Everwild by Neal Shusterman Read Free Book Online Page B

about Everlost to know Afterlight “flesh” wasn’t like living flesh at all. Wounds were bloodless, and zipped closed instantly. “You can’t
hurt
an Afterlight.”
    â€œMaybe it’s just a story,” said Isaiah. “But maybe not.”
    Was Nick crazy to be searching for a spirit such as this? Probably. But on the other hand, Mary was building herself an army, and what did he have? Johnnie-O and Charlie? If he were ever to face Mary again, he would need powerful allies by his side to help balance the odds.
    Allies … and Allie.
    He wondered where Allie was now. Of course he wanted to see her again—but he had also spent a lot of time thinking about her skinjacking skill. What an amazing power that was! And terrifying, too. Or at least it
would
be, in the wrong hands. Thank goodness Allie was a decent girl with a conscience— because her skill could really make a difference in a battle against Mary.
    But Nick had to admit, with a heavy heart, that therewas no guarantee he’d ever see Allie again. Which meant he had to find other kids with unique powers to stand against Mary.
    â€œTell me where to find the Ripper,” Nick said to Isaiah.
    Isaiah sighed, and told Nick where the Ripper was rumored to be. “Like I said, it may just be a story—no guarantee he’ll be there.”
    Then they shook hands. “I hope to see you again,” Nick said.
    Isaiah couldn’t look him in the eye. “You won’t,” he said. “Because if you find the Ripper, you’re never coming back.”

CHAPTER 6
Shuttle Diplomacy
    The tracks ended.
    They didn’t end at the ghost of some grand terminal—they just stopped. Whoever built them must have ripped them out of the living world even before the rail line was completed. Charlie pulled on the brake just in time, and the train squealed to a reluctant stop, just a dozen yards before the tracks vanished. “Lucky I saw it!” Charlie said. “If we went off the end, this whole train woulda sunk, with us still in it.”
    Charlie etched the end of the line on the map he was making on the engine bulkhead. “There was a spur that went off west, maybe twenty, thirty miles back. We could back her up and see where that track goes… .”
    â€œMaybe later,” Nick told him, and turned to Johnnie-O. “We’ll walk the rest of the way.”
    Johnnie-O did not seem pleased. “Rest of the way where?”
    Nick didn’t answer him. “Charlie, you stay with the train.” He thought for a moment, then added, “You’ll wait for us, right?”
    â€œSure … unless those Atlanta kids show up.”
    Nick nodded his understanding, and he and Johnnie-O went south, pushing through dense living-world brush that tickled their insides as they walked.
    In time they came to a two-lane highway that ran east and west, cutting through the flat, forested Florida terrain. Nick turned east, and they followed the road, which was easier to walk on than the marshy earth.
    â€œAre you ever gonna tell me where we’re going?” Johnnie-O finally asked.
    Nick didn’t look at him. “We follow this road east until we reach the shore.”
    â€œWhy?” asked Johnnie-O. “You want me to be your bodyguard and all, then I got a right to know why we’re doing this.”
    â€œI never said you were my bodyguard. If you don’t want to come you don’t have to.”
    â€œWhy can’t you just answer the question?”
    Nick stopped and turned to him, thinking about how much he should say, if anything. “When did you die?” Nick asked him.
    â€œWhat’s that got to do with anything?”
    â€œIt just does.”
    Johnnie-O looked down, shuffling his feet. “I can’t exactly remember.”
    â€œWhat
do
you remember?”
    Johnnie took some time to rustle up what memories he could. “When I died,
The Whistler
was