“Then you shall be dead, ja? Do you not understand? Thomas has manoeuvred you into a situation you cannot vin. You either give up ze people you recruited, or turn up empty of hand and reveal your disloyalty. Either way, Thomas’s enemies die.”
“I’ll say I couldn’t find out who they were.”
Klein rolled his eyes at her like she was a silly girl. It made her furious. “Thomas vill know you are lying. I suspect he already knows you are a traitor.”
“Then why not just shoot me?”
“Perhaps he vud like more evidence before he executes another of Wickstaff’s people. Or perhaps your squirming amuses him. I have known many men who enjoy such things.”
Diane sighed. “I’m screwed then. I didn’t even have a plan, but whatever hope I had of taking the bastard down has just gone up in smoke.”
Klein shook his head and smiled at her like a mischievous grandpa. “Perhaps not. A veek enemy is still an enemy, and even a parting shot can still hit ze heart. Be calm, be patient, and make your move when you see it. You might have only ze one shot, so make it count.”
Diane thought about it. “You’re right. I know what to do. There’s a reason I’ve survived this long when everyone I care about is dead.”
Klein nodded and walked away.
It was late in the day, and the demon attack had left everyone a little high on adrenaline, so they headed off-road and made camp. Mass had never met Colonel Cross before, but Cullen – a man whom he trusted completely – seemed unsettled by something. Mass needed to know what was going on before he was willing to travel the roads and risk being attacked by more demons. That giant beast still stalked the horizon and was no doubt sending out its hordes to find them.
They had found safety in a nearby field, pitching their tents at its centre. Mass and his companions had no equipment, but Cullen and the other Urban Vampires had brought along spares. The women had been allocated three tents, while Tox, Addy, Mass, and Smithy agreed to double up with other Vampires.
Being amongst his people again lifted Mass’s spirits. All he had been doing lately was losing people, so to be surrounded by people he cared about again was an unexpected blessing. It didn’t mean they were safe, but sitting in a green field as afternoon gave way to evening, Mass was at peace.
The women from the farm finally appeared hopeful. Until now, Portsmouth could have been a giant lie, but seeing twenty well-armed, well-fed soldiers made it all the more believable that there was a settlement nearby.
Cullen seemed like he wanted to talk, but he hadn’t yet found an opportunity to get Mass alone. Colonel Cross and his men had pitched their tents in a semi-circle opposite those set up by Cullen’s group. Mass didn’t know if he was being rescued or guarded. If they hadn’t been so shaken up by the attack, they could’ve been halfway to Portsmouth by now, but the risk was too great. In a straight chase, the demons would have caught them. And it wasn’t only adrenaline that had exhausted Mass. When Rick had healed him, it had left him feeling reborn. Now, he felt heavy and depressed, like he just wanted to sleep.
Rick came and sat beside Mass on the grass. The peculiar man had lingered on the periphery for the last hour, staring off into the trees that bordered the field. Maybe he had demon radar. It wouldn’t be surprising.
“Hey, Rick. What’s up?”
“You will feel normal again soon,” he said, and then added context. “I used life itself to heal you, which is why you felt so virile, but it has worn out your body’s reserves and you need rest. Tomorrow, your strength shall return.”
Mass nodded as if he understood, though he didn’t really. “Thank you for what you did, Rick. We only met the once, and you were a weird dude then, but now… you seem different.”
“I am different.”
“So what the fuck are you?”
“An angel. An angel that brought you back from the brink of death. God’s miracles exist, even now.”
“An angel? I thought the angels were all a hundred feet tall.”
“In their true forms, yes. This is not my true form.”
Mass waited for more but received only silence. “Okay then. Good talking with you, man. Maybe when you get a minute, you can—”
“These men plot,” Rick interrupted, staring at the assembled tents. “It pains me to see no change in humanity.”
“Ain’t that the truth.”
Rick turned his gaze to Mass. “But you have changed, haven’t you? You are a better man than you were. Did you follow your friend’s example, or was it always in you?”
“Huh? You mean Vamps? Yeah, maybe it was him that caused me to change, but…” He shrugged. “I dunno, I kind of want to think it was all me. I grew up in a bad place surrounded by bad people. It’s like being in prison. You can try to do good, but as soon as you do, you hit bars. Eventually, you stop reaching out and just accept your life inside a cell. If the end of the world did anything for me, it got rid of those bars.”
Rick nodded. “I understand. Thank you.” He stood up and walked away, back off into the field.
“Weird bloke.”
Cullen caught Mass’s eye from the next tent over, and his friend mouthed a word. It was unclear, but it seemed like he was saying ‘be ready’.
Colonel Cross appeared in front of Mass, unarmed and alone. “Can we speak for a moment, Mass?”
“Yeah, no probs.” He stood with effort, bones creaking. “Shit, I feel like a bus hit me.”
“I expect you’ve been though the mill. We can talk here if you’d like, but I thought it would be best to be away from anybody earwigging.”
Mass put his hands on his lower back and groaned. “I doubt you plan on sharing anything good. Let’s
