Chapter Forty-One
“It’s a girl!”
Darwin, Steve and Teddy all heard the statement at the same time. The voice was familiar to Steve and Darwin. Lynda Aspen had found a way to punch a message though and everyone heard it.
“A girl?” Darwin said slowly. “He’s coming?”
“What does it mean?” Steve asked.
“Everything we know is wrong,” Darwin said.
The corridors of city hall were absent and Darwin wasn’t sure if he would find Tara and Slade in his office, but his instinct said yes. Walking quietly the trio slowly opened the door and found the office empty with nothing out of place other than the Power of One shattered on the floor.
“I liked that picture,” Darwin commented.
“That picture reminds me of Shawn’s place,” Steve added.
“Hey Tara! You here?” Darwin shouted.
For a moment, they heard nothing and then came a slight rustling from the private bedroom. The door knob rattled and then it opened. Tara emerged wearing a dress shirt but nothing else.
“Darwin! I’m so embarrassed for you to find me like this. I hope you don’t mind I used your bedroom?” she asked.
“You already have, so why ask now,” Darwin stated as an obvious point. “Where’s Slade, I must talk to him?”
“He’ll be back soon. Is it me or do you guys smell different?” she asked as she slid behind her old desk.
“I went to the afterlife, and I’ve learned a few things. Marta was not carrying Se Venire,” Darwin said sternly.
“Afterlife…that sounds fun!” Tara commented like a dismissive mother. “So, who was she carrying?”
“I don’t know, but I must see Slade before he leaves town, he might be able to help.”
“I’m right here little man, what do you want to know?” Slade asked with his absorbed vocals and his trademark smoke cloud following him from the hallway.
“Marta’s baby was a girl so she can’t be Se Venire!” Darwin said.
“Well, I guess we’ll keep waiting, then. Sooner or later he’s bound to show up, and I’ll be there!” Slade said light-heartedly.
“Did you two fuck?” Steve asked, being perceptive enough to recognize the spring in their steps.
“Hell yeah!” Slade announced, swinging his feet into the air as he rested his butt on the desk. He laughed at the revelation.
“That’s a good thing,” Teddy admitted with a grin.
“Look guys, I don’t know why Marta had a baby girl. It’s all guess work, when she comes out of the gate maybe then we’ll know why. All we can do is listen for the signs that the other world gives us,” he said, shaking the black box with the ear before placing it on the desk. Slade moved around to give Tara a kiss on her neck like she had done to him.
“The gate won’t open. We destroyed the key,” Darwin said plainly.
“What?” Slade said bringing his attention back slowly. “How did you manage to do that?”
“We killed everyone. The whole town is gone. It was the only way to close the gate and prevent Marta from coming through. You yourself said it was the amount of werewolves that was opening the gate!” Darwin said.
“How? Why?” Tara asked as she quickly broke out in perspiration.
“There was no choice! We were used—I was used! If I had allowed Marta and the baby to come, the world would have been lost. There would have been no food left anywhere for us. The pain of withdrawal…can you imagine that life? Our life in New Haven was over and none of us realized it. We opened the gate to Hell and there was no reward for it. We had to do the right thing and put an end to it. We used Slade’s infection, infused with some silver nitrate, mixed with fetus,” he admitted.
“You killed everyone who was important to you!” She screamed.,“How could you!”
“That’s not true,” Darwin admitted briefly, casting his eye towards Steve.
Slade moved over to Darwin as though he was going to hit him but he stopped. He took a strong whiff and looked at Darwin, “what is that smell?”
“We found a cure.”
“Where? I want it!” Slade demanded.
“Essence of imp. The imp restores condition. On Earth it restored ours to human but we can’t get anymore! It’s in the afterlife and the gate is closed. I’m sorry,” Darwin pleaded. “We had to cure ourselves. We couldn’t work with the poisoned fetus without a cure. It was a drug and we were all addicts!”
“You cured yourselves. The people who saw it as a gift chose to cure themselves leaving me to suffer!” he burst out with traces of smoke drifting into Darwin’s face.
“This gate is closed, but I know we can find a way to the other side. Let us help you!” Darwin implored.
“Mister Slade, I’ve been there and I know how to harvest imps. I can do this for you,” Steve insisted. “What’s a little more time?”
“An eternity!” he screamed. “They promised me! Se Venire will arrive—I promise you!” Slade roared, shoving Steve away from him and causing the small human to fall onto the broken Doolittle. Slade morphed as he darted down the hall, howling the chant of the hunt. His bitch followed close behind, glaring at Darwin one final time with her colored orbs.
Darwin let the two go. His heart radiated coldness throughout his body. He immediately bolted to Steve’s side and it was clear that he had been hurt. Putting his hand underneath him, he could feel glass from the frame sticking out of his back. The joy of touching blood was absent and it sickened him to feel it cooling between his fingers.
Steve coughed blood from his mouth as his heart leaked. He uttered his last words, “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said quietly as he wept, kissing him gently as his soul left his body.
Teddy gently placed his hand on Darwin’s shoulder with his guilt returning in waves. He wept openly.
What more was there?
