light that all questions shine, and use them instead to control others through her. He’d known that, at the very least, it was his responsibility to stifle Amy’s curiosity so she’d never grow.
And now I’ve killed her.
As Brandon and Heather caught their breaths, Thorn tried to focus his mind on the task at hand.
What have I done? Oh, Amy…
“Brandon?” said an older man who’d been hiding in a corner of the boardroom. He stood, revealing a sharp kitchen knife in his hand. A woman slightly younger than him revealed herself as well. Wet tears covered her face.
Brandon ran to the man, and they embraced. “Tim, thank goodness you’re all right.”
“You too. Both of you.” Tim nodded to Heather.
“What’s happening?” the other woman said, her voice shaking.
“I don’t know,” Brandon said. “Everyone downstairs is dead as far as I know. How could this happen? Tammy, Shannon, Bob McKenzie. Why would they do something like this? They seemed so normal even ten minutes ago.”
“I don’t know either,” Tim said. “As soon as Bob started shooting people, Karen and I ran up here to hide.”
From across the boardroom, Thorn examined Brandon’s face. It wasn’t quite the face he remembered, though Thorn couldn’t be sure if the difference was due to genes or to life circumstances. This new face was smoother, less rugged, kinder. Thorn frowned at the memory of Brandon in the previous Sanctuary. What would his Big Choice have been? Thorn was saddened that he never got the chance to find out.
“Virgil, how are you holding up?” Tim asked.
When Thorn realized that Tim was talking to him, he decided to play the part. “I’m shot, but it’s not too bad. I think I’ll be okay for now.” Thorn’s grimace wasn’t entirely an act. Having left his own physical body by a tree in the countryside, he’d hoped to reach the humans before Marcus and his team murdered any of them… and now here he was, puppeteering the corpse of one of the targets he’d come to rescue. He couldn’t mourn Virgil as deeply as these humans who’d known him, but still, the man’s death stung, even among the memories of Amy that insisted on parading themselves through Thorn’s mind.
Brandon eyed Thorn warily, as if he didn’t quite believe him.
“Did Norma make it?” Karen asked.
Thorn had never cried before, but he pulled on the nervous system in Virgil’s dead body and used his sorrow over Amy to deliver his most convincing sob. “No. No, I don’t think she did.”
“Oh, Virgil, I’m so sorry,” said Tim. He moved over and placed a comforting arm around Virgil’s shoulders. Karen burst into tears.
“Don’t worry about me,” Thorn said. “We need to find a way out. That’s what’s important now. There are only six of them, I think. I’m sure we can outsmart them somehow.”
And why only six demons? Thorn wondered. Marcus had brought a whole army to the previous Sanctuary. Whoever was in charge must have wanted to keep this operation under wraps. Because I know things now. Marcus’s boss wants my knowledge to die with me. I’m not supposed to tell other demons what I know.
So why don’t I do exactly that? No doubt the other five demons believed in the cause just as staunchly as Marcus, but getting through to only one of them might make all the difference.
“Does anyone have cell reception?” Brandon asked. “My phone isn’t working for some reason.”
The other humans shook their heads. “The land line up here is out, too,” Tim said.
Thorn kept quiet about the dead humans he’d found beneath a cell tower while on his way to the country club. Marcus had arrived in the Sanctuary later than Thorn had, but he’d been speedy, and he wanted police showing up just as little as Thorn did.
“Thorn!” Marcus called from somewhere in the lobby, in the spirit realm so that only Thorn could hear.
“What do you want?” Thorn called, also in the spirit realm. In answer, a salvo of bullets
And now I’ve killed her.
As Brandon and Heather caught their breaths, Thorn tried to focus his mind on the task at hand.
What have I done? Oh, Amy…
“Brandon?” said an older man who’d been hiding in a corner of the boardroom. He stood, revealing a sharp kitchen knife in his hand. A woman slightly younger than him revealed herself as well. Wet tears covered her face.
Brandon ran to the man, and they embraced. “Tim, thank goodness you’re all right.”
“You too. Both of you.” Tim nodded to Heather.
“What’s happening?” the other woman said, her voice shaking.
“I don’t know,” Brandon said. “Everyone downstairs is dead as far as I know. How could this happen? Tammy, Shannon, Bob McKenzie. Why would they do something like this? They seemed so normal even ten minutes ago.”
“I don’t know either,” Tim said. “As soon as Bob started shooting people, Karen and I ran up here to hide.”
From across the boardroom, Thorn examined Brandon’s face. It wasn’t quite the face he remembered, though Thorn couldn’t be sure if the difference was due to genes or to life circumstances. This new face was smoother, less rugged, kinder. Thorn frowned at the memory of Brandon in the previous Sanctuary. What would his Big Choice have been? Thorn was saddened that he never got the chance to find out.
“Virgil, how are you holding up?” Tim asked.
When Thorn realized that Tim was talking to him, he decided to play the part. “I’m shot, but it’s not too bad. I think I’ll be okay for now.” Thorn’s grimace wasn’t entirely an act. Having left his own physical body by a tree in the countryside, he’d hoped to reach the humans before Marcus and his team murdered any of them… and now here he was, puppeteering the corpse of one of the targets he’d come to rescue. He couldn’t mourn Virgil as deeply as these humans who’d known him, but still, the man’s death stung, even among the memories of Amy that insisted on parading themselves through Thorn’s mind.
Brandon eyed Thorn warily, as if he didn’t quite believe him.
“Did Norma make it?” Karen asked.
Thorn had never cried before, but he pulled on the nervous system in Virgil’s dead body and used his sorrow over Amy to deliver his most convincing sob. “No. No, I don’t think she did.”
“Oh, Virgil, I’m so sorry,” said Tim. He moved over and placed a comforting arm around Virgil’s shoulders. Karen burst into tears.
“Don’t worry about me,” Thorn said. “We need to find a way out. That’s what’s important now. There are only six of them, I think. I’m sure we can outsmart them somehow.”
And why only six demons? Thorn wondered. Marcus had brought a whole army to the previous Sanctuary. Whoever was in charge must have wanted to keep this operation under wraps. Because I know things now. Marcus’s boss wants my knowledge to die with me. I’m not supposed to tell other demons what I know.
So why don’t I do exactly that? No doubt the other five demons believed in the cause just as staunchly as Marcus, but getting through to only one of them might make all the difference.
“Does anyone have cell reception?” Brandon asked. “My phone isn’t working for some reason.”
The other humans shook their heads. “The land line up here is out, too,” Tim said.
Thorn kept quiet about the dead humans he’d found beneath a cell tower while on his way to the country club. Marcus had arrived in the Sanctuary later than Thorn had, but he’d been speedy, and he wanted police showing up just as little as Thorn did.
“Thorn!” Marcus called from somewhere in the lobby, in the spirit realm so that only Thorn could hear.
“What do you want?” Thorn called, also in the spirit realm. In answer, a salvo of bullets
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