Love in the Time of Zombies (22 page)

Finally,
Zeke glanced over at her and his mouth curved.  “So… wanna make out before we
die?”

Scotlyn
covered her face with her hands, caught between laughter and tears.  “Why are
you doing this?  Why can’t you just be logical, for once?”

“Because
you’re my person, Trix.”

Her
heart snapped in two.

For
a moment, there was nothing she could say without dissolving into sobs.  Swallowing
hard, she tried a different tactic.  “Well, this show of solidarity is
pointless, since you’re
not
my person.”  She would’ve said anything to
save him, even if it was a total lie.  “If you care about me, you’ll see that
you’re just making my last few moments of humanity socially awkward and…”

He
cut her off.  “You’re a human.”  His eyes went wide and he straightened, again. 
“That’s why you’re changing into a zombie.”

“Right.” 
Good to know he was keeping up.  “And there’s nothing anyone can do about it,
so you might as well save yourself.  You’re nobody’s hero, Ezekiel.  Remember? 
You told me so…”

“You’re
a human.”  He interrupted again.  “If you were a shifter, the bite wouldn’t
infect you.  Supernatural beings don’t turn.”

Scotlyn
had no idea what he was getting at.  “But, I’m
not
a shifter.”

Lavender
eyes met hers, filled with crazed determination.  “Not yet.”  He unclipped the
walkie-talkie from his belt and lifted it to his mouth.  “Cale?  I need you. 
Now
.”

“What
are you doing?”  Scotlyn demanded.

He
ignored that, listening intently as Caleb’s frantic voice came over the radio. 
“I got problems here, Z, so…”

“Scottie
got bit.”

“Aw
fuck
.”

“I’m
going to Change her into one of us.  It’s the only thing I can think of.”

Scotlyn’s
jaw dropped.  “
What?
  Hang on…”

“Will
that stop the infection?”  Caleb asked.

“We’re
about to find out.”

Caleb
was silent for a beat.  “You know what’ll probably happen to you if you do this.”

“I
know.  That’s why I need you here for her.”

“Wait,
what’s
going to happen to you?”  Scotlyn yelped.

Again,
they ignored her.

“Alright.” 
Caleb let out a sigh.  “She’s gotta go through the ritual first.”

Zeke
snorted.  “Luckily, I tricked her into that part, earlier.”

“Tricked
me into
what
part earlier?”  Scotlyn could’ve strangled him.  “What is
this ritual thing?  What did you do?”

“You’ve
only been out of my sight for a couple hours and you took advantage of the poor
girl already?”  Caleb’s eye roll was nearly audible.  “You always were a
gentleman, Z.”

“My
libido is about to save the day, ass wipe.  Just get here.  Room,” he
backtracked to check the door, “thirty-nine eighty-eight.”  He hesitated, his
voice getting more serious.  “If something does go wrong for me, Cale, protect
my mate.”

“I’m
sick of hearing that today.”  Caleb said grimly.  “Just do what you have to do
and keep breathing.  I’m on my way.”

“Zeke?” 
Scotlyn watched him, her heart pounding.  “Take a second and explain this
plan.  You want to turn me into a werewolf?”

“Of
course not.”  He tossed the walkie-talkie aside.  “I’m going to turn you into a
shape shifter.”  He crooked a finger at her.  “Come here, Trixie.”

Instead,
she stepped back.  “Why do I feel like you’re not telling me everything? 
What
could go wrong for you?  What were you talking about?”

“Nothing. 
I was just being cautious.”

“Bullshit. 
You’ve never been cautious a day in your…”  Scotlyn stopped short, her arm
going to her midsection as she doubled over in sudden pain.  It felt like
something inside of her twisted.  Red hot anguish swept over her body, breaking
her out into a sweat and nearly driving her to her knees.  “Oh God.”  She reached
over to steady herself on the wall.  “Zeke, it’s happening.”  Stricken eyes met
his.  “I’m dying.”

“No,
you’re
not
.”  Zeke grabbed her, carrying her back to the bed.  “Keep
your eyes on mine, understand?  I’m right here.”

“We
don’t even know if this will work.”  She tried to focus on his face as the
agony got worse.  “Please don’t do anything crazy.”  Her nails clenched against
his arm, her whole body going stiff.  “
Zeke.
”  She curled against him
and tried not to scream.

“I’ve
got you, baby.”  He laid her on the mattress and leaned over her.  “Hang on.”

“I’m
sorry.  I’m so sorry.”  Scotlyn started crying from pain and fear.  “I don’t
want to be a zombie.”

“You
won’t be.  I’m going to fix this.  I promise.”  His touched her hair.  “Hey,
listen to me, okay?  This is important.  After this, go back and get the metal
box I gave you at TGW.”

“What?” 
She tried to think.

“You
need to find that box and figure out the map inside.  Caleb and Darcy will help
you.”  He kissed her forehead.  “You’re going to be alright.  You stay with
them.”

She
had no idea what he was talking about.  “I want to stay with
you
.”  It
would be so much safer for him to get away from her, but, at the same time she…
needed him.  As darkness closed in, Zeke was the one person she wanted by her
side.  “You said you weren’t going to leave me.”

“I’m
with you until I die, Trix.  Maybe even longer than that.”

“Really?”

“Really.” 
His hand folded around hers, gripping tight.  “Trust me.”

She
did.

Scotlyn
held onto his palm.  “I was never gonna quit that stupid job.”  She needed him
to know that.  “I told myself I would, but the times when I’m happy are when
I’m with you.”

He
smiled, his eyes bright.  “You are my dream.”  He gave her a quick kiss and
then stepped back.  “Now, when it happens, you have to say to say you accept,
alright?  Just like you did before.”

“When
what
happens?”

“You’ll
know.”

If
she hadn’t been dying she would’ve hit him.  It wasn’t the zombification making
her feel violent; it was all her jackass boss.  “This is
such
a bad
idea.”

“You
say that about all my ideas.”

“That’s
because you’re a reckless, irresponsible idiot who doesn’t remember that he’s
not supposed to be a hero…”

Right
before her eyes, he Changed into wolf, again.

Scotlyn
gasped in horror.  “
Stop!
  You’re not supposed to do that without a full
moon.  Caleb said…”  She trialed off with a shriek of surprise as the wolf’s
jaws closed around her wrist.  His teeth sank into the weird tattoo on her
wrist.  “
Hey!
”

Lavender
eyes burned into her, his grip holding tight when she would’ve pulled away.  This
must have been the “it” she was supposed to be waiting for.  Of all the crazy,
insane, suicidal…

“Yes! 
Fine!”  She yelled as his teeth sank deeper into her skin.  “I accept!  Just Change
back to Zeke before it’s too late, you moron!”

He
released his hold on her, leaving a ring of broken skin on her hand and not much
else.  Nothing shape shiftery happened.  Nothing that she felt anyway.  In
fact, for a heartbeat, nothing seemed to happen, at all.

Then,
the crippling pain… eased.

Inside
of Scotlyn, the twisting heat cooled and she could breathe.  The feeling of
“about to become a zombie” faded.  She was herself, again.  Zeke had done it.

He’d
saved her.

Scotlyn
released a shuddering sigh of relief.  “Thank you.”  She reached out to touch
the thick black fur of his neck.  “Thank you.”  He leaned into her palm and she
smiled at him.  “I think I’m okay, now.  Please just shift into yourself again
and…”

Beautiful
purple eyes rolled back and he hit the ground in an unconscious heap.

“Zeke!” 
Scotlyn scrambled out of bed, dropping to her knees beside him.  This was worse
than his collapse in the Wal-Mart.  He hadn’t even turned back into his human
form.  It was like his entire body just gave out.

Also,
he wasn’t breathing.

Goddamn
it!

“Don’t
you do this to me!”  Fumbling in her pocket, she came up with the salt shaker
she’d stolen from Prowl.  “Zeke, wake-up!”  Popping the top off, she dumped the
entire contents of it into his mouth.

Caleb
must have been right and the stuff acted like adrenaline, because Zeke’s whole
body jolted as the salt hit his system.  He slowly morphed back into his human
shape, which she took as a good sign.

He
still wasn’t breathing, though.

She
started CPR, blowing air into his lungs and rhythmically pumping his ribcage. 
Her earlier crisis of faith vanished and she begged God in continuous, jumbled prayers
for some sign of life.  She couldn’t lose Zeke.  He was
everything
to
her.  Without him, she would…

Zeke
gave sudden gasp.

Scotlyn
almost sobbed in relief.  “Zeke?”  She shook his shoulder.  “Wake-up, Zeke!”

He
didn’t open his eyes.  His chest began going up and down in rasping breaths,
though, which was a hell of a lot better than eerily stillness.  At least, he
was alive.

Scotlyn
dipped her forehead to his.  “Just hang on for a few more minutes until Caleb
gets here.  You’ll be fine.  We’re going to get you up and you’ll be…”

Gunshots
sounded in the hall.

“
Cale?
” 
She called, relief filling her.  “In here!  Hurry!”

No
one answered her.  The hairs on Scotlyn’s arms stood up as she realized that
maybe it wasn’t Caleb, after all.  Maybe it was whoever setoff that bomb.

Aw,
shit.

Scotlyn
didn’t take the time to think about it.  She just shoved Zeke under the bed. 
He was heavy as hell, but panic gave her strength.  She made sure he was out of
sight, pulling the comforter down the mattress and onto the floor, so it
blocked him from view.  It was the only choice she had if she was going to keep
him safe.  Whoever was out there, they knew where she was, but they hopefully didn’t
know about Zeke.

Jumping
to her feet, she headed over to try and lock the door.  Before she could slam
it shut, though, a white figure appeared on the threshold.  He pointed an
automatic weapon at her chest, his eyes narrowed behind the plastic faceplate
of this germproof suit.  Whoever he was, he looked like a human.  Actually, he
looked like an astronaut.

“What
are you?”  He barked, jabbing the muzzle at her.

Scotlyn
raised her palms, frozen in shock.

“What
are you?”  He bellowed, again.  “Are you one of them or are you human.”

She
slowly shook her head and told the truth.  “I have no idea.”

Bright side
to the zombie apocalypse:

Two reassuring words for germaphobes:
Hand Sanitizer

Zeke
came awake with a gasp and the sensation that he was flying.

His
eyes popped open, trying to get his bearings.  At first, he thought he was in a
tunnel.  He certainly felt like he’d been hit by a train, so that made sense.  When
he looked down, he saw was inching upward in a long, dark, vertical tube.  His
feet dangled in thin air and the pressure around his chest told him that he was
in some kind of harness.  Also, he was naked again.

What
the hell…?

Zeke
looked up and saw Caleb and Brew in a doorway, hauling him upward.  Actually,
it wasn’t doorway.  It was an opening on a floor high above.  He was in an elevator
shaft, being lifted by a long fire hose wrapped under his arms.

Memories
came flooding back.

He
should be dead.

No
shifter should ever wake-up after two moon-less Changes so close together.  It
wasn’t possible.  Not unless salt got into his system almost as soon as he
collapsed and even then he didn’t see how he kept breathing.  Frankly, when he
made the choice to Change Scotlyn, he’d known he wouldn’t survive.  But, Changing
was the only way to save her, so he’d done it anyway.  Her life for his seemed
like a fair trade.

There
was always a choice for shifters and it turned out his choice was always
Scotlyn.

“Cale?”
 He got out, craning his neck and trying to focus.  “You got Scottie?”

“Stay
still, ya moron!”  Brewer shouted back.  “God, you weigh a fucking ton!”

“Is
she okay?”  Zeke pressed when Caleb remained silent.  “Where is she?”

“Get
him up here, before he freaks out.”

Shifters
had incredible hearing, so Zeke picked up Caleb’s fierce whisper like he was
right next to him.  His eyes darted around the elevator’s opening, trying to
spot Scotlyn and coming up empty.  His heartbeat sped up.  Scotlyn would be
there overseeing his haulage.  She lived to supervise.  “Caleb,
where is
she?
”