Heather sat in a chair in the corner of the room, watching nervously as Seth poured gasoline through a funnel into a glass beer bottle. Then he sealed it with a small, lever-operated bottle capper. Both the bottles and caps had been purchased at a home-brewing hobby shop on their way out of Atlanta.
Jenny set a pair of long kitchen matches on either side of the bottle, then wrapped it with a strip of duct tape to hold the matches in place. She carefully set it down in a cardboard box with a dozen other completed bottles. They would stay here beside the window until they were lit and dropped out. Nobody wanted to move the whole box around at once, for fear something would break and leak fuel everywhere.
“Are sure you know what you're doing?” Heather asked.
“Yeah,” Seth said. “I read a whole website about Molotov cocktails.”
“That makes me feel so much better,” Heather said.
“Can you think of a faster way to cut down a horde of zombies?” Jenny asked.
“How do you know he's coming with a horde?” Heather asked. “Why doesn't he just bring a gun and shoot you?”
“That's not good enough, because Seth could heal us easily from gunshot wounds,” Jenny said. “Besides, he'll want to make a big, dramatic point. He won't just want us dead, he'll want us ripped to pieces.”
“Me, anyway,” Seth said. “He wants to keep you, Jenny.”
“We'll see what he wants,” Jenny said. “I'm assuming the worst.”
“Which would be worse?” Seth asked. “Dying, or going back with him?”
“What do you think?” Jenny scowled.
“Okay, I got you all set up.” Jenny's dad walked into the room, wearing a deep, worried frown. Jenny didn't think she'd ever seen him so unhappy before.
Her dad held two remote controls from Radio Shack, which were meant to power little motorized race cars. He set them down on the dresser.
“There you go,” he said. “You got to mash both switches at once to make it go. So we don't have any accidents.”
“Thanks, Daddy.” Jenny stood up.
“Whew, you sure smell like gas,” he said. He glanced at the box full of bottles. “Y'all be careful. I don't like any of this.”
“We'll be fine,” Jenny said.
“I really think I ought to stick around, if this fella's coming for you,” her dad said. He looked at Seth and Heather. “Y'all don't have a lot of people.”
“The story will go smoother if you're not here,” Jenny said. “Just head over to June's place, in case they come searching for me at home.”
“You don't think they're coming tonight, do you?” he asked.
“It'll be within a few days, I bet. We're lucky we've had this much time.”
“I'm staying.” He folded his arms.
Jenny sighed. She closed her eyes and summoned up the pox from deep inside her, until face oozed with sores. She opened her eyes again, and spoke in the dark, ancient voice of her soul. “I am not simply your daughter. I have ruled kingdoms without number. I have slaughtered cities and armies. I have raised empires and destroyed them. I am the plague-bringer.”
Her dad gaped at her. So did Seth and Heather.
“You know what, Jenny?” her dad finally said, in a much quieter voice. “I think I'll just stay out of your way on this one.”
Jenny pulled in the pox until she looked like her normal self. “Thanks, Daddy.” She hugged him, but he seemed distant. She hated that she'd had to do that, but she needed him safe and far away. “Take care of Rocky, okay?”
“Yeah.” He nodded at Seth. “You two take care of each other.”
“We will, Mr. Morton,” Seth said.
Jenny's dad took a long, final look at her. “I hope to see you again, Jenny.”
“Me, too, Daddy.”
He hugged Jenny again, and this time it was genuine. Jenny felt like crying.
“Get over to June's,” Jenny said. “Be safe. I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, Jenny,” he said, and he looked a little choked up, too. Jenny wondered if she would ever be able to return home.
***
A little after midnight, Jenny sat behind the desk in Seth's dad's office. Seth's parents had stayed in Florida, again to keep the cover story simple. The less involved their parents were, the less Homeland Security would be able to wring out of them.
The flat-screen monitor showed the viewpoints of the cameras mounted at the two gates in the walls of Barrett House. Her father had welded the back gate shut, so Alexander would have to come in through the front. Seth had activated the full security system, including motion detectors. If anything came over the wall, the software would give an alert.