Chapter 2

Vince opened the door and entered the dark room as quietly as he could without disturbing her from whatever fever-induced dreams she was having. He crossed the room and sat down in a high backed wooden chair next to the bed.

He lowered his head and clasped his hands together. “Lord,” he whispered. “I know you have a reason for everything, but I beg of you to show me some sign; when is Mykella to know the truth?” He looked down at Samantha. “If your will is to take Samantha, do it soon so her daughter doesn’t mourn too long.”

He kept living in his past as he looked around the room. He reverted back to when he had never heard of Orion or the Forbidden Realms, a time when he was used to the fact that his mother was dead.

And using these memories, he also thought of this life and how it came to be. Humanity didn’t just vanish off the face of the earth as he had expected twenty years ago. No; it had been captured and murdered.

He had only witnessed a few dozen human murders, but he knew that there was not much in the way of human life now.

Vince looked around the dark room. The chair he was sitting on, the bed, a nightstand next to the bed, and a statue of the Blessed Virgin were the only decorations in the room.

The apartment itself was nothing but a cot, an old dining table, a small sofa with springs exposed, and a couple of chairs.

No one stayed at the apartment for very long except for Mykella. Vince felt bad that he wouldn’t let her out of this damned trap. She knew it was for her own safety, but she didn’t know the extent of her safety and what it meant for everyone that she remained hidden and alive.

A murmur from Samantha caused Vince to come back to the present and look down at her. She was still asleep, but something in her dreams was making her move her head from side to side.

Vince watched for a moment wondering what dreams she might be having and then he reached down and laid his hand on her shoulder. “Samantha,” he whispered. “It’s all right. I’m here.”

She didn’t wake up as he had hoped, but merely calmed down and rested her head away from him.

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He sighed and stood up. After a month of Samantha being in this state, he had been preparing for her departure, yet she remained alive, which he could not understand.

Vince never prayed for salvation for himself or anyone else because he knew that their salvation was in Mykella’s hands alone. For that reason he did not pray directly for Samantha’s recovery, only that God chose his path for her quickly.

He made his way to the door and looked back and knew that the moment was very close. He must tell Mykella the truth. There had been times when he damned himself for not telling her sooner.

There isn’t anything I can do about that now. Whenever she chooses to fight Orion, that’s up to her.

He closed the door behind him and was alarmed when he saw that Mykella was nowhere in the apartment. He called her name several times, knowing how absurd it was due to the size of the apartment.

He ran out of the apartment and down the hall with such fervor he hadn’t used in a long time.

At the end of the dark hallway he stopped at the closed bathroom door. He was relieved at first, thinking that she was inside, but when he knocked on the door, no answer came forth and panic overcame him.

He opened the door and glanced from right to left. No one was sitting on the toilet and the tub was empty. And then he noticed the open window – just large enough for her to climb through.

“Damnit,” he grumbled and went over to it and saw that the fire escape ladder had been lowered. “Son of a bitch.”

He had lost her; lost humanity’s savior. He was her Watcher and he let his watch down as he prayed over Samantha.

Feeling a different weight on his shoulders, he closed the apartment door and went back to the chair he sat earlier this morning and lowered his head – his hands were trembling and numb.

At the moment there was nothing he could do without letting the other Watchers know. Karl and Chris had walked down the street shortly before he entered Samantha’s room to look for food. He would wait until they returned to break the news and he alone would go search for Mykella. It was his fault, he had let his guard down, and he would go alone.

But before he could mourn the moment much longer, he heard the steps outside in the hallway and for a minute he was hopeful that it was Mykella’s feet that were making the floorboards creak.

And then he heard the high-pitched laughter of Chris and a sick feeling overcame him. They would look down upon him, he knew.

Vince watched as the door opened and Karl entered first, carrying a plastic bag filled with items he couldn’t see. Chris came after holding a similar bag filled with plants.

What Vince didn’t expect was the third person who entered behind Chris. He quickly stood up when he recognized the nun who had saved them from certain death so many years ago.