With his words all spoken, Ted moved to the side, next to the charred remnants of the log cabin.
Kamiyo came and joined him. “Can we put a new infirmary on your list of things to build?”
Ted laughed. “You got it, Doc. How are we set right this minute?”
“We salvaged half of what we dropped outside when the siege began, plus Pritchard brought everything we left in the Pharmacy, along with a whole lot of food. We’re looking good, and with three groups ready to leave this afternoon, we should bring back more than enough to keep us going. I just can’t believe we made it. We really survived, didn’t we?”
Ted nodded, but then he sighed. “Not all of us.”
“I’m sorry about Hannah. I know you two were close.”
“Not as close as I should have allowed us to be. She saved me, Doc. As much as I fought her on it, she saved me. It should be me lying there in that grave.”
Kamiyo shook his head. “Don’t do that. Don’t regret living. Hannah went out the way she wanted to.” He took a moment and rubbed at his forehead and stubbly chin. “You still sure we shouldn’t tell them?”
Ted grunted. “What? That a giant demon came out the gate and was still alive after the blast? You told me it was hurt. Maybe it ran into the forest and will never come back.”
Kamiyo nodded. “It was mangled beyond all recognition after the gate exploded, but it was capable enough to escape into the forest. It feels wrong not letting people know about the danger they might be in.”
“They know they’re in danger. The specifics don’t matter. You and I will ensure they’re ready for whatever comes.”
“And what about the Red Lord? Do you think he’s dead? Aymun wasn’t so sure. In fact, he left this morning to go search for him.”
“The Red Lord was gone with all the other demons when I opened my eyes. No reason to believe he’s any different from them.”
Kamiyo didn’t seem convinced. “But he was able to touch the iron gate and regenerate after injury. He’s in a human body, not a demon one. Maybe the gate exploding didn’t affect him like it did the rest.”
Ted grunted. “Like I said, he was gone when I opened my eyes. The Red Lord is finished, I’m sure of it.”
“I hope you’re right, Ted. I hope you’re right.”
Ted headed for the castle. Whether the Red Lord was alive or dead, there was work to do.
56
VAMPS
Vamps woke up in the dirt, surrounded by trees. His face was wet, and he realised it was raining. The pitter-patter of the droplets on the leaves almost lulled him back to sleep, but then he sat bolt upright. “Where the hell am I?”
The last thing he remembered was being back at the cabin, helping Dr Kamiyo and his patients.
He got to his feet, which would have been fine, except for the fact he made no move to do so. He wrestled his legs back and forth, horrified by the resistance that seemed to come from his own brain. “What the…?”
“Do not defy me human!”
Vamps gasped. Words had come out of his mouth, but they weren’t his. The Red Lord was still inside of him, but it wasn’t the same as before. Vamps wasn’t taking a backseat anymore. He was present.
“W-What’s happening to me, man?”
“You are defying a god. Release your flesh to me and be a part of my glory. I am the Red Lord and I command you to obey.”
“This… This don’t feel the same, man. I… I can fight you.” Vamps’s hand clenched into a fist, but he forced himself to open it again. “Ha! You my bitch now.”
Vamps bit down on his tongue hard enough to make it bleed. “I am nobody’s… bitch. You shall obey or die.”
Vamps spat blood. “Do what you want, dawg, but I ain’t letting you hurt no one else, you get me?”
“Silence!”
“Suck my big dick!”
“Argh! You will burn in a thousand hells for this.”
“Look forward to it. Never been abroad before.”
A presence emerged from the trees. The expression on the newcomer’s face was a mixture of shock and fear, but also, perhaps, happiness? “Vamps, my friend? Is it you?”
Vamps gawped. “Aymun? What the hell are you doing here, man?”
“Is it you?”
“Yeah, it’s me. The Red Lord is still here though, except…” His fist clenched again, and Vamps fought to open it once more. He succeeded, but this time he broke a sweat in doing so. “He’s still in me, but it’s like we’re sharing a body now. We’re both in control.”
Aymun squinted for a moment, obviously thinking. Jeez, Vamps had missed the weird little dude. “I believe,” said Aymun, tapping his chin with his index finger, “that the explosion at the gate weakened the Red Lord’s hold on you. He can still manifest inside you, but no longer has the strength to cast you aside when doing so. I fear you shall not be in for a pleasant experience, my friend.”
Vamps gouged his own cheek and drew blood. “Fuck man, it’s like I got demon Tourettes. Can you help me with this?”
Aymun folded his hands together and looked very serious. “It is my duty to keep the Red Lord from doing harm, as it is your duty also. Together, the three of us will defy his will.”
Vamps frowned. “The three of us?”
Aymun nodded. “I have been searching several days and nights to find you. Along the way, I gained a companion. David, it is okay. You may come out.”
To Vamps’ astonishment, a burnt, mangled demon loped out from behind the trees. His eyes seemed somehow human—afraid, compassionate… lost. In the most bizarre fashion, he gave Vamps a wide smile. “David help. David want to do good things.”
“Traitor!” The Red Lord shouted from inside Vamps.
David shied away but didn’t retreat. “David not traitor. David free to choose. David not choose monster. David choose happy.”
Aymun grinned. “He is discovering more of himself
