“There must be something wrong with the blaggovite,” Craetis insisted.
Kid stared into Treycore’s eyes. Tears curved through Treycore’s dimples. He couldn’t lose him. Not like that. He wanted to spend Kid’s life with him. He wanted to spend an eternity with him. And yet, time was being cruelly ripped from them by that fucking cunt.
“I love you,” Treycore said.
If he was going to lose him, he at least wanted him to know how he felt.
Kid gritted his teeth, as if enduring immense pain. “I…love…”
Vera snatched the blaggovite’s tail, digging her nails into its flesh. Kid’s eyes sealed shut. He squealed and leapt onto the desk. His arms flailed about, like he was trying to crawl across it, but he fell face-forward, his cheek sliding across his own vomit.
The door to the office burst open. A sword sliced through Craetis's neck. Flurries of red rushed across Treycore’s back, painting the floor as Craetis’s flat face went soaring through the air and landed beside Vera on the desk.
Kinzer stood in the doorway, a sword in hand. Blood streamed down his face and drenched his shirt. Deter and Mika rushed for the door. Another quick swing of Kinzer’s sword and Mika's and Deter's heads dropped to Kinzer’s feet, bathing the floor in red.
“It's over, bitch,” Kinzer said, staring Vera down.
“So it is,” she said, arching her eyebrow and taking a step toward Kid.
“Get away from him!” Treycore shouted as he scrambled to his feet, his wrists still bound behind him.
He knew what she was going to do—what she felt she had to do. And he wasn’t going to lose his Kid. Not like that.
“Stop her!”
“I guess I'll just take this with me,” she said, stroking the back of her palm across Kid’s cheek.
“No!” Treycore charged at her.
She winked. “See you in Hell.” And with that, she and Kid vanished.
Treycore froze, paralyzed by the terror of having lost the only thing in the universe that ever truly mattered to him.
***
“Hey,” Kinzer said.
Maggie started to come to. She didn’t look much better than she had when he’d found her in the hospital. Her red, swollen eyes were like rubies in her shriveled skull. Her hair looked as if it’d just been pried from a garbage disposal. It‘d been several hours since she’d birthed the Christ. Kinzer and Treycore had tended to her injuries, stitched her rips, and taken her to the nearest hotel. Kinzer had been waiting attentively for her to stir, and she finally had.
“Feeling better?” Kinzer asked, a pleasant smile spread across his face.
“I feel like a wolf chewed its way out of my vagina!” she barked.
Kinzer’s smile widened.
“I don’t know what you’re fucking cheery about! I just had a baby that’s gonna wipe out humanity.”
“Just happy to see that you’re okay.”
“Okay?” she asked. “I may never walk again, but other than that, I guess you can call it okay.”
“Anything I can get for you?”
“I don’t think you immortals really get this concept, but I’ll tell you exactly what you better fucking get me…right now! You ready? You need to write this down?”
Kinzer listened carefully, awaiting specific instructions.
“Pain…killers!”
