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tunnels.”
    “You got them past The Wall?”
    “No,” Jonah said. “Not directly. But I made sure they knew when sectors were thin, and I had the right guards posted, with orbs rerouted along the tunnels for two years straight.”
    Egan slapped his leg, cackling loud enough to turn his laugh into a scream. “Well, fuck me, Lovecraft. That’s some real irony. You and your fellow fuckers at City Watch set me up for being Underground, even though I wasn’t, and now here you are, City Watch and Underground scum!”
    Jonah was suddenly, and rather stupidly, terrified that Egan was about to announce he was in fact a City Watch spy, that Jonah’s confession had been recorded, and that now he was really in trouble — though Jonah couldn’t imagine deeper shit than what he, or Ana, were already in.
    “Please,” he begged. “Please let me go. I have to find my daughter. She’s not cut out for The Darwins.”
    Egan sneered at his prisoner. “Are you hoping for my sympathy? Did you want me to feel sorry for you because you finally saw the light and did a few good things after ruining so many lives? How THE FUCK does that bring my wife back? My son? TELL ME!”
    Egan raged, screaming loud, his spittle spraying across Jonah’s shrinking face. Egan’s fists hovered, clenched at his side, shaking for nearly a minute before Egan finally lost it, lashing out and launching a right hook hard into Jonah’s jaw, just under his eye. The first shot sent splintering pain through his cheekbone. The next, and every one after, unleashed a fury to Jonah’s chest and head, leaving Jonah bloodied and battered and barely able to breathe.
    “Fuck you, Lovecraft. You don’t get a second chance! You’re going on trial, and unlike the Cities, we don’t banish you. We put you to death and bake a fucking cake when we’re done.”

CHAPTER 19 — Adam Lovecraft
    A dam stared at the monitors in Chimney Rock’s TV hall from the same spot he’d sat in since he and his friends had robbed the kitchen. While The Games were holding everyone else’s attention, all Adam could think about was the looming threat of being caught.
    “Stop worrying so much!” Morgan punched Adam on the shoulder. “We’re safe.”
    “What if they find the pillowcases?” he said, still staring at the screen.
    Morgan shrugged. “What’re they gonna do, lift every sheet in the storage room? They won’t find ’em. Even if they do, so what? Not like they’re gonna know we did it.”
    A collective “ ewww!” rolled through the room. Adam’s eyes went to the monitor and saw the aftermath of some guy getting torn to pieces by zombies. It wasn’t Liam, and Ana wasn’t part of the action, so Adam returned his attention to the hallway behind the TV hall’s large open room, waiting for someone to come and point an accusing finger at them.
    “Would you relax?” Tommy said with a laugh. “Nothing’s gonna happen. Shit, kid, you’d think we killed someone the way you’re acting. It’s just some stupid food that nobody’s gonna miss.”
    The feast on the monitors grew louder, as did the cheering. Adam’s friends were glued to every inch of the main monitor. Zombie strikes were bloody, sudden, and hypnotic. Adam turned his attention back to the TV so his friends wouldn’t think he was being too scared.
    The gore on screen made his stomach churn. All he could think about was his sister being attacked by the disgusting monsters. He was so engrossed in thought that he was caught off guard when Miss Abby, one of the only three grownups who were ever nice to him, though only barely, grabbed him roughly by the collar, then yanked him from his seat and onto the floor without a word.
    Jayla and her friends were in their own corner of the TV hall, watching. Morgan, Tommy and Daniel all leaped back from Adam in shock.
    “You’re coming with me.” Miss Abby’s snarl barely sounded like her.
    “Where are you taking me?” Adam whined. “I didn’t do anything!”
    Miss Abby dragged him away by the collar, drawing the attention of every kid in the hall and the laughter of about half of them. Adam stumbled and nearly tripped trying to keep pace and to prevent himself from falling flat on his face, which would really make everyone laugh.
    They reached the end of the hallway, then stopped at the elevators. Miss Abby smashed her thumb on the bottom elevator button, still angry, then turned to Adam, glaring, and pulled the boy to his feet.
    “Where are we