Hell Followed With Us

The narrative again shifts to Nick’s perspective, who wakes up to find Benji gone. Nick is overcome by guilt for ever considering Benji to be less than human and for thinking of using him as a sacrifice. Nick manages to locate Benji as he is about to attack the group of Angels on the way to the church, and Nick shoots a couple of them from a distance. He watches as Benji tears each Angel apart by their limbs and rips them apart with his teeth. Benji is almost fully transformed now, with claws, a long tongue, and a hollow body. After all the Angels are dead, Nick approaches Benji, who instantly attacks Nick. Nick tries to remind Benji of who he is, believing that Benji is still himself somewhere inside. He gives Benji some bobby pins and fixes his hair. Benji calms down, realizing that Nick is a friend.

Back in Benji’s perspective, his memory of the next several hours is hazy, but Nick takes him back to the bank and helps him cover his wounds. Nick can see that Benji is suffering and invites him to make lizards out of beads—something that Nick does when he’s upset.