Blood and Beasts

Chapter 43

As she hung up the phone, Cara already felt an icy grip around her heart. It was a terror akin to seeing Nolan's ghostly image standing in her room; a terror like seeing Jack naked and broken, trapped in Hell. She wanted to scream at Bethany, curse her for making this order, but it was not her fault that the cards had fallen this way. There were larger forces at work, forces that had defined their roles, the parts they had to play if they were to stop the apocalypse. And Cara had no doubt in Bethany that it was the literal apocalypse they were facing.

But why did it have to be this way. She wanted to cry out, scream, to fight till all breath left her body. She wanted to grab Daniel and run, run as far as they could away from the Imperial Cult, away from anyone that wasn't the two of them. She would defend him; keep them from him with every fibre of her being. Cara felt she would rather die than do what Bethany had asked of her.

There was too much at stake though. 

Maybe they would be safe here. If the Imperial Cult hadn't found them yet, maybe they would be safe. Though Cara doubted that the Imperial Cult would care about subtlety the closer they came to the end of this ritual. They would scorch the earth looking for him. They would start wars; unleash biochemical weapons on cities to flush them out. Maybe they could run, stay one step ahead long enough for the ritual to fail, for Jack to be freed from Hell. But one slip up and they would be caught. The werewolf still fought for control, and outside of this house there were too many elements they couldn't predict.

There was just too much at stake.

Cara wept softly to herself in her room, steeling herself for what was to come. It was evening and the sun was setting. She would have to do it soon, so she could see his face one last time before he transformed. It would be a full moon again tonight. Of course it would be, she thought. Still, she needed to see Logan first, she needed to talk to him and ask for his guidance.

Logan wasn't in his room to her surprise, and it took her a moment to spot him out on the back porch looking over the lake. She stepped outside and braced against the cold wind. Snow covered the ground from a storm earlier in the week. The trees were nearly bare of leaves, but despite the decay of the season, there was a wondrous life breathed into the landscape. Cara supposed it was that rich blue sky that had taken over as the sun left and twilight settled on them.

She looked at Logan, bundled up in thick blankets, sitting on the bench. His walker was beside him (he could barely walk on his own anymore). Cara was surprised he had made it all the way out here.

"What are you doing? You'll catch your death out here," she said with a grin, taking a seat next to him on the bench. He smiled back. Maybe there was a laugh trying to surface, but he didn't seem to have the strength for it. God he looked frail, Cara thought. It was like looking at a different person now. Her heart ached for him as well.

"I think I've already caught that." They sat silently for a moment. The water was so calm. "I just wanted to be outside once more. Never could stand being cooped up for long. Wanted to feel the breeze before I go." Cara nodded. She hated to hear it, but it couldn't be denied. He would be gone soon.

"Can I ask you something?" Cara said, and Logan nodded. "All those years ago, when you and Gregory were hunting Daniel, and you spared him, do you regret it? Do you regret it now that you know he's killed people, innocent people? Would you do things differently?" Logan pondered it for a minute. Cara was afraid he had simply lost his train of thought, but then he said, "No, I don't think I would have. He was a boy, scared, and truly trying to do his best, to keep others safe. No, I couldn't have killed him, it wouldn't have been right."

"But what if the cost was greater? Not just a few lives, but...hundreds lets say, millions even?" Logan's eyebrows rose.

"That is a heavy cost. Gregory was always better at making those decisions; the ends justified the means. I miss him. I miss him as he was before his wife was taken. Maybe I'll see him soon." He smiled softly at that.

"I can't ask Gregory for advice though. What would you do?" Cara asked anxiously. Logan's brow furrowed.

"I don't know. I guess I'd just do what I've alwaysdone. Simply try to do the right thing,and hope that's enough." He smiled andtook her hand with a loving squeeze. Shenodded, but felt more lost than before.