Xombies: Apocalypse Blues (36 page)
Read Xombies: Apocalypse Blues Online
Authors: Walter Greatshell
But it was obvious we were never going to catch them. It is exhausting to run through mud, and we were already beat: Jake’s face was blotchy red, Julian seemed delirious, and the strain was aggravating my implant something fierce—it felt like a chisel in my head. The painkillers were wearing off. If theirs felt anything like mine, we were all going to be out of action soon. And every second poor Shawn was flopping farther and farther out of reach.
Watching them get away, I finally called it quits: “That’s enough . . . we can’t.” I sounded like I had laryngitis.
“No!” Jake yelled, still plodding. “We have to catch them! Come on!”
Julian slumped in the mud. “It’s all over, dude. Give it up.”
“No!” But the strength seemed to go out of him, and he slowed to an aimless, broken walk. “Don’t you get it?” he whimpered.
“We’re next.”
“We’re next.”
It was hard to think with my skull aching so bad. I tried to look at the whole thing methodically, rationally, in the way that always drove my mother crazy.
I’m not a robot like you!
she would scream during our fights.
I’m a human being! I have feelings!
I thought of Cowper saying,
Lulu, did you look into my heart?
and of Lowenthal calling me a spy.
I’m not a robot like you!
she would scream during our fights.
I’m a human being! I have feelings!
I thought of Cowper saying,
Lulu, did you look into my heart?
and of Lowenthal calling me a spy.
Maybe they were right. Maybe instead of the innocent victim of circumstances I always imagined myself to be, I was a selfish, scheming little creep. Was that the only reason I had made it that far, by conning everyone, including myself? If so, maybe it was justice that it end there and then. I had gotten the boys into this—it was only right that I share their fate.
Crying a little, I fished the gold locket out of my shirt and looked at the baby picture. When had I ceased to be that child? When had I gone bad?
“Here they come,” said Jake.
I gave you my heart, and you didn’t even give it a second glance.
Frowning, I picked open the clasp and took out the picture, looking again at the tiny chicken scratching on the back:
4 ABL SFR 13
. A chill blew through me. I
recognized
this. I couldn’t have understood when I first read it, but I did now.
4 ABL
was four feet Above Base Line—the lowest part of the submarine;
S
was Starboard;
FR 13
was Frame thirteen, as in one of the submarine’s numbered ribs, up near the bow, perhaps inside one of the forward ballast tanks. These were engineering abbreviations used on the diagrams I had been studying. Coordinates. Anyone who knew subs would know these things. I was holding a set of directions.
4 ABL SFR 13
. A chill blew through me. I
recognized
this. I couldn’t have understood when I first read it, but I did now.
4 ABL
was four feet Above Base Line—the lowest part of the submarine;
S
was Starboard;
FR 13
was Frame thirteen, as in one of the submarine’s numbered ribs, up near the bow, perhaps inside one of the forward ballast tanks. These were engineering abbreviations used on the diagrams I had been studying. Coordinates. Anyone who knew subs would know these things. I was holding a set of directions.
I looked up. Hector and Shawn were bearing down on us, full of demonic sunshine, so close I could see that the swelling around their implants had gone blue. In a few seconds, they would grab us and do the things they did. Jake and Julian weren’t moving, impassively watching them come. The men behind the fence watched, too.
Standing up and making an X with my arms, I screeched, “Wait! I know where it is! Colonel Lowenthal!
I know where it’s hidden!
”
I know where it’s hidden!
”
Jake and Julian stared at me, startled.
“I know now! Oh God help us! Please!”
Suddenly I knew this hopeless, ragged plea would be the last sound I would ever make. It was just too late. Hector was coming for me, and nothing anyone could do would be fast enough to stop that. I sank to my knees before him and saw points of red dancing all over his body.
Suddenly I knew this hopeless, ragged plea would be the last sound I would ever make. It was just too late. Hector was coming for me, and nothing anyone could do would be fast enough to stop that. I sank to my knees before him and saw points of red dancing all over his body.
With a strobing, brilliant flash, he came apart. Just tumbled to pieces midstride, while the afterimages of that searing light lingered in the air like childish squiggles. He and Shawn both.
The gate rolled open.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-FIVE
“
C
ome on, Lulu,” Julian said. “You did it. They’re waving us in.”
C
ome on, Lulu,” Julian said. “You did it. They’re waving us in.”
He and Jake were standing over me, dog-tired and dirty as losers at tug-o’-war. I couldn’t seem to move or look them in the face. Everything was a hazy jumble of accusatory ghosts, an ever-growing population of those I had wronged crowding my aching head. I was out of my mind. It’s a strange thing to be mad and to know it.
“Tyrell’s dead,” I muttered.
Julian wasn’t listening. “Come on, we gotta go.”
“We left them there to die. I couldn’t tell you.”
“She’s out of it, man,” said Jake, crying.
“I lied about the rations, too. They were giving me extra the whole time.”
“Lulu, it’s okay.”
“They’re all
dead
! Don’t you
get
it?”
dead
! Don’t you
get
it?”
“Lulu, it’s okay, it’s okay.” Julian knelt beside me, trying to get me to look at him. “Whatever you’re talking about, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we’re still here, and that’s because of you. You saved us.”
Resisting, wanting to shout,
Shut up! Shut up! You’re so stupid!
I melted and sobbed, “No . . .”
Shut up! Shut up! You’re so stupid!
I melted and sobbed, “No . . .”
“Lulu, what do you have? If we’re going to survive, you have to tell us what’s going on. Obviously, you know something we don’t. Quick, before they get here.”
Angrily meeting his eyes, I said, “I have something these people want. Something Cowper gave me.”
Jake exhaled harshly, head bobbing.
“What is it?” Julian asked me.
“Kind of a . . . Xombie vaccine. A miracle cure.”
“For Agent X? Are you serious?”
“For everything. It’s what Agent X was supposed to be: some kind of elixir of life for the fabulously wealthy.” I couldn’t stop a loony giggle from bursting out. “It’s the gift that keeps on giving.”
“Are you
serious
?” Julian took me roughly by the shoulders. “Where is it?”
serious
?” Julian took me roughly by the shoulders. “Where is it?”
“Hidden on the boat.”
“Holy shit! Lulu! And you didn’t
tell
anyone?” Horror and outrage were driving the initial disbelief from his voice. His hands were a pair of live wires. I could see he felt betrayed, not just for himself but for the whole human race.
tell
anyone?” Horror and outrage were driving the initial disbelief from his voice. His hands were a pair of live wires. I could see he felt betrayed, not just for himself but for the whole human race.
“I didn’t
know
,” I said. “I didn’t realize where it was until just now!”
know
,” I said. “I didn’t realize where it was until just now!”
Julian was about to kill me or something, but Jake stepped in, and said giddily, “She’s fucking
bluffing
, dude. Can’t you see that? She’s
bluffing
the fuckers!”
bluffing
, dude. Can’t you see that? She’s
bluffing
the fuckers!”
Julian wavered, taken aback. “What?”
“Of course she’s bluffing. She’s buying us time, tricking them into letting us back on the boat. She’s playing ’em!”
Julian turned to me. “Is that what’s going on, Lulu? Because if you’re not bluffing, and this shit is real, then you absolutely cannot give it to them. It’s our only leverage. If you hand it over, we got nothing.”
Jake said, “Don’t you see? That’s the beauty of it. It doesn’t even matter if it’s real or not. All that matters is that
they
think it’s real! She’s got it all worked out!”
they
think it’s real! She’s got it all worked out!”
“Do you, Lulu?”
I couldn’t bring myself to answer. To let them down.
“Ice-cold, man,” Jake marveled. “You think she’s gonna tell you? Chick is ice-cold.”
Don came galloping out the gate, ivory fangs gnashing. The sight of that red, white, and blue-daubed monster ripped us from our funk.
“Bad monkey!” Jake gibbered.
I held their sleeves, and said, “Stay calm, he’s tame, he’s tame. Just wait.”
“Are you sure?”
“He’s friendly, you’ll see.”
“Are you
sure
?” There was no fight left in them, but they stood their ground, instinctively shielding me from the fantastic beast. Don raced around behind and menaced us toward the compound. Jake said, “If that thing bites me, I’m gonna freak.”
sure
?” There was no fight left in them, but they stood their ground, instinctively shielding me from the fantastic beast. Don raced around behind and menaced us toward the compound. Jake said, “If that thing bites me, I’m gonna freak.”
“Just walk. He’s not going to bite you, trust me.” As I said this I caught a peripheral look at the squirming remains of Hector and Shawn, a scalding rebuke to my continued prideful existence.
Trust me
. The peat fire that was my madness suddenly flared up, and I ran to them, diving to my knees amid their loose parts and trying to piece them back together or something. I don’t know what I was doing. Just before Julian dragged me away, I had picked up a small piece of Hector and swallowed it. Screwing my eyes shut, I pressed on the implant with the heel of my hand until pain routed everything else.
Trust me
. The peat fire that was my madness suddenly flared up, and I ran to them, diving to my knees amid their loose parts and trying to piece them back together or something. I don’t know what I was doing. Just before Julian dragged me away, I had picked up a small piece of Hector and swallowed it. Screwing my eyes shut, I pressed on the implant with the heel of my hand until pain routed everything else.
Laser dots swarmed us like persistent flies as we were shepherded through the gate.
“Anytime, Lulu.”
Colonel Lowenthal’s weaselly voice, amplified by the intercom, was piercingly loud in the confines of the cell, a brightly lit metal tank exactly like the ones I had seen holding Cowper and the other Xombies. This time I was on the mirrored side of the glass, sandwiched between Jake and Julian in a space about the size of a phone booth.
I looked at our scruffy reflection and summoned the words, “I want to make a trade.” It was not me speaking, but it was so sane-sounding, I said it again: “I want to make a trade.”
“We’ve already made one. I fulfilled my end of the bargain, now it’s your turn.”
“I’m not going to tell you anything until you return our people to the boat.”
“I see.”
“Once we’re all out there, and Captain Coombs is back in charge, I will let him set the conditions under which we will hand over the materials. I don’t think I can make that determination on my own.”
“Really? You mean to say that’s too much responsibility for an underdeveloped seventeen-year-old girl to handle? I’m shocked. And here I was all prepared to fold.”
“Fuck you,” said Julian.
“I’m sorry,” Lowenthal said, anything but. “I shouldn’t joke. It’s just
funny
to me that you think you’re in a position to negotiate. You sound like some of the guys we had to deal with here, all polished brass, as if military protocol was some kind of natural law like gravity. They couldn’t tell which way the wind was blowing until it blew them away. It was really sad. Lucky for me, I guess. But you’re just
like
them—you think you’re privileged to hold on to your illusions, exempt from anything that doesn’t suit you. Haven’t you learned anything by now? Maybe they let you get away with this on the sub, but if so, I don’t know why you’re demanding to have that jackass Coombs be put back in charge. Captain Lulu is more like it.”
funny
to me that you think you’re in a position to negotiate. You sound like some of the guys we had to deal with here, all polished brass, as if military protocol was some kind of natural law like gravity. They couldn’t tell which way the wind was blowing until it blew them away. It was really sad. Lucky for me, I guess. But you’re just
like
them—you think you’re privileged to hold on to your illusions, exempt from anything that doesn’t suit you. Haven’t you learned anything by now? Maybe they let you get away with this on the sub, but if so, I don’t know why you’re demanding to have that jackass Coombs be put back in charge. Captain Lulu is more like it.”
“If you think you’re intimidating me, you’re wrong,” I said. “I know how important what I have is to you. You and your
Moguls
. Well, tell them they’ll never get it without me, not until you set us free.”
Moguls
. Well, tell them they’ll never get it without me, not until you set us free.”
“Ooooh. Listen to
her
. Hey, it may be true we’ll never find it, lady, but at this point I seriously doubt you know anything helpful. I personally think your papa destroyed it, if it ever really existed, but I’ll keep searching every inch of that sub until I know for sure, even if it takes a year. Either way I’m not cutting any more deals. All you’re doing now is grasping at straws, trying to buy time. I respect that—it’s what I would do in your position—but unless you have something real to offer, it has to end now.”
her
. Hey, it may be true we’ll never find it, lady, but at this point I seriously doubt you know anything helpful. I personally think your papa destroyed it, if it ever really existed, but I’ll keep searching every inch of that sub until I know for sure, even if it takes a year. Either way I’m not cutting any more deals. All you’re doing now is grasping at straws, trying to buy time. I respect that—it’s what I would do in your position—but unless you have something real to offer, it has to end now.”
“It is real. I could take you to it right now, right this second, but I guarantee you’ll never find it if anything happens to us or anyone else from the boat.”
“You’re such a
baby
. Even if that were true, don’t you realize your best bet is to accept what you’ve been so generously offered? Full citizenship in MoCo, security, a halfway-decent future?
Life
, goddammit! It’s the most anyone can hope for now, and you’re throwing it away because somebody changed the rules on you, and your feelings are hurt? I don’t think so; you’re not that dumb. And if you are . . . well, honey, we no longer have the luxury of being able to save people like you from themselves, I’m sorry.”
baby
. Even if that were true, don’t you realize your best bet is to accept what you’ve been so generously offered? Full citizenship in MoCo, security, a halfway-decent future?
Life
, goddammit! It’s the most anyone can hope for now, and you’re throwing it away because somebody changed the rules on you, and your feelings are hurt? I don’t think so; you’re not that dumb. And if you are . . . well, honey, we no longer have the luxury of being able to save people like you from themselves, I’m sorry.”
Julian said, “It’s you we need to be saved from, asshole.”
Lowenthal suddenly seemed to lose all interest. “I’m sure we’re
all
in dire need of a savior. In the meantime, we have to manage as best we can. Without Miska’s data we’ll have to beef up our own research, which means we need a lot of test subjects. Fortunately we’ve just received a big shipment by U-boat: You three will participate in the first clinical trial, starting right now.”
all
in dire need of a savior. In the meantime, we have to manage as best we can. Without Miska’s data we’ll have to beef up our own research, which means we need a lot of test subjects. Fortunately we’ve just received a big shipment by U-boat: You three will participate in the first clinical trial, starting right now.”
“Good!” yelled Jake, losing it. “Bring it on, motherfucker!”
“I will.”
“You do that!”
“I am.”
“We don’t give a shit!”
“You got it.”
“Then
do
it, if you got the stones! Bust a move!”
do
it, if you got the stones! Bust a move!”
“Jake, be quiet.”
“It’s done,” said the colonel. “Just a few seconds now . . .” There was a slithering noise outside the tank, getting louder. “Well, it’s been fun.”
“You’re out of your mind,” I said.
“That’s what they said about Masters and Johnson.” From a row of chrome spouts high up the wall, ice-cold water began gushing in.
I thought I knew what cold water was. I had spent plenty of time mucking around in tide pools, foraging oysters, clams, and periwinkles in the dead of winter, with my numbed fingers getting all cut up by mussel shells as I dug. But this was colder. Cold was the wrong word for this. This
burned
. Burned like it was peeling off skin as it rose over feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, crotch, hips, waist, nipples, shoulders. The boys and I pressed together as tightly as we could, our shouts and moans lost in the deafening torrent:
burned
. Burned like it was peeling off skin as it rose over feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, crotch, hips, waist, nipples, shoulders. The boys and I pressed together as tightly as we could, our shouts and moans lost in the deafening torrent:
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