X must mean “time.” I grinned. Then, while I had my phone out, I decided to text Kat. I’M SORRY. I hated that I’d hurt her feelings.
I wasn’t expecting a reply until much later, if ever, but only a few minutes passed before I heard that telltale beep. No, I’m sorry. I was pushy & U know I’m never pushy.
A chuckle left me. Kat had a gift. She could make me laugh, no matter the circumstances. Friends?
Best.
Feeling as if a weight had lifted from my shoulders, I stripped off the weapons and went down to breakfast. Nana had already set the table, and Pops occupied his chair. His shoulders were hunched, his clothes wrinkled. He hadn’t bothered combing his hair over, just let the remaining strands hang limply over his temples. The circles under his eyes had darkened. His palms were flattened on the tabletop, and he was staring at them, lost in thought. Maybe he’d contracted some kind of virus while in the hospital.
“Pops,” I said gently.
He jolted as if I’d slapped him, his bloodshot gaze whipping up. “Yes?” There was a raspy quality to his voice, one he’d never before possessed.
“Are you okay? Can I get you anything?”
“I’m fine,” he murmured.
Nana carried in a big pan of eggs, steam rising from the top; ham and cheese scented the air. I took my place on Pops’s left. After Nana had scooped us each a portion and claimed her own seat, we ate in silence. At least she and I did. Pops pushed his food around his plate with his fork, not taking a single bite but grumbling under his breath.
“You need to eat something,” Nana told him.
He stopped grumbling and stared at her. Really stared, as if he were transfixed by her.
“What?” she asked, shifting in her chair. “Do I have something on my face?”
He said not a word.
Her gaze flipped to me, silently asking me the same question. I shook my head no, then returned my attention to my grandfather. His fingers were digging into the tabletop, his knuckles bowed up, as if he were trying to hold himself back.
From…attacking?
His lips pulled back, baring his teeth. A low growl rumbled from him. Every muscle in his body tensed.
Just as he sprang to his feet, I sprang to mine. He dove for Nana; I dove for him. I caught him just in time, and we jetted to the floor, slamming hard. Nana screamed.
“Taste,” Pops snarled, bucking and straining in an attempt to dislodge me to get to his wife.
Taste? Only zombies wanted to— Oh, no. No, no, no. He was alive. He couldn’t be…wasn’t…
I tried to pin his arms but failed. He was stronger than he appeared. Then my calm, sweet grandfather punched me in the cheek once, twice, and I stopped trying. Pain exploded through me, and only my lessons with Cole kept me lucid.
“What are you doing, Carl? Stop! You’re hurting her!”
I hated to do it, but I punched him back. Nana rushed over, probably thinking to help me, but all she did was agitate him, making him fight me even harder in an effort to get to her.
“Get my phone,” I shouted. “It’s in my room. Call Cole. Please, Nana. Please. Only Cole. He’ll help us. Please!”
She hesitated, backing up only a few feet, her expression dark with horror and uncertainty. Pops punched me again and again, a battering of his fists. I grappled with him, knowing releasing him would make everything worse. I couldn’t fight him and shield Nana.
“Now!” I shrieked. “And don’t come back in here. Pops isn’t himself. He’ll harm you.”
“Ali, I—”
“Go!”
At last she took off, disappearing around the corner. Without her presence, the full force of Pops’s rage switched to me. No longer was he content to punch me. Instead, he clawed and bit at me. Forget grappling. There was no longer any need to hold him, and I sprang away from him.
“Calm down, Pops. Okay? You don’t want to do this.”
He jumped up—only to go lax, his body collapsing to the floor. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. He stilled.
I watched in horror as his spirit rose from his body.
Horror—because I knew. A zombie had bitten him. Had infected him. Had killed him.
He was dead.
But he would live on.
He looked just as sickly as he had while inside his body, yet there was now a deeper cast of gray to his skin. His gaze swept through the room, never quite landing on me. He sniffed, licked his lips and moved toward the only door.
“Pops,” I said, and stepped out of my own body.
Instantly his attention locked on me and he forgot about tracking Nana. He stalked me throughout the room. When he lunged for me, I hopped out of the way. There were no Blood Lines in the house, so we both ghosted through the table, the food.