Razor Girl (29 page)

“I chose you once,” she said. “And betrayed everything I loved. Because I was loyal to you and your mission. But now
I realize you’re the cause of it all. You don’t deserve to also be the cure.”

Her father looked pained. “Let me make it right!” he pleaded. Then he said, “You
need
me.”

“Actually I don’t,” she growled. “And I never will. So you have yourself a Disney Day. We’re out of here.”

She spit on the ground, grabbed Chase’s hand and walked away.

She didn’t look back.

It was nine
P.M.
and the rain had not subsided. But still, Chris waited. Trey and the other kids, including an ecstatic Anna Simmons, had left eleven hours earlier, headed up to the mountains. But Chris wasn’t going without Molly. Not without his goddess. And so he waited, praying that she’d come, refusing to believe she’d left him alone.

Headlights suddenly pierced the darkness and his pulse quickened as he wondered if it could be her, arriving at last. Then he saw it was the van and his heart sank. Trey pulled up beside him and popped his head out of the window.

“She didn’t show,” his brother observed. It wasn’t a question.

Chris hung his head. “Something must have happened.”

“Well, hop in. We’ll go head over to her house and see.”

Chris complied, climbing into the passenger seat. Trey revved the engine and they took off down the road. A few minutes later they pulled up to Molly’s front door. The lights were out. It looked deserted. Still, Chris had to know for sure. He hopped out of the van and ran up to the front door, banging his fist on the wood.

“They’re gone.”

He whirled around. A neighbor stood at the bottom of the driveway, arms folded across his chest. “What?” he asked.

“The Andersons. They’re gone. Went down in some fancy fallout shelter or something,” the neighbor explained. “Left all the rest of us up here to die, I reckon.”

Chris stared at him, wanting more than anything to call the guy a liar. “Was…” he started, his voice trembling. “Was there a girl with them?”

“You mean Molly?” the neighbor asked. He nodded his head. “Yup. She was with her mother. They went down together. Down there for the long haul, I guess. Heard her father say something about six years. Long time to be stuck underground is what I say. Might be better to just get the flu and be done with it.”

The neighbor went on speaking, but Chris was no longer listening. So this was it. She was gone. Even after all they’d been through, all that they’d promised each other, when all was said and done it didn’t mean anything. She’d left him. Made her decision to stick with her family, follow her crazy dad to the end of the world.

He couldn’t believe it. He just couldn’t believe it. What had made her change her mind?

What had made her break his heart?

Trey popped out of the driver’s seat and headed over to where he stood. He took Chris in his arms and pulled him close, hugging him with brotherly love. “Come on,” he said, releasing him a moment later and leading him to the van. “We’re going to the mountains.”

Chris got into the van, feeling dead and alone. He stared out the window as they pulled out of the driveway. Watching Molly’s house as they drove down the street. Hoping, praying, begging he’d see some sign that the neighbor was wrong. That Molly was there. That she hadn’t abandoned him.

But the house stayed silent. And as they turned the corner, he forced himself to accept that once and for all, his goddess was gone for good.

“My goddess was gone for good….”

Chase set the hand-written manuscript down on his lap and looked up. The group burst into applause and many of the Hive members seemed more than a little misty-eyed at the tragic ending to his tale.

“God, that’s so sad,” sniffed a blonde woman to the far left that Chase knew as Rhoda. She dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “I remember when my mom died of the plague. I felt so alone. But you must have felt even worse.”

“I can’t even imagine how that must have been,” Starr piped up from her seated position on the floor. She was arm in arm with Torn, as usual. “You never talked about it, either.”

“It’s terrible!” a soldier known as Nick said, sobbing like a baby. “You waiting there, all alone…”

Chase laughed. “You guys!” he cried. “Remember, this is only the beginning!” He rolled his eyes. “The story obviously has a lot more to go. And it only gets better from here.”

“Obviously!” Molly declared as she stepped into the conference room. “Six years later and this lucky guy not only gets the girl, but his very own happy ending.” She patted her bulging stomach and grinned at Chase. “Sorry I’m late for writing club,” she said. “Council meeting ran long.”

“No problem.” He rose to greet her with a hug, her swollen stomach in the way, as usual. She was due in less than a month and her stomach reminded him of an oversized basketball, not
that he’d ever admit it to her. Even though she’d had her ocular implants and razors removed, he knew she could still kick his ass. “I was just reading my manuscript. Not a dry eye in the house. I think it could be a best seller.” He laughed. “If there was any book publisher left to print it.”

“You gotta write the rest,” David said, cuddled up in a corner with Helga. The two of them had been married three weeks ago, and were totally in the honeymoon stage still. “I want to hear what happens when Molly comes out of the fallout shelter. It’s all very
Casablanca
.”

“I will,” Chase said, grinning. “I promise.”

“And I’ll write my side of the story, too,” Molly piped up. “You’ll see why I had to do what I had to do. I wasn’t the total evil bitch you might think.”

“We know, we know,” Chase replied. “You had to save the world and stuff.” He kissed her on the nose to let her know he was just teasing. She kissed him back.

“This is what got you two in trouble to begin with!” someone called out from the back. Everyone laughed.

The dinner bell rang then and the Hive Writers Club gathered their things, exiting the room. Soon it was only Molly and Chase left behind in the classroom.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, placing a hand on her belly. He looked down into her eyes, glad he could once again peer into their depths. See her expression of love when she looked back up at him. He loved the blue of her irises. Her very human irises.

“I feel great,” she said. “Never better. And you?”

“I’m great, too. A little sore, but good, all things considered.” As a member of the rehabilitation team, Chase spent long hours above the surface each day hunting for Others who had been cured by the antidote team. When the survivors regained their humanity, they were confused and lost and scared. It was Chase’s job to round them up, give them an explanation and bring them home. A Pied Piper of sorts, just as his brother had been before.

It had been almost a year since the scientists extracted the key recipe to the cure from Molly’s head. They’d cured Chase of his own infection—he’d demanded they use it on him first, as a test in case it didn’t work, and he had stayed in quarantine until they were sure it had—and then started work on producing mass quantities of the antidote to be distributed above ground. Over the year they’d cured an estimated four hundred Others, integrating them into Hive society. The underground city was bursting at the seams these days and there was much talk of going back above ground. Rebuilding the world, one town at a time.

“And your father?” Chase asked, leading her out the door and into the dining hall.

“I visited him this morning in the ward before the meeting,” Molly told him. “He’s getting better every day. I think the meds are really helping.” She shrugged. “I’m glad we brought him here. Even after all he did, I couldn’t imagine leaving him there in that creepy park all by himself.”

“I’m glad, too,” Chase replied, kissing the side of her head. “At first I really thought you were going to.”

“Well,” Molly said. “I remember something about feelings. I didn’t want to go the rest of my life having abandoned him. People make mistakes. We need to forgive them.”

Chase fought a surge of embarrassment. He still thought about the old days, and how he’d been. She noticed his discomfort and kissed his nose.

Chase laughed and shrugged. “When he’s better,” he said, “your dad’ll be a valuable member of the team, I’m sure of it. He may have wild ideas, but he’s smart. A good scientist. He was, after all, the one who created the antidote to begin with. I’m sure he can help with other inventions in the future. He may have been misguided, but he really did want to save the world. And here, he’ll have his chance. We all have another chance.”

“Right,” Molly agreed. “In the meantime, we worker bees will just keep plugging away.”

“You never rest, do you?” Chase teased her with a grin. “What are you going to do when everyone’s cured? When your mission is finally over? What then?”

“Well, Chase Griffin, I can tell you one thing.” Molly smiled at him. “I’m sure as hell not going to Disney World.”

Thanks to:

My editor extraordinaire Chris Keeslar. I’ve learned so much from you, I can’t even begin to thank you enough.

My agent, Kristin Nelson, who is ridiculously good at her job. I feel lucky to have you looking out for me.

My Rebels of Romance partner in crime Liz Maverick. May our adventures continue! Where to next year?

The SWAT Writers. For constant encouragement and bottomless cups of Starbucks. (Even if you guys do like McDonald’s better…)

Jacob Beach for zombie-zapping stress relief on the Wii and sooooo much more. <3 u!!

My awesome readers. Thanks for your e-mails and My-Space messages! They keep me going—even on the hard days!

And finally, George Romero. For all the zombie awesomeness you’ve given us all.

HIGH PRAISE FOR MARIANNE MANCUSI!

MOONGAZER

“Exhilarating! Once I started, I couldn’t put this book down!”

—
New York Times
Bestselling Author Gena Showalter

“An enthralling combination of
The Matrix and Snow Crash
with a bit of
Blade Runner
thrown into the mix,
Moongazer
immediately draws the reader into one woman’s terrifying struggle to understand her identity.”

—
SF Scope

“Dreams, reality and virtual reality collide in Mancusi’s exciting and frightening new futuristic thriller. This adventure, told in the first person, follows one woman’s quest to discover the truth about her reality. Complex plot threads weave around intense emotions and give real punch to this chilling tale.”

—
RT BOOKreviews
(4 Star Review)

“
Moongazer
is an amazingly innovative novel for the romance genre, and one that will have lots of allure for a broad range of readers. Even if you don’t normally read SF/fantasy romance books, you will want to pick up this one. I found it a thrilling, page-turning yarn, and I highly recommend it.”

—Romance Reader at Heart

“The plot is well-written and the twists and turns keep readers guessing.”

—Romance Reviews Today

NEWS BLUES

“This is a fascinating, slightly tongue-in-cheek behind-the-scenes look at news producing.”

—
RT BOOKreviews

“[A] fascinating and fun look behind the scenes at television news.…Marianne Mancusi creates some great characters. The balance of family and career in the story is both realistic and entertaining.…Overall,
News Blues
gave me a glimpse of television news production along with an intriguing investigation and a satisfying romance.”

—Fresh Fiction

MORE PRAISE FOR MARIANNE MANCUSI!

A HOBOKEN HIPSTER IN SHERWOOD FOREST

“Mancusi’s tongue-in-cheek wit and clever take on Robin Hood and his Merry Men is enjoyable.”

—
RT BOOKreviews

“Steamy romance blends seductively and seamlessly in
A Hoboken
Hipster in Sherwood Forest
.…a tantalizing tale that will appeal to a wide range of romance readers.”

—A Romance Review

WHAT, NO ROSES?

“A romance that’s fast, funny and as bubbly as bathtub champagne…Mancusi’s witty, tongue-in-cheek remarks and sprightly dialogue make for a joy ride of a read with an ending that’s as surprising as it is original.”

—
RT BOOKreviews

“Humorous and sexy.”

—
Booklist

A CONNECTICUT FASHIONISTA
IN KING ARTHUR’S COURT

“Sassy…a cute hoot…Talented author Mancusi clearly knows her Arthurian lore.”

—
RT BOOKreviews

“A sparkling debut…a nice twist on the modern girl’s search for prince charming.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“This is not your mother’s Camelot!! Spicy romance, hilarious thrills, and a heroine who kicks butt in her stilettos—this book is a definite keeper.”

—Alesia Holliday, Author of
American Idle

“Marianne Mancusi’s debut is super-snappy, pure fun, fast-paced, and even educational—in more ways than one!”

—Melissa Senate, Author of
See Jane Date

Other
Love Spell
books by Marianne Mancusi:

THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR
  STOMPING
(Anthology)
NEWS BLUES
MOONGAZER
A HOBOKEN HIPSTER IN SHERWOOD
  FOREST
WHAT, NO ROSES?
A CONNECTICUT FASHIONISTA IN KING
  
ARTHUR’S COURT

Writing as Mari Mancusi:

SK8ER BOY