The Queen of Zombie Hearts

  "I'm going to go now, Mr. Holland," I said softly. I had a lot to think about--a lot I didn't want to think about.

  He sighed. "I understand. But we're going to talk. Soon."

  "Soon." I hung up.

  Right now, I needed Emma. She would tell me how silly I was to worry. And that's exactly what I was doing. What I'd told myself I'd never do. Worse, I was probably doing it for nothing.

  "You are related to my mother's killer," Cole said, "and I'm related to your mom's cousin's killer, but we'll get through it."

  He didn't understand. Didn't know what I suspected. Would he change his mind then?

  My gaze snagged on the gate that circled the entire property line and widened. "No." But the image didn't change. Zombies were already out, and they were here.

  "We'll put the work in," he said.

  Hundreds of the creatures gripped the iron, shaking it. It had been doused in the Blood Lines and was solid to them, even though they were in spirit form. They couldn't bypass it, but they could grow tired of waiting and turn their attention to the other homes in the area, killing innocents.

  How had they gotten past Mr. Ankh's reinforced security? He had monitors capable of seeing zombie evil--on screen, they glowed as red as their eyes--to alert him whenever a zombie horde approached. But right now, he had no idea. Otherwise, an alarm would have been blasting.

  "Cole," I choked. "Zombies. They're here."

  He joined me at the window and peered out. He stiffened, saying, "We have to warn the others."

  As we hurried down the hall, he banged on every door, shouting, "We've got visitors. More Z's than we've ever fought before."

  Behind the doors, footsteps pounded. Hinges squeaked and then our friends rushed out, dressing along the way, River and Camilla among them.

  We congregated in the dungeon, where Mr. Ankh kept a stash of weapons.

  "I thought you guys were boring," River said, his tone jovial, "but you certainly know how to liven things up."

  "Yeah," Gavin said with a nod. "We're good like that. You're welcome."

  Ignoring them, Kat said to Frosty, "Don't go catching butterflies," as he strapped a pair of short swords to his back. "Go to the roof and clip their wings with a rifle or something."

  "If bullets killed them, Kitty, that would be a great plan," he replied. "But it takes the fire in my hands."

  "Not just yours. Other slayers have fire."

  "Yes, and those other slayers need someone guarding their backs."

  "Why are you being so logical?" Kat beat at his arms, only to stop and sigh. "I know, I know. You're right. I don't like it, but I do understand." She chewed on her bottom lip. "I hate that I can't see them. That I can't help you in some way."

  "Knowing you're in here waiting for me helps." He placed a swift kiss on the tip of her nose, like Cole often did to me. "Trust me. I'm not going to let anything stop me from getting back to you."

  Reeve was silent as she slammed the clip in a SIG and handed it to Bronx. Jaclyn stared at a sword, unmoving. Everyone else was murmuring about what I'd wondered--how was this possible?

  Mr. Ankh sat at a long desk covered by multiple computers, the wall in front of him shrouded by monitors. He was typing furiously at a keyboard. The fact that so many zombies were here at the same time told me Anima had sent them, was probably controlling them with the collars.

  But...I don't recall seeing collars on very many of them.

  "What are you doing?" Cole demanded, nudging me. "Arm up."

  "Sir, yes, sir."

  He glared at me before stomping to Frosty to develop a game plan.

  "You're a freaking ray of sunshine, you know that," I called.

  He didn't even glance at me.

  I grabbed my axes, a sword and two guns, and a grinning River approached me.

  "I hear you're something special on the battlefield," he said. "Better than what I witnessed in the pit."

  "I have my moments," I acknowledged, glad for the distraction.

  "Well, you're in for a treat. I have moments, too. Practically every single one I live. So let's do ourselves a favor and make things interesting."

  "Are you challenging me to a Zombie Kill-off?"

  "Person who slays more evil spirits wins?" He nodded. "Done."

  "Not done. There's no way to keep track. I ash them a horde at a time."

  His grin widened. "Smack talk already."

  "Truth talk."

  "If you aren't good enough to count your kills, well, you've already lost. At least try to redeem yourself." He patted my shoulder before striding to Camilla's side.

  "I didn't agree to anything," I called.

  "Did I hear we're having a kill-off?" Gavin asked, coming up beside me.

  Seriously?

  Incorrigible adrenaline junkies.

  As the rest of the slayers ran out of the dungeon, heading outside, Cole returned to me and held me back.

  "I love you more than fictional zombies love brains," he said. "Tell me you know that."

  I licked my lips and whispered, "I know that. I do."

  "No matter what."

  I really hoped so. "No matter what," I agreed.

  He nodded. "Good." To Mr. Ankh, he said, "I'm guessing you'll be able to see us on the monitors, that the problem isn't your system but something Anima has done to the zombies. So, when you see us, turn on the halogens." With a final glance to me, he strode out of the room.

  "Stay here," I said to Kat and Reeve before rushing after Cole. I didn't see him, but did run into Mackenzie along the way. She was steady on her feet, headed for the dungeon, her color high and healthy. "You're fighting?"

  "Not this time. I'm better, but not all systems go yet." She lifted the hem of her shirt to reveal a patchwork of black scabs. "A few more days, and look out, zombies."

  Our world might be going down the crapper, but at least we could heal each other. "Do me a solid and guard the girls. They could try something sneaky."

  She motioned behind me with a wave of her chin. "That's why I'm here. To babysit."

  Mr. Ankh must have heard her voice, because he called her over. "My text said now, Miss Love, not five minutes from now."

  "Suck it," she muttered.

  "I heard that, Miss Love."

  "Just as I intended you to, Mr. Ankh."

  As I continued on, Kat called, "Ali!"

  I paused to look back.

  "Whatever you have to do, protect my boy."

  In other words, do whatever was necessary to use my new ability. The one Helen had warned me to be careful with. The one Cole didn't want me to use, not because we didn't know a lot about it, I realized now, but because it might have come from the woman who'd killed his mother.

  What a mess.

  I continued on my way without replying. Nothing about this was business as usual anymore. This was personal, and I had no idea what to do about it.

  Chapter 16

  ZOMBIES ATE

  MY HOMEWORK

  Rather than continuing on to the tunnel that led outside the Blood Lines and thus the gate, the slayers stopped a few feet away. I came up beside them, Cole on my right, River on my left. The air was thick with the stink of rot, and moans and grunts of hunger created an eerie song--as far from a lullaby as you could get.

  I scanned the gruesome creatures drooling over the possibility of eating us. A few were collared. Most weren't. All were as ugly as--

  "Trina?" Horror filled me.

  Like all undead, the once beautiful Trina wore what she'd died in. Her forever outfit happened to be a black tank and a pair of gray sweatpants--what she'd practiced fighting zombies in. She'd loved to slick back her short hair, but tonight it stuck out in spikes. Soon, it would fall out, leaving her bald. Her skin had a grayish tint, and her once lovely eyes were now red and drooping at the corners.

  I...I...

  I had loved this girl. Loved her still. When Cole and I had broken up, and I'd been at my lowest, she'd done everything in her powe
r to pick me up. I had trained with her. She had taught me how to drive. And now...

  This was her life. Her un-life. Endless hunger. Until she experienced a second death--brought about by her dearest friends. By us.

  We had to end her.

  I had no words.

  No, that wasn't true. I had these: pain, guilt, regret, remorse, sadness, torment.

  Yes, that one. Torment. I was shredded inside. Wasn't sure I'd be able to put myself back together this time.

  "She's not the only one." Cole pointed.

  As Trina--not Trina, not anymore, just a shell--swiped her arm through the slats in the gate, desperate to reach us, two other zombies shoved her out of the way, and I lost my breath all over again. Lucas and Collins were zombies, too.

  I covered my mouth with shaky hands. Anima hadn't just sent a horde after us; they'd sent our slain friends, knowing how terribly it would hurt us to forever end them, probably thinking we would hesitate to deliver the deathblow, allowing other zombies to swoop in and end us.

  Can't give them the satisfaction. "Keep moving," I demanded. The longer we stayed here, staring, the harder it would be to act. Grief would overtake us, hinder us. "Now!"

  We launched into motion and finally arrived at the entrance of the tunnel, hidden behind the wall of the gazebo. Like good little soldiers, we navigated the dank, narrow corridor single file.

  At the exit, a monitor with images of the surrounding yard waited. No zombies seemed to be within reach, but then, the screens inside the house hadn't shown any zombies, either.

  "Here's what we're going to do," Cole announced. "Jaclyn, you will stay here and watch the bodies. If someone receives a mortal injury, call Ankh. I'll go out first. Frosty, you'll be last. You'll shut the door and guard it. The rest of you will come in from behind and injure as many zombies as possible, tossing them at Ali as soon as she's lit." He turned to me. "Your only job is to light up."

  I nodded, already combating nerves. No pressure, right?

  Everyone pressed against the wall, leaving the walkway clear so Mr. Ankh would have room to work if necessary. I closed my eyes and separated, air blustering against small patches of exposed skin.

  Cole climbed the ladder and flipped the lid, both of which had been doused in Blood Lines, making them tangible. He tossed out a minigrenade. Boom! Grunts sounded. A leg fell through the opening, the shoeless foot still twitching. The bomb wouldn't have hurt the zombies in collars. They weren't in the spirit realm, where the bomb detonated, but in the physical realm. We'd have to fight them another way.

  As Frosty crouched and placed his now-glowing hand over it, the rest of us scaled the ladder.

  We entered a bona fide war zone.

  The forest surrounding Mr. Ankh's house teemed with zombies. The bomb had killed the ones in the immediate area, but hordes of others weren't very many yards away. They scented us and rushed over en masse.

  My friends met them in the middle.

  I remained in place. I had one job, and I would do it. Light up.

  A small flicker...gone.

  Come on, come on. I can do this. I shook my arms. Light!

  Another flicker, another vanishing act.

  I didn't have to rack my brain for answers. Deep down, I really didn't want to do this. Trina, Lucas and Collins were out here. Was I really going to ash them?

  You have to. They're already dead.

  Uh-oh. Incoming! I withdrew a gun and fired, nailing a zombie in the neck. The creature hit the ground but swiftly climbed to his feet. I fired again and again, nailing him in both kneecaps to hamper his steps. He went down, and though he stayed down, he crawled toward me.

  More zombies focused on me. I shot three before my gun jammed. Can't panic. I pulled back the slide and tried again. Click, click. I cursed. This kind of thing rarely happened; we didn't keep cheap weapons around. Why here, why now? I tossed the useless piece of crap to the ground and withdrew the axes, then launched forward, decapitating the zombie already on the ground as I passed.

  Slash. A head rolled.

  Hack. Another head rolled.

  Thump. The blade of the ax cut through a zombie's chest, but got stuck.

  I swung up with my left hand to hack at the zombie behind him with the remaining ax, but he blocked me. At the same time, I released the one that was stuck and palmed a blade to slice through a spine. To a human, it would have been a killing blow. The zombie leaned forward and tried to bite me. I ducked, spun and hacked at both of my opponents at the same time. One lost his head; the other lost the lower part of his jaw and some tongue.

  I stomped on the chest of the zombie who was still wearing my ax, breaking his sternum and ribs, freeing the weapon.

  Light up. Now!

  Again, the meager flicker vanished. Exasperation...irritation--zombies had the upper hand, because of me.

  I needed time. Time Helen's ability could give me.

  Can't waste precious seconds with indecision. Use it!

  Gonna get your wish, Kat.

  I held out my arms...waited...but nothing happened. Exactly how was I supposed to push energy out of my spirit?

  I gave my hands a shake. Tried again, with the same abysmal results. How had I done it last time?

  Figure it out. Fast! In the distance, more and more zombies swarmed Cole. He was somehow using a crossbow and samurai sword in unison, shooting off arrows while remaining in a constant state of motion, slicing away at different parts of the enemy. Severed limbs piled up around him. One wrong move, though...

  A few feet away, Camilla grabbed a zombie by the arm and tossed him at River. Then she grabbed another and another and another, as if they were in an assembly line, and tossed them, too. A grinning River decapitated each one. Nice tag-teaming.

  I couldn't find Bronx. Gavin was working his way through a horde of zombies, using his daggers to stab one in the eyes...then the genitals. Nearby, a zombie managed to tangle his fingers in Veronica's hair and jerk her to the ground, but Gavin was too preoccupied to notice.

  I raced over, and because I was in spirit form, I could move at a speed natural feet never could. Between one heartbeat and the next, I reached my destination. But my presence wasn't necessary. Veronica kicked the zombie in the face, rolled over, punched another zombie and jumped to a stand, whipping out a sword from the sheath anchored to her back. Then she just started chopping.

  Warm breath fanned over my neck, and a hungry grunt sounded in my ear. I spun, swinging my axes. I cut through a zombie's open mouth just before he bit me. Black ooze spurted from him as he fell. Steam rose from the wound.

  Camilla jumped in my path, her sword raised as if she meant to kill me. I ducked, instinct demanding I attack her first. Just before I obeyed it, her blade sliced through another zombie that had been sneaking up behind me, and I paused. Goo splattered me, stinging.

  "Light up," she demanded.

  "I'm trying!" I swung to decapitate the zombie coming in hot at my right.

  "Try harder."

  "You don't understand," I said.

  "Oh, I understand. I understand you're new, and you need a little encouragement to help your abilities kick in. Well, allow me to provide it." She fought her way to Cole.

  As I sliced and diced the zombies around me, I did my best to keep an eye on her. It wasn't wise, dividing my attention like that, but what else could I do? She withdrew two guns and shot the zombies surrounding Cole point-blank. They tripped about in circles, unable to see, to bite, their faces in pieces.

  Cole turned toward her, probably to say thanks, but she aimed the gun--at him. At his chest. Then she looked to me, as if to say, What are you going to do about it, huh?

  His eyes widened as he lifted his weapons. To kill her before she could kill him? Maybe. But he would be too late.

  "No!" I screamed. The surge of desperation did what I had been unable to, shoving a huge blast of power out of me. Little zaps of lightning pulsed through the air. All around, zombies suddenly catapulted upward.


  Camilla lowered her gun and gaped. She'd never seen me use this particular skill.

  Cole stilled.

  I stood in place, breathing heavily, my hands raised and clenched into fists. I'd finally succeeded. But I didn't care. Camilla had endangered the love of my life. Unacceptable! She hadn't intended to follow through, I knew that, but accidents happened.

  Rage poured through me, out of me...as if the intense surge of power had left some kind of hole inside me. One by one, the collared zombies began to explode, their bodies bursting apart at the seams, spraying more black goo in every direction. I never touched them.

  I spotted Trina, flailing for some kind of anchor, and suddenly my rage was overshadowed by unending sorrow. I tried to switch off the power. Maybe we could capture and cage her. Maybe, one day, we would find a Z-cure. If we did, she could live, like Emma and Helen, as a Witness. Except...

  Trina exploded.

  I shouted a denial. My knees threatened to collapse. Stop, have to stop.

  There went Lucas.

  No, no, no! I scanned the remaining zombies...still exploding... Turn it off, freaking turn it off...

  But there went Collins, too.

  In seconds, uncollared zombies were gone, as well, leaving nothing but white ash. My knees finally made good on their threat and collapsed. I hit the ground, my brain rattling against my skull. But I was too weak to hold myself up and quickly tumbled to my face.

  Can't move... Something's wrong... What's wrong?

  "Ali." Footsteps. Cole crouched at my side.

  I wanted to turn my head, to meet his gaze, but couldn't. Was this why Helen had warned me to be careful? The more energy I used, the more useless I'd be afterward?

  A second later, I was floating. No, being carried. Strong arms were banded around me, a heartbeat racing beneath my ear. Strawberries teased my nose. I was jostled as Cole...descended the ladder? Probably. I didn't even have the strength to open my eyes and check.

  Jostled more as... I don't know what.

  "Her spirit isn't bonding with her body," Cole said, clearly dismayed.

  Ah. But he had to be wrong. With one touch, a spirit always returned to its shell. Its home.

  He manipulated my arm, moving it forward and back, shaking it, but nothing happening.

  "Let's align her from top to bottom." River's voice registered.

  I was forced into a vertical position, multiple sets of hands holding me up. One of those sets must have still been on fire--no, two sets, one up high, one down low--because a tide of warmth swept over me, filling me up, welding me together, and suddenly it was all systems go. I could breathe. I could move.