Dearly, Beloved Part 40

"Whoa," Chas said. "You might not have needed Allister's goons after all."

Frightened, I drove on. As the crowd flowed around me, I saw what its members were running from.

Ahead of me stood a wide, muscular zombie-not a wall, not even as tall as me, but a st.u.r.dy brick of dead flesh. A born bruiser, a raging zombie pit bull roaring and rus.h.i.+ng at anything that caught his attention, galloping back and forth across the open s.p.a.ce seemingly at random. "Jesus," I breathed.

Then I noticed an old brown carriage circling him. Coalhouse's. The left rear door was missing, and Laura was leaning out of it with a long bit of wood, thrusting it at any zombies who dared to try and take the big guy on. As the carriage turned to cross in front of him, I saw that Nora was driving. She was here. I suddenly felt physically heavy with relief, so heavy I found myself marveling at the scene rather than leaping into immediate action.

Marveling, because what they were doing could only be described as "carriage jousting."

I decided to just go with it.

Before I could do anything else, one of the Changed carriages cut me off, forcing me to brake. At first I thought they'd come for me, but they swiftly rocked away, turning sharply a few yards out and zeroing in on the big zombie and Nora's carriage. The windows of the Changed carriage lowered and two dead men leaned out, guns at the ready.

Relief morphed back into rage. I accelerated, aiming the car for the tree line and hitting the b.u.t.ton beneath the dash.

Two more projectiles rocketed out of the railguns. They hit a couple of the trees I was facing right in the middle, cutting them off like a lawn mower would blades of gra.s.s. The upper portions came cras.h.i.+ng down atop and in front of the carriage in pursuit of Nora, forcing it to a halt, collapsing the roof and exploding the windows outward. Dr. Samedi was officially my patron saint.

Chas was likewise dazzled. "Okay, I know what I want for my birthdaaay."

One carriage was taken care of, but now I could see more lights swarming, descending. Allister's men. The AG trucks roared onto the field and swerved to cut the absconding vehicles off, a few connecting, external speakers ordering the zombies to hit the deck and lie with their hands behind their heads. None of them obeyed. The AG drones started to launch smoke bombs and flash-bang grenades, only adding to the confusion.

As if sensing that this would be their last chance, members of the Changed started to regroup and converge on the monster, AG forces in pursuit. I had to move. Throwing myself back into the fray, I moved to circle Coalhouse's carriage, to cut it off or slow it down. It worked, in a rather abrupt fas.h.i.+on. Nora saw me and stood on the brake a mere foot from my car, her eyes widening. I did the same. She opened her door and rushed out, and I ran out to meet her, pulling her off the ground and into my arms.

"You came!" she said, raining kisses over my ear.

"I can't believe you're here!" I pushed her back, looking her over. "What's with the bandages? Where's Coalhouse?"

"We can't find him! But Patient One ..." She looked off, and I turned to follow her line of sight. The rampaging chewing-tobacco-colored zombie had caught another of his kind, and was using her body to beat another dead man into submission, like an angry child smas.h.i.+ng toys together.

"That's Patient One?" I said with disbelief.

"He swelled up," she said, working her hands as if to demonstrate this. "I swear. He got mad, and he just got ... big! You should see what he did to the door!"

Laura ran out to join us, casting her stick aside. "I think he's still half alive." When even Nora looked appalled at this, she explained, "I saw his heart beating as it got bigger."

"Salvez said his vitals looked ... oh my G.o.d. Could he still be alive in there?" I asked the question, but I was pretty sure I didn't want to know.

"We were trying to separate him from the rest, but he won't listen to us now," Nora said. "We lost track of Hagens, but some of them still want him back."

Thinking fast, I pulled Nora up to me again and kissed her hot, gorgeous little mouth before setting her down on the ground. "You guys get out of here. Try to meet up with Samedi. I'll take care of this and get the Allister people out of here."

"Allister? Those guys in the trucks are Allister's people? How ..."

Looking to the Rolls, I said, "I have bait."

Nora glanced inside the car, and actually grinned slightly upon seeing the unconscious Michael. "Okay." Sobering, she said, "He doesn't want to do this. I swear. He tried to protect us. And Coalhouse didn't mean to start this."

"I believe you."

Nora looked into my eyes for a second longer, before taking Laura by the hand and pulling her back to Coalhouse's carriage. I made sure they got off safely before sliding into my car and tearing Michael's cravat off.

Now it was my turn to play. But instead of carriage jousting, my game was more like "car bull fighting."

"Hey!" I yelled, laying on the horn as I drove toward Patient One. He turned to look at me, his face terrible in its rage. "Hey, you smell blood, buddy?" I waved the cravat out of the window, hoping he'd pick up on the scent. He seemed to, bobbing in my direction. "Yeah, c'mon! Fresh meat!"

Directing my car farther off, I drove at a slower pace. Patient One ran after me, even resorting to running on all fours at one point, like an incensed gorilla. The AG guards almost cornered us a few times, showering nonlethal smoke and light grenades in our direction, but thankfully no bullets. Relatively unscathed, together we burst through a clump of undergrowth and out onto what I figured was another field, but soon realized was probably some well-heeled royal lord's enormous backyard.

Spinning to a stop, I grabbed one of the rifles sitting in the back. "Drive," I told Chas. "Go back, get the attention of the AGs, and get them out of here. Convince them Michael's being taken somewhere else!"

"Right!" she said, moving to climb into the front with her gun.

Leaping out of the car with the cravat, I tried to lead Patient One farther away from the campsite. The Rolls veered off, Chas taking control. "P One ... Smoke ... it's me. Bram. We met before, remember? We need to talk."

Growling low, pulling himself up to his full height, the b.e.s.t.i.a.l zombie stomped toward me. He'd lost his mask somewhere. "Flesh," he rumbled. "Hungry."

"No. We don't do that," I told him, showing him the cravat. I let it flutter from my hand and he jumped forward, capturing it and burying his nose in it. When he found it wasn't flesh, he snarled. "We don't bite the living. That causes fights."

The zombie paused. "Don't like fights."

At least he was more talkative in this form. "I don't either. I like the living. Got a girl who's living-in fact, I heard you stood up for her." He turned his eyes on me. "Nora? Thank you. Thank you for protecting Nora."

"Book girl." I didn't understand this, but he spoke the words with a sort of ... peace. I figured that was progress. "Like book girl."

"I like her, too. She likes me. So we have that in common, right?"

Smoke took a step nearer, examining me. In the dim light, I could see Laura'd spoken true-his heart was beating madly behind his bare ribs, his lungs fluttering. For a moment I forgot myself and stared at the spectacle, both disgusted and filled with pity.

As I watched, Smoke lifted his head and inhaled deeply, scenting something. Then he took off, resorting to all fours as he rounded my side, running into the night. I cursed, turning around to see where he was headed. I had to chase him. Obviously he could be talked down, if I just had more time.

Something clicked behind me. "Don't move, maggot."

Closing my eyes, I muttered, "Allister."

"Turn around. Slowly." I did so. Michael stood before me, Chas's rifle in his hands. He was even more beaten up than I'd left him-he must have come to and jumped out of the freaking car. Chas must still be driving, AG guards on her tail. He aimed it at my head, narrowing his eyes. "Drop your weapon."

"No way." I aimed my rifle at his chest instead. "Look, we can't do this now. That was Patient One. We can't let him get away!"

"I don't care. If the plague starts again, my father will handle it. n.o.body needs Dearly." He released the safety and steadied his finger on the trigger. "You're going to pay for what you've done to me tonight. a.s.sault. Kidnapping. Extortion. Should I go on?"

"I figured I would," I admitted. "They might throw me in jail for everything, deport me, execute me. But Nora's safe, so you know what? I don't care. I'll take whatever comes my way, like a man. I'm already dead. You can't do worse to me, you little thug!"

Before I could say another word, Michael screamed and pulled the trigger. I felt myself hit the ground, and figured he must have shot true. Above me, the world went black.

And yet, I could still hear Michael screaming.

I tried to sit up and found I couldn't. There was something in the way. Then the pressure was relieved, the world took shape, and Smoke let me up in order to pin Michael down, bellowing like some sort of prehistoric beast.

Quickly, I sat up and launched myself at them. "No! Let him go!"

"Allister's runt!" Smoke howled. "You will burn!"

"Get him off! Get him off!" Michael thrashed, attempting to keep the zombie's mouth away from him. P One was biting at him furiously, catching clothes, hair, everything except the meat he so desperately wanted.

Reaching out, I found Michael's rifle. Turning it around, I let off a shot into Smoke's knee, the one I knew was artificial. He yelped with surprise and rolled to the side, and I jumped on top of him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. "No! He likes book girl, too! He likes book girl!" I hated to say it, but I figured it was Allister's only shot.

Smoke went still, breathing harshly. "Does?"

"Yes!" I looked back toward the trees and saw that the fight was still going on. There were no AG forces to be seen, and it looked like my men were gaining control, a few of them standing sentinel over groups of Changed with their hands on their heads. "He brought men here to find her. Look!"

Smoke followed my gaze, and seemed to contemplate what I said. As he did, his form began to shrink. It was as if his muscles were bladders full of air or water that was now being let out, leaving his flesh sagging, broken. He slumped down on the velvety gra.s.s, his eyes rolling around.

"It's okay," I told him. "Let me take you back to book girl, okay? To the doctors? Remember Dr. Dearly? Dr. Salvez?"

Smoke said nothing. After a few minutes I stood and helped him to his feet. He was now as weak as a kitten, almost rubbery, barely able to control his own movements. The transformation, if that's what you could call it, had taken everything out of him, shattered what remained of his body.

Michael stood off to the side, weak on his feet, his face like a canvas splashed with red paint. I could have said a lot of things right then. I could have reminded him just how many times I'd saved his sorry life. I could've asked him how it felt to be hunted.

Instead I walked over and punched him one last time, knocking him unconscious again. I told myself it was for his own good.

By the time I found the other carriages parked in a grove of dark, narrow trees just a stone's throw from where the fighting had taken place, Company Z owned the campsite. When I joined them, Nora ran to me again, and I shrugged off Smoke, dropped Michael, and curled her in against my chest, shutting my eyes and squeezing her almost painfully close. I was tired. I hadn't seen so much action in months. I was fairly calm now that she was safe, but I needed to get myself under full control.

I was a hypocrite. A walking contradiction. Both alive and dead, both a leader and nothing like it, both with my friends and occasionally against them, both happy to work with the living and ready to fight them for every sc.r.a.p of extended time I could get.

Nora was the only thing that made sense. She was the only unchanging thing in my universe. She was my lodestar. No matter which way my emotions and circ.u.mstances and the impulses of my dead, dying, trying body pulled me, no matter how many mistakes I made, she was always true north. Sometimes I'd side with the dead, sometimes with the living, but always with her.

"I love you," I whispered in her ear.

She kissed my Adam's apple. "G.o.d, I love you."

I pulled back, only to see that she was crying. I wiped her tears away with my thumbs, and then scrubbed at her face a bit. "You're a mess. Anyone'd think you'd been through a war, or something." She laughed.

"What did you do with my car?" Samedi said weakly, looking around. "That was my retirement."

"Chas has it. Did most of the AG people follow it?"

"I think they all did," Nora said. "I actually don't think they got many of the Changed. They never left their trucks."

From within Coalhouse's carriage, Laura and Dog emerged. Laura released a sob when she saw what was happening in the field-most of the Changed rounded up, with a few lying dead on the ground. "Oh G.o.d. This is my fault."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She crushed a handful of her own roses. "The zombies here-Hagens lied to them. But I didn't know who believed what, aside from a few, and so I thought I couldn't trust anyone ..."

Nora moved to put her hands on the flower girl's shoulders. "You did well. I heard what you said. We got some people out, or gave them the chance to get out. That's all we could do."

"Good," I said, relieved. "Where's Hagens?"

"She's not here," Laura said, voice dropping. "She got away."

"So we still have her to worry about. Great."

As I spoke, I heard sirens. Turning to look, I saw a new herd of lights approaching. Army. Soon the advance guard was driving onto the field, speakers activating. "Show us your hands! Remain calm!" My men did so.

"Okay. Everyone, we'll get our stories straight later. Right now, we need to move." I gained Laura's attention. "Go out to the field. Tell the soldiers which of those people, if any, are guilty of being truly in league with Hagens. If any committed a crime on her orders. And tell them P One is being taken back to the boats, and that they can call on me if he doesn't make it."

"All right." Laura looked at her hands, then back at me. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me." And then I gave voice to what I'd been thinking since the night at The Failing Liver. "After I finish this, I'll find you. But until then, you need to help your people. Anyone who was just caught up in this, anyone who's willing to work with the living-you have to look out for them."

Laura nodded solemnly. Dog edged closer to her, as well as Ben, who offered to escort her. As they headed for the field, Nora turned her eyes up to me. "Going after Coalhouse?"

I squeezed her hand. "Yeah."

"He didn't kidnap me, Bram. I told him to take me. It was the only way he and Smoke were going to get out of the s.h.i.+p alive. He's mixed up, but he was trying to save lives. He said something about Company Z being in danger, and Hagens might've had the Changed attack the s.h.i.+ps to get Smoke back."

"Then it's even more important I find him." Leaning down, I kissed her again. She wrapped her slight arms about my neck, pulled me to her just as pa.s.sionately as I pressed into her embrace. She tasted of a hundred sweet things and just a hint of the blood pa.s.sing beneath my cold lips, pulsing through the living flesh of hers, a mere membrane away. When she let me go, I said, "I promise I'll come back to you. As long as I have one leg and an eyeball left, I will always return to you. Do you believe me?"

"Yes." She stroked my face. "You did it once before."

"Avoid the army. Go home. Take Smoke away yourselves-I don't want him flipping out right now. Get Allister to talk about the Roe bombing and the masks." Her jaw dropped. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

A few minutes later I left in Coalhouse's carriage, alone. After all that had just happened, the vehicle cab, the field, and the night itself seemed far too quiet, far too empty. For a minute I wondered where I should head, what I should look for. Coalhouse might be on foot, and had 360 degrees open to him.

From the dark, something else called out to me. Something old, practically primal, yet extant-it wasn't a memory, or an emotion, or even a thought. It was something real. Something that sang to my very flesh, to every instinct within me.

It was the sound of a train headed down the tracks.

Somehow, I was willing to bet he'd follow them. It's what I would have done. Tracks were a surer bet than roads. They had to lead somewhere, eventually, if you just followed them long enough. There were fewer forks, fewer directions to keep track of.

After a few moments I shut off my lights and turned around, heading away from the camp, keeping a low profile in case the AG guards were still around. I decided to follow the tracks to the north. If I didn't encounter him in a few hours, I'd try heading south.

World ending or not, tired or not, I still had work to do.

35.

NORA.

During the drive back to New London, everyone took turns filling the group in. I begged to be told about the Roes, but Dr. Chase insisted I speak first. So I told them about my encounter with Smoke, Coalhouse's flawed reasoning, and Hagens's plans.

Only then did Tom tell me what Michael had done and planned to do. About the Ratcatcher. He had the letters on him. I was so angry it physically hurt. I wanted to murder the boy, unconscious though he was, and Tom had to trap me against his short, muscular body in the backseat to get me under control. After two minutes of struggling I gave in, leaned back against the carriage door and tried not to cry. I didn't speak. I couldn't. It was all too much.