Fire and Ash (Benny Imura 4)

Lilah said, “What about Chong? Will this . . . I mean will Archangel . . . ?”

The doctor shook her head. “There’s no way to tell. It’s going to be different for every infected person. There will always be a risk.”

She sighed and rubbed her tired eyes.

“I’m exhausted,” she said. “I need to sit down and—”

“No!” growled Lilah as she grabbed a bag of capsules and glared at McReady. “We have to find my town boy. Right now.”

81

BROTHER PETER ENTERED A LONG, dismal chamber lined on both sides with iron-barred cells. All the cells were empty save one. The thing in the cage glared out at him from behind strings of matted black hair. His eyes were dark and bottomless. Pale lips curled back to reveal wet teeth.

“Hello, little brother,” he said. “Why do they have you in here? What sin have you committed that they’ve locked you away like an animal?”

The thing in the cage growled. It was an animal sound with no trace of humanity. There were gnawed bones on the floor, and its metal water dish was battered and twisted.

“Looks like he’s about to cross over,” observed one of the Red Brothers. “You want to leave him or let him go?”

The creature in the cage murmured a single word. “Hungry . . .”

“Still alive,” said the Red Brother.

“Then he’s still a sinner,” said Brother Peter as he turned to leave. “Send him into the darkness. Do it quickly, then bring the rest of the Red Brothers. I want to make sure that the sinners in the medical center have been dealt with.”

The reaper nodded and bowed as Brother Peter left.

There was a ring of keys on the wall, and the reaper fetched them and tried several before finding the one that unlocked the right cell. He drew a long knife and opened the cell door.

“Best to just let it happen, little brother,” said the reaper. “All your pain will be over soon.”

Screams filled the whole cell block.

82

“THE HOLDING CELLS ARE RIGHT through here,” said Joe as he led the way.

“Why’d they put the boy in the cells?” asked McReady. “There were three or four beds left upstairs.”

“They didn’t want us to see that the whole staff was infected,” said Nix.

Joe nodded. “You know Jane Reid, Monica. She’s addicted to secrets.”

He turned the last corner and suddenly stopped dead as if he’d struck a wall. Then he took two clumsy steps backward.

Benny and Nix stared in abject horror. They all stared at Joe.

At his stomach.

“No . . . ,” whispered McReady.

A knife was buried nearly to the hilt in Joe Ledger’s stomach. Blood pumped out of the wound and poured down the front of the ranger’s body.

A figure stepped out of the side passage.

Grimm barked in fear and surprise.

Nix screamed.