Veil

will destroy the people in the hospice.

There will be a lot of dead ducks flying through the Lazarus Gate on this day. But Veil doesn't care. With nothing else left to do, he has finally yielded.

Now Veil gives in to the laughter exploding through him, then steps toward, into, Sharon. Their minds and bodies meld into one entity that is sexual love; they writhe as one in a prolonged orgasm that Veil feels must go on forever, until Sharon begins to disintegrate

'Veil'—Sharon sighs in an agonized whisper—'I hurt.'

Veil separates his mind from Sharon's, but continues to hold her in his arms as she sags. Her flesh is melting away, exposing bone that glows iridescent green, like something radioactive, sick.

'It's because you don't belong here,' Veil says. All ecstasy and laughter is gone now, but he must still fight for control against a giddiness that has suddenly turned nauseating. 'It's the reason some end up Lazarus People, but most don't. You shouldn't have joined us, Sharon; you can't survive here.'

'Veil, I love you. The real reason I came was because I couldn't bear the thought of you dying without ... I hurt a lot, Veil.'

The disintegration of Sharon's flesh continues, and Veil knows that he will soon be holding nothing but a glowing skeleton. Then that, too, will disappear. Desperately, he looks around him, finds Jonathan standing close by, wide-eyed now with horror.

'Jonathan! What can I do?!'

Pilgrim shakes his head. 'I don't know, Veil.'

'Veil,' Sharon whispers, 'it hurts too much. I think I'm . . . going to go away now.'

'No!' Instinctively, Veil holds Sharon even tighter to him, then wills energy to flow from him into her.

Slowly, Sharon's body begins to form again, even as Veil begins to feel himself growing weary. And he is in pain.

'Sharon, concentrate,' Veil continues. 'You have to hang on; hang on to me. Don't think about anything else but our love, and don't move. Stay just as you are.'

'Yes,' Sharon answers dreamily. 'I want to stay like this forever. With you, Veil, my darling. I don't hurt anymore. Do you?'

'No,' Veil lies.

'Don't let go of me.'

'I won't.' He must fight now to keep his eyes open, and he wonders if his own flesh is melting away as he feeds his life to Sharon. He turns to Pilgrim. 'Jonathan, are you all right?'

'Yes,' Pilgrim answers in a hollow voice.

'She can't survive here. Do you understand that?'

'Yes.'

'Then help me.'

'I don't know how.'

'Think, goddam it! I don't know what that fuck Ibber is up to right now, but Sharon is going to die unless he pulls her back!' 'The three of us are going to die, anyway, Veil. You know it. Ibber isn't going to pull anybody back.'

'But he hasn't killed us yet! I'm losing it, Jonathan. I'm going to die soon, no matter what Ibber does or doesn't do. When I die, Sharon's going to die—and she's going to be in a great deal of pain. You have to go back. I know you have a chest wound; I know that you're going to be in a great deal of pain. But if you'll just wake up and reach for that switch, you can—'

'No, I can't,' Pilgrim replies woodenly. 'I already thought of that and I tried. Ibber understands; he has me hooked up with the two of you, and he controls me just as much as he controls you. I'm sorry.'

As Veil has been speaking to Jonathan, Sharon's flesh has again begun to melt. 'Sharon, I love you,' Veil says, squeezing her. 'You're letting go. Don't. I can't hang on to you if you don't want me to.'

'You're . . . dying because of me; you're taking my pain. I feel it. I'm going away now.'

'Sharon!'

'Call Perry,' Pilgrim says abruptly.

Veil, exhausted as he channels more energy into Sharon's life, can only shake his head and mumble, 'Can't hear . . . don't understand.'

Pilgrim moves closer and shouts in Veil's ear. 'Call Tompkins!'

'What? Call him?'

'Whatever you did when you were in the cage and got through to me, do that with Perry. The two of you have an affinity.'

'Jonathan, I don't know what I did!'

'Well, do something! Think at him; focus your thoughts on him. Get him to come to the hospital.'

'Ibber will kill him.'

'Ibber's distracted right now. Besides, you forget; Tompkins is dying, anyway. He would consider it an honor and privilege to sacrifice his life for you and Sharon.' 'He'll just get himself killed. Ibber's not the kind of man you sneak up on.'

'All Perry has to do is get to that switch and send the recovery shocks through the two of you. Then it will be up to you, Veil.'

'Veil, I have to go,' Sharon whispers. 'You're hurting so much ... I feel your pain.'

Veil shakes his head, torn by conflicting needs and desires. 'Jonathan, God knows what kind of shape I'll be in when I come out of this!'

'I don't care what kind of shape you're in, my friend; I'll still put my money on you. It's the only way I can think of to save the two of you.'

'But I can't ask—!'

Suddenly a light as bright as the Lazarus Gate appears to their left. It throbs like a breathing thing at its white-hot center, burning a hole through the death-gray.

'Veil—!'

'I see it!'

'Take Sharon and go!'

Holding Sharon tightly to him, Veil focuses all his will and energy on moving toward the light. Then Sharon's flesh begins to melt. He channels energy into her, but then feels himself slowing. For a fleeting moment, battered by desperation and exhaustion, he wants only to close his eyes and sleep. Die.

'Veil?' Sharon is smiling up at him. 'Let me go.'

'No! We're all going through. Hang on, Sharon. Concentrate!' He struggles toward the throbbing light, but his legs will barely support him. He feels as if he is sinking into a mire as deep as eternity. All of his strength is being drained by Sharon. 'Jonathan! Help me!'

But Pilgrim has already come up behind him. He wraps his arms around both Veil and Sharon, and pushes them forward.

As they approach the gate, Veil hears the high-pitched hum of electricity. Now he sucks in a deep breath, tenses, leaps headfirst toward the blinding core of the light.

Pilgrim's hands release their grip on him.

'Jonathan!'

'Good-bye, Veil.' Pilgrim's voice sounds as if it is echoing across a great distance. 'Good luck. You don't need a half man with one eye, a hook for a hand, and a bullet hole in his chest.'

Holding Sharon to his chest, Veil slowly tumbles through the gray toward the light. 'Jonathan! We need you!'

'Good-bye, my friend.'

Veil enters the light. Electricity crackles and dances over his flesh, pierces his brain and shakes his bones; the current becomes a knife slicing across his soul, tugging at Sharon, separating them.

He cannot hold on. Sharon is slipping away from him, being taken.

Veil twists through his pain, reaches back, and desperately gropes in the electric-white. But Sharon is gone. He throws back his head and screams with rage, frustration, and loss. He claws at the place in his heart where