Page 520 of End Game

Exclusion.

Different from Dex's loud panic. Different from Griffin's frantic competence.

Ronan's is precise enough to fit in one sentence.

Micah looks down at his hands. “What would the order even be?”

Griffin turns to me.

Doesn't answer for me.

Doesn't even suggest an answer.

My body.

My decision.

Something in my chest goes soft. “Well, Griffin is first.”

Dex nods immediately. “Obviously.”

“Clay makes sense somewhere.”

“Yeah,” Griffin says.

Ronan looks across the room at Micah.

“Micah should be ahead of me.”

Micah's head comes up. “What?”

“You remain calm under pressure.”

“So do you.”

Ronan looks down at his hands for a moment. “No. I function under pressure. Those are not always the same thing.”

Nobody jokes.

Dex points to himself. “I nominate myself for dead last.”

My laugh comes out wet. “Dex.”

“No. If everybody above me is incapacitated and they have reached me, society has collapsed.”

Micah's mouth twitches. “You could do it.”

“I would Google one thing and convince myself everyone has rabies.”

“You cannot diagnose rabies from the internet.”

“Watch me.”

The pressure in the room cracks just enough to breathe again.

I wipe under one eye. “Fine. We call a lawyer.”

“Not today,” Griffin says.