Jay tossed and turned, light sleep only. Every time he heard a noise or a creak in his surroundings he was awake, fearing the unknown in the darkness surrounding them. Then he sensed Julia's warmth beside him and his heart settled, stopped racing. He could hear someone crying and hid his head beneath the pillow. He wanted to look outside and see his surroundings. Scan the street. He had visions of his neighborhood burning or in ruins. More noise, quiet noise. The sound of people, the hum of humanity as it passed by.
Jay got up, hushing Julia as he moved, reassuring her everything was ok, go back to sleep. He needed to see outside. Julia would need to add that task to her notebook. Enclosed in that house without being able to see clearly outside was just insane. How would they know what was coming? Good or bad. Everyone sleeping at the same time also put them at risk. That could not happen anymore either. Someone would always need to be awake. Jay put on his sneakers and laced up. He pulled his hoodie on. The only noise present was that of his feet on the floor boards as he creaked his way toward the bathroom. Flashlight in hand, hands feeling against the wall as he moved quietly toward the staircase. The closer he got to the bottom of the stairs, he could hear the muffled sound of crying better.
"Who's down here?" Jay asked.
"It's me, Jayson. I didn't want to wake anyone."
Andy. Jayson shook his head. "You're supposed to be in the room with the kids."
"I'm awake. I'll still hear them." He said, pulling himself together. "Where are you going?"
"I need to look outside. See what's going on."
"Do you hear it too? Out front." Andy asked.
"Well, let's go look. Be quiet."
Jay and Andy followed the beam of light from the flashlight. Through the basement into the dark of night where Jay cut off the flashlight. The moon was bright enough once their eyes adjusted. Hesitant, they crept toward the front yard. Once near the front porch, Jay and Andy stood and took in the view. Maverick still had a cloud of smoke hovering above the small town. All directions. They quietly observed Green Street. Yes, people were outside in the middle of the night. They wandered aimlessly. They passed like a slow herd of cattle, blood on their clothes and skin. The odor was what they appreciated more than the sight and it was a foul and dirty smell that they couldn't place.
"What is that smell?" Andy asked in hushed tone.
Startled by banging from the house on the end of the street, Jay and Andy crouched, then crawled quickly toward the bushes where he and Chess took cover earlier when the planes had fallen from the sky. Jay guessed that the herd may have been some of the people from the plane. Unsure, of course, he got an uneasy feeling from them and didn't make a sound for fear of attracting them. Jay and Andy heard the screaming as the door to the house they watched flung open. The herd shifted and turned toward Jay's neighbor as the man fell into the street. He rolled onto his back as the person that had chased him from the house had followed in a slow and stalking pursuit. The man looked around as he hopped to his feet. In all directions, he was surrounded. He tried to run unsuccessfully as he had been taken from behind, the passersby had caught him with bloody hands. This man left out a scream again and was overtaken. Covered in bloodied humans he screamed and tried to fight his way through, but there were too many to take on. This herd attacked his flesh with their hands and their mouths, ripping chunks off this ambushed man until his screams silenced.
Jayson and Andy shifted backward as quietly as possible. They feared that they'd be next, if they were seen or heard. Those inside the houses that hadn't left the street earlier were frantic inside, behind doors and windows. Their heads beat on the man made cages as their hands tried desperately to claw their way out. Once inside the basement and out of imminent danger, the two huddled by the door way. Jay closed the door as quietly as possible. The hum of the herd outside dispersed, but that herd also dispersed in all directions. He heard the shuffling of feet pass the cellar entrance. Jay held his breath as Andy hid behind him in the dark of the basement. He could feel Andy's breath on his neck as they were frozen in place, listening as the last of the footsteps passed. Only separated by a door from what would be their deaths-or worse. Becoming part of the herd.
Andy trembled, his breathing heavy and the tears started again. "What was that, Jay? Why?"
Jay stepped away from Andy. How many tears could one person shed? "Andy, I don't know. We need to find out though. Let's go upstairs and get the phone. See if we can get on line."
"Hopefully the battery isn't dead."
They got on line and Andy checked CNN first. They watched videos from across the country that showed worse than what they were experiencing in Maverick. CNN urged people to stay inside, do not go outside, let the national guard and military engage the sick and dying. Do not approach the dying, they are dangerous and will attack and infect whomever they contact. Civilians had armed themselves or had already armed themselves. Bodies lay in streets across the country from civilian and military gunfire. Martial law had been declared in major cities as containment of infection was underway. Nationwide curfew mandated only specific personnel would be allowed on the streets. Air traffic had been halted as many aircraft had crashed. People were stranded in cities in airports and train stations and bus stations. Emergency shelters and quarantine areas were constructed. Food, water and basic supplies were available at shelters only. Looting would not be tolerated. They watched the president's news conference given prior to being whisked away to a top secret location with the rest of the top government officials. Jay took offense to this more than any body laying mutilated on the ground. Why doesn't the captain go down with the ship? Fucking president hidden safely away in some hole in the wall compound and Jay and his family are left on the street in the dark with inhuman, blood thirsty assassins.
"What in the fresh hell?" Jay grumbled. He felt anger reeling through him. Jay handed Andy back his phone and felt like punching something hard. He sat in the gutted living room in the pitch dark with Julia's gay brother as his friends and family slept. He felt the weight of the world and the souls hovering above him on his shoulders. Is this it? Is it all over? Curfews and emergency shelters. He had his own emergency shelter running. The president of his boarded shelter. Where could he run? On the outside he sat calm on the floor as Andy let out his fear and frustration. On the inside panic was creeping in, gripping his gut and reaching for his throat till he almost couldn't breathe.
"Jay, are you ok?" Andy asked beside him. He felt Andy's hand on his shoulder.
"I need to talk to Julia." He thought, suffocating beneath the weight of Andy's fear. He was just as fearful and scared. "I'm good. How bout you try to reach Rey and Luz? Find out if they're alright. See if they wanna leave with us when we go?"
"Where are we going?"
Jay took Andy's hand and removed it from his shoulder. "Just find out please."
Jay left the flashlight with Andy and felt his way to the stairs, back down the hall to Julia where he woke her and pulled her out from beneath the comforter from home. He didn't say a word to her as she pulled on her shoes and her jacket, but she knew she had to go with him. He took her note book from the table then he led her back through the house to the kitchen. He told her about the news, what they'd learned. He then told her that he and Andy had been outside, what they'd witnessed and what they'd escaped. The smell and the hum that the herd made as they passed the cellar entrance. She processed his words, but couldn't fathom the sight of it.
Jay lit a candle on the kitchen counter and Julia opened her notebook, scribbling in the dim light what he'd said. They added another need to their list in large capital letters: WEAPONS.
At that moment in time, they only had one gun that none of them were trained to use, and one knife that was sheathed once again on Jay's jeans.
"Is everything ok?" Chess asked, coming into the kitchen. Andy had followed him.
"Yes." Julia replied, closing the notebook. "Added some stuff to the list."
"Did you talk to Rey?" Jay asked Andy.
"They're alive. They're in the apartment building and Luz took in people running from-from-whatever they are."
"They locked in and no one's sick with them?"
"Yes." Andy answered.
"They wanna go with us?"
"Definitely. It won't be easy getting to them. They said they're surrounded."
"Tell them to stay there and we'll come for them, unless they have to run first. Do they know where we are?"
"I told Rey, yeah."
"The battery is almost dead, Jay."
"Tell them be ready, we'll get them today. We can't risk losing our only communication with them. So it's best if we get them today." Jay said. "Chess, where does your dad keep the guns?"
"Locked up in a cabinet in their room." He answered.
"We need to go back home today. We'll need those guns." Jay told him. "We'll go there before we get Rey."
"I don't wanna go back outside." Andy whispered. "Ever."
"Good, I don't want you out there anyway."
"When do we go?" Julia asked eagerly.
"Sun up. I don't wanna run around at night, so not long from now."
"Where are we going?" Tavin asked, meeting up with them in the kitchen that was becoming more and more crowded. Jay explained what they'd been talking about. He was growing tired of repeating himself.
"That sounds risky, getting Rey and his mom." Tavin said, shaking his head. "You don't know what you're walking into."
"But Jay, we are getting them right?" Andy asked, his voice full of worry because of Tavin's input.
"Yes, we are." Jay assured him. "Everyone go and get some more sleep or something to eat. Jules, can you pack us a back pack in case we get stuck somewhere with some food and water?"
"Yeah, sure."
The kitchen cleared out and left Tavin and Jay standing at the counter. He flipped through the pages in the notebook.
"Who's Rey and Luz?" Tavin asked, completely not understanding why they were important enough to go after.
"Rey is Andy's boyfriend and Luz is his mom." Jay replied. "Luz has another vehicle, a minivan and right now we're running around in a fucking Prius. Ever try to travel with supplies and people inside a Prius? It gets kinda cramped."
"Who drives, brother?"
"I learned real quick." Jay answered. "You going with us or-"
"You think I made it here from Pittsburgh to leave you alone?"
"I'm not alone." Jay argued. "And you're not alone."
"Well, I am, me and Callie. We're alone." Tavin quieted. " Do you want us to leave you guys?"
Jay hesitated. "Do you really believe that this is gonna work out? With me and you and her all together?"
"Petty motherfucker." Tavin called him.
"I have every right to be a petty motherfucker, Tavin. Are you for real?"
"I wasn't thinking about that, Jayson. I'm not thinking about that."
"I am thinking about it right fucking now. I think we need to get this out of the way before we go any further."
"I don't want Julia. I love her, would do anything for her, but I love Callie. If I wanted your girl, I'd have your girl. If I wanted your girl, I woulda left Callie a long time ago." Tavin thought a moment. "Your girl let us in, Jay."
"I don't know-" Jay said, the struggle between brother and jilted boyfriend was real.
"Jay, we're blood." Tavin reminded him.
"I'll talk with Jules." Jay answered. "That's all I can say right now."
"That'll have to be enough for now? Really?" Tavin asked, he was in disbelief. " Either way, I want something to do. What do you want me to do?"
Jay walked away from him. He had a decision to make. He found Julia laying down, scrolling through her phone. The light shined on her face and she looked up at him she smiled.
"You're up?"
"Yeah. I am. I got the bag ready like you asked."
"Thanks, Babe." He sighed, laying next to her on the floor. She turned the phone off and curled up in his arms. "We need to talk about Tav and Callie."
"I know." She nodded. "I don't know her very well. But I know him and I think he'll be an asset."
"Julia," He whined, knowing where their talk was going...to an end, no doubt. There would be no conversation, there would be Julia telling him what was going to happen.
"He's family. Your family." Julia reminded him. "If you're gonna go get Rey and Luz, strangers, then your blood stays here too. We don't get to make choices about who is in and who is out."
"Ok."
"I know you're worried about us, thinking about us, but the only us I see is me and you, babe. And he feels the same way."
"I'm gonna trust you on this."
"What's your gut say?" Julia asked.
"My gut says do the right thing. I think we need to live by that."
"What if we can't do the right thing? What do we do if we have to make hard choices?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
They lay next to each other, each with separate thoughts in their own worlds till the floor boards started creaking next door again. Callie's muffled moans and gasps could be heard through the wall. "We have to move them out of there too. Put that in your fucking notebook." Jay mumbled.
Sun up. Jay, Julia, Chess, Tavin and Callie stood on the back porch of their vacant house on Green Street. It looked abandoned and lacked any life. As long as they stood still, the new creatures, bloodied and battered, limped past without even giving them a thought. Jay waited till they were out of ear shot and eye shot. "We gonna do this or what?" He asked nervously.
Tavin and Callie went first, through the gate and into the alley. They disappeared into the surrounding neighborhood on foot. Their goal, a truck or a van, a vehicle they could put their belongings in for their ride out of Maverick. Julia got tired of waiting, acting like they never rode through their town. She wondered who exactly had the balls in the trio of novice apocalyptic participants. The boys followed her because she was the 'weak' one that needed protection. They hustled their way to the Prius, piling in quickly. As was their plan, they drove to Chess's house first, backing sideways into the driveway and popping the trunk. There was a piece of paper on the front door, a red X that marked the house. Someone had already gone through it. They put down those inside, 5 bodies. Chess couldn't go inside at first, but there were too many bloody neighbors milling about the street. They were seen and the pack had turned toward them. They shut the door once inside and made their way slowly to Sandy and John's room. The basement door had been broken into and then resealed by whomever had been in the house. The bodies were still in the basement and the odor was obscene. Two gun cabinets were in the closet, still locked and untouched. Jay and Julia popped both locks with the crow bar from the car.
Chess had gone upstairs to fetch his alcohol and weed. Knowing his brother and friends were dead in the basement, their bodies left to rot was overwhelming. Rooting around in Ray's room for a bag to put his booty in, he heard breathing near him. He backed to the door way, then heard his name.
"Who's there? " He asked, looking down at the bed.
The blanket over the edge of the bed moved and he backed into the hall, ready to close the door and fast. Cass's face appeared, still moist and red from crying. She shifted and started to crawl out from beneath the bed.
"Are you sick, Cassidy?" He asked, hand on the door knob.
"No." She sniffled.
"What the fuck you doing under there?"
"I didn't know where else to go." She whimpered. "I heard the door and I hid, Chess. I- I thought it was them again. They swept through my house, looking for anyone alive and anyone infected."
"Come with me. Let's go."
"Where? Where were you and Jay and the kids? Are they at Julia's? I got here and I was flipping out. I didn't know where anyone was and I found Ray. Chess, he's-"
"I know, Cass. I know where he is."
Chess emptied his stash of alcohol and weed into the bag, his deodorant and some more socks, into his bag. He tossed a sweat shirt at Cass and they went downstairs. He brought Cass up to speed with where they were and what was going on. Cass told him she'd spent the night running from the infected and avoiding the living. She was freezing and had nothing with her. Cass stood in her pajamas and her slippers. She couldn't get hold of anyone, her cell was long dead.
Julia and Jay came out of the bedroom with the guns in a large duffel bag. The ammo in another. He handed Chess a hunting knife. They were caught off guard by the sight of Cass. Jay's hand went to his hip. "You sick?"
Cass began sobbing. Usually stone cold and hard ass Cass was a mental mess. "No." She wailed. She started blubbering and flipping out at the sight of the bag stuffed with guns.
Julia took her aside and into the bedroom where they'd just come from. She tried to shield her from the plastic seal over the basement doorway. She instructed her firmly to calm herself down. "This isn't a pep talk it's a fucking reality talk. You're tough, Cass. Cry later." Cass rummaged through Sandy's drawer and got changed into a pair of jeans. She put on socks and a pair of boots that Sandy used for yard work.
"Ray's gone, my family, my brother." She blubbered through tears and snot. Julia tossed her a box of tissues.
"Get yourself together or I'm leaving you here." Julia warned as she stepped into the hall and tread back to the kitchen.
"No, Julia, you guys can't leave me here." She wailed. Her hair was flying everywhere. All damp and old make up running down her face.
She grabbed Cass by the shoulders and turned her toward the sealed doorway. "You wanna wind up like that? Do you?" Julia asked, raising her voice at Cass.
"No," She sniffed, dabbing her face with the tissues in her hand.
"There will be time to cry later. Right now I need you to focus." Julia said sternly. Like she'd told the others yesterday, "We cry when we're safe and we have some major shit to do today." Cass quieted down, calmed a bit. She went to the sliding glass door and stared into the back yard.
"Jay, what's it look like out front? Can we make it to the car?"
"No." Jay answered, looking out the window to the front door.
"Hello! You two can shoot them." Julia urged, kicking the bag of guns. Chess and Jay stared at the bag. "Why did we come get guns if you're not going to shoot them?"
"Julia, I wanted to shoot our food, not shoot at them." Jay told her.
"Did you just say shoot food? Do you see deer wandering the street?"
"Did you think we were going to shoot people?"
"For fuck sake, yes." Julia yelled. "You pulled a gun on Tavin, but you-"
"Dude, really? Your own brother?" Chess asked, shaking his head.
Julia bent over and picked up a rifle. She held it up like she'd seen on TV and the boys jumped out of her way. "Don't aim it at us, Julia!" Chess yelled.
"She should shoot your balls off cause neither one of you seem to have any." Cass muttered, bending over and picking up another rifle from the bag. She held it up like Julia held hers up. "So you kinda aim and pull the trigger like this?" Cass asked. And when she pulled the trigger a bullet blasted out and through the front window, the jolt from the rifle kicked her in the shoulder, rocking her back onto her ass. She let out a little scream.
The bullet missed Chess by inches and he screamed as well, covering his head and cursing at the same time.
"Cass, what the fuck?" Jay screamed pulling the rifle out of her hand.
"I didn't know it was loaded." She yelled back, accepting his hand to pull her off the floor.
"Hey, is that gonna happen every time we shoot something?" Julia whined, dreading being kicked onto the ground if she had to defend herself with the gun.
Jay removed the rifle from her hands as well. He took the rifle to the window that Cass shot out and settled onto his knee and aimed. He looked at the face of the woman creeping toward the window and he couldn't do it. He still saw humanity there. But Cass's bullet had pierced the lady's shoulder. A dark and coagulated blood oozed from her wound.
"Jay." Julia said impatiently. "We'll be here all fucking day, Jay."
He squeezed the trigger. Head shot. He hadn't shot a rifle in a long while. In fact he'd only done it a few times so he could take down that one deer. He didn't like it then either. Jay aimed at the next one, then the next one. He took the ones down closest to them and then urged everyone to haul ass to the car. He kept the rifle with him and Chess had the other. Jay started the car and they drove off and around the remaining herd in the street. They drove to Rey and Luz. The streets of their neighborhood looked like hell had come and wished to stay. Burned out store fronts, trash in the streets. Dead bodies with and without bullets in them laid in the streets. The plane that landed by Mav West still smoldered as did the school that had burned out. They drove to avoid airplane parts, fuselage and seats and broken bodies, the closer they approached Mav West. His passengers in the Prius could look away, but Jay was forced to view the carnage from the driver's seat. Live persons walked cautiously through the street, taking the view in as well. Several cars had passed them on their drive, belongings on top of their cars.
Julia sat in the seat and watched every example of ugliness. Jay urged her not to look, but she wanted to. She would document this in her notebook when she got back to the house on Green Street. Julia dialed Rey's number from the car when they were a block away. They only lived a couple blocks from Mav West and their neighborhood took the brunt of the explosion from the air plane. They maneuvered around downed trees and telephone poles. They parked a distance from the building because of the wires that were in the road ahead of them. It wouldn't deter them from getting out, but it would deter them if they drove over it.
The 4 of them left the safety of the Prius and light footed the path to the apartment building. There was a herd in the street and they thanked the Lord those wires were live as they tried to limp and gimp across the wires. The smell of fried herd filled their nostrils as they pushed into the hall at the apartment building. Chess aimed at the first undead, bleeding and infected body that came toward them. The hall way was narrow and they had to go single file with Julia bringing up the rear. The girls had their knives out and were ready to strike, reminding themselves as they walked the halls to aim for the mouth, and don't let their teeth on any part of their body. They cleared the way successfully to the third floor apartment. Chess wasted bullets and was thrown into Jay, knocking him backwards as well as the girls every time he shot. The 3rd floor was the heaviest, they were hesitant to open the door and enter the hall. Jay opened fire on the first three dead as he entered. It was live fire in the dark practically and the only light shining into the hall was at the far end.
Julia felt a hand on her from behind, a cool and leathery feel to it. She jabbed her knife into it and spun around. She jabbed toward the face, then through the left eyeball. The eyeball squished and popped. Her knife stuck in it's head. She struggled to pull it out when another grabbed her from the side.
"Julia, down." Jay yelled, hearing her struggling. He squeezed the trigger, exploding the man's throat above her. The head plopped off and to the side and Julia screamed, still trying to pull the knife out of the other's scull. "Stay down, Jules." Jay announced pulling the trigger again. "Use your foot and pull!" Jay ordered, having cleared the hall behind them, giving Julia the time to prop her foot on the scull and pull the knife out. Cass crouched frozen and screaming against the wall. Fluids splattered all over her and Julia and the sound of the rifle firing in the hall echoed in her very own scull. Chess fired ahead of him and took down the last of them in the hall. The four gathered near the window in the sun light.
"Was anyone bit or scratched up?" Jay asked, grabbing Julia, scanning her face and hands.
Julia pulled out of his grip. "No, I'm good. Cass?"
"I'm untouched. I'm ok."
"Rey, Luz!" Chess yelled.
The door to an apartment they'd passed mid hallway opened. Rey poked his head out. "Guns a blazing, boys. What a turn on." He grinned at them.
"Hi to you too. You ready?"
"Ready as ever." Rey answered, welcoming them inside his apartment. Luz had half her apartment in bags.
Inside the apartment there were 5 other people and their bags over their shoulders. Rey and Luz made the introductions. Jay didn't get a bad feeling from them. They looked just as terrified as the rest of the people they knew. Most were older, in their 40's who'd run from the horror that had chased them just like Cass had. Luz and Rey let them inside and brought them to the apartment. Jay looked them over and asked his standard, "Are any of you sick?" They all answered no.
"Is any of this going to break?" Jay asked, rolling his eyes. Jay went to the end of the hall and broke the window out with the end of the rifle. Chess assisted a bit then they stood in a line and started dropping everything to the ground three floors down.
Those in the hall that they'd stepped over making their way back to the street were the neighbors in the building. Jay, Chess and Julia had effectively exterminated them. Jay and Chess warned them of the live wires in the street, they went out first and made sure they were in the clear. They formed a line and then passed all the belongings to the minivan. Luz had her car keys and her purse and Julia escorted her to the safety of the van's driver seat. She started her van and the others piled inside around what they'd packed. No one said it would be comfortable. Luz followed them back through Maverick and to Green Street, turning into the alley way and parking in front of their abandoned home. Tavin was in the yard waiting on them when they returned. He had the kids outside kicking a ball around.
Jay was pissed, but at least the yard was fenced in and no one could get them.
Jay ushered the crowd of people he'd returned with out of the van and car. They left the cars in front of the gate parked for that moment.
Julia took the people inside and made them comfortable on the first floor. Andy had removed a section of the board from the top of each window to allow for some light to shine inside. During the day it would allow for some natural light and natural heat to come inside. Jay stood by the step where Tavin sat, watching the kids play. When the ball went over the fence, Tavin hopped it then hopped back.
"Can't keep them locked up, Jay. They're kids."
"Yep," Jay nodded. "They're kids till they see the monsters walking down the alley or someone spies us out here and decides to come clear us out."
"They were scared, Jay."
"What's out here is worse, Tavin." Jay argued. "Did you find us a truck or something?"
"And more kerosene for the heater and a couple solar chargers for the phones and some weapons. And medical supplies."
"Medical supplies. That wasn't on the list, but that's good. From where?"
"We drove the ambulance we found through the front of a CVS, Jay. And we cleaned the place out. Us and a handful of other people."
"Awesome. Now all we need is a doctor and a nurse."
"Well, little brother, we got em. Kind of. You're looking at him and Callie's in nursing school."
"Was in nursing school."
"It's all good, though." Tavin said. "We got a truck to load up don't we?"
"Yeah. Not right now though. I need a minute." Jay said, setting the rifle down, taking a seat on the step next to his brother.
"Did you shoot that thing yet?"
"Yes." Jay answered, thinking about all the bullets he'd shot into whatever it was he shot.
Julia poked her head out the door, then handed Jay a bottle of juice. She came outside and told Tavin what they faced at Chess's house and in the apartment building. She relayed the killing spree, the bullets flying and the knife she'd used to take a couple of them out. Jay groaned, thinking she was a little too excited about the slaughter they'd just carried out. She stood covered in droplets of blood and flesh from the bodies that exploded around her. Cass was up in the bathroom cleaning herself off with baby wipes. Jay told her to go do the same thing.
"We're going back out tho aren't we? And we have other work to do. Why scrub off if I'm only gonna get dirty again?" She reasoned. "Hey, remember at the house when you said you only wanted the guns to kill our food?"
"Yeah. That changed."
"Well, I have an idea where we can go." She took a seat on his lap.
"Where's that?"
"Someplace that you can shoot our food." She smiled. "The fucking cabin."
She was excited about her location choice. A cabin, a wood stove, plenty of deer meat, a pond full of water. They'd have to filter it somehow and rain water. Plenty of land that they could put an outhouse on. They could cook on the wood stove or on the grill. Plenty of fire wood. They could piece together a couple more small cabins with the main cabin. Plenty of land to have the kids play on. Privacy. "Hey, I'm gonna get the kids lunch then you come upstairs." She jumped up, adrenaline pumping through her veins from their morning, and went inside.
"Jay, I don't think that you're our leader in this new world order." Tavin observed as Julia went back in the house.
His girlfriend was tough as nails, the first to pick up a gun. She went head first into everything, no fear and didn't hesitate to ram a knife through a scull or two. He did as she said and brought the kids inside for lunch, then head upstairs to the bedroom.
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