Chapter 21

Nadya sat quietly on the pallet bed, fighting sleep. Robert was paced up and down. She knew the man could tell daddy was nearby. But he couldn't tell where. Nadya smiled to herself, she still had little ways of helping. Even as the man drew on her lifeforce and kept her shielded, she could fog his mind through the same shield. She was so very tired now though. But if she fell asleep, the fog would drop and the man would find daddy before he was ready.

So Nadya stayed awake. Daddy was coming, coming to save her...

Zabulon snarled. "Lets move then!"

"Wait...how are we going to tackle him?"

Zabulon smiled, his countenance fill with death. "I'm going to rip him apart... slowly, piece by piece."

"We need him in the Twilight. I think he's the only one who can stop all this! And as soon as you get near him he'll start draining your life. If he doesn't kill Nadya first out of spite."

Zabulons eyes sparkled. "Then he's going to get more than he could ever hope to handle...So, do you have a plan?"

Anton ran his hands through his head. "No, not until I know where he is."

"Then like I've already said...lets move!" Zabulon leapt to his feet and dragged Anton up. Limping on wobbly legs Anton followed Zabulon to the door. Silently, the demon turned the handle and inched the door open. Glancing through the gap with his superior night vision he took in the layout beyond. A corridor. Anton turned to retrieve a lamp, but Zabulon motioned him to leave it.

"He might see that coming.." he whispered.

Anton nodded. Zabulon took Anton's hand and led him blindly into the darkness. As they passed each door, trying not to slip on the slick, frozen floorboards, Zabulon squeezed Anton's fingers. Stopping for a moment or two, the Neutral would sniff, then squeeze back negative. Towards the end of the corridor, Zabulon didn't stop anymore, he saw a tiny chink of light at the end. Anton began to tug at Zabulon's arm. He looked round and saw the man nodding vigorously. Zabulon could feel bile build up at the back of his throat. As he reached for the handle, Anton stopped him and gestured. Zabulon bent down, Anton whispered in his ear.

"Let me go first, if I fail, he's yours..."

"That wasn't the bargain, freak...the man is mine..."

"Then wait till I can get you a clear shot at him...we only have one chance at this."

Zabulon seethed with impatience, but agreed, hiding back in the shadows. Anton took the handle instead and, without hesitation, threw the door open...

The boy shook Sveta awake. With great difficulty she opened her sunken eyes. It wasn't yet fully light but something had the boys interest. Sveta wished he had left her to sleep. She had prepared herself for the end that night, and was surprised to wake, feeling slightly cheated of the death she had expected.

The boy, seeing she was awake, gestured towards the shield wall. Sveta thought he was trying to get her to repair a weak spot. "Sorry..." she whispered. "...I can't do any more." She started to lie back down when the boy shook her again, pointed almost excitedly at the wall. Sveta took a few deep breaths, trying to clear the fogginess from her exhausted mind. She glanced over to where the boy pointed, but she couldn't see anything.

Puzzled she asked "What...what is it?"

The boy smiled and ran over to the edge, where he stood, as if waiting for something. Sveta crawled over to the shield wall and sat on the grass. She still couldn't see anything and wondered if the boy was welcoming the end of the barrier, embracing death in the same way she had been ready to embrace it, but his whole demeanour didn't seem to be one of acceptance. So she sat and waited with him... it was as good a way as any to pass the last moments of her life...

Robert didn't heard the door open at first, he was pacing at the far end of the room. He startled when he turned, and saw Anton stood in the doorway.

"So, you came then, even here." he said.

"I've come for my daughter Robert, and to put an end to this little game of yours." Anton stepped in, but didn't close the door, wanting Zabulon to hear the conversation, to be ready.

Robert laughed. "You? What can you do out here? There isn't any one for you to draw on, only your brat over there, but you wont do that will you? I know you wont..."

"No, not like the way you are, you lying bastard. What happened Robert, all your little friends find out what you have done? Did they leave you, or did they chase you off first? After all, why hide out here, in the middle of nowhere...unless its to stop them from finding you."

"Bah, I don't need them, they were just a convenience."

Anton moved slowly away from the door, aware that Nadya was still behind Robert. "Such a convenience that you had to go to the end of the earth to escape them? I think not. The Others are baying for your blood Robert. They want revenge, for the deaths, for the false hate, for the years of lies and deceit. Your time is up..."

"Hah! They are idiots, all of them, I'm giving them freedom, don't you see that! I'm giving them a chance to be human again!"

Anton edged a little further away from the door, making Robert turn slightly to follow him, a little further away from Nadya. "You're a coward, Robert, a child killing coward who isn't prepared to face the future, who is too scared what tomorrow will bring!" Anton began to circle around him.

Robert growled, turning to keep facing Anton. "You don't understand, I thought you of all people would understand..."

"Understand what?"

"You are a Neutral now, I thought you would have felt the power, the control, the responsibility you have over everything, everyone. You and me, we are the same... we are alike..."

"No...we are not alike...we never were, I'm not afraid of the future. I don't live in the past. I'll face what comes when it comes...I love my child..."

"Don't you think I did!" Robert screeched. "I'm doing this for him as well..."

"You are killing him a second time because you love him?"

"You don't understand, no one has ever understood! I did it all for him!" Robert was almost hysterical. His back was close to the door.

Anton took a step forward. "No, I don't understand, and I don't think I ever will. I do know one thing...this is from Sveta..." He threw a powerful right hook, smashing into Roberts jaw. The larger man staggered back under the force of the blow, his hands catching hold of the frame to stop himself falling. Anton nodded.

Robert was too dazed at first to notice the massive arms enclosing his chest in a crushing bear-hug. He looked up to see a drooling, demonic face staring down at him.

"Boo" said Zabulon.

Robert screamed. He instinctively turned his mind to the Dark one and began to draw at his life. The link to Nadya was broken, the shield dropped. Anton lunged at the bed and lifted Nadya into his arms, hugging her almost as tightly as Zabulon held onto the rogue Neutral.

"I'm going...to...kill..you" gasped Robert.

Zabulon leaned towards his ear. "Try it" he whispered.

Robert roared. He drew power, all focused, from the demons life force. Zabulon turned to his Multitude inside, and mouthed wordlessly 'now'. One by one, they came forward, full of pent up fury and frustration, baying for revenge. As Robert drained the life of one, another came forward, then another. He seemed oblivious to their presence, Zabulons laughter driving him on in a frenzy. The hoard were pushing forward by themselves now, pumping Robert full of more and more power. Anton knew Zabulon couldn't see it, but he had to shield his eyes with his hand from the glare.

Robert began howling in pain, the force being driven into him was more power than he had ever known. The base began to disintegrate around them, the walls billowed out and exploded, shattering into a million tiny fragments, scattering like shrapnel. The whirlwind created by the build up of force knocked Anton down; Still holding Nadya, he struggled to stand against the blizzard driven snow caught in the vortex. Zabulon was grunting with the effort to hold onto Robert, to give the man what he wanted, ultimate power,. Keening in agony, Robert tried to break away, but the demons will was stronger, his grip held.

When Anton saw Zabulon start to tire he shouted "NOW ZABULON! TAKE HIM IN!"

He watched as both of them faded, Zabulon smiling, Robert, a look of fear seared into his soul. The descending silence was only punctuated by the soft dull thuds of debris hitting the deep, drifted snow. Checking to see Nadya was alright he stepped into the Twilight after them, following in their wake.

The air around him broiled. He rapidly reach the limit he could enter, but he felt Nadya's hand slip into his and she jumped down, leading him deeper, level by level, running quickly, following the tortured path through the gloom.

Anton could sense the struggle up ahead, but he couldn't see, the air was suddenly filled with ghosts, spectral images of lost Others, all calling out, all urging him on. Relying wholly on his daughter, trusting her with his life, he followed, led by her hand, trying to run and avoiding tripping on the decayed undergrowth. He knew they were getting close, the atmosphere around them was tinged red as though on fire. Bursting through a clump of twisted, deformed bushes he saw Zabulon, panting and exhausted, still holding onto the blazing Neutral, whose entire body was almost invisible in the middle of the enormous energy ball that surrounded him. Zabulon's back was pressed up against the shield around the centre. Anton stared, fascinated at its mirror-like surface, then a thought stuck him like a thunderbolt.

"Zabulon! Turn around, press Robert onto the shield!" He cried, scooping Nadya up in his arms and turning his back to protect her.

With his last strength, Zabulon twisted his body around and slammed Robert against the reflective surface.

Anton thought for a brief moment he had gone deaf, the whole shield burst silently with a percussive force that lifted him off his feet and flung him and his daughter through the air. It took a second for the sound to catch up. The deep bass thud of the concussion rocketed out in a huge shockwave. The floor shook like a violent earthquake, throwing great gouts of funk and detritus high above him. Anton's eyes watered as the vibration irritated his sinuses and he hugged Nadya closer until the explosion died down. Turning back to where the shield had been he peered through the miasmic atmosphere. The sight before him left him lost for words.

Sveta had tried to describe the centre, the glade, but she hadn't come close to it. Carrying Nadya back he saw the border between the rancid outside, and the beauty Sveta had tried to save within.

Zabulon stared, Robert squirmed in his arms but the Neutrals power was spent, earthed, the shield acted like a giant lightning rod. In the Twilight he couldn't draw any more. The demon ignored him and began walking forward as if drawn.

Anton could hear the sweet music drifting from the verdant greenness and was lost in its melody for a few seconds before he saw Zabulon head inside. Nadya was pulling at his hand, eager to move, and Anton let her lead again. He began to feel dread when he saw prone figures lying on the grass, a profusion of flowers growing over their forms. He broke into a slow trot and almost stumbled as his foot hit the lush turf. Nadya released his hand and dropped beside the nearest body, stroking the hair. It sat up.

"Sveta!" Anton yelled, and raced to her side.

"A..Anton?" she stuttered. "Is...t..t..that you?"

Anton flung his arms around her and held her tight. Nadya was smiling. Suddenly Sveta jerked away. "How... the barrier... where..." She looked in horror. "No! The shield has gone, you broke it!"

"But Sveta, Robert is here..." he pointed over to Zabulon and the man held tightly.

"NOOOO!" Sveta tried to stand up, the wild look in her eyes piercing his soul. "Don't bring him here... he should be here...!

"Who, Robert?"

"No, Zabulon!" she struggled out of Anton's arms and crawled to the other prone figure, trying to protect it with her body. "Get him away! Now!"

Anton shook his head. "Sveta...you don't understand... things have happen..."

"I know what's happened! That bastard tried to kill Olga! He raped her, then battered her... leaving her for dead...If I hadn't...hadn't..." she stopped talking and looked past Anton, a look of horror crossing her face. "Oh no...the decay..."

Anton turned. The pestilence from outside was beginning to eat its way in, the first few feet of healthy ground already turning to putrescence. He stood, aghast, as he could see it inexorably creeping forward.

"You see!" wailed Sveta. "The barrier has gone...and now, so will the Twilight!"...