And then he, too, was swept away, and submerged.

  TEDDY AND TONY stood on the rooftop, oblivious to the wind and rain lashing them, and watched in horrified awe as the ocean receded, rushing back out as quickly as it had come, but carrying with it the pulverized remains of the town. Vehicles, rooftops, trees, utility poles, and more floated past them, heading out to sea. So did the residents. Corpses spun in the froth, buffeted by the vicious tide.

  Then, one of the corpses moved.

  A child drifted past, bobbing in the toxic water, hand upraised, screaming.

  “There!” Teddy pointed.

  Tony could only nod.

  “We’ve got to help.” Teddy pulled away from the edge and glanced about frantically. “Find a rope or something!”

  Tony locked eyes with the child as the wave carried the unfortunate victim past the building.

  “Tony! Find a rope. Something the kid can grab on to!”

  “It’s no good, Teddy. The kid’s already gone.”

  “Well, we have to do something! Help me find a rope or a firehose or something!”

  “There is no fucking rope, old man! What do you want me to do? Jump off the roof and fucking swim? I’d be just as dead as everybody else.”

  Teddy glared at him, trembling slightly. After a moment, his shoulders slumped.

  “Well, then I’ll do it myself.”

  He turned away and strode toward the stairwell door. Muttering, Tony rushed after him. He grabbed Teddy by the arm and pulled him to a halt.

  “Stop it!”

  “Let me go, Tony. I may not be as young as you, but I reckon I can still knock you on your butt.”

  Despite everything, Tony grinned slightly. “I’ve got no doubt you could. But Teddy, listen to me, okay?”

  “We don’t have time!”

  “Listen to me, goddamn it.”

  Teddy took a deep breath, shuddered, and then nodded. “Okay. I’m listening. What?”

  “Well...” Tony wiped rain from his face. “I mean, what’s the plan here, man? Were you just going to open the door and run down the stairs? You’d drown before you even reached the first floor.”

  “I can swim.”

  “It’s not a matter of fucking swimming, Teddy! It’s a matter of that’s a goddamned tsunami! The tide would sweep you right out to sea, just like everybody else.”

  “But that child—”

  “Forget about it. That kid is as good as dead. And you know I’m right.”

  “No.” Teddy shook his head and pulled away. “I don’t know that at all. We’re supposed to be the good guys, Tony. We’re supposed to save the world. Save all the worlds. Can you really just stand here and let that child die without trying to do something to help? Anything?”

  “Yeah, I can. I can, because there’s no other fucking choice. That doesn’t mean I have to like it, but there’s just no other way. Take a look. The kid is gone by now. Probably a mile away. That water’s rushing fast.”

  “I…” Sighing, Teddy closed his eyes and ran a hand over his wet scalp. Then he opened his eyes again. “Some good guys we turned out to be.”

  “I ain’t no good guy,” Tony replied. “Listen. You want to know what I was doing when Amun brought us all together?”

  “What?”

  “My partner Vince and I were killing an apartment full of Dominican drug dealers. And not just the men. There were women in there, too.”

  Teddy gaped at him. The old man’s mouth worked soundlessly.

  “Yeah.” Tony nodded. “We went through there like machines. Like we were fucking Terminators. You know? From the movies?”

  “I know them. Why would you do that?”

  Tony glanced down at his feet. “Because that’s what the boss wanted.”

  “And you...you just did it? You murdered people—innocent people—because that’s what your employer wanted you to do?”

  Tony nodded again.

  “Just following orders?” Teddy shook his head. “If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that in life...”

  Neither man spoke for a moment. The tsunami’s initial onslaught had brought with it a terrifying cacophony, but that had now ceased. The silence was broken only by the churning tide, an occasional cry from below, and the incessant rain.

  “I used to know this guy,” Tony said. “Long time ago. Small-time stick-up artist named Sherm. Got his head blown off in a botched bank robbery about twenty years back. He used to tell people that he’d rather be hated for who he was than loved for who he wasn’t. I never quite got what he meant by that. But I’m starting to.”

  “I don’t hate you, Tony.” Teddy blinked raindrops from his eyes. “I just... good Lord.”

  “I am who I am, Teddy. And I ain’t a good guy any more than the Exit is a good guy. I might not be fucked in the head like he is, but I’ve done my fair share of bad shit. Amun didn’t pick us because we’re good or bad. He didn’t pick us based on our moral fiber. This ain’t some superhero movie where the music swells and we all stand back-to-back and face down the Thirteen. He picked us because we’re the only ones who can do the job. So…you want to throw your fucking life away saving one kid who can’t be saved? Go ahead. Me? I’m gonna stay alive and save the entire goddamned universe.”

  They fell silent once more. Tony walked over to the edge of the rooftop again, and looked out over the destruction. Eventually, Teddy joined him.

  “The others...” The old man paused. “Sarah, Frankie...”

  Tony shook his head. “I don’t know, man. I mean, you see what it’s like down there. We have to hope they made it to higher ground.”

  “But you don’t believe they did.”

  Tony shrugged. “Neither do you.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Tony. I’ve got one thing you don’t.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Hope.”

  Tony turned back out to the submerged city. “Well, then you’d better lend me some. Because if it’s just the two of us left to do the job, I’m gonna need all the hope I can get. It was bad enough losing Lucifer. If the others are dead, too, then we are truly fucked.”

  8

  H e awoke in darkness, warm but shivering. The surface beneath him was cold and wet and hard, yet he also felt it shifting each time he moved. Water lapped at him, rising and receding. Birds shrieked overhead.

  Beach, he thought. I’m on a beach. Lying on my back in the sand.

  He licked his dry, cracked lips and tried to speak, but his voice sounded like a croak.

  “Let there be light.”

  He opened his big eyes, and there was. The sun beat down upon him, filling his vision, dominating the cloudless sky overhead. He stared into it, unblinking, and felt his strength return. He did not shirk from the glare. Indeed, he welcomed it. The sun reminded him of something, but he wasn’t sure what, exactly.

  Slowly, he sat up. The tide rolled in again, splashing over his legs, surrounding him with bubbling foam. He turned his head, looking around. Ahead of him, far past the beach, was a suburban neighborhood. The streets were lined with palm trees. To the left of this was a series of high cliffs that cut off the beach and loomed over the ocean. The top of the cliff was enclosed by a chain-link security fence. There was evidence of a landslide having taken place, given the remains of concrete foundations and pipes that jutted from the rocks. It must have happened a long time ago, judging by the amount of graffiti that covered the concrete. He placed his gray, slender hands in the cool sand and leaned back, peering further to the left, around the cliffs, where he spotted the tall cranes of a shipping port.

  His thin slit of a mouth turned into a frown. Based on the trees and the architecture in the neighborhood, he guessed he was somewhere in California, which meant this was the Pacific Ocean lapping at him. This led to more questions. Why was he in California? How had he ended up on this beach? And most importantly, who was he? He felt a surge of panic. Why couldn’t he remember? His frown deepened as he tried to concentrate. The last clear memory he had was...

  ...nothing.

  He understood everything around him. He knew what the ocean was, and that the metal things zipping by on that suburban street were automobiles, and that the part of him sitting in the sand was his ass, but he didn’t know his name, or anything about himself.

  He glanced up at the sun again, as if it would provide a clue. He closed his eyes, letting the heat and light grace his face, and tried to remember. He remembered...flying? And some sort of big explosion? A big bang?

  His reverie was broken by a shrill scream. He opened his eyes and turned to the right, and saw three children standing nearby—a blonde girl, a boy with his lower arm in a cast, and a red-headed girl who still had her mouth open, although she seemed to be done screaming.

  He raised his hand and waved at them, wiggling his long fingers. “Hello.”

  “Holy shit,” the boy responded.

  The blonde girl took a tentative step toward him. Her eyes were wide, but not fearful. The redhead grabbed her arm.

  “Don’t go near it, Rena. It might abduct you.”

  The blonde, Rena, shook her off. “Maybe it fell out of its spaceship.”

  “Holy shit,” the boy repeated.

  “Are...are you hurt?” Rena asked.

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Holy shit,” the boy gasped a third time. “You can talk!”

  “I can. And I dare say I seem to know more words than you, Mister...?”

  “I’m Billy. This is my sister, Jackie, and our friend, Rena. And I don’t just know shit. I know piss and bitch, too, though I’m not allowed to say that last one.”

  “You’re not allowed to say any of them,” Jackie replied, rolling her eyes.

  “I’d like to stand up, if I may? Don’t be frightened.”

  The children nodded.

  He slowly rose to his feet. Jackie took a few steps backward, but Rena and Billy simply gaped. He brushed sand from his buttocks and legs.

  “There,” he said. “Much better.”

  “Are you...?” Jackie hesitated, her expression fearful. “Are you going to probe us?”

  “Probe you?”

  “She means are you going to stick stuff in our butts,” Billy explained.

  “What? Good Lord, no! Why on Earth would I do that?”

  Billy shrugged. “That’s what happens in the movies. You stick these metal rods in people’s butts.”

  He hesitated before answering. The phrase he’d used—Good Lord—had stirred up another confusing memory in him, but he wasn’t sure what it meant. Frowning, he returned his attention to the children.

  “What do you mean, that’s what happens in the movies? What kind of movies are your parents letting you watch?”

  “You’re an alien, aren’t you?” Rena pointed. “Don’t you abduct people and do all kinds of tests on them?”

  “I’m a what?” He looked down at himself then, finally taking stock. He stretched out his arms and flexed his fingers and stared at his legs and feet. When he looked up at the kids again, he smiled. “Well, I guess I am. But I promise that I’m not going to kidnap you or do any kinds of tests on you.”

  “Where’s your ship?” Billy asked.

  “I don’t think I have one.”

  “Then how did you get here?” Rena asked.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. In truth, I don’t remember anything. I think I might have amnesia.”

  The kids looked at each other, and then back to him.

  “You should hide somewhere,” Rena suggested. “If other people see you...in the movies, the government always comes.”

  He frowned again. “I’ve never been a fan of governments.”

  “You remember that?” Billy asked.

  “No...not exactly. It’s more of a hunch. Just a feeling, I guess.”

  “We’ve got a fort.” Rena pointed to the top of the cliffs. “It’s a cave, but we can get into it from the other side of the fence. Nobody else knows about it.”

  “What is this place,” he asked. “Where are we?”

  “You’re in San Pedro, California,” Billy said, “and that over there is Sunken City. There’s a hiking trail at the top, but nobody is allowed beyond the fence.”

  “But we sneak into our cave,” Rena said. “We can hide you there. Are you hungry?”

  He thought about it, and realized that he was absolutely famished. “I am.”

  “Okay. Come with us. We’ll take you to the cave and after you’re hidden, we’ll get you some food.”

  “Do you like Doritos?” Jackie asked.

  “I don’t know. I can’t remember. Maybe?”

  “Well, we have some of them. And Oreo cookies, too. The kind with double the stuffing.”

  They led him across the beach. The sun warmed him as they walked. He glanced up at the orb again, wondering why he felt so connected to it.

  “Why were you on the beach?” Rena asked.

  “I have no idea. Maybe I fell asleep here?”

  “You really don’t remember anything?” Billy asked.

  He shook his head. “Nothing.”

  “Well, we have to give you a name then,” Billy said.

  “He’s not a dog or a cat,” Rena replied. “We can’t just name him. He gets to pick what it should be.”

  Shrugging, Billy turned back to him. “Okay, then. What would you like to be called?”

  The gray-skinned being thought it over for a moment, and then smiled.

  “Lou,” he replied. “Yes, that feels right. Call me Lou.”

  9

  B loom didn’t fully come to his senses until right before the churning water closed over his head. Gulping a lungful of air as the swirling current yanked him down, he glanced around, bewildered. He remembered a red Volkswagen slamming into them. After that, everything had become a muted blur. He saw the car now, floating overhead amidst a veritable soup of spinning, rushing debris. Then he caught sight of Sarah. Her body was limp, and she sank face down into the depths.

  Panicking, Bloom surged toward her and grabbed the unconscious woman’s arm. Then he kicked for the surface, struggling against the strong current. The effort seemed useless. For every inch he gained, it felt as if he lost two. Sarah’s unmoving form weighed him down. The water became darker, and more crowded with bodies and junk. An uprooted tree spun past, and Bloom used the thick trunk as a springboard, kicking off of it and pushing upward, propelling them both through the water. He lost momentum a moment later, as he tugged Sarah aside to avoid colliding with a jagged sheet of metal. Bloom’s lungs ached, and his pulse throbbed in his temples. The surface still seemed so far away, and there was no sign of the sun.

  Then he broke the water’s surface and could breathe again, and he realized that the sun was hidden behind an expansive stretch of thick, black storm clouds blanketing the sky. Lightning flashed overhead, making the clouds glow, and the noise of the waves and thunder overwhelmed his senses. Gasping, he shook his head and blinked water from his eyes. Then he pulled Sarah to the surface and leaned his ear close to her face. Her breathing was shallow, but she was alive.

  “Okay.” He coughed. “Got to...get us...out of the water.”

  Bloom spotted the red Volkswagen again, still spinning like a top amidst the current. He swam for it, struggling to keep Sarah’s head above water. He clambered onto the roof, and lay her down gently. Then he unfastened his belt and used it to tie the two of them together, securing the ends to one of her wrists and one of his.

  “Shit. What are we supposed to do now?”

  Bloom stared up at the falling rain as the ocean carried him, Sarah, and the rest of the town out to sea. He wondered what had happened to the others. Could they still be alive? He supposed it was possible. After all, he and Sarah were still alive, despite the odds. Maybe the others were safe, too. Even as he thought it, he didn’t really believe it—not deep down inside. But even if they were alive, how the hell was he supposed to find them? And if they were indeed dead, how could he fight the Thirteen on his own? He’d had enough trouble chasing after Kandara on his own for all those years, and he hadn’t truly been able to defeat the entity until he’d had help from the others. How was he supposed to take on the remaining twelve?

  A flash of movement caught his attention. Turning his head, Bloom saw a series of small, silver things leap from the water and fly through the air. They were fish of some kind. He followed them across the water’s surface, and spotted a figure clinging precariously to a section of roofing that was floating atop the waves. He couldn’t tell if the rain-drenched person was a man or a woman. They were too far away to make out many details at all. He wondered if it was possible they could be one of his friends. The person was about LeHorn’s build and height.

  As he watched, the school of flying silver fish bore down on the wreckage. The clinging figure held up one trembling arm as if to ward them off, and then the swarm fell upon them, reducing the victim to bloody shreds in less than a minute. Even from this distance, it was horrific to behold. The water around the rooftop turned red.

  “Jesus Christ.”

  Sarah moaned at his side. Bloom glanced down and saw her eyes flutter. Then she opened them, blinking.

  “B-bloom? Where are we?”

  “On the roof of a car, in the middle of the tsunami. Are you okay?”

  “I-I think so.” She sat up and looked around. The wind tussled her wet hair. “This is bad.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I guess things can’t get any worse.”

  Bloom glanced back at the floating rooftop again. His eyes widened as he realized the school of flying fish had now turned toward them. Their scales flashed in the dim gray light.

  “Don’t be so sure,” he said.

  STRUGGLING TO REACH THE SURFACE, Frankie fought against the overpowering current, but her efforts were for naught. It was like swimming inside of a tumbling cement mixer. Her legs and arms fanned uselessly as she was dragged farther down. The toxic stew stung her eyes, but she kept them open and focused on the dim light slipping further and further out of reach with every passing second. She glimpsed others in the water with her, both living and dead. Their forms were shadows, glimpsed and then gone, vanishing into the debris-choked depths.