She wanted to give up all hope, but she still managed to cling to it weakly. As long as she and Quinn were still alive, there was a chance to fix this. To stop this.
The bright white crystal turned red—a swirling red and orange and gold like the fire that she'd seen in the
Boss's eyes.
Seeing that globe of fire extinguished the small bit of hope she still had. That fire wasn't filled with light. It was filled with endless darkness.
She had no control over this, no say in the outcome.
Quinn had tried to save her, but now they were all doomed.
The red light extended itself like cobwebs, crawling up the Boss's arm and over his shoulder. Down his neck to his small, frail body. Up his face to slide onto his cheeks like red veins, like the roots of a belligerent tree taking deep root in his body from the outside in.
After a moment he was completely encased with the pulsing veins of fire. Past the incessant loud buzzing sound, she could heard something or somebody screaming. It was her Boss. He screamed with pain from inside that thing.
It was eating him alive.
It was killing him.
But not in the good way.
It was killing what he was now. The small, physically weak man whom she called Boss. Who gave her orders she feared not to follow through with. Who made his employees sign their contracts with him in blood. Who killed those who failed to do their jobs according to his whim.
That wrinkled, scary, pathetic thing was dying.
And then the screaming stopped.
The drones released her, and all three of them dropped to their knees, blinking around at the rest of them.
"We're free!" one said.
The veil had been lifted from them, too, just like the amnesia had been lifted from Angela. It took the
Boss's death for them to be freed from his influence, from his magic. They were no longer drones or slaves, but free men.
The thought should have made Janie happy. But she couldn't take her eyes off the faceless, silent red thing in front of her.
"We need to get out of here," she said quietly. "Right now."
The Eye dropped to the floor, and the red thing slumped heavily down next to it in a heap.
"He's dead," Lenny said. "He's dead! It must have killed him."
Quinn shook his head slowly, coming close to grab Janie's shoulder and turn her around. "Like you said, let's get the hell out of here."
"I'd really rather you didn't use the word 'hell' right now."
"Come on!" he yelled, grabbing for her arm.
A former drone quickly released Lenny from his bindings, and he grabbed Angela in his arms and the two ran from the room. The drones followed.
Janie stood, frozen in place, staring at the red form lying in the middle of the floor.
And then it began to change.
It started to grow and shift.
"Janie, are you deaf?" Quinn yelled, his grip on her arm tightening. "Let's get the hell out of here!"
She turned to look at him. His face was damp with perspiration, and his eyes were wild.
"You shouldn't have come back."
"I wish that had been an option for me, but it wasn't."
"Go," she whispered. "I'll try to stop him."
"Like hell you will."
"There's that word again."
"You're coming with me if I have to knock you out and throw you over my shoulder."
"I'd like to see you try."
"We don't have time for this, Janie."
"Then get out of here. Save yourself."
"God, you're so annoying. Fine. Have it your way."
"You're going?"
"No. I'm staying with you. We can fight him together."
She paled. "That's crazy."
"Just what I've been trying to tell you." His face was strained with emotion. "Now, unless you can come up with a plan better thanstupid , then we've got a problem."
She licked her lips. "I've suddenly come up with another plan."
"That's good to hear. You suddenly remembered how to kill a demon?"
"No."
"Then it's not as good of a plan as I'd like."