No Mere Zombie: Deathless Book 2 (37 page)

Tell him.
The pressure intensified, curling his toes inside his boots. Cramps shot through his limbs.
 

“I probably just need to eat,” he said, through gritted teeth. He forced himself to relax, forced back the pain. “Seems like I’m always hungry, no matter how much I consume.”

“Feed then, and quickly. I feel the Ka-Dun in those hills,” Irakesh said, nodding towards Corte Madera, the equally rich town directly south of Larkspur. “He was approaching, but has stopped. He can feel me, as I him. He knows we are awaiting his arrival and no doubt suspects a trap. It won’t take long for him to send one of his females to scout this place. Then he will attack.”

A low growl rumbled from Cyntia and she bared her fangs at Irakesh’s approach. Irakesh merely raised a dark eyebrow. Trevor still couldn’t believe how large she’d become. She had to be twelve feet tall now, perhaps even larger. She looked like an adult sitting in a child’s treehouse. “I am loathe to interrupt your feast, but our enemies approach. There will be females of the purest blood for you to feast upon. Your strength will continue to grow, if you are able to slay them.”

A deep booming howl rolled from her, surging through the room and thrumming through Trevor’s chest. The windows began to vibrate. The howl continued, still lower. Glass exploded outward, showering the sidewalk like lethal caltrops. Maybe they’d annoy their attackers.

Cyntia rolled to her feet, rising into a crouch. Her back brushed the ceiling and she was nowhere near her full height. “I will feast on her while she still lives. I want to see the light in her eyes go out.”

Trevor’s eyes widened as he realized who she meant. Trevor loved Liz. Cyntia didn’t want him to love anyone or anything but her, so Liz had to die. Something smoldered in his gut, begging to be released.

Kill her. Feast on her corpse. Gain in strength and remove the threat.

This time the voice was making a suggestion. It was insidious, slithering through his mind. Yet it had none of the demanding pressure that had come when he’d tried to hide information from Irakesh.

“Ra’s breath, you crazy beast,” Irakesh roared, glaring up at Cyntia. “Anything within twenty miles heard your challenge. There is more than just the Ka-Dun and his pack in these lands.”

“Let them come,” Cyntia sneered, leaning closer to Irakesh. She licked a piece of gore from the fur around her mouth. “I will kill them all. I’ll kill you too, if you get in my way.”

Irakesh was shaking, his face splotchy. Trevor had never seen the deathless exhibit such a reaction before. “Be ready to carry the bomb, Cyntia. We may have to flee. You’re welcome to gamble with your own life, but will you risk Trevor’s? Can you protect him from a dozen champions? Or free-willed deathless?”

Cyntia’s ears lay flat against her head and she turned a worried glance at Trevor. It made him sick to his stomach. She loomed over the silver case in the back of the room, as if protecting it meant protecting him.

“Good, you can see reason. The Ka-Dun has not come any closer, but—” Something huge and silver flashed through the west window, vaulting over a nautilus machine and barreling into Cyntia’s even larger form with a meaty thunk. The two bodies rolled into the wall, shattering mirrors and knocking weights flying. Trevor was still reaching for his pistol when a set of claws slipped around his throat, shredding flesh and sending a gout of black blood down his chest. A foot was planted against his back and he went sailing into a curl machine, his left arm snapping with the brutality of the impact.

By the time he rolled to his feet, his black-furred assailant was gone. Where the hell had he gone? Trevor knew it was a male, knew it was one of the men who’d accompanied Blair back in Panama. But there was no sign of him.
 

“How?” Irakesh roared, dropping into a crouch next to Trevor. “The Ka-Dun is still distant. I should have sensed his approach.”

“Blair’s smarter than you gave him credit for,” Trevor replied, snapping his forearm back into alignment. It hurt like hell, but pain didn’t affect him as it had in life.
 

A 45-pound plate took Irakesh in the back, shattering his spine and knocking him on top of a treadmill several feet away. The black-furred werewolf had made a mistake, showing himself again so soon. Trevor ripped his pistol from its holster, leaping into the air as he took aim. A part of him rebelled at attacking Blair’s friends, but the larger voice forced him into action. He squeezed the trigger, the round punching through the werewolf’s shoulder.

Trevor twisted midair, landing in a crouch behind the werewolf. It spun to face him, but Trevor dropped his gun and extended his claws in a knife edge. They punched into the werewolf’s tender midsection. He seized something wet and squishy, tearing out a fistful of intestines as the beast gave a cry of pain and rage. It roared, spittle bathing Trevor as he dropped backwards towards the wall.

Trevor’s jaw shattered as something hit him with incredible force. It took him a moment to realize a new assailant had entered the fray. The fist was silver. Trevor flipped backwards, rolling behind a bank of exercise bikes as he sized up the new assailant. His eyes widened. Blair looked more intimidating than ever, seven feet of fur-covered muscle and scornful amber eyes.
 

“Last chance, Trevor,” Blair growled, eyes narrowing. He took a threatening step forward as the black werewolf behind him stuffed his guts back into his body. “Shake off his control, or I’ll do what I have to. I’m done holding back.”

Chapter 57- Parting the Sea

Trevor vanished. Blair knew reasoning with him had been a mistake, but he couldn’t kill his friend without one last try. He spun around, surveying the chaos in the gym in an attempt to locate Trevor. He found Irakesh instead, the deathless striding confidently towards him.

“You’re too late, Ka-Dun,” the deathless said, exposing a mouthful of fangs in a hideous parody of a grin.

Blair blurred, slashing at his ugly face. He stumbled forward, encountering none of the resistance he’d expected. His arm passed through the illusion. Dammit. Slippery bastard. He turned back to Steve. “Deal with Trevor. I’ll find Irakesh.”

He just needed to get into the deathless’s mind, but to do that he had to find him first.
 

A deafening crash sounded as Bridget’s form went sailing through the ceiling in a shower of plaster and metal. He tracked her flight through the hole, wincing as she landed on top of a black BMW in the parking lot several seconds later. The alarm began to blare, slicing the twilight. The heads of a hundred roaming zombies swiveled in their direction, slowly ambling towards the noise.

Blair spun to face Cyntia. Bridget would need a moment to recover, so he was going to have to keep her occupied. The pale blonde didn’t seem interested in following up on the fight though. She’d already snatched the silver case containing the stolen nuke. The massive werewolf barreled straight through the wall, bounding across the parking lot towards the waterline to the south where the ferries lay. Blair blurred after Cyntia. She had the nuke, which meant that Irakesh wouldn’t be far behind. He couldn’t go after them alone, though. He leapt over a pickup truck, landing on the pavement near the BMW Bridget’s landing had destroyed. She was rising from the wreckage of the car, her silver fur marred by blood and debris. She moved more slowly than he’d have expected, shaking her head to clear it.

“Cyntia hits hard,” Bridget growled, resting an arm on Blair’s shoulder as she pulled herself free. “How did she get so strong so quickly?”

“My guess? Feeding. She’s eating zombies, werewolves and, from the look of that gym, people.” Blair scanned the parking lot and the road on the far side. The ferry building lay a hundred yards past it, both huge boats still moored there.

 
It carries a terrifying price, Ka-Dun. The She’s mind is already fragmented. The corruption will grow worse until she is a mindless, ravenous beast. She will attack anyone or anything around her, always seeking to sate her endless hunger.

“Let’s get moving,” Bridget said, taking a step on her own. Bones popped and cracked as they flowed back into place. In a few moments there was no trace of the injuries, save the sticky black blood drenching her fur.

“Retreat might be the wisest option,” Steve said, blurring into existence next to them. His right arm hung limply at his side. “Cyntia kicked Bridget’s ass and I didn’t do much better against Trevor. Blair, even if we can hold them off can you really deal with Irakesh?”

Blair paused for a long moment, delivering a hard look. “I can and I will.”

“Stay here, if you’re afraid,” Bridget growled, eyes flashing as she loomed over Steve. “Selfish prick.”

Privately Blair agreed with her, but this wasn’t the way to win Steve’s aid. If they wanted his help, they needed to appeal to his ego. Blair rested his hand on Steve’s shoulder, his silver fur contrasting sharply with Steve’s black. “Steve, we need you for this. We’ve got no chance without you. You know that.”

“You don’t have a chance
with
me,” Steve said, shaking his head slowly. He shrugged off Blair’s hand, taking a step towards the ferry building. “I’ll help, but we’re going to fail. If we survive the attempt, I want you to reconsider giving me the key. Will you do that?”

“Ok, if we fail here, we can discuss my relinquishing the key,” Blair agreed with a shrug. There wasn’t a lot of harm. If they failed here, they’d almost certainly be dead. “Steve, hang back and engage Trevor when he shows himself. Bridget, do your best to contain Cyntia. Hit her and fall back into the shadows, if you need to.”

“Okay,” Steve said, half facing away from them. He was already ready to run, but at least he’d agreed.

“I’ll do my best Blair, but she’s strong,” Bridget said, gaze searching. She seemed to expect his disapproval. He reached up to rest a hand on her shoulder. The fact that he was so much shorter in werewolf form still felt odd. He’d probably never get used to that.

“We have to stop him,” Blair replied, squeezing her shoulder. It was like squeezing furry granite. “I know you’ll find a way, Bridget. Just keep her off balance until I can deal with Irakesh.”

“If we’re going to do this, then let’s do this,” she said, clenching a fist and baring her fangs. She took a step towards the dock, silver fur ruffled by the wind. She looked majestic despite the matted blood.
 

She leapt forward, crushing the hood of a black Mercedes as she bounded deeper into the parking lot. Blair loped after her, circling to the right. If he hugged the edge of the parking lot he could come to the shore neighboring the ferry building from the east side. That might let him catch Irakesh out in the open, and all he needed was a single glance to get inside his mind.
 

He resisted the temptation to blur, knowing he’d need every bit of his strength for the coming conflict. He glanced at the sun, low and heavy along the western horizon. Maybe a half hour before it passed behind the mountains and another two until the moon was up. He’d have preferred to face Irakesh during the night, but they were out of time.

Steve’s midnight form ducked between cars, perhaps a dozen paces behind Bridget. No doubt he’d let her engage, then decide whether the fight was winnable. If it wasn’t he would leave Bridget on her own, so Blair had to be quick with Irakesh. Take him down fast and hard. If only Ahiga had taught him more about his abilities, then he’d be more confident.
 

Blair leapt over the chain link fence, avoiding a pale zombie that had once been a middle-aged housewife, if the glittering diamond on her rotting finger were any indication. He went low, sprinting between SUVs towards the grassy patch that sloped down towards the water. The ferry building perched over the water to his right, both massive boats still moored to a metal contraption that allowed passengers to board. Was that Irakesh’s destination? Or was he after something else?

He skidded to a halt, claws digging furrows in the grass as he came up short. Blair had no words. Irakesh stood on the shore, arms raised like some Egyptian god accepting the worship of his people. Trevor crouched next to him, rifle aimed in Bridget’s direction. Cynthia loomed protectively behind him, like some bitch watching over her pup. She had the silver box cradled under one arm, absently, as though it were no burden at all.
 

The bay had begun to froth and churn. It began near the shore, then worked outwards in a wide line. Then the waters began to part, a thin gap forming between them as if some giant pane of invisible glass had been dropped into the San Francisco bay. Irakesh widened his arms and the gap between the walls of water widened.
 

The ground quaked, tossing Blair to the ground. Something massive rumbled in the center of the bay, sending rings of waves racing towards the shore. A black structure glittered at the end of the gap in the water, massive and alien. A structure he’d seen before. The pyramid burst from the bay, sloughing water off as it rose into the sky. He didn’t know how much of the structure was above water, but it had to be seven or eight hundred feet at least.
 

The crack of a gunshot brought him back to the present. Trevor was already cocking the rifle for another shot. Blair glanced towards Bridget, but she’d already disappeared into the shadows. Trevor must be firing at Steve, who was hidden behind a red SUV. That wasn’t going to stop Trevor’s rifle, but it might buy him time to think.