His doppelgänger chuckled. “Don’t shit yourself, we’re on the same side. It’s nice to finally meet one of us. I think you’re probably the last. We tend to get caught up in things. Such is the life of a path walker.”
Damien recovered his wits. “You’re a path walker too? We’re connected?”
“So you know?”
Damien nodded. “There used to be a lot of us, right, acting like pegs and keeping the tapestry in place?”
The thuggish Damien nodded. “Keeping it from unravelling, I guess. Without us, and the connection between our shared souls, the different strands would drift away from each other. The only reason people make it to Heaven or Hell is because of us, and what thanks do we get for it?”
“Am I really the only one left?”
“On this world, for sure. I was the last path walker left on mine, but it got eaten up by the dead. I joined team Lucifer for a while, trying to lend a hand where I could, but he’s gone AWOL and I’m stuck here. I’ve been hoping you can help me find a way back to the tapestry. There’s nothing else to be done here. It’s over.”
“It can’t be. No, I don’t believe it.”
The thuggish Damien shook his head sadly, making the exact same expression that Damien would. “Crimolok’s power comes from Hell. There’s no way to harm him here. That’s why I want out, and you should come with me. We can head to another world and take up the fight somewhere there’s still a chance. Crimolok is close to challenging God himself. He’s going to need all the troops he can get. I can’t open portals like you can, but—”
Damien glanced at Nancy, and at Scarlett and the others. “I’m not abandoning these people. Nothing is impossible. We’ll find a way to save this world.”
“That’s what I thought about my own home. Come on, help a brother out.”
“We’re not brothers.”
“Then what are we?”
Damien huffed. “Very different people apparently. I’m not helping you run out on us. You want to survive, then fight with the rest of us.”
The other Damien scowled. “I guess you had a nicer life than I did, if you still believe in fairy tales. You can’t win this. Look!”
Damien stared off into the distance, struggling to see as clearly now that night was rapidly falling and the air was filled with dust. The charred crater began to tremble. From beneath the blackened earth, something emerged. Crimolok rose, unharmed, unhurt, and undeterred.
“Still want to stick around?” asked the other Damien.
“I’d rather die fighting than run. You can do what you want, but if you and I really are part of the same soul, then I know you will stand and fight with us. What other choice do you have?”
“Maybe I’ll go find the giant gate twenty miles from here and pass through it into Hell. It’ll beat whatever becomes of this place.”
“Then go do it.”
The other Damien huffed. “I can’t. I learned a lot of things from my old boss Lucifer, but one thing he made very clear to me is that path walkers can never pass through a gate not created by themselves or other path walkers.”
Damien frowned. “Why not?”
The other Damien shrugged. “Something about tying the tapestry in knots. I got the impression it would be bad.”
Damien looked out at the seemingly indestructible beast marching towards them. “How bad could it be?”
“Good point.”
17
Mass slumped against the wall, almost dropping his Benelli over the edge. The sight of Crimolok rising from the moonlit ashes shouldn’t have been a surprise, yet some small part of him had hoped. Now the last of that hope was gone. It really was all over.
Crimolok was covered in the charred remains of his demons. Hundreds of them had been taken out by the blasts, but thousands more emerged from the ruins of the city. There seemed no end to their number.
Mass put down his shotgun and rubbed at his grime-covered cheeks. “I need to get to the gate. I caused it to open. Now I need to close it.”
Smithy looked at him, stricken. “There’s no way we’re getting out of here, man.”
Addy turned her back on the approaching demon army and slumped against the wooden ramparts. It would be the last breather any of them would get. “This is it, isn’t it? The big goodbye.”
Smithy put a hand on her shoulder, but he kept his eyes on Mass. “Got any tricks up your sleeve, big man?”
Mass could only stare blankly.
Gunfire broke out from the docks as people realised Crimolok wasn’t dead. Their cheers turned to dismay. The howitzers resumed their ineffective bombardment, slowing Crimolok down but not stopping him. Even at the giant’s leisurely pace, it would reach the walls soon. There was only enough time for people to make peace with themselves before they were sent kicking and screaming into the next life – an afterlife that would no longer exist after Crimolok unmade the universe.
Mass closed his eyes and enjoyed the caress of a breeze against his face. All he wanted was to find a moment’s peace before the end. One last experience of being alive. Too bad the gentle breeze became a forceful gust that forced Mass to shield his face. When he opened his eyes, he glimpsed something in the sky. At first, he thought Crimolok had thrown another car, but whatever was overhead, it was far larger than any car. A blinding searchlight lit up the docks.
A helicopter.
Addy aimed her shotgun, but she didn’t fire. Instead, she gasped. “Where did that come from?”
Smithy hopped excitedly, waving at the helicopter as if he were a kid. “It’s the army. We’re saved.”
Addy rolled her eyes. “It’s one helicopter, Smithy. Show me a hundred more and I might cream my knickers.”
Smithy grimaced. “That’s
