The White Rabbit Chronicles

by Gena Showalter

  Plop.

  A cell phone had just fallen out of one of the pockets. Silver lining. I picked it up and rushed outside. With Kat tucked between us, Reeve and I angled away from the lamps in the parking lot and toward the darkness of the landscape.

  A treacherous-looking hill loomed ahead. It was covered in ice, but there were also trees. We could hide there. Maybe we’d freeze to death. Maybe we wouldn’t. I didn’t care anymore, as long as we were out of Kelly’s clutches.

  As we ran, I dialed Cole’s number. Or rather, I tried to. The motion—on top of my trembling—caused me to misdial. Come on, come on. You can do this. I tried again, succeeded.

  He answered on the third ring, demanding harshly, “Who is this?”

  “Cole,” I panted.

  “Ali!”

  “That’s Ali?” I heard Frosty say in the background. “Ask her about Kat.”

  “Ask her about Reeve,” Bronx rushed out.

  “Help us,” I interjected. “Have to...help us.”

  “We are, sweetheart,” Cole said, and I heard the worry in his voice. “We are. We finally tracked your location, and we’re almost there. Hang on just a little longer.”

  “Escaped building...headed for...hill. Kat, medical attention. Kelly...after us. Cold. Jaclyn...alive.”

  “Faster,” he commanded whoever was driving. “We’re two minutes away, baby. Just hang on,” he repeated.

  “Miss Bell,” Kelly suddenly called out, and in my panic, I dropped the phone. “I know you’re out here.”

  Reeve gasped.

  Jaclyn growled.

  Forget the phone. I picked up the pace, soon bypassing the first line of trees. Wind gusted, and, I thought, sliced at my skin. Two minutes. I could outwit my enemy for two minutes. Actually, one minute, forty-five seconds now.

  We settled Kat against the tree trunk.

  I whispered, “Guard them,” to Jaclyn. To Reeve, “Keep Kat warm.”

  “Where are you going?” Reeve wrapped herself around Kat, offering what heat she could. “What are you going to do?” Terror glazed her moon-darkened features.

  “Let her do what needs doing, and ask questions later,” Jaclyn said, already in position, gaze scanning. She would shoot anyone who approached, without hesitation.

  I squeezed Reeve’s hand and tiptoed away without another word. When I reached the edge of the forest, I pressed against another trunk, peering out at the building. Lights spilled from the windows, illuminating the area around it. Kelly stood just outside the doors, his hands on his hips, his breath misting in front of his face every time he exhaled.

  Just how far would the tranq gun shoot?

  Just how good was my aim?

  While staying at the cabin, I’d continued my training. Nowadays, I hit more than I missed, as proven by the guards in the lobby. But just then, I was shaking so badly I couldn’t hold the gun steady.

  Gotta try. I set the scalpel in front of me on a rock, just in case, and stretched out flat on my belly, my elbow beside the blade. No matter what I tried, however, my hand couldn’t be steadied.

  A crunch of snow at my left. Instinct kicked in, and I had the scalpel palmed and thrown in the next second. A man fell to the ground, gasping for breath, the blade sticking out of his throat.

  How many other guards were already out here?

  In the distance, I heard a crash. Metal against metal. A second later, a Jeep skidded into the lot, the tires locked. The moment it stopped, Cole, Justin, Frosty and Bronx hopped out.

  A second vehicle arrived, and out came Trina, Gavin, Veronica and Lucas.

  A third vehicle pulled in, and out came Mr. Ankh, Mr. Holland and the rest of the slayers.

  I wanted to... Was about to have... Hold it together. Just a little longer. They were here. They were here, and the girls would be saved, and all of the pain and suffering would have been worth it, and oh, glory, I was crying, the tears hazing my eyesight and freezing on my cheeks.

  “Where are they?” Mr. Holland demanded.

  Every slayer unsheathed a gun and aimed at Kelly.

  Every guard around him unsheathed a gun and aimed at the slayers.

  Kelly’s hands fisted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I do, however, know that this is private property and you were not invited. Leave, before I’m forced to take measures you won’t appreciate.”

  “We know they’re here,” Cole growled. “Ali!”

  “You’re surrounded,” Kelly gritted out. “Are you sure you want to go this route?”

  “Are you sure that you do?” Mr. Ankh said, as calm as ever. “I’m sure a dozen dead bodies in your parking lot would be too difficult for even you to explain away or hide.”

  “We want the girls,” Cole spat. “Now.”

  “Here,” I called. “We’re here.”

  Kelly stiffened.

  Frosty and Bronx followed the echo of my voice. They reached me in seconds.

  “Where’s Kat?” Frosty demanded.

  “Back here,” Reeve called, and I knew she was doing her best to sound brave and unaffected.

  “Jaclyn, lower the weapon,” I said.

  “Jaclyn?” Justin took off in a run.

  Frosty and Bronx, too. It wasn’t long before Frosty was carrying Kat, Bronx was carrying Reeve and Justin was carrying Jaclyn. I think every one of them was crying. I forced myself to stand, to inch forward, toward the slayers.

  Cole kept his gun trained on Kelly, his finger twitching over the trigger. He wanted to kill the man. Like, bad. I saw it in the posture of his body. Felt it in the rage radiating from him.

  “I know you hate the man and want him dead for taking Ali, but you need to go get your girl,” Gavin said, wrapping his fingers around the barrel of the gun. “Or I will.”

  Cole cursed under his breath but relinquished the weapon without tapping the trigger; he rushed to my side. His gaze swept over me, and his expression hardened. He swept me up in his arms, and I could only rest my head on his shoulder.

  “I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he whispered, “and I’m not ever letting you go again.”

  My chin trembled, a fresh round of tears threatening to fall.

  “Go ahead, take them,” Kelly said, his body trembling with rage of his own. “You’ll find no evidence that they were ever here. In fact, I should call the authorities and let them know four teenage girls were sneaking around the premises.”

  “Shoot him,” I said, my voice weak, strained.

  Of course, no one obeyed. They’d begun to back up, heading for the cars. Well, sorry, but I couldn’t let Kelly walk away unscathed, no matter how noble he considered his cause. I had to do something. Now, while I had the chance.

  With Cole’s body heat surrounding me, some of my tremors waned. So, with my last burst of energy, I lifted the tranq gun and squeezed the trigger.

  A dart sank into Kelly’s cheek.

  I’d aimed for his eye. Oh, well.

  His knees buckled and he went down.

  Some of the guards rushed to him. The others cocked their weapons, ready to retaliate. I was shoved into a car as shots rang out, Cole using his body as a shelter.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled. “Couldn’t resist.”

  “Don’t be sorry. Ali, I don’t know what I would have done... I couldn’t stand...” His arms tightened around me, squeezing me. “You have to tell me what happened in there.”

  “Not now,” I said, even the thought threatening to immobilize me. “Please.”

  “Okay. All right. But soon.”

  “Soon,” I promised.

  * * *

  The first two days back at Mr. Ankh’s, I slept, my body doing its best to recover from the abuse it had suffered—but its best wasn’t quite good enough. My strength continued to diminish. I was vaguely aware of Nana coming to see me and clutching my hand, Emma pacing beside my bed and Mr. Ankh checking my vitals.

  Where was Cole?

  It wasn’t until the third day that I discovered he’d been s
leeping in a chair in the corner of my room the entire time. I woke up crying and couldn’t stop. I cried until my tear ducts dried from overuse, and he rushed over, gathering me in his arms, whispering the sweetest words into my ear.

  I missed you so much.

  I tore the world apart looking for you. I wasn’t going to stop until I had you back.

  You are so special to me. I need you.

  I clung to him as if he were my only lifeline.

  Just then, he was.

  He told me Kat and Reeve were on the mend. That he knew Reeve had been the unwitting spy, and because of her, Ethan. He’d told the slayers everything that had been going on; they were eager to see me, he said.

  “How is Jaclyn?” I asked.

  “She’s at home with Justin, and he says she’s healing physically but not mentally. She refuses to leave the house.”

  “They were terrible to her,” I said with a shudder.

  “The were terrible to you, too. To all of you. Will you tell me now?”

  “Tomorrow,” I whispered, not wanting the taint of dark memories to intrude upon this moment.

  Then tomorrow came. My fourth day back. Mr. Ankh and Mr. Holland strode into the room, asked for details, and I told them everything I’d learned...and suffered. Cole held me then, too, and I was glad. Though he stiffened and cursed, he remained tender with me, sifting his fingers through my hair, whispering how brave I was when I thought I’d have another breakdown, telling me how sorry he was.

  The adults were pale by the time I finished.

  “Well,” Mr. Ankh said, then cleared his throat. Were his eyes gleaming with tears? “I’m sorry for everything you endured, Miss Bell.”

  I nodded to let him know I’d heard him.

  “But I’m afraid you’re not in the clear yet,” he added. “The antizombie toxin in your blood is higher than ever. We gave you more antidote, and it helped...for a while. You burned through it so quickly I believe you’re already developing an immunity to it. You’ll be able to use it another few weeks, is my guess, but not much more than that.”

  So little time.

  I gulped.

  When the adults left the room, Cole parted my hair and held on to the pigtails he’d created, peering into my eyes. “Kelly isn’t going to get away with this. You have my word.”

  He was so beautiful. So fierce. “Cole.”

  “No, don’t say anything. You’re still recovering, and I want you focused on that. I just... I want to show you something.” He rolled to his back, leaving me on my side, and lifted the hem of his T-shirt to reveal the entire expanse of his muscled chest.

  His tattoos were—oh, glory.

  In big, bold letters, my name had been added among his plethora of tattoos.

  ALI BELL arched from one nipple to the other, the pierced one, taking up far more real estate than any other.

  “Cole,” I repeated with a tremor.

  “I wanted to give you more than words. I wanted to show you that you’re it for me, that there is no one else, that there will never be anyone else. I don’t care what happens. I don’t care what the visions tell us. I just want you.”

  No boy had ever made such a finite gesture for me. No boy had ever looked at me like this one did, as if I were the most important part of his life. As if he couldn’t not look at me. “I love you,” I whispered, my heavy eyelids drifting closed and my mind falling into a pool of black.

  I think I was smiling.

  My fifth day back, Cole moved me into Reeve’s suite. With both Mr. Ankh’s and Mr. Parker’s permission, Kat had moved in as well, and the two girls had been asking for me—needing me. An unbreakable bond had formed inside that cell, one that would last as long as we lived.

  The men in our lives weren’t willing to upset us, so, regardless of the danger I still presented, three twin beds now dominated the sleeping area.

  But...

  On the sixth day, I began to feel Z.A. stirring. She was angry. Hungry. Determined. I fought her with all that I was, doing my best to keep her on a tight leash, and it cost me. What little strength I’d won, I lost again, confining me to the bed.

  Reeve recovered from the trauma first, and that was when her father pounced.

  He strode into the room, sat at her bedside and held her hand. Uncaring about his audience, he said, “I’m going to talk, and you’re going to listen without saying a word until I’m done.” He waited for her to nod before he continued. “I want to send you abroad. I never wanted you to know what was going on here, didn’t want you to live your life in fear and danger—”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she interjected. “And are you trying to tell me the zombie problem is isolated to this area?”

  “No, it’s not,” he gritted out. “But I don’t want you around the people who fight in the war. They’re targets. Magnets. If you’re here, you’ll cave and hang out with them. Then, as you see the injuries they receive, you’ll start to fear and stop living your life.”

  “I’ve seen the injuries, and I’m not afraid. I’m ready and willing to help. Those guys carry a huge burden, and I need to step up and take on my share.”

  I lay on my side, and Kat, who had the middle bed, lay on hers. We peered at each other, remaining quiet, listening to the conversation over the beeps and hums of medical equipment.

  “What can you do?” Mr. Ankh demanded. “You can’t see the monsters.”

  “Neither can you, and yet you manage just fine.”

  “I’m a doctor.”

  “And I’m a healthy girl with two arms and two legs, capable of taking orders to assist the doctor tending to the slayers.”

  He shook his head. “The zombies could bite you.”

  “And I could be given the antidote,” she sniped. “Look, Dad. I’m going to help the cause whether I do it here or somewhere else. That’s not something you can stop. I caused the mess we’re currently in. Me. And I want to make amends. I need to make amends.”

  “No, you—”

  “Dad,” she insisted. “We both know the truth. I’ve been spying on everyone, trying to figure out what’s going on and why the people I love, the people who profess to love me, kept lying to me. In my quest for answers, Ethan was able to encourage me and teach me how to be a better spy. I told him everything I learned. I caused this.”

  His shoulders drooped, and he scrubbed a hand down his face.

  I yawned, my eyelids growing heavy.

  “If you want to stay, stay,” he said softly. “If you want to help, help. But you will not go near that boy.” There at the end, his tone had hardened. “Do you understand me?”

  Reeve scowled at him. “He has a name.”

  “Bronx,” the doctor gritted. “You’ll not go near him.”

  “Why? Why do you hate him so much?”

  “I don’t hate him. I just hate the thought of you with him. He’s too...rough for you, honey. You haven’t read his file, and you don’t know his past or the trouble he’s been in, the things he’s done or the things he’ll do.”

  Her smile was sad. “And I don’t care. I know the boy he is now, and that’s all that matters to me.”

  “Reeve—”

  “No! I’m not Mom. I didn’t understand her breakdowns before, or what they did to you, but I do now. I get it. But you don’t get to control this part of my life. And if you try to punish him and the slayers because I want to be with him, then you will lose me. I will move out. And who do you think will be there to take me in?”

  I gave another yawn, this one nearly cracking my jaw. My eyelids drifted closed, and the rest of the conversation faded from my awareness.

  Not over... Will try again... You’re not going to win... Z.A.’s voice filled my head, oozing past the barriers I’d managed to build.

  I wanted to reply, but there was a strange fog in my head, muddying up my words.

  “—still sleeping,” Kat said.

  “Yes,” Cole said. “She sleeps all the time.”

  I tri
ed to open my eyes but couldn’t quite manage it.

  “I’m worried about her.” Kat said. “I’ve never seen her look so...fragile.”

  Were they talking about me?

  “She’ll recover,” Nana said. “I’m not going to lose her.”

  Nana was here, too?

  If Cole replied, I missed it.

  I wasn’t sure how much time passed before I felt warm fingers brush through my hair. At last the fog dissipated. I pried open my eyes as sparks of energy bloomed. Nana was gone, I realized. Kat and Reeve were asleep. Cole was next to me, his eyes closed. He absently stroked my scalp.

  I smiled. I needed more of this, more of him.

  I thought about the journal. The answer. Light. Fire. Clearly, he was a light to me. Just as clear, I burned for him. But there was more, something I was missing.

  To-do: figure it out, and fast. Time was running out.

  * * *

  “—I’ve always known,” Frosty was saying to Kat.

  My eyelids fluttered open, and I realized two things at once. I’d fallen asleep while Cole stroked me, and morning had arrived.

  Frosty sat beside Kat’s bed, holding her hand. Her other had tubes sticking out of it—tubes attached to a dialysis machine.

  Her eyes widened with shock. “You have?”

  “Well, yeah. Kitty Kat, I’m, like, a master black ops agent man, and not just when it comes to Call of Duty. To hang around you, and to let you hang around my friends, I had to know all about you. I never said anything about your illness because I wanted you to trust me enough to admit the truth on your own.”

  Oh, wow. He’d always known.

  “Well, that didn’t stop you from asking a bazillion questions about what I was doing each day,” she grumbled.

  “I was giving you the opportunity to come clean,” he said with an unrepentant grin.

  “It was entrapment, you turd, plain and simple. I should be furious with you.”

  He arched a brow. “Should?”

  She sighed. “For some reason, I’ve never found you sexier. And you know I have trouble staying mad at anything sexy.”

  He barked out a laugh, but sobered only a few seconds later. His gaze pierced her, intense and demanding. “I want you healed, Kat. I want you around, tormenting me, forever.”