“What? You’re saying there are multiple worlds? Other dimensions? String theory, that kind of thing?”
“Bruv, I dunno what that is, but yeah I think you get me.”
“What does the Red Lord want?”
“To spank God’s ass and take his place. If he destroys the last remaining worlds, he’ll get a shot at the big man. That’s why we have to fight to survive, bruv. The Red Lord can’t win.”
Kamiyo leant forward, making sure what he was hearing was coming from a lucid mouth and not an addled mind. “Where is the Red Lord?”
“Here!” Vamps shook his head and looked as though he might go back to sleep, but then he beat his chest like a gorilla. “He’s in me, bruv. I remember it all. The fight in Hell went hella bad. Lucas—he’s the ex-Devil—got me out of there, but the Red Lord… Fucker hitched a ride, innit? Now he’s right where he wants to be.”
“Sorry, did you just say the Devil helped you?”
“Ex-Devil. Turns out the guy ain’t so bad once you get to know him. Look, Doc, the whole point of this demon invasion is to bring the Red Lord to Earth and allow him to consume the souls of the living—shit is like Big Macs to him or summin. He’s already taken the souls of Hell, but it’s the living what give God his strength. That’s why—”
Kamiyo stood up straight and placed a hand to his forehead. “Okay, please stop.” He took a deep breath and looked out the window. Outside, the other campmates dealt with last night’s fatalities. There was a lot of sobbing going on, a lot of heartache, and it made him glad he wasn’t out there. He kept his back to Vamps as he asked his questions. “Were you really possessed last night? This ‘Red Lord’ truly took ahold of you?”
“And will again,” said Vamps. “I’m sorry. You need to kill me, Doc.”
Kamiyo turned around. “What? I shall do no such thing!”
“Did you not hear me about the Darth Vader thing? The Red Lord is bad news, bruv. The worst.”
“Darth Vader fell to ruin,” said Kamiyo, feeling a sudden pang of sadness that there would never be a new Star Wars film. An odd thing to grieve, so he moved on. “Perhaps you’re to be Luke Skywalker. You’re still in there too, aren’t you?”
“Not for long, bruv. I remember hurting you last night, and that woman.”
“Jackie. She’s… okay. I explained it wasn’t you.”
Vamps shook his head. “It was like being trapped in a bath full of scolding water. I kept trying to come up and get my breath, but someone kept holding me down. I don’t know why the Red Lord is gone, but I can still feel him in me. He’ll be back.”
“You’re restrained. I won’t let you harm anybody, Vamps.”
“That won’t matter, bruv. Take me out. Cut my throat or summin’. Just make it quick. And tell everyone I said something gangster at the end.”
Kamiyo shook his head firmly. “No! That’s not what I do. You are my patient. My duty is to heal you. Twice now, I have spoken with you lucidly. There’s a reason this Red Lord has retreated, and I shall find out what it is. Then I shall keep him at bay permanently. Vamps, if you’re one of the good guys, I’m not giving up on you. Twenty-four hours ago, I wondered if I’d ever see another person again—then I found this place. Perhaps I’m supposed to be here to help you. Christ, just give me something I can do to make myself feel useful again, okay? Let me try to help you, please.”
“Why do you even care so much, Doc? I’m just one guy.”
Kamiyo looked out of the window and stared off at the lake. It seemed to reflect his own memories back at him. “There are things I need to make right. Saving your life is a good start.”
Vamps pulled at his ropes, clunking the radiator. “I can’t spend the rest of my life tied to the wall. Sooner or later, I’m gunna need to take a slash, innit?”
“You can go in a bucket. For now, just relax, Vamps. Everything will be okay. You’re safe.”
“Yeah, maybe,” he said. “But I’m worried you people ain’t.”
Kamiyo folded his arms and held his ground. “I suppose time will tell.”
23
TED
News of a wounded demon on the loose spread throughout the camp like wildfire. Eric had suggested they keep a lid on it, but Nathan had spilled the beans less than an hour later, telling the other teenagers in the camp with a gleeful sneer. Once it got back to Jackie, she swiftly summoned everyone into the cabin’s main space. Ted didn’t appreciate being summoned anywhere, but he was too weary to argue.
Jackie stared at Ted now like he was the only one in the room. “What is this I’m hearing about a demon on the loose?”
Ted shrugged. “There’s a demon on the loose.”
“Could you elaborate, please?”
“There’s a wounded demon on the loose.”
Jackie scowled at him. “Is this a game to you, Ted?”
“No.”
“One demon isn’t a threat,” Hannah chimed in. “The wound I gave it might not have been immediately fatal, but it probably ran off into the woods and bled to death.”
“Or it’s gone off to tell its dirty little friends,” said Frank, hands on his hips. “We have no way of knowing.”
“The demons don’t operate like that,” said Ted. “They’re mindless animals that don’t know how to do anything but attack.”
Hannah nodded, but then argued. “Exactly, Ted. When have you ever seen one run away? They don’t show fear, they just keep attacking until either they’re dead or you are.”
“Then perhaps you’re mistaken about the body count,” said Eric hopefully.
“I’m not mistaken. I shot four.”
Jackie put both her hands against her temples and looked like she might scream. “Then what does this mean? You say those monsters don’t retreat, but one of them has. Why?”
“It’s gunna bring more,” said Frank, sticking to an apparent philosophy that things would
