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

grain in. Said he didn’t have time to send him inside. My dad had a big argument with him but Mr. Fartbag said that they’d take their chances on the outside.”
    “He can’t do that!”
    Greg shook his head. “He can if he wants to. There’s no law saying you have to bring your kids inside.”
    Pablo slumped his shoulders. Greg was twelve and knew all sorts of stuff.
    Suddenly he perked up. “Wait, my mom could arrest him and get Hong-gi inside.”
    “Arrest him for what?”
    Pablo thought a minute. “How about kidnapping? If Hong-gi wants to come inside and Mr. Fartbag won’t let him, that’s kidnapping isn’t it?”
    “It’s worth a shot, let’s go.”
    They headed for the door. Aunt Rosie looked up from where she was comforting the little kid. “Where are you two going?”
    “I just need to talk to my mom,” Pablo said.
    Aunt Rosie looked unsure. “Well, I guess with the gate closed there’s nothing to fear, but you hurry on back, all right?”
    “OK,” they said as they ran out the door.
    Most of the homes were all shut up with the doors closed and the shutters pulled tight. Adults with guns were running everywhere. Two guards carried ammo boxes up to the wall. Greg and Pablo hurried over to the gate and went up to the nearest guard.
    “Have you seen my mom?”
    The guard looked curiously at Pablo. “Who? Oh, hey, you’re Annette’s kid! No, the sheriff is in the Burbs trying to calm things down.”
    “Can you let me out so I can see her?”
    “Hell, no. Didn’t you hear the Chinese are outside?”
    “Then why isn’t everybody inside? They’re worse than the Righteous Horde!”
    “New City Council hasn’t given its say-so. Don’t worry, kid, I’m sure when the shooting starts they’ll all be let in. It’s not like the Chinks can send in spies like that cult did.”
    “But—”
    “Get back to your caregiver’s home where it’s safe.”
    Pablo turned away. Greg kicked a rock. “No one is going to listen.”
    “We have to help him!” Pablo cried.
    “Let’s see if we can find a way out.”
    They went around the perimeter of New City, following the thick coils of razor wire that ran around all sides of the peninsula. Guards stood every few steps, looking out at the darkening sea. Several of them shouted at the boys to get indoors but they kept going, looking for a way out.
    They didn’t find one. The citizens of New City had turned the peninsula into a fortress. They’d fought off the Righteous Horde and before that a bunch of bandit groups. He’d heard adults saying that twenty years ago it was even tougher because there had been more bandits then. The scavenging had been better and parts of the old armies had still been around. But now most of the food in the wildlands had been eaten up and the bandits had starved or been shot. There hadn’t been a big fight for years except with the Righteous Horde. The other times Pablo had been sent inside it had only been because of small bandit groups. They’d come and steal stuff and run off, too chicken to attack the wall.
    The Chinese could, though. They had a freighter and maybe other ships too. And if they could get a freighter running they probably had lots of other good stuff. They could blow up the wall and charge inside with machine guns and Big Ones and steal everything and kill everybody. It wasn’t just Hong-gi who was in danger. He was too, and Greg and Aunt Rosie and Mom and everyone.
    Everyone.
    Suddenly Pablo wasn’t walking along the perimeter anymore. He was sitting on the ground bawling like a baby.

 
     
    CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    Every community has its meeting places and its traditions. Even the Burbs, with all its lawlessness, all its stabbings and fistfights and thefts and despair, has places where people come together to celebrate. Maybe it was because the Burbs were so filthy, so chaotic, that people clung to these places even more when things were at their worst.
    Roy’s famous bar, $87,953, was one of those