Night Beyond The Night (32 page)

Jade kept lighting them, giving him unnecessary directions (“Get that one!” “Over there!”) and he kept winging them, perfect pitch after perfect pitch, holding them off. But they were running out of alcohol and
where the hell was Theo
?

Just then, one determined monster made it close enough, stumbling toward them. Elliott grabbed his clothes stand and whaled on him like he was a fast pitch.

The metal stand connected with the creature, and zombie brains went flying as the blow sent the lunk tumbling back into his comrades.

“Let’s go,” Elliott said, grabbing up the last flare and Jade’s hand, but before he could pull her off, she slipped free and shoved a large box in between them and the advancing
gangas
.

“Light it,” she yelled, just as Elliott heard Theo shouting behind them.

“I found it!”

Elliott kicked the shirt flares into a pile next to the box, then lit the last bottle rocket and tossed it onto the pile.

“Run!”
He grabbed Jade’s hand and they dashed after Theo as the bomb exploded.

The three of them rushed as fast as they could through the small door that led to the back room. Elliott shut the door behind them, hoping that it would take the
gangas
a few extra moments to find the escape.

Now they were in the stockroom, and this one had fewer emergency lights, so it was darker than the store. But once again, Jade had been thinking, and she lit another wadded up shirt that acted as a torch.

“Save the lighter,” she said.

“Service door leads to a back corridor,” Theo said breathlessly as they found the back door of the stockroom. Elliott saw that he was navigating quite well on his own steam while using the clothes-stand-turned-walker. His biggest problem was getting around boxes and piles of plastic-wrapped clothing waiting to be tagged and put on shelves. Elliott wondered briefly if there were any shirts in an XL, but that was only a brief blip, for the sounds of the
gangas
were getting close.

Theo flung the door open and they went through, finding themselves in an even more poorly lit corridor. Fortunately, Jade’s torch was burning slowly enough that they had plenty of light, and would for a time.

“I didn’t go all the way,” Theo said, “just found this hall. It should lead to the outside. What time is it anyway?”

“It’s still morning, so it should be light outside. We’ll be safe once we get out,” Jade replied just as the splintering sound of a door collapsing reached their ears.
Damn.
One down, one to go. They had to move faster.

“I don’t want to get trapped back here in this corridor,” Elliott said. “If they come in from another direction, I don’t want to be caught in such a small space.”

They moved along the passageway, which smelled dusty and dank, but was surprisingly clear of debris. The scent of mold and mildew hung in the air, and Jade stifled a shriek when they all walked into a huge spider web. It hung across the entire expanse of the hall, and even Elliott, who used to chase Janelle and his other cousins with wolf spiders he held by one leg, didn’t want to bump into the arachnid that had made that web.

Especially after the size of the snake he’d encountered in the tunnel.

“Here,” Theo said, stopping. “Jade.”

She quickly moved the torch toward the first and only door they’d come across on the left side of the corridor—which was the outside wall of the mall, as far as they could tell.

The door was metal and heavy—of course, for security—and still quite intact.

“If we get this fucker open and there’s a goddamn slab of concrete blocking it on the other side, I’m going to be really pissed,” Theo said, in the understatement of the year.

“Let’s get to it,” Elliott said. He looked at Theo, then at Jade. The sounds of the
gangas
were coming closer. “I have two bottle bombs left. I could use one to try and blow this up, or keep it in case we need it.”

“Keep it,” Theo said. “We can get this fucker open.”

Elliott looked at Jade, who replied, “Keep it.”

She held the torch up, steadily, as Theo and Elliott set to opening the door. The hinges were rusted; the metal bolt lodged in place hadn’t been moved for fifty years and did not want to go.

They spent several nerve-racking moments of unsuccessful work prying at the bolt with Theo’s screwdriver, then the handle of Elliott’s knife, to the tune of Jade’s urgings, “Hurry, hurry!”—as if he weren’t. Finally, Elliott took Theo’s walker and began to slam it against the latch.
Clang! Clang!

The noise echoed through the small corridor, and they heard the slam of the second door open down the passageway. It would only be a matter of moments. Elliott didn’t stop swinging at the bolt, but he kicked his pack toward Theo. “Bottle bomb,” he said. “Get ready.”

He slammed again and felt something that time. “I think it moved!” he said.

“It did,” Jade said, her voice tense for the first time. “Don’t stop! Hit it harder!”

He did as Theo fumbled through the pack and pulled out the last bottle, and the metal bolt moved more and more, creaking a bit each time. “Come
on
you fucking
thing
,” Elliott swore as the sounds of
ruuu-uuuthhhh
and the smell of
gangas
came closer.

“I’m going to throw it,” Theo said.

“At the count of five,” said Jade. “We’re almost there. One . . . two . . . three. . . .”

“Four . . .
five!
” Elliott swung as hard as he could, connecting solidly with the bolt as if he’d made a homer. With the bases loaded. He felt the bolt give significantly as Theo flung the bomb.

The bottle exploded down the hall, and Elliott swung one more time.
Crash!

The bolt slammed to the side and the door creaked ajar. Jade pulled on it, and the door opened. A crack of light—pure, clean, white sunlight—gaped into the darkness.

They stumbled out, blinking in the sudden brightness.

Squinting, he looked up and saw that they were not alone.

Two men were standing there, the one about Elliott’s age holding a fucking gun. Trained right at them.

The other man, with wheat-colored hair and an evil glint in his green eyes, smiled coldly. “Well, well. Diana Kapiza,” he said. “At long last.”

Eight months After

It finally happened.

Thaddeus Marck lost it and went on another rampage. Since he lost the election for mayor, he’s become more fanatical. He and some of his supporters attempted a fucking coup, tried to take over the council meeting Rowe was having. Knives, simple bottle bombs, even a gun.

Managed to subdue them, get the weapons away. More of us than them, thank God.

Voted and decided to take them out past the limits of the safe area and leave them there.

I voted for it, only because I don’t think he’ll change, and he’d been warned what would happen. He’ll keep trying to get control. And next time someone could die. Ironic if that happened—someone dies while he’s trying to get us to preserve the race.

But it was a horrible thing to do: to put them out there. Still not sure it was the right thing. Are we becoming Puritans, banishing when we disagree with others? Or was he the Puritan?

Gave them food and stuff, but left them to the
gangas
.

That’s what we’ve taken to calling the Ruth monsters—the
gangas
. Couldn’t stomach the term “zombie.” It was too damn horror-movie-ish.

When I said that to Theo, he laughed. “We’re fucking living an apocalyptic horror flick, don’t ya know.”

He’s right.

As for my Elsie and me . . . we have no problem trying to repopulate the world.

—from the journal of Lou Waxnicki

Jade’s world froze.

She looked up into the startling green eyes of Raul Marck—eyes so much like hers that she’d wondered more than once if he might be her father. It was possible. Not that she cared.

He looked no different than he had the last time she’d seen him—three years ago. He had a narrow, handsome face creased by rough living and weather. Where it wasn’t lined, his golden skin was smooth and shiny. She wasn’t certain how long ago he’d been born—it was definitely after the Change—but his hair was silvery and his lips thin and colorless.

He was going to take her back.

No way
.

She wasn’t about to let this skinny, knobby-handed bounty hunter ruin her happiness. Just when she thought things were going to be all right. When she’d gotten comfortable in her own skin again, found her place, built a life . . . and had fallen in love with a man who had more empathy and courage than anyone she’d ever met, and who actually appreciated all of her. Even her need to be in control.

Elliott had moved to stand with her, his large, warm body emanating protection. He would have brushed forward to block her from the other men, but Ian Marck, who was holding a gun, made a warning sound.

“Tell your protectors not to move or I’ll blow them into pieces,” said Ian. He was Raul’s son, and he meant what he said. His eyes, though frigid blue, not green, had the same hard expression as his father’s.

“Elliott,” Jade said when she felt his muscles tense.
Take it easy. We’ll get out of this. It’s three of us against two.
She caught a glimpse of Theo out of the corner of her eye, still leaning on the metal stand near the door. If he’d been able to move faster, he would have been next to her as well.
Okay, only two and a half of us
.

Besides, she and Elliott had bested an immortal Stranger together. They could figure out a way out of this. Jade straightened, realizing she had to keep the attention on herself. Keep it focused away from Theo and Elliott. The healer and the computer wiz—they were more important in this battle against the Strangers than she was.

“Raul,” she said, looking directly at him for the first time in three years, “what an unpleasant surprise.” She managed to keep her voice steady and cool. No inflection, nothing to indicate that her belly felt as though it were spinning on a nonstop carousel. And that her heart slammed hard enough to shake her fingers.

“I’ve been looking for you for three years. I suspected you weren’t dead, and I knew if I was careful and smart, I’d find you.” He smiled with delight, and she could tell he was already enjoying the reward Preston was bound to compensate him with for her return. “Incidentally, Luke Bagadasian is the one who helped confirm your whereabouts.”

“Luke?” Jade couldn’t hide her shock. “You tricked him?”

“Oh, no. It wasn’t a trick. It was pure greed. And, I think, it might have been a bit of a bruised ego, my dear Jade. You do seem to leave a lot of broken hearts in your wake, don’t you? Preston, Luke, even the mayor of Envy, or so rumor has it. But, I’m sorry to say that I’ve never fallen prey to that weakness.”

“No. Your weakness has always been of the monetary sort. And for grit,” she replied, still not believing that Luke would have betrayed her just because she wouldn’t let him kiss her. “You must be the one supplying Rob Nurmikko. You and Ian,” she said, tossing a measured look at the younger man.

Ian actually frightened her more than his father.

“Nurmikko’s useless. He’s going to eat it tomorrow, after he delivers his cargo to your friend Preston.” Raul’s eyes had taken on a cold gleam. “He thinks he’s going to the compound, where he’ll have as much dust as he can handle, but that’s not the case. We’ll shove him overboard at the opportune moment. All we need from him is the shipment that he’s been collecting for the last few months. These things take time, you know.”

If she could just keep him talking . . . it would give her or Elliott or Theo time to figure something out. But what? “Shipment of what? Furniture? Dust?”

Raul laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t waste my time with piddling cargo like that, Diana darling. Humans. Only the youngest, healthiest specimens, of course. Slaves. The only thing Preston and Fielding can’t provide for themselves. Their weakness is my strength. My wealth.”

Slaves. Jade realized all at once what the list in the Stranger’s book was. An inventory—of young, healthy, teens. Perfect for replenishing their workforce. She felt Elliott’s tensile reaction behind her as he obviously came to the same realization.

Oh God
. Vaughn had seen Geoff and some of the others leave Envy last night. Where were they going? They had to be meeting somewhere . . . then they could be brought into captivity and shipped off. “Nurmikko . . . he got them introduced to grit, didn’t he? So he could lure them away easily.”

“That was my idea. Why else would they leave the safety of Envy? How could a group of youngsters resist something so forbidden, yet so delicious? We certainly weren’t going to go in and raid the place and try to steal them away. Too messy and would cause too much suspicion.” Raul shifted, his eyes spanning her greedily. “Preston will be so very delighted to see you again. He’s missed you.”

The information clicked through her mind. If Jade went with them, she’d not only find out where the shipment was to be delivered, but she’d have the chance to help them escape.

Her palms dampened. “I hope you have more comfortable traveling accommodations than you did before,” Jade said, lifting her chin and nose in a little sniff. Her heart started up again, thumping hard as ever. “The last time you transported me, I found your methods severely lacking.”

Elliott’s breath caught in a silent whuff, as if he’d understood her plan. She could feel the anger fairly sparking from him. She wanted to reach back and touch him, for her comfort as well as for his own. But she dared not . . . she dared not let Raul and Ian know what he meant to her. Raul gave a short bark of laughter. “As I recall, last time you weren’t particularly eager to join me. But if you cooperate, there will be no need for you to ride with the
gangas
—and dressed in ropes this time.”

“I’ll never be eager to join you, Raul Marck,” Jade said, pleased that her voice remained haughty. Despite the increased tension rolling from Elliott in waves, she didn’t look at him. She could give nothing away. “But if you think to take me back to Preston, you had best be more accommodating than before. He wasn’t particularly pleased with the condition in which I arrived when you delivered me last time.”