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There were times, many times, all the time, when Alicia herself could not have said precisely what she was

She ca, half-buried in the sand, with a sloping e, nothing that had happened before The virus had not given her that pohich was A to Ath and speed of the virals but disconnected froht

And yet, did she not? Feel so at the base of her skull, and in her , faintly audible as words:

Who am I? Who am I who am I who am I who am I ?

There were three They had all been women, once And even more: Alicia sensed-hoas it possible?-that in each one lay a single kernel of htly colored bird singing in a cage A view from a doorway of a darkened rooirl, asleep in their beds Alicia received each of these visions as if it were her own, its sights and sounds and se of pure existence like three tiny fires flaring inside her For a moment she was held captive to them, in mute awe of them, these memories of a lost world The world of the Ti each of these memories was a shroud of darkness, vast and pitiless It made Alicia shudder to the very core Alicia wondered what this was, but then she knew: the dream of the one called Martinez Julio Martinez of El Paso, Texas, Tenth of Twelve, sentenced to death for the murder of a peace officer The one Alicia had co a wo script on the pocket of the wo her with an electric cord

The door of the shed was hanging kitty-corner on its rusted hinges Tight quarters: Alicia would have preferredthe point of her cross, and eased into the shed

Two of the virals were suspended upside down fro on a hunk ofsound They had just fed on an antelope; the desiccated remains lay sundered on the floor, clumps of hair and bone and skin In the dazed after, the virals took no notice of her entry

"Good evening, ladies"

She took the first one in the rafters with her cross A thud and then a squeal, abruptly squelched, and its body crashed to the floor The other tere rousing now; the second released its hold on the rafter, tucked its knees to its chest, and rolled in theaway Dropping the cross, Alicia drew a blade and in a single liquidinto the third, which had risen to face her

Tn, one to go

It should have been easy Suddenly it wasn’t As Alicia drew a second blade, the re viral turned and swatted her hand with a force that sent the weapon spiraling into the dark Before the creature could deliver another blow, Alicia dropped to the floor and rolled ahen she rose, fresh blade in hand, the viral was gone

Shit

She snatched her cross from the floor, loaded a fresh bolt, and dashed outside Where the hell was it? Two quick steps and Alicia launched herself to the roof of the shed, landing with a clang Quickly she surveyed the landscape Nothing, no sign

Then the viral was behind her A trap, Alicia realized; itflush to the far side of the roof Two things happened si the cross instinctively; and with a sound of splintering wood and tearing ave way beneath her

She landed face-up on the floor of the shed, the viral crashing on top of her Her cross was gone Alicia would have drawn a blade, but both of her hands were now occupied in the staleth Left and right and left again the creature darted its face, jaws snapping, toward the curve of Alicia’s throat An irresistible force o on? The children in their beds, Alicia thought That’s who this one was She was the wo children Think about the children, Alicia thought, and then she said it:

"Think about the children"

The viral froze A wistful expression came into its face For the thinnest instant-not more than half a second-their eyes ht Your na for her blade I send you hoht Alicia I release you from the prison of your existence And with an upward thrust she sank her blade, tip to hilt, into the sweet spot

Alicia rolled the corpse away The others lay where they had fallen She collected her blade and bolt from the first tiped them clean, then knelt by the body of the last In the afterue hollowness; it surprised her now to discover that her hands were shaking How had she known? Because she had; with absolute clarity, she had known that the woman’s name was Mary

She pulled the blade free, touched it to her head and heart Thank you, Mary, for not killing me before my work is complete I hope you are with your little ones now

Mary’s eyes were open, gazing at nothing; Alicia closed theertips It wouldn’t do to leave her where she was Alicia hoisted the body into her ar the landscape in its glow, a darkness visible But httiht, and laid the wo, the sun would find her and cast her ashes to the wind

Alicia had begun to cliht and a day had passed She was in the h a slier here: she was headed toward so to tell me?

It was nearly dawn by the ti away Below her, in the wind-scraped blackness, the valley floor unfurled, none but the stars for coures froement, the shapes of people and animals, but she had never learned to do this They appeared to her only as a randoainst the sky

Then she saw it: a gapingwas a hundred feet tall or more Curved benches, like an amphitheater, carved from the rocky face of the mountain, were situated at the cave’s h the sky

It was a door to hell

You’re down there, aren’t you? Alicia thought, and smiled You son of a bitch, I’ve found you

Chapter 3

Denver Police Dept

Case File 193874

District 6

Transcript of Intervieith Lila Beatrice Kyle

VIA: Det Rita Chernow

3 May 4:17 AM

RC: Let the record show that the subject has been fully apprised of her rights and has declined to have an attorney present at this interview Questioning conducted by Detective Rita Chernow, Denver PD, District Six The time is four-seventeen AM Dr Kyle, would you please state your full name?

LK: Lila Beatrice Kyle

RC: And you’re an orthopedic surgeon at Denver General Hospital, is that correct?

LK: Yes

RC: And do you knohy you’re here?

LK: So happened at the hospital You wanted to ask me some questions What is this room? I don’t know it

RC: We’re in the police station, Dr Kyle

LK: Am I in trouble?

RC: We talked about this, reure out what happened in the ER tonight I know you’re upset I have just a few questions for you

LK: There’s blood on me Why is there blood on me?

RC: Do you recall what happened in the ER, Dr Kyle?

LK: I’? Coffee nant

RC: Water, then? How about some water?

LK: Okay

(Break)

RC: So let’s start at the beginning You orking in the eht, is that correct?

LK: No, I was upstairs

RC: But you came down to the ER?

LK: Yes

RC: At what tied e you?

LK: I was the orthopedist on call They had a patient with a broken wrist

RC: And was that patient Mr Letourneau?

LK: I think so, yes

RC: What else did they tell you about him?

LK: Before I went downstairs, you mean?

RC: Yes

LK: He had so bite?

LK: I suppose so They didn’t say

RC: Anything else?

LK: He had a high fever He’d vomited

RC: And that’s all they told you?

LK: Yes

RC: And what did you see when you got to the ER?

LK: He was in the third bed There were only a couple of other patients Sunday’s usually quiet

RC: What time would this be?

LK: One-fifteen, one-thirty

RC: And did you examine Mr Letourneau?

LK: No

RC: Let me rephrase Did you see the patient?