World's End

Page 103

WORLD S END

Goldbeard eyes me warily, his hand covering the watch.

I thrust my own hand out. "Give that to me. It belongs to me."

He flinches back as if I hold a weapon. I see the fresh blood welling on my bloodstained palm, from the places where the trefoil tore my skin. He is afraid of my blood, of contamination. I step forward, holding out my hand.

"Give it to me!"

He gives me the watch. A murmur of consternation passes among his men.

My eyes burn and blur as I look at the watch; my parched throat is so tight I cannot swallow.

"Where

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. . . where did you get this?"

"Off a couple pieces of sidda shit." He laughs.

"Did you kill them?" The words feel like paper in my mouth, dry and meaningless.

Goldbeard shrugs.

I blink and blink my eyes.

"No, we didn't," one of the others says. "They were Kharemoughis. We took them back to Sanctuary and sold them."

Goldbeard pulls at his mustache. "Yeah. What you want with them, sibyl?"

"They're my brothers."

"And they stole your watch?" His mouth quirks.

"They stole more than that." My hand makes a fist; blood drips. "Take me to Sanctuary."

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"You think you got a choice?" He signals to his men, and their weapons surround me. "Maybe you infected, but you not immortal. Keep it in mind."

"What are we gonna do with him, then?" one of the outlaws asks.

"Let Song decide," Goldbeard answers. They lead me down the beach to their rover.