Gone

from Coates. Some of us are…well, a little strange.” A few titters. “And some of us are not. But we’re all here now, we’re all in it together. We’re going to survive. If this is our world now…I mean, it is our world now. It is our world. So, let’s make it a good one.”
    He stepped down in silence.
    Then someone started clapping rhythmically and saying, “Sam, Sam, Sam.” Others joined in, and soon every person in the plaza, even some of the prees, was chanting his name.
    Quinn was there, and Edilio and Lana.
    Sam said to Quinn, “Would you do me a favor and keep an eye on Little Pete?”
    “No prob, brah.”
    “Where are you going?” Edilio asked.
    “We’re going to the beach.” Sam took Astrid’s hand.
    “You want us to come?” Edilio asked.
    Lana put her arm through his and said, “No, Edilio: they don’t.”

    The boy walked stiffly, favoring the half-healed burn on his side. The coyote walked just ahead, leading the way through the desert. The sun set to the west, sending long shadows from boulders and brush, painting the mountain’s face an eerie orange.
    “How much farther?” Caine asked.
    “Soon,” Pack Leader said. “The Darkness is near.”

About the Author
    MICHAEL GRANT has spent much of his life on the move. Raised in a military family, he attended ten schools in five states, as well as three schools in France. Even as an adult he kept moving, and in fact became a writer in part because it was one of the few jobs that wouldn’t tie him down. His fondest dream is to spend a year circumnavigating the globe and visiting every continent. Yes, even Antarctica. He lives in southern California with his wife, Katherine Applegate, and their two children.
    Read more about life in the Fayz at www.thefayz.com where you’ll find Sinder’s blog.
    Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

Credits
    Cover art © 2008 by Amber Gray
    Cover design by Joel Tippie

Copyright
    Agent Orange lyrics used by permission. “A Cry For Help In A World Gone Mad,” written by Michael A. Palm, courtesy of Covina High Music
    GONE . Copyright © 2008 by Michael Grant. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
    Adobe Digital Edition March 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-190964-1
    10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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