Tears of No Return (32 page)

Chapter 60

Paul and Karen made it back to Morgan’s house without incident. They passed a few police cars and a fire truck headed in the direction of the compound, but it was the numerous wailing of sirens assaulting the atmosphere that made them feel as if a national emergency had been declared.

Karen was exhausted by the time she reached the house, but sleep wasn’t an option. Besides being there for Paul, she needed to be awake when Morgan arrived.

She waited with Paul for another hour before heading upstairs to one of the spare rooms where she surrendered to sleep.

She awoke sometime later to find Morgan sitting on the edge of the bed, facing away from her. If he’d been caught in the blast, which she figured he had been, he didn’t look it. He smelled like Irish Spring soap and was wearing different clothing than when she’d last seen him.

“Hi,” she said, sitting up and wiping the tiredness from her eyes.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, not looking at her.

“Fine,” she answered. Taking a moment, she stretched her limbs. “I was worried you might not come back.”

Morgan turned toward her. He looked surprised, his eyebrows raised.

“I live here,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I come home? Did you think I was dead?”

She frowned, shaking her head. “No, that’s not why I thought I might never see you again.”

“Ah,” he said, smiling. “That.”

“What?”

“You know what,” he said, looking down. “I know you were inside my head, Karen. Initially I thought I was back in the lab with the priest. He was going to turn me back into a vampire. Once you let go and I recovered, I knew it was you who had
feared
me. I didn’t understand why you had done it, or how you were even able to do what you did. I figured you knew what I was up to and attacked, hoping to stop me from pulling the trigger.”

“That’s not why,” she said.

“I know,” he told her, looking up. Their eyes met but only for a moment. Looking away again, he said, “Paul told me that with the serum he gave you, you were able to tap into multiple targets; that you had no control over the area of influence. He said you felt a rage inside, making you want to hurt as many people as possible.”

“I was dangerous. I couldn’t control myself. I was like a rabid animal.”

She remembered what she’d done and how much joy she experienced. Maybe it was the serum’s fault, but her feelings, during that time, still frightened her.

“I’m glad you did what you did.”

“Why?” She knew why, but for some reason she wanted to hear it from him.

“Because I might’ve killed you.”

Karen placed her hand on Morgan’s. He didn’t pull away. She saw a tear fall down his cheek and felt her heart lurch.

“I wouldn’t have blamed you,”

“I know it was the right thing to do at the time, but…”

“You don’t have to explain yourself.”

Morgan stood up quickly, his body tense. Wiping a hand through his hair, he said, “Yes, I do.”

Karen got to her knees, shuffling closer to Morgan, and latched onto his arm.

“No you don’t,” she told him. “I was inside your head. I saw everything. I know how difficult it was for you, but it would’ve been the right thing to do.” Karen felt tears welling in her eyes and let go of him.

Their eyes connected. “I would have gone through with it and regretted it for the rest of my long life.”

“Whatever would have happened doesn’t matter,” she said. “I know how much I mean to you, Morgan.”

“I’ll never leave you.”

Karen wanted to hug him so badly. As though sensing her desire, he squeezed her with as close to a hug as she would get.

Chapter 61

With the alien spacecraft still out there, the mission was far from done. But with the immediate threat gone and the need for a little rest, Karen and Morgan left Poughkeepsie and headed south to Florida.

Morgan had socked away millions of dollars over the years, making finances a non-issue. Karen felt bad for having none of her own, The Murphy Unit erasing every bit of her existence. Morgan arranged for a new ID and Social Security number through Elise.

For Morgan, there was still the issue of the priest that had changed him. The man, or at least his sect, was still out there somewhere. Had they gone into hiding, and if so, why? Paul, who was with his daughter in Ohio, said he would begin looking into it and get back to Morgan with anything he found.

Karen and Morgan weren’t able to fully relax during their time in Florida, the reality of what still needed to be done hanging over their heads like a dark cloud. But together, with help from Paul, they would be okay, for they had the one thing they needed to survive.

Love.

THE END

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the following people for their help and support with this novel. Sandy Shelonchik, for reading, telling me what didn’t work, reading again, then putting up with me while I went through the book a hundred times. Peter Giglio, for listening to part of my tale, then taking the time to read the rest of it to make sure it was perfect for Evil Jester Press; and for the fantastic cover. Gregory L. Norris—editing maestro. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the stellar job you did.
Tears of No Return
is a stronger piece because of you. You really are a pro, my friend. To T. Patrick Rooney and D.g. Sutter for accepting “The Stranger” into
Alienology: Tales from Void
, which was the original short story
Tears of No Return
was birthed from.

There are a lot of people I wish to thank for various reasons, but mostly because they have been ultra-kind and supportive.

Joe McKinney, Eric S. Brown, David Dunwoody, Jonathan Maberry, Charles Day, Ronald Mafli, Alan Spencer, Benjamin Kane Ethridge, Kristopher Rufty, Mike Evans, Kevin Sheehan, John Everson, Jonny M. Kelley, Aaron Warwick Dries, Anita Eva, Craig Saunders, Suzanne Robb, Bill Gagliani, Jeff Strand, Sean Page. And of course, AnthoCon, where this novel was discovered!