“What’s going to happen when we die? Am I going to go to Hell? I’ve killed people. Not like today. When I was feeding.”
“You’re not human. I don’t know that the laws are the same for you.”
“Did you see any Lurkers in Hell?”
“Some.”
“Then maybe they do. Besides, you’re not exactly human and you’re always saying you’re going to Hell.”
“I’m human enough. Half of me is. I figure that’s enough for a ticket Downtown.”
She holds the torn halves of my shirt together like maybe they’ll heal like skin. They don’t.
“Thanks for showing me a little bit of Hell,” she says. “I’m not as afraid of it anymore.”
“What’s this all about?”
She takes a breath.
“What’s going to happen to us when we die?”
“I don’t know. I never saw any Jades in Hell and no one knows what happens to nephilim.”
“Hmm,” she says like she’s thinking.
I say, “What you really want to know is that after we die, are we ever going to see each other again.”
“Hell didn’t look so bad.”
“Look, I’m just speculating. I don’t even know if either of us has a regular soul.”
“I think if one of us dies and leaves the other alone, that’s fucked.”
I pull her head down onto my shoulder.
“Then let’s not die. Dying’s for losers.”
“Sorry to tell you, tough guy, but I think that includes us.”
I shrug and let her go.
“I don’t have any answers. We’ll have to figure things out as we go along, just like every other asshole on the planet.”
“Okay. But when this is over we’re going to talk about Doc.”
“Oh, good. Something to live for.”
One of the Grays comes over. He’s a little taller and looks a little older than the rest. His hair and short beard are streaked with silver.
“Would you give us a few moments alone, lass?”
Candy kisses my bruised knuckles and goes to sit with Vidocq.
The little man sits down across from me. In the crap light it looks like he’s eating chunks of venison or something. Then I see that he’s cutting up one of Vidocq’s Power Bars with a folding knife.
“Is that good?”
“Passable,” he says. “The priest gave it to me. He’s a funny one. Not as much of a stick up his arse as most of the pope’s curs.”