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Red dust floated up froether The red dust began to pulse, like a heart, like a slow strobe

Cigar felt fear squeeze his heart

Oh, God, oh, no, no, no Fear The red dust, it was fear, and look, it was co from him, too, and when he looked close it wasn’t particles of dust; it was hundreds and thousands of tiny, twisty worms

Oh, no, no, this wasn’t real This was one of Penny’s visions But the red dust flowed over the heads and sank down into the , skipping, running, ar felt its presence The little boy

He turned to see it but it wasn’t behind him Or in front Or on either side It was soh, in the space just to the side, just not quite where his eyes could see, in that sliver of reality that was not where you could see

But could feel

The little boy was really not so little Maybe he was vast Maybe he could reach doith one giant finger and twist Cigar inside out

But ar saw

Cigar followed the crowd that was heading toward the plaza

Lana stood on her balcony There was just enough light to see the black stain that had painted inning to turn blue now Sky blue The dome was like an eyeball seen from the inside: where it should be white was opaque black, but with a blue iris up above

It filled her with rage It was ht in a fake sky as darkness closed in to shut off the last of the light

She had had the chance to destroy it The Darkness She was convinced of it And every evil thing that later had flowed from that monstrous entity was on her shoulders

It had beaten her It had overpowered her by sheer force of will

She had crawled to it on hands and knees

It had used her Made her a part of it Made its words coun at a friend and pull the trigger

Her hand strayed to the pistol in her belt

She closed her eyes and could al to touch hera shaky breath she lowered the wall of resistance she had built around herself She wanted to tell it that she was not beaten yet, that she was not scared And she wanted it to hear her

Now again, as had happened froer, the need of the gaiaphage But she felt soer of fear was afraid

Lana’s eyes had closed They snapped open now A chill went down her spine

"Afraid, are you?" she whispered

It needed soht again, willing herself to do what she had refused to do before: to try to reach back across the void and touch the gaiaphage

What is it you want so terribly, you monster?

What is it you need?

Tell me so I can kill it and you at the same tiirl’s voice--whispered, My baby