Darren Shan - Procession of the dead

She finally looked back and said it. "Your humanity."

I couldn't reply to that. I just sat and stared and tried to convince myself that she was wrong.

I took every precaution I could when returning to the mall. I changed cabs five times. Walked a couple of miles along the most crowded streets I could find. Even called into a men's store and changed my clothes. When I'd done all in my power, I crossed my fingers and made my way back.

The phone rang on the dot. "Any sign of a tail?" I asked, not bothering with preliminaries.

"No."

"You sound sure."

"I went out to the country," she told me. "It's open roads and uninterrupted views for miles around. Nobody could have followed unobserved. I came back by a different route. I'm safe."

"I'm not so certain, but I think I made it unnoticed. No sign of Wami anyway."

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

"I'm going after him," I told her.

"Wami?"

"Yes."

"Are you crazy?"

"I have to. If he killed Adrian and the other Ayuamarcans, he's the only one apart from The Cardinal who can tell us anything. If I can talk to him, strike some kind of a deal, maybe he'll talk. It's worth a shot."

"You know where he is?"

"No. But I can find out."

"I'm coming with you."

"That would be stupid."

"We're safer together," she disagreed. "We can watch each other's backs. I don't want to be alone, not with a killer like Wami in the game."

I hesitated. "I don't want to put you in any more danger than I have to."

"Who broke into Party Central?" she snorted. "I'm not a kid, Capac."

She was right. This was her business too. She was in this as deep as me and had done as much-more-as I had to deal with it. "Meet me in Belle Square, half an hour from now," I said. "There's a beer garden near the south side. I'll be behind it. Bring your bike."

She was there on time and we took off with barely a word to each other. "Where are we going?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Hmm?" I was feeling her waist, remembering her exciting flesh. She slapped my fingers and repeated the question. "I don't know. Somewhere in the east. Keep going. Hopefully I'll remember the directions along the way."

We twisted and turned through the convoluted east of the city for hours. I tried recalling the route Adrian had taken but my memory wasn't that good. In the end we stopped and asked for directions. The people were slow to respond, but finally we found one who knew the old man and was prepared to talk for a price.

He was out on the porch when we pulled up, rocking in his chair, watching the world. He glanced at us with interest as we dismounted and approached.

"Hello, Fabio," I greeted him.

"Howdy right back," he said. "It's… don't tell me… Capac Raimi! Right?"

"The one and only."

"Heh. Old Fabio don't forget much. Don't know your pretty girl though."

"Ama Situwa," she introduced herself, leaning forward to shake his hand.

He nodded, filing the name away. "Nice to know ya. You attached to this guy or are you independent?"

"She's attached," I told him, smiling. Then I dived straight in. "You recall what I came about before?"

"Sure. Paucar Wami. I wouldn't forget anything to do with him in a hurry."

"I need to know more about him, Fabio. Where to find him."

The old man's eyes narrowed. "Do you now?" he purred. "Why?"

"I want to talk to him."

"Talk to Paucar Wami?" Fabio laughed. "He's not much for talking, not by any account."

"Do you know where he is?" I persisted.

"If I did, I wouldn't tell. I'm not sending his enemies after him. I know only too damn well he'd kill you and come looking for the snitch. I ain't getting on the wrong side of that mother."

"Please," Ama said, squatting. "We're not his enemies. We just want to talk." She grasped his hands, rubbed them gently and smiled. "Please?"

Fabio looked at the hands, at her, at me. And grinned. "Ain't it funny how a pretty lady always thinks she can find out anything from an old fart if she smiles nice and throws him the eye? They must think we're fools." He looked down at the hands again and his eyes crinkled with memories. "And they're right." He lifted his head. "You really just want to talk?"

"That's all."

"You'll keep my name out of it?"

"We won't say a word."

"Hmm." He considered the matter. "Now, I don't know if this is his place for sure," he eventually drawled, "but he was spotted there a few days back. Man who saw him only glimpsed him, but those snakes are distinctive. If he's not there, I don't know where he is."

"Thank you," Ama said softly, rubbing his wrists.

"Damn old fool is all I am," he growled, then smiled and gave her the address.

We pulled up at the apartment building and killed the engine. If Wami was here, he was on the sixth floor. I took a deep breath, stepped down and confronted Ama. "I'm going up by myself," I said, quickly raising a hand as she tried to interrupt. "Don't argue. There's no point more than one of us risking it. Besides, we don't know for sure that he's after you."

"Chances are he is," she snapped.

"Chances are," I admitted. "But if he's not, it would be crazy to draw attention to yourself. Leave this one to me, Ama. You know it makes sense."

She didn't like it but she knew I was right. She pulled out her gun and offered it to me. I was tempted but shook my head. I'd be a fool if I thought I could barge in and overpower a trained killer like Wami. I remembered him dropping from the sky and dispatching Johnny Grace and his men like a tiger. I took out the knife I still had from the night before and gave it to her.

"Wait a couple of hours," I said. "If I don't return, or if you see a bald, black killer come out alone, get the hell out of here as quick as you can."

"Do you think you can pull this off?" she asked.

"I doubt it." I smiled and kissed her. A long kiss, slow and passionate. When we parted there were tears in her eyes. Probably in mine too. "Is this where I say 'I love you'?" I chirped.

"No. This is where I say, 'See you soon,' " she replied.

It was an old building from the early twentieth century. The walls were riddled with cracks, holes, damp patches, burns and faded bloodstains. The doors were barred. Several apartments had been burned out. Squatters abounded. All the people I passed walked in a crouch, hunched over in anticipation of an attack. The only people here who didn't live in fear were the younger children who had yet to learn the cruel ways of the world.

The apartment I wanted was on the sixth floor. There were no bars, no bell, no mail slot. The door had been green once but the paint was old, discolored and peeling. I could sense Ama watching, though I didn't turn to check. Taking a deep breath, I rapped on the door with my knuckles.

There was silence. This was a largely deserted floor, most of the rooms along the landing blackened and bereft of occupants. I heard a noise to my left and, glancing over, spied a tiny old woman coming out of her home with a shopping bag. She looked suspiciously at me, turned and made for the far set of stairs. I smiled and faced the door again.

It was open and Paucar Wami was standing there, grinning, the snakes on his cheeks showing their constantly unveiled fangs.

"Capac Raimi," he said softly. "What a pleasant surprise."

I gulped a couple of times, then gasped, "I want to talk."

"You didn't want to talk this morning," he said. "Do you make a habit of taking early baths in public fountains?"

"You saw me? But… why didn't you…?"

"Come in," he said, standing aside. "We have much to discuss."

I walked past automatically. Dimly I heard him close the door. He didn't bolt it. I noted that fact in case I had to make a break for freedom later.