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cursed. “We could have sold it, no problem. Now it’s a hunk of junk.”
    â€œBetter make ’em pay for their mistake,” the curly-headed man said. He stepped forward and reached for the shotgun.
    The woman pushed him away and waved the gun at the kids. “If you hadn’t tried to get away, we’d have let you go.”
    â€œWe won’t tell anybody what happened,” Shelly said.
    The woman frowned and pointed to the field. “Start walking.”
    â€œWhat are you going to do?” Conrad said.
    â€œMove,” Curly Hair said.
    â€œYou think we should make a run for it?” Vicki whispered.
    â€œI don’t think we have much choice,” Conrad said. Shelly gasped. “Wait. They’re back!”
    Vicki’s mouth dropped open when she saw the horses and riders. A herd was moving effortlessly across the field behind them. Fire blew from the horses’ nostrils, and great clouds of black and yellow smoke came from their mouths. Vicki guessed they were a half mile away.
    The woman glanced behind her when Shelly gasped. The men did too. Both turned and laughed.
    â€œYou’re not going to get us to fall for that,” Long Face said.
    â€œYou don’t see them?” Vicki said.
    â€œReal cute,” Curly said. “Just keep moving.”
    â€œIf I were you, I’d get out of here fast,” Conrad said.
    â€œThis is far enough,” the woman said. “I’m tired of your games. Let’s get this over with.”
    Vicki looked at the horses. They were right behind the three bandits, hovering over the field. Vicki cringed when she saw their faces. The locusts had been hideous, but these horses and their riders were even scarier.
    â€œWhoa, what’s that smell?” Long Face said.
    Curly took a deep whiff of air and coughed violently. One of the horses blew a plume of smoke toward the three, and it engulfed them. The woman dropped the shotgun and fell to her knees. She grabbed her throat with both hands and gasped.
    Long Face ran toward the kids, his face turning blue. He nearly knocked Shelly over as he pushed past them. One of the horses followed and snorted a blast fire. Long Face burst into flames and went rolling headlong onto the ground.
    Curly ran toward the road and jumped in the pickup truck. He gunned the engine and shot past several horses. One turned and flicked its snakelike tail and smashed the windshield. The truck went out of control, ran up the side of an embankment, and hit a tree. One snort from the horse’s nostrils and the pickup was engulfed in flames.
    The woman tried to stand but couldn’t. Finally, she cried and stretched out on the ground. Her body twitched and jerked for a moment; then she lay still.
    Shelly put her head on Vicki’s shoulder and cried. “I never dreamed it would be this awful.”
    Conrad checked, but the woman was dead. He found their money in her jacket and walked toward the road. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

4
    MARK Eisman and the others at the schoolhouse sat in front of the small television their friend Z had recently sent. Mark usually monitored the computer for the latest news, but everyone wanted to see the local coverage. Darrion had alerted Mark about the horses and riders. Now they all sat before the flickering television.
    â€œReports from Rockford to downstate Illinois have officials concerned,” a nervous reporter said. “But it’s not just the Midwest that’s being affected. We’re hearing about fires and deadly fumes from around the globe. As of yet, there is no explanation for this lethal outbreak that has killed thousands. We have no word yet on the exact number of casualties, but some experts believe hundreds of thousands might lose their lives.”
    â€œTry millions,” Darrion said.
    Charlie sighed. “I’m sure glad I got the mark before any of this happened.”
    Someone handed the reporter