Nowhere Land Read online

  Billy saw the muscles in the monsters face tighten as he narrowed his eyes. Billy examined the veins running over and under the muscles like tree roots, the packets of yellowish fat in the monsters cheeks, the smooth grayish muscles sweeping from his forehead up over his scalp, the vulnerable pulsing of his fat jugular vein.

  This monster had never appeared in any of his dreams.

  Unless this was a dream.

  He had seen things during the war in Chechnya. Dead soldiers, Chechen and Russian both. Shattered, bleached white bones. Raw hamburger flesh. But nothing like this.

  The monster saw Billy staring and gave him a hard look. His eyes were the green of late summer leaves. Burning. Undeniably human.

  I am Alberto DiSalvo and this this is my son, Frederico. The mans voice was twisted with emotion. Not a good one. Pain? Fear?

  Kubrick, the monster said angrily.

  Hey, I remember you! MoSteel said. He was talking to the man, but his eyes were drawn back to the monster over and over like a moth flitting toward a light. Im MoSteel. Remember? You were hitting the snooze button right around the time the worms showed up.

  I I think I remember seeing you, Alberto said. Then, then, we must have fallen asleep. When I woke up, we were in some sort of, um, laboratory.

  Billy felt a shudder. Not in his body in someones mind. He caught a flash of something that could have been Albertos memory or Kubricks or both mixed. Nausea, the smell of blood, a dusty machine cutting Kubricks skin off in ridiculous small patches, anger, a sense of satisfaction.

  Yes, Kubrick savored his fathers anguish. His father had always treated him as if he were damaged and now he was.

  Or not.

  Billy couldnt be sure. Couldnt tell if he was making this up, telling himself fairy tales.

  He watched Alberto pull MoSteel a few feet away. We have to find whoever or whatever did this to my son, he whispered. Can you help us?

  I thought youd never ask, MoSteel said. Lets go. . . .

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

  ISBN 0-4397-3999-3

  Copyright © 2002 by Katherine Applegate.

  Cover Art by Jonathan Barkat

  Cover Design by Ursula S. Albano

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.

  SCHOLASTIC, APPLE PAPERBACKS, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. REMNANTS and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Katherine Applegate.

  121110987654321 234567/0

  Printed in the U.S.A.

  First Scholastic printing, January 2002

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE IVE CROSSED THE EMPTINESS.

  CHAPTER TWO ALL YOU NEEDS A SCREWDRIVER, DUCK. A SCREWDRIVER AND SOME DUCT TAPE.

  CHAPTER THREE THE SUN RISES, AND WITH IT, HOPE.

  CHAPTER FOUR THE UNHUMAN LIVES.

  CHAPTER FIVE IF WE HAD A ROPE . . .

  CHAPTER SIX I THINK THIS IS OUR BUS.

  CHAPTER SEVEN MAYBE THEYRE BUFFALO.

  CHAPTER EIGHT ACT AS IF ITS REAL.

  CHAPTER NINE THATS STILL A FART, DUCK.

  CHAPTER TEN WE HAVE TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM THEM. WE HAVE TO MAKE IT OURS.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN GOOD NIGHT, BEULAH.

  CHAPTER TWELVE ITS GOING TO END HERE.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN DO THESE BOARDS ROCK, OR WHAT?

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN I THINK WHATEVERS IN HERE IS GETTING TO US.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN I SURFED HURRICANE TONYA BACK IN 09.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN ITS A BEAUTIFUL MACHINE, BUT ITS JUST A MACHINE.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN WE NEED TO SLOW THIS BIG GIRL DOWN.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN ANOTHER METAPHOR FOR LIFE.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN I THINK THATS COMING THIS WAY.

  CHAPTER TWENTY IF WERE GOING INTO A BATTLE, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHOOT BACK.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE WELL, MO, YOU PUSHED IT TOO FAR THIS TIME.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO YOU MEAN, LIKE CAVALRY COMING TO THE RESCUE?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE IF YOU CAN KEEP YOUR HEAD WHILE ALL THOSE ABOUT YOU ARE LOSING THEIRS . . .

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR ARE YOU STILL A HUMAN BEING, BILLY?

  K.A. APPLEGATE REMNANTS 5 Mutation THE MOST WE CAN DO IS OFFER A PRAYER .