Drake yanked the binoculars from Chunk’s hands and tried to capture the spark in his field of vision. Almost impossible. He would catch it and then lose it. Even when he managed to follow it for a few seconds, he couldn’t make anything out, it was just an orange flame wandering through a featureless void. But it was almost surely moving too fast to be carried by a person, even a fast person.
Then the spark stopped moving. And gradually Drake realized the flame was growing.
He peered intently and thought he could make out some kind of structure, like a house or something in the spreading glow.
Panda had limped over to join them. Drake handed him the binoculars. “What do you think that is?”
Panda peered through the binoculars and at that moment there was a flash of light and he tore the binoculars away and yelled.
The second flash was even clearer, and now there were sparklers making light trails through the darkness of early morning.
Panda looked again. “There’s some kind of house…and a tower or something. And there’s, like,…like dogs or something.”
A third blinding light and now even more of the number of crazily weaving sparklers.
“I don’t know, man,” Panda said.
“I think maybe we just found what we were looking for,” Drake said.
Chunk, scared, said, “You think that’s this kid you’re trying to catch? Dude’s got the power, man. Like in that movie—”
Drake yanked the gun from his belt and said, “No, Chunk: this is the power. And I’ve got it.”
That shut Chunk up for a few seconds.
“The fire is spreading,” Louise pointed out. “It’s probably all dry down there and bushes and stuff catching fire.”
Drake had noticed the same thing. He glanced back in the direction they’d come from, tried to make sense of the topography. “Coates is back that way. The barrier is over that way.” He pointed. “There’s no wind, so the fire is going to climb the hill. Which means they’ll be coming this way, toward Coates. They’ll pass down below us.”
“What are you going to do, shoot them when they walk past?” Chunk asked, eager and afraid.
“Yeah, that’s right, three thousand feet down this hill and I’m going to shoot them with a handgun,” Drake said sarcastically. “Moron.”
“So what do we do?” Panda asked. “No wonder Caine’s scared of this guy. Dude can do all that?”
“That’s a four bar, right there, I bet,” Chunk opined. “I seen all kinds of stuff at Coates with Benno and Andrew and Frederico, none of them could do that kind of stuff. You think he can take Caine down?”
Drake spun and smacked Chunk in the mouth with the back of his free hand. When Chunk staggered back, Drake moved in and kicked him in the groin.
Chunk grabbed himself and fell to his knees. He whimpered, “Why’d you do that, man?”
“Because I’m sick of listening to you,” Drake snapped. “I’m sick of all this powers crap. You saw what we did to freaks at Coates? Who do you think it was that took care of that? All these kids with their stupid so-called powers. Starting fires and moving stuff around and reading your mind and all? Who do you think it was grabbed them one by one in their sleep and beat them down and when they woke up their hands were setting up in a block of cement?”
“It was you, Drake,” Panda said, placating him. “You got them all.”
“That’s right. And I didn’t even have a gun then. It’s not about who’s got powers, morons. It’s about who’s not afraid. And who’s going to do what has to be done.”
Chunk was climbing to his feet now with a hand from Panda.
“It’s not Sam Temple or even Caine you little worms need to worry about, it’s me,” Drake said. “Mr. Laser Hands down there isn’t going to make it to where he can fight Caine. I’m going to take him down long before that.”
THIRTY-FOUR
87 HOURS, 46 MINUTES
THEY WERE SIX now. Sam, Edilio, Quinn, Lana, Astrid, and Little Pete. All plans for following the FAYZ wall home were abandoned for now. The fire, a patchwork of brilliant yellow and orange, was climbing the hills to the north, cutting them off. They could only keep moving south.
Dawn came at last, an unsatisfying gray that bleached the color from everything, even the fire.
They could see where they were placing their feet, now, but that didn’t stop them from tripping and stumbling. They were lead-footed from exhaustion.
Little Pete silently collapsed and was left behind until Astrid noticed. After that Edilio and Sam took turns carrying him on their backs, which made their progress even slower and more treacherous.
Little Pete slept that way for a while, maybe two hours, then, when the boys couldn’t manage another step, he woke up and set off on his own, and now they were all following him, too tired to argue or try to redirect him, since he was going mostly in the right direction.
“We gotta stop, man,” Edilio said. “The girls are tired.”
“I’m fine,” Lana said. “I’ve been running with coyotes. Walking with you guys is like standing still.”
“I’ve had it,” Sam agreed, and stopped right where he was, which happened to be beside something that was either a very big bush or a small tree.
“Petey,” Astrid shouted. “Come back. We’re stopping.”
Little Pete had stopped walking, but he would not come back. Astrid wearily trudged to him, every sore footstep communicating the pain she was in.
Then the spark stopped moving. And gradually Drake realized the flame was growing.
He peered intently and thought he could make out some kind of structure, like a house or something in the spreading glow.
Panda had limped over to join them. Drake handed him the binoculars. “What do you think that is?”
Panda peered through the binoculars and at that moment there was a flash of light and he tore the binoculars away and yelled.
The second flash was even clearer, and now there were sparklers making light trails through the darkness of early morning.
Panda looked again. “There’s some kind of house…and a tower or something. And there’s, like,…like dogs or something.”
A third blinding light and now even more of the number of crazily weaving sparklers.
“I don’t know, man,” Panda said.
“I think maybe we just found what we were looking for,” Drake said.
Chunk, scared, said, “You think that’s this kid you’re trying to catch? Dude’s got the power, man. Like in that movie—”
Drake yanked the gun from his belt and said, “No, Chunk: this is the power. And I’ve got it.”
That shut Chunk up for a few seconds.
“The fire is spreading,” Louise pointed out. “It’s probably all dry down there and bushes and stuff catching fire.”
Drake had noticed the same thing. He glanced back in the direction they’d come from, tried to make sense of the topography. “Coates is back that way. The barrier is over that way.” He pointed. “There’s no wind, so the fire is going to climb the hill. Which means they’ll be coming this way, toward Coates. They’ll pass down below us.”
“What are you going to do, shoot them when they walk past?” Chunk asked, eager and afraid.
“Yeah, that’s right, three thousand feet down this hill and I’m going to shoot them with a handgun,” Drake said sarcastically. “Moron.”
“So what do we do?” Panda asked. “No wonder Caine’s scared of this guy. Dude can do all that?”
“That’s a four bar, right there, I bet,” Chunk opined. “I seen all kinds of stuff at Coates with Benno and Andrew and Frederico, none of them could do that kind of stuff. You think he can take Caine down?”
Drake spun and smacked Chunk in the mouth with the back of his free hand. When Chunk staggered back, Drake moved in and kicked him in the groin.
Chunk grabbed himself and fell to his knees. He whimpered, “Why’d you do that, man?”
“Because I’m sick of listening to you,” Drake snapped. “I’m sick of all this powers crap. You saw what we did to freaks at Coates? Who do you think it was that took care of that? All these kids with their stupid so-called powers. Starting fires and moving stuff around and reading your mind and all? Who do you think it was grabbed them one by one in their sleep and beat them down and when they woke up their hands were setting up in a block of cement?”
“It was you, Drake,” Panda said, placating him. “You got them all.”
“That’s right. And I didn’t even have a gun then. It’s not about who’s got powers, morons. It’s about who’s not afraid. And who’s going to do what has to be done.”
Chunk was climbing to his feet now with a hand from Panda.
“It’s not Sam Temple or even Caine you little worms need to worry about, it’s me,” Drake said. “Mr. Laser Hands down there isn’t going to make it to where he can fight Caine. I’m going to take him down long before that.”
THIRTY-FOUR
87 HOURS, 46 MINUTES
THEY WERE SIX now. Sam, Edilio, Quinn, Lana, Astrid, and Little Pete. All plans for following the FAYZ wall home were abandoned for now. The fire, a patchwork of brilliant yellow and orange, was climbing the hills to the north, cutting them off. They could only keep moving south.
Dawn came at last, an unsatisfying gray that bleached the color from everything, even the fire.
They could see where they were placing their feet, now, but that didn’t stop them from tripping and stumbling. They were lead-footed from exhaustion.
Little Pete silently collapsed and was left behind until Astrid noticed. After that Edilio and Sam took turns carrying him on their backs, which made their progress even slower and more treacherous.
Little Pete slept that way for a while, maybe two hours, then, when the boys couldn’t manage another step, he woke up and set off on his own, and now they were all following him, too tired to argue or try to redirect him, since he was going mostly in the right direction.
“We gotta stop, man,” Edilio said. “The girls are tired.”
“I’m fine,” Lana said. “I’ve been running with coyotes. Walking with you guys is like standing still.”
“I’ve had it,” Sam agreed, and stopped right where he was, which happened to be beside something that was either a very big bush or a small tree.
“Petey,” Astrid shouted. “Come back. We’re stopping.”
Little Pete had stopped walking, but he would not come back. Astrid wearily trudged to him, every sore footstep communicating the pain she was in.
