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Authors: Christopher Farnsworth
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mouth.
“I get my own meals,” he said.
Cade turned and walked down the tunnel again.
Zach shoved down the bile in his throat. He can’t touch you, Griff said. Push back.
“What, you don’t offer me some?” he called after Cade. “Nice manners, dude.”
Cade kept walking, silent. But Zach felt like he’d won a major victory anyway. He hurried to keep up.
AFTER ANOTHER twenty yards or so, the passage opened into a much wider tunnel—like a freeway underpass. Sitting on a cobblestone floor was an anonymous, late-model government sedan. Zach could have requisitioned it from the White House motor pool.
It was comforting, with all the deep weirdness he’d already experienced. But he still had to make a comment. “Not exactly an Aston Martin, is it?”
“We don’t want to attract attention,” Cade said.
“Does it at least have a smoke screen?”
“It has specially treated windows that block all UVA and UVB rays, and certain wavelengths of the visible spectrum.”
“Wow. Sexy.”
“Get in the car, Mr. Barrows.”
Inside, Cade waited for Zach to put on his seat belt before he started the engine.
“You know, you can call me Zach.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Have I done something to offend you?” Zach asked.
“No,” Cade said. The sedan made its way down the tunnel, headlights on.
“You just seem like you don’t like me.”
“I don’t know you.”
Zach felt compelled to defend himself He thought he’d already been judged and found wanting. “Look, we’re going to be stuck together, so we might as well get along.”
Cade shook his head ever so slightly. “We might not be stuck with each other long.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“If you’re not careful, you’ll be dead in a matter of days.”
Zach thought about that for a few seconds. “You’re nothing but rainbows and lollipops, aren’t you?”
Cade didn’t reply.
They emerged from a maintenance tunnel for the Metro, not far from the Mall. Cade steered them onto 1-295, toward Baltimore.
After a few more minutes of nothing but the sound of tires on the road, Zach decided to try wedging open the conversation again.
“I guess crosses don’t really work on you guys, do they?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well ... that’s just something from the movies, right?”
“No,” Cade said. “They hurt.”
“But you’re wearing one. Around your neck.”
“Yes. I am.”
“I thought you said they hurt vampires.”
“I did. They do.”
Zach waited. Nothing else.
“Christ,” Zach said, under his breath.
Cade heard. “Don’t blaspheme. Please.”
Somehow the “please” made it more irritating.
“You religious or something?”
“Yes.”
Long pause. “But you’re a—”
“Yes, we established that. Someone has to protect the meek until they can inherit the Earth.”
“You know, you’re not explaining a whole hell of a lot here.”
A slight pause. “It will help considerably if you listen the first time,” Cade said.
“Ah, bite me.” Then Zach remembered who he was talking to. “That was a joke,” he said quickly.
Cade ignored that. “There’s a whole secret history to this country, Mr. Barrows. Believe me when I say you don’t know the first thing about it.”
Something in Cade’s tone really rankled Zach. So he decided to ask the question that had been bouncing around in the back of his head all night.
“In that case, where were you on 9/11?” he asked. “Seems like someone with your talents should have been able to stop a bunch of guys with box cutters.”
Cade stared at Zach from the driver’s seat, really looking at him for the first time since the Reliquary. In the reflected light from the road, his face looked like a skull.
VAMPIRE RECALL IS PERFECT. Unlike human memory, every experience—every sight, sound, feeling or smell—is recorded exactly as it happened. There is no circuit breaker, like the one in the human brain that prevents people
“I get my own meals,” he said.
Cade turned and walked down the tunnel again.
Zach shoved down the bile in his throat. He can’t touch you, Griff said. Push back.
“What, you don’t offer me some?” he called after Cade. “Nice manners, dude.”
Cade kept walking, silent. But Zach felt like he’d won a major victory anyway. He hurried to keep up.
AFTER ANOTHER twenty yards or so, the passage opened into a much wider tunnel—like a freeway underpass. Sitting on a cobblestone floor was an anonymous, late-model government sedan. Zach could have requisitioned it from the White House motor pool.
It was comforting, with all the deep weirdness he’d already experienced. But he still had to make a comment. “Not exactly an Aston Martin, is it?”
“We don’t want to attract attention,” Cade said.
“Does it at least have a smoke screen?”
“It has specially treated windows that block all UVA and UVB rays, and certain wavelengths of the visible spectrum.”
“Wow. Sexy.”
“Get in the car, Mr. Barrows.”
Inside, Cade waited for Zach to put on his seat belt before he started the engine.
“You know, you can call me Zach.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Have I done something to offend you?” Zach asked.
“No,” Cade said. The sedan made its way down the tunnel, headlights on.
“You just seem like you don’t like me.”
“I don’t know you.”
Zach felt compelled to defend himself He thought he’d already been judged and found wanting. “Look, we’re going to be stuck together, so we might as well get along.”
Cade shook his head ever so slightly. “We might not be stuck with each other long.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“If you’re not careful, you’ll be dead in a matter of days.”
Zach thought about that for a few seconds. “You’re nothing but rainbows and lollipops, aren’t you?”
Cade didn’t reply.
They emerged from a maintenance tunnel for the Metro, not far from the Mall. Cade steered them onto 1-295, toward Baltimore.
After a few more minutes of nothing but the sound of tires on the road, Zach decided to try wedging open the conversation again.
“I guess crosses don’t really work on you guys, do they?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well ... that’s just something from the movies, right?”
“No,” Cade said. “They hurt.”
“But you’re wearing one. Around your neck.”
“Yes. I am.”
“I thought you said they hurt vampires.”
“I did. They do.”
Zach waited. Nothing else.
“Christ,” Zach said, under his breath.
Cade heard. “Don’t blaspheme. Please.”
Somehow the “please” made it more irritating.
“You religious or something?”
“Yes.”
Long pause. “But you’re a—”
“Yes, we established that. Someone has to protect the meek until they can inherit the Earth.”
“You know, you’re not explaining a whole hell of a lot here.”
A slight pause. “It will help considerably if you listen the first time,” Cade said.
“Ah, bite me.” Then Zach remembered who he was talking to. “That was a joke,” he said quickly.
Cade ignored that. “There’s a whole secret history to this country, Mr. Barrows. Believe me when I say you don’t know the first thing about it.”
Something in Cade’s tone really rankled Zach. So he decided to ask the question that had been bouncing around in the back of his head all night.
“In that case, where were you on 9/11?” he asked. “Seems like someone with your talents should have been able to stop a bunch of guys with box cutters.”
Cade stared at Zach from the driver’s seat, really looking at him for the first time since the Reliquary. In the reflected light from the road, his face looked like a skull.
VAMPIRE RECALL IS PERFECT. Unlike human memory, every experience—every sight, sound, feeling or smell—is recorded exactly as it happened. There is no circuit breaker, like the one in the human brain that prevents people
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