Contents
Book Three: Double Feature — 24.
Overview
In the blackout, Donna McBride faces the wounded Joe Valentine as King Sorrow manifests, pressing the countdown to midnight. Rejecting Sorrow’s claim, Donna executes Valentine with a shard of glass, then activates the serpent tattoo’s power and commands Sorrow to burn the Cherokee facility, triggering chaos.
Summary
As emergency lights dim the Cherokee facility, Donna McBride watches the badly wounded Joe Valentine bleed out and denies him aid. The power failure suggests the cameras are down, so Donna arms herself with a shard of glass from the smashed TV and returns to the bathroom doorway, Glock nearby.
King Sorrow’s voice emerges from the darkness, and a dragon’s eye appears behind the shower curtain, terrifying Valentine, who insists it is not yet midnight. Donna refuses to cede him to Sorrow, claiming “dibs.” She pins Joe Valentine and repeatedly stabs his neck with the glass until he dies, her own hands bloodied.
With the corpse beside her, Donna feels the serpent tattoo on her chest awaken at 8:47 p.m. EST. A constricting, reptilian sensation tightens around her ribs; her vision momentarily films over like a reptile’s, signaling a bond with Sorrow’s power.
Accepting this connection, Donna orders, “Burn this fucking place to the ground.” King Sorrow affirms he was waiting for her command. The dragon’s eye vanishes, and moments later gunfire and screams erupt, marking the beginning of the facility’s destruction.
Who Appears
- Donna McBrideCaptive turned executioner; kills Joe Valentine, activates her serpent mark, and orders King Sorrow to burn Cherokee.
- Joe ValentineBleeding captor; begs for time but is stabbed to death by Donna despite Sorrow’s looming presence.
- King SorrowManifesting in darkness as a dragon’s eye; pressures Valentine and answers Donna’s command to raze the facility.