Текст книги "Alice in Zombieland"

Автор книги: Gena Showalter

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Текущая страница: 21 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

Metal sliced through my belly.

At first, I felt nothing. A few seconds later, I felt everything, a pain far worse than anything I’d ever before encountered sweeping through me.

Horror bathed Cole’s expression. A shout of denial rose from him. Cruz and Frosty were suddenly there, helping me ease to the ground. Black dots winked in front of me.

“Ali!”

I tried to reply but coughed instead, feeling the blood ride up my chest, pool in my mouth.

“I’m sorry, so very sorry,” Cole said, and I knew he was hovering over me.

This was the vision we’d had, I realized. What do you know? It had come to pass quickly.

He gathered me in his arms. “Do not die. You will not die, do you hear me?”

After everything I’d endured to get here? “Wouldn’t…dream…” Another cough halted the rest of my words. Something tugged me up…up…up into a never-ending expanse of white.

18
Alice’s Happy Beginning

I had no idea where I was. Clouds, so many white clouds, surrounded me, hazing my line of vision until—

Emma walked through the fluff, no longer wearing her pretty pink tutu. Now a gleaming white robe draped her, flowing to her feet. Her hair was down, long and sleek and so beautifully dark. Her eyes were as bright a gold as ever, a mix of differing emotions.

“Am I dead?” I asked, at peace with the thought.

“Not for long,” she replied. “You killed him, you know.”

The memories flooded me. My dad, a zombie. My dad, about to hurt Cole. My dad, dead—because of me.

“I’m sorry,” I croaked. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know,” was her sad reply. “I wish I could tell you that was the end of the zombies, but I can’t. I wish I could tell you that was the end of Anima Industries, but I can’t. I wish I could tell you all will be well between you and your Cole, but I can’t do that, either.”

No. I refused to worry about any of that. I had faith, and if I had faith I couldn’t have worry. “Everything will be better, you’ll see.”

“You had so much toxin in your system, Ali. Do you really think they could neutralize it all? And the humans are so angry. They’re angry and they want—”

“Ali,” a voice called.

Cole’s voice.

Emma’s image began to fade.

“Don’t go,” I cried, reaching for her. “Please.”

“I’m not the one leaving, Ali. You are.” Such a heartbreaking smile…the clouds enveloping her…until she was gone, no hint of her remaining.

“Ali.”

In the distance I heard the beep, beep, beep of a machine. “Goodbye, Em,” I whispered. “For now.” I’d see her again; I knew it.

I wish I could tell you all will be well between you and your Cole, but I can’t do that, either.

“Ali. I know you can hear me. Your fingers are twitching.”

I pushed my sister’s words away, and concentrated on the boy who’d helped bring me back from the dead. I knew refusing to worry wouldn’t save me from hardship, but it would save me from ruining the moment. I’d take each day as it came, and deal with whatever obstacles were thrown into my path, but one thing I knew. The toxin had been completely neutralized. I knew because I was alive, my mind clear of evil.

“Come on, sleeping beauty,” Cole said. “You’ve been out for days, and it’s time to stop punishing me and wake up.”

My eyelids fluttered open and closed, every blink clearing away some of the fuzz. Cole sat in a chair next to my bed, his elbows propped on the rail, and his shoulders just kind of sagged with relief. Maybe it was the drugs clearly working through me, because I felt no pain, but I could have stared at him forever. He was a beautiful sight. Scabbed up, bandaged, but clean and total warrior delicious.

For a moment, I wondered if this were a vision. But, no, that came next—

–we were sitting on a porch swing, holding hands, talking softly, laughing. My head rested on his shoulder. The sun was in the process of rising, lush colors sprinkling gold and pink through the sky.

“No questions for me today?” he asked.

“Of course I have questions for you. Actually I have thousands.”

“Let me have ’em.”

“First up. Why aren’t you kissing me…?”

I wasn’t sure how long the vision lasted, but when it faded to black, tears had fallen and dried on my cheeks. A happy ending for me, I thought. Or better yet, a happy beginning.

Finally.

See? Everything would be all right.

As for Anima Industries, they had already played their best card. My father. And they’d already lost. I’d mourned the loss of him, and they could no longer use him against me.

And okay, yes, what I’d had to do still hurt. My father had tried to battle through for me, because he loved me that much. Yet still I’d destroyed him. I’d destroyed his second chance. Me. No one else.

I would have to live with that.

I comforted myself only with the knowledge that what had happened had been necessary. He’d fought the evil but the evil had won. He would have hurt my friends over and over again if I’d allowed him to live.

“I liked that vision,” Cole said, fingers tracing gently over my hand.

“Yes.” The single word was no more than a croak, my throat raw.

He lifted my hand, kissed my knuckles. “I almost lost you, Ali. Twice. Your heart stopped. But you came back.”

“Stubborn,” I said.

“And thank God for that.”

We shared a soft smile. “How much butt did we kick?”

His expression turned serious. “Most of Anima escaped, but all of the zombies that were there were killed. We didn’t even have to fight them. They just began to drop, one by one. They stopped moving, and we were able to light them up without any problems.”

Maybe because my spirit poisoned them. I’d tell him about my suspicions—later. Right now, I wanted answers, and I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to stay conscious. “How did you find me? How did you make it out of my house?” The bomb! How could I have forgotten about my grandmother? I tried to sit up. “Nana is—”

“Fine. She’s fine and with my dad, waiting to see you.” He gently pushed me back to the bed. “Ankh had to sew you up. I don’t want you to tear your stitches. And before you ask about the carnage, you’ll be happy to know my dad and your grandmother went through the rubble and managed to salvage some of your things.”

“Like what?” If I’d lost the photos of my family…if I’d lost the journal…

“I don’t know. I haven’t left your side.”

“Sweet of you.”

“Not really. I was determined to fight you if you decided to die.”

It would have hurt my side to laugh, so I focused on getting the rest of the answers I wanted. “What happened?”

“At your house?”

I nodded.

“Your grandmother had gone to her room. One of the Anima employees tossed in a mini grenade. I dove for cover. When I came to, my dad was there and the suits were gone. We found your grandmother, and she’d been knocked around pretty good, but all of her injuries were treatable. Then, Justin showed up. He told me what was going down, told me where to go.”

Dr. Wright had lied about the bomb—big shocker—and Justin had helped us. Why? That made no sense, not fitting what I knew about him and his co-sleezeworkers. “Did everyone make it out okay?”

His attention dropped to his feet. “No. Haun is…”

Dead. Trembling, I gazed around, needing a moment to collect myself. We were in a plush bedroom. A velvet drape hung over the bed. Pastel flowers had been papered on the walls. A crystal chandelier dripped with thousands of sparkling teardrops.

All this loss we were forced to bear. All this pain and heartache. And there would be more, so much more, because we would continue to hunt and fight. We had to. We had to protect those we loved.

Otherwise everything we’d already done would have been a waste, and we would see no light in the future—only darkness.

I cleared away the emotion clogging my throat. “Where am I?”

“The Ankhs’ house.”

A knock sounded, and Mr. Holland peeked inside the room. “We heard voices and hoped you were awake. We’ve got a roomful of people who want to check on you.”

I reached up to try and smooth my hair into place, but the tangles I encountered made me cringe. There would be no fixing my appearance.

“You look beautiful,” Cole said.

Sure I did. But I appreciated the compliment anyway. Although, he still wore that serious expression, so maybe he really believed it. “Send them in,” I said, trying not to sigh dreamily.

First came Nana.

Cole got up and moved to the only window, and she rushed to me, hugged me while being careful of my middle and fawned over me, generally making me feel better as she settled into Cole’s chair. There were bruises on her forehead, but no other injuries that I could see.

Next Lucas, Derek, Collins, Cruz, Frosty, and Bronx filed into the room.

“Looking good,” Frosty said.

“Little Ali packs a big punch,” Lucas said.

“I’ll fight with you anytime,” Derek said.

“When you get tired of Cole, give me a try,” Collins said, earning a sharp look from Cole.

“Not bad. For a beginner,” Bronx said.

They were the first words he’d ever spoken to me, and they’d been grunted. And yet, I cherished them. Coming from him, that was high praise indeed.

“Thanks, guys,” I replied.

“Oh, the friends you’ve made,” Nana said with a shake of her head.

The boys exited and Mackenzie and Trina entered.

“I hate to say this,” Mackenzie said, looking me over, “but you were kind of awesome out there.”

“Yeah, she was,” Trina said with a grin. “I noticed she used a few of my patented moves.”

“No way. Those were my moves!”

They argued as they left.

Next, Kat burst into the room. “About time I got a turn,” she announced, rushing to my side. She grabbed my hand and held on as tightly as if it was a life raft and she was drowning. “As the best friend, I should have been first. Someone will have to be punished for my misery, but don’t worry, it won’t be you, Ali.”

I was beyond excited to see her, but I glanced at Cole.

“She knows,” he said. “When she couldn’t reach you, she called Frosty and me about a thousand times. She was about to tell the world you’d been abducted when my dad finally gave us permission to read her into the program.”

“And you should have done it a long time ago!” Kat exclaimed. “Like I can’t handle knowledge that there are zombies out there.” She leaned down and, losing her smile, her color, whispered, “I’m not sure I can handle the knowledge that there are zombies out there. When you’re better, we’re talking.”

“Definitely,” I whispered back. Then, louder, “So, you and Frosty are back together now?”

“Yes, we are,” Frosty called from the hallway at the same time Kat said, “After he’s suffered a little more. He’s my whipping boy, you know.”

Does he know about you? I mouthed.

She shook her head no.

I wouldn’t tell him, then. Although, now that I thought about it, he might already know. I bet Mr. Holland and Mr. Ankh had done a background check on her when Frosty first started dating her. But that, too, was a confession for another day.

“Everyone knows what I am to you, Kitty Kat,” Frosty said, moving into the doorway and leaning against the frame, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Doesn’t mean they can’t use more examples. Now go! The girls are talking.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Grinning, he walked away.

Kat and I chatted about everything and nothing, laughing and catching up, until my eyelids began to droop.

She kissed my hand, worry falling over her features. “You know, Ali, the first time I saw you in a hospital bed it was no big deal. You had the tiniest little scratch I’d ever seen. I mean, really. I’ve had worse mosquito bites. This time, you’re trapped in bed and looking like…” She waved her hand over me. “This is a big freaking deal. You have two days to get better.”

I so loved this girl. “Or?”

“Or I end things with Frosty, here and now, forever,” she said loudly.

“Hey,” he called, making it clear he’d remained in the hall to eavesdrop.

“I might anyway,” she added. “My neighbor has been asking me out every day. And he’s cute. If cute is the new word for ‘outrageously sexy.’”

A growling Frosty stomped back into the room.

Kat giggled.

“All right, enough.” Nana shooed everyone but Cole out of the room. “And you,” she said, kissing my forehead, “say good-night to your friend and get some sleep.” She left the room, closing the door behind her.

“So what’s next?” I asked through a yawn.

“For starters, you and your grandmother are staying with the Ankhs.”

In the mansion? “I can live with that,” I said.

“Just as long as you do, in fact, live,” Cole said, and we shared a smile—before I ruined it with another yawn. He placed a soft kiss on my lips. “Sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“You and your commands,” I said, my eyes already shutting. But I wouldn’t have him any other way.

Because of him, I’d learned how to survive this new world. More than that, I’d learned how to overcome it.

Deep down I knew fighting zombies was the only thing that would satisfy me now, the only thing that would make me feel as though I’d lived to the fullest. When the end came, I could rest in peace knowing I’d done everything in my power to walk in the light. And I would have Cole at my side. We were in this together.

I could deal with anything else.

What’s on Alice’s iPod?

FURIOUS—Jeremy Riddle

HOW HE LOVES—Flyleaf

FALLEN—John Waller

MONSTER—Skillet

FADING—Decyfer Down

THINGS LEFT UNSAID—Disciple

ALL IN—Lifehouse

BEAUTIFUL DISASTER—Jon McLaughlin

HOW TO SAVE A LIFE—The Fray

Special Q & A with Gena Showalter

Q: Zombies appear in several of your books. What inspires you to write about zombies?

A: What’s not to love about rotting flesh and the scent of putrid…I kid, I kid! First, I love the battle of good against evil, in all its varying forms. (Go, Team Good!) And second, math. Yep, I said math. If slayers = good and zombies = bad, then slayers + zombies = bloody good time!

Q: What is different about the zombies in Alice in Zombieland? How did you create the mythology around them?

A: Rather than decaying corpses, the zombies in Alice are actually infected spirits that have risen from human bodies. Only a certain group of people can see them but they can’t fight them unless they, too, are in spirit form. Of course, that meant figuring out who can see them, why they can see them, how the infection occurs, how the infection first began, how humans can fight in the spirit and a thousand other questions. You know, easy things like that.

Q: How did you get the idea to write a zombie story inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland?

A: The first thing that came to me was actually the title. I told one of my dearest writer friends (Kresley Cole) and she said, “You have to write that story.” So, I sat down and for only the second time in my life wrote a synopsis for an entire novel. (I’ve always been a figure-it-out-later kind of girl.) Scenes and dialogue began to flow, and the characters began to come to life. Of course, when I sat down to write the actual book soooo much of that changed, but my love for the story and the situation did not. I never wanted to leave the pages!

Q: If you ever met a zombie in real life, you would…?

A: Kick him in the teeth then high-five my mother for teaching me how to kick zombies in the teeth. Then, of course, Mom would do a little kicking of her own. We’d tag team!

Q: Okay, let’s talk about Cole, who, let’s face it, is hot and skilled. Can you tell us anything about his first time fighting a zombie?

A: Cole…my darling Cole…I have such a cougar crush on him! (Sorry, Ali, but it’s true—and you’re lucky I allowed you to survive that car crash. Just sayin’.) As for Cole’s first zombie fight, let’s just say he had his butt handed to him and leave it at that. Or, better yet, let’s just say you’ll actually get to see this scene in book two.... Oh, the joy of YouTube. You can’t hide from it, Cole Holland. You can’t hide!

Q: What’s next for Alice and her friends?

A: Well, the hazmats are ticked, so you just know they’ll be up to no good. Ali and her grams are now living with Reeve, even though Ankh wants Reeve kept out of the war. Kat’s kidney-clock is ticking. A new slayer returns to town, and oh, is he hot. Cole and Ali are gonna have to face something terrible…something– Wait, wait, wait. I’m giving away all the secrets! I’ll end it here before I start writing a synopsis I’ll never follow. What? It’s true.

Thanks so much, Gena!