around the shoulders of Baine's Hiss Avatar. "Isn't she, chum?"
Baine made a muffled noise. His avatar remained perfectly motionless onscreen.
"I can say for a fact that the killer is with you right now," said Zen. "More specifically, his avatar is with you in the game. His real self, the one that does all the killing, is elsewhere."
Dunne's wide eyes were glued to the screen. The temperature in the theater seemed to drop forty degrees as he realized what was happening.
"Can you guess where he is?" said Zen.
Hannahlee looked back. Her emerald gaze met Dunne's, then flashed back to the screen.
"With Baine Sherwood," she said.
Zen laughed. "Hold on a minute," he said. "What's that, Baine?" He leaned closer to Baine's avatar, as if trying to hear something he couldn't make out. "Right, right. I'll tell her."
The Zen avatar straightened and turned to Hannahlee's Kitty avatar. "Baine said to tell you he's going to die unless you tell me where to find Cyrus."
Dunne froze in his seat. He wanted to leave the room.
Hannahlee was talking to the killer. His voice was electronically synthesized, but the words were all his.
And what he said he was going to do was horrifying.
"Did I mention?" said Zen. "You have less than five minutes?"
Â
Hannahlee looked at Todd, but he was too busy typing like a maniac to look up from his keyboard. She looked at Dunne, and he met her gaze...but his expression was blank. He had nothing to offer.
So she turned to face the big screen. Took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.
Took a step forward.
"We don't know where Cyrus is," she said. "He wouldn't even talk to us directly."
Zen gave Hiss a squeeze and tousled his hair. "Don't be fooled," he said. "I might have my arm around Baine in Willowtopia, but in the real world, I have a knife at his throat."
"Which is why you know I'm telling the truth," said Hannahlee. "If I knew where Cyrus was, I'd tell you. Then, I'd tell Cyrus to get away before you got to him."
"Mmm," said Zen. "Maybe." He brushed the lapels of Hiss's black leather jacket and adjusted the bill of his yin-yang ball cap. "Or maybe you'd never endanger Cyrus under any circumstances. Even if you thought he could probably get away in time."
"I swear to God I'm not lying to you," said Hannahlee. "I don't know where Cyrus is. In fact, I'm back to square one. Willowtopia was my last good lead."
Zen stepped away from Hiss. "Aren't you wondering?"
"About what?" said Hannahlee.
"When it'll be your turn." Zen folded his hands behind his back. "Will you be next , or will you be last ?"
"I don't much care," said Hannahlee. "You can have me now , if you'll let Baine go."
"Self-sacrifice." Zen's voice sounded almost admiring. "Do you care that much about Baine?"
"I care that little about me ," said Hannahlee. "My life is unending misery . You'd be doing me a favor if you ended it."
"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you, Poison Oak?" said Zen. "Spare you out of pity? Well, that won't happen. Not even if you freed the real Willows right now."
"Poison Oak?" said Hannahlee.
"You and your family won't keep us down!" said Zen. "And you won't destroy America , either. My warpath ends in your death . Zastee !"
As the killer's words rang through the theater, Dunne frowned. A realization hit him; he had to talk to Hannahlee.
Dunne hesitated to leave his seat, as if the killer could somehow see him. Then, pushing back that irrational fear, he got up and hurried over to Hannahlee.
He touched her on the shoulder, then whispered in her ear. "He's talking like War . He's on a warpath . 'Zastee' was War's battle-cry. It's Apache for 'Kill.'"
Hannahlee nodded. "What's your name?" she said to the screen.
"'Angel of Death' to you," said Zen.
"Is this my brother, Warren?" said Hannahlee. "Is this War Willow?"
For a long moment, the killer was silent. His avatar was motionless onscreen.
Then, the Zen avatar shook a fist at Kitty. "You already know," he said. "I'm the one Willow you
Baine made a muffled noise. His avatar remained perfectly motionless onscreen.
"I can say for a fact that the killer is with you right now," said Zen. "More specifically, his avatar is with you in the game. His real self, the one that does all the killing, is elsewhere."
Dunne's wide eyes were glued to the screen. The temperature in the theater seemed to drop forty degrees as he realized what was happening.
"Can you guess where he is?" said Zen.
Hannahlee looked back. Her emerald gaze met Dunne's, then flashed back to the screen.
"With Baine Sherwood," she said.
Zen laughed. "Hold on a minute," he said. "What's that, Baine?" He leaned closer to Baine's avatar, as if trying to hear something he couldn't make out. "Right, right. I'll tell her."
The Zen avatar straightened and turned to Hannahlee's Kitty avatar. "Baine said to tell you he's going to die unless you tell me where to find Cyrus."
Dunne froze in his seat. He wanted to leave the room.
Hannahlee was talking to the killer. His voice was electronically synthesized, but the words were all his.
And what he said he was going to do was horrifying.
"Did I mention?" said Zen. "You have less than five minutes?"
Â
Hannahlee looked at Todd, but he was too busy typing like a maniac to look up from his keyboard. She looked at Dunne, and he met her gaze...but his expression was blank. He had nothing to offer.
So she turned to face the big screen. Took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.
Took a step forward.
"We don't know where Cyrus is," she said. "He wouldn't even talk to us directly."
Zen gave Hiss a squeeze and tousled his hair. "Don't be fooled," he said. "I might have my arm around Baine in Willowtopia, but in the real world, I have a knife at his throat."
"Which is why you know I'm telling the truth," said Hannahlee. "If I knew where Cyrus was, I'd tell you. Then, I'd tell Cyrus to get away before you got to him."
"Mmm," said Zen. "Maybe." He brushed the lapels of Hiss's black leather jacket and adjusted the bill of his yin-yang ball cap. "Or maybe you'd never endanger Cyrus under any circumstances. Even if you thought he could probably get away in time."
"I swear to God I'm not lying to you," said Hannahlee. "I don't know where Cyrus is. In fact, I'm back to square one. Willowtopia was my last good lead."
Zen stepped away from Hiss. "Aren't you wondering?"
"About what?" said Hannahlee.
"When it'll be your turn." Zen folded his hands behind his back. "Will you be next , or will you be last ?"
"I don't much care," said Hannahlee. "You can have me now , if you'll let Baine go."
"Self-sacrifice." Zen's voice sounded almost admiring. "Do you care that much about Baine?"
"I care that little about me ," said Hannahlee. "My life is unending misery . You'd be doing me a favor if you ended it."
"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you, Poison Oak?" said Zen. "Spare you out of pity? Well, that won't happen. Not even if you freed the real Willows right now."
"Poison Oak?" said Hannahlee.
"You and your family won't keep us down!" said Zen. "And you won't destroy America , either. My warpath ends in your death . Zastee !"
As the killer's words rang through the theater, Dunne frowned. A realization hit him; he had to talk to Hannahlee.
Dunne hesitated to leave his seat, as if the killer could somehow see him. Then, pushing back that irrational fear, he got up and hurried over to Hannahlee.
He touched her on the shoulder, then whispered in her ear. "He's talking like War . He's on a warpath . 'Zastee' was War's battle-cry. It's Apache for 'Kill.'"
Hannahlee nodded. "What's your name?" she said to the screen.
"'Angel of Death' to you," said Zen.
"Is this my brother, Warren?" said Hannahlee. "Is this War Willow?"
For a long moment, the killer was silent. His avatar was motionless onscreen.
Then, the Zen avatar shook a fist at Kitty. "You already know," he said. "I'm the one Willow you
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