Fatal

by T. A. Brock

  But then, she wouldn’t be hanging out with him too much either since she really didn’t want his supermodel girlfriend for an enemy. And on that note, where did she go to school? Cori was pretty sure she didn’t go to Westland. She would’ve remembered someone like her, all that dark hair and those dark eyes. She probably didn’t even need makeup to achieve the smoky-eyed look. And her pale skin was the type that was flawless, even without a golden tan.

  Cori was soaked through by the time she reached her empty house. To waste time and warm up, she showered and then threw on her old raggedy sweatpants and Purdue hoodie.

  When she went downstairs, her cell phone was ringing. It was Asia. Instantly, tears pricked her eyes. She missed her friend so badly. And wow, she needed someone to talk to. But if she answered that phone…she knew she would waste all their time bawling like a baby. And plus, Asia had seemed so happy last time they’d talked. She didn’t want to be the one to ruin that.

  She set the phone on the counter and opened the fridge. The pizza was still there. She stared at it for a minute before deciding that she was on a pizza fast. No more, even if Mom brought it home every night until she graduated. She dug around in there: half-full jug of milk, week-old Chinese takeout, a couple cartons of yogurt, bread, butter, cheese. She opted for the yogurt.

  While she was eating, her phone rang again. This time it was Peg.

  “Hey.”

  “Hi, Peg,” she answered in a bright voice that was as false as the flowers she’d seen at the graveyard. Except for those roses at the crypt. Those had been real.

  “Aiken said you were coming tonight so I was checking to see what time you wanted to meet up.”

  Cori sighed. Okay, so maybe Aiken did have a fault: he was a wee bit pushy.

  “Actually, I told him I wasn’t sure.”

  “Oh. Well…Shut up, Rex! I’m trying to talk.” Cori could hear him in the background spouting off movie times. “So, what’s the verdict? You coming or not? Please say yes,” Peg begged. “If you don’t come I’ll be stuck with two guys. They’ll make me watch an action movie.” Cori was a little surprised that Rex liked action movies. He seemed too intellectual to sit through two hours of guys with bad accents blowing each other to smithereens.

  “I really can’t tonight, Peg.” Cori wished she could tell her yes, but she just didn’t have it in her. Not tonight. She would get over things eventually. Soon the memories of her dad would fade and she’d forget why she was so sad without him. The thought made her feel infinitely worse. But not tonight. Tonight, she needed more of what had gotten her through it thus far: solitude.

  “I’m sorry,” she told her friend, and meant it.

  “Oh well. It’s all right.” She sighed dramatically. “You doing okay, though? I didn’t see you after school.”

  “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I left early.”

  “How was lunch with Dracula?”

  Cori had to smile. “It wasn’t so bad. I mean, it was weird at first. But after a while he warmed up.”

  “Hmm. So, he’s like mold, huh?” Peg mused.

  “What?”

  “After a while, he grows on you.”

  Cori laughed. Peg was good at making her do that. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

  “Well…Just a second, Cori. What? No, Rex, she’s not coming. What? Oh, come on…Fine.” Big sigh. “He says, for you and you alone he would have lowered himself so much as to watch a rom-com. But now you will be punished accordingly upon our next outing. Punishment includes, but is not limited to, a) watching an action movie, b) watching a sci-fi movie, or c) watching a documentary. His words exactly.”

  Cori grinned. “Tell him I apologize profusely and I shall accept my punishment with my head held high.”

  “Oh, don’t encourage him, Cori,” Peg grumped. “Anyway, guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Bye.”

  When she hung up, she couldn’t help feeling a little better. And when on a whim, she decided to check what food options were hiding in the freezer, things got even better.

  Helllooo Ben and Jerry’s.

  As soon as Cori was safe inside her house, Grayson ran home. He didn’t bother going back to the school for his car. He just ran until he was there. One of the pluses of being undead: you had terrific endurance and stamina. As long as you were hydrated. And lucky for him it was raining.

  Raina was pacing the floor when he got there, a bottle of water in one hand and her cell phone in the other. “Oh, Gray! I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were even talking to her. You said—”

  He quickly cut her off. “It’s okay. Tell me what happened to Leiv.” She hesitated, searching his face. But he couldn’t think about Cori right then. “Raina, what happened?”

  “Reapers. They came early this morning, three of them. Said Leiv had to go with them for questioning.”

  “Concerning what?”

  “Suspicious activities. That was all they would say. I demanded an explanation but they refused. And Leiv went peacefully. He…he said he would be back soon. That’s all. But then, it’s been all day and I am just so worried.”

  Grayson looked at the clock. School would be out in ten minutes. He needed to talk to Aiken. “Raina, I need you to drive me to the school. I’ll talk to the Reaper, find out what’s going on. You come back here and wait for Leiv.”

  Her brow furrowed. “No! I won’t sit here and do nothing.”

  “I’m just going to talk to him, not fight him.” Hopefully. He’d already had his can kicked by the guy once.

  She jutted her chin. “Still. What if—”

  “You know the best thing to do is wait,” he persuaded. “Leiv is smart, and we both know he isn’t in any trouble. It’s just a mistake. They’ll clear it up.”

  He could see her thinking it over. And truth was, she’d probably have better luck fighting Aiken than Grayson would. But she was clearly shaken.

  “Fine,” she said in a voice reserved for those she wanted to intimidate. It didn’t really work on him even though he let her think it did. “But you call me as soon as you find something out. Understand?”

  “Of course,” he said, then gritted his teeth. He hated being told what to do, but he let it go since she was so upset.

  She dropped him off at school just as class was letting out. It didn’t take long for Grayson to find Aiken in the parking lot. He was getting into the driver’s seat of a sparkly new Ford F-150, cherry red with chrome wheels. Grayson wouldn’t be caught dead—or undead—in something like that. Nope, he would stick to his black-as-midnight Corvette. Not to mention, it was a convertible.

  Aiken spotted him and immediately his happy-boy persona shifted into hatred.

  Grayson didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “Why did you arrest my brother?”

  “I didn’t. My partner did. And that is none of your business,” he answered hotly.

  “It’s totally my business. Where is he?”

  “Again, NOYB. He’ll be released when we’re done with him.”

  Grayson’s fingertips tingled with the urge to hit him. “He hasn’t committed any crime. Why is he in custody?”

  Aiken leaned back against his truck, his arms crossed, a grin on his face, the image of cool. “You just aren’t getting it are you? See, when I say that it’s none of your business, I mean—”

  Grayson let out a growl. He didn’t mean to exactly, but then let’s face it, he’d been wanting to for a while. And yeah, it felt good.

  Aiken’s jaw ticked. “Did you just growl at me, civie?” he ground out, blatantly using the derogatory slang for “civilian.”

  “Tell me where my brother is,” was Grayson’s only answer.

  Aiken stepped toward him in such a way that almost had Grayson falling back. “Your brother,” he spat, “is nearing the Age of Death. He is dangerously close to decomposition—which as you know, is my business.” He took another step, and this time Grayson was forced to back up. “He is being questioned to determine his state
of mind. Tests are being done to confirm his age and to see if he is carrying the contagion. All this would be completely routine if not for the mysterious deaths occurring up north.” He was glaring down at Grayson in a way that should have been impossible since they were roughly the same height. And just what was he implying? That Leiv could be responsible for those atrocities? For all they knew, humans were the offenders.

  “Mysterious deaths. How does that have anything to do with my brother?”

  “Since you must know, they occurred not too far from here. We don’t know if the killer was zombie or human but if they’re zombie—” his jaw clenched and unclenched “—we’re looking at a possible live eater.”

  A rogue. One who ate humans. He wanted to retch.

  “We are trying to prove his innocence, Grayson. And you will not stand in the way.”

  Grayson knew in the zombie world it wasn’t “innocent until proven guilty” but rather “guilty until proven innocent.” Even though he hated it, he would have to accept it.

  Yeah, but he didn’t like being told what to do.

  “And you won’t tell me what I will or will not do. You might be a Reaper but you have no authority over me.”

  Aiken just smiled, sarcasm leaking from his pores. Why did it seem that he got more satisfaction out of the mental assault than a physical one? “Whatever you say, boss.” Just then Aiken’s phone rang. “Oh, lookie there, it’s my partner. You might wanna stick around.”

  Grayson rolled his eyes while Aiken made a big show of hitting the call button.

  “Hello? Uh huh. Of course, I have his progeny right here.” Progeny? “Sure, the little guy is demanding to know the whereabouts of his brother. What shall I tell him? Okay. Uh huh. Sure. All right then, toodles.” There was another big to-do while he punched the end button. “Your brother has been cleared and is en route to his home. Run along now, and you can meet him there.”

  “Fine.” Grayson turned to leave, in a hurry to talk to Leiv.

  “I know you were with her today. Where’d you go?” There was a disturbing edge to Aiken’s voice.

  Grayson couldn’t help looking over his shoulder with a cruel smile. “That’s NOYB.”

  Chapter 13

  Jealousy Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

  "IT’S REALLY NO BIG DEAL,” Leiv was saying. “They just ran some tests, asked a ton of questions. Really, give it a rest, Raina.”

  Grayson stood, arms crossed, like a statue in the corner observing his brother and sister.

  “So, they know you’re not contagious then? They know you still have time?”

  “Of course.” He reached for her, wrapping her in a hug. Like that, she looked so small, her six-foot frame dwarfed next to his. “You worry too much. I told you, I don’t have any symptoms. I’ll be around for a few more years. Promise.”

  Grayson didn’t know what to think of the arrest. Part of him wanted to believe what Aiken had said about it being routine. But the other part couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Either way, Leiv didn’t seem worried and that alone was most reassuring. Leiv was the oldest and the smartest. He was the most cunning of the three of them and if something was wrong, if he was close to deterioration, he would be the first to know.

  And he wouldn’t try to hide it like some zombies did. He wasn’t like that. He was noble.

  Leiv and Raina pulled apart and peered at Grayson.

  “Raina told me you were with Cori today,” his brother said carefully.

  Grayson nodded once.

  “Are things…going well?”

  What was that supposed to mean? Like today was planned? It wasn’t. Well, maybe lunch was but not the cemetery. And all of it was to keep her away from Aiken.

  “It just sort of happened.”

  Leiv shot him a lopsided smile. “I know, dude. It’s not your style to scheme.” He went over to the sound system and cranked it on. “But you’re talking to her now? That’s good, right?”

  Grayson didn’t want to discuss it. Especially in front of Raina. There was too much hope in her eyes and it left him feeling uncomfortable.

  “I guess.” He shrugged one shoulder.

  Leiv sauntered over to stand in front of him. “You know, Gray, it’s okay for zombies to have human girlfriends.”

  Grayson jerked his head back and almost choked on his own saliva. After a couple coughs he was able to respond. “I don’t want a girlfriend. And how in the hell is it okay?”

  Leiv took a swig of water from the bottle Raina had brought him. “It’s perfectly normal to fall for one of them. They are so…well, they’re alive, for lack of a better word.” He got a faraway look in his eyes. “I’ve done it. Raina has too. Really, I think it can’t be helped.”

  Grayson almost didn’t notice how his sister slipped from the room. Obviously this wasn’t a conversation she wanted to take part in, and that was just fine with him. He glanced back at his brother—who was apparently lost in some memory of times past. He couldn’t believe this.

  “And just how did that work out for you, Leiv? When she found out what you were? Or did you never tell your ‘human girlfriend’ that you were one of the Dead Walking?”

  Leiv’s smile vanished. “I did tell her.”

  Anger itched at Grayson’s being, brown flickering threateningly at his vision. Was he the only zombie alive that could see how wrong it was to act like they were normal? Even if the human never noticed the difference, they weren’t normal, and no amount of pretending would ever make it so.

  “And?” he pushed.

  Leiv went back to the sound system and turned it off. “And everything worked itself out.”

  “So, you mean she thought you were a lunatic and ran away screaming. Realized you’d lied about what you are. Tell me, did you love her? Or was she just a plaything?” Like Cori was for Aiken. “And what happened when the Reapers found out? Because really, if you did love her, how could you ruin her life like that—”

  “I loved her!” Leiv said, loud enough to shut Grayson up. Even his eyes changed, whites streaking yellow, irises a deep brown. Leiv never raised his voice, never got angry, never lost control. Within the second, he’d gained it back again.

  “Brother,” he said. “You have a lot to learn. There’s so much that nobody can teach you. You have to learn it on your own, in time.”

  Grayson’s chest heaved with the effort to catch his breath. To think of what might’ve happened to Leiv’s human. The Reapers. They would have silenced her. Aiken had played dumb when he’d mentioned they didn’t harm humans. But Grayson knew better. He knew.

  But then, he wasn’t any better than them was he? What he was considering doing with Cori…

  Leiv’s shoulders slumped as he came to stand in front of Grayson. His hand came to rest on Grayson’s shoulder and it was all he could do not to growl and shrug it off. But he tried to remind himself, this was Leiv, his brother. The one who’d taken him in when he’d risen in a fog of lost memory, craving flesh, and filled with a despair so intense he’d cried for days.

  “I know what you’re thinking, but it wasn’t like that. Look, there’s a lot you still don’t know about us zombies. But understand this: not all of us hate who we are.”

  “Yeah? Ever think maybe that’s the problem?” With that, Grayson stormed from the house, desperate to get away. Because he did hate who he was. He truly did. And always had.

  The question was did he hate himself enough to risk Cori’s life?

  He was terrified of the answer.

  Cori was taking up the whole couch like only a true couch potato could: on her back, ice cream propped up on her belly, with her legs draped over one of the sides. She was halfway through a carton of chocolate chip cookie dough—having already polished off the Chunky Monkey—when there was a knock on the door. Reluctantly, she paused the TV and went to answer it.

  Annnd hello headache. She must’ve gotten up too fast. She steadied herself for a moment before stumbling to the door. In Indy,
she would have checked first before answering. But she was in Asher now and everything was harmless. Still though, instead of throwing it open wide, she just cracked it.

  And then almost choked on a chocolate chip.

  It was Grayson, a.k.a. The Last Person She Expected.

  “Um, hi,” she said, opening the door the rest of the way.

  “Hey,” was all he said.

  She jammed the spoon into the half melted ice cream and tried to forget about the fact that she was in a pair of beat up sweats. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground. “I just uh, things got kind of crazy earlier. I wanted to make sure…” He drifted off. She waited but he didn’t finish.

  “So, is everything okay with whoever was in jail?” Wow this conversation was one for the record books. Awkward.

  “Yeah,” he said quickly, still staring at his feet. “It wasn’t jail exactly.”

  “Oh. Okay. Well…good.”

  He finally glanced up. His expression was one she was beginning to get used to: cold and distant. “I see you didn’t go with your friends tonight.”

  “Nah, I made new friends,” she said, holding up the carton of ice cream. “Meet Ben and Jerry. They’re real sweeties.” The side of his mouth quirked a little and his shoulders eased a fraction. So she kept going. “Popcorn’s hanging out in the microwave. I’m counting on the three of them and reruns of Glee to keep me up till at least eleven.”

  He nodded but didn’t say anything else. She didn’t know what to say either, but after a few uncomfortable moments she thought of something. “How did you know where I lived?”

  He shuffled his feet. “Oh, uh, it’s a small town.”

  “Not that small.”

  He glanced at her and then immediately away. “Yeah, you’re right. I followed you earlier.”

  “Followed me?”