"Yeah, right, like he's really gonna shove an oxygen tank in the shark's mouth, and then, smack, hits the bull's-eye, it's raining Sushi." "Come on." "What about the one where the ol' girl blows up the mothership, takes off in that little pod, never notices this big-ass space monster hitched a ride with her?" "I didn't buy that, either." "What the hell is that?" "Out of the car." "Can we at least get our shit?" "You're kidding me, right?" "Just thought I'd ask." "Whoo-hoo!" "Yeah!" "Any suggestions?" "I suppose we ought to take a walk." "Man!" "Will you look at that?" "Want to buy me some cotton candy?" "Hey!" "Oh, shit, not again." "Fipps, come here." "I don't believe it." "It's him." "It's really him." "You still haven't told us what your names are." "Jeremiah." "Jeremiah, cool." "It's him." "And I'm kurdy with a "k."" "Now, used to be we welcomed travelers with open arms." "Not anymore." "Why is that?" "Because there's a kidnapper in the area, and he's been preying on our children." "Child abductor." "It doesn't get any lower than that." "It's not either of them." "Fipps is right, dad." "These guys, they're ok." "You kids stay back now, you hear?" "That one, Jeremiah, he's here to stop the blood vultures." "That's a lot of bunk." "He's the one, the one we've been waiting for." "Kids..." "They say these crazy things." "He'll stop the red kiss, mom." "You've got to believe us." "Tell 'em." "I think you kids might have me mixed up with someone else." "They may have some pretty wild ideas, but if I'm gonna trust anyone's gut instincts, I trust my children's." "It's all right, Zach." "I'm cord." "This is my wife treva." "This is Zach." "We got robbed up the road a ways back by some guys." "So we could sure use a place to sleep tonight." "Got to wonder if one of those robbers is the bastard we're looking for." "I don't know, they kind of struck me as your garden-variety opportunists." "Well, you give us a hand keeping our guard up, you're welcome to stay awhile." "Cord, I don't think you ought to..." "Relax, Zach." "Sure." "I told them." "I told them all you'd come." "Look, fipps, I don't want to rain on your parade or anything, pal, but I don't know what the heck you're talking about." "It's in the plan, the big plan, that the great one would come and save us from the blood vultures." ""Blood vultures"?" "Like, you mean..." "The undead who feast on the living." "Sleep tight, Jeremiah." "Tomorrow, you'll take care of business." "You know what they're talking about, don't you?" "Yeah, vampires." "Yeah." "They actually think that shit is real." "You heard their parents, man." "Whatever is out there is real." "It might not be a vampire, but it's real." "Dear dad, it's been 15 years since the big death wipedouteveryone overtheageofinnocence..." "The end of your world, the beginning of mine." "Here you go." "Thank you." "Welcome." "So how long have these kidnappers been targeting your kids?" "A little over 2 months ago." "That's when we lost Annie." "And a couple weeks later, Ralph disappeared." "No trace at all?" "No, there was some blood where Annie vanished." "And that's why the kids think it's vampires?" "They've got all kinds of names for 'em:" "Night phantoms, blood vultures, the red kiss." "You can see why the kids believe it." "Whoever's doing this, they really are monsters." "How many kids?" "4 missing in all, and we lost Celia even after we started 'round-the-clock patrols." "We managed to prevent one of the attempts, but it wound up costing one of the parents his life, and, uh, the son of a bitch still got away." "3 of our families picked up and left after that." "What about you guys?" "I mean, don't you ever think of just getting out?" "And go where?" "This is our home, our livelihood's here, and the, uh, the enclaves around us, gramercy, radford, you ask around, they've lost kids, too." "This is crazy." "What's this stuff?" "Oh, we pick things up and, uh, trade them." "We, uh, we clean 'em up and fix 'em." "It's how we survive." "Where'd you get these?" "We got 'em yesterday a couple of hours oh, damn!" "Before you showed up." "These hard cases traded us for some hand tools." "Why?" "These hard cases, they weren't driving a truck, were they?" "Yeah, never seen one like it." "Wait." "They were the bandits you were talking about." "That was your vehicle." "Damn straight." "I..." "I..." "I had no idea, and the least we can do is return your packs." "They didn't happen to say where they were going, did they?" "No, but I can almost guarantee they'll be back." "Why's that?" "There was something they wanted, a hand-cranked generator." "We told them it'd be working in a couple of days." "Hey, I don't mind hanging out for a while, but it's these kids, man." "They think I'm the answer to their problems." "What do you think?" "I'm thinking there's one and only one shot at getting that truck back." "Look, if the invitation's still open, we, uh, we'll stick around a couple days, do what we can to help you protect the children." "Oh, we'll take all the help we can get." "All right." "Only fair to warn you, until we find out who's been hunting down our children," "I intend to watch the two of you like a hawk." "We get that a lot." "The adults are all freaked out." "Don't let it get to you." "They think kids are weak, but we can take care of ourselves, like huck finn and tom Sawyer." ""Huck finn, tom Sawyer."" "Where'd you hear about those guys?" "Well, from books." "Our mom taught us." "We've got more than 80 books, and I've just about read 'em all." "Except for one." "It's about fixing air conditioners." "Hey, uh, would you happen to have any history books?" "Yeah, only it's Roman history." "Mind if I borrow it?" "Sure." "Knock yourself out." "We knew you'd stay and help." "It was part of the plan." "Yeah, listen, about this plan, no offense, but I really don't believe that you were expecting us to show." "Just you." "We didn't know you had a partner." "Come on, we'll show you." "I don't know, man." "I'm kind of curious, myself." "This is where they used to fix all of the rides." "There's a lounge right here." "It's right in here." "Well, I'll be damned." "What?" "I suppose you think that's me?" "Well, it says "sucker," doesn't it?" "It's a game." "It's an old pinball machine." "It's got nothing to do with me." "I swear to God." "God's not around anymore." "The forces of the dark whaled on him." ""The forces of the dark."" "But the avenging angels that survived, they're guarding heaven, and they can kick some serious demon butt." "You can hear 'em when it storms." "Thunder." "So you do know." "And the lightning..." "Angel light." "It burns right through the blood vultures." "Well, look, it seems to me all you need to do is wait for the next thunderstorm and it'll come and fry their sorry asses." "We can't wait." "There's too many of 'em." "More demons than angels." "He's right about that." "That's why they sent you two." "Come on, over here." "Come on, gather 'round." "Ok, listen up." "Teams of two, all right?" "No one goes out alone, and we cover every inch of this park, all right?" "Got it." "What happened?" "J.J.'S missing." "His mother thought he went into town with his dad, but he just got back and he hasn't seen the boy, either." "So we're gonna need your help." "Yeah, sure." "Anything?" "I'll tell you, man, this place is big, a lot of stuff." "Whoa!" "Take it easy." "Sorry." "It's ok." "Whoever's doing this, we want to get them as much as you do." "J.J.!" "J.J.!" "J.J.!" "J.J., if you can hear us, call out." "Shit." "Damn." "What have you got?" "I think it's the kid's hat." "Oh, man." "Blood, fresh." "We let these strangers into our lives, and look what happened." "I lost my baby!" "Easy, Helen." "It wasn't either of these two." "You don't know that." "You can't be sure." "Could you give us some time here?" "Yeah." "Zach..." "When God was alive, he protected us." "He totally watched our ass, but his throne is now tipped over, and his blood is on the grass." "His stuff has all been ripped off." "His house is all ransacked." "His enemies got tipped off." "His posse all got whacked." "Listen up, it's quiet." "Listen up, it's calm." "Chukka-chukka pattawa, chukka-chukka rom." "Chukka-chukka pattawa, chukka-chukka rom." "Chukka-chukka pattawa, chukka-chukka rom." "The angels have sent us a guardian, a messenger." "It wasn't in time to save j.J., but I know that Jeremiah won't let it happen again." "We'll never forget you, j.J." "We'll never forget you, Annie, or star, or Ralph, or Celia." "Catch you in the after." "Amen." "Amen." "Any sign of him?" "No, it's all clear." "We've got scouts on rotating watch." "We'll wake you for your patrol." "That, uh, ceremony, it was something, wasn't it?" "Well, you know how it is." "Kids born after the big death grow up fast." "So what do you think is going on here?" "I don't know, but you saw the blood." "Whatever it is, it couldn't have been pretty." "Come on, don't you start getting superstitious on me now." "Hey, I sure as shit don't think that it's a vampire, but maybe somebody wanted it to look like it was." "Like abducting these kids one by one isn't scary enough?" "Yeah." "You know, all that God-is-dead, avenging-angel stuff, ain't the first time I've heard it." "Oh, man, less than a year ago, I spent some time with these people at the Rio Grande." "They were raising beef." "Hmm." "The best barbecue, you wouldn't believe." "These kids had this whole religion thing going on, and even more so than the adults." "Satan, or some badass devil had God evicted." "There was this angels of light." "There was a whole damn army just waiting to smoke him." "Wow, man." "I knew these people in San Francisco who lived underground where the trains used to run." "Yeah." "Same kind of thing." "All the kids hung together, and they said that same chant." "That chokka-chokka stuff?" "Yes." "Yeah, yeah." "It was more than that, though, man." "It was the light versus the dark, and they were thinking that somebody was gonna come and save them." "Only you weren't the one, is my guess." "No, I wasn't, and that made it a lot easier to shrug off." "What is it?" "All these kids living in different places, they all got the same beliefs." "How does that happen?" "Word of mouth, traveling myths, rumors..." "On the wind." "Hey, man, no other way to explain it." "It's just when you're a kid, it's so much easier to let your imagination get away with you." "Now, you are sure that this bloodsucking is bullshit, right?" "I am sure." "Would you go to sleep, kurdy?" "Just checking, 'cause sometimes I worry about you, Jeremiah." "Red kiss." "Man, this is stupid." "You haven't seen Maia, have you?" "Zach's daughter, a little 6-year-old?" "No, why?" "How long's she been missing?" "A couple of hours." "She was here, and then all of a sudden she just disappeared." "There wasn't anybody guarding the damn door?" "Of course we were guarding it!" "There's no way anybody could have gotten in here, unless you know something that we don't." "No, no." "We were running the perimeter of the park." "Well, wasn't that convenient?" "What's that supposed to mean?" "You feel better now?" "Do you?" "You feel better?" "Now, maybe we can start looking for your daughter." "If anything happened to her..." "We'll find her, Zach." "I knew Jeremiah shouldn't have left." "The minute he did, they got Maia." "He's here now." "He'll save her." "Don't worry." "He'll get the blood vultures, every last one." "Angels, bless the chosen one." "Bless the chosen one." "Bless the chosen one." "Bless the chosen one." "I'll be damned." "What is it?" "Aqueducts." "What?" "The romans had this kick-ass system of delivering water to Rome through aqueducts." "What do you mean, like tunnels?" "Yeah." "Yeah, but these are probably for utilities, you know, electricity and shit." "Yeah." "They run all the way through the park, right under where the kids sleep." "Bingo." "After you." "Man, I hate small spaces." "I've got claustrophobia." "Look, you want to turn around and go back, you can." "No, it just sucks, that's all." "Oh, come on." "Oh, no." "Look at that." "That's probably where the son of a bitch came in and out." "Oh, lookee here, lookee here." "What is it, dope?" "Smells like it." "Hemp papers." "You don't see that every day." "It's Maia's." "She had it with her last night." "We found this." "Whoever took her must have dropped it when they lifted her out of there." "Joint." "Where would you get weed around here?" "All sorts of people growing' it." "What about hemp papers?" "Wait, of course." "A girl named chapelle, she deals out of a vagrant camp west of gramercy, she was through here trying to trade pre-rolled for some garden tools." "Hmm, you think you could give us directions?" "I'll come with you." "It's ok." "You just..." "I said I was comin' with you." "All right." "Hey, you're chapelle, right?" "Yeah." "Oh, hey, you need some smoke?" "New harvest is just in." "No, no, actually," "I was, uh, thinking about some information." "Oh, yeah, I don't sell that." "Really?" "You might want to think about giving some away, then." "No, thanks." "I've got plenty." "That look like one of yours?" "Amateur rolling job." "Definitely not." "What about the papers?" "Could be." "I traded for a whole box of hemp papers somebody salvaged from an old head shop." "I'm almost out." "You mind?" "This isn't even grass." "What is it, tobacco?" "Who has tobacco?" "It's an herbal mixture, you know, poor man's ganja." "Skullcap, passionflower..." "Mmm, damiana, a little wild lettuce." "Where would somebody get something like that?" "Herbs?" "Why don't you try an herbalist?" "There's one in, uh, gramercy." "Oh, yeah, medicine Joe." "He's kind of whacked." "Thanks." "Hey, you sure I can't interest you guys in the real thing?" "It's totally organic." "Oh." "Some other time." "Catch you later." "Afternoon." "Are you medicine Joe?" "Actually, my name's Adrian." "Ok." "You sell smoking mixtures, medicine Adrian?" "The best." "Guaranteed to boost your sex drive, purify your blood, and get your dreams kicking." "Whoo!" "You sell a lot of it?" "Here and there." "But this would have been bought recently." "Don't really keep records." "Listen, you son of a bitch..." "The man who bought it has my daughter." "I don't get involved in other people's problems." "I just trade my cures." "Why don't you guys let me, uh..." "Listen, if he knows something..." "Then maybe we have a shot at finding out what it is." "Don't let those guys get you all freaked out." "I just wanted to ask you something." "Now, suppose somebody was afraid of, uh, the big death coming back, what would you recommend?" "Prayer." "Don't make me repeat the question." "There is somethin', but it's real, real expensive." "Keep talkin'." "While you've still got the air." "It's blood." "It's blood," "Very special blood, guaranteed to ward off the virus." "Tell me where it came from." "It's not me." "I'll tell you." "I'll tell you!" "His name's magyar." "Place is in the old stockyard east of town." "He's the only one around here who buys my special mix." "He supplies me with the blood, the blood of the invincible." "What did he tell you?" "I have a pretty good idea who might have taken Maia and the other children." "I just need to scope a few things out first." "If you know where she is, I'm coming with you." "You can't ask me not to..." "Look, when we've got some manpower together, you can lead point." "Until then, just hang back." "Ok?" "All right." "All right." "Where do we meet you?" "Apparently, there's some stockyards at the edge of town." "Sure." "Yeah, I know 'em." "You know 'em?" "Uh-huh." "All right, we'll wait till sundown, then make your move." "We've got 2 armed guards posted around the kids." "Cord, Patrick, and me, plus you and Jeremiah, that makes 5 of us." "Ok, how many guns?" "One per man." "Let's get goin'." "No, we don't move till I give the word." "Screw that." "We're wasting time." "Look, you don't like the rules of engagement, then you can park your ass right here." "We don't move until sundown." "He found the nest, didn't he?" "We heard you talking about the stockyards." "Jeremiah found the vultures." "We don't know Jack right now, all right?" "And that's the truth." "It doesn't matter." "It's all been written." "He's gonna destroy them." "He's the messenger." "Excuse me." "This is killing me." "How can you guys stand around and watch your kids lose themselves in this little fantasy world of theirs?" "How come nobody sits down and explains to them what's real and what's not?" "Kurdy, what you don't understand is that those stories and the myths, it gives them comfort." "Do you know who they think Jeremiah is?" "We know." "And you know that's bullshit." "Now, these kids really think that there are angels up there watching over them." "We all want there to be a heaven, but wishing' and hopin' is not gonna make it so." "Now, who's gonna level with these kids and let them know that God is not the only one who's evacuated heaven?" "It's a ghost town up there and nobody's home." "And the sooner these children realize that, the better." "If what you said was true, then there's no hope." "Not for us, not for anybody." "Evil's gonna win, isn't it?" "Did you hear me say there was no hope?" "Did any of you hear me say that?" "Man, there's more hope than you know, but it's not coming from some guys wearing halos and wings, flapping around in white robes." "No, it's coming from ordinary people, from guys like me and Jeremiah who are willing to put it all on the line." "I mean, it's great if you've got angels taking care of business for you, but it takes a lot more guts going after evil when all you've got is believin' in yourself and what's right." "So there are heroes?" "You damn straight there are." "Heroes..." "Are you kidding me?" "There's heroes all over the damn place." "Now, unless I'm totally out of my mind," "I might be looking at 3 in the making right now." "So look, I need you to do me a favor." "You stay here, you watch after these other kids, make sure they're safe." "We'll be back, all right?" "You've got it, kurdy." "15 minutes, and we boogie." "Come on, Tommy." "Jeremiah needs us." "I hope you know, uh, I only did what I did because you were trespassing." "Uh, I'm not a violent man." "You do whatever you want to me, just let these children go." "Oh, I can't do that." "Believe me, I can't." "What are you doing to them?" "Giving their lives a purpose." "I..." "I..." "I know what you must be thinking, but I..." "I don't harm them." "Small amounts of natural sedatives to keep them calm, that's it." "They're well cared for." "Ask them yourself." "The truth is I'm helping these children, helping them save lives, and what I take, their bodies replenish." "What the hell are you talkin' about?" "They're contributing life-giving blood." "Is that what your voodoo doctors told you?" "It's what years of painstaking study have taught me." "Think about it." "15 years ago, after the big death, only the children survived." "Something in their blood immunized them." "In case you hadn't heard, the big death is over." "That's what most people think." "That's what I thought, but anything that virulent doesn't just disappear." "It may go dormant, but it's still out there." "As a matter of fact," "I have reason to believe that a form of it is what caused my blood disease." "The work I've done, the experiments that I've conducted," "they may prevent the death from ever returning." "You're mainlining these children's blood?" "If you knew it meant the difference between your living and dying," "I don't think you'd be as sanctimonious." "Most of my customers are simply patients who don't want to die." "And you play on that fear, trade on their terror, is that it?" "You know, I've got the feeling that if they knew where it came from, they'd think twice." "Nothing good has ever come to this world without sacrifice." "Who's out there?" "What the hell?" "Holy..." "Jeremiah, you in here?" "Anybody else?" "Just magyar." "Maia!" "So what the hell happened?" "I was in good hands." "Girls, get back." "All right." "Your guy had plenty of time." "I want to see that generator... now." "Right behind ya." "We got it workin' like a charm." "I'll take it." "Let's see what you've got for trade first." "Beth, get back!" "No, I said I'll take it." "Guess you don't believe in karma." "I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't shown up." "Thank you." "Listen, I, uh..." "You don't have to." "No, I do." "I owe you an apology, both of you." "Actually, I owe you a lot more than that." "We've, uh, we've got a surprise for ya." "What's that?" "How... how did you get the truck?" "Well, there's no telling what you're capable of doing when you're really pissed off." "You know, you guys should know that you're not alone in trying to make a better world." "It may not seem like it, but a better day is coming, and these kids, they're gonna be a big part of it." "I told you he was the one." "No, no, I..." "Hey, hey, hey." "What's the point?" "Beth, here you go." "Keep it, kurdy." "It's for you." "Well, thank you, Beth, but I think you definitely need to take this." "All right, let's go, sucker." "Dear dad," "I've been thinking lately aboutthethings" "Monsters under the bed, a stranger in the shadows, things that go bump inthenight." "I'd come to you and mom, crawl in your bed." "Suddenly, the world feltsafeagain." "How could any of us haveknownthatnightmares really do come true?" "Perfect." "You can never be too careful."