CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Terror seized me as my worst fears played through my mind like a horror film. I couldn’t move. Zombies couldn’t have followed us to our timeline, could they have?

More terrified screams permeated the air followed by agonizing silence. I shook my head. Why wasn’t Brighton on high alert? We were supposed to be prepared for this. I wanted to mourn Kaden’s death in peace, not worry about how I’d escape. I’d failed the one person who’d sacrificed everything for me.

I caught my breath and tried to think. Maybe I was making this up. Maybe something else happened. I had to look. I had to know.

Turning the knob quietly, I cracked opened the door and peered into the hall. A gasp escaped from my lips. Blood splatter decorated the wall and red foot prints went in both directions on the ground where Declan’s body used to be. Only his arm lay in the middle of the hall with the hand cuffs still attached.

I closed the door and tried not to vomit. Carnage. Utter carnage. This was worse than a nightmare. My head swayed.

Breathe, Abby. Breathe.

Elle still needed me. She was trapped in a jail cell unaware. I’d need to find her. I’d need a weapon.

Pulling open and tossing all of Declan’s drawers to the floor, I looked again without success. I panted and splayed my hands on the desk.

Think, Abby. Think.

The locked book caught my eye again. Maybe it had the answers. I tried to pry the lock open. No amount of pulling would get the lock to budge.

Anger swelled and I threw it against the wall. Then I ran to the shelf, grabbed ahold of a stack of the books and yanked. The grouping fell together in a heap and busted opened onto the floor. Only they weren’t books at all, but empty wooden boxes painted to look like books. I pulled down another and another. Fake. All fake.

With a scream, I crumbled to the floor and cried into my bloodied hands. Nothing made sense anymore.

With another crunch, another grouping fell. A pile of journals spilled out. Twenty-two, identical to the one on the desk, but they weren’t locked. I opened the closest book to me.

In elegant script the title read: Census 2036—two years from now. I traced my hands over the ink, jealous of the penmanship. Besides the sloppy note I’d written to Kaden, I’d never had much opportunity to write anything. Curious, I flipped to the next page. People’s names were listed alphabetically, along with age, birth date, profession, marital status, children, health, and… words of advice. My throat tightened as I continued to read. Then my fingers began to shake as I flipped to the R’s. I traced my finger down and looked for Eleanor.

Name: Robinson, Eleanor Elle

Age: 20

Profession: Computer Programmer

Marital Status: Engaged to Jordan Taylor

Children: None yet

Health: Sassy as ever

Words of Advice: Dear Me, wear clean underwear. You never know where you’ll be when an emergency strikes. Don’t, I repeat, don’t shave off your eyebrows. Watch out for the extra calories, too. They’re sneaking up on you. Oh, and tell your work-a-holic best friend, Anna, she needs to let loose and take a vacation everyone once in a while. Too much time in the lab makes for a cranky girl. Oh, and have fun while you’re young!

Signing off, Elle

Anna? Were Anna and I the same person? I stared at the words and blinked. Although this wasn’t forty years from now, Elle’s happiness oozed off the page. Flipping farther through the book, I noted everyone gave sensible and sometimes silly advice. What had happened that destroyed that world?

My eyes slid shut. I’d been tasked on a quest to save my friends, my future husband, and my family, and instead I’d brought on a zombie apocalypse in both worlds. All because of some time travel nonsense I couldn’t control. I hugged the book to my chest. More than anything, I wanted this timeline to be real—to be ours.

Movement flickering in the monitor caught my attention. I turned and witnessed nothing but a bare floor. Where did Kaden’s body go? I ran over to the screen and pressed the intercom. Then I noticed a volume button. Cranking it to the max, I shuddered as moans and screams filled the speakers. I clicked the button once more.

“Kaden?”

“Abby?” Kaden responded. “Is that you? Where are you?”

His beautiful face filled the screen and my shoulders sagged in relief.

“I’m in Declan’s office,” I said, touching the screen. “Can you see me?”

“No.” He glanced over his shoulder when another scream filled the speakers. “What’s happening?”

I pursed my lips and hesitated. “I think I’ve started a zombie apocalypse.”

Kaden’s eyes swung to the camera. “Oh, shit.”

I cocked my head backward in shock. I’d expected him to be in disbelief at least. “You know about them?”

Kaden’s face pinched in concern. “Yeah. Sort of.”

The air whooshed from my mouth as my words tumbled in a rush. “I’ve been time jumping, but I thought I was going to the future. Actually, it’s not. It’s the past, and somehow there are zombies there. I must have somehow contaminated myself. I don’t know what we’re going to do…” Tears sprung to my lids.

“Abby, listen to me. You need to find me. And bring keys or something to get me free from this cell. Even a hammer will work. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I said, breathless.

“There’s no rush. Technically, I’m safe in here. Just be careful.”

Safe. We weren’t safe anymore. I blinked, my head swimming.

“Abby?” Kaden called, more urgent.

“Yes, Kaden. I’m coming for you.”

“Good,” he said with a soft sigh. “You can do it. Please, be careful.”

I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. Somehow, I knew he was right. And I would fix this. I owed it to him.

~|~

With a pointed shard of wood in my hand, I entered the hall. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck as I tiptoed around the blood and listened hard.

Rule 21.2: If you’re in need of help, press your emergency button and call for backup immediately, especially in a zombie attack.

I could imagine the chaos in the streets if in fact zombies were loose in the city. People should revert to their training and seal up their homes. DOD watches on victims would alert the location of the undead. Things would work out.

Turning the corner, I withheld my scream and looked away. On the floor lay the guard from earlier who’d booked me and put me in the cell. Her intestines were ripped from her torso and spilt alongside her body. Half of her face was missing; her eyes were open and vacant. I leaned away and dry heaved. I hadn’t eaten since… I couldn’t remember when.

The keys, though, were most likely on her person. Everything inside me demanded I run. Elle’s whimper stopped me.

I peered around the corner first. “I’m here.”

She looked up and blinked at me, eyes red. Then she cried some more. “Now I’m seeing things.”

“No, Elle. I’m really here.” I came to the bars.

“H-how?” she choked out.

I pushed out a breath. “It’s a long story. I need to get you out of here first.”

“You disappeared, though.”

“I know. It’s because…” I pinched my eyes shut for a moment. “I’m the Oracle, Elle.”

Her features froze, then she started to laugh which grew into a grating cackle.

“No, Elle. I’m serious. I am.”

“Sure you are.” She snorted and I knew this wasn’t rational behavior. “You’re an EA trick and you’re trying to get me to cave. I won’t do it!” She shook her fist at the camera.

“Forget it.” I turned around. “I’ll be right back.”

“Sure you will,” she called out.

I kneeled beside the mangled lady’s body and turned my head while I fished in her wet pocket for keys, finding nothing. In her hostler, though, was a gun. I’d never held a gun, let alone shot one.

“Abby!” Elle called, panicked.

“Shhh!” I barked over my shoulder. “I’m coming. Hold on.”

Then the body underneath me shifted. My head whipped around. The woman’s milky eyes moved to look at me. I shrieked and tried to stand. Quick as a flash, her bloodied hand gripped onto my arm. Off balance, I toppled onto my butt and slipped from her grasp. She rolled toward me. My feet kicked her in attempts to push her away. An excited gurgle came from the gash in her cheek and she grabbed ahold of my ankles, teeth bared.

With a quick jerk of my fist, I punched her on the good side of her face, knocking her over. I lunged for the gun on her belt. My fingers slid over the cold metal, unable to grip it. I reached for it again, yanking it from her belt. I aimed and pulled the trigger.

Elle shrieked and yelled something, but the blast made everything fuzzy. The woman kept advancing. I crawled backwards and jumped to my feet, running around the corner. The woman did the same and followed, arms held outward.

Elle screamed and my finger pulled the trigger. Stucco sprayed from the wall behind the guard.

“Her head!” Elle yelled. “Shoot her in the head!”

My hands swung upward and I aimed, blasting a bullet into her skull. Blood and flesh exploded behind her, coating the wall, and her body tumbled to my feet.

My hands trembled as I continued to train the gun on her.

“Holy shit! What is that?” Elle screamed. “What the hell is that?”

I swung to Elle, gun still extended in my hands.

“Whoa!” Elle held up her hands in surrender. “Lower that thing.”

My head cleared briefly, and instead of putting the gun down, I pointed it at the lock on the gate between us and shot again. An ear shattering clang reverberated in the room. Elle’s lips moved, but I couldn’t hear what she’d said.

Then the gate between us swung open wide and Elle had never looked more furious in her life.

Date: 2015-02-03; view: 707