Meilin and the Challenger

by Masters, Cate

  He turned to Dory, who’d lingered in the back and stayed silent. “Call the head of security. I want armed guards on patrol round the clock at the city limits and at the central control. Better call a press conference, too. I’ll say these are precautionary measures, and ask residents to remain vigilant.”

  As Dory departed, Will watched Meilin. Her furtive glances at the woman suggested pain and relief simultaneously. She’d obviously been surprised to find Dory in her father’s room, so must not have known they had more than a working relationship. Odd. Hopefully it wouldn’t interfere with her focus on the task at hand.

  “Sir, do you have a map of the outlying territory?” Will asked.

  “Yes, let me bring it up on the screen.” Mr. King touched several keys in sequence on the computer, and a multicolored digital map glowed on the wall.

  Color highlighted city streets and landmarks, but brown marked the territory beyond the boundary with black dots scattered throughout.

  Will touched a virtual dot. “What are these?”

  “Homes,” Mr. King said, “or other abandoned buildings. We encouraged people to move within city limits. Some, of course, resisted. God knows what happened to them.”

  “No one’s seen them?” From the pain on their faces, Will could guess the answer.

  “Not alive,” Meilin said softly.

  “Any large enough to house the colony?” But that would be too obvious. The new leader – Nevin, if what they suspected was true – would have moved the population to a safer shelter.

  “Not that I know of,” Mr. King said.

  Will scanned the geography of the territory. “Where might they have made a bunker? Any caves, or existing tunnels?”

  Mr. King shook his head. “The mining tunnels fell out of use long ago.”

  “But they’re still there.” Bingo – zombie jackpot.

  “Yes.” Mr. King stared at the map as if seeing it for the first time.

  So did Meilin, and she seemed to be thinking the same thing as him.

  “You had your dance floor set up about here, right?” He touched an unmarked area of the map.

  “Looks about right,” she said. “Not very far from the tunnels.”

  “Dance floor?” Mr. King roared.

  Will held up a hand. “You can ground her later. But if your daughters hadn’t lured them out, we might not have guessed where they’d made their lair.” A stretch, but he had to cover for her.

  Mr. King’s pinched face expressed his frustration, but he stayed silent.

  A plan formed in Will’s head. “Tonight’s a great night for another party, don’t you think?”

  Meilin searched his face. “Do you think they’ll come?”

  Zoe folded her arms over her chest. “No way. They already know it’s a trap.”

  “Yeah, but with the right guest of honor, I bet we could persuade them.” He turned to Mr. King. “You up for a party?”

  Realization lit Mr. King’s eyes, which then hardened with resignation. “If it will draw Nevin out of hiding, I am.”

  Fear filled Zoe’s face for the first time. “No, you can’t.”

  Will warned, “It’s risky.”

  “Riskier to do nothing.” Mr. King focused on Will. “What supplies do you need?”

  “Guns. Explosives – the more powerful, the better.”

  Zoe’s lip curled. “You’ll kill us all.”

  “No, but I’m going to hit them where it hurts. The mine shaft.”

  King pointed at him. “Not while my daughters are in there.”

  “After I locate them, I’ll set the charges. It might be close, but I’ll get them out.”

  Zoe tossed back her head. “Please say, ‘if it kills you’.”

  “Okay, if it kills you.” He met her glare with a forced smile. Whoa, this girl had issues, and it would only complicate matters. “Seriously, we have to coordinate our efforts. Work together as a team.”

  “Which means…” Meilin stepped nearer. “We cover each other’s backs. No matter what.”

  “Exactly,” Mr. King said. “We’re in this together.”

  Before anyone asked for a group hug, Will moved away, but not before catching Meilin’s look. Such yearning, it halted him. For a moment, the rest of the world fell away and only she and Will existed. They didn’t speak, but didn’t need to; everything he needed to know, he read in the way she stood open to him, the way her gaze probed his.

  King’s sharp voice broke through. “McGregor.”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “What’s beyond the Grey Zone?” He pointed to the blank space on the map.

  Surprising no one had asked before, but Will guessed their own situation preoccupied them. “The rest of the world. Zombies have attacked elsewhere, according to the few news broadcasts I caught before coming here.”

  Meilin studied the map. “We guessed as much. Occasionally a stray broadcast from outside cuts into our local news feed.”

  Will nodded. “Satellites in space must accidentally angle the right way.”

  “Yes,” Zoe said, “but it’s always too short for us to learn anything useful.”

  “Never long enough,” King added, “to watch a full episode of anything, but enough to inform us zombies hadn’t completely destroyed the rest of the world, though they obviously made maintenance of network towers impossible.”

  Something Will might help with later, after he’d helped eradicate the zombies.

  Heels clicked across the floor, and Dory approached. “The head of security’s on his way.”

  King showed no trace of emotion. “Excellent. Thank you.”

  Dory blinked, then excused herself again.

  So, one casualty already – Mr. King and Dory’s relationship. War, even a zombie war, had a tendency to ruin people’s lives that way.

  Damn, why couldn’t he have found Meilin earlier, far away from this mess? Like she’d said, maybe they could have something special, maybe not. He wanted the chance to find out.

  All the more reason to wipe out these freaking zombies once and for all.

  Chapter Five

  Prepared to stand her ground, Meilin was pleasantly surprised when her father didn’t order her and Zoe to leave after Officer Drucker arrived. The no-nonsense head of security always came off as too hard-core for her tastes, but now she appreciated his intense attention to the job, his tactical precision.

  So did Will, apparently. She might as well have been part of the wall décor after Drucker began laying out his knowledge. Once she focused on Drucker, she understood. The guy’s brain operated like a computer, and he spewed details that amazed even her. No wonder her father had kept him around forever. Great leaders hired experts to understand what they couldn’t. She’d always thought of her father as great, but was beginning to appreciate the depth of it.

  Will fired question after question at Drucker, who explained everything in understandable terms.

  “Can you spare some men tonight?” Will asked. “We could use the fire power.”

  “Maybe half a dozen. I need the rest for rotating patrols.”

  Dory approached again. “Excuse me. The media representatives have assembled.”

  At Dory’s cold professionalism, Meilin’s heart sank. She should’ve made Dory feel welcome instead of a traitor; if she’d had a heads-up to prepare, it wouldn’t have come as such a shock. Now Dory hardly looked at her father, let alone Meilin.

  Her father, too, averted his gaze. “The online news outlets?”

  “Everyone. Bloggers and tweeters to online news reporters.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be back soon.” Weariness, maybe defeat, weighed his tone, and he followed her out of the room.

  Zoe nudged her. “We should go test the alert system to make sure it’s operational.”

  Meilin glanced at Will to make sure he knew. Drucker droned on, but Will nodded at her. He’d heard.

  He lifted a hand to halt Drucker. “You and Zoe get some rest after the test, all rig
ht?”

  She waved and hurried after Zoe, already halfway out the door.

  ***

  Will’s skull threatened to burst, trying to absorb everything Drucker told him. But after an hour, they’d put together a crude plan, and he felt more comfortable about tonight. They’d prepared as well as they could on such short notice. It would have to be enough.

  Drucker clasped his shoulder. “Mr. King chose the right man this time.”

  “We’ll find out tonight.” One way or the other.

  The man scrutinized him. “Isn’t it your idea to bolster security?”

  Ah, hell. King hadn’t instructed him on whether to keep silent or not about their findings. To his relief, Mr. King strode in.

  “How’d it go?” Will asked.

  King appeared exhausted. “Fine. They’ll get word out right away.”

  Maybe the emotional turmoil between him and Dory played into it. Maybe someone had shaken his confidence. “Great.”

  King’s cell buzzed. He paled when he held up the cell. “It’s Dharma.”

  A bad feeling came over Will. “Or someone using her phone. Careful.”

  “I’ll put it on speaker.” King pressed a button and laid the phone on his desk. “Hello?”

  “Robert.” The single word strained through the cell with obvious effort.

  The voice sent a chill up Will’s spine. Gravelly, devoid of emotion – or life – it had to be a zombie. Speaking? According to his research, the pathogen robbed them of the capability of speech. And using a phone? Further proof of his theory that zombies, or at least this one, had evolved.

  King’s eyes flared. “Nevin?”

  “Your daughters,” came the halting, hoarse monotone, “have grown… into fine… young women.”

  King gripped the edge of the desk. “What do you want, Nevin?”

  “The same… as anyone else,” came the slow reply. “Peace, freedom. Prosperity.”

  Amazing. The zombie had obvious difficulty pronouncing each word, but they should have recorded this conversation. It was one for the history books – the first conversation with a zombie.

  Pale, King’s expression turned sickly. “You’ll have no peace if you harm any of them.”

  “I have… no intention… of killing them… Robert. They’re much… too beautiful.”

  Anguish crossed King’s face. “Don’t curse them to your fate, Nevin. They deserve better.”

  “We all… deserved better… Robert.” The gravelly voice turned harsh. “Sometimes fate… follows a… different course… than we’d like… doesn’t it.”

  At the taunt, King gripped the desk’s edge. “Tell me what you want, Nevin.”

  “My old life… would be nice. Since I can’t… have that… I’ll take yours.”

  “You want me to exchange places?”

  “Yes,” came the sibilant reply.

  Will mouthed, tonight. Short notice, but they had to act fast, before the zombie leader changed his mind.

  King nodded. “I’ll meet you tonight. Midnight, at the same place you abducted my daughters. Bring them. Once I see they’re safe, and they’re free, I’m yours.”

  “I can’t wait… to see you again… Robert. It will be… like old times.”

  He pressed the cell off. “Hardly.”

  Will straightened. “What could he want?”

  “I’ve no idea.” King’s brow furrowed.

  A thought jolted him. “Oh no. He has your daughters’ cell phones.”

  “Right. So?”

  Dread weighted Will’s body. “Zoe and Meilin are testing the alert. Did they enter their own numbers into the system?”

  “I’ll call Meilin.” As he reached for his cell, it buzzed again. He frowned at the display. “Oh no, we’re too late.”

  Will sank into the chair. “Nevin received the same message as everyone else. He knows.”

  So much for Plan A.

  ***

  Meilin high-fived Zoe. “It worked!” Smooth as her favorite groove. No glitches, no error reports, no bad numbers. Every cell entered into the system had received the alert message.

  Zoe rose. “We should get some sleep, like Will said.”

  “First I’ll check in with Father. He needs to rest, too.” If she could catch him alone, she’d apologize for her rude behavior. Dory, too; this was no time for leaving things unsaid.

  The strange look Zoe gave made Meilin wonder if she thought the same thing. For a moment, she waited for her sister to say something.

  Instead, Zoe headed for the door. “See you in a few.”

  “Sleep tight.” Meilin hurried in the opposite direction. Outside her father’s office, Dory stood near her desk, gesturing as she spoke on her cell.

  When she noticed Meilin, Dory ended the call. “Hi.”

  Feelings still unsorted, Meilin had to make peace. “Hey. How’s it going?”

  “Crazier than usual.” Dory’s brow furrowed. “Listen, Meilin…”

  “Don’t. Please, Dory. So much is happening, so fast…” A sob surprised her, and she repressed it. “I wasn’t prepared, that’s all.”

  “Neither was I. Your father surprised me earlier. I’m not claiming innocence, of course. You know how much I care for him.”

  “You don’t owe me any explanations. I’m happy for you. For both of you.” She held open her arms, and Dory embraced her.

  “I love you, Meilin.” Dory eased away and smoothed her hair.

  “I’m glad you’ll be safe tonight.”

  Dory shook her head. “Honey, I’m going with you.”

  “What? You can’t.”

  “I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for your father.” Dory grinned. “Besides, I never miss a great party.”

  Nothing she said would change Dory’s mind. Having been attacked, maybe she’d prove herself an asset. If she didn’t freeze at the sight of zombies, that was.

  Will strode out of her father’s office. “Meilin. I was coming to look for you.”

  Happiness welled up, but his serious expression held it at bay. “Why, what’s wrong?”

  “The alert system.” He winced.

  “It worked great.” Why did he look so worried?

  He clasped her arms. “Yeah, but your sisters entered the numbers of your entire family, didn’t they?”

  “Of course. But I removed them before the test.”

  “You did?” He laughed and drew her into his embrace.

  She couldn’t find it in her to return the hug. “Do you think we’re idiots?”

  He relaxed his hold and searched her face. “No, not at all. I just, you know, I hadn’t thought of it until too late, so I worried, you know…”

  She pushed his arms away. “Right, you assumed we hadn’t thought of it either.” Whatever happiness she’d felt at seeing him deflated.

  “I…” He blew a breath. “I’m sorry. I underestimated you.”

  “Don’t do it again.”

  “I won’t.” He toyed with her pinkie. “Can we go for a walk?”

  “I should go back to my room and rest. So should you.”

  “Okay, I’ll walk with you. Since my room’s right next to yours.”

  Unfortunately. She’d never get any sleep knowing he lay in the bed next door.

  In no hurry, she strolled along, and slowed to match his leisurely pace. “Did my father’s press conference go well?” They always did, but she wanted to fill the silence.

  “Yeah, he said it did.” He bit his lip.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  He pressed his lips together.

  “Something happened. Why did you ask about my sisters’ numbers?” Her breath rushed out. “Did one of them call? What did they say? They didn’t escape, did they?” No, he’d have told her, someone would have told her. Something else had happened. Something bad.

  “Nevin used your sister Dharma’s phone to call your father.”

  “Oh God. What did he say?”

  “He wants
your father to exchange places with your sisters.”

  “Father didn’t agree, did he?” Of course he had. That’s why Dory was going tonight.

  “He had to, Meilin.”

  Fists clenched, she wanted to punch someone. Preferably a zombie. “They’re destroying my family.”

  “Hey, we’re going to get your sisters back. And we won’t let anything happen to your father.”

  Tears burned her eyes. She angrily swiped them away. “You can’t promise that.”

  He rubbed her back. “Why don’t you come in for awhile?”

  She glanced around; they’d arrived at his door. “No.”

  “Just to talk. I hate to see you so upset.”

  Not her favorite emotion, either. When he asked “Please?” so sweetly, she nodded. “For a little while.” The only time her nerves didn’t feel frazzled was around Will. She needed some comfort right now.

  ***

  Will couldn’t remember when he’d grown giddy at a girl’s simple ‘yes’. Meilin needed him, and he needed to hold her close, to feel her heartbeat against his chest.

  The instant the door clicked shut, he swept her into his arms. “It will be all right.”

  “I’m having a little trouble believing it,” she said into his shirt.

  He rubbed her back and buried his face in her shoulder. “You’ll see.”

  They stood there a long time, just holding each other.

  “Are you tired?” he asked. “We could lay in bed.”

  Brow arched, she eased back. “Nice try.”

  “Seriously. To rest.” Anything more would be a mistake. Huge mistake. Wonderful, he was sure; possibly amazing. But earlier, when he’d told her she’d distract him during a critical moment, it hadn’t been a line. Anytime she was near, she stole his attention. Like a magnet, she drew his focus, erased his thoughts of everything but her.

  “For a little while,” she said again.

  He had to forcibly tamp down the bubble of happiness welling in his chest. “Okay,” he said, casual enough, but in his head, he happy danced, whooped for joy and did aerial back flips. He clasped her hand and tugged her to the bed.