“Thank you.” Yes! Yes! Yes! To Marc: “And thank you, again.”
“I’m a zombie,” he said in abrupt reply. “I’m not a sexy vampire or a mysterious ghost. It’s nothing cool or fun.”
“Cathie wasn’t especially mysterious,” I commented. A zombie! Fascinating! “I’m glad. If you’d been human you could have been hurt or killed when you helped me. That wouldn’t have been fun for either of us.”
He stared at me like I’d spouted Swahili. “You saw my blood. You saw it and it wasn’t that color because it was getting dark. I have sluggish black blood because I’m a zombie.”
“Sluggish is good. Cuts down on ruining clothes, and bleeding out.” My sources had died in so many ways, and most of them sounded awful.
“You’re glad? That’s not— You’re not disgusted?”
I realized they’d all left. That I was alone in that cavernous kitchen with that gorgeous man. Zombie. Gorgeous zombie. They left me with this wonderful, beautiful zombie. I reached out and, when he didn’t flinch away, took his hand. “You feel cool,” I said, squeezing slightly. “But you’re not, y’know, squishy or gross or anything. And your leg’s better.” I tightened my grip and felt my pulse zoom when he squeezed back, just a little. “If you’re a zombie, you haven’t been dead very long. It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. I already said: I’m not here for work. I just wanted to see you again. I’m so glad to see you again.”
He was shaking his head like he couldn’t believe he was there. Or I was there. “You really don’t care?”
“I care. I already told you, I’m glad you’re a zombie, I’m glad you can’t get hurt or die—again, I mean.” Didn’t he know? Everyone died. Everyone died and left me. Except for the people who lived in this house.
He took a deep breath (did he have to breathe?) and told me things. Wonderful, terrifying things. We talked for hours. I wanted to kiss him but didn’t dare. But I never let go of his hand (except to go to the bathroom, and he’d loosened up enough by then to tease me about having to take a piss).
I don’t know when I’ll kiss him. But I will.
I can’t wait. I—I hope he can’t wait, either.
Who cares about vampires? Tell me more about zombies.
INTERLUDE: BETSY’S ERRAND TO HELL
I found myself in my office, stepped out, and said, “I want Cathie right now.” And like that, she was there.
“God, that’s disconcerting. What?” she complained. “What d’you want?”
I grinned; I couldn’t help it. In a dimension where millions were terrified of me, her snark was refreshing. “I’ve got a guy at the mansion who says he can see ghosts.”
“What am I, a litmus test for weirdos?”
“Perfectly put. Yes. I need to bring you to the mansion for a couple of minutes, but you can come right back. And then I want you to hang out in the food court for a bit.”
She looked interested. “Something up?”
“Yes.”
“Sharing deets?”
“No.”
“Boo. Okay, but just for a minute. Your stepmother and I have been working on the buddy system—”
“Yes!” I cried. “That’s it!” So much going on this week, and I kept forgetting to tackle something: “I want Cindy and Lawrence. Right now.”
“Who are you— Oh.”
And there they were, looking startled to suddenly find themselves outside my office and, when they caught sight of each other, looking crushed.
Cindy broke first, taking a tentative step forward. “Oh, Lawrence. Lawrence, I’m so—”
“Cindy, my poor child, can you forgive me?”
She stopped short. “Me forgive you? No, jeez, I’m the one who killed you, can you forgive me?”
“Nonsense. Don’t be a silly g— Don’t be silly. It’s my fault. I filled your head with so much nonsense and when you needed me I refused to help.”
“You did help: you tried to warn me. I was stupid and selfish—”
“Oh, ugh,” Cathie muttered, looking like she’d rather be anywhere, anywhere but there. I would have giggled if it hadn’t been deadly serious business for Lawrence and Cindy.
“You were your mother’s daughter, determined to make your own way. I should have respected that instead of dismissing your wishes because of your youth.”
“You were right to dismiss them; it was a dangerous, stupid plan and I deserved to have Betsy cut my head off.”
“Oh, ugh,” Cathie said again, rubbing her forehead.