CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE
Chaz:
Sometimes life can be measured in small miracles. A string of diamond-bright supernatural interventions. Right now he stood over me, the monster that wanted to end the world, one person at a time. He had invaded my family gates and then waited years for this moment. Right now, he was winning. I was still on the ground, unable to stand, his poison in my veins. My life was his, and as far as I was concerned, that was just fine.
Because Isabelle was safe. Skellar came through. I never knew for sure if he would hold up his end of our agreement, if he would come down from the sky at just the right moment and carry her away. But he did.
That was my miracle. My reason for living and dying.
I guess I forgot that there might be more to the story.
a€?Gives it to me,a€? Neville said. His lips were pale and cracked, the stench of decay overwhelming. That was when the scales of Providence tipped. No more interventions for me and mine. With lightning reflexes, Neville grabbed Angelique by the hair and pulled her toward him. She winced in pain.
I tried to stand up, swung a feeble arm in his direction.
a€?Let her go!a€? I cried.
He ignored me, grinned down at Angelique. a€?We forgots to mention something, didna€?t we? Tells yur boyfriend here yur little secret. Tells him what happened inside the car.a€?
I instinctively ran my gaze over her body, tried to figure out what could have happened in twenty minutes.
a€?It doesna€?t matter,a€? she said, her voice weak.
a€?She doesna€?t sounds so brave, does she?a€? He paused to laugh, raw and guttural. a€?Ya knows why? a€?Cause we takes out her Fresh Start chip. Shea€?s a One-Timer now. Just likes you.a€?
She lifted her chin. a€?I was done jumping.a€?
Just then a blade flashed in the dying light, silver and sharp. It caught the sun on its tip, held it captive for a blinding moment then slid into position. Against Angeliquea€?s throat. Neville watched me as he pressed the handle of the knife. A trickle of blood flowed down, began to stain her dress. The look in her eyes made me want to cry outa€”she looked like a fawn, knowing ita€?s about to be slaughtered. She was struggling to fight the fear but it rose to the surface, clouded her eyes.
a€?Ya tries anything and shea€?s done,a€? he said, then whispered loudly in her ear. a€?Whadya thinks a€?bout that, sugah? Ya ready to steps into the Great Beyond?a€?
a€?The seruma€?s over here,a€? I said, forcing myself to my feet, ignoring the pain that made me want to double over. I staggered a few steps and gestured weakly for him to follow.
He pulled Angelique with him, one hand wrapped in her hair, the other pressing the knife. I kept glancing back as I moved forward. One misstep, one stumble and he could accidentally slice through her skin, the blade would find her jugular and take her away forever.
Just then the wind picked up, howled through the surrounding trees, caught dead leaves and forced them to dance around us, like lifeless marionettes spinning in a macabre pirouette.
Behind us Omega lifted his nose, sniffed the air, watched Angelique as she shuffled away from him. He took a cautious step, following us.
Not now, dog, if you jump now, shea€?s dead. I shot him a warning glance.
Neville paused, then looked behind him as if he sensed something.
Omega melted into the shadows. Only I could see him now.
Nevillea€?s grip tightened on Angelique and a soft cry of pain shot from her lips. I had to get his attention away from the hidden dog, needed to make him face me and lift his pressure from the knife.
a€?Here!a€? I called. a€?Ita€?s just past this crypt.a€?
He was facing me again, stumbling in my direction, pushing Angelique forward step by step. Her eyes met mine and she forced a smile.
a€?Come on,a€? I said as I rounded a corner.
Then I knelt before one of the crumbling tombs, ran my fingers through the tokens that lay draped around the neck of a stone angel. Mixed in amidst weathered rosaries and strings of Mardi Gras beads I found it, the simple leather cord with a glass vial on the end. I held it delicately between my thumb and forefinger as I untangled it and pulled it free.
a€?Whata€?s this?a€? He came around the corner just as I was clasping it in my fist. a€?This aina€?t no time for prayina€?, Domingue. Off yur knees.a€?
I clamped my fingers tight. a€?Let her go.a€?
a€?What ya gots in yur hand?a€? He leaned forward, curious.
I opened my palm to reveal the vial. The serum caught a ray of sunlight and seemed to glow with a phosphorescent light, like a jewel from another world. I was just outside his reach. Hea€?d have to take another step forward and release Angelique if he wanted the vial.
a€?Immortality,a€? I said. a€?Eternity. Therea€?s one injection left.a€?
Neville chuckled. It looked like he was going to do what I wanted. His pressure on the knife lessened slightly. He took a step forward and leaned toward me, reaching out with his other hand. Only a few more inches and shea€?d be free. I stretched my hand toward his, ready for this exchange to be over.
Just then a wild growl sounded from the shadows.
Neville turned his head slightly, frowning. a€?What the hell isa€”a€?
Before either of us could react, Omega bounded out from a crevice between the tombs. He had been stalking Neville, had worked his way closer through the maze of tombs and now he was flying through the air, teeth bared, claws like talons, a rumbling snarl deep in his throat.
a€?No!a€? Angelique cried out, her voice strangely muffled.
In an instant, the dog struck Neville in the back, the force of Omegaa€?s weight pushing Angelique away. But in that same moment, Neville instinctively dug his knife deeper.
A widening pool of blood spread beneath her.
She slumped to the ground, uttered a long moan and then fell quiet.
Neville still clasped the knife and now he lunged toward me, propelled by the momentum of the dog. His left hand grabbed mine and we both clenched the vial, pressed inside our palms.
With his right hand he drove the blade into my gut. Six inches of steel honed in on that sweet spot between my ribs.
Meanwhile, dagger-like teeth latched onto Nevillea€?s throat. The dog buried his muzzle in flesh and bone; he snapped and tore and thrashed until bones crunched and blood sprayed out.
Then all three of us tumbled backward in an endless arc of pain until finally my spine slammed against the cement, an agony of torn muscle and broken vertebrae. A second later, our fists hammered the ground in unison. I felt the bones in my wrist shatter and then a hundred tiny knives sliced into my palm.
Somewhere beyond horror and pain I realized what was happening.
But I was helpless to stop it.
Nevillea€?s body thumped on top of me and he cried out with his last breath. He struggled to break free from the doga€?s relentless attack, but his strength waned as his blood continued to flow. The force of his fall drove the blade even deeper into my chest until it found the ultimate prize.
My heart.
But that was when the real nightmare began, when he finally stopped flailing, for his left hand was still clasped with mine.
We were dying, both of us.
Our hands were locked together. And inside our palms, the shards of broken glass cut like a thousand needles, ripping through flesh and cartilage, intersecting blood vessels and capillaries.
And now the serum was flowing into both of our bodies.