New Title 4 (15 page)

He didn t realize what Lucas had been looking at until he made a sudden lunge at the counter just over Phil s head. Phil s first instinct was to try to move away from Lucas, but as he looked up at the counter over him he saw something bright hanging just over the edge. The cube. Lucas had almost left without the cube.

Phil lashed upwards with the silver stake as Lucas reached for it. The stake didn t do much more than graze Lucas s arm, but Lucas still pulled his arm back and screamed like he was in childbirth. Phil reached up and grabbed at the cube himself just as Lucas tried to grab at it again, and instead of either one of them getting it they simply managed to knock it aside. Phil pulled himself up using the counter for balance, but Lucas hit him with a punch to his kidney. Phil chuffed at the pain but still managed to grab for the cube again. It had been pushed to the far side of the counter, and when Phil s fingers touched it he accidentally pushed it farther away, making it slide just enough that it went over the edge and hit the floor on the other side.

Phil was still trying to reach across the counter as Sue s clammy hand fell on his shoulder. He started to turn around and look at her, but she yanked him aside and off balance. Phil slipped in the change on the floor and fell to his knees again just as Sue stepped closer to loom over him. The stake was still in his left hand, and she was close enough and slow enough that he thought he could probably shove it up into her eye before her strange undead strength could rip his skull open. He knew it was the only way now. Whatever effect the flute had on her had not worn off once Lucas had stopped playing. She was still under Lucas s control and there was no way he knew of to break that control. He could either kill her (or rather re-kill her) or she would kill him.

And he couldn t do it. He looked up into her eyes, the eyes he would have to stab through to get at her brain, and he didn t see the blank and empty eyes most people saw in zombies. Even if he didn t physically see any sign that she recognized and knew him as the man who loved her, she was still that strong survivor type that had continued to show traces of itself even after she was in her grave. He couldn t be the one to do it. No matter how bad it got, he would still rather she killed him than he killed her.

Braaaaaiii
Phil closed his eyes and waited for her remaining teeth to tear through his flesh. The moment never happened.

He opened his eyes after a few seconds and looked back up at her. She had stopped as she brought her head down closer, and her entire body was shaking again. Her eyes weren t just staring thoughtlessly ahead anymore, but instead met his own as he looked at her. A few more seconds of shaking, of trying at the same time to kill him and back away from him, and a single tear went down her cheek from the right eye, the one that hadn t even existed at the beginning of the night. At the sight of the tear Phil felt like weeping himself.

Oh, honey, thank you, he whispered.
Something large and heavy hit him across the back of the head. It wasn t enough to make him black out, but his vision flashed with bright blue colors and he fell forward, only barely missing both Sue and the magazine and gum racks on the front of the counter. He groaned and tried to concentrate on the sounds around him, but there was too much going on to make much sense of it. He could hear Lucas screaming and Sue moaning, and another voice talking, maybe into a cell phone, but his head was too scrambled to do anything with any of this information just now. All he could think of was how Sue could have just killed him, how she was probably being forced by magical means to do so, and she hadn t.

If there was any greater way to prove that she loved him as much as he did her, then he didn t know what it was.

Caleb and Gloria ran all the way from her apartment to the OneStop Mart, both with their duffel bags in hand as well as a sword for Caleb and a crossbow for Gloria, and it was much more exercise than Caleb had been prepared for tonight. Several of the cuts on his back and hand broke open on the way (although it was possible they had broken open during that other exertion he d just been through, whether it had really happened in this reality or not) and he was bleeding a little when they finally stopped. He had to double over and lean his hands against his knees as he tried to breath, but Gloria didn t seem to be having the same problem. Maybe after her earlier run her body didn t think this one was much to write home about. Caleb, however, felt like he was ready to die.

There was no time for resting when they got to the store, though. They both stopped across the street and stared at the cars in the parking lot. Both of them had seen these kind of cars before. There were two plain four-door sedans, completely lacking in anything resembling personality and detail. They were intended to be inconspicuous, but in a place like the Hill inconspicuous was the most conspicuous thing you could be.

Shit. The cops, Gloria said. Caleb was too out of breath to say anything in agreement. They weren t just cops, they were the special cops. Their job was to patrol the Hill and take care of any of the problems that didn t fit too well on a proper police report. When non-human bodies that needed to be picked up and placed somewhere that a mundie mortician couldn t see them, or when there were dead people from obviously non-mundy means, these were the people that came and picked them up. Caleb could only hope that there weren t any bodies inside tonight, or at least that none of them were Phil s.

Gloria jogged across the street, Caleb following as closely behind as the stitch forming in his side would allow, and they slowed as they walked across the parking lot to take in the details. From the outside there didn t appear to be anything out of the ordinary, which at least meant no one was going to have to clean up giant dead armadillo bodies tonight. Gloria gestured at her crossbow and Caleb s sword, then pointed around the corner of the store where they kept the garbage dumpster. Caleb nodded and they both stashed their weapons in old milk crates next to the dumpster before moving to go inside. If the cops were here then it might not be the greatest idea to run into the store armed.

The thing about the special secret police was that they weren t supposed to attract the attention a normal officer would. Whoever came up with that idea apparently didn t realize that by the time the special police were called it would already be too late to avoid unnecessary attention, but that was still the rules the special unit went by. That meant that while the store would have been closed while they went and did their business if they were the normal cops, it had to stay open without any police tape or even locked doors. The result was that Caleb and Gloria could just stroll into the store as though nothing was going on, and so could any other customers. The fact that one of the two cash registers was on the floor with money still strewn everywhere didn t deter people from coming in to get their late night snacks or smokes. A line of five people had already formed waiting impatiently for Phil to check them out. They were going to be waiting for a while, though, as a cop was questioning Phil and he couldn t actually do what he was supposed to at the moment. Another cop was questioning one of the customers, what looked like a slightly too-tall leprechaun to Caleb, and neither of the cops seemed to be having much luck.

He was kind of, like, yay tall, the leprechaun said to his officer as he held up a flat hand and moved it up and down. The person he was describing could have been anywhere from three feet to five feet tall, and Caleb knew that if he was describing Lucas then he was still off. Beady eyes. Looked like the kind of guy who would kick a sloth, but only if the sloth could do really terrible things with bamboo shoots. Caleb actually felt some disappointment in himself that he actually understood what the leprechaun was trying to say. The police officer, on the other hand, looked thoroughly confused.

Caleb and Gloria moved over towards where Phil was standing answering questions, but Phil didn t seem to notice them at first. He was holding a hand to the back of his head and didn t seem to be seeing much of anything at the moment.

Could you tell me what his last name was? the cop asked.
No, I never asked him. For all I know Lucas might not have even been his real first name.
And you say he just threw the register to the floor for no reason and took off.
Yeah. That s kind of what happened.
But he didn t steal any property from anyone other than your zombie? Mr. Gorman, I feel I should remind you that necromancy is against the law.
In which law book is that written?
It s a secret law.
How many times do I have to tell you guys? She s not my property, she s my girlfriend.
Mr. Gorman, I feel I should remind you that necrophilia is against the law. And that one s not such a secret.
Oh gee, thanks, you re a real help.
In the end the only thing we can get him on here is destruction of property, the officer said. I hope you realize that.
That was finally when Phil noticed Caleb and Gloria standing there, and the tired look in his eyes vanished. Do you have any other questions, officer? I need to clean up all this money before someone tries to steal any of it.
No, I think that s about it, the officer said. He sounded bored, and Caleb couldn t say he blamed him. Destruction of property wasn t the most immediate threat that tended to occur on the Hill. The officer went over to his partner and listened in on the questioning of the leprechaun, who apparently was theorizing on whether Lucas had more resembled a troll or an ostrich. The questioning officer looked completely baffled.
Okay, what the hell is that all about? Gloria asked, pointing over her shoulder at the leprechaun.
He s the one who called the cops, Phil said. I think that might be why Lucas didn t do something to kill me. He wanted to get out when he realized the police might be on their way. I told the short guy that there were things here the police shouldn t know, so I guess that s his way of distracting them.
Thanks for that, Caleb said, then shook his head. Lucas. Seriously? I mean, come on. The guy could barely keep a hold of the sword we handed him yesterday. How could he have anything to do with this?
Maybe he s just someone Fluffy and Tuffy hired. Gloria said. Some minion.
I don t have the slightest clue who the hell Fluffy and Tuffy are, Phil said, but in the end there he sure wasn t talking like a minion. He sounded like he had a plan for the artifacts he took.
What exactly happened here? Caleb asked. Phil bent down to gather up all the money on the floor, and Gloria kneeled down to help. Caleb went around to the other side of the counter and started checking out customers on the remaining register. The cops nodded good-bye at Phil as they left, and the three of them were finally alone to speak louder on the subject. The customers might hear, but Caleb wasn t sure how much time they had anymore to wait.
I assume you finally got the damn message? Phil asked.
Yeah, so I know what little you told me there.
Why the hell did you even have your cell phone shut off to begin with? Phil asked.
Caleb blushed and looked at Gloria, who blushed as well and wouldn t look him in the eye. He, for one, didn t have any problem whatsoever with what had happened to them, but if she did then he was going to respect the situation and not talk about it. A million and one comments about it rose to the surface of his mind, but he smashed them all back down.
We were sort of busy.
Busy doing what? You were supposed to keep it on so I could call you when I got information. Didn t you think I could get any?
Well, sure, but we thought it was over. We thought we had all the artifacts back.
Well you didn t, he said. His voice was getting louder and rougher, and the remaining customers in line were starting to look uncomfortable. Caleb did his best to speed up ringing in their purchases. In fact, he had some of them here.
Which ones? Gloria asked.
He said at first that he had the cube, some amulet, and a penny. But after he used the cube again, the penny I guess disappeared and became some flute.
Gloria s eyes went wide as she turned to Caleb, and Caleb blanched. Oh, he said.
Oh what? Phil asked. What the hell was the deal with the flute?
Caleb looked at Gloria. He recognized that look she was giving him. That was her I told you so look. Caleb sighed. It s the Flute of All Flesh.
Is that supposed to mean something to me? Phil asked.
It controls exactly what it says. Play the right tune on it and you can control anything with flesh of any kind. Mostly it s tough, like there s only one song that can control humans and it s really difficult to get right. But it was created specifically to control the undead. There are hundreds of songs that would work for that.
Phil stood up and stared at him. His hands were full of most of the bills and change from the smashed register, but he didn t seem to notice it at the moment. His brow was furrowing and his mouth formed a tight line. You had something like that in your little collection. You knew whoever took it had it now and you knew I was going to be having Sue here for most of the night, but you never thought I might need to know?
I figured it wouldn t be a big deal. I didn t think it would take us that long to get everything back, anyway. Things like that are never a big deal around here. And I figured if she really loved you she could resist killing you if the time came
Phil threw all the money at him. The bills just flittered harmlessly to the counter, but all that change hurt. You asshole!
Caleb cringed. Dude, I don t think Big Maggie would appreciate you just flinging that around like that
Fuck you! Phil said. Gloria cleared her throat and turned to the last customer still waiting to be rung up. Everyone else, even the leprechaun, had gone by now.
You need to leave now, Gloria said to the customer.
But I still need to pay for my chocolate milk, and I don t have my smokes
Gloria unzipped her duffel bag and pulled out an unopened pack of cigarettes. Take these, and the milk is on the house. Now get the hell out. Seems we ve got some things to work out here.
Gloria followed the customer to the door and locked it behind him, but Phil hadn t stopped long enough to notice any of this. You know what, Caleb? You re absolutely right. She did fight it. He ordered her to kill me and she wouldn t do it. She loves me that much. But he still fucking has control of her! And he s not going to treat her right. He won t give a rat s ass if she gets hurt doing whatever the fuck it may be he wants her to do. She could get killed and you just don t seem to fucking care.
Well technically, Caleb said, she s already dead.
Now is not the time, Gloria said. Really. Rein your mouth in.
You just don t get it, do you? Phil said, and this time he wasn t just looking at Caleb. He turned and gave Gloria the eye too, and she raised an eyebrow. Nobody gets it. She s not just some thing. All other definitions of the term aside, to me at least she s a person. A real person who actually has real emotions and a real personality. But does anyone else see her that way? No. Not even the fucking police, apparently. Caleb, you didn t even care yesterday that I had plans with her. You just thought of yourself and screwed around with your schedule, not caring what that might mean to anyone else. Gloria turned to Caleb. You were supposed to work tonight? You told me you had off.
Caleb felt heat rising into his cheeks. I did have off. After Lucas took my shift.
Do you even care about anybody else? Phil asked. He came around the counter so he was directly face to face with Caleb. As he ranted Caleb could actually feel tiny bits of Phil s spittle hitting his face and he tried to back away, but there was nowhere to go. Do you even think that anyone else in the world matters?
A part of Caleb knew Phil had a definite point here, but he couldn t keep his voice from rising in response. Well of course I do. Don t I show it every time I, oh I don t know,
save the world from magical destruction
?
No, you don t. You re just going through the motions. You re doing it because you think its part of your job just like cleaning the nozzles on the fountain drink machine or stocking the ramen. You don t fucking care about anyone around you.
I do too fucking care!
Then fucking act like it, Phil said. He reached out and shoved Caleb hard, slamming him back into the counter. Caleb cried out as a few more of the cuts on his back broke open, and he looked up into Phil s eyes. Caleb was only five foot seven compared to Phil s six feet, and the larger man, while slim, had more muscles than Caleb could ever hope for himself. Caleb also knew deep within his brain that Phil might even have a very good point, that Caleb was in fact selfish at some core part of his nature.
Caleb s physical reflexes, however, apparently operated on the same impulsive signal that his mouth often did. Before he even realized he was doing it, Caleb reached out and slapped Phil across the face. Phil recoiled from the slap and stood there for a few seconds blinking at him. He didn t even appear angry anymore, just shocked.
Did did you just bitch slap me? Phil asked.
Well, I wouldn t really call it a bitch slap. It was more like a
Phil punched Caleb square in the gut. Caleb grunted and doubled over at the pain, but it wasn t so much that he couldn t throw a punch of his own seconds later.
Neither Phil nor Caleb were standing less than a minute later, and Caleb didn t remember much of the time in between. But he was the one sprawled out on the floor next to the cigarette racks while Phil was still on his knees, so Caleb figured Phil was the winner. He made a mental note never to physically challenge Phil again, or to at least make his opening punch a crotch shot.
Ow, Caleb said. He tried to sit up but had to wait for the room to stop spinning first.
Ow, Phil agreed. He gripped the counter and pulled himself back to his feet. Gloria stood at the open end of the counter but made no move to come help either of them. She looked a little disgusted at them both, but at least she had the hint of a smile on her lips.
You re right, man, Caleb said. I was selfish. I should have thought about how this would affect you.
Yeah. Apology accepted. We cool now.
Sure.
Gloria rolled her eyes. Fucking men, she said.
Caleb tried again to stand up and found it a little easier this time. He heard a knocking at the door from a customer, but no one made a move to let the person in.
So what s the plan? Phil asked.
The plan is me and Gloria ll figure something out, Caleb said.
Whatever you re doing, I m doing it with you, Phil said.
I think Big Maggie might not be too happy about that, Gloria said.
Screw her, Phil said. I m not just going to sit here and continue my shift when my girlfriend has been kidnapped as an accessory to the end of the world.
Actually I don t think that s what Lucas has in mind, Caleb said. Not that we re still sure exactly what his plan is for real, but we do have a place and time where we think he ll be. Even if you didn t find him out he probably still would have bugged out before his shift was over.
Asshole, Phil said. Just because he s an evil mastermind doesn t mean he can t be professional about it and give us a warning he won t be working. How long do we have?
Caleb looked at the clock. Maybe two hours, but we need to get there sooner rather than later to scope it out.
Then we better start doing what we need to do to prepare. You two mind sticking around to help with the store while I talk to Big Maggie?
Caleb actually wanted to do nothing of the sort. He may have admitted that he shouldn t have taken tonight off, but that didn t mean he wanted to do any of the work. But when he looked over at Gloria she actually smiled at him.
Just like old times, huh? she said. It was the first time she had smiled at him since before the bedroom, he realized.
Maybe that was worth a few minutes on the job.
Chapter 25