We dont. The suits protect us from being bitten, but they also prevent us from killing. As for that first thing you asked
He cranked up the music.
Message received. A short while later, he pulled the Jeep off the road and I thought he would stop. But, no. He veered into the forest, following no discernible path. My heart started thumping wildly, as if the stupid organ wanted to run away. Cole knew where he was going, though, and never hit anything he shouldnt. Finally he parked in front of a secluded log cabin, the car lights chasing away the shadows.
There were two other cars parked there, both SUVs. The cabin had two windows covered by thick, dark curtains with cracks in the center of each. Peepholes, some part of me guessed.
He removed the key from the ignition, and the music stopped.
What is this place, and why are we here? If he claimed we were outside of town and he planned to murder me because I now knew too much, I think Id be fine with that, as long as I never had to be in close contact with those monstersor whatever they wereagain.
Youre here because you cant go home like that, Cole said, motioning to my clothing with a tilt of his chin. You need to shower and change, and your injuries should be cleaned.
I gave myself a once-over and grimaced. He was right about my need for a shower. My clothes were dirty and torn, with some kind of black goo caked on several sections. I had scrapes and bruises on my legs, and my knuckles were the size of golf balls.
This is our getaway home, where we go when we need to relax.
No need to ask who we were. His friends. So its not your home home?
Nope. Thats closer to the school. We like this place because its far more private and monitored twenty-five/eight. Theres nothing here that I dont want to be here, which makes it the safest place for you.
The idea of a safe place really intrigued me. At the moment, I had so much acid churning in my stomach I needed to throw up before I became completely toxic. Or maybe that would make me into a new superhero, like Peter Parker and the radioactive spider. Only Id be Vomit Girl, capable of grossing everyone out.
I told you, Im not going home tonight. I was supposed to stay the night with Kat, I muttered. Can I stay the night here, and if yes no reason to presume will you take me home in the morning?
Yes. To both.
Okay. That had been easier than expected. Thank you. Permission granted from his end, I pulled my cell from my boot to text Kat. Im going to tell her that you and I hooked up. I simply wouldnt mention that the hookup had happened over monster bodies. Is that okay?
Yeah. Thats fine. Smart. If she comes to me for details, and she will, Ill tell her to talk to you, so give her whatever kind of story you think will satisfy her.
Thanks. Where does she think we all went, anyway?
No telling. Two of my boys would have told all four girls they were no longer wanted at the club and would have driven them to Reeves. Those same boys will keep guard at Reeves, in secret, for the rest of the night.
Thats good. One less worry. Okay, here goes. Took me nearly ten minutes to get my text rightW/Cole. Im sorry 4 bailing! Dont be mad, but Im spending night w/him. Dont call my grandsbut I finally pressed Send.
Even though I knew nothing would be happening between Cole and meI wouldnt let it, and from the sound of it, he wasnt going to tryI felt as though Id just placed a giant Tramp Stamp on my forehead.
Two seconds later her reply came in: Rock on, dirty girl! Give me deets 2morrow. PS: If U C Frosty, tell him I hate him!
Such easy acceptance from her caused guilt to gnaw at me. She had only ever been nice to me, had accepted me from day one. I owed her so mucheven the truth, no matter what I suspected her reaction would be.
You did the right thing, Cole said, probably sensing my regret.
I stuffed the phone in my pocket and gripped my knees. I know. That didnt make me feel any better.
He reached over and pried my fingers loose. He brought my injured knuckles to his lips and kissed them. Dont worry. Youre part of my world now. Ill teach you how to survive it.
Part of his world. What, exactly, did that mean? The first thing I want to know is what those things are. Ive asked twice, but you havent said. So tell me. Teach me. What did we just fight?
Only a single beat of silence this time. Then he uttered one word. Just one. But that one word forever changed my life, as feared. Zombies.
10HungryNeed BrainsWill Have Yours
Zombies. The ominous word played through my head over and over again as I stood under the hot, streaming water in the shower stall. The blood and black goo had been lathered away and were now blending together and swirling around the drain. Every muscle I possessed ached. And now that my adrenaline had completely crashed, my bones felt liquefied.
Only sheer grit kept me on my feet. I needed more information.
Zombies. What were they, exactly?
Oh, I knew what books and movies claimed. They were the living dead, they were mindless and they craved human flesh. ButI now knew they werent human. They werent tangible to human touch. They were spiritsas I was a spirit.
In fact, how were spirits of such malevolence created?
Was I truly safe here? Could zombies slink through the bathroom walls at any moment and attack me? I mean, how hard would it have been to follow a dirty Jeep with two delicious snackpacks inside? I think I could follow a Hostess truck in my sleep.
Before panic could have another go at me, I reminded myself that the zombies had approached my grandparents home time and time again, yet theyd never come insidewhich brought up another question. Could they not enter a persons home? After all, theyd never entered my old house, either. Had they tried, the entire street would have heard the gunfire my dad unleashed.
What was Coles part in this? He and his friends fought the zombies, I knew that. But what else? They were so knowledgeable, they had to do more.
A knock at the door disrupted my line of thought. Ali? You good?
Coles deep voice had me shivering. Yes. Hed saved my life tonight. Without him, I would have become zombie food.
Hurry up, all right? You werent very steady on your feet, and if you pass out, I will bust in and play doctor.
And he would find me naked. Immediately I shut off the water and toweled off. A white tank top and a pair of pink sweatpants rested on the toilet lid. How the heckI searched the entire bathroom, which wasnt hard to do, considering it was a small space with only a toilet, sink and shower. Those clothes hadnt been there when Id stripped.
Gritting my teeth, I checked the lock I had engaged the very moment Id stepped inside. The knob stuck.
Sosomeone had broken into the bathroom, given me the clothes, then relocked the knob. Not a lot of thought was needed to piece together that particular mystery. Cole was the culprit, who else? And didnt that just figure. He carried an arsenal on his body at all times, hung out at clubs meant for adults, and fought monsters on a nightly basis. Of course he could pick a lock.
I dressed, dried my hair as best I could and gave my reflection a quick inspection. All I could do was grimace. As pale as I usually was, I was now pallid. There were shadows under my eyeseyes that were bigger than usual, with bruises circling underneath. I had road rash on the side of my jaw from when the zombies had pushed me onto the concrete.
While I would have loved a thousand pounds of makeup, a blow dryer and a straightening iron, plus professional stylists to ensure I used the tools wisely, I finally left the relative safety of the bathroom. A cloud of soap-scented steam followed me into the bedroom Id been given. Small but comfortable, with clean blue sheets, lots of pillows and a
Who cared about the room? Cole stood a few feet away from me, his arms crossed over his chest. Clearly hed showered, too, because his hair was damp and slicked back from his face. Hed ditched his T-shirt and wore only a clean pair of jeans. Even his feet were bare. But his feet werent what I found myself staring at.
His chest was bronzed to perfection, ripped with muscleand covered in crisscrossing scars. Some looked like teeth marks, some like claw marks.
He had a myriad of beautiful tattoos, a few designs but mostly words that were scripted just below each of his collarbones. On both of his arms was a grim reapers scythe. Each staff began at his wrists and stretched all the way up, with the hooks ending on his chest, just over the names. There was a trail of dark hair that led from his navel to below the waist of those low-hanging jeans.
Should I pull on a shirt? he asked with a hint of amusement.
I will not blush. No. Hed be doing the world a favor if he never wore a shirt again, but I wasnt going to tell him that part. Youre fine.
Im glad you think so.
Okay, so I blushed. I didnt meanthat was Oh, never mind! I was too frazzled to be witty.
He chuckled.
So what do the words mean? I asked.
Theyre names, he said, fingers brushing over the ink. Friends Ive lost in the fight against the zombies.
A way to honor them, I realized, and in that moment I knew I would one day have the names of my family tattooed somewhere on my body. My first day of school, Kat mentioned that two boys in your group died from some kind of disease last year. Did that have something to do with the zombies?
He nodded. They were bitten and couldnt fight the infection.
An ice-cold lump formed in my throat. I was bitten.
Yeah, but I administered the antidote in time, saving you from having to fight the toxin. You remember a sting in your neck, right after I found you, right? Youll be fine.
I did remember a sting. Gradually the lump melted and I warmed. Youre sure?
Positive.
Well all right, then.
Come on. He held out his hand. You want the rest of your questions answered, Im sure.
Overjoyed that that was still an option, I closed the distance and linked our fingers. The calluses on his palms comforted me, reminding me of his strength and his ability to take down anyone or thing that threatened us.
He led me into the living room, where Frosty, Mackenzie, Bronx and two people Id never met waited. They all stopped what they were doing and got real quiet the moment they spotted me. When their gazes moved to my hand, still joined with Coles, they donned rabid-mean expressions.
I tried to extract myself but Cole held tight. He lifted his chin in a sign of pure stubbornness, kinda reminding me of, well, me. You got something to say? he demanded of the group.
They sure did. A rapid-fire conversation ensued.
Frosty: She shouldnt be here.
Cole: Maybe not, but she is.
Unknown boy number two: We know nothing about her.
Id call him Spike. His dark brown hair stuck out all over his head, as if hed come into contact with a very mean light socket.
Cole: Well learn.
Mackenzie: Shes a liability. Shell tattle.
Cole: Please. I practically had to torture the information I do have from her.
Unknown boy number one: What about the mind-screw she was doing on you?
Id call him Turd. No explanation needed.
Cole: Apparently I was doing the same to her. We dont know whats causing those visions or why, but theyre happening to both of us.
Spike: And you trust everything she says?
Cole: Look, she stays and thats final.
Everyone else: grumbling and muttering.
I noticed Cole had ignored the question about trusting me. Thanks for the welcome, everyone, I said. Really. Means a lot to me.
That earned me several (more) glares. Cole squeezed my hand, but whether it was in comfort or in warning, I could only guessand I guessed warning. His friends were important to him, and he wouldnt want me to smart-aleck.
I once again tried to pull from his grip, and he once again held on with vise-tightness.
Try to get away now, he muttered. Dare you.
I wasnt trying to get away, I muttered back. I just wanted a free hand to slap you with.
He tried not to grin as he pointed out, You have a free hand.
Well, the urge to hurt you has passed.
Lucky me.
You have no idea.
Well, I just figured out the problem, Turd said drily.
The problem with me? Oh, that burned. This doesnt have to be about me, I said, doing my best to sound calm. Either you trust him or you dont. These people were his friends, but theyd put him in the leadership role. That meant his judgment ruled, and they could suck it. Besides, what is it, exactly, that you think Im going to do?
Tell people what we can do, Mackenzie said.
At the same time, Frosty said, Show the wrong people where we keep our weapons, and turn this into another JS situation.
JS?
Spike said, All that, plus shell get us into a whole lot of legal trouble.
That was followed by Shell make us look crazier than crazy and get us locked away for good. Which was followed by Turn us into a joke. And finally Mess up and bring a nest of zombies right to our door.
O-kay. Clearly nothing I said would soothe their doubts. No need to even try.
She can be trained, Cole announced. And really, shes a halfway decent fighter already. We can use her.
Halfway decent? Use? Nice. He knew how to make a girl feel special, didnt he? Soon Ill be even better. Youll see. I learn fast, and Im dedicated. Just give me a chance.
Uh, what had I just said? I wondered, shocked.
On the drive to the cabin, Id wanted to forever hide and never have to face the zombies again. But, as my shock began to thin, I realized Id meant what Id just said. Seeing these kids, knowing they made a difference and that I could make a difference, too, I wanted in. I owed it to my family.
Murmurs of doubt surfaced.
Youre not slayer material, Mackenzie said.
I am. Maybe. You just havent seen me in action. The entire group needed time to think about this, otherwise oneor allwould say something that could never be taken back. Same for me. I hurried to change the subject. Before I forget, Kat told me to tell you she hates you, I said to Frosty.
Those dark eyes pinned me in place. Gone was the affable personality Id come to expect at school. What are you going to tell her about tonight?
Great. Id just opened a bag of vipers.
Shes not planning to tell Kat anything about the zombies, and thats all you need to know. Amid Frostys protests, Cole added, If it makes you feel any better, Ill take full responsibility for Ali. Now give us some space. I need to talk to her alone.
Alone? Dont be stupid, Mackenzie snapped.
Ignoring her, Cole tugged me through the group, forcing everyone to jump out of the way or be mowed down. At the couch, he positioned me where he wanted me. Gently, of course, but with enough force to ensure I wouldnt be going anywhere until he was ready for me to go.
He tugged the coffee table closer to me, then used it as a chair so that he was directly in front of me, caging my legs between his. That purple gaze bored into me. What do you want to know first?
I waited for a moment as Frosty and Mackenzie stomped to one of the back rooms together and Bronx and the other two boys marched outside. The door banged shut behind them.
Ill prove my worth, I told myself. They wont always feel this way about me.
Ali.
Questions. Right. Why cant anyone but us see the zombies? Why didnt the zombies see anyone but us? Thered been a lot of people coming and going in that parking lot, and yet, the zombies had wanted only Cole and me.
Exceptwait. Theyd seen my mother. Shed once told me that shed never seen them, only the end results of their evil, yet still theyd spotted her and dragged her out of our car.
Zombies are evil, Cole said. Flat-out, full-on evil. Theres no longer any goodness to them, and they want all goodness destroyed. I guess because its a reminder of what theyve lost.
My brow crinkled. So were good?
Well, were certainly capable of being good.
But I can think of a thousand different people gooder Please tell me I had not just said that I mean, a thousand different people better on the potential-for-goodness scale than us, yet were the ones they come after.
People like us, who can see them, are like magnets to them. They scent us, instinct kicks in, and they track us.
But they do go after regular people, I said.
Yes. They scent fear just as easily as they scent us, no matter who is feeling it. They sense other negative things, too, though not quite as potently as fear.
But fear isnt a good thing, and you said the zombies only want to destroy good things.
He shook his head, as though pitying me for my ignorance. They want to destroy good, but theyre attracted to bad. That doesnt mean they wont attack what attracts them. Make sense? More than that, the good are not always easy to destroy, as we proved tonight. How do you think the zombies maintain their strength in the meantime? By eating anyone they can, good or bad, seers or nonseers, slayers or nonslayers.
Every time he answered me, a new question popped up. But they cant get to our flesh, so what is it exactly that they eat?
They are spirits, and so they eat of the spirit. And then, whatever they do to the spirit manifests in the flesh, causing an infection to spread from there.
The bites Id endured began to ache all over again, as if to remind me they were there and Id come close to dying. Is that how other zombies are made? And where do they live? Why can they only come out at night?
He thought for a moment, then nodded as though hed just made a decision. Lets tackle this one part at a time. First question, first answer. Yes, thats how other zombies are made. The infection spreads faster in some, slower in others. Some people can fight that infection on their own and survive. Most die. If they die, their spirit will rise and night by night they will more fully embrace their new afterlife.
Nothing can be done to save them?
Not after a certain point, no.
But what about the antidote you mentioned? I said.
It wont do anything to a full-on zombie, but if its administered fast enough to a human spirit, the infection never has a chance to spread and it will die.
And youre sure it was administered to me in time?
Weve already gone over this.
And well probably have to go over it a bazillion more times! Deal with it.
He chuckled, the humor lighting his entire face. Near-death experiences make you cranky. Good to know.
Cole! Be serious.
Still smiling, he said, Yes. Im sure it was administered in time. I never do anything half-measure, and I never fail.
Yeah, I really had to get me some of that confidence. One by one I plucked my nails out of my thighs. Okay, so how does a natural medicine get into our spirits, where the infection starts?
Its not a natural medicine, its a spiritual medicine and it was administered to your spirit. Only after Id shot you up did I put you back into your body. And before you go on another question spree about what would happen if you were given the medicine after your spirit was put back into your body, let me just say that there is a way. Thats all you need to know right now.
Great, but I dont understand any of that.
He sighed. I told you that what manifests in your spirit will manifest in your body, right? Thats how your body ended up in this condition when it never actually threw or received a punch. Thats how what I injected into your spirit made it into your body.
Better. All right, so how was a spiritual medicine created? What was now running through my veins?
The only way I know to describe it is to say its a type of holy water. Like I said, it doesnt cure zombies, and it doesnt kill them, but it does hurt them. However, its too valuable to waste that way unless absolutely necessary.
Overwhelmed, I rubbed my arms. There was so much more to learn than Id ever realized. I mean, how could I have known being crazy would have been way easier?
He continued, Going back to the timing thing. A dose has to be administered to a spirit within the first hour of infection. We have vials and syringes in my Jeep, and I carry one in my pocket like an EpiPen. Youll need to do the same. Never leave home without it.
I wont, I vowed.
As for where they live, they create nests. They group together in caves, in basements, anywhere and everywhere away from the light. They sleep during the day, because their eyes and skin are too sensitive for the sun. Your spirit does better in the light, but you havent learned to hide yourself from prying eyes yet, so dont try it. Plus, your senses havent been trained.
Im not even sure how I did it tonight!
Well work on that, I promise.
That, and about a thousand other things I hoped. Right now I was seriously handicapped.
What was the first thing you noticed when you were in that form? he asked.
How cold I was, I said, even the memory making me shiver.
Exactly. Without the shield of our body, we experience extreme cold. Were more sensitive. Also, you must neverand I mean neverspeak while in that form, unless you want to have what you say.
Again I found myself mumbling, I dont understand.
Just like there are rules in this natural realm, there are rules in the spirit realm. Weve learned that whatever we speak while in spirit form happens, good or bad, as long as it doesnt violate someones free will and as long as we believe it. So, if you say something like, This zombie is killing me, and youre convinced that he is, in fact, killing you, he absolutely will succeed in killing you, and there will be nothing more you can do to stop him.
After everything Id seen, I shouldnt doubt him, but that was just a little too out there. So we just speak, and boom, it happens?
Yes. Sometimes it takes time, but yes. His hand tightened on my knee. Trust me on that until I can prove it, okay?
Rather than telling him hed have to do a lot to convince me, I nodded.
Good. Any other questions?
How cute. Of course I had more questions! How did you kill them? What was that light in your hand?
That was a purified fire. The zombies disintegrate when they come into prolonged contact with it.
Prolonged? Seemed to only take a few seconds.
You were out of it, so time wasnt registering properly. Thats why we do everything we can to disable the zombies first. The less they fight us, the easier it is to get our hands on their chests without having our wrists chewed.
A spark of excitement zinged just under my skin. Will I be able to produce that fire? The thought of wielding such a potent weapon against the zombiesoh, yeah! Ali liked.
With time you will. Now, Ill give you one more question, he said. I dont want to overwhelm you.
Too late. But I thought for a moment, trying to pick from an endless pit of potentials. Why dont the zombies enter our homes? Why do they only come out once every two weeks or so? Or, as with tonight, every few days?
Someone needs lessons in math, too. That was three questions.
I shrugged. I like to round up.
A laugh escaped him, far hardier than his chuckle, yet rough also, as if he hadnt experienced this much amusement in a long time. If youve still got a sense of humor I guess youre better off than I thought. This time he patted my knee in a sweet, brotherly gesture that kind of irritated me. They dont enter our homes because we create whats called a Blood Line.
And that is?
When we pour a specific mix of chemicals around the foundation of a home, the zombies cannot get in, no matter what they try.
Well, then. I want
The mixture has already been poured around your house.
When? The zombies had stayed outside my grandparents house all summer, before Id met Cole.
Since the day I met you.
See. The timing was offand I wasnt going to touch the realization that Cole had been looking out for me since day one. My dad had to have poured the mixture around my grandparents house during his high school days. But how had he known about it, whatever it was?
What? Cole asked.
Nothing, I replied, not yet ready to voice my thoughts.
He eyed me with suspicion, but let the subject drop. All right then, back to your barrage of questions. I think I have only one left. The zombies come out so infrequently because they need to rest and rebuild their energy. Also, it takes them a while to digest what they ate.
They digested goodness. What a lovely image.
Now I have a question for you. He waited until I nodded before he continued. Do you want to fight them? You made it sound like you did, but I have to be sure.
Yes, I do. Very much. The more I learned, the more sure I was.
Good. I want to get you on rotation as soon as possible. On any given night, some of us are patrolling the city, just in case they emerge. Some of us are training. Some of us are relaxing. On the nights they emerge, we all fight.
So organized. So precise. But I couldnt see my grandparents going for that.
The zombies are growing in number while we are dwindling, and we need all the help we can get.
You would trust me to help? None of his friends had, and hed avoided that question when theyd issued it.
Im willing to give you a chance.
Another avoidance. Whatever. I wanted this; Id take it. Ill find a way to make it work, I vowed.
If you have problems
Hed kick me out, whether he needed me or not. Well, time for a little reminder. In our visions, we saw ourselves kissing each other, and now we have. We saw ourselves fighting zombies together, and now we have. That has to mean something.
He severed contact and leaned as far away from me as he could get. Are you saying weve had glimpses of the future? Even though what we saw wasnt exactly what happened to us?
Why the distance? Why not? Stranger things have happened.
Violet eyes piercing me to my soul (or spirit), he said, I guess time will tell. Now, I think Ive given you enough to think about. Why dont you get some sleep and well reconvene in the morning.
* * *
Bad news: we werent able to reconvene in the morning because Cole had already taken off. No one would tell me why. Worse news: I got stuck with Frosty the Hater for my ride home and oh, baby, did he have a lot to gripe about.
The drive began in silence. I should have enjoyed that silence while I had the chance. Instead, I used the time to study the sky. I saw a long stretch of blue, a softly glowing sun, one cloud, shaped like a teapot, a second, shaped like a rocking chair, and a third, shaped like a
No. No, no, no. Not now. Not today. Not with Coles best friend and Kats on-again, off-again boyfriend. But there was no denying the truth. A fat white rabbit peered down at me.
Logic told me to remain calm, but fear said Frosty was about to crash and die. Drive slower! I shrieked. Inside, I began to pray. Dear heavenly Father, I know I havent always lived the best life.
Burst my eardrums why dont you? he grumbled.
And Im real sorry about that, Lord, I really am. Im serious. Slow down or Ill jump out. I swear Ill jump out. Save us today, and Ill do better.
Like Id care.
Then Ill talk nonstop until your ears try to detach just to escape the sound of my voice. And thats totally possible. My ears have tried it. Ill be forever grateful, Lord. No one will ever be as grateful as me. Amen.
Frosty tossed me a scowl that perfectly fit his name, but he also decelerated. There. Happy now?
Thank you, I said, though I failed to relax. But what do you know? We reached my house a short while later. Alive. Thank You, Lord. Thank You, thank You.
Parked down the street from my grandparents house, Frosty faced me. Cole says we cant yell at you, so I want you to note the calmness of my voice.
Are you kidding me?
I dont kid.
Words taken straight out of Coles mouth. And wow. I couldnt believe Cole had gone to so much trouble for me. Hed skipped out on me without a word, probably to avoid answering any more questions; like he really cared what happened to me. But I had to admit I was curious what he would do if his friends actually yelled at meand awed that his friends were that deferential to him.