So much.
Pain and loss. Heartache and blood. Tears and death.
And so, so much had been gained.
More than Benny thought was possible.
The world was not at all what he’d thought it was. And he still didn’t know what else was out there. Europe, Asia, and so many other places were still unknowns, still silent and ominous places. There was a whole new world to explore. Benny wanted to explore it. Nix did too. They weren’t town kids anymore. They weren’t yet adults, either; Benny knew that and accepted it. That would come.
So what was he? Benny knew the answer to that question, and he knew that this answer would be a defining characteristic from now on and all through his life. For him, and for Nix, Lilah, Chong, Morgie, and Riot.
They were samurai.
And even now, as everyone celebrated peace, Benny could feel the pull of the road. He could hear the siren call of unknown places sing to him.
He turned and saw Nix staring at him the way she often did. The way she looked at him when she was tapping into his thoughts.
She smiled and nodded to him.
He nodded back. There was no need to say anything. They both understood on a level that Benny no longer tried to define.
He looked around at all the people he knew, and at all the strangers. There was so much laughter, so many smiles. He didn’t remember it ever being like this. He wished Tom were here to see it. To share it.
This was a better place. Not just this new town, but this new world. So much brighter and cleaner than the old world of rot and ruin, fire and ash.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Maberry is a New York Times bestselling author, multiple Bram Stoker Award winner, and Marvel comics writer. He’s the author of many novels, including Assassin’s Code, Dead of Night, Patient Zero, Rot & Ruin, Dust & Decay, and Flesh & Bone. The topics of his nonfiction books range from martial arts to zombie pop culture. Since 1978 he has sold more than 1,200 magazine feature articles, 3,000 columns, two plays, greeting cards, song lyrics, poetry, and textbooks. Jonathan continues to teach the celebrated Experimental Writing for Teens class, which he created. He founded the Writers Coffeehouse, cofounded the Liars Club, and is a frequent speaker at schools and libraries, as well as a keynote speaker and guest of honor at major writers’ and genre conferences. Jonathan lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Sara, and their son, Sam.