Albert told them everything they needed to know, including the name of the Master.He gave them details about what the Master had done to Sam that Cyril was pretty sure he’d never forget.He forced himself to listen to all of it, feeling sick to his stomach.He didn’t throw up in Albert’s nice kitchen sink, but it was a close thing.
Everything about the house was nice.Vale had once said that monsters hid in plain sight, but Cyril had a hard time believing it then.He didn’t anymore.He never would’ve thought that someone like Albert could live in this nice house, decorated in warm browns and greens, with pictures of children and family all over the walls.There was a doll sitting on one of the stools at the counter, and children’s drawings were on the fridge.
It was a family home, but Albert wasn’t a family man.He was a monster.
He was a monster who was about to pay for what he’d done.
“You should go outside,” Vale told Cyril.
Cyril was still staring at Albert.“Are you sure we got everything we could from him?”
“I swear I told you everything I knew,” Albert quickly said.“Angelo is nuts.He actually thinks that he can summon demons.He’s not going to stop until he does it.”
Which would never happen.Cyril had looked into it after Rachel had mentioned it the first time.He’d been curious because, after all, necromancers and magic users existed.He’d wanted to know if demons really could be summoned.
They couldn’t.No one even knew if they actually existed.They were stories told to children and people to scare them, but as far as Cyril knew, no one had ever seen a demon.No one had certainly summoned one, and Angelo wasn’t about to start.
“I’ll take you outside,” Vale said.
“Russell needs you.”
Russell snorted loudly.“Please.I don’t need anyone to do this.”
“To do what?”Albert asked.“What are you going to do?”
Cyril didn’t need Russell to answer.Since he wasn’t about to climb through the window to leave the way he’d come in, he turned toward the back door and allowed Vale to open it for him.
Vale guided Cyril outside.If Cyril turned back, he could still see Russell and Albert, but he didn’t want to see them.He wanted nothing else to do with Albert anymore.“You should go back inside,” he told Vale.
“You heard Russell.He doesn’t need my help.Besides, I’d rather stay with you.”
“I can go if you want,” a new voice said, startling Cyril.
He stumbled, but Vale caught his arm and kept him upright.Cyril blinked at the sight of John standing under a tree, his arms crossed over his chest.He grinned, and Cyril found himself smiling back.
“I’m going to kill you,” Vale said with a growl.
John raised his hands.“Please.I just want to help.”
“With what, digging your own grave?”
“I hadn’t thought of that, but it would be kind of fun, wouldn’t it?”
Cyril cocked his head.The man wasn’t normal.Who would think that digging your own grave was fun?Didn’t John realize that Vale was threatening him?
“It would be even more fun to kill you,” Vale said as he stepped forward.
Cyril caught Vale’s arm.“Stay with me?”he asked.
Vale hesitated.When he glanced back toward the kitchen, Cyril knew why.Russell was more than capable of doing this himself, but Vale wanted to have his back anyway.
“John can go inside and help Russell,” Cyril added.
“I don’t trust him.”
“I don’t think Russell will care about that.He won’t let John best him.John couldn’t even if he tried.”
“Rude,” John grumbled.“There’s a reason I’m trying to find a teacher, you know?I want to better myself.”
