41

IT TOOK HOURS OF CAREFUL AVOIDANCE, BUT Daniel made his way to the broken field outside of Father John’s church. Unlike Rooftops, this field was clear. The Super Saver squatted at the far end of the field, solid, safe. Candlelight twinkled through a gap in the curtains along the one high, narrow window set in the western wall, barely visible in the late morning light.

Daniel sprang from his hiding place and ran.

The rear of the store-turned-church was closest. He ignored the trucks parked there and mounted the loading dock, two steps at a time, praying that the back door was open. It was. He was safe. But not alone. The long hallway flickered with guttering torches. At the end, beyond the double doors, a baby was crying. Enola.

He slowed down, resisting the urge to call out to Fen, and eased his way down the hall. The doorways to the left and right were dark and empty. The second to last door swung open and a tall man stepped out, dressed in a dark monk’s robe, hood pulled back, face streaked, pink and yellowed gray. Daniel froze. The man was wearing makeup to conceal the telltale scars from Delta Fever. A syringe in his hand caught the light.

“Ah, you’ve found me in disarray, I’m afraid. I’ve been cleaning, you see.” He wiped a sleeve across his face, smearing the rest of the concealing makeup in a grotesque streak on his forehead. “Welcome, my son,” the man said brightly. “All God’s children are welcome here.”

Daniel hesitated. “I’m looking for Fen.”

Confusion flickered across the scarred face. He gave Daniel a once-over, and his face brightened. “An outlander. Yes? Is that an encounter suit? What a wonderful invention. Would that they had had them when I first came to Orleans.” He chuckled. “Never mind that, though. Come along, we were just about to get started.”

The priest turned back through the double doors.

Daniel followed him. “Fen?”

Enola was there at the altar, a machine next to her warming up with the help of a small generator. He stared. It was a dialysis machine, designed to clean blood. Or harvest it.

Before Daniel could react, a dull pain pounded at his temple, and everything went black.