Jenny Undead (The Thirteen: Book One)

by Murray, J. L.

  He clapped his hands. “Anyway, enough about me. Let's get started. I've got a girl outside who has agreed to feed you. And then we have some work to do.”

  The girl made less of a fuss than the boy, so Sully let her bleed longer. Jenny was nauseated for wanting an innocent girl's blood, but she was going to need the strength when Zeke returned. There was always the chance that Zeke really was siding with his stepfather. He'd said self-preservation was his only priority. But it sounded like he was coming back to help her in four hours. She just needed to stay alive that much longer.

  After the girl left, Sully eased Jenny onto her stomach, her cheek against the cold metal of the slab.

  “I know this must bring back some unpleasant memories,” he said. “But I need to look. I need to see how he did it. All the work I did, and those government bastards wouldn't give me what they gave you. Not just Anna and Frank Bierce, but everyone. They just used me. They didn't even pay up after I switched them out. Ungrateful pieces of shit.” Sully was babbling now, muttering to himself long strings of syllables under his breath that Jenny couldn't understand. He kept muttering as he cut into her. She felt what little air left in her lungs being pushed out. She wanted to scream again. He was cutting deeper than he had before, pulling her skin back with wet ripping noises. The pain was incomprehensible. She felt hot tears falling from her eyes and pooling on the cold metal. She felt Sully's clumsy fingers poking her insides, sending waves of anguish through every nerve in her body.

  “This is impossible,” Sully whispered. “All your organs are in perfect condition.”

  Jenny prayed to a god she didn't believe in, prayed to every god that anyone had ever believed in. In her mind she swore to believe in anything if she could just move. Right now. To move and crush this monster poking at her insides. If she could just rip Sully's heart out before he touched and tainted any part of her, she would be a true believer. But nothing happened. She couldn't so much as bat an eyelash. And Sully kept cutting, and he kept ripping, and he kept touching. She felt violated with his hands inside her body, touching parts that he had no business touching.

  The world went black for a while, but when Jenny came to, Sully was still at it. He was pressing on something that made her feel as if she had swallowed a live wire.

  “My God, it's beautiful,” Sully said. “It's so elegant. How did he... How? Bierce couldn't have done all this on his own.”

  Jenny's vision went red and she felt one eyelid flicker. Then she felt herself losing her hold. She fought it at first, but she was so tired. It was easier to let it take her. To sink into the black like a comfortable cloud.

  She woke up annoyed. Her head hurt and someone was forcing something into her mouth. She tasted blood, and managed to swallow. The pain in her head eased, but her back was on fire. The blood stopped and she saw Sully turn his back on her. He'd given her his own blood. She was lying on her side, her face toward the door. Sully crouched down in front of her.

  “I did it,” he said, excitement in his voice. “You're not dead. I opened you up and I didn't kill you.” He had a cloth pressed to his arm where he had cut himself. Jenny blinked at him and he frowned, dropping the cloth. Jenny stared at the gaping wound and remembered the vials of blood in the garbage can back at the museum.

  “Blood,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

  “I gave you all I could,” said Sully, backing away. “I'd better give you another injection.”

  “You took...my blood,” Jenny said. “At...the museum. It was missing because...you wanted...you wanted it. For yourself.”

  Sully smiled at her, grabbing a syringe off the table.

  “We're going to live forever, Jenny,” he said. “You and I together. I'm getting you out of here tonight. Do you trust me?”

  “No.”

  He stopped, looking at her with a crestfallen look on his face. “Well, that's disappointing.”

  “Let me...go,” she said.

  “I can't do that,” he said. “They're looking for you now.”

  “I'll tell Declan...to leave you alone.”

  Sully laughed. “This isn't about Munro. Your mother's people are looking for you. I killed one, but they're like ants. Where there's one, there are bound to be others. I have to take you away.”

  “Why?” She moved her finger. Sully didn't notice. If she could just keep him talking until her strength returned. He seemed to like to talk. He wanted to share. Jenny didn't care why, she just wanted out. She wanted to live.

  “They can't get you, Jenny,” he said. “Don't you understand that if they find you, they could stop this. All this gorgeous chaos. It's a perfect world now. I won't let them stop it.”

  “Who?”

  “The government,” said Sully, as if that were a stupid question.

  “You think...my mother works for...government?”

  “Not of her own volition, no doubt. She's a prisoner. But prison won't stop Anna Hawkins. She has followers. Many followers. You've already met one. I used to follow her too. Before the men in the high towers even knew she existed. I was one of theirs after she rejected me. And then they turned on me, too.”

  “The government doesn't exist,” said Jenny. “They're gone.”

  “They're not gone,” said Sully. “They're waiting.”

  “For what?”

  “For all this to blow over. The rotters, the infected, everything. And then they're going to swoop in to save the day. The funny thing is that they started it.”

  “They set my mother up?”

  Sully smiled. “No, I set your mother up. I volunteered.”

  The door opened, the hinges squealing, and Zeke stepped toward Sully.

  “What is it?” said Sully.

  “I said I was going to stop by,” said Zeke. “What did you do to her?”

  “You ask a lot of questions,” said Sully. “I thought you were supposed to know everything.”

  “Not everything,” said Zeke. “Only some things. For example, I know how you'll die.”

  “Me?” said Sully. He laughed. “I don't think you've got that right.”

  “It's pretty disgusting,” said Zeke.

  “Is that a threat?”

  “Oh, it's not me who kills you,” said Zeke. He pulled out a gun. “But I can make the rest of your life pretty unpleasant.”

  “Is Declan here?” said Jenny.

  “He'll be here soon. Are you okay?”

  “No,” she said. “But I will be.” She moved a leg slowly, flexing at the knee. Then a hand, bending it at the wrist. “You get that gun from Beacon?”

  “That guy can make some bullets,” said Zeke. “Color me impressed.”

  Jenny almost smiled. “Good to know.” She pushed herself up, the pain in her back making her stop to close her eyes and wait for it to pass. “Shoot him.”

  “What?”

  “Shoot him in the kneecap, I need your help.”

  They felt the vibrations before they heard the deafening explosion from somewhere outside. The room shook like a fun house floor. Dirt and plaster rained down on their heads.

  “Sounds like he's right on time,” said Zeke.

  “Shoot him,” said Jenny. “But don't kill him. You know how he dies, don't you? Is it how I think it's going to happen?”

  “Probably,” said Zeke.

  “Good. Shoot him. He's going to hurt one of us if you don't.”

  Zeke cocked the gun.

  “You don't have to do that!” Sully said, panic rising in his voice.

  Thumpthumpthumpthump.

  “Sorry, man,” said Zeke. He pulled the trigger, the gunshot deafening for a moment, but nothing compared to Sully's screams afterward.

  “Now come help me,” said Jenny.

  Zeke came around, peeking at her back. “Jesus. I should have stayed. It's worse than when I saw it.”

  “You saw my back in a vision?” said Jenny.

  “Yeah,” said Zeke, shouting to be heard over Sully's shrieks. He took his ja
cket off and wrapped it around her. “I should have stayed.”

  There was the muffled sound of gunfire, another explosion further off. Jenny smiled at him. “You brought the cavalry. Who is it?”

  Zeke smiled. “Everyone.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I mean Munro went to Expo with the cute, mean dead girl.”

  “Trix?”

  “Yeah, her. Munro told them what was going on, about what you were. And they all came. Every single person.”

  “You should have told me Casey was going to die,” she said. Zeke helped her down from the table.

  “Then you wouldn't have gone through it,” said Zeke.

  “I would have avoided all this,” said Jenny.

  “But you can't,” said Zeke. “You had to go through it. I told you that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because of what's to come.”

  There was shouting outside the door, followed by gunshots. Then screaming, followed by silence. Sully had stopped screaming too and just sat staring at her, his eyes glazed over. Jenny blinked red away.

  “The blood, I need to get out of here,” she said.

  “We can't,” said Zeke. “I'm supposed to keep you safe. It's my only job.”

  “Tough job,” said Jenny.

  “You fucking little weasel,” said Sully. “I knew you couldn't be trusted. I'm going to cut you next. ”

  Jenny tried to force away the red in her vision, but it kept creeping back in.

  “How many people have you killed just because they were near me?” she said. She could feel the hate rising up from deep in her belly. And something else, too: grief. Casey. He had killed Casey just because he could.

  “I lost count,” Sully said.

  “Grayson,” said Jenny. She let go of Zeke's arm. She was feeling stronger. She walked over and picked up a long scalpel from the small table, watching her reflection flicker in the candlelight.

  “Who?” said Sully.

  “Fisher,” said Jenny, walking toward him, the smell of his blood pulling at her. “Did you kill Rosie?”

  “Yes,” said Sully.

  Jenny nodded. “Abel.”

  “He was going to take you back to your mother,” Sully said. “I did you a favor.”

  “I know,” said Jenny. “He told me.” She crouched next to him. “Casey.” The red darkened even as she could feel herself crying. “Casey,” she said again. “You killed Casey.”

  Another explosion shook the room, and one of the candles fell over, the flame drowning in its own melted wax. Jenny's eyes fell on Sully's neck. She could see his pulse pounding. She could feel the blood rushing through his veins.

  Thump thump thump thump.

  “You forgot one,” said Sully. He smiled.

  “Who?”

  “Doctor Franklin Bierce. He spilled his guts before I turned him.”

  “You did that too?” said Jenny quietly. “You put him up on that pole?”

  “I didn't tell Daniel,” said Sully. “It was purely scientific. He told me all about you. How special you are. Of course I already knew. But he told me how it worked.” Sully grimaced and grabbed his leg, then a strange sound escaped his lips. Laughter.

  “Why aren't you scared?” said Jenny.

  “Because,” said Sully. “You won't kill me.”

  “Why me?” said Jenny. “Why did you want me?”

  “Because you've always had so much to lose,” said Sully. “Especially all those little beasts running around inside of you. Click click click. It's why everyone wants you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Fuck off,” he said. Jenny looked at Zeke, who was leaning against the wall, trying not to watch. “You know why we used women?”

  Jenny couldn't breathe. She narrowed her eyes at Sully. She was so hungry. She looked at his knee. It was mush, rivulets of blood soaking into the floor. For a moment she was drowning in the red. But she fought it.

  “We used women because they don't fucking matter,” said Sully. “They're disposable.”

  Jenny licked her lips.

  “Your brother was no better. Just like a woman. I used him up and threw him away. And didn't he look happy when he died? Such a smile I carved on his face.”

  Jenny's hand was on his throat as soon as she willed it. “Don't you talk about him,” she said.

  “Your mother was worse than I am, back in the day,” said Sully, seeming not to notice her hand on his throat. “All those kids. I would never go that low.”

  “That was an accident,” said Jenny. “She was trying to find a cure for what you did.”

  Sully smiled his gray smile. “Dig up that nice cement floor in her lab and talk to me again about accidents,” he said. “She was as crazy back then as she is now.”

  “What are you talking about?” said Jenny.

  “Your brother asked questions too,” he said. “But there was so much blood in his mouth that I could barely understand him.”

  The red closed in and Jenny stood up. So much blood. She was so hungry. She realized that Sully's feet were an inch above the floor. His face turned purple as she squeezed. Within the red, flashes of images shoved into her. Declan pounding a rotter to mush while screaming her name, Casey with a smile cut into his sweet face, Lily on the pole with a baby-sized hole in her belly, Grayson and Fisher. The room where she awakened from death, covered in blood.

  “You killed them all,” she said. “You killed me. You took everything from me.” She let the red wrap itself around her, making her fast, making her strong. She was pulling Sully toward her, his pulsating jugular the only thing she could see, her teeth ripping into him, the taste of the blood, the feel of the flesh as she pulled it away. The way it made the hate go away.

  Thump thump. Thump thump.

  “Jenny?” said a voice. She dropped Sully and he fell to the floor with a muted thud. There was a pounding in her ears. She shook her head to get rid of it.

  Thump thump. Thump thump.

  Her stomach roiled and she was afraid she would throw up. There was a rushing in her ears, and she could feel something in her chest. Not exactly pain, but the pain came next, making her gasp for breath. She stayed standing, though, and the owner of the voice touched her arm, then pulled his hand away quickly.

  Jenny met his eyes. “Declan,” she said. “You came.”

  He looked stricken. Jenny raised a hand to wipe at the blood on her mouth. “I didn't mean to,” she said. She pressed a hand over her chest. She couldn't hear anything above the pounding in her ears.

  Thump thump. Thump thump.

  Her head was exploding from the sound of it. Declan wasn't meeting her eyes. He focused on her neck.

  “He hurt me, Deck. I lost control. Please don't go.”

  “You want me here?” he said. He still wasn't meeting her eyes, but there was an odd look on his face.

  “You're the only thing I thought about,” she said. “I won't kill anyone else. I know it looks bad.”

  “Jen?” He shook his head.

  “Why won't you look at me?” she said.

  He looked up at her then. There was shock on his face. He looked into her eyes like he was examining them.

  “Jenny. You're alive.”

  “I know,” she said. “He almost killed me.”

  “No,” said Declan. He touched her then, grasping her shoulders. He smiled. “You're alive. You're fucking alive.”

  “What?”

  “Now you know why you had to go through it,” said Zeke. “I'm sorry.” Jenny glanced at him. She'd forgotten he was there. She looked at Declan, raising a hand to her neck. There was a pulse. She had a pulse. She put a hand over her heart and felt it beating. There was sweat on her brow and she touched it, looking at it like it was made of gold.

  “Holy fuck,” said Declan. He pulled her against him, so tight she could hardly breathe. But she didn't care. She wrapped her hands around his waist. She closed her eyes. Nothing else mattered.
<
br />   “No!” screamed Zeke from across the room. There was a clicking noise, like the empty chamber of a gun. “No! I didn't know, I didn't see it. I didn't fucking see it.”

  Declan's back went rigid and he fell, screaming, kicking, punching. And then Jenny saw what he was fighting. She had done this. So stupid, so stupid, so stupid.

  A gun fired, but it happened as if underwater. She fell to her knees beside Declan in slow motion. Declan dropped his gun and it floated down to the earth. And she screamed. She screamed. She screamed.

  FORTY-THREE

  “It's the only way,” said Trix. “If you want to save him, you need to do it soon.”

  “We don't even know if that will work,” said Jenny. She looked away from Trix, holding her hand tight over her mouth.

  “Fuck, are you going to cry again?” she said.

  “Shut up, Trix.”

  “Just because you're alive again doesn't mean you have to cry twenty times a day.”

  “Right now, it does,” said Jenny. Trix looked down at her hands.

  “I know,” she said. “But you know what you have to do. If you don't do it, he's going to die.”

  “And come back as a rotter,” said Jenny. “I know.”

  She could hear voices coming from the bedroom. Beacon was staying with him, distracting him. Jenny stared at the door. It was the same room she had been dying in when Casey came to get her.

  “Is it really so bad?” said Trix.

  “It was at first,” said Jenny.

  “Everything's bad at first,” said Trix. “Then you get over it. You get past shit. That's what we do.”

  “We?” said Jenny.

  “Humans,” said Trix. “It's like you say. We fight until we can't.”

  The door opened and Veronica stepped out, her face drawn and pale. She closed the door quietly behind her and leaned her heavy frame against it. Her body shook as she sobbed, her wide shoulders jerking violently with each sob. Jenny went to her and Veronica embraced her.

  “I can't lose him, too, Jen. We lost you once. We can't lose him.”

  She nodded, looking up at Veronica. “It's okay, V. I know what to do. It's not going to be easy. Not for him, not for us.”