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“We got company!” LaMastra said again and he broke their moment by firing into the shadows. Something screamed and fell back into the darkness.
Crow and Val brought up their guns and the others in the room tried to crowd into the doorway, which is when the big man standing to Crow’s left turned around and looked into the room and locked eyes with Mike Sweeney.
“No!” Mike cried and staggered back a step.
“The Beast!” hissed Eddie. “Crow, there he is! There’s the monster who has opened the gates of hell!”
Crow looked the wrong way first and saw nothing in the hallway, and then he turned and saw Eddie pointing his gun into the room, right at Mike. He saw the look on Eddie’s face and knew he was going to shoot, so he let go of Val and slammed Eddie’s arm against the doorjamb. The gun fired and the bullet missed Mike’s head by inches.
LaMastra grabbed Eddie by the collar and Crow shoved his chest and they hurled him out into the hallway. Eddie slipped on blood and went down hard, sliding five feet on his ass. LaMastra kicked the gun out of his hand and screwed the hot barrel of his Roadblocker into Eddie’s temple.
“Don’t fucking move,” LaMastra warned.
“Mike, what’s going on? Crow asked. “Val, somebody…what’s this shit?”
Mike pressed past Jonatha and Newton. “Crow…he’s the one that’s been chasing me on the road. He’s the one I told you about. ”
“Are you sure?”
“He’s sure,” Val said. “He told us all about it. Eddie even came into the store once. ”
“He’s the Beast of the Apocalypse!” Eddie looked pleadingly at LaMastra. “He’s the one responsible for all of this. You have to let me—”
“Crow…?” LaMastra asked.
“Keep him there. Val, Mike, tell me what’s going on. Make it fast. ”
They told him a very abbreviated version of what Mike had learned from the Bone Man. They both spoke loud enough for Eddie to hear. While they spoke Crow became aware of Mike’s eyes, and a chill rippled up his spine.
“Holy shit,” he said. He glanced at LaMastra. “Vince?”
“You call the play, man. I’m not emotionally invested in this bozo. Just say the word. ”
Crow turned to Eddie and squatted down. “You heard what Val and M
ike just said. You got fifteen seconds to give me a reason not to let Vince paint your brains all over the floor. ”
“I am the Sword of God. ” He said it as if it explained everything.
“And you think this kid is the Antichrist?”
“He is. ”
LaMastra nudged him with the shotgun. “One twitch of the finger, Crow, and we’re done with this shit. ”
Val came over and knelt down. “Eddie, I want you to listen to me. Mike is not the Antichrist or any other kind of evil. He’s an innocent boy who is as much a victim of all of this as we are. You’ve been lied to by Ubel Griswold, over and over again. ”
“No! Satan is the Father of Lies and—”
Val slapped him across the face. “Listen to me, Eddie Oswald; if Mike Sweeney is evil, then you’re a dead man. ” She straightened and turned to Mike. “Mike…kill him. ”
Mike said, “What?”
“Go on, kill him. If you’re the goddamned Antichrist, then kill this fool, so we can get the hell out of here. ”
Mike stood there, holding his shotgun loosely in his hands. “No, I—I mean, can’t we just tie him up or something?”
“Some Antichrist,” LaMastra muttered, mostly for Eddie’s benefit.
