Milla releases me. “You heard her. I’ll live.”
There’s a bitter quality to her tone I don’t understand. Does she think I care only about using her as a shield? That the only reason I want to save her life is because she’ll one day save mine? That has never been the case, and it never will. In the beginning, I tolerated her presence for Kat. But now...hell. I just don’t know.
I don’t know anything anymore.
Kat’s death broke my heart into a million pieces. Her insistence that I date other girls broke the pieces. I had nothing, was nothing, and had to put myself back together; whatever mortar I used changed me. I’m not the same. I’m a different guy, with different needs...and different desires.
And right now those desires revolve around a punk-rock Barbie with a bad attitude and a heart of solid freaking gold.
“I don’t care about my future,” I say. “I care about yours.”
Her eyes widen. She shakes her head as if she’s certain she misheard. “You...you...what?”
Ali rubs the bridge of her nose. “Can’t say I’m surprised by this. We’ve all noticed the vibe changing between you guys. And we need to talk about that, we really do.”
“We really don’t.” My love life isn’t her business.
“But whatever’s going on,” she continues, unabashed, “you can’t stand in the way of answers.”
I ignore her. “Milla, I would rather you—”
“No. I’m not playing I would rather with you,” she says, her features soft and vulnerable, beseeching me. “I have to do this. We’ll talk about the other thing later.”
If I continue trying to stop this, she’ll fight me, really fight me, and maybe even hate me. So I do the only thing I can. I step back, allowing Reeve and Weber to get to work. Milla is poked and prodded, her blood filtered for hours, and finally she is injected with the new serum.
We wait, tense, as one minute bleeds into another and she has no reaction. I begin to breathe again.
“I don’t—” Suddenly she gasps, her back bowing. A scream rips from her. Then, just as suddenly, she goes limp and quiet, her head lolling to the side.
My panic returns. I kneel before her to gently tap her cheek. “Milla.”
“Don’t worry. This is normal.” Reeve chews on her bottom lip. “I think.”
“You think?”
Cole comes over to place a hand on my shoulder. “I wouldn’t have agreed to this if I thought Milla would be harmed.”
“Give her time,” Reeve says.
“I know you’ve softened toward Milla.” Ali meets my glare without flinching. “But she isn’t right for you, Frosty. She—”
“This may come as a shock to you, but you don’t get a vote about the way I live my life.” My phone vibrates in my pocket. I check the screen, find a text from River.
Guess what I C in the sky? Rabbit cloud.
Attached is a picture of the cloud in question.
Well, well. A zombie nest is stirring.
Another text comes in.
& get this. There’s a cloud shaped like a tombstone right next 2 it. I swear I see the letters RIP in the center
A tombstone...a hint that the zombies are stirring at a cemetery? Shady Elms, perhaps. I wouldn’t be surprised.
“Zombies will be on the prowl tonight.” I show the photo to Cole.
“Capture them,” Reeve says. “I need to study them, find out if Rebecca altered them and if so, learn more about their new toxins. That way, if our serum doesn’t work or if Milla has a relapse, we’ll be better equipped to deal.”
Cole arches a brow at me.
I nod stiffly. I never thought I’d reach this point. A desire to capture zombies rather than kill them. But for Milla’s health...
Yeah. I’ll do it.
“I’ve never tried to capture multiple zombies but River has,” Cole says. “I’ll get with him. The rest of you meet us in the gym at six. We’ll head for Shady Elms when the sun begins to set at seven.”
If Milla’s awake this evening, she’ll insist on going with us. I can’t let that happen. She’s been through too much today. “You got a sedative?” I ask Reeve.
“Of course.” She digs through a drawer on the cart. “I don’t think you need one, though. You seem calm now.”
“It’s for Milla. Later.”
Bronx shakes his head. “Mistake, bro.”
Better she’s pissed at me than injured—or worse.
Reeve hands me a syringe, and I stuff it in my pocket next to my phone. I crouch in front of Milla, trace my thumb over the softness of her mouth. Her eyelids pop open and she jumps to her feet, gasping for breath she can’t seem to catch.
“Hey. Hey,” I say, straightening. “You’re safe. You’re all right.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “It’s still inside me, and it kills me, thánatos kills me and, and, and—” She clutches at my shirt, frantic. “The serum didn’t... It couldn’t... Only made the flames stronger...”
“Hey.” I comb my fingers through the silk of her hair. “I’m not going to let you die. You have my word on that.”