Chapter 10
The Square
As Bible John edged slowly to the end of the pier, he looked at Monica who waited silently by the laptop, sitting Indian style. Bible John looked up, and Blade was making his way down the 100-meter bridge that connected the pier to the Square's platform. Inside the halls of Square, Bible John saw the fire that was raging inside.
"Get in," was the only thing out of Blade's mouth when he reached the boat.
"Ok..." Monica replied. She grabbed her computer and duffle bag of weapons, and Bible John helped her aboard. Blade was in next and quickly he moved to the seat behind the cabin. Bible John once again started the Demeter's tired engine, and drifted from the empty sarcophagus.
"Blade? Is there something wrong?" Monica asked quietly, but meaningfully.
He was silent, and Monica became irritated. It was like talking to a wall—worse, like something that wasn't there. She made to leave, but Blade spoke: "Something's wrong."
Monica turned back around to face the Daywalker, who removed his black sunglasses. It was the first time she saw his eyes. She was beginning to think he didn't have any. She remained silent, insisting that she wanted him to go on.
"I heard Rossi. He said my name in my head, and then I didn't hear him again. And I screams in my head," Rossi finished, putting his glasses over his eyes. He removed a small black box with a red trigger connected at the top.
"Get down," Blade said.
Monica hesitated, but eventually moved to the bottom of the hull. Blade pulled the trigger in, and for a second it was quiet.
Almost in the same instant four explosions riddled and vibrated the Demeter, the boat rocking on its side from the force of the detonation.
***
The Docks
Colin looked down as he felt the buzzing below his feet, right before Andrea jumped in the water after the drowning Jerry. He looked up, and saw a bright flash of light and cringed. The Square, looking very tiny from a distance of a mile or two, was imploding in a cloud of dust and debris and water and fire. All around him were oohs and aahs. Two or three of the deranged-looking humans even managed a clap.
He looked back to the water for his sister and the bald man; Andrea was helping him doggy-paddle back to the dock. His other two sisters, Sarah and Jocelyn, tried to help the two out of the cruddy water, but they were more in the way than any kind of help.
The sun was making its way below the horizon, and Colin began to worry about his sisters' safety. People were already dieing left and right. It was time to get them home...
The wounded sniper walked to the pier where the bald man and Andrea were climbing up. He put his arm around her and ruggedly pulled her to the side.
"Ok, you did your good deed for the day, now we're getting outta here," he said to Andrea as she pulled her arm away from him.
"What? I don't think so. What about these people? We've got to help get them to safety," she replied angrily, shocked that her brother would be so selfish.
"They can find their own safety. You and your sisters are leaving this place—now!"
"Colin! Two people are dead, and many more are going to die unless we get them to a safe house!"
"They can find their own—!" Colin was cut off by someone shouting.
"Here comes the Daywalker!"
"He's back!" yelled another.
The Demeter came to a sluggish halt and rested peacefully on the pier where Jerry and Andrea had just departed.
Without waiting for Bible John and Monica to get off, Blade hopped onto the rickety quay and yelled for Rossi.
"Blade. He's dead. Sonic's dead. They died saving all of us," Jerry interrupted with his head bowed.
Monica gave way instantly to silent tears, and walked back to the Demeter. Bible John put his hand on his forehead in disbelief.
"Where are they?" Blade asked as he pushed his way through the identical ex-slaves.
"Sonic's over here," Jerry said without looking up. "But Rossi..."
"What about Rossi?" Blade asked.
"Well, that's his blood," Jerry pointed to the edge of the pier.
"Where's his body?" Bible John asked.
"Somewhere in the water. I jumped in after him, after the Familiars were killed, but I couldn't find him."
Seemingly as cold as death, Blade turned away and walked to Bible John.
"Can you get in touch with your friends from the safe houses?" Blade asked.
"Uh, yeah, Blade. I'll try right now," Bible John said uneasily. He walked back to the Demeter and opened his laptop and clicked it to life.
There were about a dozen things he needed to do before he could enter the Internet. Backdoor traps were set that would stop anyone nosey enough to try and track him and his cyber-travels and chats.
After firewall after firewall was placed, Bible John began to broadcast his coordinates to email addresses of local safe houses. He needed quite a few vehicles to get the ex-slaves to shelter before nightfall.
Within twenty minutes, two white box trucks and three vans arrived, after a couple of scouts did a reconnaissance of the place. And for the first time, many of the safe house workers saw Blade, the new savior, for the first time. The workers would whisper to each other as they ushered the ex-slaves into the vehicles.
Blade walked casually, but decisively, to Bible John's box truck. He tossed the duffle bag of weapons in the back. He and Bible John lifted Sonic's body into the back.
Then he walked over to the driver's door, opened it, and looked back at Monica and Bible John.
"You comin'?" Blade asked.
"We're just gonna leave them like that?" Monica asked worriedly.
"What do you want me to do with 'em?" Blade asked sardonically.
"Well, we went through all of that trouble to free them, to save their lives, and you're just going to let them go out there, unarmed, unprotected?" she asked.
"The safe house workers have guns," Blade replied so sure of their situation. "They deal with bloodsuckers all the time."
"Shouldn't we make sure they get there, safely?"
"Not my problem."
Monica gave him a look of disbelief and incredulity.
"But Blade, she's got a point. We'll never make it back to my place before dark anyhow," Bible John offered.
"And I'd like to help," said a familiar voice from behind them.
"Jerry. You wanna help?" asked Bible John as he turned around.
"I have to. We all do, but some people are just too scared. I'm not. I'm not afraid to die. And I owe it to Rossi and Sonic," Jerry proclaimed.
"I don't need your help," Blade said while jumping into the driver's seat. "You'll just get in the way."
"But you needed Rossi and Sonic's help. And..." Jerry looked to Bible John silently asking his name.
"Bible John."
"...Bible John and..."
"That's Monica."
"...and Monica's help. Why couldn't you use my help? It'd be another person to watch your back," Jerry finished.
After a couple of seconds thought, Blade shut the door behind himself. Monica let out a sigh, and Bible John scratched his head. Blade looked back over to Jerry, Bible John, and then to Jerry.
"Ok, we'll follow them to the safe house and leave in the morning. We have more compounds to plan to blow up," Blade said to the delight of his team. "You guys comin'?"
Monica, Bible John and Jerry jumped in, and they followed the vans and trucks to the safe house a few miles north.