Chance extracted Jaclyn and carried her to River.

“Let’s get you to the hospital, kitten,” Frosty said.

“Cole’s place is on the way.” The words spilled from me. “We can get more antidote there.”

He eased forward, careful not to jostle her. “You’re going to be okay, kitten. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“Love you,” she whispered. “Just wanted to...fix you...lunch...and live...you and Ali...made life worth...fighting for...thank you.”

Killing me. “Don’t thank us. Live! Keep fighting.”

Pop. Pop. Pop. The gunfire drew ever closer.

Boom!

Boom!

More zombies, too.

“Frosty.” I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other, maintaining the moderate pace. “We have to hurry.”

“Shut up, Ali.” His tone remained gentle, despite the heat of his rebuke. “I can’t risk jostling her.”

“I know.” But I can’t risk losing her.

Pop. Pop. Pop. The ground shook. Little fires blazed in patches of foliage, dark smoke mushrooming to the tops of the trees.

“Bronx, get everyone to the closest safe house.” Cole’s voice rang out. “Chance, give me two of your guns.” Then he came up beside me and slapped one of the guns in my hand. “I’ll guard the front. You guard the rear.”

All business. Good. Exactly what I needed.

The deeper we traveled through the forest, the thicker the smoke became, the more obvious the scent of rot. It wasn’t long before we discovered why the authorities hadn’t made it to the house. Zombies had attacked their cars en masse and dragged policemen and firemen outside, where they’d become a spiritual feast.

Soon, they would rise.

Scratch that. No “soon” about it. Some of them were already crawling out of their bodies.

Multiple sets of red eyes landed on us and narrowed. And suddenly, it was like a starting bell rang out, zombies leaping into action and racing toward us. Some wore a collar...and a bomb—the new ones didn’t.

“Run, Frosty! I’ve got this.” I stepped out of my body and fired the gun. Bam, between the eyes. Bam, right inside the mouth. Bam, direct to the heart. I hammered at the trigger until I ran out of bullets, then used the butt of the gun to knock a few skulls around. Summoning flames proved ineffective.

I threw a punch at a zombie, then another, then ducked to avoid a chomp of teeth. I swiped out my leg and knocked a pair of ankles together. While I fought, I thought, Screw the fire and tried to push out a stream of energy, but failed at that, too.

Behind me, gnarled fingers locked on my shoulder. I was dragged to the ground. Multiple sets of teeth flashed in the moonlight. I rolled and kicked, nailing two zombies in the face, and then I twisted, using one hand to punch the zombie beside me and the other to brace my weight.

Gold star, Ali. The creatures were going down fast.

I popped to my feet, a high-pitched noise making me cringe. A noise I recognized.

“Bomb,” I shouted, diving to the ground.

Boom!

Another blast of molten air whooshed over my back and might have even singed the ends of my hair. Bits and pieces of zombie pelted me. Coughing, I kicked decrepit limbs away from me.

Then I ran. I ran and listened. A grunt. Snapping limbs. There. I chased the sound, turning left, quickening my pace, darting through a canopy of brittle leaves. Frosty’s features were bathed in panic as he bounded toward me, Kat flopping in his arms. Anima was coming at him from every angle.

Two of the soldiers raised their guns. Aimed.

“No!” I screamed, diving forward.

But I was too late. The bullets too fast.

One embedded in Frosty’s thigh—the other in Kat’s shoulder.

He fell, twisting midway to take the brunt of impact. Kat rolled from his arms. She stopped several yards from me. He stood, desperate to reach her, but he took a bullet to the chest and flew backward.

On my hands and knees, I scrambled to my best friend. Her eyes were closed. Dirt smeared her cheeks. “Come on. Come on! Mad Dog, you have to listen to me.” I tore off my shirt, didn’t care that I was left in my bra, and wrapped her bleeding shoulder. I trembled as I felt for a pulse.

Nothing.

No. I’d missed it, that was all. It was there. Had to be there. Maybe if I pressed harder, deeper. “You’re going to wake up. Do you hear me?”

Blood streamed from her mouth. Still there was no telltale beat to signal her heart had started working again.

I choked on a sob.

Pop. Pop.

A Hazmat toppled at my left, another at my right. Whatever. The men were nothing to me. “Kat. Mad Dog. It’s Ali. It’s time to wake up now. Okay? All right?”

Silence.

Respond! “Listen to me,” I screeched, desperate, so terribly desperate; there wasn’t room for any other emotion. “This isn’t cake. I need you to wake up. You’ve got a wedding to plan, the most horrid bridesmaid dress ever created to choose for me. Puke-green. With pink bows.”

Miserable silence.

She...

She was...

I fell back on my haunches, fighting to breathe. Anima had done this, had hurt an innocent girl. Ruined an innocent girl. Kat was—had been—no! I refuse to believe it—she was a bright, beautiful girl. Smart and witty. Kind and caring. She wouldn’t just...die out here in a forest, with zombies and fires and the enemy all around us. No, when she died, it was going to be on her own terms. In a blaze of glory.