“Hey, once, I had to stand guard duty in the freezing rain for eight hours while everyone else was watching England play in the World Cup. I know suffering, and this ain’t nothing.”
“You would have suffered more if you’d watched the game,” mumbled Philip.
Hannah ignored the quip. “Doc, get me on my feet, okay? There’s too much to do and too little time.”
“What are you talking about? You’re out of this fight, Hannha. I’m sorry.”
“There’s a gate nearby.” Kamiyo didn’t look shocked when she said it, which made it obvious he already knew. She gasped. “You’ve seen it? Where?”
“Beneath the lake. It’s where Vamps came from. It’s been inactive since the night I dragged him out of the water.”
“Well, it’s going to open back up, and when it does, one of those giant bastards will come through.”
“Like the ones that attacked London in the early days?”
“Yeah. Those giant bastards.”
“This is dire news,” said Aymun. “I have faced the Fallen. They are invulnerable. They will slaughter us all.”
Kamiyo groaned. “Thanks, Aymun.”
Philip sniggered. “Gotta love a guy who tells it straight.”
Hannah focused on Aymun. “There’s a way to hurt them though, right? A way to hurt all the demons?”
Aymun frowned, but slowly nodded. “Yes. I have taken part in victories at both Syria and Portsmouth. The demons can be banished back to Hell if they are in the vicinity of a collapsing gate.”
Hannah shivered as a gout of blood shot from her stomach. “Ugh, that felt weird. Aymun, how do you make a gate collapse?”
“You pass through it with a beating heart.”
“Exactly! And my heart ain’t done beating yet.”
Kamiyo gasped. “No way, Hannah! It’s suicide.”
Hannah smirked. “How long do I got, Doc? Think I’ll last the week?”
Kamiyo struggled to give an answer. All he could do was shake his head.
“It ain’t suicide if I’m already dead. I’ll be finished before the sun rises again, and you know it. If I’m gunna snuff it, then let’s put my death to some use. Get me to the gate, and I’ll sink my ass into that lake like a two-legged elephant.”
“It’s a good plan,” said Philip. “My own odds aren’t so great either. I’ll be your back up. Maybe we can go down holding hands.”
“You got it, buddy.”
Kamiyo gave Philip a scalding look. “Philip, Hannah, you’re both a little loopy from blood loss, so please refrain from making any monumentally stupid decisions.”
“It’s not stupid,” said Aymun. “I have passed through one of these gates myself, and here I stand before you. Bravery does not always end in death.”
“You see,” said Hannah. “Maybe I’ll be resurrected on the other side. I’m dead anyway if I do nothing.”
Kamiyo sighed.
For a moment, it sounded like someone was screaming inside the castle, and they all turned toward the noise. Ted raced inside the castle in a panic. Hannah’s instincts urged her to back him up with whatever crisis he was dealing with, but it would be a poor decision. She had a bigger target to focus on, and if she destroyed the gate in the lake, all other problems would eliminate themselves. It would be painful to abandon Ted, but she knew what she had to do.
She hoisted herself upright against the old stone well and then took some deep breaths. Kamiyo bound her torso with bandages, attempting to keep her guts inside. Her vision tilted back and forth like a plane in a storm, but so long as she focused in front of her feet, she was able to keep her balance.
“You sure you want to do this?” Kamiyo asked, looking hard into her eyes.
She nodded. “I should’ve died with my unit a long time ago. They fought to the death, but I ran. I ran because I was afraid—because I was a coward.” She realised she was crying and hated herself for it. She’d finally admitted out loud how she felt about herself, and it hurt far worse than her bleeding guts. “This is my chance to make things right. This time the demons won’t fucking win.”
Philip stood beside her, his face ashen from blood loss. “I was a lousy father,” he said. “Hardly ever there for Bray, which is why it hurts so much that I lost him. I’ll never get a chance to make it up to him, but there’s still time for me to be here for these kids. I never sacrificed for Bray, but I will sacrifice for them.”
Kamiyo shook his head. “This is insane.”
Hannah put a hand on his shoulder. “Doc, this shit has been crazy since the moment those black stones appeared.” He smiled at her, and they shared a moment. “You know, Doc, if I weren’t a lesbian, I’d probably let you see my tits.”
Kamiyo spluttered with laughter. “Oh, well, it’s a shame things never worked out that way. So… how do you want to do this?”
“I need to get my rifle. Just get me to the sally port and I’ll fight my way out. Philip, you sure you want to step out there with me?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay, then arm up, pet.”
Aymun stood next to her. “I should accompany you. I have passed through a gate before.”
Hannah shook her head. “Then you’ve already had your turn. No, Aymun, you need to defend this place. There’s no point me closing the gate if everyone is dead by the time I do it.”
Aymun sighed in defeat. “Then good luck to you, Hannah. May God see through the void and recognise your courage.”
“Yeah. Okay. So, will someone please grab my rifle from the pantry?” She pulled the bolt carrier assembly from her bloody pocket. “It’s time to make her whole again.”
49
TED
Ted acted without thought, only anger and desperation controlling him. Knowing he couldn’t cross the entire courtyard in time to stop Vamps from lifting the portcullis, he hefted his hammer into the air as hard as he could. The massive tool tumbled through the air, cutting an erratic arc. It was the only chance he had.
The
