“When I jumped off the cliff, you saved me even though it meant letting Sanjit and the others escape.”
“You didn’t give me much choice,” Caine said peevishly. “You had a choice. You wanted to destroy them.”
“Okay.”
“Why did you make that choice?”
Caine swallowed and seemed to find his palms sweaty since he rubbed them on his sides.
Diana walked to the door. She unlocked it and held it open. “Go away,” she said. “Come back when you figure out your answer.”
“But . . .”
“Yeah: not happening. Not tonight.”
Caine escaped into the hallway.
Diana undressed and crawled under the sheets. Then she beat the pillows with her fists until feathers flew.
Chapter Eleven
50 HOURS, 21 MINUTES
“EDILIO. WAKE UP!”
Edilio blinked. Rubbed his eyes. Saw Brianna standing there next to his bed.
“What?” he mumbled.
“Albert told me to get you,” Brianna said.
Brianna always looked determined, pugnacious, and tough. Just sitting around, she looked all of those things. But now she was armed for battle.
She had a small runner’s backpack converted to a sort of holster. She’d cut a hole in the bottom so the barrel of a sawed-off shotgun could stick through. The stock was just where she could reach over her shoulder and grab it.
She had a long knife, a bowie knife, in a scabbard hanging from a camouflage belt. The scabbard was tied to her leg so it wouldn’t flap when she ran. A dozen red plastic shotgun shells rode snugly in slots on the belt.
A summons in the middle of the night was bad. A summons in the middle of the night from a heavily armed Brianna was worse.
Much worse.
“What happened?”
“Drake,” Brianna said. Then she grinned. Because that was Brianna.
Edilio sat up. “Okay. You got Sam?”
“Can’t find Sam,” Brianna said.
Edilio felt an overpowering desire to go back to sleep. Drake on the loose? And no Sam? “Where’s Albert?”
“He said he’d meet you at town hall,” Brianna said. “He’s rounding up the others. The council.” She said that last word with a sneer.
Edilio stabbed a finger at her. “You do not go after Drake on your own.”
“Yeah? Who else you got?” Brianna said.
Edilio didn’t have a good answer to that. “Get Dekka. And get Astrid. I don’t care if you have to drag her by her hair, you get Astrid to town hall.”
Brianna was way too happy at that prospect. She spun, blurred, and was gone.
Edilio dressed quickly, grabbed his weapons, and ran the few blocks to town hall, hoping he could make it that far without running into Drake. He would fight if he had to, but it was hard to win a fight against someone who couldn’t be killed.
He was the first to arrive at town hall. Albert was next, dressed in spotless business casual as always. Howard came in, looking shell-shocked.
“I can’t find him. I can’t find him.” Howard was weeping. “I think he fell through the floor, I mean, you know how big Orc is. Then Drake, he busted out and . . . Orc’s most likely drunk.”
“Most likely,” Edilio snapped. “Since you make sure he stays that way, Howard.”
“We didn’t ask to be running some prison for zombies,” Howard shot back.
“Where were you when this went down?” Edilio accused.
“I was . . . I had to see a dude.”
Delivering bottles of booze, Edilio knew. When would the alcohol supply run out? Everything else had run out. “Have either of you seen Sam? Brianna can’t find him.”
Albert sighed. “He’s out of town.”
Edilio felt the blood drain out of his face. “He’s what?”
Astrid arrived, coldly furious. “I’m not on the council anymore. You have no right—”
“Shut up, Astrid,” Edilio said.
Astrid, Albert, and Howard all stared. Edilio was as amazed as any of them. He considered apologizing—he had never spoken to Astrid that way. He’d never spoken to anyone that way.
The truth was he was scared. Sam was out of town? With Drake running loose?
“What makes you think Sam is out of town?” Edilio asked Albert.
“I sent him,” Albert said. “Him and Dekka. Taylor and Jack, too. They’re looking for water.”
“They’re what?”
“Looking for water.”
Edilio shot a glance at Astrid. She looked down. So: she knew it, too.
Edilio swallowed hard. He was finding it hard to breathe. And at the same time he was finding it hard not to scream at Albert and Astrid both. Both of them so smart, so superior. Dumping this on him now.
Howard said, “Orc must have gone after Drake. Oh, man, I don’t know if he can beat Drake, not like Drake is now. Oh, man.”
Edilio hoped Howard was right that Orc was chasing Drake. He hoped it mightily because the alternative was that he had not one but two monsters running around town. Mostly when Orc was drunk he just sat. But sometimes he got himself worked into an angry drunk, and then things got crazy.
Edilio glanced at the door. One or both could come busting in here at any second.
His gun was at his side. For all the good it would do.
“Brianna’s looking for Drake,” Edilio said, thinking out loud.
“You sent her out against Drake?” Albert demanded.
“You didn’t give me much choice,” Caine said peevishly. “You had a choice. You wanted to destroy them.”
“Okay.”
“Why did you make that choice?”
Caine swallowed and seemed to find his palms sweaty since he rubbed them on his sides.
Diana walked to the door. She unlocked it and held it open. “Go away,” she said. “Come back when you figure out your answer.”
“But . . .”
“Yeah: not happening. Not tonight.”
Caine escaped into the hallway.
Diana undressed and crawled under the sheets. Then she beat the pillows with her fists until feathers flew.
Chapter Eleven
50 HOURS, 21 MINUTES
“EDILIO. WAKE UP!”
Edilio blinked. Rubbed his eyes. Saw Brianna standing there next to his bed.
“What?” he mumbled.
“Albert told me to get you,” Brianna said.
Brianna always looked determined, pugnacious, and tough. Just sitting around, she looked all of those things. But now she was armed for battle.
She had a small runner’s backpack converted to a sort of holster. She’d cut a hole in the bottom so the barrel of a sawed-off shotgun could stick through. The stock was just where she could reach over her shoulder and grab it.
She had a long knife, a bowie knife, in a scabbard hanging from a camouflage belt. The scabbard was tied to her leg so it wouldn’t flap when she ran. A dozen red plastic shotgun shells rode snugly in slots on the belt.
A summons in the middle of the night was bad. A summons in the middle of the night from a heavily armed Brianna was worse.
Much worse.
“What happened?”
“Drake,” Brianna said. Then she grinned. Because that was Brianna.
Edilio sat up. “Okay. You got Sam?”
“Can’t find Sam,” Brianna said.
Edilio felt an overpowering desire to go back to sleep. Drake on the loose? And no Sam? “Where’s Albert?”
“He said he’d meet you at town hall,” Brianna said. “He’s rounding up the others. The council.” She said that last word with a sneer.
Edilio stabbed a finger at her. “You do not go after Drake on your own.”
“Yeah? Who else you got?” Brianna said.
Edilio didn’t have a good answer to that. “Get Dekka. And get Astrid. I don’t care if you have to drag her by her hair, you get Astrid to town hall.”
Brianna was way too happy at that prospect. She spun, blurred, and was gone.
Edilio dressed quickly, grabbed his weapons, and ran the few blocks to town hall, hoping he could make it that far without running into Drake. He would fight if he had to, but it was hard to win a fight against someone who couldn’t be killed.
He was the first to arrive at town hall. Albert was next, dressed in spotless business casual as always. Howard came in, looking shell-shocked.
“I can’t find him. I can’t find him.” Howard was weeping. “I think he fell through the floor, I mean, you know how big Orc is. Then Drake, he busted out and . . . Orc’s most likely drunk.”
“Most likely,” Edilio snapped. “Since you make sure he stays that way, Howard.”
“We didn’t ask to be running some prison for zombies,” Howard shot back.
“Where were you when this went down?” Edilio accused.
“I was . . . I had to see a dude.”
Delivering bottles of booze, Edilio knew. When would the alcohol supply run out? Everything else had run out. “Have either of you seen Sam? Brianna can’t find him.”
Albert sighed. “He’s out of town.”
Edilio felt the blood drain out of his face. “He’s what?”
Astrid arrived, coldly furious. “I’m not on the council anymore. You have no right—”
“Shut up, Astrid,” Edilio said.
Astrid, Albert, and Howard all stared. Edilio was as amazed as any of them. He considered apologizing—he had never spoken to Astrid that way. He’d never spoken to anyone that way.
The truth was he was scared. Sam was out of town? With Drake running loose?
“What makes you think Sam is out of town?” Edilio asked Albert.
“I sent him,” Albert said. “Him and Dekka. Taylor and Jack, too. They’re looking for water.”
“They’re what?”
“Looking for water.”
Edilio shot a glance at Astrid. She looked down. So: she knew it, too.
Edilio swallowed hard. He was finding it hard to breathe. And at the same time he was finding it hard not to scream at Albert and Astrid both. Both of them so smart, so superior. Dumping this on him now.
Howard said, “Orc must have gone after Drake. Oh, man, I don’t know if he can beat Drake, not like Drake is now. Oh, man.”
Edilio hoped Howard was right that Orc was chasing Drake. He hoped it mightily because the alternative was that he had not one but two monsters running around town. Mostly when Orc was drunk he just sat. But sometimes he got himself worked into an angry drunk, and then things got crazy.
Edilio glanced at the door. One or both could come busting in here at any second.
His gun was at his side. For all the good it would do.
“Brianna’s looking for Drake,” Edilio said, thinking out loud.
“You sent her out against Drake?” Albert demanded.
