was taxing just talking.
As if realizing this, Grace stood. “I’ve got to go. I’ll be back in a few hours. Make sure you get some rest. You’ll need it for the interrogation.”
True to her word, Grace was back in a few hours. She wasn’t alone. She was accompanied by a small man who immediately reminded Sam of his master, Hikari. Not that the newcomer was Japanese, it was just that he seemed to radiate the same reassuring aura of calm. Sam tried to sit up again and even though his strength was gradually returning, he was still too weak. Since Grace had left, he’d had no other visitor and was eager for answers. Apparently, so was the Resistance.
The man carried two chairs. He set them down next to Sam’s mattress as Grace introduced her companion. His name was Tony. He was the leader of the Resistance in New York and Sam could see immediately why. It wasn’t just the calmness. He had a certain quality about him that spoke of leadership, that commanded instant obedience. Oddly, he was still dressed in a suit that looked like it was very expensive. Once. The quality material and exquisite cut was now marred by rips, tears and burn marks. Tony himself didn’t look exceptional in any way. His dark hair was trimmed short and his features were unremarkably if a trifle overweight but Sam sensed the determination and cold calculation in his mind. Tony was not to be messed with.
He bent down and pulled Sam’s hood down off his head before he had a chance to react, revealing the dark horns.
“You are a demon,” said Tony, without preamble in a strong New York accent. Clearly Tony was a local. His voice and face were expressionless.
Sam was momentarily lost for words. It wasn’t what he’d been expecting. “Only half,” he managed. “How did you know?”
“I told him,” said Grace.
Sam felt her deceit like a hammer blow to the stomach. Yet another one. Was he so damned that he deserved to be treated like this? He glared at her and she dropped her gaze, refusing to meet the accusation in his eyes, for once embarrassed by her actions.
“Don’t blame her,” said Tony, straightening up. There was steel in his voice. He wasn’t asking. “I guessed. Her reaction and those horns just confirmed my suspicions. I saw them when they first brought you in, unconscious. She didn’t really have any choice but to tell me.” He paused, considering his words carefully. “Tell me everything you know. Leave nothing out and don’t lie. That is your one and only warning.”
Sam also had no choice. Squashing the anger he felt towards Grace, he began telling Tony about his origins and a brief summary of the events that had led him to New York. Tony interrupted frequently, checking to see if he’d heard correctly, asking for more details when the story became too unbelievable or confusing.
When Sam had finished, Tony sat back in his chair and breathed out slowly. “Just so I’ve got this straight. Your mother was human but your father is Satan. You’ve been charged by Gabriel to save as many innocent humans as you can. You were meant to be the Antichrist but refused the offer. You’re here now as an advance scout for the US forces that are on their way here. Sound about right?”
Sam nodded mutely.
“And that giant Hell beast is your pet, right?”
Sam nodded again.
“Thing is, how do I trust you? Half my family went up in the Rapture. I saw the other half get dragged down into Hell by creatures like your little doggy. Creatures that you seem related to. How do you expect me to react here? My men tell me you were fighting demons but how do I know? No-one saw it for themselves. Grace here vouches for you but what does that mean to me? I’ve only just met her too.”
Tony ran the fingers of one hand over his smoothly shaved jaw, considering. “I admit that this isn’t an easy decision. You’ve got to realize that I have the lives of hundreds of others to consider here. Their safety. Under the circumstances, I can’t allow you to leave. You could potentially compromise everything we have worked hard to achieve. I also can’t allow you your freedom.”
Sam listened, aghast. He could understand that Tony might have reservations about him, but this could ruin everything. “You don’t understand,” pleaded Sam. “The Antichrist is here. I’m the only one who can defeat him.”
Tony smiled without humor. “We’ll see about that, boy. In the meantime, you are confined here, under guard. I don’t want you leaving this room. Things may change — may — if and when your allies get here, but until that time, I’ll not revisit my decision.” He nodded once at Sam who was spluttering on the mattress, trying to rise, and stood.
“There is a guard outside this door,” he said. “Don’t try to leave. They have orders to shoot and trust me when I say that their guns are loaded with iron.” He gestured at Grace. She stood too, gave Sam a look that he couldn’t decipher and allowed herself to be led out of the room.
The door shut behind them with the sound of finality. Sam heard a bolt sliding across. He was effectively a prisoner. A prisoner of the Resistance. The very people he was trying to save.
Chapter Twenty-two
“ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”
It took Sam almost three days to completely regain his strength. This in itself was extraordinary, testimony to how close to death he had been. The scars, especially the raised one from the Cambion’s Hell blade, were a constant reminder of how many injuries he’d suffered. He had quite a collection now. He had one on his chest and a very impressive one on his left leg where his brother had cut him. That had been a bad injury — almost taking off the leg completely. He’d only lived because his father had saved him. Ironic that. Had saved him only to try and kill him again with the Devil’s Hand. His father continued to move in mysterious ways.
When he started feeling better, he investigated the room. The covered window was tiny. All he could see was the building across the street. He left it covered during the day but removed the sheet at night. In addition, iron bars secured it from demon attack from outside, keeping him in just as effectively. The door was as solid as he’d assumed. He tried to use his telekinesis to open it but it was padlocked securely.
He sensed a great many human minds in the building, most of them coming and going beneath him. They seemed to be active during the day and the night. Sam assumed they had shifts.
Small portions of food and drink had been brought for him by a young scrawny male, probably around fifteen years of age. Every time was the same. Sam would hear the padlock opened, bolts being drawn on the outside. The door would open just enough to allow the boy to enter and deposit the tray on the ground. Outside the door, Sam caught of the armed guard that he sensed standing there. The guard was taking his job seriously, his mind radiating alertness and caution.
Sam tried to engage the boy in conversation but he was completely ignored. The boy didn’t dally in any case. As soon as the tray was on the ground, he was back out the door, seemingly reluctant to spend any more time than he had to in the room. Sam sensed fear in his mind. His demonic nature was probably common knowledge by now. Certainly the boy knew what he was.
They were the only two people Sam saw. Tony didn’t return. Even Grace didn’t bother to visit him. He told himself he didn’t care, especially after she’d revealed his true nature to Tony.
The food itself was, understandably, extremely simple. There wasn’t much of it either but it did include a little fresh fruit and vegetables. There was even fresh-tasting water. Like the survivors Sam had encountered on his way to New York, it looked like this lot were using hydroponics and had access to a fresh water supply. The food actually
