Behind me I could hear little scratching noises and tiny voices whispering, though I couldn’t make out the words. More gnomes. I didn’t want to use up the entire clip on gnomes, so I made a beeline toward the end of the upstairs hallway.
She had been telling the truth about one thing, at least. There was only one door up here, at the end of the hall, which I knew wasn’t the normal setup in house plans, and I remembered Op Nine saying in the briefing at headquarters how some demons can alter reality.
The old Alfred Kropp would have hesitated at that door. Maybe even under these very weird circumstances I would have knocked, but the old me had been scooped out hollow by a demon and the new me wasn’t about to let the same thing happen to Op Nine.
“Saint Michael,” I whispered softly. “Protect me.”
Then I kicked the door right off its hinges.
I whipped the 3XD in an arc, like I’d seen on a hundred cop shows and movies, my left hand gripping my right wrist.
I was standing in a hospital room. The room was empty, the bed neatly made, and the only sound was the TV on its wall mount opposite the bed. The Price Is Right was on. I had been in this room before, and my first thought was, It’s a lie. Don’t panic. It’s another lie. I didn’t know what the deal was with this room, but I didn’t have time to puzzle over it. I had to find Op Nine. I turned, and when I turned she called out to me.
“Alfred.”
I froze. I knew that voice. It had been a long time since I had heard it, but since it was the first voice I had ever heard, I recognized it immediately.
It was a trick. I knew it was a trick and I knew Op Nine was still somewhere in the house and his only hope of survival lay in Alfred Kropp keeping his focus, but something made me turn back. I guess it was hope that made me turn back. I was about to find out they could use that against you too.
The bed wasn’t empty anymore.
“Ah, come on,” I said to the person in the bed. “This isn’t fair.”
“Sit down, Alfred,” Mom said. “We need to talk.”
“I’m not going to sit down,” I said. “I need to find Op Nine.”
“There is no such person. Now stop being silly and sit down.”
“If there’s no such person,” I said, “then how’d I get this?” I showed her the 3XD. My hand was shaking.
“Alfred, you know how.”
I lowered the weapon. I knew the smart thing to do at that point. And the longer I let her talk, the harder the smart thing to do would be, but how does anyone in his right mind blow away his own mother?
I swallowed hard. “You’re going to tell me I’m dreaming.”
“You are dreaming.”
“It’s all been just a horrible dream.”
“Well, of course it has. You fell asleep, Alfred, sitting right in that chair.”
“And I’m really twelve years old and you’re still alive.”
“Of course, my darling.”
Tears shone in her ey
es and I looked away. I always looked away when she cried. I couldn’t take it.
“That’s mean,” I whispered. “That’s really mean. That’s stepping over the line.”
I sank into the chair beside her bed and leaned over, my elbows on my knees, the 3XD now hanging loosely in my hand.
“Alfred, I’m all you have.”
“Stop it,” I said.