Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ORION
Iwoke up to pink smoke licking at my body.
“Pee off,” I yawned at Dawn, hazy from sleep.
It continued to probe with its tendrils, like it did every morning, the floor engulfed by a sea of pink.
Miko strode through it, taking a seat beside me. “Morning.”
No daylight broke through the efficient boards on the windows. “We survived the night.”
“We did.” He patted my hand.
“I can’t believe all that happened in one night.” I yawned more of my haziness away. “Actually, I can believe it.”
He smiled ever so gently, checking my forehead with the back of his hand. “Are you feeling alright?”
His knuckles were nice and cool. “I’m fine. Bit sore around the wrists.”
“Here.” Basil appeared in the doorway. “There’s plenty left.” He tossed me a box of painkillers and left the room.
“Thank you.”
Miko picked up a bottle of water from the floor. “For you.”
“Thanks.” I downed the pills.
“I’ve got some paracetamol in my pocket.” He patted his new leather jacket. “Supplied up.”
“Basil should be less prickly in a few days.”
“Cool. Are you ready to set off?”
“More than ready.” I swung my legs off the sofa.
Miko leaned in and kissed my cheek.
I turned to face him. “Oh.”
He kissed me again, on the lips this time. Pressed his nose to mine. “Sorry. Your lips are pretty addictive.”
“They are?”
He kissed me gently again. “Absolutely.”
I kissed him back, brushing against his stubbled cheek. “Likewise.”
He pressed his forehead to mine. “Know what would be awesome right now?”
“What?”
“Full English breakfast, coffee, orange juice, too many slices of toast, snuggling it off on the sofa.”
Stars, hearing him talk like this felt so strange yet so incredible. “As long as I don’t have to endure black pudding.”
“Don’t worry. It’s gross.”
I giggled lightly. “And this is why we’re fated mates.”
He kissed me again, then shuffled back. “Nail on the head there.”
“That all sounds heavenly,” I said.
“Yeah. It does.” The softness in his features suddenly hardened, his steely aura flooding back. “I’m sorry for not getting to you sooner. If those blood magi had… Fuck.”
“It’s okay.” I took his calloused hand. “I’m fine. They’re dead.”
“Doesn’t change what they tried to do.”
“I know.” Their actions would forever disturb me, but I’d been lucky. I would not take the gift lightly.
“At least they’re dead.”
“Best thing for the assbugs.” I lifted his hand, kissing his knuckles.
He smiled. “Cate’s been scouting in preparation for our departure. I can hear her outside. If she gives the all clear, we’re off.”
“That’s fine.”
“She found weapons for us all. Hammers, screwdrivers, knives. Even an axe for you.”
“Stars! I’m so happy.” Finally, back to using my favorite mode of zombie killing again.
“No guns, though.”
Cate was the pack’s weapons specialist.
“Still sounds good,” I said.
He got up and left the room, Dawn swirling around his boots.
Did I just see something in his eyes? Something more sorrowful than sadness?
Was there such a thing?
What a beautiful September day.
Clear blue skies, scant wisps of white clouds, and the sun felt like a welcoming warm hug. It felt a lot like a spring day, only with autumnal colors in the trees and the light.
If it weren’t for the zombies, I’d be whistling while we walked.
There were only a few more days left until October took over.
We were heading in a north-westerly direction, keeping quiet, and reached Stratford without incident. Only the usual zombie encounters, all dealt with quickly. Nothing too dramatic. And, thankfully, no sign of Lance or any blood magi for the time being.
Miko sniffed the air while we hid behind a bus, watching slowies lumber around the high street. He and Cate sniffed a lot on the journey, taking pauses to check for shifters and Lance.
“When I give the signal,” Miko whispered, “follow me.”
After a minute, he made a hand gesture and we broke our cover, hurrying into a side street, dodging truly dead bodies and a serious amount of debris. A fire had broken out here, many of the houses and apartment blocks nothing more than charred ruins.
A speedie hissed and charged out of an unburned house, tripping over a skeleton and landing flat on her face. She got back up, didn’t speak, being a regular speedie.
Good.
Cate took her down quickly, using the pointy end of a hammer to break through her skull.
We carried on, a couple more speedies attacking. Basil ended one, Miko three, Cate two, and I managed to take care of a slowie thinking it could sneak in from the sidelines.
Not on my watch.
I buried the blade of my axe into his skull, the familiar vibration through the weapon intoxicating.
See, Basil. A killing gene lives inside me.
Was that something to be proud of?
“I don’t think so,” I told the man, pulling the axe free.
My wrists complained with angry flares of pain. “Stars…”
“Everything alright?” Miko asked.
“Yes. Fine.” The sooner we were with the rest of the pack, the better.
We kept going until we reached Gibbins Road. I don’t know why, but I quite liked the name. It sounded rather twee and friendly, though the state of it was anything but. More remnants of death, more horror, and a thick scent of poop joined the acrid decay.
I wrinkled my nose, wishing for a peg.
Miko pointed to a wall lining the street. There were railway lines on the other side.
“Haven’t said this for a while,” he whispered, “but we have to use the Central Line.”
Cate smiled. “The hottest line on the network.”
“Like riding a train through hell,” Miko added.
Basil inspected the wall.
“It is?” I wondered.
“Even in winter,” Miko said. “Fucking boiling. Anyway, over we go.”
Cate went first to inspect the other side. Everything was fine, so Basil went next without being asked. Just vaulted over without regard for a queue.
Not that there was a queue, but still.
“Moody,” I muttered.
“I’m surprised I don’t get on with him better.” Miko spoke without any humor.
“Hilarious.”
“After you.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you need a boost?”
“Do you?”
A teeny, tiny smirk came to his lips. “See you over there.”
I vaulted over, wincing at the stab of ache in my wrists, and landed on a pile of wet leaves.
Miko followed next. “Okay. We follow the tunnels back to our destination. Everyone good?”
We were all good.
“Let’s do this.”
I glanced behind me as we made our way to the tracks. Why wasn’t Lance on our trail? What was his next plan? Had he left London already to find answers for himself? Or was he out there right now with a pair of binoculars observing our every move, us merely pawns on his big chess board?
I shuddered, a slimy sense of unease slithering across my soul.
The tracks gradually sloped downward into a waiting tunnel, half a train sticking out of it. We climbed through the driver’s cab. A slowie with broken legs moaned up at Miko. He put him out his misery, leading us back into the dark bowels of the city.
The sunshine had been nice while it lasted.