“We forget how truly fragile we are.Skin. We do so much to it. Burn it. Tattoo it. Rub chemical into its surface. Sometimes we scrape it, pierce it, poke holes through its softness.Skin holds us together. IT keeps the blood inside. Without it, we die.”

“When there was nothing left inside, he laid his head down on the carpet and stared at the wooden railing. He was even emptier than before. How was it possible that hollowness could dig so deep?”

“They knew this—survival came at a price. Over the past few weeks they’d all survived a Bagger attack. Or two. Or three. They knew the consequences. Not everyone got out alive. They’d seen loved ones die. Even worse, some had watched the people they cared about turn on them. But as long as they stuck together in a group, they were still human. As long as they were human they were still alive.”

“The ocean would be nothing but salt water without her by his side.”

“There must be a way to fight this. To block out the black thoughts and make the voices go away. But with each memory fading, their hold on me strengthens. Soon the person I was, still am, will be gone. I'll be hollow.”

“I knew they would find me. I'm glowing in the moonlight.My darkness was too bright to hide forever. They'll find all of us eventually. They play the odds and they're up a thousand to one.”

“There are so many empty people walking around on this little planet. Lonely people. Angry people. Bitter. Forgotten.”