Birds chirped and sang as they flutteredthrough trees. Squirrels and other animals turned and scurried intothe sparse woods when they heard the truck approaching.
“It’s so strange,” Erin murmured.
Vargas rose to his feet and braced his legsapart. He surveyed the area as he spoke, “It’s been strange foryears now.”
“There had to be survivors from here,” I saidto Corson.
“I’m sure there were,” Corson replied.
“Wherearethey?” I asked.
“The ones who were old enough, and whovolunteered for it, were absorbed into the troops along the wall.The others were all moved to an encampment near the Canadianborder. They were never allowed to rejoin the citizens of yourcountry. The same was done with those who survived the gatewayopening on the other side of Earth. They were taken to anencampment near the border of Italy. All remaining governmentsnever intend for the truth to get out about the cause of all thisdestruction,” Corson replied. “The survivors were kept segregatedand under constant guard until the wall was completed.”
“So they became prisoners,” Erinwhispered.
“Better than the alternative,” Corson repliedwith a shrug that caused the blue feathers hanging from his ears totwirl.
“Which was?” I prodded.
Corson’s unwavering gaze held mine.“Death.”
Vargas kissed the cross hanging around hisneck before turning to stare at the houses surrounding us.
“They wouldn’t have…” Erin said, her voicetrailing off.
“Wouldn’t they?” Corson inquired. “If any ofthis got out, it could cause a major uprising against thegovernments who created this mess in the first place. Not tomention, it would most likely result in open season on demons bythe freaked out humans.”
“They would come to accept you,” Erinsaid.
“How much precious time would it take forthem to do that? How many lives would be lost first, and how manymore seals would fall as Lucifer continued to prepare for hisreturn to Earth?”
I dropped down from my kneeling position andsat in the back of the truck. Lowering my chin onto my knee, Iwatched the buildings slipping by us. The people who had lived herenow led a life on this side of the wall, not one they’d volunteeredfor, but one thrust upon them by events beyond their control, likeme. They hadsurvivedthough, noteveryone had been destroyed by the destruction the human governmenthad unwittingly unleashed by opening the gateway.
“One thing I’ve always wondered,” Vargassaid. “Why didn’t the demons following Lucifer spread out acrossthe land before the wall was assembled?”
“The Craetons who follow Lucifer stayed withhim in Hell. The Palitons who follow Kobal, stayed close to him orobeyed his orders to spread out once here. Many of the other Hellcreatures, for example the madagans, aren’t exactly the smartest inthe world. They’re like our animals, wild and lethal, but theirthought processes don’t involve taking over the world. Confused anddisoriented by being set loose, many of them didn’t travel far inthe beginning. By the time they started to spread out more, thebeginnings of a wall in many areas had been started, and we’dalready come to an uneasy treaty with the humans.”
“Uneasy?” Erin inquired.
“We weren’t exactly welcomed with open armsin the beginning. Humans tend not to handle change or the unknownwell. I’d say we’re a good combination of both.”
“You are,” I agreed.
“En masse, we might make your intolerantheads explode.” I shot him a look in response to his statement; hegrinned back at me. “They didn’t exactly take kindly toyou.”
“They don’t know what to make of me. They canat least see you’re different and now accept you for what you are.They may not know everything you’re capable of, but they knowyou’re trying to help them.”
“And they think you’re what…?” His voicetrailed off as he stared pointedly at Erin, Vargas, and Hawk.
“First,” Vargas said as he sat back down, “Ithink you have a point that it would be disturbing for them tolearn what is on this side of the wall, and that our government hada hand in helping to unleash it, but I think people would adapt tothe truth over time. If given the chance.”
“The chaos that could result before peopleadapted to the truth may be the undoing of what is left of yourcivilization,” Corson reasoned. “And no one is willing to take thatchance.”
Drawing his knee against his chest, Vargastapped his fingers on it as he pondered Corson’s words. “Perhapsyou’re right, but it doesn’t sound as if we’ll ever get the chanceto know how they would handle it.”
“Most likely not,” Corson agreed.
Vargas focused on me. “Second, you’re right,we know what they are and part of what they’re capable of, butyoulook just like us. You camefrom a human town, yet you have abilities like them. We have noidea what you are, or what you’re capable of.”
