“Which way?”
“East.” While he’d slept, she’d had time to think of a plan. She would spy out the prison to see if she might return to her rightful position there. And if not, she would need one of those helicopters to reach Balthazar.
Eddie started the bus. Esme sat back and smiled, satisfied she had regained control of her destiny.
NINE
CELINE FOLLOWED THE rest of the search party to the warden’s office. They passed the admin desk where Esme had stationed her. The only reason she’d been at the raid on Konstantin’s camp was because they’d needed all hands. No doubt Esme regretted that decision. It was only a matter of time before they found her, or she returned on her own and ratted out Celine’s betrayal.
She glanced at the desk and wondered how long until she returned to it. Julia didn’t bat so much as an eyelash when Celine volunteered for the search party, but a creature like Julia wasn’t made for administrative work. Nobody knew for sure, but according to legend she was ancient and had been some kind of queen in her human life. According to rumor, Julia wasn’t even her real name, and not even she remembered what it was.
Sooner or later, Julia would decide Celine was more useful as someone she could delegate to, as Esme had. She‘d been cursed with the kind of competence that always landed her in a support role while the less competent were always put in charge.
Julia herself greeted them outside the warden’s office and invited them inside. Celine fought the urge to stare. Esme was beautiful to look at, but Julia’s dark beauty was in a whole other class. Her high cheekbones and regal bearing left no doubt she’d once been royalty. The elaborate tribal tattoos on her bald head only enhanced the effect. One would think the modern silk pantsuits she favored would look incongruous on someone so otherworldly, but somehow she made them look natural. Today’s selection was a royal blue that made her ebony skin glow.
Once they were inside, Julia entered behind them and closed the door. “Report.”
Simpson, the team leader, stepped forward. “We conducted a thorough sweep of the base, beginning from the location where both Esme and the doctor were last seen.”
“Very good. But since I see neither of them standing here, I assume you did not find them.”
“No, ma’am. There was no sign of them.”
Julia stood before him. He towered over her by a foot, but seemed to shrink under her scrutiny. Although his face betrayed no emotion, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed.
Julia pursed her lips. Celine couldn’t be sure, but she thought she did so to suppress a smile that tugged briefly at the corners of her mouth. “Oh well,” she said at last. “At least we can say we tried. Dismissed.”
Nobody moved as they each looked around. Before she could stop herself, Celine blurted, “Ma’am?”
Julia turned that scrutinizing gaze on her. “Is there a problem?”
Celine blinked and composed herself. “No, ma’am. Only that it’s a large base, and there were only twelve of us. There were so many places to hide. It was impossible to check them all.”
She turned to Simpson. “Is this true?”
Again, he swallowed. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Why didn’t you say so?”
Before he could reply, Julia flicked him away as if swatting a gnat. She turned to Celine. “Do you propose we give it another try?”
“Y-yes, ma’am.”
“And what would you do differently?”
Celine thought about it. “If they’re there, they probably expected a search party, and if they saw us coming they had plenty of time to take cover. But they might not expect us to return. Next time I would send out ground teams by truck so they don’t see us coming.”
Julia’s gaze bore into her. Celine held it, refusing to flinch or show any signs of guilt. At last, Julia said, “Celine, is it not?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You are the secretary?” She over-enunciated the word, filling it with incredulity.
“That’s correct.”
“Hm.” Hands clasped behind her back, Julia turned and walked a few paces. When she turned back she said, “I don’t know Esme well, but I do know her to be petty and jealous. If she confined you to a desk, I can only guess she saw something in you that prompted her to keep you in your place.” She moved close again and studied Celine. “I can’t imagine such an assignment pleased you. Why do you want to find her?”
Celine said nothing. Better to let Julia think what she wanted than risk betraying that this had nothing to do with Esme. The elder vampire must have seen something in Celine’s eyes that satisfied her, because suddenly she broke into a grin. “Very well. Choose your team and make the arrangements.”
“Ma’am?” Celine and Simpson both spoke at once.
Julia glanced at Simpson and faced Celine. “I suspect you were made for more than organizing files and serving Esme’s whims. Prove my suspicions correct.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Julia nodded, then turned, dismissing the lot with a flick of her wrist.
Dazed, Celine left the office and turned toward her desk out of habit. She stopped short as she realized the others stood around as though waiting for her to say or do something. Except Simpson, who looked like he wanted to rip her head off, and not metaphorically.
It sank in: Julia had put her in charge.
Celine looked around at the team and cleared her throat. “I’m accepting volunteers.” She clasped her hands behind her back, adopting the same posture as Julia, and waited.
The others glanced at each other and murmured amongst themselves. After a moment, slightly half of the team turned and walked away, including Simpson who sneered as he passed her.
She addressed those who remained. “We’ll leave in two days. Oh-eight-hundred sharp. Be on the truck.” Without waiting to see how they’d respond, she went to her desk and made herself busy. Once they had gone, she sank into her chair.
What just happened?
She thought she’d be lucky to be on the next mission. And now she was leading it? A short, disbelieving laugh erupted from her.
She peeled off her gloves and shoved them in a drawer, then leaned back and closed her eyes. Her mind raced, sorting logistics and putting together a plan. But it was the wrong plan, she realized after a moment. It was a plan that would accomplish Julia’s goals, not hers, born of the same eagerness for approval that had gotten her turned.
No, she needed another plan. One that would appear to satisfy her assignment but allow the doctor to smuggle in everything he needed.
She needed allies. People she could trust.
Celine turned on her computer and logged into the prison’s network. She pulled up the duty roster and scanned the schedule until she found the name she was looking for.
She found Reynolds in the cafeteria, patrolling the catwalk above the dining hall. The humans who’d been brought from the other camp were holding some kind of ceremony below. Reynolds held a finger to her lips as Celine approached. “The blonde woman lost her son in the raid,” she whispered. “They’re having a wake for him.”
Celine spied an older woman with white-blonde hair. She sat clutching a picture, a dazed and hollowed-out look on her face. It was the same look Celine had seen on her mother’s face when she’d snuck into her own memorial service.
She pushed those thoughts aside and tore her gaze away before emotion could cloud her focus. “Julia put me in charge of the next search mission.”
Reynolds looked surprised, but pleased. “That’s great! Congratulations.”
“Thanks. But that’s not why I’m here.”
Reynolds raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re here to recruit me.”
“I might be. Can we talk?”
“I thought we were talking.”
“Not here.”
“I can’t leave my post, but my shift ends in an hour.” She looked around. Another vampire stood guard at the other end of the catwalk, ou
t of earshot even for their kind. Still, she lowered her voice. “Meet me down in the laundry. It should be cleared out by then.”
Celine nodded and turned to go. But she couldn’t help one more glance at the mourners below. These were the doctor’s people. Celine couldn’t help feeling for them, and for the grieving mother in particular. She wished she could tell them what she knew. But that would be too risky. Besides, if everything went as planned, they’d reunite with Konstantin and the others soon enough.
An hour later, she stole down to the prison laundry. The humans’ work day was just ending. They filed past her, heading up to the dining hall for their supper. None of them paid her any notice.
The laundry room was empty by the time she reached it. There was no sign of Reynolds. Celine checked in every dark corner and behind every large machine, any place someone could hide, to verify that she was alone.
“I hope you’re not looking for me back there.” Reynolds startled her as she leaned over to peek behind a large steam press. Celine spun toward her, her irritation abated by the mischievous glint in Reynolds’ eyes. Somewhere in her mid-thirties when she’d been turned, Reynolds had a kind face. Her dark brown pixie cut made her youthful, and with her petite frame she sometimes looked downright impish. This was one of those times.
“I was just making sure we’re alone.”
Reynolds glanced behind her before coming down the steps into the laundry room. “I’m sure we are. What’s up?”
Celine kept her voice low, anyway. She couldn’t be too careful. “What if I told you there was a cure?”
Reynolds’ brows lifted. “For the zombie plague?”
“No. For us.”
Her look went from questioning to disbelieving. “For... vampirism?”
Celine nodded.
“I’m listening.”
“I need to know I can trust you.”
Reynolds gave her a long, hard stare. At last, she said, “Do you know what I did in my old life?”
“No.”
“I was a kindergarten teacher. I was on my way home after a school Christmas recital when the scumbag who sired me attacked me out of nowhere. The bastard left me for dead. I had kids. I had to watch my babies grow up and grow old and then I had to watch them die.”
“Reynolds, I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, well. I’m just glad they passed out of this world before it went to hell. But I have grandkids. Or at least I did. I don’t know whether they’re still alive, if they’re in another camp or if they’re wandering around out there, turned into those things...” Her voice cracked and she took a moment to compose herself. Celine kept silent and waited. After a moment, Reynolds nodded. “So yeah. If there’s a cure, if there’s a way to not be this way anymore, you bet I want to know about it.”
“You can do more than that. You can help make it happen.”
“How?”
“Dr. Konstantin. He’s still at the base. I saw him today. We’ll help him smuggle in what he needs to reproduce the cure.”
“We?”
“I need someone I can trust. Julia told me to assemble my team. I’d like you to be on it.”
Reynolds shook her head. “How do you know you can trust Konstantin? That he didn’t just say he has a cure so you’d let him go?”
“Because I saw him. Not today, but the morning of the raid. He stood in the sunlight, and I could hear his heart beating. Esme saw it too. She lost it. She tried to kill the doctor’s girlfriend, and when she didn’t succeed, she took off.”
“And you let the doctor go.”
“He promised to cure me if I helped him. And anyone else who is willing. He needs more time and equipment. So I gave him more time.”
“Do you really think he’ll be there?”
“He’s always been a man of his word. And if he’s not, we come back empty-handed and confirm to Julia that the base is cleared.”
Reynolds turned and paced, her hands on her hips. She looked back at Celine. “Do you know what will happen to us if Julia discovers what we’re up to?”
“Believe me, I’m well aware.”
Reynolds chewed her bottom lip. After a moment she rolled her eyes and shook her head—whether at herself, or at Celine, or at the situation, Celine couldn’t be sure. She looked at Celine. “I’m in. What do you want me to do?”
“I’ll need you to keep the others distracted while I collect the doctor and his people.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
“Good. I’ll add you to the mission roster. We’re going over ground this time. We’ll leave on Thursday. Eight sharp.”
“I’ll be there.”
Celine nodded. “I suppose I don’t have to tell you not to mention this conversation to anyone?”
“Of course not.”
Celine sensed hesitation. “Are you sure?”
“I was just thinking about Dmitri, my shift partner. He’s a good guy. He’s always talking about how much he misses being human—”
“Tell nobody. Not about our plans, not about the cure, or Konstantin. None of it.”
“But I think we can trust him.”
Celine reached out and took hold of Reynolds’ hands. “Once the doctor’s here, we can let him decide. But for now it’s safest if we trust nobody. Please, Reynolds. Don’t make me regret telling you.”
She nodded. “Understood. I won’t say anything.”
Celine squeezed her hands and then released them. “I’m heading up. It’s best if you wait a few minutes before you leave.”
The route back to Celine’s desk took her through the common areas. She spotted the woman whose son had died sitting alone on a bench, still clutching the photo in her hands. Celine passed her by, but her compassion got the better of her and she turned back. “You’re from Konstantin’s camp.”
The woman glanced up and gave a slight nod.
“I heard you lost your son in the raid. I wanted to say I’m sorry. For what it’s worth.”
The woman met her gaze. “Thank you. It’s actually worth quite a lot.” She shook her head and looked back at the picture. “He had to go and be a hero, just like his father.”
“Is that his picture?”
She nodded.
“May I see it?”
She looked uncertain, but held out the photo. “His name was Christopher. Chris for short.”
Celine studied the photo and tried to hide her shock of recognition. The smiling boy in the photo differed greatly from the angry young man who’d attacked her that afternoon, but it was the same person. “This is your son?”
“He was.”
Composing her features, Celine handed the photo back. She wanted to tell the woman she was mistaken, that her son was very much alive, if no longer entirely human. But she didn’t know this woman, or how well she could be trusted.
Anyway, she’d find out for herself in a couple of days.
“He’s very handsome.” That was easier to see in the photo than when he’d held a gun in her face.
“Thank you.” The woman smiled sadly.
Just go, Celine told herself. But she couldn’t, not knowing what she knew, without trying to give this woman some measure of comfort, however small. “I know it’s hard to believe now, but it’ll get better.”
The woman regarded her. “You’ve never lost a child, have you?”
“No, ma’am. I haven’t.”
“I don’t believe that ever gets better, hon. Not truly.”
Celine nodded and left the woman to her grief, taking solace in knowing it was only temporary.
TEN
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME Chris left the base since the outbreak. Unless you counted going out the main gate to rescue the doc after that asshole Eddie and his redneck cronies strung him up and left him for the sun. But he supposed that didn’t count.
Did dying count?
The doc drove. Chris rode shotgun with Hannah and the baby riding between them. It surprised him how few shamblers they passed
. The way they grouped up around the base, he’d expected the whole world to be swarming with them. But the few lone stragglers they passed posed no real threat. If not for them, Chris could look out at the flat fields and the distant mountains and almost believe the world never changed.
But as they got closer to town, a different picture emerged. The road grew congested with wrecked and abandoned vehicles. Someone had cleared a path between them at some point. Maybe the doc and his vampire crew did that on their earliest scavenging trips. Or maybe the Army did before they got wiped out.
Maybe Chris’s own father helped clear this path. One of his last living deeds, done while believing he’d make it home to his family.
Had there been any sign of his dad when he crossed over? A voice, a light, even a presence? He couldn’t remember. He recalled nothing between losing consciousness as he bled out from his wounds and waking up in the doc’s apartment, with no idea who he was, let alone where. It was one big, dark blank in his memory. He only even knew he’d died because they said so.
But he couldn’t help but wonder—was it him they’d brought back? Whatever he’d woken up as wasn’t even human. Not entirely. Was the real Chris dead and gone, some new kind of zombie all that was left of him?
That’s how he felt sometimes. Like a ghost in a reanimated shell.
It wasn’t a good feeling. But it was the only feeling he could lay claim to.
The highway turned into the town’s main street. Konstantin turned off onto a side road, which was less congested. “There’s a medical lab a few blocks from the hospital. We’ll start there. It should have everything we need.”
“You know where we’re going?” asked Hannah.
“I memorized the map.” He took a right turn. Residential blocks filled with houses and overgrown lawns gave way to concrete walkways and office buildings. A sign pointed to the hospital up ahead. Konstantin took a left turn past the sign and swore as the truck rolled to a stop.
Shamblers milled about the street. They didn’t appear to notice their arrival.
“Can we go another way?” Hannah asked.
The doc gripped the steering wheel and leaned forward. “I count fifteen, maybe a few more. If we clear them out now, they won’t swarm up on us later.” He reached for the door handle. Hannah grabbed his arm.
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