The Queen of Zombie Hearts

by Gena Showalter

Tense, Cole eased to the shoulder of the road and stopped. The sun was in the process of rising, casting muted rays of gold, and I wasn't surprised to see Detective Verra illuminated as she approached the driver-side window.

  "Where you guys off to in such a hurry?" she asked.

  "We might have found Justin," Cole admitted, and for a moment, I was shocked.

  But really, what better way to get the boy out of Anima's clutches than with a police escort?

  Verra asked only one other question. "Where?"

  As soon as Cole told her, she said, "Well, all right, then. Follow me. I'll radio for backup along the way." She returned to her sedan and, with her lights still blazing, darted in front of us. We tailed her all the way to the building.

  Only, it had already been emptied out.

  Papers and test tubes were burning in an incinerator, and cages were open and vacant.

  "I don't know what you guys are into, exactly," Detective Verra said, running a fingertip over a debris-ridden worktable, "but I can tell you I've been watching you, and I've seen things I can't explain. Things I don't want explained. So take what you need and go home."

  What had she seen?

  Was she part slayer?

  I was too tired to care.

  We salvaged as many papers as we could and headed home. Mr. Ankh was awake and stressed to the max. The security system had been giving him fits, and while he suspected Anima was responsible, he couldn't figure out how they were doing what they were doing. He was giving himself until dark to fix it, then moving us all to one of the new safe houses.

  Kat came flying down the stairs and threw herself into Frosty's arms.

  Reeve wasn't far behind, and she did the same with Bronx.

  Juliana, also not far behind, ran to Cole, only to stop midway and glare at me.

  I wondered why--

  The next thing I knew, I was yelping as Cole swept me off my feet.

  "Easy, Ali-gator."

  I rested my head on his shoulder.

  Veronica grabbed her sister by the arm and pulled her away as Cole carried me up the stairs, to my room. He set me on the bed.

  "You awake enough to try for a vision?" he asked.

  No, but that wasn't going to stop me. "Let's do it."

  "How should we start?"

  "Last time, we thought about having a vision and looked at each other."

  "Easy enough." He peered into my eyes.

  I peered into his, getting lost in the violet. Several minutes passed.

  He smiled. "This isn't working."

  "What do we want to see?"

  "Each other naked?"

  For sure. "Besides that."

  "How about our next battle with Anima?"

  "Perfect. Let's think about that and nothing else."

  He nodded, and we once again peered into each other's eyes. A moment passed...and nothing happened...but before disappointment could settle in, the world began to fade.

  It was working--

  --and then we were in the forest. Cole was on his knees, soaked in blood. I walked past him, my gaze vacant. Smoke was thick in the air. So thick I nearly choked on it. I could hear sobbing behind me. Masculine sobbing. The kind that didn't happen often. When a big alpha male had just lost something precious.

  The sound of it made me increase my speed, leaving Cole farther and farther behind.

  All around me, fires raged. White and black ash mixed, floating through the air, dancing in the light cast by the flames. Cars were crashed into trees. Odd. Human bodies littered the ground, lifeless, skin bubbling black from zombie toxin. Sad.

  But I kept walking, unfazed by all of it.

  And yet, in the present, the scene faded...faded...until the forest vanished and I was back inside the bedroom.

  Why had it faded?

  I must have asked the question out loud because Cole said, "Could be a turning point. A moment when you will have to make a decision."

  "So the future isn't set." But what about the rest of it?

  "The good news is, we finally have control of the visions. We can decide when, where."

  "Bad news is, that's next," I said, fighting a tide of fear. "How do we get there?"

  "I don't know."

  Could we use the visions to find out?

  "Think about how we get to that point." I yawned, even as I locked my fingers behind his nape, peering at him...peering so intently...but all I saw was a flash of Juliana's face, which I didn't understand.

  Unless she wasn't part of the vision, and I was just remembering our trek to the room?

  Or she had her own decision to make?

  "Whatever happens, we'll deal," he said, "just like we've dealt with everything else."

  "How can you be so sure?"

  "Because I've won you back. I can deal with anything. Now go to sleep." He gave me a gentle nudge, and I offered no resistance.

  "What about you?" I asked after my jaw nearly cracked with another yawn. My eyes were already closing.

  "I'm going to help Ankh, and then I'll be up."

  "We'll snuggle," I think I said.

  He chuckled warmly. "There's nothing I'd like more."

  I had. I'd said it. Though I would have been mortified if I'd been more alert, I drifted into a deep sleep, smiling with anticipation.

  *

  Hovering somewhere between awake and asleep, my mind got stuck on my great-grandfather's journal. He'd written every passage in past tense, except for the one about the "she" who was supposed to die for the well-being of many. So, the girl had obviously come along after him.

  But he'd made it sound like she was coming right away. If so, I wasn't her. She had already lived and died.

  But that couldn't be true, because the well-being of many hadn't yet been established.

  Had it?

  Was there some piece of the puzzle I hadn't yet seen?

  Something hard and warm settled on my shoulder, shaking me. I came up swinging.

  The person responsible ducked, barely avoiding a black eye. "Whoa!" she said, frowning as she straightened.

  "Juliana?" I rubbed my eyes, a thread of unease winding around me. "What are you doing here?"

  "There's a problem," she said, and she did sound worried. "Cole needs you outside."

  Cole? I checked the bed. No indentation to prove he'd ever returned. "What problem?"

  Her eyes narrowed to tiny slits. "Like he'd really tell me. I'm a baby, remember?"

  Good point. Did this have anything to do with our last vision?

  Juliana backed away from me. "I had a message and I delivered it. Cole wants you out back ASAP. Like, five-minutes-ago ASAP. But go ahead. Take your time. Maybe he'll finally wise up and kick your scrawny ass to the curb." She stomped out of my room, the door slamming behind her.

  Brat.

  "You're sweeter than sugar. Said no one. Ever," I mumbled. As I threw my legs over the side of the bed, my phone rang. If Cole thought to command me to hurry...

  I picked up, barked, "What?"

  "Get everyone out of the house!" River's frantic voice registered. "Now! Don't waste time doubting me. What's the worst that could happen if I'm lying? Just get everyone out. I went through Camilla's papers. They've rigged bombs, Ali. They're set to go off sometime today. I'm on my way. We'll help you find and deactivate them. Okay? All right? Trust me on this. Please."

  Bombs? My heart raced. Was this why Cole wanted me outside?

  No. Couldn't be. He never would have sent Juliana back inside.

  I rushed to the window. The sun was high, bright. I had a view of the massive backyard but saw no sign of Cole.

  "Did you hear me, Ali?" River demanded.

  "Yes. You wanted to know what was the worst that could happen if you're lying. Well, you could have Anima waiting outside, ready to ambush us."

  Did I really think he would do that, though? That he'd help Anima like his sister?

  No. No, I didn't.

  "Ali," he said, and he sounded agonized.r />
  "Okay, I'll--" The rest of the sentence died in my throat. Helen had just come strolling out of the house, and two men in hazmat suits had just stepped from the bushes, clearly intending to grab her, not realizing she was spirit rather than flesh.

  If they could see her, they were slayers, and she had dropped her cloak. But why would she do that?

  I beat my hand against the pane, but of course, no one glanced up. I turned, raced for my door.

  "What's wrong?" River demanded.

  Boom! The entire house rattled on its foundation. Plaster crumbled. Dust and smoke thickened the air, and I coughed as I stepped into the hall.

  Boom!

  Boom!

  Good glory. The bombs!

  "Ali!" River said.

  "It's happening." Trying not to panic, I tripped my way to the staircase, looked down. Countless zombies ghosted through the walls, entering the mansion. They had somehow breached the Blood Lines.

  Or Camilla had wiped away the Blood Lines before we'd left for the club.

  My throat went dry. The zombies wore collars, as usual, but today, small packs of explosives were hooked to each one.

  Lord, save me. Anima's actions the past few weeks began to make sense. The reason they had sent zombies out in the light of day that first time--they'd been testing to see how long the creatures could withstand the rays of the sun. They'd been testing us, too, to see how we would react. Then they'd waited until we were too exhausted to fight and ambushed us.

  We'd been outplayed.

  Boom!

  The house shook against the force of another explosion.

  Either Anima had stopped caring about keeping me alive, deciding to eliminate us all, or--

  Oh, no. Not or. Please not or. Or Juliana had been working with them. Had attempted to lure me outside so the Hazmats could whisk me to safety while my friends died. Helen must have seen them and gone to check things out so that she could learn what was going on and warn me.

  I dropped my phone and sprinted down the hall. "Cole!" The smoke thickened in the hallway, and my coughing intensified. "Kat!" I had to get them out. Now.

  Screams of pain, moans of agony. But when I attempted to descend the staircase, the foundation underneath my feet...just...collapsed. I flailed as I tumbled down...down...down....

  Landing, I lost what little breath I had. A dark spiderweb wove through my mind; pain slashed me from head to toe.

  As many abilities as I had, I was currently helpless.

  No! Never helpless. "Cole! Kat!" My eyes burned and watered. Dust and rubble enclosed me, pieces pinning different parts of me. Bleeding parts. Where were they? "Cole! Kat!" Panic...closing in... "Someone! Please."

  Movement to the left. I struggled to free myself, calling, "Over here!"

  Red eyes swung to me, and I froze. A zombie. He was struggling underneath the rubble, reaching for me, chomping his teeth. I yanked with all my strength, finally gaining my freedom, and scrambled backward. A sudden high-pitched ring made me cringe. Pain...more pain... I curled into myself, my hands flattening over my ears.

  Boom!

  Guts and shattered bones became shrapnel, hitting me, cutting me.

  The zombie had just exploded.

  At least the noise had died, too. I stood on wobbly legs. "Cole! Where are you?" I stumbled forward. Shock held me in a tight grip, nearly cutting off my airways. Destruction...everywhere. "Kat! Please. Talk to me." I couldn't distinguish furniture from plaster or room from room. There were only piles and piles and--

  A hand!

  My heart hammered against my ribs. I dropped to my knees and heaved away different-sized rocks, each one heavier than the last. Please be alive, please, please be alive. Finally, pale hair came into view. A face I loved.

  Gavin! His eyes were swollen shut, his lips parted on a moan. He was alive!

  His pitiful condition angered me, and another dose of strength lanced through me. Anima would pay.

  I left my body behind and fired up. As injured as I was, I managed to produce only the smallest flickers of flame. Still, they were enough. I pressed them into Gavin's cheek and his moan morphed into a bellow. Within seconds, the swelling drained from his eyes, allowing him to blink into focus.

  "What happened?" he asked.

  "Zombies are here, and they're loaded with explosives." The two parts of me joined and I helped him to his feet.

  "The other slayers?"

  "You're the first I've found."

  A small cry for help caught my attention.

  I snapped to, heading toward the sound, stumbling over the rubble, closing in. "Kat? Kat, is that you?"

  Boom!

  Boom!

  More rattling.

  More dust.

  How many explosions would I have to endure before I found all of my friends?

  Boom!

  A gust of molten air threw me backward. I landed, losing the breath I'd only recently regained. Gavin and River rushed to my side and helped me up.

  This wasn't happening. Couldn't be happening.

  "You okay?" River asked.

  Not even close. "You made it," I said.

  "Brought five of my best," he replied. "Would have brought more, but I wasn't sure who I could trust. We've already found Reeve. Chance is taking her to our van. Come on. I'll take you there."

  "Forget it. I stay. I search." I protect. "By the way, there were two guys from Anima in the backyard. Zombies aren't our only threat."

  "Got it."

  My nails cut into my palms, and I realized I'd fisted my hands. "Have you seen Cole or Kat?"

  "No. I'm sorry."

  Okay. Okay. No time to waste. "Help us search."

  River moved forward. Gavin and I lumbered after him, closing in on the cries--except, all went quiet.

  "Kat! Kat, where are--" Another zombie, headed our way. "Incoming!" I shouted, dragging the boys to the ground.

  Boom!

  The moment the rattling stopped, we raced through the rubble. Too much dust. Hard to breathe. Hard to see--but I noticed movement, a spill of dark hair... Mackenzie, I realized, my heart skipping a beat as she clawed her way up from a pile of concrete and slumped over.

  I quickened my pace, but the boys beat me to her.

  Gavin felt for a pulse, then hefted her into his arms. Her head lolled against his chest. "She's alive."

  For how much longer? She was bloody, already black-and-blue. "Take her to River's van," I said, "and heal her with your fire. I'll look for the others." I wouldn't stop until everyone was found.

  We branched apart. "Cole! Kat!" I headed in the direction of Mr. Ankh's office. Smoke parted with my movements--

  And finally, blessedly, I saw Cole!

  He held a babbling Juliana in his arms, Veronica limping beside him.

  "Ali!"

  My knees almost buckled, so great was my relief.

  "I'm s-so s-sorry," Juliana said. "M-Milla said they'd take Ali. Only A-Ali. Just wanted t-time to show Cole h-he could live w-without her."

  Her words registered, and I flinched. I'd already guessed the truth, but the confirmation stung. She'd helped Camilla, and together, they'd helped Anima do this. Just to get rid of me. Was I really that bad?

  "You did what?" Cole almost dropped her.

  She squeezed her eyelids tightly closed, no longer able to face him, tears leaking out.

  He opened his mouth to blast her.

  "Don't," I said. There was time enough for that later. "Let's find Kat and the others. Stay away from zombies. They explode."

  Frosty must have heard our voices. He jetted from around the corner. Blood poured from his temple and soaked his shirt. His wild gaze scanned our faces, noting our identities. "Have you seen Kat?"

  "No." Lord, help us. Of everyone, she was the most fragile. "Kat," I shouted.

  Boom!

  As the ground shuddered, Cole thrust Juliana at Veronica. "Get her out of here. Now. I can't even stand to look at her."

  Juliana sobbed. Veroni
ca gave a weak nod.

  "There's a van at the end of the driveway," River said. "Gavin and Mackenzie are there."

  "Reeve?"

  The frantic voice came from behind me.

  I spun. Bronx rushed toward us, features smeared with blood and soot.

  I pointed in the direction of the front door, or what used to be the front door. "River's guys found her. And before you flip out, they're on our side, here to help. At the end of the driveway, there's a van. She's there."

  Bronx didn't stick around to ask any more questions.

  Dodging zombies and explosions, Cole and Frosty helped me pick through the rubble. I'm not sure how much time passed before sirens erupted in the distance.

  Boom!

  I continued working, hot tears streaking down my cheeks. Besides Kat, we were missing Jaclyn and Mr. Ankh. They were okay. They had to be okay.

  But how likely were all of us to survive this much carnage?

  I wasn't good with numbers, but even I knew the answer to that.

  Chapter 28

  TOO LATE! TOO LATE!

  VERY IMPORTANT DATE!

  Anima must have done something to divert authorities away from the house, because, despite the sirens, no one but River and his boys ever showed up to help. We were on our own, becoming more desperate by the minute.

  The van, our fastest means of escape, had just been bombed. Thank God everyone inside it had exited in time.

  "I've done triage before." River motioned for Bronx and Veronica to place their charges on a flat plot of land. "Keep zombies at a distance, and I'll take care of the girls."

  The two, plus two others from River's crew, formed a protective circle around him. The rest of us continued digging, fighting, ducking, digging again. I pushed myself hard, harder, screaming Kat's name until I grew hoarse. By the end of the first hour, I was trembling so violently, I probably looked like I was having a seizure.

  "Ali, go over there and let River check you out," Cole said.

  "No!" I threw a block of concrete to the side. I had to find Kat.

  "You have to stop. If you keep this up, you won't be on your feet much longer, and we need you on your feet."

  "I'm not going to pass out." My gaze caught on something sticking out from a pile of rocks. I dug faster, saw...Mr. Ankh's hand! "Help me free him."

  Everyone crowded around me. Together, we managed to clear the debris. His eyes were open, and--

  Staring straight ahead, I realized. At nothing. My excitement withered. His mouth was parted on a pained gasp he'd never gotten to finish. His chest was crushed, flatter than it should have been.

  He was dead, and there was nothing we could do to save him.

  Razors in my chest. Reeve had just lost everything. Her father, her only family. Her home and refuge. All of her possessions.