by Kate L. Mary
Slowly, like I was crawling out of a deep abyss, I started to register where I was. My body throbbed, my muscles and joints screaming with each move. But I felt better too. I could feel myself coming back from the brink of death. Could feel the vaccine winning out over the virus that had nearly killed me.
I was on my knees, sitting on the floor in the lobby of the CDC. My hands were slick, and I looked down to find them covered with blood. I stared at them as yelling and gunshots rang through the air. The world was chaos and it seemed to swirl around me like a tornado. I was in the middle of it, in the eye of the storm, but for some reason no one seemed to notice me sitting there and I felt invisible. Forgotten.
I blinked, trying to focus and remember what had happened. The blood wasn’t just on my hands. It was smeared up my arms and splattered across my legs and chest. There was a trail of it on the floor, starting at me and stopping at the lifeless body of Jackson Star. His eyes were open, staring blankly at me in a way that felt accusatory even though he was no longer capable of that or any other emotion. His throat was ripped open. That was where all the blood had come from. I swallowed, suddenly aware of the coppery taste in my mouth. Of the film that coated my tongue. Of the sticky liquid that covered my face.
Realization slammed into me, and my stomach convulsed.
No. God, no.
I leaned forward, my palms flat against floor. It didn’t help, not with Jackson’s blood pooled in front of me. I squeeze my eyes shut as bile rose in my throat. Trying to swallow it down did no good, and neither did the deep breath I sucked in. I could smell the blood. It was everywhere. Was I turning? Had we been too late? No. I was better. Things were clearer now. I could think, could focus. I knew what I’d done and it sickened me, but the ache in my body had eased. The hunger was gone. The vaccine was working.
But not fast enough. Not soon enough to stop me from turning into a monster. I didn’t remember what I’d done, but the proof was in front of me in the form of Jackson Star’s mangled body. I didn’t regret that he was dead, he deserved what he’d gotten and a hell of a lot more, but the thought of how it had happened, of me becoming animalistic enough to rip a man’s throat out with my teeth…
My stomach lurched again, and this time I lost the battle. I heaved and vomited on the floor, my eyes closed so I didn’t have to see it. Didn’t have to think of what it had once been.
It didn’t take long for my stomach to empty itself, and then I turned my back to the mess and Jackson. The fighting had begun to ease, but the number of bodies littering the floor was overwhelming. Too many to count, too many to focus on.
I scanned the people still up and moving around, looking for faces I knew. Angus was kneeling next to Al, helping him bandage what looked like a cut on his arm, and Jim was kicking at bodies like he wanted to be sure they were really dead, but Meg was nowhere in sight and neither was Jada.
I dragged myself up off the floor and pulled my shirt over my head, using it to wipe the blood from my face and hands and arms. It was an impossible task, there was just too much of it, but I managed to get some of it at least. The rest would have to wait.
I tossed the shirt aside when Angus looked up from where he and Al were sitting, and jogged over to join them. My body stiffened as I prepared myself for judgment or disgust in the other men’s expressions. They must have seen what I’d done, had to know what the blood that covered my face, and neck, and hands was from.
When I stopped in front of them though, their gazes remained level. “Where’s Meg?”
Angus shook his head as he stood, pulling Al up off the ground in the process. “Don’t know. Last I saw she was runnin’ outside with the vial.”
I swallowed, knowing what it would mean for me if she succeeded. It was a moment of conflict, me hoping that she’d managed to break the vial while at the same time praying that she’d held off. Waiting would be stupid, we weren’t in the clear yet and the sooner we were able to get that bacteria into the air the better, but I knew it would be the end for me as well. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Not when the world was about to right itself. Not when Meg was here.
Behind me someone whistled, and the three of us turned toward the front of the CDC. Jim was standing where the door had once been. I didn’t remember much of what had happened, but the missing front of the building combined with the glass and charred debris scattered around the lobby told me that there had been an explosion.
Jim waved, motioning for us to come over, and I took off running, unsure if he wanted us to head out or if something had happened. I got my answer when we reached the front and found a man carrying Meg. Her right calf was bloodied, as was the palm of her right hand. Jada walked at her side, somber but unhurt, but I didn’t know her well enough to know what the expression on her face meant.
Meg turned her head as they approached, and the second her gaze met mine I knew she’d been successful. The bacteria had been released.
“What happened?” I asked, easing Meg from the other man’s arms.
She winced and let out a little gasp of pain, but didn’t protest. I was glad. I was about to die, possibly a slow and horrible death, and I wanted to hold her in my arms, to remember what her warm skin felt like against mine as I slipped away.
“Shot,” Jada said.
Jim touched her arm and she turned to face him, lifting her eyebrows. They did this thing where they communicated silently for a moment, him asking if she was okay and her telling him she was good.
“Got me in the leg,” Meg said.
Her face was so close to mine that I had to stop myself from kissing her. I couldn’t, not when I wasn’t sure if I was still contagious. I just hoped to God I got the all clear before the bacteria ate away at my brain, because I wanted to say goodbye to Meg properly this time.
“Your hand is bleedin’ too,” Angus pointed out.
“The vial broke in my hand,” Meg whispered, the words trembling with so much emotion it made me want to break down and cry. For her though, not for me. I knew she’d done what she had to, but I also knew that she was going to blame herself forever.
“So it’s done?” Al asked.
Jada ripped her gaze from Jim’s and focused on Meg. “It’s done.”
We stood in silence for a moment. The city was still loud, there was still fighting in the distance and screaming, but we seemed to be in the clear. We could leave. All we had to do was make our way back to Dragon’s and head out through the tunnel.
“We should go,” I said, holding Meg closer to my chest. “Before Star finds us.”
She had her arms around my neck like she was holding on for dear life, and at that moment I didn’t want her to ever let go.
I had only taken one step before Jada said, “Helen.”
I froze, the sudden memory of what had happened to Helen flashing through my mind. We couldn’t leave her. Not like she was, lying on the floor in the CDC. Dragon would never forgive us. And then there was Glitter. I barely knew the waitress with the pink hair, but back in Senoia Meg had filled me in on everything I’d missed, and I knew that Helen had been like a mother to that girl. The only real mother she’d ever known.
“We have to take her,” Meg said. “After everything she’s done, she deserves a proper burial. And her family deserves to say goodbye.”
Angus grunted, but nodded too. “Yeah. She saved me, took care of my girl. The least I can do is take her home.”
He headed for the CDC, leaving the rest of us standing in the courtyard.
“I’ll help,” Jim said only a second later, jogging after him.
“I can walk,” Meg whispered.
I held her tighter. “No.” The word was so ragged that I had to clear my throat. “I’ll carry you.”
She wasn’t heavy, not that it would’ve mattered. The ache in my body had eased even more and was now barely detectable. Only when I flexed the muscles in my arms was there a hint of pain left. There were still zombies all over the city and people were shouting,
but the chaos was dying down. The gunshots ringing through the air were becoming less and less frequent, as were the growls and moans. The dead that had invaded the city were losing the battle, and I could only assume it was because The Church had been ready for them.
From where we stood I could see into the lobby of the CDC. Jackson’s body was still lying where I’d left it, as were the guards who had been taken out by the members of The Church. The High Priestess stood just inside, her daughter at her side, both of them staring out into the night as Angus approached. I expected him to pass her by, to be disgusted by the very idea of talking to her. The woman had built a religion that revolved around his death. But he stopped when he reached her. She said something, and even though Angus had his back to me, I could see him nod. The High Priestess’s smile stretched wider and it sent a shiver shooting through me.
Jim jogged up to join them, and the woman’s smile melted away. Angus stood there for only a second longer before continuing through the lobby and over to where Helen’s body lay waiting.
“What are they talking about?” I asked.
Jada had her back to the CDC, her focus on the zombies crowding the city. She looked over her shoulder, her gaze going to the High Priestess. “It’s about Star.”
“How do you know?” Al asked.
“Because Angus has already said that he won’t rest until Star is dead.”
It made sense. The asshole had locked him in a cell for twenty years, had tortured his daughter, killed the woman he’d loved, and then dragged his brother there when Angus had finally gotten free himself. I got it. I sure as hell got the need for revenge. But I wasn’t sure it was possible. Jackson was dead, but there were still guards. Even with the front window blown out, the CDC was still heavily fortified. After today, Star would do everything he could to make sure the building was locked down tight. It would take an army to penetrate his defenses.
Or a fanatical group of religious zealots.
“He’s going to come back,” I said, realization dawning on me.
“Of course he is,” Meg’s uncle, Al, said. ”He just went to get Helen’s body.”
I shook my head, and looked around. My gaze met Jada’s and I could tell by the expression in her eyes that she knew what I was talking about.
“I mean, Angus James is going to come back from the dead and lead The Church in tearing down the CDC.”
“He—” Whatever Al was going to say died on his lips as the truth sank in. “Holy shit.”
“The prophecy the church has been waiting for is about to come true,” Meg said.
Twenty-Three
Meg
It didn’t take long for Angus to return with Helen’s body, and then we were on our way through the city and heading for freedom.
I couldn’t look at my uncle as we ran. Every time I did I found myself hiding my face in Donaghy’s chest. I couldn’t stand the sight, hated the way Helen’s arm hung lifelessly at her side, the way her head drooped to the right. I couldn’t imagine how Dragon and Glitter would get through this. It seemed so unfair after everything they’d done for my family, and yet we were all going to make it out of this in one piece.
At least we were for the time being. It was no secret that Angus planned to come back to city. He hadn’t even tried to deny it when Al questioned him. All he did was give my uncle a look that screamed stay the fuck out of this. It wasn’t like any of us could blame him. In fact, if the situation were reversed, I had no doubt in my mind that I would want to come back too. Any of us would. What Star had done to my uncle was unforgivable. He had stolen Angus’s life, and it only made sense that he would want revenge. I knew there would be an argument when we got back to Senoia, but I also doubted that anyone, not even Dad, would be able to talk Angus out of this.
The streets of New Atlanta were dark and nearly deserted except for the bodies littering the streets. Donaghy refused to put me down even though I told him I could walk. He hadn’t recovered from the virus completely yet and I was worried that carrying me was hurting him. No matter what I said though, he told me he was fine and continued to run, following the others as we made our way to the entertainment district.
I did my best not to look at the bodies we passed, but it was impossible. It brought back memories of the day Margot disappeared. Of Jackson and me, back when I’d thought he was a good person, searching the streets for my missing sister. I’d been so certain after that day that she was gone for good, and yet now she was back. It was a result I had longed for a million times over the past nine years, but one I’d never thought was possible. Now that it was here, I was terrified of what would happen. Of what I would learn when we got back to Senoia and I was finally once again face-to-face with my little sister. She’d been so out of it when we’d liberated her from the CDC, and I tried to tell myself it had been the drugs. Once they were out of her system she’d have to remember us. Wouldn’t she? I thought so, but I also worried what nine years in that prison had done to her. How could a person come back from something like that? My uncle had been imprisoned even longer, but he’d been an adult when they’d locked him away. He’d had moments of salvation in his daughter, and her mother. From what we’d seen of Margot’s existence, it seemed like she’d been given nothing. No hope, no relief.
But Glitter was okay. Yes, she had nightmares and I was sure there were other side effects of the torture she’d suffered at the hands of Star, but she had managed to adjust and move on. I could only hope that Margot would be able to do the same.
Donaghy shifted my weight as we reached the street that ran through the entertainment district.
“I can walk,” I told him for the tenth time.
He shook his head and his arms tightened around me. “I’m fine. There’s no sense in hurting yourself when I can carry you. You don’t know what walking may do to your leg.”
He had a point. The bullet had gotten me in the calf and even though the injury seemed superficial, it still throbbed with each step he took, so I couldn’t really imagine what it would be like to walk on it myself. Not that I wouldn’t do it if I needed to. I worried that carrying me was putting him at a disadvantage. That he wouldn’t be able to defend himself if necessary, or that he would get run down too fast thanks to the virus still left in his system.
“Don’t push yourself,” I said. “You’re still recovering.”
Donaghy’s grip on me tightened, and his blue eyes focused on mine. “No. I’m not…”
The unsaid words hung between us. He wasn’t recovering; he was dying. And it was my fault. I should’ve held off. I shouldn’t have broken the vial when I knew what it would do to him. We could’ve waited. I could have hidden somewhere in the city and waited an hour or two before breaking the vial. The results would’ve been the same for the zombies. They still would have died, but it would’ve given the vaccine time to work its way through Donaghy’s system. Now though, it was just a waiting game. Soon the bacteria would spread and begin to destroy the zombies’ brains, as well as his.
For a moment I couldn’t talk. It felt like someone was squeezing my throat, making it impossible for me to get even a single word out.
We reached the end of the street and stopped outside Dragon’s Lair. Donaghy was breathing heavily, and even though I knew it was from the trek through the city, the worry that the bacteria had already invaded his brain was still present.
“How do you feel?”
He swallowed and sucked in a big mouthful of air like he was trying to catch his breath. “I’m okay. I feel better, really.”
We both knew it would only be temporary, but neither one of us said it.
The adrenaline from our escape must have been wearing off, because by the time we got back to Senoia my calf felt like it was on fire. The drive seemed longer than the first time too, and every bump in the road sent a throb pulsing up and down my leg. I sank my teeth into my bottom lip, hoping to bite back the moans of agony that tried to force their way out of me. I wasn’t fooling
Donaghy, though. It seemed like his eyes were on me the entire trip, like he was memorizing my face, trying to absorb every one of my emotions. I didn’t know if he was just checking to see if I was okay or if it had something to do with the fact that he knew he was about to die. Like maybe he was hoping to be able to cling to the image of me even after his brain began to deteriorate.
I wanted to ask him how he was feeling, but I also didn’t want to know. We knew very little about the bacteria we’d released. Not how long it would take to start working or how quickly it would eat away at the zombies’ brains. Or if Donaghy would suffer.
When we rolled through the gates of Senoia, my focus shifted slightly, but not completely. My mind was at war with itself, part of it thinking of Donaghy and what he would very soon be going through while the other part was focused on my family. On Dad and his injuries, on Margot and the effects of being locked away for so long. Then there was Angus and his vendetta against Star, as well as Dragon and Glitter and how they would react to Helen’s death. So much had happened, and it was too much to think about because there was still so much to do, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Donaghy and it only made me feel guilty for not devoting a hundred percent of my energy to my family.
The truck rolled to a stop and we all climbed out. Donaghy helped me down, his hands firm on my hips like he never wanted to let me go. It was dark and the town was silent, but I could see Max and Bonnie’s house from where we stood. It was lit up, nearly every window glowing with life, and I knew my family was there, together again after all these years. Mom, dad, and Margot. They were waiting for me.
Donaghy supported me as we made our way toward the house. Every step made my leg throb, but I ignored the pain and kept going, my sights on the house that held something I never thought I would have again. A complete family.
We were still a good twenty feet away when the front door opened. Mom stepped out, Aunt Lila at her side, and Dad was right behind her. I craned my neck, trying to look past them, hoping to see Margot there even though I knew it was a long shot. She’d been so drugged up that she was probably sleeping it off, but I couldn’t stop hoping. I wanted everything to be normal. Not that I even knew what normal was. Instead of my sister, I saw Dragon and Glitter, and my heart sank.