A large man struts forward from each side. One of the twins talks to the two large men, and the other twin begins taking notes as people from the crowd call out. Then everyone steps out into a circle, leaving the two large men in the middle.

As if on cue, the combined crowd begins shouting and jumping for a better view. They’ve closed the circle, so I can’t see what’s going on inside, but I can guess. The twins have started an official fight and are taking bets. Everybody’s happy.

No wonder Obi kept the twins around and put up with their antics.

By four o’clock, we have as many talent show contestants and audience members as fighters. I’m so busy I hardly have time to think about Raffe. But of course, he’s always in the back of my mind.

Will he do it? Will he kill humans in order to be accepted back into angel society? If we have to fight each other, will he hunt me like an animal?

The end of the world hasn’t exactly brought out humanity’s finest qualities. Raffe has seen people do the worst possible things to each other. I wish I could show him the other side – the best that we can be. But that’s just wishful thinking, isn’t it?

There are familiar faces among the volunteer fighters. Tattoo and Alpha from Alcatraz are there. Their real names are Dwaine and Randall, but I’d gotten used to thinking of them as Tattoo and Alpha, so I keep calling them that. Others are picking the names up, and if they don’t stop it soon, they’ll become their permanent nicknames.

It seems that half the group goes by nicknames. It’s as if everyone feels like they’re different people now, and so they shouldn’t have the same names as they did in the World Before.

I look up when people step aside to let a man in a suit and chauffeur’s hat walk up to me. Everyone stares at his exposed teeth and the raw meat where skin should have covered the bottom half of his face.

‘I heard your announcement,’ he says in his tortured way. ‘I’m glad you made it out of the aerie alive. I’m here to help.’

I give him a small smile. ‘Thank you. We could use your help.’

‘Yeah, as in right now,’ says Sanjay, waddling by us, trying to hold up his end of a stack of wooden planks. My ex-driver rushes over to help.

‘Thank you,’ says Sanjay with much relief.

I watch them load the planks onto a boat with easy camaraderie.

I feel like I have a lead submarine in my stomach when I think about all these people who will probably die because they believed me when I told them this was worth fighting for.

Chapter 56

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