The Wiccan Diaries (25 page)

“I say we charge them,” said Marek.

“We’ll let Gaven decide,” said Lennox. The car was idling.
Everyone was staring at the zombies. Across the shimmering surface of the
water, moonlight played.

“I don’t know,” said Marek. “He takes a lot on himself.” He
jutted his chin out at Gaven.

“He’s their leader,” said Lennox.

“I hate to be a downer,” said Infester, who looked as though
he was finally recovering from the shock of his precognition, “but has anyone
else noticed that they are
staring
at
all of us? What I mean to say is, if
they
,
these zombies, are looking for something, they’re scouring Rome, right, trying
to find it... Why have they suddenly stopped looking, and are staring at us?
Unless
we’re
what they’re looking for.”

“I see what you mean,” said Lennox. “Oh crap, I see what you
mean.”

Gaven motioned to Lennox, who got out of the car. “Don’t let
him push you around,” said Marek, and sneered.

We watched through the blood-smeared windshield as the two
of them talked.

“Always number two,” said Marek.

Gaven motioned strenuously and Lennox shook his head.

“That’s right. Suck up to him,” said Marek.

“Hey,” I said.

He looked back at me.

“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to him,” he
said.

“They want our weapons,” said Lennox, returning to the car.

“I’m keeping these three,” said Marek, holding up the
firebombs.

“An excellent choice,” said Infester. “Simply throw them and
watch them ignite. Kill any living thing.”

“What will I use?” I asked.

Lennox finally looked back at me. I could see pain in his
eyes. Behind me, I Gatti was going through his trunk. Infester ticked them off:
“Firebombs, oh yes, those are cattle prods, look, knock anything out, ah, my
personal favorite, releases a net, guaranteed to drop any revenant. You can set
fire to them when they’re down.”

“What we need is a flamethrower,” said Marek, and grinned.

His fangs were larger than I remembered.

Lennox’s lavender eyes held me like a caress. “I shouldn’t
have gotten you into this,” he said, “it’s too dangerous.”

“In case you missed it, the only reason we met in the first
place was because I got
myself
into
this. Remember when you
saved
me?”

“What’s she talking about?” asked Marek.

“Halsey was attacked. This was weeks and weeks ago,” said
Lennox.

“Wait. By a revenant?”

“No, the boker,” said Lennox. “At least, we think it was the
boker.”

“And you’re telling me this now?” said Marek. “After you’ve
been going on and on about how they only go after people who are already dead.
Is she that cold in the sack?”

“Hey!” I shouted.

“Scusi signora.
It’s just––really––not a one of you has a brain,” said
Marek. “If a zombie gets you there will be nothing to suck. It’s obvious what
they’re after. Or should I say,
who
they’re after?”

“Me?”

“Is there something we should know about you?” Marek asked.

I shook my head. “You mean besides the fact I dislike you? I’m
Sagittarius. Does that count?”

I Gatti started their engines.

Despite their size and physical prowess, The Cats were
hopelessly outnumbered. We weren’t even sure if this was all of the zombies, or
if there were more of them in reserve.

As if in answer, came the sounds of hundreds and hundreds of
new zombies to fill out their ranks. They were shuffling up behind us. I turned
in my seat, and felt the pit of my stomach drop out.

It looked like a thousand of them.

Gaven was shouting. I Gatti was spread too thin. They
started drawing in, forming a circle around our car. We were hemmed in.
Trapped, between one Army across the bridge, and another that had somehow
outmaneuvered us.

The zombies had walked us right into a trap.

Chapter 19 – Halsey

Now, I remembered specifically and on numerous occasions
thinking that the whole purpose of an education was not in waiting, but in
real, practical advancement, such that when put in a situation like this, I had
more to offer than just my screams. I kept mine in check. But it would have
been really nice to draw down storm clouds, or else make the Tiber rise up and
swallow my enemies whole––or whatever else I could have done with a
magical education that I did not possess.

Infester sat absolutely still beside
me––something about how he felt like he was in a fog for the first
time in his life...

He had been waiting, too.

This was like a life lesson or something.
You don’t wait.
I wondered how many more
I would have to learn, or if I would ever have the opportunity to learn them
again, with so many Fast Walkers bearing down upon me.

Lennox honked his horn, drawing Gaven’s attention. “We’re
trapped,” he said, opening the door to speak with Gaven. “Follow me across the
bridge. If it gets hairy, have your men jump in the river––I don’t
think zombies will follow you,” said Lennox.

Gaven nodded. “Don’t get bit,” he said. He revved his
motorcycle.

There was still no sign of Ballard.

The Six Nine Guys made a path for us––and
suddenly we were at the front of a wedge, with the zombies across the Tiber,
stepping onto the bridge, prepared to meet us. Lennox put his foot down on the
accelerator.

The tires spun in place; pretty soon everyone out the
windows was obscured by a thick rolling cloud of billowing white smoke from our
burning rubber.

“He’s going to kill me for this,” he said, referring to his
mentor, John Occam.

Lennox popped the clutch. We did nothing for a moment. Then
it was like being thrown backwards through a wall.
Blast off!

The full horsepower of the beast threw us against our seats.
I held on for dear life.

We launched down the length of the Garibaldi bridge. We met
the zombies halfway across and they broke. Lennox ground a few between the
bridge and the left and right sides of his car. I watched as Marek threw the
door open and whacked a stray zombie caught in the headlights. It flew over the
side of the bridge, and sank below the surface of the water. But the head-on
force of impact had caused the front end to buckle.

Zombies were powerful. As far as I knew, second only to
vampires. I noticed they had to receive enormous stresses, otherwise they would
just shake it off.

You had to blow up a zombie. Or else, destroy it with fire.

I Gatti was behind us. I could see them making their way
across the bridge. They used cattle prods to keep at bay the few zombies we
hadn’t managed to hit. Still more and more zombies were pouring in.

The engine caught fire. Lennox’s gate slid open, thanks to
the controller Marek fished out of the glove box. But that was it. Occam’s
racer had ground to a halt, with us outside and the zombies closing.

The vamp glass had been cracked in places. “It won’t hold,”
said Lennox. “We have to move!”

We got out of the car as fast as we could. Infester was
straggling behind.

I watched as two Fast Walkers launched themselves upon him,
biting him repeatedly on the neck. He fell to his knees, screaming, “Run,
child!”

Lennox grabbed me. I wanted to go back for Infester. “Don’t
look,” said Lennox.

Marek tossed a firebomb and it exploded, dousing the two
zombies that had hold of Infester––but also dousing Infester.
“Child!” he screamed.

They went up in flames.

The gateway beckoned to us. Lennox released me briefly and
struggled with another zombie––it tried to move through him, to get
at me. It didn’t make sense. What had I ever done to it? Could they really all
be trying to get to me?

The zombie stopped trying to grab me and decided to bite
Lennox, instead. “No!” I shouted. Lennox was losing his grip on its face; it
snapped at him. I ran to help, but Marek grabbed me. “He knows what he’s
doing,” he said.
“Come on!”

One Six Nine guy rode past and prodded the zombie with his
cattle prod. It sent a jolt through Lennox, whose vampire constitution kept him
on his feet. He broke the zombie’s neck and it fell to the ground.

We were pouring through the gateway, the motorcycles going
down the small tunnel that opened on to the courtyard and the wooden walkways
that went around the three stories.

I searched each Rider for a sign of Ballard. He was nowhere
to be found.

I hoped he got out; I didn’t blame him for running. It was
for Lennox and all of us that I was chiefly concerned. Instead of studying
magic, I had spent the whole summer trying to get to the bottom of the symbols
in the magic book, and forgot that it also contained spells.

Charms, workings.

I felt like such a fool. There must be
something
in there about how to deal with a horde of invading
zombies.

I could’ve stopped the Apocalypse; instead I was trying to
date somebody. I felt like my hormones had betrayed me. Worse, that I had
betrayed myself. And now we were all going to pay for it. Maybe my landlady was
right, with all of her gesticulating and nonsense. Maybe I
was
going to end up dead. But I didn’t have to take other people
with me!

Lennox clicked the device to close the gate; it rattled and
stuck. A pair of arms was trying to force it open. I could see the sinews and
bones through the torn skin of the zombie. Its eyes burned into mine.

And I thought, “There’s someone controlling it. Someone is
after me.”

An army was gathering outside. It looked at Marek and then
Lennox, the zombie––the rest of us were safely inside.

When it spoke, the zombie’s voice was cruel and metallic.

“We want her,” it said.

Lennox grabbed one of Marek’s firebombs.

“Send her out, blood knight, or everyone dies.”

He threw it and it exploded, washing the zombie away in fire
and flames. The gate closed with a resounding thud.

We were trapped inside. They were out.

* * *

It would be sunrise in four hours. A slew of zombies had
tried to scale the gate, but it curved outward, and there were spikes on top.
They were impaled as reminders not to try again.

The zombies were smart. Whoever controlled them, knew what
he was doing. He didn’t needlessly throw away his remaining troops on the gate.
Even if they got across it, or somehow took it down, the design of the building
was such that they would create a natural bottleneck, and come at us only a few
at a time––like ants escaping from an anthill. Likewise, if we
tried to escape, it would be easy for them to kill us. Or worse. Turn us into
the undead.

The decision to hole up here was either a very wise or fatal
one.

In four hours, Romans would be out and about. Marek was
going on and on about the rules. “I tell you, we have to do something quick,”
he said. “This risks everyone finding out about us.”

Some of us wondered if the boker would make an appearance,
or else be content to stay far away––as no doubt he was. I didn’t
know how far spells could travel, but something told me this guy was a
master––he could probably conjure over great distances. There was
no telling how far away he was.

I wish Genevieve was
here
, I thought. My old headmistress would know what to do. Stories of her
crafting were whispered throughout St. Martley’s with the same frequency as
tales of girls’ first times––and with equal embellishments.

I had no sense of Magic’s size or scope, what it could or
could not do. There was still so much to learn. I thought sourly of all my time
wasted.
If I get through this
, I told
myself,
I’m going to start finding things
out. I promise.

Around us, I Gatti was preparing for combat. I heard Lia
whispering to Gaven. “We knew this was coming,” she said. “It was only a matter
of time.”

“But are we ready?” he asked. “What will we do if it gets
out too early?”

“If my brother were here––” said Lia. They
started kissing one another. I left them before they saw me.

It was at this point that I noticed a lot of the members of
the motorcycle gang included females, women––mostly a few years
older than I was. I had never given them much thought. It seemed like they all
had boyfriends, too. Make out sessions were going on left, right, and center.
They were all in their early to late twenties.

Gaven was leader. He made sure the weapons were divided
properly. Groups occupied every room. Lennox explained to them about the
crawling
.

“The building is covered with ivy. Plus, their fingertips
are strong enough to pierce rock. The zombies can get in through the windows,”
he said. “Or else over the top.”

We fortified where we could. It was imperative Lennox and
Marek break out responsibilities. “We are the only two vampires here,” he said.

Marek nodded.

“I’ll take the third floor,” he said. “The library. It has
the highest ceilings. If I have to crawl...” He did not elaborate.

“What can I do?” I asked, watching Marek disappear.
Inwardly, I hoped for my own little make out session.

“I have to protect you. I
won’t
lose you, Halsey Rookmaaker,” said Lennox. I nearly melted.

He wanted me to stay put, in the center of the courtyard.
“It’s the safest place,” he said. The walkways surrounded us. There was I
Gatti. I saw them patrolling with Infester’s nets. “If the zombies break
through,” said Lennox, “this is the centermost point.”

“Like a keep in a castle.”

“Exactly,” he said. He was determined to stay by my side.

Had there been any word from the zombies? I asked.

“If they want to speak to us, they can,” he said, and
pointed to the gate. Gaven was going there now. I tried to imagine him feral,
snarling, claws outstretched. He moved like a panther.

Lia watched him from the second level. Our eyes met briefly.
Hers registered nothing. She disappeared inside.

“Do we have... enough?” I asked.

Lennox’s mind was elsewhere. “If I
die
,” he said.

“You won’t.”

“Remember what I said about the Agonies?” he said.

How could I forget. “They’re some test, right? If you don’t
pass, you die.”

I didn’t want to think about it. If he got through this,
Lennox could still be taken from me.

“That never bothered me before today,” he said. “It wasn’t
until I met you, I even wanted to live. I was... sired... against my wishes. I
don’t even know by whom. I roamed in the early years, taking life. I never
appreciated it until now.”

“What about me?” I said. “I never had anything else to lose,
either. My parents were
taken
from
me. Before I even knew them, they were gone. My life is here, now. With you.
I’ve wanted to be close to you for a long time.”

I was pleading with him, trying to get him to see reason. I
couldn’t help it.

“So long as we are together, I know we can beat this thing,”
I said, “because we have to. It’s on me, to start being honest. I haven’t told
you everything about me that there is.”

“Only because I ignored you,” he said. For too long he had
been like an island.

“I am like a boat, a ship, lost at sea. I can see you,” I
said, “in the distance.
Shore.
After
all these years.
Finally
, someone for
me. And I want it. I want us. I’m a––”

But at that precise moment, the crystalline moment shattered
like an exquisite mistake.

I heard shouts, screams, windows smashing, people fighting.
Bodies struggling against one another in the dark.

The creatures had broken through! I Gatti was no match for
the zombies, not alone, single-handed. They had to work in teams. It was a
wonder they hadn’t all been turned already. Then I realized––they
had been training for this. Not exactly
zombies
,
per se.

Vampires.

And weren’t vampires supposedly bigger? Meaner? But could
something that I was so in love with
be
that bad?

I looked at Lennox. He looked torn between defending me and
helping all of them.

“Go,”
I said. If
he didn’t help them––
now
––there
would not
be
an us.

* * *

He sprang into action. I saw him leap to the first level,
not bothering to take the stairs. Two Six Nine Guys were fighting back to back
against a pair of blood-hungry zombies. Lennox smashed the first one’s skull in
with his fist.

I worried about the blood mixing with his own, but then I
remembered he was made out of stone. It was porcelain and beautiful, but stone
nonetheless.

He was utterly beautiful as he demolished the first of
several Fast Walkers. I hoped Marek was having equal success. For my part, I
felt so helpless and ashamed. I didn’t know why they were after me. But these
people, Lia, Ballard’s family, they shouldn’t have to die on my account.

Not for me.

There’s always
something you can do
, I told myself.
If
you wait, it will be too late. They’re after you. Think. If I can draw them... I
need
fire....

I thought about that.

Marek was the only one with any fire left. He still had that
firebomb. The library! I needed to get to it.

Maybe I could burn them or something. I didn’t know what I
was going to do. But I was certain about one thing. I wasn’t going to let
anyone else pay the price, just because I was a witch, or at least a potential
witch––

Could any of this have anything to do with the fact that I
was? That I had come to Rome in the first place? I couldn’t see how, as I
ascended the flight of zigzagging stone stairs.