by Amy Cross
Turning to look at the ceiling, I see that a large crack has appeared. Moments later, the whole building starts to shake. "What's happening?" I ask.
"Gothos is finally falling apart," he replies. "It's happened before, to some extent, but this time it'll be permanent. Such a wonderful pity. Don't worry, though, we'll be long gone before the masonry crumbles. I'll be your white rabbit tonight." He turns to lead me away, before pausing. "But what about your sister? Isn't Gwendoline coming with us?"
"No," I say with a heavy heart as we step into the shadows. "She's not."
Patrick
Once Abigail and Wormwood have left, I walk from room to room and take one final look at Gothos. Vampires are not known for their sentimentality, but I'm struck by the thought that this place is crumbling to dust and soon will be no more. Its destruction is a final sign that the end of the vampires has arrived; once I'm dead, there will be no more of us. Abigail will live on, and she is in some ways still a part of the vampire race, but she is also so much more. Gothos and all that went with it will cease to exist, and vampire society will become nothing more than dust blown on the wind. This is a good thing. Old vampires have no place in the modern world.
When she gave me her blood, Diana told me I must use my final days to set Abigail on the right path. She told me that I had failed as a father, and that I have only a short period of time in which to put things right. I resisted her attempts to revive me, but finally Diana tilted my head closer to her bare neck, opened my mouth and slipped her skin against my fangs. I had no energy to stop her, and I felt her blood entering my body, filling me with a new vitality. By the time I was strong enough to push her away, it was too late and she was dying. The blood she gave me has allowed me a temporary respite, but my death is still certain. There can be no further reprieves. I have a day, maybe two, at most, and then all will be darkness.
Walking through to the hallway, I stand by Gwendoline's body. In the end, I was minded to let her live, but to do so would have been to doom Abigail to a burdened life. I knew that the only way to push Abigail away and make her run from me was to kill Gwendoline, to show my true nature. Killing is part of me; it's who I am and it's the reason I exist. Whereas previously Abigail had been told about my true nature, she has now seen it with her own eyes. She knows what I am, and she knows that she must strive to be better. This understanding will help her live a strong and good life, even if the cost is her estimation of me. She believes me to be incapable of love, but it is because I love her that I will let her continue to believe this. Whereas once I wanted her to be like me, now I see that she must avoid this fate at all costs. By rejecting me, she has begun to take this journey.
All that is left for me to do is to go back to the real world, put my final affairs in order, and wait to die. I came so close tonight to slipping away, but I'm glad I am to have these extra few days. I need to ensure that Abigail is safe, and doing that will require some deception. The Watchers will be after her; they'll have a hard time tracking her down, but there's still a chance that they could capture her. That butcher Benjamin would cut her up at the first opportunity, and he needs to be distracted. If I am to spend my final days being hunted by fools, then so be it. Abigail will get further and further away. She will thrive and live, even if she will hate me and never understand why I did what I did. It's this hatred that will push her to be stronger and better than I have ever been. Against all the odds, she has surprised me and now I have absolute faith in her.
A huge crashing sound signals the final break-up of Gothos. I look up and see a crack rending the ceiling apart. Thousands of years of history, turning to dust. It'll only be a matter of minutes before the walls collapse. It's time for me to leave this place for the last time and go back to the human world. In order to keep Abigail safe, I have one final little game to play with the Watchers.
Epilogue
Dedston.
"What now?" I ask, standing in the doorway. It's been a week since Patrick and Abby disappeared, and there's still no sign of them. Benjamin and Todd won't give up, of course, but I feel as if it's time to end the wild goose chase. They're not coming back.
"We wait," Todd says, not looking up from his laptop.
I walk into the room. The facility is, as ever, a hive of activity. Technicians are working on various pieces of equipment, and Todd is staring at the same screen he's been working on for days. "You've been waiting for so long," I say. "Isn't it time to admit that you need to stop? Are you expecting Patrick and Abby to just roll up some time? They've finally got away from the Watchers. I'm sure they're in no hurry to return."
"They can't stay at Gothos forever," Todd replies. "Benjamin's convinced that Gothos is unstable. Eventually, they'll have to come back to our world, and we'll be able to track them down again."
I take a deep breath. "Whatever," I say eventually. "Do what you want to do, but I'm getting out of here. I'm not gonna waste my life sitting around, waiting for a miracle."
Todd doesn't reply; he just keeps staring at the screen.
"No big goodbye?" I ask, surprised by his non-reaction. Todd and I aren't exactly best friends, but I'd like to think that we've become closer over the past couple of weeks. Despite the age gap between us, I feel we've got a pretty good rapport going. "Bye, then," I say, turning to walk away.
"Is there anything I can do to persuade you to stay?" Todd asks.
"No," I say, glancing back at him.
"For Abby's sake," he continues. "I'm worried about what Benjamin might do to her. I might need you." He looks around, to make sure no-one can overhear us. "What if I told you that I'm starting to think Benjamin is dangerous? What if I told you that I don't think he should get his hands on Abby? I don't want to see her being tortured and imprisoned. He did that to Patrick, and I can't let him do it to Abby."
"Then come with me," I say. "Let's go."
"If I leave," he continues, "Benjamin will just promote someone else to take my place. Besides, no-one leaves the Watchers. There's only one way out. It's better if I stay and try to stop all of this from within. I'll help him look for Patrick, but I'm not going to let him get hold of Abby. I'll sabotage anything he tries with her."
"You don't need me for that," I reply.
"I might."
"Tough," I say. "None of this is my business anymore. Abby's not a scared little girl. She's a dangerous monster. She's like Patrick. Maybe it'd be better if Benjamin captures her. At least that way, she wouldn't end up killing anyone else."
"You can't seriously mean that," Todd replies. "There's no way you can believe that Abby deserves to be held prisoner by Benjamin."
"Maybe I do," I say. "Either way, I'm out of here."
At that moment, Todd's laptop screen changes. Turning to look, Todd seems transfixed by the screen. "He's back," he says incredulously, looking over at me. "One of the remote sensors has detected Patrick. He's less than a hundred miles away. He just appeared out of nowhere!"
"What about Abby?" I ask.
"No idea," he says. "We don't have a tracker on her!" He reaches over to grab his phone, but I put my hand on his wrist and stop him.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"I'm letting Benjamin know."
"After everything you just said about him?"
"Patrick killed my sister," he says. "I have no problem with helping Benjamin to track the bastard down. If Abby's there, I'll make sure she escapes. You have to come with us. Abby might need you."
"No way," I say, shaking my head. "This doesn't change anything."
Todd stares at the screen for a moment. "He's moving so fast," he says. "Faster than he's moved in months. It's as if he's deliberately trying to get our attention, but that doesn't make any sense. There's no reason he'd do that."
"Unless he wants to distract you," I point out.
"I'm going to wake Benjamin," Todd says, heading to the door.
"I'm leaving!" I call after him. "I'm out of here. Don't even let me know how it goes, be
cause I don't want to know."
"Shelley!" he says, looking back at me. "Please, for Abby's sake, stay a little longer. At least until we know what's happened to her." With that, he hurries out of the room, leaving me to look down at the laptop. A bright red dot is moving across a map. What the hell is Patrick doing?
After a moment, I turn and head through to the corridor. I can hear a commotion in some of the other rooms, as Benjamin's team gets ready to go and get Patrick. Walking straight to the main exit, I pause for a moment. Whatever happens with Patrick and Abby, I don't want to be involved. As far as I'm concerned, they're both monsters and they deserve each other. I hope Abby is able to keep away from Benjamin, because I still believe she has some humanity hidden deep in her soul. As for Patrick, however, I hope he gets caught by the Watchers and brought back here to be tortured as he dies. Some things are inexcusable, and I can never forgive him for killing my best friend. If I could choose what happens, I'd let Abby run free and I'd have Patrick locked up forever. Whatever happens, though, I don't want to be a part of it anymore.
As I reach the door, I take a deep breath. I'm going back to New York, and I'm going to make damn sure that I never again get involved in Abby's life. I wish her well, but I'm done. Stepping out into the cold morning air of Dedston, I feel a sudden chill wind, and for a moment it occurs to me that perhaps it's a message from Sophie, urging me to go back inside and help her daughter. Taking a deep breath, I remind myself that it's no such thing. Before anyone can come and try to change my mind, I hurry away and I don't look back.
Book 6
By the River Dark
Prologue
Dedston - Sixteen years ago.
"Is Sophie going to come home tomorrow?" I ask, standing in the doorway. It's way past my bedtime, but I can't sleep. It's been weeks since I last saw Sophie, and I can't stop thinking about all the bad things that might have happened. "Mom?" I say. "Do you know if Sophie's going to come home tomorrow?"
My mother shrugs, barely even looking over at me. She's engrossed in the late-night quiz show on the TV. It's as if she hasn't noticed Sophie's absence, or maybe she just doesn't care.
"Do you know where she is?" I ask.
She shrugs again. "She never tells me anything."
"Have you tried calling her?"
"She hasn't got a phone."
I pause for a moment. I want to trust my mother, but I've learned over the years that she's far from perfect. "How do you know she's okay?" I ask eventually.
"She'll be fine," my mother replies. "She's a big girl, she can take care of herself." She turns to me. "Shouldn't you be in bed by now? It's nearly midnight." She sniffs. "While you're up, fetch me some more potato chips from the kitchen."
"I'm worried about Sophie," I tell her. "Aren't you?"
"No," she says, "I'm worried about running out of potato chips." She stares at me for a moment. "Look, if she doesn't want to tell me where she's going, I don't see why I should get myself all worked up. She's too old to be living at home anyway. Maybe she's out finding a job and an apartment." She laughs. "Fat chance. Are you getting those potato chips or not?"
I stare at her, realizing that there's no point asking any more questions. Even if my mother did know something, she'd probably keep it to herself out of spite. "Good night," I say, turning and walking along the corridor. I listen out in case my mother says anything, but I only hear one sound: the roar of the crowd on the game show. I figure she can get her own potato chips.
Once I'm in my room, I kneel by the bed and put my hands into a praying position. "Dear God," I say, "please bring Sophie home soon. Even if it's only for a few hours, can you bring her back? Please? And then..." I pause, before continuing with a lowered voice in case my mother overhears. "If Sophie has to go away again," I say, "please make it so she takes me with her. Amen." Climbing quickly into bed, I switch off my bedside lamp and get ready to go to sleep. Every night, I hope that Sophie will come home the next day, and every morning I'm disappointed. Still, she has to turn up some time. She can't just go away forever.
A few hours later, I wake up and realize there are voices elsewhere in the house. I try to go back to sleep, but eventually I realize that there are two or three people here, talking to my mother, and there are bright lights outside the window. I get out of bed and open my door, looking out into the corridor. I can't quite make out what the voices are saying, so I creep along the corridor until I'm close to the kitchen. I look around the corner and see my mother sitting at the table, with two men standing opposite her. My mother has her head in her hands, and she looks upset.
"We're still looking for witnesses," the first man is saying. "We're hoping that a surveillance camera nearby might have caught something. We've got people checking the tapes right now."
"We have a lot of leads," says the other man. "You can rest assured that we're going through all the possibilities. We'll find whoever -" He glances over and makes eye contact with me. Panicking, I pull back, hoping he didn't see me. Seconds later, the second man walks around the corner and stops, looking down at me and smiling. "Hi," he says after a moment. "Now let me guess. You must be Todd, right?"
I nod cautiously.
"Maybe you should go see your Mom," the man says. "It's okay. My friend and I are just leaving. I think your Mom would like to talk to you." He has a kind face, but there's a sad look in his eyes.
"I'm supposed to be in bed," I tell him.
"I think it'll be okay," he replies.
Reluctantly, I walk past the man and head into the kitchen, walking over to the table and finding my mother with tears in her eyes. She looks like she's been crying for a while now, with her eyes all puffy and red. I've never seen her like this. She gets angry sometimes, but never sad. Even when my grandparents died, she didn't look this sad.
"I'll be in touch in the morning," the first man says. "There'll need to be a formal identification, and we have some people who can put you in touch with some excellent counselors."
My mother doesn't say anything. She seems totally lost and in shock; ominously, the TV has been switched off, which only happens when something really major has happened. The last time the TV was turned off so suddenly, it was the time we found out that my Dad had died. Now, as the men say their goodbyes and head out of the house, I find myself standing by the table and waiting for my mother to say something.
"Mom?" I say eventually. "What's wrong?"
She takes a deep breath, and then she waves me away. I turn, but I only get as far as the door when I hear her call after me. "Todd," she says, "get back here."
"What is it?" I ask, walking back over to her. I wait for her to reply. Eventually, I go over to the cupboard and grab a bag of potato chips, taking it back to the table and putting it in front of her. "What's wrong?" I ask.
"Sophie's..." My mother pauses. "Fuck, I don't know..." She says. She has a tissue in her hands, and she's picking it apart piece by piece.
"Did they find her?" I ask, my hopes rising. "Where is she?"
"She's not coming home," she replies, reaching into the bag of potato chips. "She won't be coming home again. When I say they found her, what I mean is..." She pauses, and then she looks down; she starts trembling, and I notice more tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Mom?" I ask, feeling a sense of unease growing from the pit of my stomach. I wait for her to answer, but she just sits there, trembling with her head bowed down. "Mom?"
Suddenly she reaches out and puts her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. Burying her face in my shoulder, she starts letting out a slow wailing sound. I try to pull free, but she's got me held firmly. Finally, realizing there's not much I can do, I decide to just stand there until she decides to let go. In some strange way, I kind of wish those two men had stayed. I don't like it now; I don't like it being just me and my Mom, with no-one else around. Things would be different if Sophie was here, but somehow I get the feeling that she's not coming home. Not now, and not ever.
Ch
apter One
Louisiana, Today.
"This doesn't make any sense," says Constance as we trudge through the undergrowth. It's late at night, and an overcast moon means we've got our night-sight goggles switched on. Ahead, there's nothing but the dark green haze of the swampy marshlands that surround us. We've been out here for hours and, unless we find Patrick or Abby soon, we're not going home tonight. Unfortunately, the tracker we placed on Patrick has gone dead, but the last time we located him he was in this area.
"He's a thousand-year-old vampire," I reply, checking the readout on my hand-held scanner. "How could anything he does possibly make sense to us?"
"I know," she says, "but I've studied him, Todd. I've read all the reports over and over again. He's never been to this part of the country before. He has no connections to Louisiana. I don't see why he'd come here, of all places."
Beneath my goggles and head-mask, I can't help but smile. Constance is a researcher first, and a librarian second. She's happy in a laboratory or a room full of books, and it's a sign of Benjamin's desperation that he's pressed her into service for this hunting trip. Even as we're knee-deep in thick, swampy weeds, Constance is trying to apply logic to the situation. We're hunting down a dying, ancient vampire - the last of his kind - and she thinks he'll be acting logically. It'd be funny, were it not for the fact that we're a team and I might have to rely on her to save my life if things go wrong.
"Something up ahead," she says, stopping in her tracks.
"Give me that," I say, grabbing her scanner. It takes me a couple of seconds to see what she's picked up. "It's a frog," I say.
"How can you tell that from the scanner?" she asks, staring down at the screen.
"I can't," I say, "but I can see the damn thing." Sure enough, my night-sight goggles are picking up a small, glowing spot that seems to be hopping past us. "Trust me," I continue, "if there's an actual person or a vampire up ahead, these scanners are going to light up like Christmas trees. Don't get too jumpy, okay?"
