the return midnight | Page 3

o f
D am on”y o u d on’t b elie ve th e a nsw er, n ot if y o u’d s e en th e
tw o o f u s a fe w d ays a go. B ut to u nders ta nd, y o u h ave to
k n ow a fe w fa cts .
H ave y o u e ve r h eard th e p hra se
“ A ll b ets a re o ff” ?
It m eans th at a nyth in g,
a nyth in g ,
ca n h appen. S o th at e ve n
s o m ebody w ho fig ure s o ut o dds a nd ta ke s b ets fr o m
p eople g iv e s th em b ack th eir m oney. B eca use a w ild c a rd
h as e nte re d th e s itu atio n.
Y ou c a n’t e ve n fig ure th e o dds to
ta ke a b et.
T hat’s w here I a m . T hat’s w hy m y h eart is p oundin g in m y
th ro at a nd h ead a nd e ars a nd fin gertip s in fe ar.
A ll b ets a re o ff.
Y ou c a n s e e h ow s h aky e ve n m y p rin tin g is . S uppose m y
h ands s h ake lik e th is w hen I g o in to s e e
h im ?
I m ig ht d ro p

th e tr a y. I m ig ht a nnoy D am on. A nd th en
a nyth in g
mig ht
h appen.
I’m n ot e xp la in in g th is r ig ht. W hat I s h ould b e s a yin g is th at
w e’r e b ack: D am on a nd M ere dith a nd B onnie a nd m e. W e
w ent to th e D ark D im ensio n a nd n ow w e’r e h om e a gain , w ith
a s ta r b all
—and S te fa n.
S te fa n w as tr ic ke d in to g oin g th ere b y S hin ic h i a nd M is a o,
th e b ro th er a nd s is te r
k its une ,
or e vil fo x-s p ir its , w ho to ld
h im th at if h e w ent to th e D ark D im ensio n h e c o uld g et th e
c u rs e o f b ein g a v a m pir e r e m ove d a nd b eco m e h um an
a gain .
T hey lie d.
A ll th ey d id w as le ave h im in a s tin kin g p ris o n, w ith n o fo od,
n o lig ht, n o w arm th … until h e w as a t th e p oin t o f d eath .
B ut D am on— who w as s o d iffe re nt b ack th en— agre ed to
le ad u s to tr y to fin d h im . A nd, o h, I c a n’t e ve n b egin to
d escrib e th e D ark D im ensio n its e lf. B ut th e im porta nt th in g
is th at w e fin ally fo und S te fa n, a nd th at b y th en w e’d fo und
th e T win F ox k e y w e n eeded to r e le ase h im . B ut— he w as a
s ke le to n, p oor b oy. W e
c a rrie d
him o ut o f th e p ris o n o n h is
p alle t, w hic h la te r M