The Night Eternal Quotes
"The Master capitalized on the societal chaos of the first few months. Deprivation—of food, clean water, sanitation, law enforcement—terrorized the populace, so much so that, once basic infrastructure was restored, once a program of food rations was implemented and the rebuilt electrical grid chased off the darkness of the long nights, they responded with gratitude and obedience."
"Those who submitted, those who surrendered themselves, remained as guards and keepers."
"Knowing was the worst part. Awareness of insanity does not make one any less insane."
"Fear of the future, and the memory of a better, brighter past, were as much a source of Eph’s suffering as the vampire plague itself."
"Who would have dreamed that we would be looking back with great nostalgia at the tumultuous nineties and early noughts."
"All that we were became lost—all social form and order in the way our fathers and forefathers understood it. We became a flock. We became cattle."
"There was always someone else (parents, siblings, children) who depended on them. Always someone else who gave them the license to be afraid, the blessing of cowardice."
"Awareness of drowning does not make one any less of a drowning person—it only adds the burden of panic."
"The virus of vampirism had colonized the human race."
"The butterfly does not look back upon its caterpillar self, either fondly or wistfully; it simply flies on."
"The castle had been home to a functioning meteorological station before the vampires came."
"Zack could still—barely—remember the time his father had taken him to the Central Park Zoo one sunny afternoon."
"Remembering that was like recalling a dream now—if it had ever existed at all."
"Once in a great while, he would hear an explosion somewhere in the city or see a thick plume of smoke or dust rising into the rain and wonder."
"The Master had created a room for him that Zack had modeled on his old bedroom at home."
"At first, being at the castle was terrifying."
"The stories Zack had been told—of a fearsome giant, a ruthless killer, and evil incarnate—were obvious exaggerations."
"The Master was a being possessed of actual magic."
"Good and evil were malleable terms now."
"The air quality in the new climate was extremely poor."
"The blood absorption did not make Zack a vampire."
"Zack was evidently special in some way."
"Like the zoo. When Zack heard that the Master was going to close it down forever, he protested."
"The Master smiled at the boy. And the boy smiled back."
"After the Bellevue Hospital explosion, Eph had worked his way north up along East River Drive."
"This obsession with your son has warped you, Eph."
"The Master felt something it hadn’t felt in centuries: it felt admired."
"Was this what it felt like—being a human father—and was being a father always such a monstrous endeavor?"
"Nora felt the pull of despair, the cycle of hopelessness."
"The butler pulled open twin doors, revealing an opulent dining room featuring a long table with only two settings laid out, adjoining one corner."
"This basic human biological function—the creation of blood—is an enormous resource to their kind."
"I have always admired your beauty. And . . . to be quite candid, I always thought Ephraim didn’t deserve a woman such as you . . ."
"You dirty fuck. You are worse than a vampire, you know that? It’s not need for you, just opportunity."
"We are the fertile blood. We have birthed many sons . . . Join us."
"You should know that what I should have done the instant I saw you there in the detention house was identify you and turn you over to the Master."
"Do you think that leaves us with no leverage? If one plays things right, that is. If one can demonstrate to them that one has real value."
"The notion that we humans were somehow more than mere animals, mere creatures set upon this earth—that we were instead chosen to be here—is what got us into trouble."
"You can never go down, can never go down."
"I have no respect for your emotional needs and will not make them part of the terms."
"You have lost another. Now you have no one. No one but me."
"I can give you back your boy. And I can give you back your wife. You can release her. Start anew with Zack by your side."
"You came to hear your wife's voice again. It is as much a narcotic as those pills you take."
"You are correct, in that I have no moral code. There is nothing to compel me to uphold my end of the bargain."
"But you might consider the fact that I keep my word more often than not."
"The Master had no respect for or appreciation for anything produced by a human."
"You are neither brave nor smart. Efficient extraction and packaging of human blood is your mission. I recommend that you excel at it."
"This city in daylight was the domain of Zachary Goodweather! Let all trespassers be warned!"
"Eph stood against the nearest building, his eyes closed, asleep on his feet in the pissing rain."
"Eph was roused to consciousness by the subterranean shriek of the approaching train."
"Then a sizzling sound creased the air overhead."
"Three more shots were fired, crack, crack, crack—"
"You are safe accessing this complex in my company."
"All belief systems are elaborate fabrications, if logic is followed out to the end."
"I would rather live in a dream world of light than a real world of darkness."
"Make no mistake, all currency is blood."
It’s not just the knee, Gus." Nora touched his arm. "I’m sorry. The way things are now, there’s just not much we can do.
"The Master said I was to reach out to you in private."
"You know, I got to thinking, when I found out about you. Why two plans? What’s the Master thinking? Is it going to do both deals?"
"My dearest hope is that you have by now come to the realization that the Master’s way is evil in its basest form."
"Please feel no guilt, no shame, only the satisfaction of a good deed done well. I am at peace."
"Dad was a traitor to his friends and his people—yes."
"What’s the Mex’s answer? And a little matter of ammunition to load up these babies."
"This vampire thing is one colossal joke, and the way I see it, you’re either in on the joke, or you’re out."
"One king and one prince. You understand that too, don’t you? My son."
"Consumption is the ultimate form of control."
"Bars and cages are symbols of weakness. Imperfect measures of control."
"What if I said to you that your father was still alive?"
"You are now making a choice, Zachary. Perhaps your first choice as an adult, and what you choose now will define you and define the world around you."
I choose you," said Zack to the Master. "My father is dead. Let him stay that way.
"The vampires communicated the vehicles’ location to the Master in a sort of internalized, instinctual GPS."
"We need to wait for the next meridiem anyway. With the sun up, we can work freely."
"It’s only a matter of time before they throw something at us."
Nora said, "A whole day? That’s too much time. Too much risk."
"Jesus," said Gus. He went running toward the rental car company and opened up on the vampire there.
"Nora reached inside both cars, turning on each set of headlights, illuminating the immediate area east and west."
She turned her gaze to the deadness of the street. "Christ, I feel like there are one hundred eyes staring at me."
"We’re going to be okay. It’s going to be over soon," said Eph.
"It’s okay," said Eph. "It’s almost over."
"I’m so sorry. So, so sorry," said Eph, remembering the day he had lost him nearly two years before.
"This is love," said Eph. "God, it hurts—but this is love . . ."
"Nora and Fet looked at the sky, waiting for something else to happen."
"Maybe on another island?" Nora nodded—though she didn’t believe it.