With no fanfare, Messenger turns to leave.
“Hey,” Butcher says, “aren't you going to stay and help?”
“No.”
“Well, gee, thanks.”
Messenger turns back to face him. “Understand, this town isn't the only weak point between worlds. There are others.”
“How many others?”
The man's face appears much older. “Too many,” he says. Then he turns and walks away, past the church's naked foundation and toward the garage with the missing doors. Butcher calls after him, asks where he’s going, but the man ignores him.
“The town’s that way,” Butcher shouts. “Old fool.” The tin box tucked under his arm, he jogs to catch up. Just ahead of him, Messenger walks around the garage and out of sight.
Butcher rounds the corner a moment later. “There’s nothing this way but-”
He stops in his tracks. There’s no one here- no Messenger, no transportation, no sign of life, only a faint smell lingering in the air like someone struck a match. In the mud, the man’s footprints simply stop.
“Of course you disappeared,” Butcher says. “Did I really expect anything else?”
A sharp noise from behind makes him jump. He turns to find a wet, filthy dog looking up at him, even its drooping tongue caked with dirt.
“Looks like we’ve both had a rough night.” He bends down to check the tag and recognizes the address as Kevin and Mary’s. “Felix, huh?”
The dog’s wet tail wags enthusiastically.
“Listen up, Felix, I’ll make you a deal- you can stay at my place, but if I find out you're hiding a monster in there, I'm chopping your nuts off. Sound good?”
Felix licks his hand.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
As they pass it by, Felix looks down into the sinkhole and whimpers softly.
“It's not your fault he turned out to be a jerk.” The dog looks up at him, small and dirty, waiting for whatever comes next, putting his full faith in Butcher the way people keep doing. “Tell you what,” Butcher says, “tonight we'll get you good and cleaned up. Tomorrow there's a little boy I want you to meet.”
Butcher and Felix get into the hearse and drive home, the clouds dark and full up ahead.
Epilogue
Across Shallow Creek, in the shadowy backroom of Maycomb Real Estate, Meredith paces under red light. She taps her fingers together, making strange shadows on the floor.
“You're sure he has the book now,” she asks.
“Yes.” A man's voice answers from the dark.
“This Butcher boy is a tough one, but he's playing nicely into my plan. I'll have to possess him before he becomes too powerful.”
“Forgive me, mistress, but why didn't you take the book for yourself from the beginning?”
She spins to face him. “Idiot, only one from that bloodline can touch the book!” Her pupils are pinpoints of black, yet she never loses control. A moment later her voice is as calm as if she'd never yelled. “Why do you think I had my beauties cause the sinkhole? Butcher and the priest needed to find each other before The Self did.”
“The priest would have given it to him eventually.”
She waves off his words. “I can't wait around for a cop and an old fool to make friends. Humans take too long in matters of the heart.”
“And if Butcher figures out how to use it?”
Meredith walks toward the man, slowly, accentuating each step. “That's why you're so important to me, my lovely. I need you to watch him, steer him, make sure he falls into my arms before he learns too much.” She runs a long finger along her jaw and down her neckline. “You can you do that for me, can't you?”
Sheriff Green steps into the light. His eyes are drunk with desire.
“For you, mistress, anything.”
Meredith Maycomb smiles, her lips shining like a drop of venom. “Good,” she says. “When my kind is victorious, we'll protect those who aided us.”
***
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Shallow veins would not be possible without the following people
George & Virginia Martinez
The Dofena Fan Club
.steve cuocci
Anthony James Natoli
Darren and Jessie Flomberg
Mark and Lillian Dick
Rahul Gilani
Connor Pyne
Luci
Kelly Lepine
Tony Papaleo
Elaine Britten Bryant
Zdenek Family
Kerry O'Hara
Anonymous
Antonio Vozzolo
Fred Perri
Kaleena Burgess
Rie
Steven Daniel
Jameson Kowalczyk
RaShaun
Debbie Tillar
W. F. B. Hoek
Matthew Newman
Jeremy Arndt
Firefighter Fawn Colombatto
Jonathan Iannazzo
Paul & Sherry Bailey
Natalia Martinez
David Newman
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