Jenny opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. “I'm sorry,” she said, when she could speak again. “I didn't see it like that.”
“From now on, you keep your fucking vendettas to yourself. You're not the queen bitch around here, I am. And I will rip you apart if you put me or Casey in danger again. Now put your attitude away and get to fucking work finding your brother.” Trix looked at Abel. “Where do you want to do this?”
“Wherever you feel most comfortable.”
“Let's go to my room,” said Trix.
Trix's room was more utilitarian than comforting. There was a moldy-looking couch pushed into the corner, and a trunk with clothes spilling out of it. A rope had been strung across the room for drying clothes, and a few shirts, a pair of pants and four pairs of sexy underwear had been draped over the line. Trix lay down on the couch, ignoring everyone but Abel.
“Do it,” she said.
“There's something else,” said Jenny. “Before you poison one of our own, I guess I need to say it. Since it affects all of us. Maybe. Maybe it's nothing, though.”
“Jesus, just fucking say it, cheerleader,” said Trix. “Did I scare you that badly?”
Jenny ground her teeth. “No,” she said. “But I am sorry. This might be all my fault.”
“Might be?” Trix sneered.
“Fuck off,” said Jenny. “Just listen.”
“You have my rapt attention,” said Abel.
“I went back to the Underground tonight,” Jenny said. “The place I was bitten.”
“And you brought Prince Charming back,” said Trix. “Please, tell us more about your happy reunion.”
“No,” said Jenny. “Before that. I went into the train car where it happened. The place I found Casey.” Jenny frowned. She wasn't sure what she saw was even real, it seemed so bizarre.
“Jen,” said Declan gently. “Just say it.”
“The rotter was there,” said Jenny. “I don't know what it means. Or maybe I do know what it means and I don't want to accept it. And I'm too tired to keep things to myself any more. The rotter, he wasn't dead. I broke his leg and Casey stabbed him in the head, but he wasn't dead.”
Trix shrugged. “So?”
“Maybe Casey didn't get the right angle,” said Abel.
“No, that's not the point,” said Jenny. “He bit me that night. And maybe he died, maybe he didn't. But he talked to me.”
“What does that mean?” said Abel.
“I mean,” said Jenny, “he bit me, and he sort of came back. But it was horrible. He remembered everything he did as a rotter. He was talking but there was something wrong. Like he'd rotted away too much when it happened. He was...broken. He begged me to kill him.”
The other three were staring at her. Finally Abel spoke.
“What...how?”
Jenny stood up straight. “I think when he took a bite of me, something inside me changed him. And I think if he hadn't been rotted away, he would have been like us. More human than rotter.”
“Do you think that's what the note meant?” said Trix. “The note Casey found in your bitch-mother's office? About the cure?”
“I found the letter, too. Casey dropped it in the train car. I don't know exactly what it means,” admitted Jenny. “I'm not sure I want to know, though I'm going to have to eventually. But the reason I'm telling you is because I think Sully knows.”
“What do you mean?” said Declan. “He knows about the rotter?”
“I think he's always known,” said Jenny. “I have no idea why he's taken Casey, or why he's doing all this, but my blood is gone.”
“Blood?” said Abel.
“We let him draw blood from us. All of us,” said Jenny. “He was going to draw some from himself, too, but I left before I saw him do it.”
“You gave him blood to study,” said Trix. “Get to the fucking point.”
“My point is,” said Jenny, “he left all of the blood samples here, every vial...except for mine.”
“Oh,” said Abel softly.
“Your blood,” said Trix, “which is red. Not black.”
“Yeah,” said Jenny.
Abel stepped toward Jenny. He was looking at her side.
“What the fuck are you looking at?” she said.
He took another step and reached for her arm. Jenny let him, and he raised her arm, caked with dried blood. Jenny looked at Trix who just shrugged. Abel gently brushed away the flakes of blood and stared. He looked up at Jenny.
“This is a scar,” he said.
“No, it's not,” said Jenny. “It just happened like ten minutes ago.”
“This is a scar,” Abel repeated, something odd dancing in his eyes.
Jenny looked at her arm. Where minutes before she had stabbed a knife nearly all the way through, was now a hard, red raised line. Trix and Declan were peering over her shoulder to look.
“How the fuck is this possible?” said Declan. “I just watched you do that.”
“Turn around,” said Abel.
“What?”
“Just turn around,” he said. Jenny did. She felt fingers on the back of her neck.
“What kind of freak are you, cheerleader?” said Trix, though she sounded impressed. Jenny turned around, touching the back of her neck. There was a divot in the skin where a chunk had been ripped out, but other than that, a fat, knotty scar had formed.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” said Jenny, looking from Trix to Abel. “It's just a scar. I've always healed fast.”
“No,” said Trix. “This is not healing fast. This is fucking burn-her-she's-a-witch shit.”
“It's just a fucking scar,” Jenny said.
Trix glowered at her. “That's the thing, bitch,” she said. She raised her shirt to show her midsection. There was an open wound, black and open. Jenny could see the pink of Trix's insides beyond the black. Trix lowered her shirt and smiled unpleasantly. “We don't heal, cheerleader.”
“That's got to be a lie,” said Jenny. She looked at Abel. “Tell me that's a lie.”
Abel replied by pulling up his pant leg. A similar wound on the side of his calf, just as black and just as open and unhealed as Trix's.
“Jen,” Declan said, his voice soft. “Show me your back.”
“My back?” said Jenny. “Why?”
“Just show me,” said Declan.
Trix turned her and lifted up her shirt in back.
“Jesus Christ,” said Declan.
“What?” said Jenny.
“It's gone,” he said.
“What's gone?” said Abel.
“Where they cut her open in the lab,” said Declan. “There was a scar as thick as my index finger. No one could touch her back because it still hurt, even after all these years. It went from her tailbone to the base of her neck.”
“That's stupid,” said Jenny weakly. “It can't be gone. I hated that scar. It was huge. This is a joke, right?”
“There's no scar here, Jen,” said Declan. “You're completely healed. It's like it never happened.”
Jenny touched her sternum, remembering the man she'd fed on. He had stabbed her over and over in the chest. She lifted her shirt enough to look. She touched smooth skin. Not even a scar.
“Fucking freakshow,” said Trix.
THIRTY-FOUR
“How is she?” said Jenny.
Abel sprawled on the floor, putting an arm over his eyes. “She's not dead, if that's what you mean,” he said. He peeked at Jenny under his arm. “So to speak.”
“What was it? In the syringe?”
“Hard to say for sure. There was barely anything left, but that shit must be powerful. A second after I popped it in her neck, Trix stopped moving. I think it was a paralytic because her eyes are still open. I'm no expert, though, so we'll just have to wait until she snaps out of it.”
“What does it mean?” said Jenny.
“We're not alive, so our blood doesn't circulate,” said Abel, sitting up and leaning on his elbows. �
�I injected it right into her spinal cord. I suspect Sully did the same. I don't know anything else.”
“My mom would know,” said Jenny, a hard edge to her voice.
“Even if we could get to her,” said Abel, “Casey would be dead by the time we got back. She's not in Chicago, Jen.”
“When this is all over, will you tell me where she is?”
“I'll do you one better,” said Abel. “I'll take you to her.”
Jenny nodded, leaning back in the chair.
“Where's the boyfriend?” said Abel.
“Sleeping,” said Jenny.
“Fuck, I miss sleeping,” said Abel. “And screwing. I really miss screwing. It's all dead down there. What do you miss?”
Jenny was quiet for a long time. Finally she shook her head. “I can't think that way,” she said. “It doesn't do any good to wish for things that I can never have.”
Abel looked at her, seeming to study her face. “Why don't you let him in? He's stuck around this long. Obviously he doesn't care what you are.”
“I tried to kill him tonight,” said Jenny. “I wanted to kill him.”
“But you didn't.”
“This time,” said Jenny. “He keeps looking at me like I'm her. Like I'm the girl who died. But I can't be that person anymore. I'm different. I don't feel like I used to. I don't care like I used to.”
“It'll get better,” said Abel.
“I'm so hungry all the time, Abel,” she said. “I can't control it forever. And with the animals gone...I can't hurt him.”
“I'm going to say this plain,” said Abel. “You don't want Munro around because he makes you feel like maybe you could be that girl again. That feeling gives you hope. And that scares the shit out of you.”
“Hope is something none of us can afford,” said Jenny.
“Says the girl who is risking everything to save her brother. Says the girl who escaped death, who escaped being a rotter. This is a second chance. We get to live, we get to fight for what we want. It's a fucking gift, is what it is. And if that isn't hope, I don't know what is.”
“That's very motivational from a guy that came here to assassinate someone.”
“I try,” he said, smiling.
“I know you're not really invested in finding my brother,” said Jenny, “but he's the only family I have left. I appreciate your help.”
“What about your mom? She's your family, too.”
“My mother,” Jenny said with a dry laugh.
“She still loves you.”
“She tortured children,” said Jenny. “She tortured her own children.”
“Experimented,” corrected Abel. “And it was for a good cause.”
“To be clear, I'm not going to see Anna Hawkins for my health. I'm doing it because I have no choice.”
“There's always a choice,” said Abel. “You could let the rotters run their course. Maybe humans are meant to die out.”
“There was a guy I met,” she said. “His name was Adam. He had a family. He was in love. He had a kid. And slowly all those things were ripped away from him. And you know what he did?”
“No.”
“He could have just given up, but he fought. He fought so hard. And in the end he died hard, but he went out trying. Fighting. Even though he had every reason to just say fuck it and lay down and die. And that's why I have no choice. Because in the end, we're all like that. We fight until we can't fight any more. And we die trying.”
“That sounds perilously close to hope,” said Abel.
“It's not hope,” said Jenny, “it's just a reason. In the end, it's the only reason. At least for me.” She looked toward Trix's room. “How long will she be out?”
“Hard to say,” said Abel. “I have no idea what I gave her.”
“How are we going to find him? We have no idea where Sully went. He could have taken Casey anywhere. He might not even be in Chicago.”
Abel looked at her and frowned. “I might know a way,” he said slowly.
Jenny perked up. “What is it?”
“I know a guy.”
“And?”
“You can't laugh.”
“I'm not making any promises,” said Jenny.
“He's a little out there,” said Abel. “And you shouldn't judge until you actually meet him.”
“Jesus, just tell me.”
“He's a prophet.”
Jenny laughed.
“How do you know he'll be here?” said Jenny, looking at Abel. The sun was rising over the ruins and Jenny felt a shiver run up her spine. Abel looked at her.
“Daytime isn't easy when you're hungry,” he said. “I can take you to some nice, tasty pedophiles if you like. Those dregs just skitter around everyone else like cockroaches, but I know where to find them.”
“No,” said Jenny.
“Look, if you don't want to eat people, I get it. I was the same way at first. But you're going to die if you don't do something, Jenny. And as we all know, you can't die.”
“Are you trying to guilt-trip me into eating a sexual predator?” said Jenny.
“Maybe.”
“Well, save it.” Jenny looked away, ignoring Abel's stare. “I'm not going to die.”
“Yeah, I'm pretty sure you will. It'll take longer, but you're just as fragile as the rest of us.”
“I'm not going to starve,” said Jenny.
“Care to elaborate on that?” said Abel.
“No.”
“Why not?”
Jenny snorted and met his eyes. “Isn't it obvious? I don't trust you.”
Abel nodded. “Fair enough.” He pointed across the crumbled concrete. “He's here.”
Jenny squinted. Three figures were maneuvering down the rubble on the other side of the ruins. The larger two figures seemed to hang back from the smaller one, who was hopping down the crumbled concrete easily, as if he were used to it.
“That's Zeke,” said Abel, pointing at the little man with two fingers.
“Who are the other two?” said Jenny.
“Bodyguards,” said Abel. He took two pre-rolled cigarettes out of his jacket pocket and handed one to Jenny. He lit hers and then his own. “There's something you need to realize before we talk to him.”
“Like why anyone has bodyguards?” said Jenny.
Abel took a drag from his cigarette. “Zeke isn't a thumper.”
“But he's a prophet?” said Jenny, trying to hide a smile.
“It's not like that,” he said. “The kid knows things. He has these visions.”
“Sure, he does.”
“I'm serious,” said Abel. “He's never been wrong. Not ever. It's not easy for him. He sees shit that no one else should have to see. No one should have to know the things he has running through his head. It makes him weak. He's sick a lot, doesn't eat enough, doesn't sleep. The Righteous keep him safe.”
“Okay,” said Jenny. “So why are you telling me all this?”
“His mom,” said Abel, squinting across at the slight figure who was sitting on a large block of cement. “She fell in with the Righteous after the Fall. She's married to Daniel Finch.”
“Finch?” said Jenny. “The leader of the Righteous? He's like the thumper king.”
“Damn straight. And if he's the king, Zeke's sort of like Hamlet. Only, you know, weirder. Dude hates Finch. He comes here in the morning and just hangs out all day so he doesn't have to talk to anyone. The bodyguards are Finch's. To keep him safe, according to Finch.”
“Is that what they're really for?”
“In a way,” said Abel. “The kid's as scrawny as a toothpick. But they're also making sure Zeke doesn't run off. He's a valuable asset to Finch. Probably the only reason he married Zeke's mom. And if anyone else knew about him, Finch would have to lock him up to keep him from getting kidnapped.”
“You know about him,” said Jenny.
“That's different.” Abel grinned. “I'm special. Besides, I know most of the stuff Zeke knows. I just don't have f
ront row seats like he does.”
“If the people you work for are such hot shit, why haven't they come for Zeke?” said Jenny. “That is, if they actually exist.”
“You still don't believe me,” said Abel. “Doesn't matter. You'll find out soon. And to answer your question, they don't know about Zeke.”
“Why not?”
“Because I haven't told them.”
“I thought you were Mister Company Man,” said Jenny.
“I guess you don't know me very well, do you?” Abel shrugged. “Zeke's fragile in a way. The people I work for, they might break him.”
“But you're going to bring me right to them, aren't you?”
“Does anyone really make you do anything you don't want to do?”
“No.”
“I'm not taking you to them, anyway,” said Abel. “I'm taking you to see your mom. You're important. I don't know how, but you're some kind of key to ending all this.” He nodded toward Zeke. “Let's go make nice with the weirdo, shall we?”
“Wait,” said Jenny. “I thought they didn't want to end all this. I thought these people were all for the plague. Isn't that why they have my mom?”
“It isn't that they don't want to cure it,” said Abel. “It's more that they want to cure it on their terms. Big Brother is a fickle beast.”
“I'm more confused now than before I met you,” said Jenny.
“I aim to please,” he said. “Come on. Zeke's waiting.”
Zeke didn't seem surprised to see them. He watched lazily as Jenny and Abel walked across the field, sipping from a steaming cup in his hand. The two bodyguards hurriedly stepped in front of their charge, looking awkward and clumsy as they pointed their handguns at the newcomers. Abel smiled a wolfish smile. The bodyguards turned out to be two oversized men who would have looked more at home washing their cars in the old days. Crosses glinted at their necks.
“They have guns,” Jenny said.
“Curious, that,” said Abel.
“Leave them alone,” Zeke said from behind them. “I've been expecting them.”
The one on the left, a blond-going-gray man with a scrubby beard and sweat stains under his arms, glanced back at Zeke and then back to Jenny and Abel. Jenny could feel their hearts beating too fast. It was becoming more and more difficult being around the living. She was so hungry. She took a step forward without thinking about it, her lips rising up from her teeth. Abel put a hand out without looking at her, grasping her shoulder.
Jenny Undead (The Thirteen: Book One) Page 20