“If it’s any consolation, they’ve gone to a better place. I know it makes me feel better when I think of my parents.” She laid her hand gently on his arm again.
Sam shook it off angrily. “The difference between you and me is that you will see your loved ones again. I won’t. Not ever.” He was aware that his voice was rising, but he didn’t care. Nearby, Joshua was wisely keeping out of it.
“I’m … sorry,” said Grace, looking slightly hurt. “I didn’t know.”
He stood up quickly, feeling the familiar sensation of frustration building in him. “I told you this morning. I won’t be let into Heaven. That means I will never see them again. Do you get it?” he shouted.
At his feet, Grace was beginning to recoil in fear and shock. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by embarrassment and self-loathing. This poor girl had suffered enough. Why was he treating her like this?
He picked up his swords. Still too angry to apologise, he stalked off into the early morning light.
Sam re-joined the others just as the sky was starting to darken again. He’d spent the day meditating and training; anything to take his mind off his loss. He knew Grace had meant well and was deeply sorry for the way he’d shouted at her.
Joshua was just rousing himself when Sam trudged in to their small campsite. He saw the other boy quickly pull down the long sleeve of his shirt. Sam saw the flash of a white bandage, wrapped around his right wrist.
“What have you done?” asked Sam, indicating Josh’s arm.
Josh looked embarrassed. “Cut myself when I was off collecting firewood, didn’t I. Silly really.”
“Do you want me to have a look at it? Hikari made me study a lot of first aid.”
“No, it’s fine, really,” he said, shaking his head.
“Fine, but don’t let it get infected. We’ve still got a long way to go and we’re in the middle of no-where.”
Josh smiled. “Sure. Thanks, Sam.”
He went searching for Grace and found her tending the horses. She looked startled when she saw him, then pointedly turned her back. Careful not to get too close to the horses, he stood behind her, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. He’d never really been good at apologising.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I’m sorry for scaring you.”
“You should be.” She looked angry. “I was only trying to help.”
“I know. I won’t let it happen again.”
That mollified her a little. Her face softened. “Ok,”she said, giving him a grudging smile. “Apology accepted.”
He smiled back, deciding he really liked Grace. She was a good person. Exactly the sort of person whom he had been left behind to protect. In his travels so far, he had met a lot of them. There was Adam and many of the Black Ridge survivors, Big Tom and his sons and Grace of course. If he had found this many in such a short time, then it stood to reason that there were many more out there that needed his help.
This was worthwhile. This was what he was here to do. This was what Gabriel had in mind for him all along. The thought made him feel much better. Even the harsh pain of losing Hikari and Aimi was starting to recede slightly. Grace was right; he had to take comfort in the thought that they had gone somewhere better and stop thinking about his own suffering for once. He’d been selfish for so long, it was about time he started thinking about others for a change.
He was beginning to come to terms with what he was and what he had to do. Perhaps, he reflected, it was a sign of maturity.
Then he smiled to himself. Fat chance.
The next few days and nights passed uneventfully. Sam felt good, adapting easily to the routine and the pace he was setting. In other circumstances, he would be enjoying himself. He couldn’t say the same about the others though. Both Joshua and Grace looked tired. They had saddle sores. Grace was coughing. The thin layer of ash covering the ground was constantly disturbed by the passage of the horses, irritating her throat.
They’d crossed over Lake Mead the day previously. The water levels were extremely low and they’d easily found a shallow part covered by sluggish grey ash foam. The water was dirty and disgusting, coming up to the flanks of the horses. Sam had to wade through it with his swords above his head. Afterwards, Grace had spoken endlessly about needing a bath. Sam didn’t blame her, but at least she hadn’t had to get into the water like him.
They passed the town of Meadview without incident. Even from a distance, it looked deserted. With his excellent night vision, Sam could see that there wasn’t even any traffic and the roads looked strangely clear.
They hugged the shore of Lake Mead, just inside the state border. The map told them that it marked the boundary between Arizona and Nevada. Las Vegas wasn’t far away. They kept following the Lake, despite the smell that was rising from it. It smelt of rot and decay. Corruption.
After a day, they’d all had enough of the smell. Eventually, they discovered a road and with an unspoken agreement, started following it. They hadn’t seen a single soul and the road was completely empty, leading them up a ridge line where it intersected with a state highway. The sign informed them that Vegas was only twenty miles away.
Sam began to get nervous. He really didn’t know what to expect when they reached the city. Big Tom had told them that there was a semblance of order there. He’d been in contact with groups of survivors who said that the city was functioning almost normally.
Something about this seemed strange to Sam. Why would Vegas be immune to the effects of the Tribulation? How were they coping with the nightly invasion of demons? When he’d studied the route he was to take to get to Los Angeles, Sam had done some research into Vegas. It had a large number of churches. Surely, more churches meant more demons?
Big Tom had also told him that the roads were meant to be clear. Hopefully, he and the others could beg or borrow a car to take them to Los Angeles — providing of course, they could find some gas for the tank.
Los Angeles. His ultimate destination. Sam had been trying not to think about it. He didn’t know what he was going to do when he got there. How was he meant to find the Antichrist? Just walk down the street and say ‘Hello. Excuse me, but could you please point me in the direction of the son of the Devil? I want to kill him.’ It all seemed rather far-fetched.
They crossed over the border and into Nevada. Beneath them was Boulder City, lying on the outskirts of Vegas. Like every other town they had seen recently, it was deserted. The contrast between the lifeless, lightless Boulder City and what lay on the horizon however, was emphasized by the dark night.
It was Vegas, glowing like a jewel. Every light in the city seemed to be on. An oasis of light in the otherwise dark countryside. No-one spoke a word as they walked towards it, captivated by the thought of civilisation.
The bright lights of Vegas beckoned.
10
7 WEEKS EARLIER
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
1 Corinthians, 15:52
The sounds of laughter carried easily on the still night air within Devil’s Garden. The full moon illuminated the clearing where the group of teenagers sat around a small fire, their happy, smiling faces glowing in the warm light.
Sam sat a small distance away, perched atop a rock spire above them, the shadow from another spire effectively concealing him. Watching, listening and feeling decidedly miserable. Amongst the group were Aimi and her friends from the cheerleading squad. Joshua and some of his team mates, most of whom Sam recognized, were sitting amongst them.
He desperately wanted to go down there and join them but knew that he wouldn’t be welcome. Aimi would want him there, he told himself, but as for the others …. Even Joshua was now slightly cool towards him after the incident at the football game. Sam had tried to patch things up with him, even venturing to Father Rainey’s house, but he could tell that the other boy was slightly wary of him now.