“Pieces of these . . . things . . . were in those little sandwiches?” His voice rose; his ruddy face was pale.

“Uh-huh.”

He looked at me, his Adam’s apple convulsing, and for a moment I thought he was going to vomit but he got it under control. “Lady, you are one sick fuck.”

“Come on. There’s one more thing I want you to see,” I told him.

“I’ve seen enough.”

“No, you haven’t. Not yet.” I’d saved the worst for last.

I concluded our sightseeing tour at the edge of a new Dark Zone on the north side of the river Liffey that I’d been planning to scout, so I could ink its parameters on the map I’d nailed up on my bedroom wall. “Remember those places you couldn’t find on the maps?” I said. “The area next to the bookstore? The ones O’Duffy was checking into? This is what they are.” I waved a hand down the street.

Jayne took a step toward the darkness and I barked, “Don’t leave the light!”

He stopped beneath a streetlamp and leaned against it. I watched his face as he watched the Shades slithering hungrily at the edge of the darkness.

“And you expect me to believe these shadows eat people?” he finally said, tightly.

“If you don’t believe me, go home, get one of your kids, and send them in. See what happens.” I didn’t feel as cold as I sounded when I said it, but I had to get through to him, and to do that, I needed to hit him where he lived, bring the threat as close to home as I could.

“Don’t you ever mention my children to me again!” he shouted, turning on me. “Do you hear me? Never!”

“When this wears off,” I pointed out, “you’ll no longer know where the Dark Zones are. Your children might walk to school through one, and never come home again. Will you go looking for their piles? Will you even know where to look? Will you die trying?”

“Are you threatening me?” Big hands fisting, he bristled toward me.