"One of the four excerpts from the book is certainly the most thrilling. With us today is a very special witness, one who was suspended on medical leave after the Tacoma Standoff on October 26th. Lieutenant Malich, thank you so much for agreeing to speak with us today."

  "Thank you for inviting me."

  "Could you tell us a bit of what happened at that standoff? Specifically, how it relates to what we're discussing today?"

  "Well, I don't know how much of this made it to the public—"

  "We went over your testimony, and the testimony of your men, before this segment today."

  "Ah. So yeah. The rock monsters."

  "Yes, exactly. You and your men encountered the 'golems', as the Diaries call them, out in Tacoma."

  "They were fu— excuse me. They were terrifying. Bullets didn't do a thing to 'em, and they tossed our cars aside like tin cans."

  "So the excerpt, which details the author and her people being attacked by two of these 'golems', reads accurately to you?"

  "Yeah, pretty much. I mean, none of them burst into flames or shot fire at us, but I wouldn't be surprised if they could. The rest is right, one hundred percent. They're real."

  "I'd like to remind our viewers that Lieutenant Malich is a decorated veteran and has been an officer in the Tacoma P.D. for more than fifteen years without a single blemish to his record. He has never been diagnosed with any sort of psychological or mental disorder and has no family history of either."

  "Nope. Sane as they come."

  "There was a great deal of speculation about why the attack occurred. They never gave you any demands, correct?"

  "Yeah. We didn't have a clue what was going on. Then Agent Ashe jumps out of a car, takes over and runs inside."

  "Do you think he knew what was going on?"

  "At the time? I dunno. He looked like he was insane too. But he obviously knew more than I did."

  "It would seem that these attacks were targeted at the so-called 'awakened', if the golem attacks in the excerpt are to be believed."

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  "Makes some sense I guess. From what the witnesses told us, they were singling people out. Like they were lookin' for something. But no one could tell us what it was."

  "I think it's safe to say we now know, Lieutenant Malich."

  "But here's the thing, right? How did they know? And who the hell were they? There's somethin' else going on here. They're fighting."

  Brian held up the remote and clicked off the TV. The dozen or so faces turned around to face him, clustered in the small house in Neilton, just northwest of Rallsburg, and Brian's temporary home. One of his followers had graciously donated it for their use.

  "We've got work to do."

  "Isn't this a disaster?" asked one man. "They're coming out into the open. It's going to keep spreading. We didn't wipe them out."

  He shook his head. "We can use this too."

  "How so?"

  "For every bleeding heart that pops up, we'll find someone else who understands what kind of danger we're in. It's only a matter of time." Brian looked around pointedly. "We've always had a hard time recruiting people. Who's going to believe in this devil magic? But if the media's spreading the message…"

  "We can convince them," the man finished.

  Brian nodded. In the back of his mind, he had another agenda. His daughter wasn't safe anymore. He didn't know how it was possible, but apparently Kendra Laushire was one of them. The stone had lied to him. Jackson told him it wouldn't ever lie, but perhaps he'd misunderstood.

  Maybe Jackson had simply made sure it could never produce a false positive. He wouldn't want to hurt an innocent. But in taking such care, it wasn't perfect at detecting the real awakened among them. He'd have to be more thorough in rooting out the plague, if he was going to stamp it clean.

  "Take more of the identifying stones," he ordered. "Spread out and find them. If they think it's safe to come into the open, you will be there. You will find them. Call me and I will be there." He clenched his fist. "This isn't over yet."

  As they left, Brian took his best aside — an officer in the Tacoma Police, who helped them in his off-hours, with the full resources of the department at his disposal. The man who had helped them track Dan and Boris, who had tailed Harold and Sophie and the others they'd already dealt with.

  Brian gave him a description of Kendra Laushire. "Find her."

  "Who is she?"

  Brian hesitated. "One of them. One of the most powerful. Be very careful around her. She may have a young girl around her, thirteen years old, short brown hair, brown eyes. If you find them, I need you to call me immediately."

  The officer nodded. "The girl?"

  "No. She's innocent."

  The officer nodded. They trusted him implicitly. After what he'd shown them, they would believe any word he spoke. He was a divine messenger warning of the tides of destruction, the oncoming flood threatening to drown the world. He was the prophet of the apocalypse, the only means by which the world might yet be saved. A trail of death may follow in his wake, but it was a small price to pay for the safety of generations to come. They would do what needed to be done.

  They were all damned for eternity, but if that meant their children would live on, every man was prepared to make that sacrifice. Brian clutched the golem-rod tight in his hand, staring at the blank television, envisioning the faces of all the monstrous figures who had destroyed his home.

  "I'm coming for you."