Alex Van Helsing The Triumph of Death - By Jason Henderson Page 0,61

said. “Chatter among the clans is off the charts. They’re preparing to occupy every major city when there’s no more daylight. We’ll need armed forces on every street corner. We’ll need to close schools for a time until we can figure out how to get them open—if we can. Hospitals, don’t even get me started. Forget shopping malls. Forget grocery stores. We’ll have to have armed forces delivering food to protected drop zones, and escort civilians in groups from their neighborhoods to the storehouses.”

“Something like this,” Carreras cut in, “was bound to happen. We always knew it and we have the plans in place.”

Alex pushed back his hair, friendly faces the world over zipping through his brain. “I haven’t seen anything about this…on the news.” Even though he hadn’t actually been watching the news, he knew what he was saying was stupid. If people knew this was coming they’d have taken to the streets already. “Are you going to tell everyone…to prepare them?”

“We’re not announcing it until the night before, until late Sunday night. There wouldn’t be any point. By the time we make the announcement, roadblocks will be in place.”

Alex understood what Carreras was saying. Give the people of the world a few more days of thinking everything was going to keep on the way it had kept on their whole lives. Monday would bring a new order, when every family would be prisoners in their own home.

“And not just vampires,” Carreras continued. “Every kind of vampire the Scholomance wants to roll out. According to Sangster, they had a Nuckelavee digging up the grave in London.”

“A what?” Alex asked. Then he remembered. The thing with the roving legs was a Nuckelavee. He had seen one of them at Creature School, in fact. He waved this away, trying again. “Look, I can find the DNA. I have the instructions for the vial gun. I just need the DNA. We don’t have to assume that the apocalypse is coming.”

“And again I ask you,” Carreras repeated, “find it with what? Find it where?”

Alex sat back, drummed his fingers on the table. He pointed at Astrid. “What about Hexen?”

“I checked in,” Astrid said. “We are prepared to cooperate. We feel a certain responsibility for Queen Claire.”

Alex shook his head. “So I guess you’re going back to…”

“The Orchard?” Astrid asked. “I could, but I have an assignment I’m still on, so those are not my orders.”

“Oh, right.” Alex turned to the rest of them. “Did I mention this? She’s a spy here to watch me.”

Carreras blinked. “I think under the circumstances you can use the help.”

“Oh? Where am I supposed to go?”

“We’ve left this up to you, Alex. You were Sangster’s protégé, so if you choose to stay on at this time, we can use you with him in France, or you can choose your current station, Geneva. You’d be reporting to an agent named Hall. Or you can go back to school, since you have that right. Or we’re prepared to send you home. You can leave within the hour. Wyoming might need you. Personally I think with the population involved, we could use you here more, but again, it’s up to you.”

For a moment Alex pictured it, his parents’ house in Wyoming. They would have Dad, who had all his skills, and Mom, who had all of Astrid’s and more. And they would have two teenage girls and two smaller girls. And it would be dark outside, with roving bands of vampires led by whoever ruled that part of North America.

“No, no, this is crazy,” Alex said, shaking his head. “I don’t accept this.”

“We are out,” Carreras repeated slowly, “of time.”

Alex scanned all the faces. He was done arguing. New plan. “How long do I have to decide?”

“Twenty minutes.” Carreras stood. He seemed to slump for a moment, then stood straighter, smoothing his suit coat over his paunch. “After this meeting, I’m afraid things will be such that you won’t see me like this anymore. Agent Van Helsing, it has been good working with you.” He extended a hand.

Alex shook it. “I’ll be in the library.”

As Alex walked out he looked at Astrid. “You gonna follow at a distance or just come on?”

In the Polidorium library, an enormous room of plain-gray metal shelves and high white ceilings, the first thing Alex grabbed was a Polidorium tablet with an internet connection.

“What are you doing?” Astrid asked as they took a table in the back.

“Get me a copy of Frankenstein.” Alex booted up the