div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"CHAPTER 1/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"i stand looking through the sights on my bow perfectly still i am hungry /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"everyone is this time of year the first buds of spring just coming into bloom /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"and the dull ache i have had all winter turns into a roaring craving thing inside /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"me i quietly look around the birch forest and see a rustle in the bushes a fat /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"looking jack rabbit steps into my line of sight i breathe out and release my /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"arrow jutting from its eye i feel slightly sad the blood trickling from the wound /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"makes it look like its in mourning but i quickly shove it back into my pouch the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"gang will be happy i have caught a few squirrels and this beauty we aren't a /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"gang like we have special signs or bandanas we just where simple wire /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"necklaces and keep to our territory we are the ravangers a group of people /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"who survived the first shock of demons and are living off are ruined world are /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"gang has the north east territory and we still take up store in that ruined farm /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"house from nine years ago it is not so ruined anymore though its surrounded /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"by mud pits and canals the demons can't figure out and the house is a /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"brownish green to blend in with the forest but know one lives there we have /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"eight sycamores surrounding the house with small tree houses for sleeping /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"quarters but use the house for meetings cooking and shelter whenever it /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"storms there are five other groups and we keep to our own our only task kill /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"as many as possible i don't know how other continents fair but I'm sure they /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"will do there best as do we i walk up the gravel path through the cornfields to /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"the house its brick walls now green and brown and stalk through to the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"kitchen my mother Rita is there kneading the bread with Jill Bethany and /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"Cosme all the women have jobs we aren't slaves we can go ride out /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"whenever we want I'm just the only one who chooses to do mens work i /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"dump the kill on the granite counter top and Cosme rushes over to start the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"skinning Bethany is pounding corn flower while little Gavin Jill and josh's son /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"is mixing butter with Carrie Bethany and mikes daughter i walk off to the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"backyard and grab the axe splitting the logs stacked by the back door and /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"chop it with a rhythmic thump thump enjoying the smell of the smoked bacon/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" in the smoke house i also smell cow dung but try to ignore it and continue /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"chopping carrying the wood in through a leather swing to the almost empty /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"wood box mother gives me an appreciative smile and hands me a ginger /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"cookie i smile and begin to walk out the door then stop when mother calls me /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"what mother i ask and she says Fortune would you walk out to the pits Mike /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"twisted his ankle and i would not have Cosme do it i nod she's right Cosme's /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"very squeamish and would probably faint and fall in with the demons i nod /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"I'm usually responsible for picking up any of beth's or cosme's slack but i /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"didn't mind it would just make me stronger so i gram the michette off the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"book case and walk back down the gravel path to the pits which were /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"comprised of salt lakes quicksand barbwires and metal spikes apparently the/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" demons don't like salt so we have our home ringed in these kind of traps /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"most gangs do i just seem to get the dirty job of taking out the trapped /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"demons and restocking the salt which we stock up in steal from old salt /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"domes i grab a barrel of salt and put it and the machete in a old wagon and/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" walk it down the road to the border and look in all of the pits quickly taking /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"the machete and driving it through the demons skulls and refilling salt tanks/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" until tongues of darkness lick at the sky and the sun starts sinking i start /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"walking back up the windy gravel path and put the wagon and salt in the barn/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" i look behind me to see lights in the distance but realize that its just the men /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"returning from scavenging i let out a piercing whistle and they circle me i pull /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"myself onto Chris's four wheeler and see him go a dark shade of crimson as /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"my thighs press against his and he strum's the engine and we jet out of there /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"i have my own vehicle a black motorcycle but i bent the tire so Mike are ex /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"blacksmith is realigning it so I'm stuck at home until he's done and no amount /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"of my banter will hurry him up so i must be content here we pull up in front of /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"the house i jump off while they park the cars all except the old ford three door /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"van which is are escape car and they come back with bags full of medicine /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"and food i help them bring it inside we are stocking up on food because the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"council meeting is coming up and its our turn to host every year the gangs /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"meet up and we all discuss demon population and food i am one of three /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"women who actually attend and talk instead of crocheting a new scarf food /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"supplies are going down so we have to have half our food come from /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"scavenging and half from hunting which is where i balance things out we also/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" track some of the demons by tying ribbons around there arms are color is /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"dark green and we make sure none of them are gathering our we would have /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"a horde and they cause a lot of damage i am snapped back to the presence /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"by Gabriel are leader as he asks me for the book i know what you may think /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"about this but its not a bible we don't hold on to god in a shattered world but /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"mother did recover a whole se of story of the world a history book from a /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"destroyed school and we all listened as she read a chapter each night and /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"when we finished the book she started it again imprinting the knowledge into /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"our brains mother starts reading about the greek gods like Hermes the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"trickster Apollo the god of music and poems Zeus the leader and god of /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"lightning bolts and Artemis who i like to think i am most like the huntress /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"sadly we don't look much alike with my almost demon silver eyes and light /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"strawberry blonde hair but i am tall and strong so i can pretend i have /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"porcelain skin and black curly hair instead of tan skin and straight wavy hair/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" my one good feature are my almost perfectly straight teeth but beauty /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"doesn't matter in this world all that matters is survival i was determined to /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"survive after listening to my mothers reading we retire to our tree houses /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"Cosme lives with me and mother because her parents were killed in the first /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"shock there have been four shocks each one worse then the last until the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"fourth which was very easy so are efforts are taking a blow to the demons/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"Cosme snaps me back to reality as she lights the small lantern in the tiny /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"room we close the windows and i climb back down the ladder to where we /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"have built a metal tube that gets bigger near the bottom where a fire can be /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"lit to warm our house i climb back up the ladder and open up the metal hatch /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"in the room so a gust of warm air comes from below up into the room and /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"slide a metal grate over it so know one can fall inane here a scratching at the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"door as salty comes in a scowl on her balck and white face as if to say you /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"locked me out and it was cold and and and then she falls asleep on my /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"yellow comforter and i slowly take off my old jeans and t-shirt and put an old /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"silk dress on over my bra and panties and lie down in bed but i wait an hour /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"because unless we want to be freezing cold i have to close e the grate when /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"the fire dies down fifteen minutes or so later i close the grate and are home is /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"cocooned in a warm darkness and i sleep/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"i stand looking through the sights on my bow perfectly still i am hungry /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"everyone is this time of year the first buds of spring just coming into bloom /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"and the dull ache i have had all winter turns into a roaring craving thing inside /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"me i quietly look around the birch forest and see a rustle in the bushes a fat /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"looking jack rabbit steps into my line of sight i breathe out and release my /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"arrow jutting from its eye i feel slightly sad the blood trickling from the wound /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"makes it look like its in mourning but i quickly shove it back into my pouch the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"gang will be happy i have caught a few squirrels and this beauty we aren't a /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"gang like we have special signs or bandanas we just where simple wire /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"necklaces and keep to our territory we are the ravangers a group of people /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"who survived the first shock of demons and are living off are ruined world are /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"gang has the north east territory and we still take up store in that ruined farm /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"house from nine years ago it is not so ruined anymore though its surrounded /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"by mud pits and canals the demons can't figure out and the house is a /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"brownish green to blend in with the forest but know one lives there we have /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"eight sycamores surrounding the house with small tree houses for sleeping /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"quarters but use the house for meetings cooking and shelter whenever it /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"storms there are five other groups and we keep to our own our only task kill /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"as many as possible i don't know how other continents fair but I'm sure they /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"will do there best as do we i walk up the gravel path through the cornfields to /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"the house its brick walls now green and brown and stalk through to the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"kitchen my mother Rita is there kneading the bread with Jill Bethany and /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"Cosme all the women have jobs we aren't slaves we can go ride out /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"whenever we want I'm just the only one who chooses to do mens work i /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"dump the kill on the granite counter top and Cosme rushes over to start the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"skinning Bethany is pounding corn flower while little Gavin Jill and josh's son /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"is mixing butter with Carrie Bethany and mikes daughter i walk off to the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"backyard and grab the axe splitting the logs stacked by the back door and /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"chop it with a rhythmic thump thump enjoying the smell of the smoked bacon/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" in the smoke house i also smell cow dung but try to ignore it and continue /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"chopping carrying the wood in through a leather swing to the almost empty /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"wood box mother gives me an appreciative smile and hands me a ginger /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"cookie i smile and begin to walk out the door then stop when mother calls me /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"what mother i ask and she says Fortune would you walk out to the pits Mike /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"twisted his ankle and i would not have Cosme do it i nod she's right Cosme's /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"very squeamish and would probably faint and fall in with the demons i nod /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"I'm usually responsible for picking up any of beth's or cosme's slack but i /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"didn't mind it would just make me stronger so i gram the michette off the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"book case and walk back down the gravel path to the pits which were /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"comprised of salt lakes quicksand barbwires and metal spikes apparently the/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" demons don't like salt so we have our home ringed in these kind of traps /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"most gangs do i just seem to get the dirty job of taking out the trapped /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"demons and restocking the salt which we stock up in steal from old salt /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"domes i grab a barrel of salt and put it and the machete in a old wagon and/div
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div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" walk it down the road to the border and look in all of the pits quickly taking /div
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div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"the machete and driving it through the demons skulls and refilling salt tanks/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" until tongues of darkness lick at the sky and the sun starts sinking i start /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"walking back up the windy gravel path and put the wagon and salt in the barn/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" i look behind me to see lights in the distance but realize that its just the men /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"returning from scavenging i let out a piercing whistle and they circle me i pull /div
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div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"myself onto Chris's four wheeler and see him go a dark shade of crimson as /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"my thighs press against his and he strum's the engine and we jet out of there /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"i have my own vehicle a black motorcycle but i bent the tire so Mike are ex /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"blacksmith is realigning it so I'm stuck at home until he's done and no amount /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"of my banter will hurry him up so i must be content here we pull up in front of /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"the house i jump off while they park the cars all except the old ford three door /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"van which is are escape car and they come back with bags full of medicine /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"and food i help them bring it inside we are stocking up on food because the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"council meeting is coming up and its our turn to host every year the gangs /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"meet up and we all discuss demon population and food i am one of three /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"women who actually attend and talk instead of crocheting a new scarf food /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"supplies are going down so we have to have half our food come from /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"scavenging and half from hunting which is where i balance things out we also/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" track some of the demons by tying ribbons around there arms are color is /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"dark green and we make sure none of them are gathering our we would have /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"a horde and they cause a lot of damage i am snapped back to the presence /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"by Gabriel are leader as he asks me for the book i know what you may think /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"about this but its not a bible we don't hold on to god in a shattered world but /div
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div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"mother did recover a whole se of story of the world a history book from a /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"destroyed school and we all listened as she read a chapter each night and /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"when we finished the book she started it again imprinting the knowledge into /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"our brains mother starts reading about the greek gods like Hermes the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"trickster Apollo the god of music and poems Zeus the leader and god of /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"lightning bolts and Artemis who i like to think i am most like the huntress /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"sadly we don't look much alike with my almost demon silver eyes and light /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"strawberry blonde hair but i am tall and strong so i can pretend i have /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"porcelain skin and black curly hair instead of tan skin and straight wavy hair/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" my one good feature are my almost perfectly straight teeth but beauty /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"doesn't matter in this world all that matters is survival i was determined to /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"survive after listening to my mothers reading we retire to our tree houses /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"Cosme lives with me and mother because her parents were killed in the first /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"shock there have been four shocks each one worse then the last until the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"fourth which was very easy so are efforts are taking a blow to the demons/div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"Cosme snaps me back to reality as she lights the small lantern in the tiny /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"room we close the windows and i climb back down the ladder to where we /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"have built a metal tube that gets bigger near the bottom where a fire can be /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"lit to warm our house i climb back up the ladder and open up the metal hatch /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"in the room so a gust of warm air comes from below up into the room and /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"slide a metal grate over it so know one can fall inane here a scratching at the /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"door as salty comes in a scowl on her balck and white face as if to say you /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"locked me out and it was cold and and and then she falls asleep on my /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"yellow comforter and i slowly take off my old jeans and t-shirt and put an old /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"silk dress on over my bra and panties and lie down in bed but i wait an hour /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"because unless we want to be freezing cold i have to close e the grate when /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"the fire dies down fifteen minutes or so later i close the grate and are home is /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /div
div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"cocooned in a warm darkness and i sleep/div
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