December 14th, 2030

David sat upright in a grove, a natural clearing of all things green aside from the grass. Five minutes had passed since the otherworldly black being had attacked him and he was saved by a light. Still he hadn’t moved.

The chimney and the campsite hadn’t moved either. The trees hadn’t moved. The ground hadn’t moved. Not even some creature of the forests or a single bird had moved. All was motionless, not a single drop of life out here in this domain of the devil.

That’s what the creature had to have been. A devil. A demon of some kind. It was said that Lucifer was jealous of his master’s beauty, as well as that of mankind, his master’s prized creation. He could come close to matching that beauty—he could take human form—but he couldn’t ever be completely human or completely God. As an imperfect being who’d fallen from his master he could only be a fraction of perfection.

But that was impossible. Even if David did believe in all the lore regarding Christianity, he could never believe that he’d seen an actual demon from hell or been saved by an angel from heaven. It was ludicrous. The kinds of ideas reserved for old men desperately clinging to the hope that God would save them from themselves. David had never quite been able to believe that aspect of his faith, despite John’s insistence.

And yet there he sat, in the midst of a campfire, a survivor of some form of spiritual attack. How else could he explain the torturous pain he’d felt and the sudden relief in the form of a blinding light?

Magic, he thought. Buddha, maybe. But he didn’t believe in the sovereignty of either of those, no offense to Buddha or Wicca. Then again, he didn’t much believe in God’s sovereignty anymore, either.

Something inexplicably strange had just happened, and David sat on the dirt in his jeans gripping a hand that had been seared when he touched the flaming-hot metal of the makeshift grill.

He only realized then that his hand was the only part of him that hurt. It was the only part that had actually been wounded by physical processes: the heat of the metal.

Which only went to prove that the rest of the pain he’d felt had been strictly spiritual. All that gravity crushing the very life out of him from the inside . . . it had definitely been real, but it left no physical traces.

It reminded David of something he’d read once, about how a man had entered another reality in which everything that was normally imperceptible to the human mind had become perceptible. There he’d flown with angels, swam with the supreme being in that place, spoken to the embodiment of evil, and been attacked by its minions.

It was only a story, of course.

Or was it? David’s experience was certainly beginning to open him to new ideas regarding exactly where they were. Why only four hundred thousand people had survived out of seven billion. Why the earth no longer functioned as it should have.

The thoughts chilled his spine.

He heard a rustle from the woods nearby and turned, scooping himself up off the dirt. The dark man had taken his rifle and knife—where had he put them?

David scanned the chimney and the campsite as the rustling grew louder, closer. Frantic, he spun and began throwing the remnants of the fire pit around, shoving the log and tree stump over to see if the rifle was hidden there somewhere.

Nothing. The noises grew louder and David could make them out now: twigs snapping and leaves crunching and branches swaying at the motion of someone chasing, racing through the forest.

Hopeless, David flung himself toward the direction of the noises and waited.

One, two, thr—!

A form emerged from the thicket, covered in pure black.

The shadow!

David tackled it from the side, plowing into a figure smaller than what he remembered of his dark, evil counterpart. He felt wool, too; something else that set this body apart from the shadow-man.

The form grunted at David’s attack and again when she fell to the ground. He could tell it was a she by the voice.

Juliet?

David quickly hurried off her and pushed himself to his feet, offering his hand to the body lying on the ground.

Instead of taking it, she whipped her pistol up in David’s face. Recognition crossed her beautiful blue eyes.

“David?”

It was indeed Juliet, wearing the same black sweater David had completely forgotten she’d been wearing. Mind numb, appalled at himself for doing what he’d just done, David rushed to her side and fell to his knees next to her.

“Juliet, I’m so sorry,” he cried. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight, so tight he thought he may have been choking her. He eased up and pulled her back, hands on her shoulders. “I am so sorry, I should never have left you.”

“David what are you doing here?” she asked, anger and concern and confusion all fighting for a place in her voice. She pulled him close once more and he welcomed it.

He couldn’t tell her. There wasn’t a chance. As much as it may kill him to keep a secret from her, he couldn’t tell Juliet that he’d been kidnapped and attacked by a demon or lunatic or flat-out monster. She’d berate him for leaving in the first place, worry day and night that there was now a second party that wanted him dead, and demand they not continue on to Capital.

Now more than ever, David knew they had to go to Capital. He had to. Whatever was happening that was making the Renegades claim war and causing the crazies to come out of the woodworks was monumental, and there wasn’t anyone who cared enough to deal with it aside from David.

This was his purpose. His redemption, even. As sure as stopping Darrow had been his life’s meaning three years ago, so was finding out everything he could about the Renegades and this new player.

And ultimately, so was stopping them.

Juliet had to understand that. She did understand it, that’s why they’d been trekking through the forest for the past day.

But she wouldn’t and couldn’t understand it if David told her what had just happened. She’d stop everything then and there and decide for him that they both go back to the Morgue, however dangerous that might be.

David would have to keep it secret, despite every bone in his body telling him the woman he loved shouldn’t be kept in the dark about anything.

“David?” Juliet asked, pulling away and searching his eyes.

He returned her concerned gaze and added a bit of gratitude that she’d been able to find him, that she was unharmed.

“You’re okay?” he asked, quickly trying to think of a good story for how he’d managed to get all the way out here. For that, however, he had to know what Juliet knew. He’d screamed out her name before being taken captive. She might have heard and found the place David had fought—rather, been assaulted by—the dark man. May have even seen him be dragged off.

“I’m fine,” Juliet returned, though her voice was far from fine. “I found what looked like an imprint in the ground that fit your body and drag marks. Then . . .”

Her eyes trailed off as well as her voice, looking to her right. Something strange had happened to her too, then! Maybe she would understand after all.

“What next?” David prodded.

Juliet found his eyes again. “I saw a child.”

“A child? Out here in the forest?”

Juliet nodded, lost in the memory. “He only spoke one word to get my attention, then darted off into the woods. I’ve been following him this whole time. He disappeared right into this grove—you didn’t see him?”

It hit David broadside in the face. The child had been the light! He had to have been. The innocence of youth and beauty of the untainted soul would be the perfect form for a pure, good being to take. It made perfect sense.

Unless both of them were caught up in some massive delusion, they’d both had supernatural encounters with opposite ends of the spectrum; David had been attacked by a dark being, and Juliet had been led by a light one to save the man she loved.

Then the child was on their side, and the oily shadow was definitely not. And they were at war with each other. What other explanation could there be for the evil to disappear right when the light appeared?

There was something more to their situation than just being plagued by the Renegades, David decided. Something very supernatural, possibly even spiritual, had just involved itself in their lives, and they were as much a part of the game as the spiritual beings.

David hoped that game didn’t include him chasing down another terrorist.

“No, didn’t see him,” David said, gripping Juliet’s arms tighter.

He still couldn’t tell her about his encounter. Being led by a boy through the forest was one thing; being attacked by a silhouette was another.

“How did you get all the way out here?” Juliet asked. It was clear she wouldn’t believe he’d come out on a simple walk while she was sleeping, which was what he’d planned on telling her. Now he would just have to trust that his heart could make up a good enough explanation.

“I think someone’s messing with us,” he uttered without knowing what he was thinking. It was perfect, though. It addressed what Juliet had seen without mentioning that David had been attacked supernaturally or lying flat-out. When he thought about it, it may have actually been true.

“Why would you think that?” Juliet asked. “What happened to you?”

This was it. The moment of truth where David would have to pray that Juliet wouldn’t be able to read his mind on this one.

“I woke up here,” he said. Again, not a lie, but not the complete truth. “Over there, on that chimney. I think someone’s just having fun with us.”

She glared at him, suspecting something but not ready to accuse him. “You just woke up lying next to a chimney.”

He nodded.

“And what have you been doing all this time?”

“Nothing. I literally just woke up a minute or so ago. I remember walking through the woods before you woke up to make sure we were safe, and then I woke up again.” He rubbed the back of his head for realism. “My skull is pounding.”

Juliet felt the back of his head and pulled her hand away damp. A thin line of blood snaked across her fingers. At least it wasn’t bad.

“A club,” she said, feeling the wound again. “That’d be my guess.”

“Which is why I don’t think it was the Rens. That and the fact that if it had been, we’d probably both be dead by now.”

“Maybe we should turn back, then.”

“Juliet, there’s nothing for us back there aside from a small army of Renegades waiting for us to come back to the Morgue. I know it. The only safe thing for us to do now is to press on. If there is someone in these woods playing tricks on us the best thing is to get out as soon as we can.”

David couldn’t tell if Juliet believed him or not, but she agreed with his logic if not his tale. They weren’t safe as long as they stayed in the forest. That was that.

“You’re probably right,” she finally said. “We should get moving. Whoever keeps up this camp will be back for their meat, I guarantee it.”

David kissed her forehead. “Which way is Southeast?”

Juliet turned her gaze to their right. “That way. We’re still about eight hours away. Do you have the rifle? We’ll need it if we want any meat.”

Though it would be nearly impossible to find any non-diseased land animal, there were a select few who had mastered the art of shooting fish and claiming them for supper, David among them. It left less meat for the consumer, but usually proved far quicker than getting a rod and fishing old-school.

So David was mad at himself for not having the wits about him to make sure the dark man had told him where his gun was.

“I’m sorry,” David told her. “These pranksters must have taken it from me. A gun’s as valuable as gold, even if it is nearly thirty years old.”

Juliet sighed and dropped her head, then raised it again and smiled. “At least we didn’t lose each other.”

David returned the smile and kissed her.

Nine hours passed before they were able to collect themselves, strike out for Capital, and actually achieve their goal. In that time, not once did David feel remorse for having lied to Juliet. At least, he didn’t show that he did.

And Juliet didn’t tell him that she knew he’d lied. She’d seen something in his face whenever he mentioned tricksters just having fun with them, something that she couldn’t place. Considering that she’d lived with the man for three years, it concerned her that there was part of him she couldn’t read.

Whatever had made him lie was something so shocking that David couldn’t possibly admit it for fear that Juliet would stop him right there and worry about the entire mess. In a way, he was trying to protect her as much as himself.

But Juliet didn’t like the idea of David keeping things from her. She assumed that was why he was so silent during their trip, because he was thinking about whatever had happened to him. What could it have possibly been that he would lie to Juliet and then puzzle over it for nine hours? The answer eluded her.

He had to have seen the boy. Juliet had followed the maybe nine-year-old blond for two hours, never coming close enough to make out much of his features. She’d called out repeatedly, of course, wondering if she should be chasing after a boy while David had just been kidnapped, all to no response. She’d just held onto faith and a quiet knowing inside herself that told her she needed to follow the boy.

Then she’d emerged into a clearing only to be tackled by David, who claimed that he’d just woken up himself and they were being toyed with by some loonies out in the woods. The boy was probably with them, he’d said. They just wanted to wail on David and watch Juliet squirm in an attempt to find him.

It was a preposterous idea. Not so preposterous as to not be taken seriously, but there was something else to the incident. The boy hadn’t been some mere bait pulled along by puppeteers in the trees; something else entirely had been at work. Juliet only wished David would tell her what.

Eventually he would, she knew. When he’d figured it all out himself and could tell Juliet in a way that wouldn’t make her worry, he would confess and apologize for lying to her.

For now, however, he simply marched down what had once been Seventeenth Street in Washington, D.C. and hoped to God that he wasn’t shot on sight. Capital was surrounded in a two-mile radius by a kind of wall made from debris and other useless items that had been salvaged from the buildings that hadn’t been completely destroyed, and snipers kept watch from the roofs of whatever buildings were left standing.

They’d entered through the perimeter of Capital only on David’s insistence that he knew how to find and get rid of the Renegade threat for the Centrals. The two guards posted at the west entrance hadn’t liked his casual attitude, but they also knew that the Centrals would do just about anything to get rid of the biggest thorn in their side. They let David pass with strict orders not to veer off the main roads except to get to the Capitol Building.

Juliet remembered the first time they’d been to D.C. together, three years, three months, and five days earlier. It was where she’d discovered she’d been right about David’s affection toward her, and where she’d realized she held the same feelings for him.

Now it was a wasteland, deserted by all the splendor that had once made it a beautiful city. Where street lamps and road signs had stood, only destruction and debris remained. Where the neat grass and perfect, pristine water fountains had been, they were desecrated by chunks of buildings that had fallen into disrepair and come crashing down to the earth. Even the Washington Monument, a symbol of national pride, had come cascading down, littering the lawn behind the White House. The Rose Garden was gone. The Lincoln Memorial was little more than a shelter for the homeless who numbered far too many in this city.

Strangely enough, all that remained was the Capitol Building. Not even the White House stood in all its glory and magnificence.

David headed left onto Constitution Avenue toward the Capitol, where the Centrals conducted their daily business surrounded by a healthy group of twenty or so Centralites, not to mention their private bodyguards.

From nearly six hundred yards out they were spotted by a sniper. A warning shot hit the remains of a car next to David. It was so they would know that if they were there on false pretenses, they could easily be killed or taken prisoner.

David continued the march for a full two minutes before they reached the guard station. Again, two men stationed at the corner of Constitution and Fourteenth asked David what his business was.

The Renegades, he told them. He knew where to find them.

If he was wasting their time—

He knew, they could detain him for disturbing the Centrals. It was important.

They let both of them by without so much as a word to Juliet, though their eyes on her body spoke well enough. She continued at David’s insistence that they couldn’t afford to fight right now.

Twenty minutes later they’d traveled the full mile it took to get from Constitution and Fourteenth to the steps in front of the Capitol Building. It amazed Juliet that the Centrals would want to continue running the world from this place now that there was hardly anyone to call it home.

Five minutes later, after waiting on a Centralite who informed the Centrals of their arrival, David and Juliet entered the very same room the U.S. Congress used to hold their daily sessions in. It was nowhere near the same, of course. Half the room was destroyed, rubble strewn about along the platform directly ahead, and most of the old seats had been annihilated.

But there sat the Centrals, all three of them, each behind a wooden desk in a seated position. Each staring at David and Juliet as if they were inconsequential flies on the wall. These men had been selected to lead the world into a new future, and the darkness of their eyes showed that all they truly cared about now was survival, not maintaining order.

“Speak,” the one in the middle—the one granted slightly more authority than the others—said.

David stepped forward.

Several rifles raised throughout the room, and only then did Juliet notice that there were five bodyguards hidden by draping red curtains along the perimeter.

“Come no further,” the same man said. “We have had many threats on our lives. None succeeded. Neither will yours, if that’s what you intend.”

This man talked differently than the survivors Juliet had sometimes observed in Calmant. He held on to his intelligence from the old world instead of casting it aside and embracing the base ideals many had fallen prey to.

“We mean you no harm,” David said, raising his hands and taking a step back. “We want to help you.”

Discussion broke out between the two Centrals on either side, but only in whispers. The man in the middle held all the power among them.

“I have heard your claims that you can help us with the threat of the Renegades,” the leader said. “I don’t believe them. I have no reason to, therefore I don’t. What do you say to that?”

The arrogance in his voice was obvious. Juliet couldn’t believe she’d actually allowed someone like this to put himself in a position of power. Then again, she’d hardly concerned herself with politics after the world ended.

“I assure you,” David replied, confidence in his voice. “I have a rather unique link to the Renegades.”

This amused all three of the middle-aged, balding men sitting where the Speaker of the House of Representatives used to sit. The one in the middle smirked. The other two were skeptical.

“And what kind of link would that be?” The one on the left asked. His voice was higher, a bit more strained than his leader’s.

“They want me,” David said simply. “They even attacked my home and my wife to try to get to me. We’ve traveled here from what was once Ohio because, quite frankly, I need protection, and you need to deal with the Renegades.”

“And how does protecting you help us deal with the Renegades?” The one on the right asked. The most normal-sounding one of the group.

“They’ll come for me, I guarantee it. You can use me as bait, keeping me in a secure location. The Renegades would never expect me to involve myself with you willingly. They’ll walk straight into a trap if they think I’m being held as a prisoner. When they do, you make your move. You’ll capture one if not more, and once you do I swear they’ll be back with more until eventually you catch or kill them all.”

The plan caught them off-guard. Eyebrows raised and mouths parted and wheels started spinning in their minds, surprised at the simplicity yet effectiveness of the plan. It was a good one, no doubt about it.

“And why should we believe that the Renegades hold you in such high regard?” The leader found his voice again, wringing with mockery. “Are you so much higher than the rest of us that the most elusive and dangerous of men will stop at nothing to obtain you?”

It was a ploy, Juliet saw. They were trying to get David to say that he was indeed the most important man on the planet, which would show that he was just an arrogant man looking for attention. David was smarter than that, however, and came back with a response that surprised even Juliet.

“I’m no one, I must confess,” he said plainly. “But in another life I was someone. Three years ago I was chosen to stop all this . . .” he motioned to the destruction around him. “. . . from becoming reality. But I failed. Now I’m of no more worth than a dull knife that can’t clean a fish. To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t know why the Renegades want me. All I know is that they attacked my wife and I and claimed they would be back for more. I’m offering you your nemesis on a platter. If I’m lying, you’ll lose nothing except the little food and water we require. But if I’m telling the truth, you’ll wipe out the only real resistance that threatens your control as a government.”

It shut them up for a good ten seconds and David turned aside to check Juliet’s reaction. She winked at him, saying without words that it was far more than anyone could have expected. He was using them, of course, but he was masking that fact with noble intentions and false concern for the Centrals’ power. Though it wasn’t exactly a grand start to the relationship, he’d begun manipulating them peerlessly.

A hushed debate broke out among the three old men seated in front of them. Juliet couldn’t hear anything aside from murmurs and the odd word spoken loud enough to be audible.

Finally they shifted and faced David and Juliet again.

“Your name is David Penner?” the leader asked him, drilling him with an expression Juliet couldn’t place.

David nodded. “One and the same.”

“And what’s your price, murderer?” the one on the left asked. They called him murderer because they blamed him for the deaths of their family and friends, no doubt.

“No price,” David replied. “All I ask is a room, food, and water. Protection. Surely you wouldn’t deny that to a man and his wife who are plagued by men who would gladly kill us both.”

“You’ve had death threats before?”

“Can you blame them?” David asked in reply. “You look like you wouldn’t mind gunning me down here and now.

“I had family in Winnipeg.”

David swallowed. “So did I.”

The announcement took the man off-guard. A bit of guilt crossed his face for having been so short, but then he remembered David hadn’t only killed two people. Hate replaced the guilt and made the man a stone wall.

“You do understand what you’re asking for?” the leader asked. He seemed amused at the exchange. “If we were to grant you what you desire, you would be living under our thumb. All those who live in Capital do as we tell them. No more, no less. It would be no different with you.”

“I understand.”

The elder stroked his short white beard. The other two leaned back and followed suit.

“You will have what you desire.”

At this, the other two did not follow suit. Their brows dug down and they immediately shifted their gazes to the leader, who merely held David’s eyes. Juliet couldn’t believe it. They were getting what they wanted.

But David hadn’t mentioned the Judge.

“Thank you.” David gave a grateful nod. “There’s just one thing I’d like to ask of you.”

Now the leader’s brows dug. “Yet you claimed that you wanted nothing from us.”

“Nothing material, no. I’d like permission to look into the Judge, the character who left a note on your message board a few days ago.”

This intrigued all three. They leaned forward slightly, causing all three chairs to creak in tandem. None spoke for a long moment.

“The Judge is merely a man,” the leader said. “A man who has lost his mind and taken to sneaking past our guards and rambling about good and evil. There is no reason to investigate further.”

“He’s suffering from a severe mental illness,” David argued. “The man could lash out at any moment. Think about it; you seem like intelligent men. Ask any one of your guards here.” He motioned to the five rifles and the arms holding them. “They seem well-versed in law enforcement. The insane criminals always have a second side to them. They’re smart. So is the Judge. He could turn into a very serious problem for you.”

“How so?” the one on the right asked.

“If he’s smart, he may turn into one of the first serial killers. The man is disturbed, possibly schizophrenic. You can tell from his letter. Eventually he’s going to take out his resentment toward people on those same people. What kind of panic would result from having a psychotic killer on the loose when your Centralites are supposed to be keeping the people safe from harm?”

They considered it, and it was a good argument. Juliet could see why David had wanted to come here in the first place. He truly excelled at toying with the human mind and figuring out its inner workings. It was no wonder he’d wanted to get some practical use out of those abilities.

And that use had presented itself in the form of the Judge. He was insane. David may be the one person left on the planet who could help him with his madness, and he so wanted to because he had been the cause of it.

Juliet didn’t necessarily agree with his reasoning on the last part, but she couldn’t fault him for wanting to help someone. Whatever he had in mind, she would support him. As long as he gave her kids.

She smiled to herself at that one.

“We agree,” the leader said, breaking the stillness of the room. “But we must stay cautious. One devious project at a time, shall we?”

“If you don’t mind my saying, I think the Judge deserves the attention.”

“Be that as it may, we need you as Renegade bait, assuming your plan will actually work. Once we’ve trapped one of their people, you’ll be free to chase after whatever phantoms you desire.”

David clenched his jaw to keep from saying something foolish. “Then at least let me access your census information. If I can pinpoint when the Judge appeared and correlate it with when someone dropped off the grid due to inexplicable circumstances—”

“No more,” the leader commanded. “We’ve granted you an audience and given you what you want. You will live in what remains of the Library of Congress and be fully guarded at all times. Any attempt to leave, and you will be in breach of our agreement, a charge punishable by death.”

Juliet could hear David’s teeth grinding. He didn’t like this one bit.

“You are dismissed.”

“They’re gone!” Six thundered. His voice carried throughout the entire Morgue, echoing off the empty walls.

Thirteen marched through the graveyard of a hospital to the elevator shaft, where Six landed with a thud on his feet. Had he just jumped from five stories? Idiot. Dust and the remains of dead skin mushroomed when he fell.

“Of course they’re gone,” Thirteen snapped. “You told her you would be back. They’ve found somewhere else to hide. Good going, Six. Now we’ll be lucky if we ever find them.”

Six stormed past her into the reception area, crushing bones and splitting open old corpses as he went. He didn’t even fully know where he was going; he just needed to vent. He slipped a knife from its sheath and twirled it in the air, then slammed in into the far wall when gravity brought it back to his hand.

“Calm down,” Thirteen said. “This isn’t the end.”

“It’s the end for me,” he said. He began marching off down the hallway, toward the exit.

“Where are you going?” Thirteen asked, following after him with greater speed. She caught up to him just outside the hospital and cut him off.

“I’m going back,” he said. “The mission’s over. They’re not here.”

Realization and a new form of excitement she hadn’t felt in quite some time took over her. This was Thirteen’s chance to be rid of him. To go after them without letting her kind know that she’d defected.

“Then go,” she said. “Scurry back to Two and tell him you’ve given up.”

“And you’re going where?” he demanded.

“Anywhere. I’ll check our sources and find them. Trace their trail across the entire continent, if that’s what it takes.”

Six scoffed. “You’re a fool.”

“A fool who knows them better than anyone.”

“Fine then, go off on your fool’s errand and be lost to the wilds, I don’t care. Just don’t expect to receive a warm greeting when you come back and don’t have them in tow.”

Six began storming off for the jungle, but Thirteen stopped him once more.

“When does he think it will be ready?”

The simple sentence made him drop out of his march and stand there, back to his comrade. He stared off into the green space of the jungle for a much longer time than necessary.

“Three days.”

“So soon?”

“One has been guiding him very carefully. I think he wants to go back with him.”

She knew as much already, but if Six or Two ever learned how much Thirteen knew they would be forced to kill her. Loose ends and all that nonsense.

“He can’t take One back with him.”

“I’ll be sure to tell him that.”

Six resumed his march into the jungle and disappeared behind the throng of greenery. Had he meant he would tell One, or Two? Either way, his tone didn’t exactly bring about a great deal of enthusiasm.

Thirteen waited a full two minutes just to make sure he didn’t double back and follow her. The truth was, she was glad to be rid of him, and she knew exactly where she was headed.

She was headed for Capital.

And One was right beside her.