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Or Riot.
Even Grimm had only watched.
One man.
Now Joe walked among the bodies, looking for signs of reanimation. Every now and then a hollow crack broke the silence. As he reloaded, he looked around, and his eyes met those of Chong and Nix. The ranger’s face was totally without expression as he pocketed the empty magazine and slapped a new one into place. His eyes were not bright with battle lust or dark with emotion. His eyes were . . . nothing. They were as dead in their way as the zoms. Joe stood for a moment, watching them watching him, then turned without a word and went about his grotesque but necessary work.
Chong found his voice, but it was thin and fragile. “When we fought Preacher Jack and his people at Gameland,” he began slowly, “I thought I understood what war was really like. But . . . ”
“This is war,” said Nix. “This is what it really looks like. God . . . there has to be something better than this.”
Chong nodded and turned away.
But then a new sound intruded into the moment. A motor sound, but not the sound of quads.
It was bigger. Much, much bigger.
They leaned out.
The sound was massive, rolling out over the tops of the trees.
They turned and looked upward.
“Oh my God!” cried Nix.
Even Chong, despite everything, smiled.
The thing was enormous and white, with massive wings stretching on either side. It flew directly over the clearing, and its shadow caressed their faces as they watched. It flew low and descended toward the red desert mountains in a graceful line.
Down among the dead, Joe stopped and shielded his eyes as he looked up. Stained with soot and blood, he smiled.
The jet.
92
IN THE LAST GLOW OF THE DYING SUN, MOTHER ROSE STOOD AT THE EDGE of the forest. She watched the jet descend toward Sanctuary. Once, long ago, she had seen it flying high in the sky, and she’d thought it was a passenger liner. How foolish a thought that had been. She knew what it was now; her daughter had told her. A C-5 Galaxy. A cargo jet that brought staff and supplies to Sanctuary.
Even if Mako hadn’t revealed the location of the place, the landing jet would have been a beacon.
Not that it mattered anymore. Mother Rose had less than one hundred reapers left. A fraction of her force. All the rest . . . ?
Alexi had come running from the shrine, bloody and furious, claiming that children and a ranger were trying to take the weapons from the fallen plane. Mother Rose had sent so many of her reapers back with him. Too many.
And all of them . . . gone. Dead. Torn to rags by the weapons she had hidden and protected from Saint John and the rest of the Night Church.
Her weapons. The tools that would have made her the queen of this world.
Gone. The weapons, her reapers, her dreams . . . gone.
Only Alexi returned. Bloodier still. Defeated. A general without an army.
Her remaining reapers milled in the darkness. Not enough to take Sanctuary away from the monks and scientists who worked there.
Not enough.
“We’re done,” said Alexi.
Mother Rose almost stabbed him. Her hand was on her knife, but her heart was breaking and she simply could not do it. It was over.
