“Can I have some more, please?”
Sam passed the pan of snake and beans over the fire to her. Grace took it and ladled some more onto her small bowl. She smiled gratefully at Sam and put the pan back on the makeshift stand above the fire.
It was good to see her talking properly and Sam had noticed that she’d actually smiled once or twice. Despite what she’d been through, Sam thought she was going to be alright.
They were three days out from Bryce Valley city now. By Sam’s estimates, he reckoned they’d covered maybe sixty miles; pretty good going really, but they still had maybe another week to go until they got to Las Vegas.
“Where do you think we are now?” he asked Joshua.
Josh, his mouth full of food, consulted the map lying open next to him. He frowned at it and swallowed. “I think we must be in Arizona.”
“You think? I’m hoping you can do better than that.”
A flash of annoyance crossed Josh’s face. “Ok, I think those trees in the distance to the east are the start of the Grand Canyon National Park. I think those towns we saw yesterday were Kanab and Fredonia. Kanab’s still in Utah and Fredonia is in Arizona. I’d say that would put us firmly in Arizona.”
Sam nodded and peered in the direction Joshua had mentioned. Sure enough, despite the fading light, he could just make out a line of dull greenery well past the ash-covered red and white soil of the canyon area they were in.
They were camped in a ravine which was almost completely devoid of any vegetation. It was sheltered enough that their fire wouldn’t draw unwanted attention, and they’d found enough dead branches though to make a small one. The fire itself was only used for food preparation — it was far too hot for anything else. That was part of the reason that they only travelled at night. During the day, the heavy cloud cover kept the heat in, making travelling unpleasant.
Their routine was well established by now. They’d have a cooked meal as the sun went down, travel through the night and sleep when the sun came up. Most of the time, they tried to shelter in caves, careful of snakes that seemed to be the only thriving form of animal. At least they wouldn’t go hungry — snake meat was surprisingly tasty.
Water was a problem and they’d had to ration it out carefully, ensuring that the horses also got a share. Some of the streams, clogged by ash, had dried up completely. Luckily, Big Tom had supplied them with several quarts.
Sam stood and stretched, feeling good despite his lack of sleep. Meditation would have to suffice for now — he didn’t want to risk sleeping and there was no-where to draw a pentacle in this terrain. His body still felt strong and fit. All that running he had done in Jacob’s Ladder was certainly paying off. He’d found it was easy to keep pace with Joshua and Grace on horseback. They’d often had to slow to a trot or a walk to navigate around the canyons which Sam found frustrating. By himself, he was sure he could’ve moved much quicker. He consoled himself with the knowledge that Joshua would be able to help him when they got to Las Vegas. And Grace? Grace was just another human in need who desperately wanted to find some of her family in L.A. He couldn’t deny her.
A cooler breeze was rolling in from the west. It felt so good that without thinking, he turned and lowered his hood. When he turned back to the fire, Grace was looking at him. More to the point, she was looking at the horns on his head. Strangely, she did not seem scared.
“What are you?” she asked calmly.
Sam wasn’t sure what to say. He’d never encountered this sort of reaction before.
“He’s half-demon,” said Josh, looking up from his meal.
“Aren’t you scared?” Sam asked.
“Why would I be? If you wanted to kill me, you could’ve done it by now. Or not bothered to rescue me.” She shrugged. “Either way, I’d be dead. Besides, I already suspected you weren’t what you appeared to be. I saw the way you moved when you took out the leader of that gang. No human could’ve possibly moved that fast. Why are you half-demon?”
Sam swallowed hard and clenched his fingers. “Because my mother was raped by a demon.”
“Oh.” She looked surprised and slightly taken aback by that response.
“And what about you?” asked Joshua. “You’ve been on the road with us for three days and hardly spoken a word. Who were those people at the barricade?”
Grace looked away for a moment. When she looked back, tears were gleaming in her eyes. “They were my aunty and uncle,” she said.
“I’m sorry,” said Sam, and he truly felt it. “What happened to your mom and dad?”
She wiped her nose. “They were taken.”
“Taken?” asked Josh.
Grace jerked her head upwards. “You know. Taken.”
“Not by demons then?” asked Sam. “Your parents were religious? They went up in the Rapture?”
Grace nodded.
“Why not you?” asked Joshua.
“I could ask you the same question,” she retorted. “Clearly, I didn’t believe.”
Grace had brought up something Sam had wanted to ask Joshua for some time. He’d just not had a chance. Now seemed perfect.
“And why not you?”Sam asked Joshua. “Of all people, I thought you would be taken by the Rapture.”
Joshua’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you assume that just because my uncle’s belief was strong, mine would be too? My uncle made me read the Bible every night, but I just didn’t believe it. It’s as simple as that. I didn’t have any faith.” He ended with a sour look on his face.
“And what about now? Do you believe now?”
Josh smiled. “How could I not when it’s been thrust in my face?”
Sam turned to Grace. “You?”
She nodded. “Bit late now though. What about you?” she asked Sam.
“Of course. My faith has always been strong. Probably stronger than any others given that I’ve known what I am from an early age. Where there are demons, there are angels. That means there’s always been a hell and a heaven. Where do you think I’d rather go?”
“Why didn’t you go there? To heaven, I mean.” Grace looked puzzled and Sam could understand why. Faith was obviously a very simple thing for her; you either believed or you didn’t.
Sam clenched his jaw and refused to look at her. “Because demons aren’t allowed in Heaven.”
She looked surprised by that. “Did … did you lose anyone else to the Rapture?”
“Yes,” he said grimly.
Without another word, he began packing up their gear.
Sam ran harder than usual that night, as if he was trying to outpace his memories. Grace had made him think more about Hikari and Aimi than he’d wanted and it hurt. The pain in his chest had nothing to do the strenuous pace he set.
The others followed behind on horseback, struggling to keep up as they made their way through canyons and stunted, dead vegetation. They were slowly descending off the plateau and the going was gradually getting easier. They’d made good progress.
Through the night, Sam thought he’d glimpsed Astaroth in the sky a couple of times. He wasn’t that concerned though; from what Big Tom had told him, he was not worried about a large, concerted demon attack. According to the map, there simply was not another town — or church — for miles.
The light got brighter and Sam finally brought them to a stop near a small, rocky outcropping. As he was preparing his bedroll, he felt a light touch on his arm.
“Who was she?” asked Grace.
His immediate angry response died in his throat when he saw her earnest, caring expression. He took a deep breath. “Her name was Aimi,” he said.
“You loved her.” It wasn’t a question; merely a statement of fact.
Sam nodded mutely. “The Rapture took my foster-father, too.”