“You’ve seen it done before though,right?”
“Until recently, it had been years since I’dlast seen it done. I doubt you came out of Hell with the knowledgeof all things human.”
“We came out knowing a lot of things,” hesaid as we walked toward a red stop sign on the side of the road.Tucked under his arm was one of the sheets we’d taken from Angela’shouse. “I watched humans more than a lot of the others did.”
“How come?” I asked.
He draped the sheet over the sign beforetying it securely to the post. “I don’t know. It was something todo. You’re a self-destructive, crazy species, but you’reentertaining to watch.”
“Kind of like a soap opera for demons.”
“A what?”
“They were these TV shows my mother used towatch back in the day.”
“I didn’t see much of your TV.”
“Interesting. So what am I writing?”
I pulled out the tube of red lipstick we’dfound in Angela’s home. It was the only thing we could find towrite with; everything else had dried out over the years.
“Write:staying on theoriginal route.”
“Should we stop and wait for them here?”
“No, I know a place that will probably besafer for us to stop and wait,” he replied. “Until we get there, wehave to get as far from the lanavours as we can.”
“How bad are those things?”
“Bad.”
The word didn’t make me shiver, but thehaunted look in his eyes did. If the demons didn’t want to facethem, I definitely didn’t. “Should I tell them where we’reheading?”
“No, nothing and no one else can know wherewe’re going. Kobal will figure it out.”
My stomach turned at the possibility ofsomething else out there, possibly stalking us right now. I liftedthe lipstick to the sheet and began to write.Stayingon the originalroute,R. I twisted thelipstick down and replaced the cap.
“How many humans do you think survived thegargoyle attack?” I inquired.
“I don’t know.”
My head bent as the memory of those brokenbodies and screams drifted back across my mind. “I don’t wantanyone to die because of me.”
“They’re not dyingbecauseof you. They’re dying toprotectyou.”
“Is there a difference?”
“Yes. There is a possibility you could savetheir entire species. That is a worthy cause, one they are willingto fight and sacrifice for. They’re dying because some of yourspecies royallyfuckedup.”
“And what if there is nothing I can do aboutclosing the gateway or Lucifer?” I asked.
“Then we come up with a new plan.”
“A new plan,” I murmured as I gazed at thedistant horizon.
“Kobal won’t stop until he’s caught up withus,” Corson said.
“I know.”
