A Mad Zombie Party

  Poor, deluded boy. Frosty will wipe the floor with his face.

  Frosty can beat anyone.

  "Come on." Justin gives me another tug.

  This time, as I allow him to lead me away, I glance back at Frosty. One last glance because...just because. I expect him to be locked in a conversation with one of his friends. Instead, his eyes are glued to me, his hands clenched at his sides.

  He's angry? Why?

  When Justin punches the security code into the back door, I force my attention to my feet. I didn't mind spying on Frosty when I thought he would try and hurt me, but I'm not being threatened right now and I don't want the ability to go places I'm not invited. Not here. Why flirt with temptation? Why make these people suspect me of wrongdoing? Well, more than they already do.

  The new room is just as spacious and filled with even more equipment. Besides a punching bag and boxing ring, there's a row of treadmills, stair-steppers, elliptical machines and stationary bikes.

  Love, Gavin and Jaclyn are instructing a group of eleven people to run the treadmill at top speed for two minutes, then move to the stair-stepper for another two, then the elliptical for another two, then the bikes. Then they have to do it all over again.

  The recruits range in age from older teens to men and women in their midthirties. But no matter the age, these people have clearly never trained before, their stamina seriously lacking. The majority of them look as if they're about to go into cardiac arrest.

  How did Cole--or whoever--find them? River and I used to hack names from databases in mental institutions, searching for anyone who sees monsters the rest of the world is too blind to notice.

  Love smiles and waves at Justin. When she spots me, all hint of friendliness vanishes.

  She's a beautiful girl with curly dark hair and brilliant green eyes. No wonder Chance is into her. Not that the two are officially dating, but really, it's only a matter of time. Chance has never chased after a potential conquest, or hung around an actual conquest this long. Love 'em and leave 'em, that's his usual style.

  I should know.

  I look at Justin. "Why did you bring me in here?" Not to introduce me to the recruits, that's for sure.

  "I've been in your shoes, remember? I know you need to burn off some dark emotion, and this is the perfect place to do it."

  "Take five," Love announces, the recruits practically falling off the bikes. "What's she doing in here, Silverstone?"

  I bristle, even as I wither.

  "She's on our side now." Justin steps in front of me. "Cage the rage."

  The recruits stare at me with open curiosity.

  "Bathroom," one of the girls calls, disappearing into what looks to be a locker room. I catch the barest glimpse of her hair--jet-black, straight as a pen--swishing from a ponytail.

  My heart skips a beat. Why such an extreme reaction?

  Love growls, "Don't be a fool, Justin. She's here because she has nowhere else to go. The moment she gets a better offer she'll take off. If she survives the day."

  "Is that a threat?" I ask.

  Gavin crosses his arms. "Out," he barks at the recruits, and they quickly scurry from the room, following the same path the dark-haired girl took. When our group is alone, he points to the boxing ring. "Justin suggested you cage the rage, and I agree...only, I want you to do it in an actual cage."

  I blink at him, incredulous.

  Love rubs her hands together with glee. "Yeah. That's a very good idea."

  "Ladies." Gavin waves to the ring. "If you'd be so kind as to climb inside, you may pummel each other to the death while the rest of us watch...and take bets on the winner."

  I'm not sure what's wrong with me. I'm not Justin Silverstone's biggest fan, but he's not a bad guy. Despite the mistakes he made in his past, he recently helped us destroy Anima from the inside out. He's proven himself. And yet, the moment he put his arm around Camilla and turned on his megawatt smile, I've wanted to open him up from navel to nose, just to play Operation. Same way I reacted when the waiter touched her.

  I think I'm on my period.

  I stride to the ring where Cole and River are still hammering at each other. I remove my shirt and drop it on the floor.

  "Woo-hoo," Ali calls. "Take it all off."

  Ha! Looking at Cole, I hike my thumb behind my shoulder. "Out. It's my turn."

  He struts over, pats me on the back. "Go easy on River. He's delicate."

  River wipes a streak of blood from his cheek. "Last night I didn't go easy on your--"

  "No mom jokes!" Ali shouts.

  "Dad," River quips, and everyone snorts with laughter.

  A side door opens and in strolls an older woman with silver-streaked black hair and kind brown eyes. Ali's grandmother. Everyone calls her Nana. She's carrying a tray of cookies and small plastic cups of milk.

  "All right, everyone. Recharge with a snack," she calls.

  "Are those chocolate chip?" Cole reaches her first and claims one.

  "Oh, my goodness." Nana sets the tray aside and coos at the guy. "Cole, dear, you have a boulder-size knot on your jaw."

  "River did it." Cole smirks at the guy. "And he insulted my mom. And my dad."

  "River Marks." Nana shakes her head, as if her heart is actually breaking. "How could you be so rough? And so insensitive!"

  River glares at Cole before bowing his head. "I'm sorry, Nana."

  "The human body is like a flower. Treat it well, and it will bloom." She approaches the ring and extends two cookies. River and I accept with eager thanks. "Let's be kind to each other and keep our punches away from the face and groin."

  "Yes, ma'am," we say in unison. Then, of course, we devour the offering as if we've never tasted sugar.

  "Good, good." She brushes the crumbs from her fingers. "I'll leave you kids to your practice." She kisses Ali, then Cole, and leaves.

  "Are you a rose?" River sneers at Cole. "Or a lily?"

  "Orchid. And your jealousy is showing," Cole responds.

  "I'm a weed." I crack the bones in my neck, then my knuckles. With as much pent-up aggression as I'm dealing with, I need an opponent that will fight as dirty as me. River fits the bill. I also have an urge to hurt him for hurting Camilla.

  Dude. I shouldn't even like the girl, and now I want to defend her? Protect her? Avenge her?

  "You ready for--" River begins.

  I pop him in the mouth before he can finish his sentence. His lip splits in the center and blood trickles down his chin. He wipes the drops away and smiles with relish. A smile that only whets my appetite for more. More pain, more violence. I take another swing at him, but he's ready this time and ducks, coming up to nail me in the stomach. Air explodes from my lungs, pain shooting through me. When he draws back his elbow to take a double jab at my kidneys, I spin to the side...behind him...and elbow him in the spine. As he stumbles forward, I turn the rest of the way and kick him from behind.

  Yeah, I'm that guy.

  He lands on his face, but rolls forward and comes up to meet my new approach with a roundhouse kick, Chuck Norris style. Impressive. I'm the one who lands on my face this time, but like River, I don't stay down long. In a blink, I'm up and slamming a fist into his sternum. I think I hear bone crack.

  "Man-meat in action!" Ali calls. "Hurt him! Hurt him so bad!"

  I'm not sure which of us she's cheering for.

  River circles me, his expression no longer tolerant and eager, but tense and dark. "You shouldn't have brought her here."

  I don't have to ask who "her" is. "Oh, you claim her now? A minute ago, you looked through her as if she didn't exist."

  His eyes slit, his black lashes practically fusing together. "She betrayed me, betrayed us all. What kind of leader would I be if I showed her favoritism?"

  "Maybe she doesn't want a leader. Maybe she just wants a brother." And damn it, I'm not doing this. I'm not pushing her brother to forgive her when I will forever hold a grudge.

  I nail him in the cheek, and his entire body
rotates with the blow.

  "That all you got?" he taunts.

  I nail him with my other fist, sending him flying in the other direction. The dual forces make him dizzy, and he shakes his head. I use his distraction to my advantage and throw another punch. But he's expecting it, and he uses my own move against me, spinning to come up to my side...behind me...and elbowing me in the spine.

  Adrenaline prevents me from feeling the pain--right now--but doesn't save me from a fall. My hands absorb my weight as I kick back with both my legs. Contact! River stumbles backward, hitting the rings. He bounces forward. I meet him in the middle, throwing a punch while winding my foot behind his ankle and tripping him.

  "Not even close," I say.

  He goes down, and I use my knees to immobilize his shoulders. He isn't so easily subdued and quickly bucks me off. I land on all fours. Outside the ring, I catch a glimpse of Ali standing beside Kat and a little girl I recognize only from pictures--Ali's dead sister, Emma. The three are talking, and none are smiling.

  River drills a fist into the back of my head. As I go down, stars wink through my vision. I come up swinging, popping River so hard I'm pretty sure I break his nose. Oh, well.

  Blood pours down his lips and chin, and his knees buckle. He howls in pain.

  "Have Cole use dynamis on you, and the injury will heal in minutes." Or a few days. Whatever. He'll heal faster than usual, and that's good enough.

  "Kat." I jump over the ring, lowering the top rope with my weight while allowing my legs to soar over. "What's wrong?"

  She wrings her hands as she focuses on me. "I just... I'm feeling guilty. Emma found out about-- Well, she pointed out that doing to your enemy what your enemy did to you makes you a hypocrite. And she's right. I know the devastation such an action causes, and yet I'm doing it anyway."

  "I don't understand. Doing what?"

  "Anima...betrayal..."

  I'm still lost. Feelings of guilt...taking a play from Anima's book... "Have you lied to me about something?"

  "No. I've told you the truth."

  "Are you worried about the company?"

  "In a way. In the vision, Camilla saves you from a person, not a zombie. Why would a person unaffiliated with Anima attack you? They wouldn't. You're awesome."

  "I hate to be the one to shatter your illusions about me, but I'll never be voted most likable. Lots of people unaffiliated with Anima would pay huge stacks of cash to hurt me. Plus, there could be a newly formed antislayer group. Or a previously unknown group. The government. Military. Or anyone, really."

  "Well, it's still logical to consider the possibility that some part of Anima is still in business."

  Emma clears her throat. "You're digressing, Kitty."

  Hearing such a little girl use such a big word--digressing--is weird.

  Kat shoos her away. "Anyway. You'll be voted whatever I want you to be voted. Nothing else. Meanwhile, wipe your face. You're bloody, and it's gross."

  Before, whenever she called me gross, I yanked her against me and planted kisses all over her face. She squealed and I laughed. Now...the urge just isn't there. I think I've grown used to not touching her. Used to being kept at a distance and told I'm just a friend.

  I love her, I'll always love her, but the intensity to be with her is gone.

  The knowledge rips through me. I'm moving on. Starting the next chapter of my life. A chapter I never expected to start, and it's bittersweet.

  "So...how are things with Camilla?" she asks, her tone light. Too light.

  "She's not as bad as I thought." I won't mention the moments of attraction and jealousy. No good can come of it.

  "Well, she's sucking at her job right now." Kat scans the room. "Where is she?"

  Good question. At least half an hour has passed since she took off with Justin. I should probably go check on her.

  When River opens the door that separates this room from the one holding Camilla and Justin, cheers ring out. Ali and Cole share a confused look before following River inside. I take a step forward to do the same, only to stop.

  "Go." Kat waves me away. "I'm due back at court."

  I don't say I love you. I just nod, and she's gone, that sense of bittersweetness only growing.

  I barely make it through the door, which locks automatically behind me. Mental note: learn the codes.

  Kids I know and kids I've never met surround a ring just like the one River and I used. As the cheers intensify, I scan the heads for familiar platinum and come up empty. Damn it, where is she?

  "Kill her!" someone yells. "Make it hurt!"

  Bets are flying. Five on Love...ten on Love. Five on Camilla.

  What the hell?

  I push my way through the crowd and curse. She's in the ring with Love, the two punching and kicking each other, and there's nothing catlike about it. There's no scratching, no hair pulling. Just sheer aggression. A battle for domination.

  Both are bruised and bloody, but still steady on their feet, still throwing punches, ducking, throwing more punches. The problem is they aren't just fighting physically. After Camilla nails Love in the jaw, she pushes her spirit out of her body and punches through Love's jaw, hitting the girl's spirit. Love recovers fast and pushes out her own spirit to block Camilla's next blow. But Camilla is already back inside her body, throwing another punch.

  I'm impressed. And maybe I'm a little proud--something I don't like. Love is my friend. Her defeat should not give me a thrill. "Twenty on Love," I call.

  Camilla must hear my voice over all the others, because she stiffens and hesitates to make her next blow, allowing Love to land a double jab to her side. As Camilla gasps for breath she no longer has, I tighten my hands on the ring, fighting the urge to jump inside...and help her.

  I don't know who I am anymore.

  Gavin comes up beside me and grins a toothy grin. "Sweet, huh? I sent the recruits away, but they heard the commotion and begged for the opportunity to watch."

  "You're an ass," I growl.

  "That's not exactly an insult. A great ass is something everyone wants."

  An alarm suddenly rings out, assaulting my ears. I cringe, everyone around me going still and quiet as they look around. The recruits begin to panic, spinning in circles. Trying to decide where to run?

  "I'm going after Nana and your dad," Ali shouts to Cole.

  He nods, knowing what I know. Someone tried to open a door they shouldn't. Everyone we trust already has access.

  He throws orders at the others. I can't make out every word, but I get the gist. He wants some of us to escort the recruits to a safe room and the rest of us to search the house for an intruder.

  Gavin and Jaclyn start gathering the recruits, pushing them underneath the ring, where there is, apparently, a trapdoor leading to a secret room in the basement.

  My first thought is: get to Camilla. But as I step into the ring, I realize she's no longer there. Scanning the room, I see her race through the open door in back. To search for the intruder?

  I take off after her, growing madder by the second. Waiting for backup can mean the difference between life and death.

  I lift a revolver from a table of weapons and burst into--a hallway. The lights are out, the windows covered. Darkness greets me, but I never slow my step.

  "Camilla," I shout.

  "Cemetery girl...stop her..."

  I can barely make out the words.

  "Camilla," I shout again, increasing my speed. I pass through another door and grind to a stop. Damn it. I'm in a large ballroom that has eight other doors.

  When I find her...

  There's going to be trouble.

  The girl who darted me at the cemetery is also a recruit. AKA the girl who went to the bathroom.

  When she returned to the gym, she hung back in the doorway. Just in case. Our gazes locked, and when I gasped, she knew I knew her identity. I would have recognized BG's blue-black hair and freckled face anywhere.

  That's when she pulled the alarm.

/>   I almost ran her to ground a few minutes ago, but Frosty's first shout distracted me and she gave me the slip. And since she's been living here as a recruit, she knows what I don't--the layout of the house. Now all I can do is chase her shadow.

  She makes it upstairs and hurries around a corner. Pursuing her, I end up in another hallway, this one a smorgasbord of doorways. Twelve in total, each one closed. My heart pounding as I stop, and my ears twitch as I listen.

  "Camilla!" Frosty's voice echoes in the distance.

  He sounds worried, but I know better. He wants to ensure I'm not planting bombs or selling secrets. Still, part of me longs to call out, to let him know I'm okay. But I don't. I don't want BG to pinpoint my location, and I don't know what BG will do now that she's been found out. Attack? Even dogs fight back when they're backed into a corner. I won't put Frosty at risk. I won't be the reason he's hurt.

  As I move forward slowly, I keep my gun raised and my finger on the trigger. Hinges whine when I open the first door. I don't enter the room, just reach inside to flip on the light. An unfurnished bedroom, dust on the floor. No sign of footprints.

  I continue onward, opening door after door, finding no sign of entry. Where the hell--?

  A clatter of noise erupts at my left. I turn. A mistake. At my right, I catch a brief glimpse of a sweat-dampened face and dark hair--Bathroom Girl--before I feel a sharp sting in my neck. Suddenly I'm falling backward, falling down...landing with a hard thump and gasping for breath I can't quite catch. Warm liquid spills over me, soaking my shirt.

  I drop the gun and reach up with hands now cold and shaking. They're instantly drenched by something warm and wet. My throat has been...cut?

  Hurried footsteps cause the wood beneath me to vibrate. The slam of a door registers, as does realization. BG left me here, alone, to bleed out.

  My lungs burn for air, any bit of air. I'm going to die, even though I've never really lived. It's the very fate I almost delivered to Ali, and I deserve it, I know I do, but I'm not ready. Not here, not now. Not like this. Not before I've saved Frosty.

  Panic hits me, but it only makes my bleeding worse. Frosty could be... Fog drifts through my mind... Could be hurt...hurt, yes...oh! The pain. The burn. Hurt... I need to warn the others of the threat, but...but... And if I have any hope of survival, I need help, too. Help, yes... The fog is growing thicker by the second... Think, think...

  I need...Frosty.