Zombie Rising: The Fourth Kelly Chan Novel Page 8

  “What was it really?”

  “We have no idea. We just know the first one came out of a swamp.”

  This wasn’t helping my mood or our situation. “How much time do you think we have? What happens when they change?” I asked.

  “We’ll need to have you two on site when that happens.” Ramona tapped her chin. “Who’s this Dire guy you mentioned earlier? Is he like you two? A Sekutar warrior?”

  I nodded. “Yep. There’s a few of us still kicking around, despite what DGI tried to pull.”

  That worried line appeared between Ramona’s brows again. “Call him. Call all of them. Now.”

  Chapter 18

  “I can get a security force from DGI, too, just to be safe.” Amanda tapped her phone screen. “We already have observers in place at the hospital.”

  No way was I going to let that happen. The only wizard I work with is my BFF. “I think the Sekutar have security covered, Amanda.”

  “Oh, it’s no trouble! I’ll…” she stopped when she saw the look on my face. “Never mind.”

  Brand went to call the other Sekutar. This was just what he needed, something to kill. A lot of things to kill. Truth is, I was looking forward to it too. I felt bad for the families who were about to lose loved ones. Had already lost loved ones and didn’t even know it. I even felt bad for Daphne. A little. Okay, no, but I did feel bad for Brand.

  Ramona scrolled through some numbers until she found the one she wanted. While she waited for the line to connect, she tapped on the fishbowl and watched the beta flare red. Mufasa was better than a stress ball.

  “Hey,” she said. “I need to talk to Veronica Blue Corn. Tell her it’s kiva business.”

  Whoever it was put Ramona on hold. She continued tapping on the fishbowl. I listened to Brand go crazy on the phone in the next room. Thankfully, the last class had already left – I heard Jessica cleaning up.

  “Zombies, man! No I am not joking. Not. No, it’s not a movie set. Dude! Zombies! And get this – vampire zombies!”

  Ramona covered her phone. “Do you think you can quiet him down?”

  “And bugs! Big ones! Like old Fifties-movie-sized bugs! That eat people–”

  “Actually, I don’t want to this time.” I took his excitement as a good sign.

  Someone came on the other line. Ramona listened. “Shit! You’re kidding me. No. Get a hold of her now, I don’t care where she is. This is kiva business. And if you can’t get her, get Andy. Ah, well that figures.” Ramona looked at me and shook her head, totally exasperated.

  She disconnected. “The two people in the world we really need, and they’re on vacation.”

  “So what’s the big deal? A couple more phone calls, right?”

  “What’s the big deal? When they go on vacation, they go on vacation. To remote areas, places that don’t have phones, places that sometimes don’t have running water. And office gossip says they’re vacationing together. I don’t think they want to be disturbed.” Ramona ran her hands through her hair. “I hate real life.”

  Amanda cleared her throat. “I have connections.” She waggled her phone in the air at me. “Magic ones.”

  “No fucking way,” I said. “I have connections, too. Better ones that don’t want me dead.”

  Amanda rolled her eyes. “DGI does not want you dead, they want you back on staff.”

  “Which is worse.”

  “This is fascinating, ladies,” Ramona said, “but not as pressing as the upcoming apocalypse. So what do you suggest, Kelly?”

  “Ghouls.”

  Ramona tilted her head down and looked at me over her glasses. “Excuse me, but did you say ghouls? As in, monsters that hang out in cemeteries? We’ve already got a bunch of those on the way.”

  Brand came back in the office, followed by Jessica. She looked thoroughly freaked out but stayed calm, to her credit.

  Jessica pushed in front of Brand. “They don’t like to be called ghouls. They call themselves Kin. They’re not monsters.”

  “Jessica, she didn’t mean any harm,” I said.

  “Sorry for jumping in. You know how I am.”

  I did. I wanted to protect Jessica, but she insisted on being a part of the bigger world ever since the previous winter.

  Ramona turned her skeptical look on Jessica. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

  Amanda cut in. “Colorado really needs some sort of guide to the local paranormal scene. Give it out with the “Welcome to Denver” brochures and the map to all the dispensaries.”

  I raised my hand to shut her up. “Kin can travel through shadows, like vampires and Watchers,” — I ignored Ramona’s increasingly perplexed stare – “so they can sneak into the hospital rooms, grab the victims and take them somewhere secure.”

  Amanda favored me with a golf clap. “That’s not a bad idea, Kel.”

  Ramona pushed her glasses back up. “How are you going to talk these Kin into helping us? It’s dangerous.”

  I thought about the bloodbath in the stadium, and a certain former self-styled mother-figure who was anything but. “They owe me a favor.”

  “I’ll call Kess and explain the situation, see if they’ll help,” Jessica said. “If someone wants to fill me in on the details. I heard Brand talking to Dire. Are we really facing zombies?”

  “Among other things.” Amanda came around the desk and they left the office.

  Ramona frowned at me, the worry line deepening. “So what do we do when everyone panics about the patients disappearing?”

  “Maybe your people at the CDC will be back from vacation by then and can tell everyone how they had to transport the victims secretly for public safety.”

  “That’s not how the CDC works.”

  “It’ll be easier to explain away a deadly contamination after the fact than an Orkin man’s nightmare up front, don’t you think?”

  Ramona closed her eyes and sighed. “I’ll see what they can do.”

  “There’s something else I want you to do, too,” Brand said. “I want you to get on the computer and look up the myth where the fucking Children of Kokocrispies get turned back to normal.”

  Ramona opened her eyes. “I won’t find anything there.”

  Brand took a step toward Ramona. I could see and feel every muscle in his body tense. I knew better than to grab him suddenly, so I pitched my voice to smash concrete. “Brand.” It did the job and he stopped.

  Ramona put her hands up, not in a gesture of surrender but exasperation. “We’re on the same side, Bud.”

  “We’d better be.”

  “You’re lucky I’m even letting any of you help. This is kiva business and you are not in the tribe.”

  Brand threw his head back. “I’d love to see you go one round with a single zombie.”

  Ramona reached for the strip of rawhide around her neck and pulled it up. A small leather pouch hung at the end.

  Brand laughed. “Hex bag? Gonna curse me now?”

  “Don’t be stupid. I’m not a white witch.” I didn’t think her use of “white” meant good magic.

  I stepped between them. “No spells, no fighting, no bitching in my office or I’m kicking both your asses.”

  Ramona looked up at me from where she sat. I couldn’t help but notice how her eyes lingered the slightest bit on the way to my face. “Believe it or not, I still want to help this asshole. If he doesn’t live up to my low expectations of his intellect and try to kill me before then.”

  I felt Brand ease up behind me. “I’m sorry.” It didn’t sound convincing, but it was good enough for Ramona.

  “We’re cool.” Her gaze stayed on mine as she smiled. “Anything for a new friend.” She dropped the pouch back down her blouse.

  Jessica had the Kin situation covered and I thought it best to separate Brand and Ramona. I pulled my keys out of my pocket. “If you need to research a cure, I can drive you to a good library at CU.” I paused. “I used to know a librarian there.”

  “Used to? What
happened to her?”

  “Oh,” I shrugged. “Her head came off.”

  Ramona laughed and shook her head. She didn’t know enough about me yet to understand I wasn’t joking. “No need to go all the way there. I’ve got something way better than a college library.” She made another call. When the phone connected, she smiled.

  “Hey Grandma, it’s me. I’m in Denver. Oh, you are, really? Look, Veronica and Andy are incommunicado and I’ve got a little problem….” Which Ramona didn’t have time to explain just then.

  Because said problem decided to attack my dojo.

  Chapter 19

  Ah, yes. I prize my quiet moments sometimes, when my biggest worry is paying the next bill.

  Just kidding. Killing is way more fun.

  First came the broken glass, then Jessica’s scream, then Amanda shouting, “Kelly!” But I was already smiling and rubbing my hands together in anticipation.

  Brand ran out the door yelling, “It’s killer time!” as I vaulted my desk.

  “Call you back, Grandma!” Ramona jumped up.

  “Stay put!” I called over my shoulder.

  “Nope!”

  “Fine. Just keep out of my way.”

  Amanda and Jessica stood in a protective shield. Three vampires surrounded them, two women and a man. Instead of using mind control to persuade Amanda to drop the magic, they banged on the clear shield with their fists. With every hit, colors zig-zagged across the magic field like the surface of a soap bubble.

  “I thought you said they were smart zombies,” Amanda yelled to Brand.

  “Well, the human ones are.” He slashed at the nearest vampire, a guy who looked like he’d been turned in his late teens and grateful he’d been spared from a life in retail.

  “And what’s driving them? I don’t hear any music.”

  “Beats me.” The vampire blurred as he moved on Brand, faster than any I’d ever seen. He punched a hole in Brand’s chest.

  My Sekutar senses sharpened and the room went slow-mo. A second vampire detached herself from the shield and shot at me. She matched her companion’s speed. I didn’t have time to draw a weapon. I’d dressed quickly that morning, so I only had half a dozen on me anyway, but I’d chosen them well.

  She came within my reach and I roundhouse kicked her. That gave me enough room to pull my specialized tonfa. Ever seen a police baton? These are the Asian ancestors. I lined the longer ends up with my forearms while the shorter ends stuck out. Tonfa are made of thick hardwood and designed to protect the forearm from long weapons and sharp blows. But mine are different. I don’t need the protection. My tonfa are thinner, easy to conceal. Made of aspen, ends sharpened to wicked points.

  I assumed the shiko-dachi position – feet at forty-five degree angles lined up with my shoulders, knees bent. The vampire recovered and I blocked her next attack with my arm, tonfa-side out so she hit wood. I pushed her far enough away to swing the long end of the tonfa forward. Against a normal opponent, I’d let the tonfa connect with her face and send her into the next life. Doesn’t work with a vampire. So I did the thing that does work.

  I thrust forward with all my strength and sent the sharpened aspen wood straight into her heart. I let go of the tonfa, kicked her, and she fell to the floor.

  I felt the vampire who attacked Brand charge behind me. I readied for the attack. But he wasn’t after me. I turned as he went straight for Ramona. She stopped outside the office doorway and reached for the pouch around her neck. Her mouth opened as the vampire closed in.

  I heard a series of clinks as a manriki-kusari flew past me. The weighted chain wrapped itself around the vampire’s throat. Brand pulled back on the chain and stopped the thing in its tracks just as he reached for Ramona. Then Brand was on top of him, hog-tying hands to feet with the rest of the chain.

  “Not bad for your first zombie rodeo,” Ramona said as she watched Brand.

  The third vampire ran at us. I had one tonfa in my hand. With my back to her, I decided to take her out with gedan barai – a classic move that sent my tonfa backward into the vampire’s heart. I had a moment of disorientation, like when you’re pulling your car forward while the car next to you is backing up, as the sharpened end of my other tonfa simultaneously jutted out of my middle.

  Blood splattered across Ramona’s nice gray suit. She looked at the wooden point of the tonfa sticking out of my gut and then at the blood decorating her jacket. Her pupils dilated and she swayed. “How…?”

  “Told you to stay put.” I kicked backward at the asshole vampire. She lost her grip on the tonfa skewering me as she fell. I turned around to see the first vampire I’d taken down. The second one had pulled the tonfa out of the first on her way to killing me. With the tonfa out of her heart, the first vampire stood back up unharmed. She fixed her stare at me and bared her fangs.

  And then I heard it. Faraway music. A flute. So beautiful. Compelling. I stopped to listen. Had to hear it. Speaking to me.

  Ramona wrenched the tonfa out of my back. And with the blood-covered tonfa out of me, the music faded, but didn’t quite disappear. Disoriented, I staggered. The first vampire blurred and then she had me in her grip. Fangs sank into my throat. I’d never been bitten by a vampire or tainted by one’s blood.

  Brand’s fist slammed into the vampire’s head, right on into the skull. Gore splashed over his forearm. I touched the place on my throat when her fangs left two gaping holes. I felt them close up under my fingers.

  Brand’s tied-up vampire broke its chains and made a clumsy but fast grab for Ramona.

  She jumped back, dodging the hand that went for her bare foot. Then Ramona leaped over the vampire and ran past us to the busted door. She disappeared into the night outside.

  “I’ll get her,” Jessica yelled. Amanda had dropped the shield once the vampires stopped attacking them. Jessica ran after Ramona.

  “Don’t! Stay here!” Amanda said.

  Jessica ignored her and kept on going. Amanda rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air.

  She pulled up more magic and hurled it. The chain still wrapped around the vampire’s neck tightened. His eyes and tongue bulged out as he frantically clawed at the links. Several wet popping and tearing sounds later, his head hit the floor.

  “Nice job,” I said. It was fun to watch Amanda kill things. Educational too – it let me gage how much her power grew under DGI.

  Amanda walked toward us. “I used to do that to dandelions when I was a kid. Squeeze the flower and flick it off the stem with my thumb,” Her voice turned sing-song. “Mama had a baby and its head popped off.” She rubbed her hands together, savoring the last of the magic before letting it snap back to the nearest ley line.

  I surveyed the damage. One headless vampire, one incapacitated by a tonfa, one quickly becoming a vampire smoothie under Brand’s fists.

  “I think you got it, babe.” I leaned down and kissed the top of Brand’s head.

  His punches slowed. “I. Hate. Vampires.”

  “One more thing we have in common.”

  “What’s that?” Amanda pointed toward the door. Blue and green lights glowed steadily brighter, outshining the orange streetlights.

  “Probably nothing but bad.” I sprinted to the door with Amanda and Brand close behind. Jessica and Ramona were out there, and Colfax was rough enough without occult help.

  The first thing I noticed was the obvious lack of traffic, like the night Brand and I drove to Tally’s. Just a few street people shuffled down the sidewalk going about their business. And the air just crackled with potential.

  Jessica and Ramona stood on our side of the street. They faced another familiar-looking pair across the way. A man and a woman, dressed in black leather moto jackets and artificially-distressed skinny jeans.

  Brand called to the Hipsters on parade. “Trix! Eleventh!”

  Of course.

  They gave the appropriate DJ response of music and a light show. Trixster raised a flute – the flute – to his lips. Red
-orange light like the fires of sacrifice surrounded him and his body grew, expanded out from the core to become a hunchbacked figure that was not quite human anymore. The first flute notes danced across the street through the hanging green and blue light.

  My head filled with effervescent fuzz and my skin tingled. I fought off the urge to listen to the music, to do its bidding, as good as that sounded.

  It had to be the residual vampire blood still in my system. If my healing abilities failed to clear it out by then, it meant my body saw the blood and its vampiric powers as beneficial, and was in the process of incorporating it.

  I could become a vampire through my own misguided healing powers.

  That thought threatened to shut me down, so I concentrated on something else. Where was the other light coming from? I grabbed onto that question like a life preserver and looked around.

  To discover the light came from Dr. Ramona Honani, quantum physicist and anything but mundane.

  Chapter 20

  Specifically, the light came from the pouch around Ramona’s neck. She held it out in front of her. She chanted, and I focused on her voice, hoping to dislodge the growing command in my head telling me to grab Brand and drag him inside and upstairs to the bedroom, which sounded so much nicer than fighting.

  Stupid voice. Nothing’s nicer than fighting.

  I whipped out a couple shuriken and they joined Brand’s in flight across the street. Ah, teamwork. The shuriken hit the edge of the red-orange light and hovered. Eleventh Hour raised her arms and twirled like a certain Seventies-era witchy rock goddess and the shuriken changed shape like Trixster had. Their edges flapped and grew, and then we had eagle-sized bats shrieking and flying back at us, one bat per customer.

  I pulled a ten-inch blade from each boot and moved to get between Ramona and Jessica and their flying assassins. Brand laughed behind me as he pulled his own blades. Amanda had already woven half her magical shield.

  Ramona waved me off with one hand and a sharp look. I stopped, but not because she told me to. I stopped because I couldn’t quite understand what I was seeing.