Undead Much (7 page)

  Still, there had to be something more or everyone wouldn’t be so sure I was the only one who could have done it.

  There were obviously things going on I didn’t understand. And whatever those things were, I was going to have to figure them out-fast. Sure, Mom seemed determined to stick up for me, but then, she was also withholding some kind of info and in her own room crying instead of in here rubbing my back. That just wasn’t normal Mom behavior. And if I couldn’t count on her for something as small as a back rub, how could I trust that she was going to keep me from going to SA prison for a crime I didn’t commit?

  The answer was, I couldn’t, which made me cry even harder.

  Wednesday morning dawned bright and horrible. My head felt like it was going to explode and my parents were still acting totally weird. I did my best to make a bunch of noise in the kitchen making breakfast, but even the smell of coffee percolating didn’t summon the beasts from their lair. Mom was usually a freak about me drinking coffee, insisting it would decrease my bone density and infuse my cells with toxins and blah blah blah, but apparently she was too exhausted to worry about my vulnerable adolescent skeleton.

  I had a huge to-go cup of French roast in my hand when I opened her door and said goodbye. All she did was mumble, “Be careful” and something about seeing me later, and then roll over to hug Dad-who was also still abed even though he should have left for work at the airport a good thirty minutes ago. He was never late and Mom never slept in. It was strange. And scary.

  My mood was foul before I even arrived at school and only grew fouler as the day wore on. I was so
not
in the mood for acting normal. English and world history seemed utterly pointless. Why did I need to learn about popular trends in twentieth-century literature or the evolution of Islamic culture when I could end up in jail for the rest of my life?

  And who cared about the brilliant fund-raising event Monica and London had organized for Friday night? Sweetheart ice skating was not a giddy-making idea when you might have lost your sweetheart. Ethan hadn’t called or sent a text all morning, and he had to know what went down. If he was allowed to contact me, he would have done it by now.

  By lunchtime I hated my life and all the people happily chattering in the cafeteria. I hated raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens and all that crap. I also hated ravioli and green beans from a can and brownies that weren’t heavy enough. A brownie should be thick and weighty, not light and fluffy like some sort of cake. Brownies are NOT cake!

  “Put the brownie down and step away from your lunch tray.” He was whispering, but I would have known that voice anywhere.

  “You’re here!” I jumped off the chair I’d claimed in an abandoned corner of the lunchroom and flung myself into Ethan’s arms, squeezing until he groaned in pain. God, he smelled so good, like that spicy soap he used and shaving cream and boy.
My
boy, my boyfriend who hadn’t been told not to see me after all!

  “I’m here, but I’m not supposed to be, so let’s sneak while the sneaking is good,” he said, leaning down to grab my backpack when I finally released my death hold.

  “You’re not supposed to be?”

  “Nope. Good thing I’m not a compulsive rule follower anymore.” He smiled and grabbed my hand, but I could tell he wasn’t feeling any more lighthearted than I was. “Come on, I’m parked at the bottom of the hill. If we hustle, we’ll blend in with the rest of the people headed out to lunch.”

  Only seniors were supposed to go off campus for lunch, but I didn’t hesitate when Ethan pulled me out into the bright January day. My coat was still in my locker, but I didn’t care about freezing my butt off either. All I cared about was being with Ethan and
away
from school.

  “You know what? I don’t want to come back,” I said, a spring coming into my step as we made it past the teacher on duty without attracting attention. “I’m going to skip the rest of my classes.”

  “Sounds good,” he said, though usually Ethan would be the last one to encourage ditching school. It was just another reminder that I was in a heck of a lot of trouble. “That will give us more time.”

  “More time for what?”

  “I figured we should do some investigating of our-hey, are you okay?” Ethan asked as he opened the passenger’s door of his car.

  “Not really. But I’m better now that you’re here. I assume you heard the news.”

  “I did, and it’s ridiculous. I can’t believe they think you had any part in raising whatever those things were.”

  “Thanks. It’s nice that someone still believes in me.” There were tears stinging the corners of my eyes, but I sucked them back into wherever tears come from. Tear ducts, I guess? “Kitty and Barker and Elder Thomas think I did it.”

  “They’re insane. Of course you didn’t,” he said, leaning down to give me the softest little kiss. He closed the door and ran around to the driver’s side, while I smiled and tried even harder not to cry. I really did have the
best
boyfriend in the world. “But like I said.” He slid into the driver’s seat and started the car. “I figured we should do some investigating of our own to help prove what we already know.”

  “Won’t that get you in trouble at work?” I asked, as Ethan pulled into the line of cars heading out of the parking lot.

  “Protocol got kicked off the case last night around midnight by the Enforcement team. Apparently they don’t want a bunch of small-town losers screwing up their investigation. So it’s not a direct conflict of interest.”

  “But I thought you said you weren’t supposed to-”

  “The Elders haven’t said anything outright, but Kitty called and strongly advised me to stay away from you until you’re cleared of suspicion.” He pulled forward, taking a left out of the parking lot. “She made it sound like a request, but I got the order vibe loud and clear. I have a feeling I won’t be invited back to training if I get caught helping you.”

  “Then take me back to school.” I grabbed my backpack and pointed to a good place to turn around. “I don’t want you to ruin your chances to do something you love.”

  “I love
you
, Schmeg,” he said, using the old nickname that used to drive me absolutely insane. Now it seemed kind of sweet and made me want to cry again. But then, what didn’t? “It’s just work. You’re my girlfriend.”

  I finally lost the tear battle and started sobbing. Ethan loved me, he
really
loved me. It was wonderful. I was so lucky! So why was it making me have a major, snotty come-apart?

  “Meg, you okay?” Ethan asked, looking a little green to be trapped in a car with a sobbing girl, even one he loved. I nodded, but the tears didn’t seem to want to stop. “I think there are some napkins left over from Sonic in the glove compartment.”

  Sonic! The site of our first pretend date months ago! Remembering how I’d been crushing on Ethan that night, and how I’d been certain he’d never think of me as anything but an annoying little-sister type, helped me pull myself together.

  The impossible had happened. The proof was sitting in the driver’s seat, telling me he loved me. And proving my innocence wasn’t impossible either-it just felt like it because I didn’t know what was going on. Hopefully, by the time Ethan and I were done today, that would no longer be the case.

  “I’m better.” I dabbed at my nose and eyes and took a deep breath. “Where are we starting this investigating?”

  “I drove by Kroger on my way. Looks like the Enforcement team finally pulled out of the woods behind the parking lot. I figure it’s as good a place to start as any.”

  “Right, sounds good,” I said, but it didn’t, not really. I didn’t want to go back into those woods. Still, what choice did I have? Leads were few, and Ethan was right, the best place to start was at the scene of the crime… whatever that crime was. “Did Protocol get any information on why these zombies were so different? I mean, I know using black magic is a felony charge, but there’s got to be some reason the Enforcers think I’m the
only
one who could have done this. I’m guessing it has something to do with having more power than the average Settler, but that’s about as far as I’ve gotten.”

  “That’s what I figured too. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  “Right. But maybe if we can find out what’s so special about the RCs-”

  “They could be Settler-Resistant Undead,” Ethan said, his tone making it clear he’d rather not share this information with me if he could have helped it. “Our Protocol task force leader said he’d heard about SRU attacks in Europe in the fourteenth century that wiped out entire towns. Back then the Settlers’ Affairs people blamed the deaths on the plague to keep humans from freaking out about zombies.”

  “Geez. That’s… very bad.” And Megan wins the Understatement of the Year award. “But why-”

  “And no one ever found out where they came from, who had raised them, or why Settlers couldn’t control them. They just kind of disappeared in modern times. Until now, maybe?”

  “Which would explain why the Enforcers are freaking out, but wouldn’t explain why they think I did this.” Must keep thinking logically, must not start imagining zombies swarming over the entire town of Carol.

  “So we need to find out more about these SRUs, something that will help us start a list of real suspects.”

  “I don’t know much, but I did hear Smythe and Barker saying something about checking the hospitals in Little Rock. They shut up pretty fast when they realized I was standing close enough to hear, but still, it’s something.” He turned into Kroger and pulled around to the back of the store. “If we don’t find anything in the woods, we can start snooping around hospitals and see if we spot anything unusual,” he said, parking beside a Dumpster.

  I couldn’t think of any connection between the Undead and a hospital, but I hadn’t slept very well last night. Still, the whole situation seemed so overwhelming.

  As if sensing my angst, Ethan turned and grabbed my hand before I could open my door. “We’re going to figure this out, Megan. I promise. Everything is going to be fine.”

  After that I just had to kiss him for a minute or two. Even if he was just saying it to make me feel better, it was wonderful having a boyfriend who knew exactly what to say.

CHAPTER 6

T
hree hours and a fruitless search through the woods for clues later, Ethan and I were sneaking down the stairs at the University Medical Center, bound for the morgue. That’s right, the
morgue
, where they cut dead people open and poke at their insides and then stick them in cold storage.

  It was freaking creepy, even for a zombie Settler who regularly kicked it with dead people. I swore I could smell the horrible mix of cold flesh and antiseptic and industrial cleaner wafting through the air, and we still had three more flights to go.

  “You’re sure this is a good idea?” I shivered even as I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. How was it possible to be both sweaty and freezing at the same time? “Don’t you think they’ll have security?”

  “Security for what? The people down here aren’t going anywhere.”

  “I don’t know, security to, like, protect the bodies,” I said, trying to discreetly breathe through my mouth. “To make sure murderers don’t come down here and destroy evidence or something.”

  “You’ve been watching too much
Law & Order
.”

  “I never watch
Law & Order
. I don’t have time for TV.” Which wasn’t entirely true, but when I did have time, I didn’t watch crime shows.

  I’m more of a really heinous reality-TV kind of person, though I would never admit that to Ethan. He likes to watch films. Not just movies, but
films
, and I knew he wouldn’t be impressed with my addiction to
Engaged & Underage
and
Wife Swap
.

  “And what about security cameras? Don’t you think-”

  “Megan, if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to, but we both agree that the morgue is the most logical place in the hospital to look for clues about weird zombies. It’s the only place we’re likely to find a concentration of corpses. Right?”

  “Right. You’re right.” I sighed and gave up trying to dry my hands as we descended the final flight of stairs. Obviously my sweat glands were as super-powered as the rest of me. “I don’t know why I’m being such a chicken.”

  “Because morgues are creepy and the smell is seriously disturbing?”

  I managed a tiny laugh. “I thought I was imagining how bad the smell was.”

  “No way, it’s awful.” He smiled before turning to peek through the door in front of us.

  I saw bright fluorescent lights and clean white walls and caught a whiff of coffee mixed with the dead chemical smell. I couldn’t decide if that made it better or worse, but at least it reminded me that there were living people down here. People who would have to be dealt with if we wanted to get our information.

  “Okay, what’s our story again? We’re college kids doing a report for our cultural anthropology class?”

  “Yeah, let me grab a notebook and pen from your backpack so we’ll look official.” He closed the door and turned me around so he could get to the zipper of my bag.