Page 28 (1/2)

Felix’s disgust started kicking in when he had to shut down the Antwar Saloon

He had to do it It would delay his return to the hospital, but he couldn’t have his custo innocently around the place while va for the owner

No He had to do it And it only took half an hour

But then, sitting there at his desk, with his closing note to his e to him The waste The whole, useless, worthless ot to him Dammit! It wasn’t like he hadto have to lose even that? Shit

Jack Crow and the Crusaders Noble and brave and tough and all the rest of it

But losers Losers because they were losing

No way they were going toto stop the vampires at that hospital Witnesses? Hell, the vampires wouldn’t care and, anyould believe it? And ould believe it after seeing it? A couple of days later - with everyone treating them like they were nuts - and even the eyewitnesses would think they had iined it

The ones that lived, anyway

Shit

Crow loses - what is it? Six, seven oes to Roood ood In fact

But he was still just one guy Crow shoulda brought back twenty men, all priests, and a bishop of his own

But he didn’t He didn’t do a lot of things and because of that they were all gonna die

He turned in his desk chair and looked out the picturethat overlooked the bar Only it was dark in the bar now The only thing he could see in the glass was his own face, in the reflection fro to die

"You’re going to die," he said out loud "Tonight"

Shit It didn’t even sound drah

If it was anybody else but Annabelle Well, if it was her, of course, Davette, he’d have to do it And odda to lose

And the va fuckers were going to keep at it That really riled hi here, in his bar, while his waitresses and bartenders served them because they didn’t know That was the deal These miserable bastards would be treated as real live people by those who didn’t know Like they really weren’t scued to the company of mankind, instead of of what? What did they really deserve?

Sewage

"I’ain

And then he turned back to his desk and wrote what he hoped was a legal docuht Then he put it in an envelope, labeled it "Last Will and Testament," and shoved it in the back of his checkbook They’d find it

Lousy Croith his sa ? Because the only thing worse than letting the va to them first

Shit!

He stepped away from his desk and looked around his rooraphs on the wall, soh to leave behind after thirty-odd years

Well then fuck it

Fuck it!

At least he’d make daain into the glass laughed

Talk about your saot lost in the vast co to find a new route from where he’d parked the motorhome It took hin for ICU/EMERGENCY Below the sign, on a couch against the wall, were Cat and Davette Ada

"What?" he called out, tripping toward them

Davette lifted her face froht and tears streaked her cheeks

"Oh, Felix!" she cried "Annabelle died!"

And she leapt up and threw her arile ribs heaving under his rough hands He held her and patted her durave and pale And on the couch, Cat looked a whole lot worse, staring straight ahead, boring his eyes at nothing

"I don’t get it," Felix ed "The doctor said - "

"She killed herself, Gun pills," added Adam in a quiet voice

"But why?"

Cat turned his head at last and looked at Felix and his eyes were scary

"Because she knee’d stay to protect her And she couldn’t stand"

And then Cat lost it, broke down co into his own miserable dry sobs, and Felix didn’t think he could stand it, Cherry Cat bawling, and even Davette, hearing that arenching sound, pulled herself loose from Felix and returned to the couch and eether

Felix sat down hard on the azine-littered coffee table in front of the couch and fuarette and put it in his ht it and

And he was too stunned, too shocked to do much else Too blown to think Numb and stupid and Annabelle dead? Dead? Killed herself? He couldn’t bear their tears but there was no place to go and Adam didn’t look much better so he just sat there and stared at the hospital tiles under his feet

I should feel relief, shouldn’t I? I ht, after all I should feel relief

Why don’t I?

He started to take another puff and realized the cigarette had burned, unsmoked, down to the filter while he sat there nuht Adam’s eye and riot up and went over to him and moved him down the wall away froed, looked one"

"Where?"

"We don’t know He He just walked out when they told us"

Felix glared at hi priest looked about to cry

"He said, ’I even et her killed’ Then be just walked out"

Felix looked around "Is he outside, then?"

Adam shook his head "He took a cab Felix?"

"Yeah?"

"He didn’t look good"

"Like how?"

"Like like crazy"