Barely thinking, Josh rushed at the zombie, tackling him and pushing him against the wall.
“Josh!” Charlie shouted. “The blood! Don’t touch it! Your hands are cut!”
Who cares about fake blood? Josh thought as he fought the zombie, who was thrashing his head from side to side and trying to bite Josh’s face.
He saw Finnegan run by him and up the stairs. Charlie was next. As she passed Josh, she grabbed his arm and pulled. “Come on!” she said.
Josh was staring into the zombie’s rheumy eyes. It was gnashing its teeth, or what was left of them, and its tongue was lolling from its mouth. Blood and spittle flecked its chin. It was disgusting, but for some reason Josh couldn’t stop looking at it. His brain slowed down, as if he and the zombie were thinking the same thoughts.
Then Charlie yanked hard on his arm and tore him away. She practically dragged him up the first dozen steps before pushing him behind her and raising her flamethrower. Josh watched as she shot a blast of fire at the z, which was trying to climb the stairs after them. Charlie kept the flame burning for longer than usual, and when she released the trigger, the zombie’s skin was blackened, falling to the stone steps in bloody chunks.
“That’s for Bess,” Charlie whispered. Then she turned around and took Josh’s hand, and they started to climb.
15
The tap on his shoulder startled Josh. He jumped and opened his eyes. Emily was standing beside his bed, looking at him curiously. Josh removed the headset he was wearing and turned it off.
“Sorry,” Emily said. “I knocked, but you didn’t hear me. What are you listening to?”
“Crystal Static,” said Josh. “What do you want?”
Emily frowned. “What’s your problem?” she asked. “You’ve been grumpy ever since you got home. Did one of the homeless people make fun of your clothes or something?”
“You know how Mondays can be,” Josh answered. He wasn’t about to tell her that he was upset because Bess had almost died in the game that afternoon. He still couldn’t believe Clatter, Scrawl, and Seamus had managed to get into the sealed chamber through the tunnel and get her out. By the time he, Charlie, and Finnegan had reached the surface, Bess had been transported to the hospital, where she was recovering.
Clatter had apologized repeatedly for the mechanical malfunctions he said caused the hatch doors to lock, and Josh knew he felt terrible about the accident. He’d praised Josh for his quick thinking under pressure. But even knowing that Bess was alive couldn’t help Josh shake the memory of seeing her face for what he thought was the last time. She’d looked so scared, and he’d had to leave her there alone to—he thought—die.
He shook the thoughts from his head and looked at Emily. “So what do you want?”
“I’m having trouble with my homework,” said Emily. “I was wondering if you could help me.”
“Can’t you ask Mom or Dad?”
“I could,” said Emily. “But I don’t want to. Besides, they’re busy.”
“So am I,” Josh told her.
“Busy doing nothing,” said Emily. “You’ve been ‘busy’ for two weeks.”
“I have a lot to do,” Josh said. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“You mean your new girlfriend?” said Emily.
Josh sat up. “What are you talking about?”
Emily cocked her head. “So she is your girlfriend.
I told Stella she was wrong.”
“Who’s Stella?” said Josh.
“A friend of mine from dance class,” Emily told him. “She said she’s seen you with the same girl a bunch of times. On the train.”
“Well, you can tell Stella she is wrong,” Josh said.
“Oh, I’ll do that,” said Emily. She turned to leave the room. At the door she turned around. “I just hope Mom and Dad don’t find out about her,” she said. “Stella said she didn’t look like a homeless person to her.”
Emily started to leave, but Josh called her back. She turned to him, an innocent look on her face. “Yes?” she said. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“Get your homework,” Josh told her.
Emily beamed and ran out. She returned a few moments later carrying her NoteTaker. Josh moved over on the bed, and she sat next to him.
“What are you having a hard time with?” Josh asked her.
“Math,” said Emily.
“Ah,” Josh said. “That’s why you don’t want to ask Mom or Dad.” He looked at the problem on her NoteTaker and started to tell her how to solve it. Then he paused. “Wait a minute,” he said. “Since when have you had trouble with math?”
“Since now,” Emily said.
Josh handed her back the NoteTaker. “I’m not buying it.”
Emily groaned. “All right, I don’t need help with my homework.” She kicked her feet against the bed.
“Come on,” Josh urged. “What’s going on?”
“Fine,” Emily said, as if he’d forced her to talk. “It’s you. You’ve been acting all weird.”
Josh felt a knot of fear form in his gut. What had Emily noticed? He’d been careful not to take Z too often at home. He’d done it a couple of times, but only when he was in his room alone. Then he’d sat up all night playing the hologame.
“Yeah, well,” Josh said. “I am pretty weird.”
“This is weirder than normal,” said Emily. “I don’t really know how to explain it. And now there’s this girl.”
“I told you, she’s just a friend,” Josh reminded her.
“And you don’t talk to Firecracker anymore,” Emily continued.
“Sure I do,” said Josh. “Just because he hasn’t been over for a few—”
“Come on, Josh. Poppy told me,” Emily interrupted him.
Poppy. Firecracker’s little sister. Between her and this Stella girl, they’re practically a detective agency, Josh thought. He’d been worried about Firecracker when really he should have been concerned about a bunch of nine-year-olds.
“Firecracker and I kind of had a fight,” he told Emily.
“About that girl?”
“No,” Josh said. “It’s nothing.”
“Is that how you got that bruise on your face?”
Josh put his hand to his cheek. “Nah, I walked into an open locker door.”
“Poppy said he’s been really sad,” Emily told him, looking at his bruise doubtfully.
“Sad?” Josh echoed. “Firecracker?”
“That’s what she said,” Emily confirmed.
“Well, don’t worry about it,” Josh told her.
“You shouldn’t fight with your best friend,” said Emily. “They’re kind of hard to find.”
“When did you turn into a fortune cookie?” Josh asked her.
“When did you get a girlfriend?” Emily countered.
“For the last time, she’s not my girlfriend,” said Josh.
“Stella said you kissed her,” Emily pressed.
He was busted. But how? He and Charlie were always careful not to do anything like that where people might see them who shouldn’t. “She never saw that,” Josh said. “Because it never happened.”
“Stella said she saw you,” Emily said stubbornly.
“Did she get a picture of it?” asked Josh.
He saw the expression on Emily’s face falter. He’d caught her. Stella might have seen him with Charlie, but she’d never seen them kiss.
“She’s still your girlfriend,” Emily said. “I know she is.”
“You just keep thinking that,” said Josh. “But don’t go telling anyone things you can’t prove.”
“Maybe,” his sister said, clearly annoyed that she’d been beaten.
“Hey,” he said. “You want to watch a holofilm after dinner? I’ll even let you pick.”