“You’re shifters? Aren’t you?” Randall asked, slowly grinning.
“Of course they are. See his look of complete and utter helplessness? Totally a shifter. How’s she?” Bentham reached a hand forward to touch Josephine’s face.
I took a step back, dragging Josephine with me. “She doesn’t like to be touched,” I growled.
Bentham held up his hands. “Okie. Dokie. I’ll let you take care of her. How come you aren’t that protective over me?” he asked, throwing a look to Randall.
Randall laughed. “What? There was that time I thought you were dead. Remember? I even shed a tear.”
“Funny, old man. You ready to make a run for it?” Bentham asked, eyeing his partner who was still struggling to catch his breath.
“Does it really matter if I’m ready?”
“Guess not. You might want to carry her. We’re gonna have to make a run for it,” Bentham said, turning back towards me.
With a sudden jerk of her body, Josephine pushed me away from her and lunged at Bentham. Caught off guard, Bentham couldn’t defend himself as Josephine swiftly pulled her knee up, hitting him in the balls. As if that wasn’t enough, Josephine popped her arm back and landed a punch in his throat. Bentham keeled over, dropping the gun he held in his hand.
I no longer hesitated. I grabbed for the gun, getting there before Randall. Bentham lay on the floor coughing violently.
“Give me the gun, Logan.”
I tried to stop my hand from shaking as Josephine snatched the weapon from my hand. Pointing the gun at Bentham and Randall, Josephine took a shaky breath. “You’re going to tell us who the hell you are, or I’ll shoot you.”
“But...but...we saved you,” Randall sputtered.
“Well, you know what they say, Randall—it's a kill or be killed world,” Josephine replied, cocking the gun.
Chapter 17
“You’re gonna get us killed,” Bentham coughed out as he slowly pulled himself to his feet.
“Wrong. You’re going to get us killed. Answer the damn question,” Josephine replied, still holding the gun on Bentham.
“We’re shifters just like you. Thought that much was obvious,” said Bentham.
Randall pulled off his glasses and began to wipe them furiously with a cloth. “We don’t have much time, Ben. They’ll be here soon.”
“Who will be here?” I asked.
“More of the zombies,” Randall replied, throwing a nervous glance to the school entrance.
“Zombies? Really? They seemed pretty alive to me when they were kicking my butt,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.
“It’s just a nickname he has for them, Einstein,” Bentham replied. “Besides, they might as well be dead. And they do feed on the flesh of the living.”
“Please tell me you’re kidding. Please.” I said.
“Enough,” Josephine yelled. “How’d you know we’d be here?”
“Ran into a zombie last time we shifted, and he was muttering about there being some teenage shifters running around. Points of entrance are usually some place familiar to both shifters. When we noticed a bunch of the flesh maggots hanging around here, it made sense this was your point of entrance,” Bentham replied. He didn’t look a bit nervous about the gun Josephine still held on him.
“Points of entrance? You figured all this out in two shifts?” I asked with a bitter laugh. There was something about Bentham that was really starting to piss me off.
“Two shifts? Son, we’ve been shifting for two years,” Randall replied.
Two years? Would this hell last so long? I looked over at Josephine, but her eyes were still fixed on Bentham. My stomach felt queasy, and I wanted to be alone. I needed time to work this all out. But I was no longer in control of my time. Josephine was in control, something I doubted I would ever feel in this world.
Bentham was standing but still bent over slightly when he reached a hand towards Josephine. “Give me the gun.”
“No chance,” she replied, holding the gun steady right at him.
“Listen, we have maybe ten minutes before this place is crawling with flesh eaters. Randall and I have a car. We have safe spots. Once we get somewhere safe, we’ll answer any question you ask. I promise.”
“I don’t trust people I know. You expect me to trust you?” Josephine asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, it’s the end of the world, might be time to try new things,” he replied, a slight smile on his face.
“Please. We really have to get going. We can protect you,” Randall pleaded.
Josephine tore her eyes from Bentham and looked at me. “Your call, Logan.”