Domino Falls by Steven Barnes, Tananarive Due Page A

friends?”
    He shrugged. “Depends. Some they let in, some they don’t. Their reasons don’t always make sense.” He thought of an idea. “But they broadcast on 3950 kilohertz. Try to talk to them. Can’t hurt. Be sure you know your kin’s name.”
    Kendra had forgotten that her heart could race with joy and excitement, not just fear. She didn’t remember meeting her great-aunt, but she was a piece of her family left behind. She had memories Kendra wanted to learn, or no one would be left to put the pieces of her family’s story together.
    Devil’s Wake was real! The possibilities left Kendra speechless.
    â€œThanks, sir,” Terry said, steering Kendra away from the table while the man repeated his campsite’s location. “I don’t know what that look on your face means,” Terry told her, “butit’s not that easy, Kendra. We don’t know if we have a bus yet. And even if we did . . . that’s a long way down.”
    â€œI have to talk to them,” Kendra said. “Right now.”
    Terry looked flustered, but he trailed after her as she searched the crowd.
    â€œWho are you looking for?” he said.
    Kendra almost didn’t know. Her plan was formulating by itself. “The mayor,” she said. “I need a shortwave. He said to ask him any questions.”
    Van Peebles was standing over the dessert table, picking over the last crumbs in a pie tin. Kendra wasn’t as brazen as Sonia, but she put on a bright smile when she reached him. He looked delighted to see her.
    â€œHaving a good time?” Van Peebles said.
    â€œVery much,” Kendra said, remembering Sonia’s charm. Smiling a bit longer.
    â€œIs there anything I can do for you?”
    â€œI need a shortwave,” she said. When he asked why, she told him. Would he try to keep her from communicating with the outside?
    Van Peebles didn’t hesitate or blink. “Few of those in town,” he said. “Closest one’s the gas station. They might let you use it, might not.”

Nine
    T he mom-and-pop Arco station was a block’s walk south. It was after dark, but a man was lighting the lamps and a few people were still outside, men and women. Citizens Patrol teams strolled the streets, recognizable from their powerful flashlights. A sole Gold Shirt astride a horse passed at a steady clip, another guardian. Despite the incident at dinner, Threadville seemed a safe place to walk after dark.
    â€œYou might not find what you’re looking for,” Terry said. “It might always feel this way for a while, Kendra. No matter where you are.”
    Kendra was surprised by Terry’s insight, and a bit nervous. She stared at her grubby sneakers walking on the street’s smooth cobblestones. “I don’t know what I’m looking for,” Kendra said. “I just know I have to talk to her. At least this one time.” She paused. “That man was begging to see his daughter. ” She couldn’t forget it, even now.
    â€œI know,” Terry said. “It creeped me out too. But let’s keep a low profile.”
    They stopped talking when two men approached from the opposite direction. Kendra was glad to feel Terry’s gun pressed to her side as they kept close. The men strode past them without slowing, leaving plenty of space among them, all of them pretending they weren’t trying so hard to keep out of one another’s way.
    A dim light was on inside the gas station, although the first gas pump wore a sign that said NO GAS TILL FRIDAY .
    The gas station’s convenience store was small, its shelves modestly stocked. Each item for sale had a detailed label instead of a price: Will trade for batteries, said the label beneath a precious-looking bottle of motor oil. A box of Almond Joy candy bars was marked Make an offer. Tempting.
    The young woman behind the counter was buried in a copy of