The weather hadn't improved. In fact, it looked like it was working up a head of steam, a late spring storm. The clouds rolled like giant pewter boulders.
John saw where I was looking and said, “Might rain.”
Jonesy shrugged. “We'll get Carson and Brett all lit up before the sky opens.”
I checked my watch.
“What time is it?” John asked.
“Time for the ass-clowns to show,” Jonesy muttered.
Jade covered her mouth, hiding a smile.
Carson and Brett rounded the hill behind us as if conjured. Their blond heads glowed in the dim light of the overcast sky. They climbed the hill with determination, wearing dual expressions of purpose.
***
When they stopped just in front of us, Brett made a point of staring down Jade. I wondered if he had told Carson about his dad's meltdown and the gopher attack. Probably not.
The great trees inside the cemetery stood sentinel, their sweeping branches moved by invisible strings.
Jonesy shook his bag of goodies and they rattled alarmingly.
“I've got this experiment all fleshed out.” He waggled his brows. “Me and my boys tried it last year, and it turned out cool.”
Carson looked interested. The only reason he'd be motivated to try something connected with the three of us, was to prove how much of a mondo-stud he was.
Typical.
Carson leaned forward, trying to scope what was in the bag. Jonesy pulled it back.
“Come on, Carson,” Brett said. “This is just some kinda game. Let's get outta here.”
I was feeling unsure about making Brett pay, but Carson... that was okay. The Js and I had decided if Carson was taught a lesson, Brett would lay off, too, following his lead. I liked it better because Carson just acted like an anus cause he had one. He didn't have worries, the dick nozzle.
Carson shook his head. “Nah, I want to see what Jonesy's got that's so special.”
“Well, c’mon,” Jonesy said.
We followed Jonesy and his bag of mayhem into the cemetery. As soon as I crossed the threshold, the buzzing of voices rose to a fever-pitch, like the droning of bees. I tried to tune it out, but there was something about actually being in the cemetery that seemed to make it resonate deeper.
I stalled a little and Jade slowed beside me, her eyes widening. I knew she was getting a little feedback.
She whispered, “Are those the voices?”
I nodded.
“Is it like this all the time?”
“Not always, but this close to a big nest o' corpses, oh yeah.”
Everyone turned to look at us, so we began to walk again. I let go of her hand. She didn't need the overlap, and I was straining for control. So many dead were just impossible for me to ignore. But without Jade touching me, it was a little better. She was like a radio antenna amplifying their signal, almost like Tiff.
Jonesy took out each item out for the cluster fun. It looked like a weird hodgepodge to me. If I was guessing right, he had improved on his original idea.
He was completely serious, the first clue that the whole thing was absolute bullshit. He said to Carson, “You take this tube-thingey”—he pulled out a corrugated tube that looked like something Dad had put by the foundation of our house—“and Brett holds the other end.” He held up the hairspray. “Spray this crap inside the tube.”
“Why is it duct taped on this side?” Carson asked.
Jonesy did a long, slow blink.
Carson had the IQ of a shovel.
“It's to keep the Aqua Net inside the tube, Carson,” he explained slowly.
Carson tried to save face. “Yeah, I knew that.”
John turned away and laughed into his hand while pretending to cough.
Brett glared at him. “What's the lighter for? How'd you get it?”
Jonesy smiled. “Swiped it from my dad.”
I was drowning in the voices but making a colossal effort to quiet them.
Carson asked John and me, “You guys did this, right?”
We nodded. I gritted my teeth. Get on with it.
Then, just to sweeten the deal, I asked, “Scared?”
Carson lowered his chin like a bull before a red flag and replied through gritted teeth, “We can do anything you pussies can do.”
Resolute, his chin rose and he crossed his arms across his chest.
Going according to plan.
Jonesy handed Brett the duct-taped end of the tube. Carson grabbed the can of hairspray out of Jonesy's hand. The top spun off and became a bright pink exclamation point on top of a grave marker.
Jade watched with fascinated horror.
I knew it wouldn't end well, but it was like a piece of chocolate with mystery stuff inside. I suspected it would taste bad, but there might be something about it I liked.
Jonesy held out the lighter. A ghost of a smile formed on Carson's lips, as he leaned forward and delicately plucked the lighter out of Jonesy's fingers.
Jonesy backed away, looking a little uncertain. “So Brett holds the duct tape end and you spray a bunch of Aqua Net in there. Then, you light the lighter just as you stop the stream.”
Brett wore an expression that might have indicated some sort of thought process. Carson even looked a little hesitant.
John shrugged casually.“Look, you guys, if you're chickenshit or something, you don't have to do it. We won't hold it against you.”
We all nodded as we agreed that we would definitely not be inclined to spread crap about them in school. Riiiggghhhttt. I could see how John's cleverness was going to work this kink right out.
Carson looked at each one of us, lingering on Jade longest. “No, we'll do it. I can't see any of you guys not saying anything.” He pointed at me. “You just remember, we have the goods on you, Hart. We know what you are, what you can do. We know who to call.”
“Ghostbusters?” Jonesy asked.
We laughed. They glared.
Game on.
Brett held up the tube with the duct-taped end facing him, his hands circling it as if holding a steering wheel. The black exterior looked like an accordion, Carson raised the can and sprayed into the tube.
Even from a few feet away, I could see the mist and smell the awful acrid odor. How did women wear that? It meant something that you could set it on fire... ah, hello?
A few seconds later, Carson brought up the lighter and pressed the ignite button just inside the tube. At first, there was nothing but a sucking noise.
Then, flames burst out of the open end in an orange tangle, licking along the sides and traveling toward Brett's hands. Just before Brett dropped the tube, Carson leaned into the flames.
The fire hovered all around Carson's face but left him untouched.
John and I had about exactly three seconds to exchange a look, what the hell?
Jonesy, never one for internal dialogue asked in a panic, “What the hell is this?”
Brett backed away from Carson, who turned to us with an evil grin. Fire was still moving around his face in a wave. He held out his hand, and a small blue-centered flame swept down his arm and hovered just above his palm.
“So you were saying, Hart? You want to go chew some glass? Sounds like a good plan to me.”
Beautiful, Carson the Comedian.
We stood speechless.
Carson was a fire starter, and Jonesy, the plan man, hadn't counted on that.
Zero contingency plan. Nada, zilch, zip.
John said, “Listen, it was just a joke. You've been up Caleb's ass since forever, and it was just a little payback. You don't need to torch us.”
Carson put on an innocent face.
Bad.
“I'm not gonna torch you guys.” He switched to an evil expression and nodded at me. “Just him.”
And with that delightful objective, he pulled his hand back, readying to throw the ball o' flame.
Jade gasped, and I gave her a hard shove to get her out of the literal line of f
ire.
Jonesy shrieked, “Hey!”
But John shocked me. He stepped right into Carson. The two of them collided, the fire halting mid-throw. A crazy flame floated between Carson and me, sputtering and flickering.
With a roar, Carson leaped forward, trying to recapture the flame, but John tackled him. They both went down, and the flame died.
“Get off me, Terran!” Carson roared. He grabbed John by his frizzy mass of hair and pulled.
“Hey! Let go!” John gave Carson an elbow to the nose.
Blood sprayed. Carson howled and grabbed his nose. At the same time, he kicked John right in the knee. John went down, holding his knee.
Well... damn.
I ran over to break up the fight before the whole world figured out that something was going on besides a practical joke. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted someone at the entrance to the cemetery.
I turned to get a better look and realized it was Jade’s dad. His fists were clenched, the wind lifting his sweating hair off his forehead. Fists clenched as his chest rose and fell in great, swooping lungfuls. I was struck by how much he looked like Brett's dad but in a lot better shape.
His timing blew.
I swung my head in Jade's direction. She was still sitting on the ground where I’d shoved her. I felt bad because I hadn’t meant to push her that hard. She gave me the I'm caught stare.
This just kept getting better and better.
Her dad hollered, “Jade! What in the blue hell are you doin' hanging out with this pack of boys?” His face had flushed an alarming purple color.
Jade scrambled to her feet and ran. Mr. Scary was stalking over the graves, his fists like great meaty hammers, coming to nail us.
Remembering Jade and I worked like complements, I grabbed her hand as she passed by me and flung out every bit of my power.
Like a great flowing river, the power left my body.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, the graves in front of Jade’s dad burst open, sod and dirt exploding in every direction. Hands followed as the dead began to rise.
My dead.
Starting from my toes, the full flesh crawl climbed my body.
Jade chanted softly, “No, no, no.”
“I think I can take it from here,” I said, stepping away from her.
Like a freight train, Jade's dad hesitated at the junction, not sure what track to choose. Those pesky zombies will give a person pause.
He flung his arms wide, indicating the corpses. “What is this?”
Violence wasn't the only thing that Brett and Jade's fathers had in common. The smell of alcohol preceded him by a mile.
A collection of corpses stood amongst the graves, eyes vacant, waiting for direction. I stepped forward, and they all swung their heads to face me.
I pointed a finger at Jade's dad. “Protect us from him.”
He frowned.
“Come here, Jade. You don't need to be hanging out with them losers.”
“No, Daddy. I won't ever come back,” Jade said, but taking a step toward him.
She turned to me and shook her head.
I didn’t let go. “No fucking way, Jade.”
The corpses started to get agitated. One shambled forward, keeping his eyes on Jade's dad, who had begun to inch closer.
The corpses closed in on him, a tidal wave of death to shore.
Oh geez. It was the first one I had raised, the accident, Clyde. Fluke of flukes. In the whole graveyard, I couldn't raise a new corpse? I guessed that raising a zombie more than once wasn't a good thing.
“I have risen again,” Clyde said in his gravelly voice. “For what purpose, necromancer? For what purpose?”
The other zombies, all in various stages of rot, stared at me.
“I'm sorry.” I pointed at Jade’s dad. “This guy is going to put a serious pounding on us, and I need help.”
Her dad said, “A bunch of dead people ain't gonna matter to me, boy! I'm gettin' my girl back, and there ain't shit from shinola you can do about it!”
He lunged forward.
I felt intent form in my mind. I didn't have to say anything. The corpses knew.
We were of one mind, the zombies and I.
Clyde swung his arm in the path of Jade's dad, clotheslining him. LeClerc's progress effectively halted, he turned and waded into the batch of corpses. He threw a punch at Clyde, but all he got for his trouble was some black ooze on his hand.
Clyde slapped his hands on either side of LeClerc's head, boxing the drunk’s ears. Jade’s dad howled and kneed Clyde in the gut. Clyde fell and rolled down the small knoll, just out of sight.
Holy shit.
Jade's dad hissed a sound of fierce triumph and turned to grab his prize, Jade leaning backward in avoidance. The other four corpses took their cue, moving forward as a single unit, laying their collective hands on him.
An awkward dance began. Jade's dad swung at corpses, knocking them down. They would immediately get up again and go for him. Meanwhile, Clyde shambled up the hill, steady and slow, making his way back to the fray.
John asked, “Shouldn't we, like, get outta here? And while we're at it, can you get them, you know, back?”
“Are they going to hurt him?” Jade asked.
I shook my head. “Nah, not unless I tell them to.”
“Hey, dude,” Jonesy said, tilting his head in the direction of the ruckus, “you sure on that? ’Cause they seem kinda enthusiastic.”
One zombie was banging the drunk’s head on the grass.
I called out, “Hey! Quit that! No head-banging.”
The zombie stopped with a dissatisfied grunt.
“Okay, you two,” I said, pointing at John and Jonesy, “get Jade home… fast.”
“What about...?” John gestured at Carson and Brett, who wore identical expressions of fascinated surprise.
I walked over to Carson with the zombie noise part of the background melee.
“Keep an eye on my zombies,” I threw over my shoulder at the Jonester.
Jonesy's eyes became like saucers. “Who me? Have John do it. He's good at that sorta thing.”
John glared at him. “So I've done so much zombie-sitting, right?”
Kinda busy here. “Both of you then, just 'til I'm done talking to these guys.”
Taking Jade’s hand, I walked over to Carson.
I felt better with her next to me.
Carson gave me a smug smile. “Having some trouble with the girlfriend's family?”
Idiot. “No, just handling things Carson. We're even now,” I said.
“How do ya figure?”
“As I see it, people knowing you're a pyro will get you big-time attention you don’t want.”
“That's bullshit, Hart. You're a damn corpse raiser.” He gestured behind at the zombies.
Some unpleasant noises of squishing and muffled howls reached us. Right.
I shook my head, ignoring it. “We all know what you are now. Playing with fire is a pretty important skill, pal, and you're doing a fine job of managing it.”
Brett tugged on Carson’s shirt.
“Let's get outta here. Let him figure his own crap out.”
Carson shrugged. “Yeah, I was done here anyway. Have fun with that,” he said, motioning at the zombie brawl.
“See ya, Hart. Jade.” He blew her a kiss.
“Go guzzle bleach, ya squirrel,” Jade replied.
I laughed.
Carson waved her off and started walking away. After a last glance at the one-sided battle, Brett followed him.
Jade's dad continued to attempt to pry himself out of the mountain of zombies. They would tumble away like bowling pins, then Clyde would straddle him, and it would start all over again.
“Stop,” I said.
The zombies froze. One fell over mid-struggle. Über cool.
Jade's dad lurched unsteadily to his feet, his considerable size a factor on smoothness, along with the booze.
; “You,” I said, and the zombies all looked at me. “Not you guys.”
They continued to stare at me with steady devotion. Creepy.
I turned back to Jade's dad. “You better just give up.”
“I ain't givin' up, but I can see when things get challengin',” he slurred.
This guy.
“You have one last chance, girlie. Come with your daddy.” He held his hand out to Jade.
“No,” she said quietly.
“I see how you're gonna be. I'll fight that bitch sister of mine and get my kid back where she belongs—under my roof!” He smacked a meaty fist into a meatier palm. His nose was slightly bulbous, a fine webbing of broken capillaries adorning the end.
“And you!” He jabbed a thick finger right in my chest.
My zombies tensed.
“I won't forget what ya did to me today. You're not normal. This”—he jerked his thumb in the direction of the zombies—“ain't normal. Sometime when you're not lookin', I'll be there... waitin'. And there won't be no help from any of them,” he said, pointing a finger at Team-Rot.
He didn't intimidate me. It wasn't having the zombies around or false bravado. He was a grown man—Dad's age, for God's sake—who had probably been a bully in school, and as an adult, he was a child-beating drunk. I didn't have a drop of respect for him.
“Don't you come near Jade. You don't know what I can do. You're not gonna hurt her... ever.” I gave him a little shove, just hard enough to make him step back.
He gave a furtive look at the group of patient zombies. He wasn't going to take them on again.
His eyes narrowed. “You haven't seen the last of me.” He stared at Jade. “You especially, little lady.” He stumbled off, weaving in a more or less straight line.
Playing with zombies would sober a guy up.
***
That went well.
The only relief was Carson's ability was almost as troubling as mine. He would be looked at as a teach-and-contain for sure.
I turned to Jade. “I gotta get these guys back in the ground.”
She looked up at me, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
The Js looked horrified. Girl crying! Girl crying!
“What's wrong?” I asked.
A fat tear rode a slow path down her face, and she did one of those hitching breaths that people do when crying might make way to sobbing. “I'm so embarrassed!”
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