36 Zhen tried to warn us with her message in the sand. We ignored her, thought her crazy. No. I ignored her. I thought her crazy. Takeshi is now dead because of me. Klaus is without his skeleton mask and looks exactly like the boy in the photo—yeah, that fifty year old photo—but his eyes have changed. There’s not an atom of kindness left in them. Whoever was in that photo doesn’t exist anymore. To add insult to death, the evil bastard is smirking. I grab Pip and push him behind the rock. Klaus fires and the bullet ricochets off the rock as I crash against it. My back against the rock, I slide down it until my arse touches the top of my boots. I inch my sword outwards, and in the reflection I see Klaus walking towards us, pistol raised. He takes his time, each step deliberate. Maybe he

