“No,” she said, a smile forming on her lips, “it’s not me. It’s nothing wrong.”
“Then—?”
She clutched two handfuls of his shirt with desperate excitement. “I figured it out, Peter,” she cried.
“You…”
“I know how to kill them.”
“Kill who?”
Sister Sun could feel the glorious madness blossom in her eyes. And from Peter’s reaction, she knew he could see it too.
“Everyone,” she said. “I figured out how to kill… everyone.”
The day we found Sanctuary we also saw the jet. It landed on the airfield, but by the time we reached the base, the plane had been shut down, the lights and engine turned off. We never saw the pilot or crew.
Every time they bring me over to the blockhouse for an interview, I ask where the jet’s crew is, and they never tell me. All they’ll say is that they’re being debriefed — whatever that means.
Joe won’t tell us either.
What are they hiding?
CHAPTER 36
“How do you feel today?” asked the voice.
“I’ve developed an irresistible hunger for human flesh,” said Benny.
There was a long, long silence. The interview cubicle was so dark that Benny could barely see the wall-mounted speaker. He bent close to listen. He could hear the interviewer breathing.
“Hello?”
The voice said, “When you say that you’ve developed a—”
“Oh, for God’s sake, it was a joke.”
After a moment the voice said, “A ‘joke’?”
“Yes. I’m sure even you lug nuts have heard that word before.”
“Mr. Imura… why would you make a joke about something like that?”
“Why not?”
There was no answer.
Benny knocked on the speaker. “Hey — you still there?”
“How do you feel today?” asked the voice, as if the conversation was just starting.
Benny sighed. “With my hands.”
“Mr. Imura…”
“Why don’t you tell me what you’re doing to help my friend Chong.”
“We’re doing everything we can.”
“Is he getting better?”
“He’s stabilized.”
“Is he getting better?” Benny asked again, more slowly, over-enunciating each word.
“We… are not sure we can expect an improvement at this time.”
“Then let me out of here.”
“What?”
“Let me out. We’re done.”
“Mr. Imura,” said the voice, “you are being immature about this.”
“Immature?” Benny laughed. “I went out to that plane yesterday to look for those stupid research notes. I didn’t see you out there.”
“We have to stay inside the quarantine of the lab.”
“I didn’t see your soldiers out there either. In fact, you know who I did see out there? A freaking reaper. And you know what I did? I freaking killed him. That’s what I did. You want to hide behind your stupid wall inside this freaking bunker and call me immature?” Benny kicked the speaker as hard as he could. The little grille buckled. “You’re not doing anything for me or Chong or anyone else, so tell me why I should help you? Tell me what we’re accomplishing with these little chats of ours. All you’re doing is wasting my time and pissing me off.”
He gave the speaker another kick.
Almost three full minutes passed before the door opened. In that time the voice did not return, did not ask another question.
Benny got up and stepped out into the hot sunlight. A monk was there to guide him across the bridge.
No way I’m going back in there, he told himself. I’d rather be stuck in a zombie pit at Gameland with my hands tied behind my back.
Suddenly that fragment of broken memory from yesterday skittered across his mind again.
He froze.
“Brother—?” inquired the monk, but Benny held up his hand.
“Gimme a sec…”
He closed his eyes and repeated what he’d just thought. There was something there.
Zombie pit.
Yes.
Sergeant Ortega. A big soldier.
In a zombie pit?
Yes.
No. Not exactly. Not a zombie pit.
Not at Gameland. Benny was sure of that much. Sergeant Ortega.
He could see the face.
Not a living face. Dead.
Definitely zommed out.
But also definitely Sergeant Ortega. No doubt about it.
In a pit.
Zombie.
Pit.
What other pits were there with zombies in them?
And suddenly he had it.
His eyes snapped open.
He remembered exactly where he had seen Sergeant Luis Ortega. And if he was right, then the man — the zom that had been that man — would still be there.
Benny bolted from beside the monk and ran as fast as he could across the bridge.
CHAPTER 37
Benny found Nix in the mess hall. She was sitting with Riot, their heads bent together as they spoke.
“Nix!” he called from halfway across the room.
Her head jerked up and she looked around. Then she immediately got up and started to turn away, to leave. Benny ran to her and caught her wrist.
“Nix — I heard about yesterday. Are you all right?”
“Yes. We’re both okay.”
“Thank God!” he said breathlessly. “Listen, I need to talk to you.”
“Benny — no, I can’t… I…”
He gently pulled her around to face him. Her eyes were red, as if she’d been crying a long time, and her whole face was pink and puffy. Her scar and her freckles always grew darker when she was upset, and now they were very dark.
“Listen, Nix—”
She looked up at him with such pain in her green eyes that it stalled him. “I saw him.”
“You saw… Chong?”
“Riot and I went over yesterday. They let us see him.”
Benny half turned to see the look on Riot’s face. She hadn’t told him that last night. There were other storms raging through her life, and Benny held no grudge.
Before he could say anything, Nix flung herself into his arms and clung to him with all her strength.
“Oh, Benny… he looked so bad,” she wailed. “He looked so sick. So lost.”
Her words disintegrated into sobs that were so deep, so shattered, that it silenced the entire mess hall. Those sobs were every bit as terrible as Riot’s had been.
Benny enfolded her in his arms and held her close. Her body was furnace hot against his; her tears burned like acid. She trembled with the kind of deep grief and pain that went all the way down to the core. Benny understood that kind of anguish. He held her and kissed her hair.
The monks at the tables turned away. A few of them gave him small smiles and encouraging nods, but they said nothing and did not interfere.
Benny led Nix back to her table and they sat down together, awkwardly, still clinging to each other. Riot got up and came around behind them, wrapped her arms around them both, and laid her cheek down on the tops of their heads.
Eventually the storm passed, as all storms pass.
Nix gradually straightened and pulled away. Riot sat down on her side of the table. Everyone used the napkins to wipe their streaming noses and eyes.
“Nix, I—,” Benny began, but she touched her fingers to his chest.
“Please, Benny, let me say something first.”
“Okay.”
She dabbed at her eyes. “What I said yesterday about Chong…”
Benny nodded but said nothing.
“Please, don’t ever think—”
“No,” he cut her off. “Listen to me, Nix, you don’t need to say this, and I don’t need to hear it. We… kind of just said it all anyway.”