“I had to decide if you'd gone crazy and started killing everyone.”
“Did you decide?”
“Aside from having a death wish, I believe you,” she said. “And if you hadn't killed Joshua, I probably would have.”
“Who do you think killed everyone else?”
“I don't know yet,” said Jenny. “But I'm going to find out.”
“Where to first?”
“Expo,” she said. “I'm going to check out Sully's tent.”
“Won't Sully have a bit of a problem with that?”
“No,” she said. “We have him. Did you know he was a scientist?”
“I did not,” said Declan.
“And that he worked for my mom?”
“What?”
“And that he claims he's been stalking me on her orders? He arranged for Casey to get caught in the train car, too. He's the reason I died.”
“And you're letting him help you?” said Declan. “Why didn't you kill him?”
“Because,” said Jenny. “He might be able to help me find my mother, and she can tell us how I cure people.”
“What about the murderer?” said Declan.
“That's where you come in,” said Jenny. “While I'm searching Sully's place, you're going to ask around. Find out if anyone knows anything about the murders on the poles. Ask about living and rotter victims.”
“And just how do you plan on getting into Expo?” said Declan. “You're supposed to be dead.”
“I am dead,” she said. “Besides, it's night. I don't know any of the door guys at night. Only those two guys who are afraid of you.”
“Afraid of me? You mean Tyler and Kevin? They're not afraid of me.”
“The fuck they're not,” she said smiling. “I've seen how they look at you.”
They got into the car, Jenny in the driver's seat. Declan handed her the keys.
“You have changed, you know,” he said.
“I keep telling you,” said Jenny.
“Not the way you think, though,” he said.
“What does that mean?”
He studied her. “I don't know. It's like you're driven. Tougher.”
“I always wanted to be tougher.”
“We're going to figure this out, Jen.”
“Sorry if I'm skeptical,” said Jenny. “I'm not doing this for me anymore. I've lost hope for me. But if I can help others, all the people who have survived...” Jenny thought about Adam, the man who had died outside Expo. He had love and family and hope, and it had been cruelly taken away from him. “Other people have love too. Other people have faith that a better world is going to come out of all this. None of that made me special.”
“You are special, Jen.”
“The fuck I am,” she said, too harshly. “I'm not asking for sympathy, Deck. I'm saying that if we figure this out, if I can help people... I guess I have to try.”
Declan nodded, looking at her strangely, like he'd never seen her before. “I guess you do,” he said softly.
THIRTY
“Declan, that's Tyler standing there.”
“Yes it is,” he said, his eye twitching slightly.
“What should we do?”
“I do not have a plan,” he said.
Jenny eyed the razorwire fence. “I could climb up on the other side. I might heal quickly. The scar on my back is almost totally gone.”
“What?” said Declan, looking at her. “The big gnarled purple scar that stuck out a half inch? It's just gone?”
“Not totally.”
“Jen...”
“Don't even say it, Declan. It's not a sign that I'm getting better. It's just another reminder of my freakiness.”
“If you say so,” he said. “But you can't climb the fence.”
“Why not?”
“Because of that.” He pointed off to the side and Jenny saw a prowler come round the corner, carrying a crossbow. “And that,” Declan said, pointing the other way. A woman with a shotgun was perched on a rusty and vine-covered car scoping out the fence. “You might heal faster than most, but I'm guessing that blowing your head off will still do the trick.”
“You could be right,” she said. “Well what's your suggestion, genius?”
“Do you trust me?”
It caught her off guard. Finally she narrowed her eyes. “Depends,” she said.
“Seriously?”
“I guess I trust you,” she said. “When you're not pointing a gun at me.”
“I was just being cautious,” he said.
“I trust you.”
“Good. Follow me.” He opened the door and was out of the car and walking toward the gate before Jenny knew what was happening.
“Shit,” she said. She followed him, running to catch up. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Put your sunglasses on and act sad.”
She fished in her pocket for her glasses. “Why am I sad?” She slipped them on her face.
` “Because you just lost your sister.”
Tyler had his back turned as they approached. When he turned around he stared at Jenny.
“Hey, T,” said Declan.
“The fuck is this?” said Tyler, not taking his eyes from Jenny. “I was at your funeral.”
“This is Jenny's sister,” said Declan, so calm, even Jenny almost believed him.
Jenny nodded at him. “Hey. I'm...Anna. You can close your mouth.”
“What are you, a twin or something?” said Tyler. He looked at Declan. “I thought I was seeing a ghost for a minute. Goddamn, Munro. You could warn me.”
“Yeah, I'll just whip out my cell phone and text you. And then we can meet for brunch on Saturday.”
“Fuck you, Munro,” said Tyler. Declan grinned.
“Sully's holding some of Jenny's stuff for, er, Anna here. We're just picking it up.”
“It's late,” said Tyler. “I'm not supposed to let anybody but vendors in right now.”
“Come on, T,” said Declan. “You know me. And Jen's sister wants to get out of Chicago tomorrow. I could owe you one.”
“Shit, Munro,” said Tyler, breaking into a smile. “I'm just messing with you.” He looked at Jenny and his face fell. “I'm real sorry about your sister. She was a kickass dame.”
“Dame?” said Jenny.
“Y'all can go where you please, you know that, Munro. But something weird's going on with Sully. He hasn't been around much since...you know.” He glanced at Jenny. “Since she died. I think he was pretty broken up.”
Jenny coughed to hide the humorless laugh that tumbled out. Fucking Sully.
“We know where to look,” said Declan. “Thanks, man.”
Declan veered off, giving her a nod. Expo was a different place after hours. Without all the people it looked like an abandoned flea market. A few vendors were chatting with each other here and there, sitting on the ground and leaning against tables. Most were in their tents or shelters. Jenny slipped into Sully's tent unseen.
It wasn't empty.
THIRTY-ONE
“Where the hell have you two been?” said Jenny, scanning the tent. Sully's chests had been upended, contents spilling all over the ground. His cot was on its side, sliced down the middle, as though they'd been looking for something.
Trix and Abel watched her. Trix looked disinterested, while Abel was curiously studying Jenny's face. Jenny shook her head, confused. “What the fuck is this?”
“If you didn't know, you wouldn't be here,” said Abel. He walked over to her, a cocky smile spreading across his face. “You know who this shithead is, don't you? It's all in that pretty little head of yours.” He touched her nose playfully and Jenny had her knife at his throat before he could say another word. Abel raised his hands in surrender, the smile disappearing.
“I think you've mistaken me for someone who cares if you live or die,” said Jenny.
“Jesus, Jenny,” Abel said hoarsely.
Trix snorted. “Relax, cheerleader. We're on the same t
eam.”
“There are no teams,” said Jenny.
“Bitch, you have no idea what's going on, do you?” said Trix. She gestured at Abel. “This fucker works for your bitch mother.”
“What?” said Jenny. Abel squirmed out from under the knife and stood beside Trix, rubbing his throat.
“You're strong,” he said, the fake charm gone. “I didn't expect that.”
“I get that a lot,” said Jenny. She looked at Trix. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Trix rolled her white eyes. “Jesus, you're slow, cheerleader. You didn't really think your mom was dead, did you? Casey's story about her just disappearing. You think that was an accident?”
“She wouldn't leave Casey,” said Jenny.
“Really?” said Trix. “Just like she wouldn't let you get tortured by your pervert granddaddy? And like she wouldn't ever think of experimenting on children, let alone her own kids?”
“Fuck you, Trix. Like your family's perfect.”
Abel laughed and Jenny glared at him.
“She didn't exactly leave on her own,” he said after a moment.
“What are you saying?” said Jenny. “That you kidnapped my mom?”
“Not me,” said Abel. He was silent, his eyes, so clear and not-dead, bore into her. It seemed he was trying to decide what to tell her.
Jenny gritted her teeth and stepped toward him with the knife. “Who?” she said harshly. “Talk. Now.”
“Put that away,” said Trix, curling her lip. “Fucking calm down. You're like a yappy little dog sometimes.” She walked over to the cot and righted it, sitting on the edge where it wasn't cut. Trix looked up at Abel. “Just fucking tell her.”
“Fine,” said Abel. He sat on one the upside-down trunks. “You might want to sit down, Jenny.”
“I'd rather stand.”
“Whatever,” said Abel, picking up Sully's tobacco box and opening it. “There's shit going on that you don't know about.” He started to roll a cigarette, his fingers moving deftly.
“What kind of shit?” said Jenny. She'd lowered the knife, but still held it at her side.
“This world you live in,” said Abel. “All of this. Expo, Heathens, Righteous, fucking rotters. It's real, but it's also not real.”
“That makes no sense. What are you, an existentialist now?”
“Aren't we all?” said Abel. “But what I mean is, there are people who make a great deal of effort to keep things the way they are. To keep people busy fighting and surviving and dying with absolutely no idea about what's really going on.”
“And what is really going on?” said Jenny mockingly.
“They took your mother because she knew how to fix things. She had a plan for a cure. That's why she holed up in the bunker in Colorado. She was working on something. And all she had to do was find you, Jenny. Then she'd be able to stop it.”
“Stop what?” said Jenny. “The rotters?”
“Yeah,” said Abel. “You were the only missing piece.”
“How was she going to do that?” Jenny glared at him, but she was listening.
“I'm no scientist,” said Abel. “And she didn't confide in me.”
“If you knew my mom at the bunker,” said Jenny, “then why didn't Casey know you?”
“I didn't say I was at the bunker,” said Abel. “I found her later.”
“After she got kidnapped,” said Jenny. “And this is supposed to make me trust you?”
“Don't get me wrong,” said Abel. “I was planning on killing her. At first. I looked for her for years. I was going to kill the bitch that had done this to me. I was so angry in those days. It didn't occur to me that if it wasn't for her, I'd just be another rotter. In my mind it was all her fault. Everything. That was back when I still thought she'd caused all this. That she'd spread the disease.”
“You think she's innocent?” said Jenny, forgetting to be skeptical for a moment.
“I know she is,” said Abel. “Old Franklin Bierce, too.”
“Now I know you're full of shit,” said Jenny. “My grandfather was a sadist.”
“That might be so,” said Abel. “But he sure as shit didn't plant the plague in that subway.”
“Maybe it was an accident,” said Jenny.
“Oh, it was no accident,” said Abel. “Someone put it there very purposefully, that you can count on. It just wasn't anyone in your family.”
“Who then?” said Jenny.
“Who else worked in that lab?” said Abel. “Had access to everything, including information on when and where they were conducting epidemic experiments?”
“Sully,” said Jenny.
“Fucking Sully,” said Trix.
“Why would he do that?” said Jenny. “He said my mom was his friend.”
“Sully says a lot of things,” said Abel. “You really think any of them are true?” He handed Jenny one of the three tightly-rolled cigarettes he had made while they'd been talking. Trix lit hers and Abel pulled out a box of matches and lit Jenny's for her. Jenny let him, studying his face over the light of the match as she forced the smoke into her dead lungs. It still felt good to smoke. Abel sat down and looked at her. He lit his own cigarette, the smoke wreathing around his face, giving him an angelic look.
“Why would Sully plant the plague in a harmless experiment?” said Jenny. She walked over to the cot and sat opposite Trix. She took another drag of the cigarette.
“Sully didn't really have a choice, from what I understand,” said Abel. “Plus, there were no downsides for him sending civilization crumbling into chaos. Not with his proclivities.”
“What do you mean?” said Jenny.
“Seriously?” said Trix. “Are you stupid?”
“The murders?” said Jenny. “That was Sully? How can you be so sure?”
“Sully had a thing for human experimentation, from what your mother says,” said Abel. “For cutting. It started with cadavers, but then she had to order him to stay away from the kids. That's before you and your brother came along. The reason he wasn't allowed around the test subjects is because he enjoyed that shit.” Abel nodded to a chest in the corner that hadn't been upended. “Take a look.”
Jenny walked over to the chest, keeping an eye on Abel at the same time. She reached in and felt cold metal. Looking down she saw what she had touched. Dozens of railroad spikes filled the bottom of the chest. There were three bundles of cloth sitting on top of the spikes. Jenny looked at Abel.
“Open them,” said Abel. “How will you ever know for sure if you don't? After all, I could be lying to you. Setting Sully up. Am I right?”
“I don't want to look,” said Jenny.
“Just fucking look,” said Trix. “What are you, a debutante? Don't be such a pussy.”
Jenny picked up the first bundle. She untied it, unrolling it in her hand. It was a makeshift bag and when she opened it, Jenny relaxed slightly. It wasn't ears or teeth or other souvenirs. It was just full of leather strips.
“That's what he uses when he ties them up,” said Abel. “Even the rotters. It used to be just rotters he went after. But that's all changed now. He's starting in on the living. Like your friend. What was her name?”
“How do you know about that?” said Jenny. The harmless looking black leather strips suddenly felt heavier in her hand. She remembered Sully taking the leathers from the kids looking for car parts. She had thought at the time that he was just being kind. But this was what he'd really wanted them for.
“We saw you,” said Trix.
“You were following me? Was there anyone who wasn't spying on me that day?”
“You were tight with Sully,” said Abel. “I had to make sure you weren't involved. Go ahead, look at everything.”
The second bundle was made of canvas. It clinked when she unrolled it. It was lined with compartments, like a tool belt. In each compartment was a tool: scalpels of different sizes, syringes, little bottles of liquid, and a smaller version of a handsaw. The saw appeared t
o be covered in rust, but when Jenny touched it, the brown flaked off revealing shining metal underneath. Blood. Jenny dropped it on the ground. She picked up her cigarette and smoked the last of it, while staring at the last bundle.
“Are you afraid, cheerleader?” said Trix.
“I don't want to see,” Jenny said.
“But you need to,” said Abel. “So you don't start feeling sorry for this guy. He used to be your friend, right?”
“I don't know,” said Jenny. “He was nice to me.”
“Yeah, I'm not sure what his angle was there,” said Abel.
“I think he had a thing for you, cheerleader,” said Trix. “You were his own personal Black Dahlia. He was saving you special.”
Abel looked at Jenny, the third bundle in his hand. “The perfect victim,” he said. “The girl who won't die, no matter what you do to her.”
“Fucking serial killer in a zombie apocalypse,” said Trix. “Just adds insult to injury.”
“If that was true, why me?” said Jenny. “There are plenty of us running around. He knew about the Thirteen. Why would he wait for me?”
“You know the old story,” said Abel. “Boy meets pretty girl, gets obsessed, wants to murder her, but gets her turned into a zombie so he can do it over and over again. It's the oldest story in the book.”
“You're hilarious,” said Jenny.
“I like that story,” said Trix.
Abel unwrapped the third bundle. It was another bag like the first one. Abel opened it up for her to see. Jenny didn't want to look but she did anyway. It was hair. Chunks of hair. Some was held together with a piece of scalp still attached, others were tied with string or thread. Most of it was bloody. Jenny turned her face away. Sully had killed Lily. And he hadn't had the decency to do it quickly. He'd let the rotters do it for him.
“This can't be right,” said Jenny. “Sully was with us when Lily died.”
“Maybe he had someone else do it,” said Abel. “A partner maybe. Or a group.”
“Do you think the Righteous are involved?” said Jenny.
“Could be,” said Abel. He nodded to the other side of the room. “We found another trunk full of guns and ammo.”
Jenny shrugged. “That's no surprise. He's a vendor. He trades that stuff for a living.”
Jenny Undead (The Thirteen: Book One) Page 18