enough to be heard.
“You order a taxi? What name is it?”
“Wyndham, heading for the city.”
The driver looked nonplussed, but gestured for Will to get in and closed his window again. “You should have waited up at the school instead of coming out in this – it’s minus seven now, getting colder all the time. Reckon it could reach twelve below tonight.”
“I prefer not to talk, if you don’t mind.”
“Suit yourself. Where are we heading?”
“Just drop me by the cathedral – it’s easier for me to walk from there.”
The driver shrugged, looking snubbed, and remainedsilent for the rest of the journey, only occasionally giving Will a glance in the rear-view mirror. When they reached the city, Will paid him, spoke to him, left him like a person trying to remember his night’s dreams.
No one was on the streets. When Will did hear voices, he turned into a street and found a church hall serving as a shelter for the night. Two people in padded jackets and woollen hats and scarves stood near the doors and smiled at Will as he passed.
One of them, a woman, gave him a little wave and said, “You’re out late.”
Will didn’t look homeless, he supposed, but even in his overcoat he probably looked underdressed for such a cold night. It was a speculative comment from the woman, not wanting to upset him, but trying to find out if he needed a place.
“I’m fine, thank you. I’m on my way somewhere.”
She smiled and said, “Take care.”
Will knew this wasn’t good though. The city’s homeless, its runaways and vagrants, would be taking shelter for the night in this and other places. He walked street after street, finding the doorways empty.
He walked down to the old warehouse district then, where he’d found Jex and so many previous victims, knowing that there at least fires could be started and kept, and that some homeless would prefer their ownfire to taking shelter in the kind of place he’d just seen.
He could feel another wave of hunger, an emptiness so complete that he felt he was outside of himself. Something deep within him screamed for blood, his thoughts falling away one by one until the scream seemed the only thing left.
But Will had underestimated the power of the cold. No one, it seemed, had chosen to stay in the open this night. He passed the gutted warehouse where he’d found Jex, continued on to the river, found the doorway in which he’d first encountered Eloise.
And here, for the first time, he picked up a human scent – it made the hunger more intense, knowing he was so close to feeding it. He walked a little further and saw him there, an old man slumped with his bags in another doorway. Will’s hopes lifted and he moved quickly, but as soon as he got close he realised it was futile, that this old man had too little life left in him to satisfy Will’s need for more than a few days. It hardly seemed worth it for such a short respite.
Will approached him anyway. His face and hands were blue with cold. He looked up and saw Will and smiled, his eyes looking remarkably youthful, a striking contrast to the craggy face and white beard.
Will said, “You shouldn’t be out on a night like this. There’s a shelter not far from here.”
The man gave a little shake of his head and said in a voice that betrayed his old age, “I can’t get there tonight, son.”
“I’ll help you. You need to be somewhere warm.”
“You’re a good lad, but I’ve no time for shelters, not tonight.”
Will knew it to be true, that the old man was dying, that he would probably die even if Will carried him to the shelter. He crouched down and then sat on the step with him.
“You should get inside yourself. I’ll be OK.”
Will smiled and said, “I’ll just stay for a little while. I’m not cold. Are you from here?”
“Hereabouts. Family’s always lived here in the city or hereabouts.”
“What happened?”
As cold as he was, the old man gave a mischievous grin and made a
“You order a taxi? What name is it?”
“Wyndham, heading for the city.”
The driver looked nonplussed, but gestured for Will to get in and closed his window again. “You should have waited up at the school instead of coming out in this – it’s minus seven now, getting colder all the time. Reckon it could reach twelve below tonight.”
“I prefer not to talk, if you don’t mind.”
“Suit yourself. Where are we heading?”
“Just drop me by the cathedral – it’s easier for me to walk from there.”
The driver shrugged, looking snubbed, and remainedsilent for the rest of the journey, only occasionally giving Will a glance in the rear-view mirror. When they reached the city, Will paid him, spoke to him, left him like a person trying to remember his night’s dreams.
No one was on the streets. When Will did hear voices, he turned into a street and found a church hall serving as a shelter for the night. Two people in padded jackets and woollen hats and scarves stood near the doors and smiled at Will as he passed.
One of them, a woman, gave him a little wave and said, “You’re out late.”
Will didn’t look homeless, he supposed, but even in his overcoat he probably looked underdressed for such a cold night. It was a speculative comment from the woman, not wanting to upset him, but trying to find out if he needed a place.
“I’m fine, thank you. I’m on my way somewhere.”
She smiled and said, “Take care.”
Will knew this wasn’t good though. The city’s homeless, its runaways and vagrants, would be taking shelter for the night in this and other places. He walked street after street, finding the doorways empty.
He walked down to the old warehouse district then, where he’d found Jex and so many previous victims, knowing that there at least fires could be started and kept, and that some homeless would prefer their ownfire to taking shelter in the kind of place he’d just seen.
He could feel another wave of hunger, an emptiness so complete that he felt he was outside of himself. Something deep within him screamed for blood, his thoughts falling away one by one until the scream seemed the only thing left.
But Will had underestimated the power of the cold. No one, it seemed, had chosen to stay in the open this night. He passed the gutted warehouse where he’d found Jex, continued on to the river, found the doorway in which he’d first encountered Eloise.
And here, for the first time, he picked up a human scent – it made the hunger more intense, knowing he was so close to feeding it. He walked a little further and saw him there, an old man slumped with his bags in another doorway. Will’s hopes lifted and he moved quickly, but as soon as he got close he realised it was futile, that this old man had too little life left in him to satisfy Will’s need for more than a few days. It hardly seemed worth it for such a short respite.
Will approached him anyway. His face and hands were blue with cold. He looked up and saw Will and smiled, his eyes looking remarkably youthful, a striking contrast to the craggy face and white beard.
Will said, “You shouldn’t be out on a night like this. There’s a shelter not far from here.”
The man gave a little shake of his head and said in a voice that betrayed his old age, “I can’t get there tonight, son.”
“I’ll help you. You need to be somewhere warm.”
“You’re a good lad, but I’ve no time for shelters, not tonight.”
Will knew it to be true, that the old man was dying, that he would probably die even if Will carried him to the shelter. He crouched down and then sat on the step with him.
“You should get inside yourself. I’ll be OK.”
Will smiled and said, “I’ll just stay for a little while. I’m not cold. Are you from here?”
“Hereabouts. Family’s always lived here in the city or hereabouts.”
“What happened?”
As cold as he was, the old man gave a mischievous grin and made a
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