“I can’t believe you did this!” Winter exhaled. “That’s amazing!”
“I cooked.” Lara held up her hand. “I thought you deserved something special. You scared us, Winter.”
“I’m sorry!” Winter sighed. “But I’m here now.”
“That’s all that matters.” Caroline smiled at Winter.
They spent the day together, making their way through food, drinking beers, whiskeys and wines, and talking into the night.
“Well, I’m tired, I’ve got to go to bed.” Winter resigned, placing down her fifth lemonade. She hadn’t been drinking because of the medication she still had in her system.
“Don’t be boring!” Violet cried, draped over Zach’s shoulders. The two had been getting on well tonight. The more they drank the more they seemed to want to actually be together.
“I’m not boring!” Winter protested. “If you didn’t know, I was bitten by a zombie.”
“Oh, get over it. We don’t care anymore.”
Winter laughed. “You guys are of course more than welcome to keep drinking. Celebrating my health. Whatever it is you’re drinking over. Don’t let me spoil the night.”
Caroline moved from her seat across the table and sat down next to Winter. She looked at Winter through hazy eyes. “Just one more drink with us, Winter. Just one.”
Winter looked at Lara dancing with William in the middle of the kitchen. They were laughing as they sang the lyrics to each other. Violet and Zach stared at her with drunken hope. Missy sat at the head of the table, holding a glass of gin and pink lemonade.
“Just one.” Missy winked.
Winter sighed. “Fine! But no alcohol.”
“You’re no fun when you’re on medication.”
“I’ve just got out of the hospital. I don’t want to be rushed back in to have my stomach pumped because I’ve overdosed.”
Violet pulled a face. “Your call. If you don’t want to have fun then we will!”
Violet nudged Zach to look at her. When he did, she placed a kiss on his lips. Winter raised her eyebrows and turned to Caroline.
“Knew that would happen.”
“They make a good couple.” Caroline mused, smiling at the two kissing teenagers.
“They’re bad for each other.”
“Sometimes, that works.”
“She’s bad for him.”
“She’s bad for herself.” Caroline laughed, too loudly. The song changed in the background and Missy squealed, getting to her feet and running over to join William and Lara. “Oh, it’s great, isn’t it? Being alive.”
“You’ve had too much to drink.”
“So what?” Caroline asked, rather seriously. “We need fun these days, don’t we? Too much death surrounding us.”
“Literal death.” Winter agreed.
“I was so scared when I thought you were dead.” Caroline gripped Winter’s arm. “I really did worry that we had lost you. There were things I needed to say to you that I regretted not saying.” Caroline broke off. “But that doesn’t really matter now.”
Winter decided not to push Caroline further. If she didn’t want to say anything, even in her intoxicated state, then Winter thought it was best left unsaid.
“It’s not good to dwell.” Winter shrugged.
“But how does it feel?” Caroline pressed. “To be safe? To be immune?”
“I’m not safe,” Winter said, realising that she would need to repeat this as time went on.
Caroline rolled her eyes. “Don’t be modest. People would kill to be immune.” Caroline gripped Winter’s arm, which stopped Winter from answering. At first, Winter thought Caroline had gotten excited about the song which had just changed, but Caroline’s eyes were wide. “You know you’re going to be the pioneer we need to create the cure, don’t you?”
“I…” Winter suddenly felt hot. She felt uncomfortable. She wished Caroline would stop looking at her, as if she was some sort of saviour. Winter didn’t even know herself why she was immune. How the hell was she supposed to help others?
“You’re just what The Union needed. You know that, right? You’re a hope. You’re an opportunity.”
“I don’t want to be an opportunity.” Winter shook her head. “I want to be a partner. I want to actually be part of the group, not singled out just because of something I couldn’t control.”
“Face it, Winter,” Caroline slurred, oblivious to how Winter was reacting. “You’re an instrument to the progress of The Union.”
Winter stood, spilling some of her drink as she did so. She felt angry, and for some reason she felt dirty, like she was being used. She felt like people were treating her differently after her survival. She felt like she had done back in London: like a piece of meat that didn’t have any emotional feelings.
“Have I said something wrong?” Caroline blinked, dazed. It had taken her a moment to register that Winter was no longer eye level.
“I’m going to bed.”
Winter turned on her heel and left the kitchen. She was glad that Lara was dancing with William, lost in the melodies of a pop star who hadn’t survived the apocalypse. She was glad that Violet had her legs across Zach’s lap, her arms around his neck. She was glad that nobody was watching her, or stopping her, because right now she needed space.
She stormed upstairs, listening to the sound of the party disappear behind her. Being a floor above made her relax just a little bit, but she still couldn’t escape Caroline’s slurred words. She was an instrument to The Union.
She shut her bedroom door and drew the lock. Tonight she would not be disturbed. She could hear muffled talking downstairs over the music, but she didn’t care what it was about. She fell onto the bed and lay staring at the ceiling.
For the first time since she had woken up, Winter wished she had died that day she was bitten.
There was a knock at the door.
“Winter! Open up! Please! I’m sorry.”
Winter ignored Caroline, who pounded at the door. She wasn’t in the mood to be told how valuable she was to the cure, or how instrumental she was in bringing V down. None of that mattered to her right now.
“Winter! Stop being a fucking diva!” Missy’s voice came. Winter realised she had been out of the room when she had left. “Let me in!”
“Me, too!” Caroline called.
Winter gritted her teeth and got to her feet. There was a twang in her shoulder, but she ignored it. She drew the lock and opened the door just a crack, so she could peer through. “I’m tired.”
Missy pulled a face. “Don’t lie to me, please.”
Missy pushed her way into the room and Caroline bounded after her. “Sit down, and let’s talk.”
Winter stayed at the door, watching Missy get comfortable on the bed. Caroline hugged herself, an insecure girl who knew she had done something wrong. Her drunk brain wouldn’t tell her what.
“I don’t want to talk. I want to go to bed.”
“Winter, you’ve always been a pain in the arse,” Missy said. “Shut that door, lock it, and let’s talk.”
Winter exhaled and locked the door. She stayed where she was, refusing to get close to either girl. “I don’t want to be just an instrument to The Union, okay? I don’t want to be something everyone relies on, because I’ll go ahead and fuck everything up and let everyone down. Just because I’m immune, doesn’t mean I can suddenly conjure a cure, does it?”
“I didn’t mean it that way…” Caroline gasped. “No, but you have to understand, Winter, that this is huge.”
“It isn’t.”
“It is,” Missy said. “Winter, you have blood that none of us have.”
“You don’t know that. You’ve never been bitten.”
“And I don’t want to. But put it this way. Immunity must be rare, otherwise everyone would be surviving and there would be no zombies. But no, the human population is dwindling.”
Winter shook her head. It didn’t make sense to her. How was it that out of billions of
people, she was immune? And who else was?
“So The Union want to study you.”
“I’m not an animal.”
“I’m afraid in this case you are.” Missy shrugged.
“You could save the world, Winter Smith.”
Winter wanted to scream. She felt like raging against the girls before her, who thought of her as some sort of saviour. How the world had changed, that her old enemy Missy had hope in her for a better future. Winter couldn’t possibly save the world. She was a girl who had gotten lucky, but that was that.
“I could die, just like the rest of you. All it takes is more than one bite. Maybe the one who bit me wasn’t a full zombie. Maybe it was just a one off. Maybe people aren’t immune at all, and this was all one big fluke.”
“Maybe!” Missy said, and for a moment Winter thought that she had managed to convince the girls before herself. “But you’re wrong. You’re immune, Winter, and we need to understand all the questions by studying why you’re immune. You need to co-operate.”
Winter sighed, running a hand over her face. She was sweating slightly. She wasn’t one hundred per cent yet.
“I get it.” Winter sighed. “I really do. But I don’t want you relying on me and hoping that this time next month everything will be okay. Because I can’t do anything other than co-operate. I can’t go out and kill every zombie and save the day by myself.”
“No one is expecting you to do so, Winter.” Missy smiled.
Winter nodded, but still felt deflated. Right now, she didn’t want anything but her own company. “Okay. Now, please can you leave? I really do want to sleep.”
Missy stood up. “Don’t be such a melodramatic drama queen, next time.” She winked.
Winter let Missy out, and turned to see Caroline watching her.
“I’m really sorry, Winter.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Caroline stepped forwards, and hovered a few inches away from Winter, as if she wanted to say something. She seemed to think better of it, and headed out of the room.
Winter shut the door slowly behind her, finally drawing the latch when she knew nobody was going to disturb her again. Life had become crazy, and it was bound to get even worse.
Chapter Thirty-One
Halloween, and Violet’s birthday. A few days had passed since Winter had arrived home. For the first day, Caroline had avoided her, embarrassed by what she had said.
Now, however, they were on good terms again. Winter had accepted that she was important to The Union. It was just a matter of time before she realised just how important she could actually be.
Violet had been talking about her birthday since she had woken Winter up. “I’m legally classed as an adult now, aren’t I? Yesterday I was seventeen, a mere teenager. Today, I’m eighteen, a few hours later, and now I’m an adult. What bullshit.”
Violet had come into Winter’s room that morning, dressed in blue underwear. Her hair was tied up in a bun on her head. She looked attractive. Winter had her bed sheets drawn up to her chin.
“Do you feel different?”
Violet thought for a moment. “Yes. I feel like my breasts have grown.”
The two girls laughed, as Zach walked in, fully dressed. “Happy birthday!”
“Thank you, Zachary!” Violet chirruped, holding out her arms. Zach gave her an awkward hug, blushing slightly. “What did you get me?”
“Oh…”
“I’m joking!” Violet smiled. “I don’t expect any gifts.”
“Well, then, you won’t want to come downstairs, will you?”
Violet looked at Zach with suspicion. “What’s happening?”
“Come down and you will see!”
“Eee!”
Violet jumped up and ran past Zach. Zach looked after her, shaking his head. “That girl is crazy. I’ve never seen anyone so excited for their birthday.”
“Eighteen is a good age,” Winter said. “We won’t know that until next year, though.”
“Damn. If we live that long.” Zach held out his hand. “Come on. You need to come downstairs, too. I feel like you’re alienating yourself.”
Winter got out of bed, wearing an overlarge top that fell down to her knees. She didn’t bother getting dressed or combing her already unmanageable hair. Instead, she sprayed herself lightly with a splash of perfume and followed Zach downstairs.
The kitchen had a small cake on the middle of the table, and three balloons lining it. Two balloons were round, and read ‘Happy Birthday’. The final balloon was a large silver ‘18’. Violet hugged Zach as soon as he walked in through the door.
“How did you manage this?”
“Believe it or not, there aren’t many birthday shops open anymore.” Zach grinned. He pointed at Cedric, who stood at the back door with his arms crossed. “But he knew people.”
“I know everyone.” Cedric said, holding out his hands and smiling smugly. “Happy birthday, Vi.”
“Happy birthday indeed!” Violet exclaimed. She looked at everyone in the room. “I’m really happy. Thank you so much!”
“Has Violet told you the plan?” Zach asked Winter.
“The plan?”
“Tonight we’re saving Connor.”
* * *
At seven PM that evening, they said goodbye to Cedric as he headed back home. He had spent the day with them for Violet’s birthday; helping prepare a meal that Lara had been working on to celebrate Violet turning eighteen. Once the door had closed on him, Violet bolted the door and headed back into the kitchen.
She looked at Lara. “Plan?”
“We leave at midnight,” Lara said, drawing the blinds on the backdoor. “The weapons are upstairs. We follow the underground station, but be vigilant, as the dead are in high numbers underground.”
“Is it safe? I mean, are there less down there, now? They broke through that tube station. If you forgot, I was bitten that night.”
“The tube station has been blocked off, which is why the dead don’t infiltrate what we have here,” Lara explained. “But there’s a weak spot that I know we can go through to get back underground. Nobody will spot us at midnight.”
“How do you know?”
“Because there’s nobody about at that time. I’ve been keeping watch myself from my bedroom window.”
Winter nodded. “Fine, but what happens when we get underground?”
“We head to The Louvre, which is not too far away. It will probably take an hour or a little bit more on foot, if we don’t stop.” Lara pulled a chair back from the table in the middle of the room and sat down. “As I say, we’ve got weapons for everyone, but save your bullets if you can until we get in to the underground department of The Louvre. That’s when the challenge really begins.”
“We will literally be walking into the lions den,” Caroline said.
“I’m not keen on this idea,” Winter said. “I know I said I wanted to take action myself, and save Connor, but after almost losing my life…”
“Winter, we’re doing this,” Violet said. “It is my birthday wish.”
“But what if somebody dies?”
“It might happen.” Violet nodded. Zach gasped ever so slightly. “But wouldn’t you rather know that Connor hasn’t died to the hands of V?”
“But somebody else has? To the hands of the Blitzers?” Winter shook her head. “This sounds dangerous.”
“Winter, we’ve done our research. There is an entrance in one of the tube tunnels to the underground of The Louvre. It isn’t guarded, and we know once we’re in we have a good chance of saving Connor,” Lara explained. “We have tear gas, and we have smoke bombs. We can get in, save Connor and get out without anybody getting hurt.”
“But those Blitzers wear helmets,” Winter said. “Something tells me they’re not going to be affected so easily by things that affect the human eye.”
“Winter, we have to try.”
There was silence for a moment. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own
versions of the night. Lara looked desperately at Winter, and Winter knew it was because Lara was too far gone. When Winter had met Lara, she had been a girl on the run looking for revenge and an opportunity to take down V. This was it, in her eyes.
“Show me the weapons.”
Caroline darted from the room. They could hear her moving upstairs, before she came down again with a rucksack on her back and holding two holdalls. She pushed them on the table, and Winter heard the unmistakable sound of guns hitting one another.
Lara unzipped the first bag, and showed Winter the contents. Inside were a number of long swords. In the other bag were hand grenades, smoke bombs, tear gas and bullets. Finally, the rucksack contained the guns.
“There are silencers on there,” Lara said. “So the sounds of our guns won’t give us away. This is all about stealth.”
“Then why are we all going?” Winter asked. “Shouldn’t we be lowering the numbers?”
Lara glanced at Caroline. “Which is why only a few of us will be going, whilst the rest stay here.”
“What?” Violet asked.
“I’ll be going, as will Zach, Winter and William. Missy, Heidi, Violet and Caroline, you’ll be staying here.”
“No, I didn’t agree to that!” Violet said. “I want to go and save Connor, too. I want to have some fun!”
“But this isn’t fun. This is a mission. And we need people here to guard the house.”
“But you can’t go out there with so little of you.”
“But that is the safest option. We will not be risking people’s lives if we don’t have to, and we really don’t need this mission to be clogged up by more bodies. My word is the final word. Only four of us will go out tonight.”
Caroline looked at Winter. “Be safe.”
Winter couldn’t speak. She suddenly felt sick. Tonight was the night, and she could not feel more unprepared.
Chapter Thirty-Two
She had killed him. It hadn’t taken much. Men thought highly of themselves, and a man like him truly thought he was untouchable. How dare he try and get cocky now, when plans were in full swing and they were at a pivotal moment in their development of their new world order?
Winter Smith (Book 2): The Secrets of France Page 19
