I gave Tiff the barest glance before I had to peg a hand to Sensei's head, his hands trying to wrap my throat.
Tiff grabbed Clyde's hand and I thrust my power toward her like a spear, blindly hoping she could wield another's AFTD weapon.
She could. She did. Using it like a scalpel she held my zombie's hand and poured the death energy into his hand, mending it as I fought for my life, Sensei riding me, his fingers digging into my neck like talons. My vision began to dim and I heard Gramps yelling in the background.
Then Clyde was above me, our eyes meeting, human understanding overriding his zombie nature.
I heard a voice shout, "Halt, police!"
Garcia.
Clyde and I hung suspended for a moment, then I gave the order. The only one that mattered.
Kill, my mind whispered.
It was not the word, but the intent he heard.
Clyde put his hands on either side of Sensei's head and I felt the steel bands of his hands loosen from around my neck to release the hold on his head but too late.
Clyde met his hands in a clap, Sensei's face collapsing under the force, a pressure not known in nature. A devastating blow that caused his features to meld in a dance of flesh, bone and blood.
I was instantly splattered with gore. I must've passed out for a second because when I became aware again it was pandemonium. Garcia was screaming at Gale at the top of his lungs and she was crouched protectively in front of Clyde.
Who was under threat of fire from Garcia, a blue flame dancing on the end of a weapon made for this.
Made for the murder of a zombie.
But not Clyde. He was mine and I was his.
Apparently, he was Gale's too.
I staggered to my feet, swiping Sensei's brains out of my face so I could see, some of it landing with a wet splat on the mat. Clyde glanced at it, distracted with instant lust just as Garcia reached for Gale, latching onto her arm.
"No!" I screamed with everything I had. I knew how Clyde would react.
Hissing, he tore Gale away from Garcia and put her behind him protectively, her small body covered by his. "Do not lay hands on Roberta, Officer Garcia. I will hurt you."
Garcia backed away, shifting his eyes to mine. "What in the blue fuck is going on here, Caleb!" he said on a voice stressed to breaking, all semblance of civility, any presence of mind that told him there were teens around, bystanders. Gone.
Utterly.
I didn't even know where to begin. We had killed people here, my zombie had. Alex lay bleeding and the girls needed medical attention. I could hardly talk because of my abused throat. But I opened my mouth to try.
Then Parker showed up.
Could things get any more screwed to Sunday if I'd wished for it?
*
Garcia swung his gun to Parker and he smiled in response. Man he was a cool customer.
Bred from merciless deeds, I thought cryptically.
"Stay where you are," Garcia said, on the edge of doing things he swore he'd never do.
Gramps put Jade on her feet and she got behind him, looking at me. I strode over to her. She met me, burying her face in my chest. She just missed the brain splatter by an inch.
"Are you hurt?" I whispered against her hair, the smell of vanilla a shock to my senses, blood and violence the only scent I'd had in the last hour.
She shook her head, turning her face into me.
I looked at Parker. I think hate was not a strong enough emotion but it'd have to do.
He put his hands out in front of him. "I'm sorry, Caleb."
"You seem to spend a lot of time apologizing, Parker," I replied, my voice raspy from the fun with Sensei.
He nodded. "I know this has gotten out of hand but we had an agent assigned for your protection and a Kamikaze for the Morris girl."
I felt my eyes narrow to slits and he watched my expression. "I wasn't in charge of her execution. That was a directive above me. All I could do was assign one of my agents to protect you. Jade, well, I couldn't do anything about her safety when Agent Rogers went rogue."
My head was spinning. I was furiously trying to make sense of it all when Parker's zombies strolled in, loaded with weapons everywhere. I'd never seen better armed... anybody. The one that we had screwed up pretty good by the forest was as good as new. Obviously Parker could remake his zombie's like clay. Refashioned at will.
Great.
Garcia said, "I don't care how much I have to work and how many strings are pulled. You're going to go down, Parker. You can't just mess with these teen's lives anytime you feel like it, you're not above the law."
Parker ignored him, his zombies eying the flame nervously, shifting the heaviness of their weight as they flanked Parker.
Parker stared at me and Gramps said, "Is this the one that keeps cropping up like a bad penny?"
I nodded, as explanations went, it wasn't too bad.
"Get Agent Tracker," Parker said to one of the zombies, who returned, holding up a beaten Buddy. Only his eyes looked whole out of a face with a mask of bruises.
Parker inclined his head toward me. "He wasn't interested in following directions at the end. He became attached to the subject, the target. Big mistake."
Buddy glared at him. Or should I start thinking about him with his real name, Tracker.
Jonesy and Sophie came in and she looked at him. I could see her torn. Stay with Jonesy or go to Buddy, her face said.
Jonesy made up her mind for her. "Don't go near him, Soph. We don't know who he really is."
Buddy/Tracker looked at her. "You know I wouldn't hurt you, right?"
She looked at him for several moments then nodded her head.
He relaxed and she asked, "I... I just have to know, what is your real name?"
He shifted his gaze to Parker and he shrugged. "Logan Tracker."
"And you're a Graysheet?" she asked.
His eyebrows rose on his butchered face and he winced.
"That's what they call us," Parker explained.
"I'm an agent for the government."
I felt so enlightened.
"That's enough, Tracker." He looked at the zombie who held him. "Bring him."
Parker looked back at me and said, "I think you know what will happen, Caleb. I know about your latest episode with LeClerc. Have you asked yourself what the consequence is of using your life-force? What it does to the person that receives it? The person that gave it."
I must've looked confused because Parker sent a call to the dead that I felt echo in my bones, thrumming so hard my teeth ached.
A zombie entered the dojo I would have recognized anywhere.
It was the warrior that I had juiced with the life-force of the Graysheet when Jonesy had downed the chopper.
He looked as alive as Clyde.
Jade turned to look at him and he gave his steady regard to us.
To me.
He then turned his glittering eyes to Parker who said, "This is who made you." The zombie turned his attention back to me and breathed, "Master."
I guess Gramps had had enough. "Okay, I hate to break up old reunion day but I want some cotton-pickin' answers and I want them yesterday."
Garcia's arm began shaking with the effort to hold the glowing flame on the zombies. Finally, he let it drop.
"I do not answer to you, Dear Sir. This is between Caleb and I. He will be my partner, not now but someday. Whether he resists me or not. He will be my salvation. My release. Until that time, I give you caution." His dark eyes studied mine. "You have unleashed two consequences upon yourself that will not go away. The first is the life-transference you caused between Miss LeClerc and Mr. Mason. The second is the obvious problem that stands at your left."
I looked at Clyde, who had Gale pressed in his arms in the same way I did with Jade and a horrible feeling of finality stole over me.
He saw my expression and nodded. "He is becoming, Caleb. He will have needs. Human needs. You restored him and all he needs is a living battery for life." He clenched his fist and held it above his heart. "An AFTD battery. If not you, another will suffice."
His eyes bored into mine and I finally understood. He could be human again, still zombie but live again. He needed an AFTD to do it but it didn't need to be me.
Gale and I looked at each other and her face held an expression I didn't want to see there.
Love.
Desire.
Determination.
Garcia scowled at Parker. "Are you telling me that this... zombie doesn't need to go to ground? That he can have a... what? Relationship?! Are you insane?"
Parker shook his head. "Not insane, just right."
He looked at me again. "You'll come to me, Caleb. When you seek answers, I will be there to give them to you."
Logan Tracker broke away from the zombie that held him and ran for Sophie, she hesitated for a moment then met him where they crashed into each other. Ignoring his obvious injuries he crushed her to him and kissed her head.
I heard him whisper that he loved her, his arms trying to keep her even as the zombie tore him off her.
Parker backed out of the doorway with his zombies. The last one mine. It was a painful separation as he left. Sorta like sawing my arm off with a butter knife.
Its eyes never leaving mine it said, "I will wait."
Tracker was hauled away, his eyes glued on Sophie's, hers never leaving his.
Tears glittered and ran, sluicing a pathway along the planes of her face to her jaw. Trembling crystal gems hung, then fell to dampen her clothing .
Then they were gone.
Leaving more questions than answers.
CHAPTER 28
Garcia slapped the cuffs on my wrists and Clyde was literally frothing at the mouth, Gale pleading with Garcia to stop.
My eyes met Clyde's. "Do nothing."
Clyde's face contorted with emotions he shouldn't have had. But he did. Because of me, because of Gale.
"I should not have killed them, Master," Clyde said, his strange speech perfect from him.
Gramps said, "You can't arrest him! Those lowlife government saps were trying to kill him! His friends, the girls. Think Garcia!" Gramps shouted.
Gale opened her mouth to speak.
Garcia swung around and yelled in Gale's face. "You... don't you talk to me. You're in love with this zombie, you aren't thinking with a clear head!"
As the metal bit into my wrists I watched Gale try to control her emotions. Clyde had wrapped his forearm around her chest, the main part of it underneath her chin, pressing her against him.
Garcia looked at her with a disgust that bordered on hatred. She glared back at him. "You've never understood the paranormal, Raul. You're letting your prejudice and anger over this mess cloud your judgment. Don't arrest a sixteen-year old because he used Clyde to defend himself. If he hadn't he'd be dead, or everyone would! See reason," she said, imploring him to listen.
But he was merciless. "It's Clyde now, eh? He's a corpse, Bobbi! Think about it." His eyes met hers and he hauled me off, Jade sobbing as I went, Gramps' arm around her shoulders.
Gramps' eyes did a scan at the assembled cops that had come as back up and knew he couldn't offer any assistance but to watch me go to jail.
Onyx had woken up and stood by Clyde, giving a lone and plaintive whine.
I totally understood.
*
Garcia loaded me into the back of the cruiser none too gently and slammed the door.
The locks engaged and Gale was left with the back up cops on scene, the dead techs swarming around Graysheets that would never be identified.
Clyde above ground forever, tied to Gale in a way that I couldn't fathom, hadn't planned.
Jade and Brett with some connection as a result of me using him as a tool to save her life.
And me facing possible criminal prosecution for intent to murder.
With an undeadly weapon.
THE END