Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 89023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Dead? But how? How could he be dead? Ten seconds ago Josep was bragging that he was going to sentence us both to empty darkness.
How could he be dead?
Josep falls to his knees, then face first on the ground.
And it hits me.
There is only one way to kill a vampire.
Josep didn’t kill Paul.
Paul killed himself and he took Josep with him on the way out.
Everything stops now.
I crash to the ground, all the light gone, and in its place is nothing but Darkness.
“Oh, shit, Ryet! Oh, fucking shit! What did you do?” And that’s the last thing I hear—Syrsee freaking out before everything fades to purple.
To no one’s surprise I find myself in a wintery forest. Paul is sitting on a log in the middle of a clearing, wearing fur, and holding a baby.
“Nice coat,” I say.
He smiles at me. “Yeah. Wolf pelts, not some stupid sheep.”
I don’t even know what to say to that. “OK.”
“Well.” He sighs. “This is it.”
“This is… what?”
“The end.”
I sigh too, then walk over and take a seat next to him. I look down at the baby, then recoil. “Holy fuck. Is that what I looked like when I was born?”
Paul laughs. “No. Of course not. I don’t make ugly things.”
“Then what are you doin’ with it? Because that’s…” I shake my head. “Gross.”
“Come on now, Ryet. It’s a face only a mother could love.” He looks at me. “Or a father.”
I grimace. “Oh, fuck. That’s my baby?”
“Well, he’s part mine too. I was there.”
“And Josep.”
“Yeah.” Paul exhales. Like this was an unavoidable necessity. “But he’s mostly yours. He’s inside Syrsee right now. He can’t be born, you know that, right?”
I nod, pressing my lips together. “Yeah, well, I don’t know what to tell you. I’m not gonna kill Syrsee, no matter how evil that thing is.”
“No, of course not. She already has a plan for it. That’s not why I’m here. It’s you we need to talk about.”
“Me? You’re the one who died. Hey, hold on. If you’re here in the mist, then you’re not dead!”
“Oh, no. I’m dead. I’m not here and neither are you. You’ve been taken over, Ryet. You don’t actually exist anymore.”
“Fun.”
“Don’t worry. Syrsee’s resourceful and has a lot of magic at the moment. She’ll come up with something. So that’s why I’m here. You’re going to live, Ryet. And, unfortunately, you’re…”
I bow my head, so tired. “I’m what?”
“Well, I was going to say the Antichrist, but it’s such a specific title. You’re…”
I look up again. “Evil?”
“Yes.” He points at me. “That’s a given. But it’s more than that. You’re in charge, Ryet. The Earth is your dominion now.”
“What’s that mean?”
“You… rule the whole planet. Which is why I’m here.”
“Hold on, back up.”
“I don’t have time to back up. Syrsee is very busy trying to work her new magic on you, and in a few moments, she’ll succeed and I’ll be gone forever.”
“Wait, what? No. I can find you in the dreamwalk.”
“I’m afraid not. You see, in order to kill Josep, I drank the Black blood. I wanted him to drink me afterward so that he would die. Of course, that’s not enough because the Darkness was inside him. But that was rectified with Echo. Poor girl. But anyway, it all worked out. He gave the Darkness to her to make his own Dark Baby and then he cut it out of her inside that cave—”
“Oh, that was the black sand thing?”
Paul nods.
“Fuck. I ate it.”
“Yes. You did.” Then he smiles. “The part I need to explain is… well.” He looks sad for a moment. “Well, obviously, I could’ve drunk the Black blood at any point in time and ended my existence here on Earth. But I didn’t because I was on a mission. And if I gave up before I succeeded, then I would be damned to Hell.”
“How are you not damned to Hell? I mean, come on. If anyone deserves Hell, it’s you.”
“True. But it’s not my vibe, Ryet. You understand, right?”
“Uhhh, no. I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
“See…” He falters here, trying to find the right words. “That black sand thing you ate, it’s the Darkness. And so, now, well, you’re the Darkness.”
I point to myself.
Paul nods. “Yep. You. And, honestly, it’s not a great gig. I mean, I do enjoy the title. I like that. Ruler of the whole Earth is so much better than King of the American Vampires. And I also enjoy the part where I might’ve saved humanity—question mark? But the waiting, Ryet. It’s been so boring. I knew once World War II was over that it was coming soon. Which is why I made you. I would’ve failed my mission, utterly, if I had let Josep become the Antichrist. Luckily, I figured out the whole feeder thing and you worked out. And even though it has taken forever to arrive here on the edge of Tribulation, here we are, nonetheless. As exciting as that all is, it’s just not enough to give away my shot, ya know? Which is why I didn’t want the job.”