"He would've liked you," Jane said softly.

"I think you're a lot like him."

Red kissed her head.

“Is that why you wanted to be with me?"

"I don't know. Maybe." Jane looked up.

"Is that okay? That you remind me of something good?"

"It's a start," Red responded, as gently as she knew how.

“But do you think you might . . . love me for me?"

"I think I've already started." Jane snuggled her head back under Red's chin.

"I don't get revenge do I? I don't get the last word."

"You get the last laugh," Red said, holding her lover close.

“You get to live while he rots in hell. You get to start over. He's cashed in his chips and left the table. You get to be alive. He'll never get that again."

Patrick wasn't sure why he had stuck around. The Strays had to have known that he had betrayed them, so his life was pretty much forfeit if they every caught up with him. But something had kept him here ... had kept him from running. He kept thinking how easy it would be to just fly off into the night sky underneath ...

“What the " he started to say. The stars had vanished overhead.

"Oh my"

Whatever he had meant to say died on Patrick's lips as hew was enveloped by the darkness. The Dark One needed a host. Its body had been damaged, so it was going to borrow another one. This one was weaker than the girl had had been, but he would have to do. It seeped into Patrick's frail form through his ears, nose, mouth, and even his anal cavity. His legs seemed to explode to be replaced with dozens of black tendrils. Similar limbs protruded from his mouth, making him look much Like a squid. His hands developed into enormous claws, and vast bat-like wings sprouted from his back.

‘AND NOW,' it thought as it took its newly won prize on a blistering pace through the sky, feeling very much reenergized, ‘I WILL HAVE THE WOMAN'S SOUL, EVEN IF I MUST PRY IT FROM HER COLD DEAD FINGERS!"

Tarloh stood aside from the rest of the Strays, all of whom were buzzing about the possibility of a genuine apocalypse. He heard footsteps approaching.

"Hey big guy," Natasha said, sitting on the floor in front of him.

"So can we say, ‘Well at least it can't get any worse’ yet?"

“I'd rather we didn't," he replied in a deep, gruff voice.

“This is more than we ever bargained for. We can barely stay together. How can the Strays fight something like this? You and Jane were the only ones who would stand a chance against the Shoggoth, and it's apparently just a minnow next to its boss."

“Then get help," Nat said.

"Who? We don't have a lot of contacts and even if we did, who would want to come out here and help us fight . . . well, the Devil?"