He gunned the accelerator again and swerved onto the road, rebounding off a rock wall as he sped toward the highway. Beside him the boy was still unconscious. Thorn jammed the gas pedal to the floor as he found the highway and headed toward London. Dawn was coming, the fog was beginning to lift. Thorn's car took the empty road like a jet plane on a runway. It fairly flew; the dividing line blurred directly beneath it as it whined in ever-growing acceleration.

Beside Thorn, the boy was coming around, beginning to move now and whimper with pain. Thorn riveted his attention to the road, trying to shut out any awareness of his presence.

"He is not a human child!" shouted Thorn through clenched teeth. "He is not a human child!"

And he sped forward, the boy groaning beside him, but unable to regain his senses.

The turn-off at West-10 came too fast. Thorn skidded out of control, careening sideways onto the off-ramp, the movement throwing Damien to the floor.

They were heading toward All Saints Church. Thorn could make out its towering spires ahead, but the boy had been jostled into wakefulness and stared up at him with innocence in his eyes.

"Don't look at me . . ." groaned Thorn.

"I hurt. . ." the child whimpered.

"Don't look at me!"

And the child obeyed, casting his eyes to the floor. The car tires squealed as they rounded a corner heading fast toward the church, but as Thorn glanced up, he saw a sudden darkening in the sky above. It was as though it had turned night again, a canopy of darkness moving in with sudden force, sparked with lightning that began to strike viciously toward the ground.

"Daddy . . ." Damien whimpered.

"Don't!"

"I'm sick."

And he began to vomit. Thorn cried out to drown the sound of the boy's pain. Rain came in a violent downpour; wind whipped up and blew debris into the windshield as the car lurched to a stop in front of the church and Thorn threw open the door. Grabbing Damien by the collar of his pajamas, he pulled him across the seat, but the boy began to kick and scream, his legs making contact with Thorn's stomach, propelling him backward onto the street. Thorn lunged in, grabbing a foot, and dragged the child outward, but Damien slipped from his grip and began to run. Thorn raced after him, catching him by the pajama top and bringing him down hard to the pavement. Overhead, the sky exploded with thunder, a finger of lightning hitting close to the car, and Damien spun on the wet pavement, once again eluding Thorn's hands. He leapt upon the boy, trapping him beneath him, then grabbed him around the chest; the child kicked and screamed as they staggered toward the church.