straight into my veins. I screamed and flailed as my chair fell forward. I tried to slip out of my body, desperate to protect myself and fight, but my strength was compromised by all that acid. At least my bonds finally loosened, and I was able to free my arms.
I twisted and batted at what could only be a nest of zombies—but my hands merely ghosted through them. They were spirits, and I was human. The original biters stumbled away from me, gasping, choking, but that didn’t help me. Line after line of zombies wanted a turn with me, and the next line simply surged forward.
“Daddy!” I screamed.
The thoughts bombarded me, as every point of contact with the zombies scalded me. Soon I felt as if someone had peeled away my skin, exposing raw muscle.
The second line stumbled away, and the third stepped up to the plate. They were like sharks, burrowing deep, past skin, muscle and hitting bone, uncaring about the bright light shining down on them.
“Stop,” I said. “You will
One by one, all of the lines began to fall away, unable to resist the power of my words, natural realm or not. When there was no one else around me, I still couldn’t force myself to rise. My entire body felt bathed by flames.
“Stay…back,” I rasped.
From this angle, I could see the entire room. Several hazmats were lying on the ground, struggling to escape. Zombies, so many zombies, tried to claw past their suits. Zombies littered the floor, practically climbed the walls, and swung from the equipment. The ones who had yet to attack me formed a wall at my left, shaking with the need to return to me.
Maybe they would have broken free of my faith-filled demand, but suddenly my dad loomed over me, his big body blocking them. His eyes flashed red in the light, and he licked his lips…lowered his head… “Join me. Will join me.”
His words were as powerful as mine, and I found myself trying to sit up to reach him. “Daddy, I love you. Please, help me. You have to help me.”
A howl rent the air, followed by another and another. The zombies that had formed the wall, wanting a go at me, were collapsing, their bodies spasming.
“Ali!” I heard from across the room.
Cole! Cole was here!
My dad straightened, turning to confront the newest threat.
“Ali!” Cole shouted again.
“Cole! I’m here.”
More howls erupted, this time followed by groans of pain.
The battle between zombies and slayers had begun.
My dad fought beside me, tossing his fellow zombies into the walls, away from me. Adrenaline pumped through me. If I stayed in this spot, he would, too, and one of the slayers would kill him. And with the way my dad was helping me…well, I couldn’t let that happen. He was fighting the evil, too!
I closed my eyes and tuned out every ounce of my pain. It wasn’t easy, but I found a way, the intensity of my determination allowing nothing else. Slowly, my spirit began to rise from my body…rise…
A zombie rushed toward my dad from the left, but he was occupied with the one on his right. Leaping into action, I crisscrossed my arms—nailed a jugular—parted my arms, swung—nailed another. My body arced forward and back, my feet constantly moving me through the swarming masses. But even if I’d lacked skill, I would have dominated. These zombies were weaker than any I’d fought.
I lost sight of my dad. From the corner of my eye, I spied Cole, fighting just as fiercely as I was. He was covered in black gunk, riddled with scratches, but still he fought. For me. To save me. To kill those who would destroy us all. Haun was behind him, but he wasn’t on his feet. He was lying flat on his back and unmoving as my dad—
I battled my way toward them. Someone hit me from behind, knocking me down. My forehead banged into something—a body. At least it cushioned my fall. A second later, teeth were in my leg and more fire was winding through me. I kicked with my other leg, dislodging whoever it was.
Cole was there a second later, sword ending that particular clash.
“You’re good,” he said, already engaging another foe.
“Yeah.” No way I’d confess otherwise. I went low, double-teaming the zombie with a blade slicked over the backs of his ankles, dropping him to his knees.
I turned to my next target and caught sight of my father again. He rushed toward Cole, teeth bared. The two engaged. I watched, horrified as my father tried again and again to bite him.
“Stop,” I screamed, but I didn’t believe they would.
Cole dodged my dad’s chomping teeth while swiping out with his sword. I dropped my blades. My father might want to save me, but he would never have that kind of control with others. Eventually he would act as Pops had. He would hit me, try to harm me. He would destroy everyone I’d come to love.
I couldn’t let that happen.
I had less than a second to make a decision, and so I made it. I looked down at my hands. “You will light up,” I said, and they instantly obeyed. From fingertips to shoulders, I glowed.
With tears leaking down my cheeks, I reached out. My arm shook.
“Daddy,” I said.
He whipped around to face me.
“I’m sorry.”
“Ali,” he said.
Contact.
He disappeared in a burst of ash. I think…I think he’d been smiling.
Just like that, my dad was gone.
Dead forever.
Because of me.
Cole had been in the process of swinging his sword, a blow my dad’s body should have absorbed. Only, my dad wasn’t there anymore. I was.
Metal sliced through my belly.
At first, I felt nothing. A few seconds later, I felt everything, a pain far worse than anything I’d ever before encountered sweeping through me.
Horror bathed Cole’s expression. A shout of denial rose from him. Cruz and Frosty were suddenly there, helping me ease to the ground. Black dots winked in front of me.
“Ali!”
I tried to reply but coughed instead, feeling the blood ride up my chest, pool in my mouth.
“I’m sorry, so very sorry,” Cole said, and I knew he was hovering over me.
This was the vision we’d had, I realized. What do you know? It had come to pass quickly.
