Tosco stumbled, yanking Maddy and Scarlett with him as he fought to keep his balance. A gale engulfed the docks, blowing aside everything not bolted down. It howled through the gaps and crevices of the nearby ruins making the whole world feel haunted.
Maddy shielded her eyes, the light getting brighter. “W-What’s happening?”
Tosco grabbed her arm. “I don’t know.”
The primate on the wharf leapt at Maddy, but before it reached her it faded out of existence like an autumn leaf disintegrating in the wind.
Maddy flinched and then gasped. Thousands of demons had invaded the docks, but every single one of them now faded away. Other than the blood and destruction, there was no evidence they had ever been there. Even the bodies of those slain disappeared. Only human corpses remained on the docks.
Scarlett broke free and raced towards Sorrow. The large demon was slumped on the ground nearby, having dragged himself over even in his death throes. He was drenched in blood and his flesh was torn, but he was smiling – something Maddy had never seen the demon do before. It was obscene.
Scarlett held her friend and sobbed. “Sorrow. Sorrow, it’s okay.”
“Yes, it is okay. You are safe. I have… succeeded.”
“Yes, you protected me. It’s over, you can relax.”
“Yes. Relax.” Sorrow’s flesh began to peel away, tiny slithers rising up into the air. He began to wither, his skin turning grey.
Scarlett shook him. “Sorrow. Sorrow, please stay with me.”
Sorrow continued to smile. “Always.”
The demon disappeared before their eyes, just like the others had. Somehow, Sorrow had managed to hold on long enough to say goodbye. Scarlett wept quietly over the space where his body had lain in her arms, nothing left to mourn over.
Tosco slumped against the shipping container, looking ready for sleep. “What just happened here?”
Maddy looked out across the water, at the fleet of ships containing thousands of people who were now going to live. “Mass did it,” she said with the smallest of grins. “He saved us.”
Damien did it. He had saved mankind. Mass couldn’t believe it, but it was true. The giant gate was closed, and Crimolok was back in Hell where he belonged. They’d even nuked the God damned place for good measure. Mass had expected to die, but instead he was alive and basking in victory.
The demons had all gone. Whatever had happened to them was a mystery to Mass, as he had kept his eyes closed the entire time.
“It’s a miracle,” said Addy. “Do you think it’s just here, or are they gone everywhere?”
Mass shook his head. “I have no idea, but I hope so. Christ, I hope so.”
“Did we do it?” asked the pilot, staring blankly. “Are we saved?”
Addy put a hand on the man’s thigh. “I think so. I think we’re okay.”
“I can’t even imagine what life will be like if it’s actually over,” said Smithy, pale and sweaty. “What would we even do?”
Mass patted him on the back. “We enjoy the life we have for however long we have it. It’s a gift. After everyone who died, each day we get to breathe is a miracle.”
Smithy collapsed onto his back and chuckled. “Well, at least no one has to worry about going to Hell any more.”
“Nobody here will ever go to Hell,” said Angela, the only one standing, “but nobody will ever go to Heaven either.”
Mass looked up at her from the ground. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, if I understand correctly, that we are now cut off from the tapestry – maybe the tapestry is gone altogether – but at the very least, Damien cut our umbilical cord. Nothing can visit our world, and nothing can leave. This place is the beginning and end of our existence. There’s nothing to follow after. Not for any of us.”
Smithy frowned. “You’re still here. Aren’t you dead or something? How come you didn’t go up in smoke like the others?”
“I’m a wraith,” said Angela. “Similar to what Damien was, but not quite. Someone in Heaven must like me, because they dragged me out of Hell to bring me back to Earth. I didn’t pass through a gate like I told others I did, I just materialised suddenly outside of Kielder. My release was conditional on me helping to defeat Crimolok. Hopefully this counts as mission accomplished. I suspect I’ll be here forever, wandering the Earth like a big saddo.”
Addy turned grey. “Will that happen to us, after we die?”
Angela shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. All bets are off. Whatever rules used to apply to life and death are null and void. Let’s just see what happens.”
Mass finally felt strong enough to stand. At the edge of the hill, he went and stared at the broken road where the gate had been. Mankind was saved, but the universe was broken. The tapestry, whatever that was, might no longer exist. Crimolok was in Hell, but not dead. Did he still present a threat – if not here, then somewhere else? Would tomorrow arrive safely?
Mass looked up at the dawn sky, enjoying the warmth on his face. After a moment, Smithy and Addy got up and stood beside him. He reached out and placed a hand on each of their backs. With a smile, he had only one thought on his mind.
Forget about tomorrow. Just enjoy today.
22
“All right, yow lot, move it! We ain’t got all day.”
Mass chuckled. Frank might have been small, but he was mighty, and nobody ever dared chat back to him. It would take a whole lot longer to get things done without Frank.
The last thing Mass had ever expected to be was a farmer, but he found he enjoyed it more than anything he had ever done before. The work was so strenuous that he had packed on hard, slender muscle that was far stronger than the inflated fibres he had grown before in the gym. He was a brute, and it felt good. Even
