Max Davies opened the storm door and descended the wooden stairs into the room he and his wife had dubbed “The Peregrine’s Nest.” It contained his laboratory and spare equipment but even more importantly, it gave him a measure of privacy.
He’d just finished a nice meal with Evelyn, who had listened to all of his stories about the altered world with wide but believing eyes. She had learned to trust Max, no matter how crazy his stories sometimes got. In fact, she’d accompanied him on nocturnal excursions often enough that she’d seen many strange things firsthand.
Nonetheless, there was only so much that he could share with her. Some things were just so personal that it was difficult to express in words. He’d been haunted by visions of demons, Nazi-overrun countries, and the death of Lazarus Gray ever since he’d returned.
He laid The Knife of Elohim on the desk, remembering how he’d stabbed it into Lazarus. In retrospect, he’d thought of other things they could have done but in the heat of the moment, Gray’s plan had seemed to be the only thing that made sense.
The blade wasn’t glowing at the moment, which meant that no evil was nearby. Max turned away from it and set about making more of his specially modified bullets when he heard something that gave him pause. He looked over his shoulder to see that the blade was glowing softly. Even more disturbingly, he heard whispered words. At first he couldn’t make them out but then they became more distinct before fading out entirely:
It was worth it.
“Lazarus,” Max said. A smile spread across his face and he nodded in understanding. “You won’t be forgotten, my friend… I promise you that.[11]”
About the Author
Barry Reese has worked for a variety of publishers, including Pro Se Productions, Marvel Comics and Moonstone. He’s written classic characters like The Avenger and The Green Hornet but he’s best known for his original creations — The Peregrine, Lazarus Gray and Gravedigger. Married to artist Cari Reese, he has one son and far too many pets. If you’re interested in finding out more about his prolific writing career, check out www.barryreese.net
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The Peregrine appears next in “Abominations” in