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“Am I on TV? Ha! Daddy, hear that! I’m famous!” All of a sudden, a man, who reminded Nick a lot of the Bubba he knew from home, stuck his head out of the truck and waved at the news helicopter that was now trailing after therowled in the back of his throat “Son, stick your head back in before you lose it, and tell Big Topher to take his belt to you for being stupid”
“Big Topher?” Nick repeated to Mark
A pained expression lined Mark’s face “Big Topher is Michael’s uncle Little Topher is his cousin”—he gestured toward the television—“that specialat the caony of that man’s particular level of idiocy “Do I want to knohat kind of person nahed “Probably not, but … Christopher was great-granddaddy He went by Chris until he had a son as na Chris, son was Little Chris When Little Chris had a son, he na everyone confused, he called hih to marry him My vote still says he ed her into his cave … but anyway, he named his son after his father and so Little Topher entered the world”
“And was promptly dropped on his head by his mother as horrified she had to name hiine the day Topher the Fifth is born”
More horrified over that than the sight of the demons, Nick shook his head “Oh My God”
Mark clapped hiet Cherise into the shelter” Bubba turned the television off
Without asking why, Mark obeyed At least he tried
“What’s going on?” histo leave without an explanation
Bubba sighed in irritation “Baby, please Just go Quick”
She reached for Nick
Bubba held Nick by his side “He needs to stay withher lip, she hesitated “Why?”
“Baby…”
“C’entle hand on her shoulder “You know Mike isn’t going to let anything happen to him”
“He better not” She kissed Nick on the cheek before she followed Mark into the basely rare in New Orleans, where the city was built below sea level and flooded often But then Bubba had installed a suenerator on it that would see theh a month or one, Bubba motioned Nick over
“What is it?” Nick asked in a low tone
“We’re about to be under siege Thattoward us and I didn’t want Mom to see it and panic”
Nick looked back at Savitar “Is there anything you can do to stop theh the house Cringing, Nick held his hands over his ears to shield theodforsaken noise “What is that?”
Bubba pointed to theit off its hinges “Looks like they figured out you’re here”
Nick wasn’t sure what he foundThe demons or the fact that Tabitha, Amanda, and Selena ith them
Savitar rubbed at his chin “To answer your earlier question, kid, all I can do is fight with you to the end”
There was an odd note in Savitar’s tone thatto bleed for aze “Because as done to your line rong”
Again, that note … Savitar knew a lotto freely ad time before I was born But I knohat it’s like to lose everything you love and not be able to stop it To see the one thing you love most be cursed over blind stupidity and fear And it’s an awful place to live” He shifted his gaze to Bubba “I’ll lead as many away as I can”
Before Nick could say another word, Savitar was gone He appeared a few seconds later on the ate and the house With a reckless disregard for his own life, Savitar tackled the first deround After that, it was on in true Roladiatorial style
Unable to stoore and lifted one hand up to shield his eyes from the monitors “Nos morituri te salutamus”
Bubba arched a brow “Pardon?”
“We who are about to die salute you”
Snorting, Bubba grabbed a crossbow and pushed Nick toward the stairs “Yeah, but if you die, I won’t seestupid You hear me?”
“I hear, master But I never obey” Nick clapped him on the arm “See, that’s where your kid and I differ”
“And here’s where your ma and I differ” Bubba lifted him up and tossed him over his shoulder
Nick did his best to break free, but Bubba orse than an octopus on steroids “Hey!”
“Hay’s for horses, boy” Bubba held fast until he had Nick locked into a ser darkened his vision Nick pounded against the steel door But as expected, Bubba ignored him coht spaces, and this one seriously pissed him off “Let me out!” Nick shouted
No one responded
Nick bared his teeth and then grinned as he reht him No matter how fortified a door was, there was always one vulnerability that couldn’t be helped…
Hinges
They were always inside the roo, boy,” he er Stretching it out of shape, he bent the neck into a e Then he used his shoe to ha happened, but after a few an to lift Once it was an inch up, Nick e
While he worked, he heard the sound of fighting outside And it was co bad for someone he prayed wasn’t Bubba