Free We Had Flags (Toxic World Book 3) by Sean McLachlan

all sorts of old names nobody used anymore. He’d have to look at it when he got home and try to figure out where the freighter came from.
    Too bad it wasn’t a cruiser. It would be fun to swim in one of those lakes. But maybe they wouldn’t let him since he didn’t have the right underwear.
    Maybe that wasn’t the only ship. What if there were a whole bunch? Maybe they had cruisers too, or an airplane carrier. He’d seen a picture of an airplane carrier once. It looked totally scary. They were probably even scarier in movies, but war movies were Blame and nobody was allowed to have them. He’d never seen one.
    No, he didn’t want them to have an airplane carrier. Those airplanes dropped the Big Ones. Lots of cities had disappeared because of the Big Ones. Maybe it was just a bunch of freighters bringing more trade fairs. Everyone knew the trade fair was the best time of the year. It would be cool to have more than one.
    Just as Pablo expected, they came out onto the farmland to the east of the Burbs. He felt proud he had figured it out. He could find his way in the wildlands no problem. He’d been born in the wildlands, after all, so he was a natural. Well, that wasn’t exactly true, he had been in Mom’s stomach and that was close enough. Mom and Dad had been scavengers, so he could be a scavenger too.
    Thinking of Dad made him sad. He’d died before Pablo was born. He always felt jealous of kids who had two parents. Greg was lucky, he had a mom and dad and real aunts and uncles, not just friendly adults who you called aunt and uncle.
    At least he was better off than Hong-gi. He didn’t have any family at all. Even Mom was better than Mr. Fartbag.
    Pablo felt tired. It was still a long way through the Burbs but Jessica and Zach looked like they wanted to get back quick. They were walking ahead of him holding hands and ignoring him. That was so annoying. Jessica was cool to be around when Zach wasn’t there. When he showed up, it was like Pablo didn’t exist.
    Fine. He’d just go play on his own. First he’d have to get some lunch, though. His stomach was rumbling. Then maybe he could go explore more of the wildlands after lunch. He stuffed the gas mask Zach had given into his pocket and giggled. The dumbass didn’t even remember to ask for it back.
    Jessica looked over her shoulder. “We’re going to go on ahead. You OK to walk back from here?”
    “Sure,” he said, putting on what Mom called a “brave face.”
    “OK, thanks for your help!” she said with a wave and a smile.
    “Wait! Now what?”
    Jessica shrugged. “Your job is done. You’ve been tons of help. Everything else will work itself out. See ya.”
    Jessica and Zach picked up the pace and soon left him behind.
    “Ha, ha, you forgot your gas mask,” Pablo whispered. “And if you ask for it back I’ll just say I lost it. Now I can go back to see that ship anytime I want.”
    By the time he got back to the Burbs he was dragging his feet. Almost everyone was gone. He was so tired it took him a minute to realize why. They were at Toxic Bay, of course. Probably the sailors in their white suits had come onto land and everyone was having a big party. He didn’t want to miss that.
    First he needed to eat. Pablo headed home. He pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the padlock and chain that kept the door closed. The interior of their shack was dark and quiet. He closed the door and slid the bolt. Only a dummy didn’t lock his door in the Burbs. Their shack had three rooms—a big room for sitting and cooking and eating, and two little bedrooms in the back. Pablo felt too tired to cook anything so he ate a crust of bread and some salted meat left over from the night before. Then he curled up in bed. He’d rest for a little bit and then go to the party.
    He woke up to someone shaking him.
    “Oh honey, are you OK? I was so worried about you!”
    Mom.
    “Of course I’m OK. Why wouldn’t I be?”
    Mom gave him a big hug. The butt of