiously.

"I know some animals are changing. We've seen a seagull with talons. And we saw, well, a make with what looked like little stub wings"

Lana nodded. "Yeah, I've seen those. Up close. They scare the coyotes half to death, I can tell you that. They can't quite fly, but the rattlers use the wings to get just a little more range than they used to have. They actually saved my butt once. And I saw them kill a coyote just <i few hours ago, Pack Leader said—"

'"Said'?" Edilio echoed.

"I'll tell you all about it, but let's eat first. I've had nothing to eat. Although I was offered some raw squirrel. Canned pudding, that's what I want. IVe been dreaming about it"

She hauled out a can and feverishly worked the can opener. She didn't wait for a dish or spoon, but thrust her hand in and scooped some into her mouth. Then she stood transfixed, overwhelmed by the wonderful sweetness of it.

She was crying when she said, "Pm sorry, I've forgotten how to be polite. I'll get you guys your own can."

Sam hobbled over and scooped some pudding of his own, following her lead. "I'm way pasl polite myself," he said, although she could see he was a little appalled by her wolfish behavior. She decided then that she liked him,

"Listen, Sam, and everyone, you need to know something so it won't freak you out: Pack Leader can speak. I mean, human words. Like Smart-Girl Barbie there was saying, he's some kind of mutant or whatever. I know you think I'm probably crazy"

She had Hermit Jim's tin cup now and used it to scoop up another helping of wonderful, wonderful pudding. Blondie—Astrid—was opening a can of fruit cocktail.

"What do you know about the FAYZ?" Astrid asked.

Lana stopped eating and stared at her "The what?"

Astrid shrugged and looked embarrassed. "That's what people are calling it. The Fallout Alley Youth Zone. FAYZ"

"What does that mean?"

"Have you seen the barrier?"

She nodded."Oh, yeah. I've seen the barrier. I touched the barrier, which, by the way, is not a good idea"

Sam said, "As far as we can tell, it goes clear around in a big circle. Or maybe a sphere. We think the center is the power plant. It seems like a ten-mile radius from there, you know, twenty miles across"

"Circumference of 62.83 miles, with an area of 314.159 square miles" Astrid said.

"Point 159," Quinn echoed from his corner. "That's important"

"It's basically pi "Astrid said/You know, 3.14159265.... Okay, III stop."

Lana hadn't stopped being hungry. She took a scoop of the fruit cocktail. "Sam, you think the power plant caused it?"

Sam shrugged, and then he hesitated, surprised. Lana guessed that he felt no pain in his shoulder. "No one knows. All of a sudden every single person over the age of fourteen disappears and there's this barrier and people ... animals .. "

Lana slowly absorbed this new information. "You mean all the adults? They're gone?"

"Pool7'Quinn said."They ditched. They blinked out. They vacated. They took the off-ramp. They cut a hole. They emigrated. Adults and teenagers. Nothing left but kids."

"I've done all I can to strengthen the door," Edilio announced. "But all I have is nails. Someone can break it in eventually."

"Maybe they didn't all ditch," Lana said. "Maybe we did" Astrid said,"That's definitelyone of the possibilities, not that it makes any real difference. It's effectively the same thing."

So the blonde was definitely a brain. Lana wondered about her little brother He was awftilly quiet for a little kid.

"My grandfather disappeared while he was driving the truck" Lana said, recalling that terrible day. "The truck crashed. And I was dying. I mean* bones sticking out. Gangrene. Then, it was tike I could just heal. My dog. Myself. And I don't know why"

From beyond the wooden door came a sudden chorus of excited yelps.