Part 38 (1/2)
I walked over to Howie, glad that Jade was asleep. I looked at Clyde and he jerked Howie up by the pits, his head lolling to the side. Chief sidled over to him, putting the sharpest part of the tomahawk against the tender side of his neck.
”Master,” he breathed out, his eyes energized by the possibility of murdering this one. My thoughts bare before him.
I couldn't hide anything I felt from the dead.
He knew of my naked hatred for Howie. He wanted that to come full circle.
If Howie were dead, he would not be of consequence any longer.
The simplicity of zombies. Sometimes I admired their logic.
It just couldn't be beat.
Instead, I said, ”Wait.”
He tensed, my command a literal evocation.
Clyde slapped Howie's face in a singular and brutal clap that rocked his head back and his eyes burst open.
I smiled at Clyde, he got s.h.i.+t done.
Howie opened his mouth to speak. I was sure it would have been something really final.
Like, Go Die.
Instead, Chief pressed the blade tightly against his neck and his eyes s.h.i.+fted to the zombie that had eyeb.a.l.l.s that were sticky and wet in its sockets, the tongue a black snake in its mouth.
More than ready to strike.
Yes, indeedy.
”I want you to tell the brothers a little something,” I began.
”f.u.c.k you, Hart.”
Imaginative guy.
Clyde glared at him.
Chief drew blood, the blade sinking into the flesh at his throat and Howie rose on his tiptoes to avoid it, straining away from the steel tip. Chief followed his lean expertly, effectively trapping Howie's motion. Clyde looked at Chief and then gave his full attention to Howie. He hissed out of a perfect mouth, the sound unnatural even to my ears.
He had nowhere to go. Howie met my eyes again.
”Ready?” I asked in a conversational tone.
He glared at me, saying nothing. I jerked my chin to the right, indicating the brothers.
My zombies-of-the-hour dragged the Manipulative to the brothers.
I whispered to Howie what I wanted him to tell them.
He jerked his head back. ”No!”
”You can't do it?”
”I can... but I won't.”
”Losin' your nerve?” I strode closer to him, grabbing and bunching his s.h.i.+rt in my fist. ”Remember, you were gonna tap my girl? You were gonna bid on her?” I said in a voice that trembled with palpable rage. He was lucky I didn't have the zombies do a hack-fest on him. It was soundin' pretty good about now.
He saw it in my eyes, gulping.
”Do it,” I said and Chief jerked him with one powerful shake, his head whipped back on the stem of his neck, a broken weed if he didn't cooperate.
Clyde tied Howie to the post, the Chief standing with the blade at the ready. When they were done I turned to Gary, Joe just starting to stir, a gruesome lump standing vigil on his forehead.
”Where's the adrenaline, pal?”
He looked at me blankly. I smiled and said, ”There are some advantages to being a scientist's son. Where there's a sedative, there's a counter. I know you have it.”
I laid my palm open before him. Zondorae made a disgusted noise in his throat. From out of the depths of one of his pockets, he extracted a collector, the tab to release the substance, red.
I knew it was what I needed.
”How long?” I asked.
He sighed. ”Twenty-four hours, maybe slightly longer.”
Perfect.
Howie's eyes widened. I came to him.
”What are you doing, Caleb?” John asked, dragging Elise and Tiff behind him. My friends gathered around me, Brett stayed where he was, Jade was still sleeping and his injuries made him slow.
Gramps hobbled over to my position.
I looked him over. ”You need an organic.”
”Yup.” He looked at Howie. ”Do your thing, Caleb.”
I nodded. Turning, I slapped the dispenser on Howie's exposed arm, turning it in the opposite direction of collection.
He flinched as I watched the thing drain into his arm.
I had about one minute before he did the hyper jitter.
I thought about his words then I looked at the Chief, who pressed that blade back to the wounded position with relish. Howie hissed at the stinging pain, the metal biting at the rawness that lay there.
”Speak,” I told Howie like he was a dog.