The Influence(122)

At the same time, he had no illusion that they weren’t doing the right thing. Dead, that creature had caused enough horror to justify destroying it. If it was allowed to “hatch” as McDaniels put it, to become what it was becoming, who knew what damage it would cause, what people it would kill?

“So what’s the plan?” he asked Kevin.

His nephew was unspooling a long length of wire. “I’ve got some det wire, here.”

“Det wire?”

“Detonation wire. I’m going to use it to set a fire inside the barn. If I can get in there without anyone seeing me.”

Hec was already off, heading around the back corner of the building, presumably to check if it was empty.

“I’m sure there’s something flammable inside there. I’ll pick a bale of hay or some old wood or a pile of newspapers, soak it with gas, spread things out so it’ll shoot simultaneously to each area of the barn, pop in the end of the det wire, spool it out here, light it and haul ass. The whole place’ll go up in an instant. That’ll bring them running. We need to be in a position at that point to swoop in while they’re distracted. I’ll soak the angel demon with gas and gel, set it off, and we’re done.”

“What’s gel?” Ross asked.

Kevin grinned. “Good stuff.”

Hec came running back along the side of the barn. “I think it’s clear,” he said. “At least, I got in without seeing anyone or being seen. The door’s wide open.”

“Any hay in there?” Kevin asked.

“Mountains of it.”

“We’re in.”

Ross was impressed by the fact that his nephew had suddenly become such an expert in firestarting, but he worried that the opposite might occur, too, especially in such close proximity to the monster. What if Hec’s sharpshooting skills suddenly deserted him? What if McDaniels couldn’t aim for shit?

It didn’t matter. They had no choice. This was the only plan they had.

“Before we do anything, we need to find water,” Kevin said, pushing the hair out of his eyes.

“There’ll be water in the corral,” McDaniels said. “For the horses and cattle. Might be a spring or a pipe-fed barrel, but it’ll be damn near impossible to get to. You’ll have to go through the people you’re gonna use it on to do it.”

“There must be, like, a hose near the house, right?”

“Usually,” McDaniels said. “But I never worked on Holt’s plumbing, so I don’t know for sure.”

“I’ll take that chance,” Ross said. He was pretty sure he had a water bottle in the car, and he wished he’d brought it, but his nephew hadn’t said anything at the time.

“Once everyone takes off and runs to the barn, it’s your job to keep them there. Inside, outside, doesn’t matter. Just keep that angel demon free so I can set up shop. You have six of those bottles. Use them wisely. After the first explosion, it’ll probably scare them enough to keep them back. It’s pretty gnarly. But if it doesn’t work out, and you run out of bottles before I’m done…” He turned toward Hec and McDaniels. “You two keep them in line.”

“Try not to kill anyone,” Ross emphasized.

“I’ll do what I have to do,” Hec said.

He sounded tough, sounded brave, but McDaniels had said that the last time they’d come here, they’d both ended up running away, too afraid to take any action. He hoped against hope that that wouldn’t happen this time.

“Give me a few minutes,” Kevin said, his hands full as he started toward the rear of the barn. “And maybe stay back from that wall. Just in case.”

There was a tractor off to the left of the barn, and Ross hurried over, hiding behind it. From this angle, he could see the open area between the house and barn, and the army of defenders stationed around the metamorphosing body. McDaniels and Hec ran up next to him, rifles at the ready. Hec’s gun apparently had a telescopic sight, and he looked through it, aiming at the house.

“There is a hose,” he said. “Right by the front steps. Holy shit! There’s Cameron, too.” He started grinning. “Here, bud. Take a gander.”

Ross accepted the rifle and, using the gun site like a spyglass, he trained it on the house. Father Ramos was standing with Cameron Holt on the front porch, and Ross was not merely shocked to see the priest, but filled with a disappointment so profound it was almost sorrow. They’d rescued Father Ramos, driven him away, but he had not escaped Magdalena, had not returned with the full power of the church behind him. He had instead come back of his own accord, seduced once again by the empty promise of the angel. He was a part of this now, and, like Holt, one of the monster’s minions.