The Twelve is a work of fiction Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental Copyright © 2012 by Justin Cronin All rights reserved Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York BALLANTINE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint previously published material: Alfred A Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.: “In the Afterlife” from Almost Invisible by Mark Strand, copyright © 2012 by Mark Strand Reprinted by permission of Alfred A Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cronin, Justin The twelve : a novel / Justin Cronin p cm.—(Passage trilogy 2) eISBN: 978-0-345-53489-7 Virus diseases—Fiction Survival—Fiction End of the world—Fiction Human experimentation in medicine—Fiction I Title PS3553.R542T94 2012 813’.54—dc23 2012028427 www.ballantinebooks.com Jacket design: Belina Huey Jacket illustration: Tom Hallman v3.1_r1 She stood beside me for years, or was it a moment? I cannot remember Maybe I loved her, maybe I didn’t There was a house, and then no house There were trees, but none remain When no one remembers, what is there? You, whose moments are gone, who drift like smoke in the afterlife, tell me something, tell me anything —MARK STRAND, “IN THE AFTERLIFE” CONTENTS Cover Title Page Copyright Epigraph PROLOGUE Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four I THE GHOST Chapter Chapter II THE FAMILIAR Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 III THE FIELD Chapter 23 IV THE CAVE Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 V THE OIL ROAD Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 VI THE INSURGENT Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 VII THE OUTLAW Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 VIII THE CHANGELING Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 IX THE ARRIVAL Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 X THE ASSASSIN Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 XI THE DARKEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 XII THE KISS Chapter 67 Chapter 68 EPILOGUE THE GOLDEN HOUR Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 DRAMATIS PERSONAE Dedication Acknowledgments Other Books by This Author About the Author PROLOGUE From the Writings of the First Recorder (“The Book of Twelves”) Presented at the Third Global Conference on the North American Quarantine Period Center for the Study of Human Cultures and Conflicts University of New South Wales, Indo-Australian Republic April 16–21, 1003 A.V [Excerpt begins.] CHAPTER ONE For it came to pass that the world had grown wicked, and men had taken war into their hearts, and committed great de lements upon every living thing, so that the world was as a dream of death; And God looked upon his creation with a great sadness, for his spirit no longer abided with mankind And the LORD said: As in the days of Noah, a great deluge shall sweep over the earth; and this shall be a deluge of blood The monsters of men’s hearts shall be made esh, devouring all in their path And they shall be called Virals The rst shall walk among you disguised as a virtuous man, concealing the evil within him; and it shall come to pass that a sickness will befall him, such that he is made into the likeness of a demon, terrible to gaze upon And he shall be the father of destruction, called the Zero And men shall say: Would not such a being make the mightiest of soldiers? Would not the armies of our enemies lay down their weapons to cover their eyes at the very sight of him? And a decree shall go forth from the highest o ces that twelve criminals shall be chosen to share of the Zero’s blood, becoming demons also; and their names shall be as one name, Babcock-Morrison-Chávez-Ba es-Turrell-Winston-Sosa-Echols-LambrightMartínez-Reinhardt-Carter, called the Twelve But also I will choose one among you who is pure of heart and mind, a child to stand against them; and I will send a sign so that all may know, and this sign shall be a great commotion of animals And this was Amy, whose name is Love: Amy of Souls, the Girl from Nowhere And the sign went forth in the place of Memphis, the beasts howling and screeching and trumpeting; and one who saw was Lacey, a sister in the eyes of God And the LORD said to Lacey: 10 You too are chosen, to be as a helpmate to Amy, to show her the way Wither she goes you shall go also; and your journey shall be a hardship, lasting many generations 11 You shall be as a mother to the child, whom I have brought forth to heal the broken world; for within her I shall build an ark to carry the spirits of the righteous 12 And thus did Lacey according to all that God commanded her, so did she CHAPTER TWO And it came to pass that Amy was taken to the place of Colorado to be the captive of evil men; for in that place the Zero and the Twelve abided in chains, and Amy’s captors intended that she should become one of them, joining to them in mind And there she was given the blood of the Zero, and fell into a swoon as unto death; but neither did she die, nor acquire monstrous form For it was not the design of God that such a thing should come to pass And in this state Amy lingered through a period of days, until a great calamity occurred, such that there should be a Time Before and a Time After; for the Twelve escaped and the Zero also, unleashing death upon the earth But one man befriended Amy, and took pity upon her, and stole her away from that place And this was Wolgast, a man righteous in his generation, beloved of God And together Amy and Wolgast made their way to the place of Oregon, deep in the mountains; and there they abided in the time known as the Year of Zero For in that time the Twelve beset the face of the world with their great hunger, killing every kind; and those they did not feed upon were taken up, joining to them in mind And in this manner the Twelve were multiplied one million–fold to form the Twelve Viral Tribes, each with his Many, who roamed the earth without name or memory, laying waste to every living thing Thus did the seasons pass; and Wolgast became as a father to Amy, who had none, nor he a child of his own; and likewise did he love her, and she him And also did he see that Amy was not as he was, nor like any living person upon the earth; for neither did she age, nor su er pain, nor seek nourishment or rest And he feared what would become of her, when he himself was gone And it came to pass that a man came to them from the place of Seattle; and Wolgast did slay him, lest the man should become a demon in their midst For the world had become a place of monsters, none living but they 10 And in this manner they remained as father and daughter, each attending to the other, until a night when a blinding light lled the sky, too bright to gaze upon; and in the morning the air was foul with a rank odor, and ashes descended upon every surface 11 For the light was the light of death, causing Wolgast to fall ill with a lethal sickness And Amy was left to wander the ravaged earth alone, with none but the Virals for company 12 And in this manner time passed, four score and twelve years in sum 70 He came to her a nal time Or it was she who came to him They came to each other, to say a last goodbye For Wolgast it began with a sensation of abstract motion He was in a kind of nowhere, oating through an in nite space, though bit by bit the scene resolved, its spatial and temporal parameters rming, and he became aware that he was, of all things, riding a bicycle A bicycle! Now, that was strange Why was he on a bicycle? He hadn’t ridden one in years, but he’d loved it as a boy: the feeling of pure freedom and gyroscopic lift, his body’s energy owing through this marvelous mechanism that joined him to the wind Wolgast was on a bicycle, riding down a dusty country lane, and Amy was beside him, perched on a bicycle of her own This fact surprised him neither more nor less than anything else about the scene, it all simply was, just as Amy was both a little girl and a grown woman, and for a time they rode together without speaking, though the idea of time itself felt strange What was time? How long had they been riding like this? Some period of hours, perhaps, or even days, and yet the light was always the same—a permanent penumbral twilight that enriched the colors of everything around him with a golden glow: the elds and trees, the dust that rose under his wheels, the small white shapes of houses in the distance Everything felt very close; everything was far away “Where are we going?” Wolgast asked Amy smiled “Oh, it’s not much farther.” “What … is this place?” She said nothing more On they rode Wolgast’s heart was full of warm contentment, as if he were a boy again: a boy riding his bicycle at sunset, waiting for the call that would summon him home “Are you tired?” Amy asked “Not at all It feels wonderful.” “Why don’t we stop at the crest of the next hill?” They coasted to a halt A grassy valley opened below them In the distance, nestled by trees, was a house: small, white, like the others, with a porch and black shutters Amy and Wolgast lowered their bicycles to the ground and stood together quietly There was no wind at all “It’s quite a view,” Wolgast said Then: “I think I know where I am.” Amy nodded “It’s strange.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly “I don’t really remember how it happened, but I suppose that’s for the best Is it always like this?” “I’m not sure I think sometimes it is.” “I remember thinking I had to be brave.” “You were The bravest man I ever saw.” He mulled this over “Well, that’s good I’m glad to hear it In the end, I guess that’s all a person can ask.” He sent his gaze over the valley again “That house I’m supposed to go there, aren’t I?” “I believe that you are.” He turned to look at her A second passed; then he broke into a smile of discovery “Wait a minute You’re in love I can see it in your face.” “I think I am, yes.” Wolgast shook his head with wonder “I’ll be damned How about that My little Amy, all grown up, in love And does he love you back, this person?” “I think he does,” she said “I hope he does.” “Well, he’d be a fool not to You can tell him I said so.” For a moment neither spoke Amy waited “So,” he began again His voice was thick with emotion “I suppose that means my work here is done I guess I always knew this day would come I’m going to miss you, Amy.” “I’ll miss you, too.” “That was always the hardest part, missing you I think that’s why I could never bring myself to leave I always thought, What will Amy without me? Funny how in the end it was the other way around I suppose all parents feel that way But it’s di erent when it’s you.” The words caught in his throat “Let’s this quickly, okay?” She put her arms around him She was crying too, but not with sadness Though perhaps a little bit of sadness “It will be all right, I promise.” “How you know?” At the far end of the valley, at the edge of the elds, the door to the house had opened “Because that’s what heaven is,” said Amy “It’s opening the door of a house in twilight and everyone you love is there.” She hugged him tightly to her “It’s time for you to go home, Daddy I’ve kept you as long as I could, but you have to go now They’re waiting for you.” “Who’s waiting, Amy?” On the porch a woman had appeared, holding a baby in her arms Amy backed away and touched his tearstained cheek She said, “Go see.” 71 She awoke to the cold and a vision of stars Stars by the hundreds, the thousands, the millions Stars in their slow turning, pinwheeling over her face, and some of them were falling Alicia watched them fall, counting o the seconds One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand She tallied the durations of their descents as they plunged across the heavens, and in so doing she came upon the understanding that the world was where she’d left it and she was still alive How could she be alive? She sat upright Who knew what time it was The moon had set, dipping the sky in blackness Nothing had changed; she was just the same And yet: Alicia, come to me The sound of her name, whispered on the wind Come to me, Alicia The others are gone, you will be my one Come to me come to me come to me … She knew whose voice this was Alicia climbed from the culvert Fifty feet away, Soldier was grazing on a frosted stand of weeds At the sound of her emergence, he lifted his head: Ah, there you are; I was beginning to wonder His great hooves tossed clumps of white as he ambled toward her with his powerful gait —You good boy, she said She caressed his muzzle, his breath lling her palms with a scent of earth You splendid, noble boy How well you know me I guess we’re not done, after all Her pack was lying in the culvert She had no gun, but the bandoliers were there, blades tucked into their sheaths She pulled the leather straps over her chest and cinched them tight to her frame She climbed on Soldier’s naked back and clicked her tongue, turning him east Come to me, Alicia Come to me come to me come to me … You’re damn right I will, she thought Leaning forward, his great mane lling her hands, she heeled Soldier to a trot, then a canter, and nally a gallop, wild through the snow You bastard Here I come DRAMATIS PERSONAE THE TWELVE Tim Fanning, a.k.a “The Zero.” Professor of biochemistry, Columbia University Infected by CV-0 virus on scientific expedition to Bolivia, Feb 21, 20XX Giles Babcock (deceased) Sentenced to death for one count of capital murder, Nye County, Nevada, 2013 Joseph Morrison Sentenced to death for one count of capital murder, Lewis County, Kentucky, 2013 Victor Chávez Sentenced to death for one count of capital murder and two counts of aggravated sexual assault with a minor, Elko County, Nevada, 2012 John Ba es Sentenced to death for one count of capital murder and one count of second-degree murder with depraved indifference, Pasco County, Florida, 2010 Thaddeus Turrell Sentenced to death for the capital murder of a Homeland Security officer, New Orleans Federal Housing District, 2014 David Winston Sentenced to death for one count of capital murder and three counts of aggravated sexual assault, New Castle County, Delaware, 2014 Rupert Sosa Sentenced to death for one count of vehicular homicide with depraved indifference, Lake County, Indiana, 2009 Martin Echols Sentenced to death for one count of capital murder and one count of armed robbery, Cameron Parish, Louisiana, 2012 Horace Lambright Sentenced to death for two counts of capital murder and aggravated sexual assault, Maricopa County, Arizona, 2014 Julio Martínez Sentenced to death for the capital murder of a peace o cer, Laramie County, Wyoming, 2011 11 William Reinhardt Sentenced to death for three counts of capital murder and aggravated sexual assault, Miami-Dade County, Florida, 2012 Anthony Carter Sentenced to death for one count of capital murder, Harris County, Texas, 2013 YEAR ZERO Bernard Kittridge, a.k.a “Last Stand in Denver.” A survivor April A survivor Timothy Her stepbrother Danny Chayes A school bus driver Lila Kyle A doctor Lawrence Grey A janitor, Project NOAH Horace Guilder Deputy director, Division of Special Weapons (“The Warehouse”) Major Frances Porcheki Officer of the Iowa National Guard Vera A Red Cross nurse Ignacio A janitor, Project NOAH Nelson Chief technical officer, Division of Special Weapons Shawna A prostitute Rita Chernow A police detective OTHER SURVIVORS Pastor Don Wood Delores Jamal Mrs Bellamy Joe Robinson Linda Robinson Boy Jr THE FIELD, 79 A.V Curtis Vorhees Foreman of the North Agricultural Complex, Kerrville, Texas Delia “Dee” Vorhees His wife Boz Vorhees His brother (deceased) Nitia and Siri Vorhees Daughters of Curtis and Delia Vorhees Nathan Crukshank Brother of Delia Vorhees; a Domestic Security (DS) officer Tifty Lamont A Domestic Security officer OTHER FAMILIES IN THE FIELD Tyler Vorhees family Withers family Dodd family Apgar family Cauley family Francis family Cuomo family Martínez family Wright family Bodine family 97 A.V KERRVILLE, TEXAS Amy Harper Bellafonte The Girl from Nowhere Lieutenant Peter Jaxon Officer of the Expeditionary, Army of the Republic of Texas Lieutenant Alicia Donadio Officer of the Expeditionary Colonel Gunnar Apgar Officer of the Expeditionary Major Alexander Henneman Officer of the Expeditionary Lieutenant Satch Dodd Officer of the Expeditionary Lucius Greer A prisoner Hollis Wilson A bouncer Dunk Withers A criminal Abram Fleet General of the Army Victoria Sanchez President of the Republic of Texas Sister Peg A nun, in charge of the orphanage Sister Catherine A nun Caleb Jaxon Nephew of Peter Jaxon, son of Theo Jaxon and Mausami Patal FREEPORT, TEXAS Michael Fisher Oiler first class (OFC); crew chief at Freeport refinery complex Lore DeVeer An oiler Juan “Ceps” Sweeting An oiler Ed Pope An oiler Dan Karlovic Chief engineer of Freeport refinery complex THE HOMELAND Jackie A worker Eustace An insurgent Nina An insurgent Vale A human resources officer Whistler A human resources officer Sod A human resources officer Dr Verlyn A physician Dani An attendant in the Dome Jenny An attendant in the Dome Fred Wilkes Chief of staff Vikram Suresh Minister of public health Aidan Hoppel Minister of propaganda For Leslie, foot-to-foot ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Every book needs friends, and this one has many A big ole tip of the hat to: Ellen Levine at Trident Media Group; Mark Tavani and Libby McGuire at Ballantine Books; Bill Massey at Orion; Gina Centrello, president of the Random House Publishing Group; Claire Roberts at Trident Media; the spectacular production, publicity, marketing and sales teams at Random House, Orion, and my many publishers around the world; Jennifer (“Jenny”) Smith; and the English Department of Rice University On matters military, I am especially indebted to Adrian Hoppel Thanks also to Rudy Ramos, sniperdentist, and Coert Voorhees Mark and Bill: Pour yourselves a frosty, my brothers; you’ve earned it Ellen: No truer friend have I To the members of Team Cronin, large and small, I say: Without you, nothing Thank you for my life My gratitude to you all ALSO BY JUSTIN CRONIN The Summer Guest Mary and O’Neil IN THE PASSAGE TRILOGY The Passage ABOUT THE AUTHOR Justin Cronin is the New York Times bestselling author of The Passage, Mary and O’Neil (which won the PEN/Hemingway Award and the Stephen Crane Prize), and The Summer Guest Other honors for his writing include a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Whiting Writers’ Award A Distinguished Faculty Fellow at Rice University, he divides his time between Houston, Texas, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts ... 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 III THE FIELD Chapter 23 IV THE CAVE Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 ... together Amy and Wolgast made their way to the place of Oregon, deep in the mountains; and there they abided in the time known as the Year of Zero For in that time the Twelve beset the face of the. .. trilogy 2) eISBN: 978-0-345-53489-7 Virus diseases—Fiction Survival—Fiction End of the world—Fiction Human experimentation in medicine—Fiction I Title PS3553.R542T94 20 12 813’.54—dc23 20 120 28 427 www.ballantinebooks.com