Ethan seems totally ready to run things. How did that happen so fast?
It occurred to me how precarious our position was. Ethan had a grudge against Tack and me, and there was no one around to police him. He could do anything right now.
Toby leaned closer to Tack. I didn't like the look in his eyes, but his relaxed demeanor never wavered. "Ethan and Sarah have a plan," Toby said in a chipper voice. "A good one. So we're going to listen to them. All of us. Understood?"
Tack's mouth opened, but I punched him in the side. "Just do what he says," I warned. Then in a lower voice. "For now."
"Fine," Tack grumbled, slumping down in his seat. "I'll do my part. Just get this monkey off my back."
"Monkey on your back." Toby straightened with a giggle. "I like that. You've always been funny, Tack." He sauntered back to the front, all eyes following him as he flopped down on the steps next to Chris.
Ethan continued with "we're all in this together" briskness. "The first order of business is scouting the valley. We need to find out if anyone else is around. While you're all doing that, the committee will work on securing supplies."
Noah clicked his tongue. "I'll bet my trust fund he's rounding up guns."
I nodded grimly. This was getting more disquieting by the second, but I couldn't see anything to protest. Though it burned to admit it, Ethan's plan made sense. Then I remembered having news to share. I stood. Ethan frowned, but didn't try to stop me.
"The Plank is down," I informed the room. "I'm not sure if everyone knows this already, but before the soldiers rounded us up, a group of liberty campers blew it up. We checked and it's still gone. There's no way across Gullet Chasm."
Round eyes. Furious whispers. Half the kids hadn't known we were trapped.
Ethan smiled oddly. "Then I guess we're stuck here. Does anyone else have something they want to share?"
He waited.
No one spoke.
"Perfect. Let's get to work."
37
NOAH
Last box of mac and cheese in the house.
I ate straight from the pan, unable to enjoy it. The cook hadn't come around since my dad left. There was no food anywhere. I might have an industrial-sized fridge, but it'd be empty soon. What was I supposed to do then?
Thinking of groceries, I experienced a shock. Ethan's family owned the only supermarket in town. With no adults around, he'd pocket the keys for himself.
Ethan controls the food supply. We'll have to follow his orders.
I was sitting on my back porch, watching the sun sink behind the mountains. The valley was as quiet as I could ever remember. Not many cars on the road-just a few classmates racing here and there, doing whatever Ethan and his friends had assigned. I was mind-boggled by how swiftly they'd taken over, but wasn't going to make a big stink about it. Who wanted that job?
I finished scraping the pan and carried it inside. Noticed my father's Beretta was still sitting on the kitchen counter. Before the disaster in town square, I'd been too afraid of Black Suit not to have it close. Now, an uneasy feeling told me to keep the weapon handy. What if the soldiers aren't really gone? What if Black Suit shows up out of nowhere, like he's done so many times before?
I walked back outside and dropped into a chair. Tired. My group had been sent door-to-door through my neighborhood and two others close by. Ferris Pohlman had been in charge, a beanpole kid with short blond hair atop a narrow head. He'd treated Zach Grey as his second, since their mothers were the two dentists in town and they lived on the same street. Neither had the guts to order me around, however. I was still a Livingston. Old habits die hard.
Rounding out our party were Rachel Stein and Liesel Patterson, as dissimilar as two girls can be. Where Rachel was dark-haired and beautiful, Liesel was tall, plump, and as plain-faced as possible. Rachel spent the whole time bitching about having to walk up and down the steep streets. Liesel never opened her mouth once. Her parents owned a bed-and-breakfast in town, and she worked there during summers, actually getting her hands dirty. Of the pair, I much preferred her.
Street after street, the houses we'd checked had been empty. All morning there'd been a mounting tension I couldn't place. A wrongness, hiding just out of reach. After the fifth or sixth property, the cause dawned on me.
Dogs.
I hadn't heard a single bark.
Despite passing numerous fenced yards, there hadn't been a single animal in sight. We'd stopped at Rachel's house for twenty minutes while she searched for her cat. No luck. Whatever drove all the people out had taken their pets along with them.
Afterward, the girls and I pleaded out of the walk back into town, since our homes were on this side of the valley. Zach and Ferris agreed to report without us. Waving a welcome good-bye to them all, I'd climbed back up to my inconveniently placed home and collapsed onto the couch. Only the need for sustenance caused me to stir.
For the hundredth time, I wondered what Min was doing. Tack, too, though I didn't miss his constant potshots. I knew I'd been given a cushy assignment-scouting my own freaking neighborhood-but I doubted they'd been as lucky. I hoped whoever was heading their squads weren't being jerks.
Staring down at the lake, I shook my head. The whole thing was surreal. Only this morning, Fire Lake had been a normal town living through troubled times. Now the troubles had disappeared, but they'd taken all the people with them. My mind couldn't wrap itself around the absurdity of it all.
Like creeping phantoms, doubts began to consume me. I had no idea what to do next. I didn't really want to take orders from Ethan, but honestly, what choice did I have? I grudgingly acknowledged that at least he had a plan.
I don't want to deal with a world-changing calamity. I'd even take my sad old life back.
I straightened, disturbed by the thought. But it was true. A week ago, the murders were just dreams, I had little blue pills for comfort, and Lowell would hold my hand through the truly dreadful moments.
Now? Chaos. Disorganization.
Everything I'm not built for, happening at once.
As the light died, I spotted movement to the east. Another group was descending from the canyon rim, snaking down from where Summit Pass cut through the encircling mountains. That trail wasn't for the faint of heart-and was open only in summer-but an experienced hiker could exit the valley that way, traversing a series of treacherous switchbacks to the canyon floor.
With the Plank down, Summit Pass was the only other established way out of the valley. I was eager to hear what they'd discovered.
Cupping my hands, I shouted to the group. "Hey there! Yo!"
Corbin O'Brien glanced up, waved. He was a sturdy redhead with farm-boy arms and pale, sunburned skin. I wasn't surprised to see Isaiah Cantrell and Neb Farmer as well, since the three were inseparable.
With them were blond-haired Casey Beam, the best smile in school, and Lauren Decker, solidly built with short brown hair and a pug nose. Both played on the soccer team and were exceptional athletes, which probably explained the assignment.
"How's the pass?" I called.
Corbin gave me a thumbs-down. "A rockslide spilled across the trail, blocking the whole thing up. No getting down that way."
My spirits sank. We truly were trapped.
I waved good-bye, then retreated inside, wondering if there was a way to find Min. With the phones down my options were limited, since I had no intention of asking Ethan where she'd been sent. I was considering a drive over to the trailer park when my doorbell rang.
I stared at the door, debating whether to answer it. Then it opened anyway-how had I left it unlocked?-and Min stuck her head inside. Spotting me, she sighed in relief. "Thank God. For a minute I thought I'd trekked all the way up here for nothing." She waltzed in and dropped onto the couch, closing her eyes.
I hadn't moved. Was locked in place by the surprise of her arrival.
Min was here in my house, alone. I didn't know how to process this turn of events.
Her eyes snapped open. "Your doorbell works. There's power in the valley."
"That's good," I said, chagrined not to have noticed. "It'll turn cold any day now."
"Yes, but that's not my point. Everyone disappears, our communications don't work, but the electricity keeps running?"
I shrugged. "Don't look a gift h-"
"Don't say it," Min interrupted with a laugh. "Tack might hear and present a dissertation on the phrase." I gave her an odd look, but she waved the comment away.
I let it go. "Did you notice the pets are all gone, too?"
Min nodded, stretching out on the cool leather. "All animals, as far as we could tell. I was in a group with Akio Nakamura and Finn Whittaker. Both of Akio's parents are gardeners, and Finn's father does landscaping. They were seriously spooked, because the birds are missing. And it is freaky, if you think about it. One more thing on top of everything else."
I shook my head. What could scare birds away?
"What was your job?" I asked.
Her face soured. "I got stuck in Charlie Bell's group, with Kristen Fornelli, the blond stork. We had the delightful task of inspecting those warehouses over by the Plank. Nobody was ever going to be there, and the buildings are nasty. I'm sure it was just the luck of the draw."