“I have formula and samples.” Koz tapped the three test tubes in his case. “If we make more, we can put sentients down.”
Nonna took a long drink from her glass, silently wishing it was whiskey instead of water. She didn’t want to trust Koz. The very sight of him made her want to spit like a feral cat. But if what he said was true, the future of their nation could be in his little black case.
“Can you prove what you’re saying?” she asked. “How do we know you’re telling the truth?”
Koz frowned at her. “How can I show you? We need a zombie.”
“There are plenty of dead mutants outside,” Anton said.
“I need a sentient,” Koz replied.
“I have samples!” Amanda jumped out of her chair. She hurried over to the fridge and retrieved a Ziplock that appeared to contain bloody chunks of flesh.
When Nonna realized what it was, she narrowed her eyes. “You put that in my fridge?”
Amanda flinched. “Sorry. I meant to tell you, but it was late and I forgot.” She turned to Koz. “I got some tissue samples, one from a mutant and one from a sentient. Is there a way to use these to show us what the gas does to zombies?”
Koz’s eyes lit up. The eagerness in his expression was disturbing. “Where you get these?”
“From some zombies we killed.” Amanda plunked the bloody contents onto the table in front of the Russian. “This one is from a mutant. It’s about two days old. I got this one from a sentient less than a day ago.”
“You are a strange girl to be getting tissue samples from zombies.” Koz peered at her. “You like science?”
“Biology is my favorite subject.” Amanda grinned.
There was something different about her. Nonna had been too preoccupied with Anton and his Russian beast to notice before. Amanda seemed stronger. More confident. It was a good look on her.
“I was hoping to preserve these samples long enough to get my hands on a microscope,” Amanda said. “I thought maybe I could learn something useful.”
“Yeah, she was going to try and convince everyone to go on a mission back to the high school and raid the science lab.” Lena shook her head with affection. “Anton, thanks for bringing us a microscope. I was not looking forward to going back into Bastopol.”
Anton didn’t respond to his sister’s easy banter. The dead look in his eyes broke Nonna’s heart.
“I can use this.” Koz held the plastic bag up, his large hand nearly swallowing the tissue samples inside. “The virus will still be active.”
“It is?” Lena leaned forward. “How long does it stay active on a tissue sample?”
“Back in Russia, the virus would survive over a week in a petri dish.”
“Woah.” Amanda grabbed her chair, dragging it over beside Koz. “I have to see this.”
Koz’s face crinkled into a smile as Amanda pulled up beside him. Nonna humphed and busied herself with clearing away the dirty dishes.
It took Koz a few minutes to set up the microscope. Using a scalpel that came out of his metal briefcase, he removed a thin slice of skin from Amanda’s pound of flesh.
“Look.” Koz put the sample on a microscope slide.
Amanda leaned forward eagerly, adjusting the microscope with the knob on the side. “Woah. I can see the virus. It’s still moving in the tissue sample.”
“I want to see.” Juli elbowed Amanda out of the way. “Oh, wow. That’s disturbing. I wish Cassie was here to see this.”
Everyone took turns looking through the microscope. Everyone, except Nonna. She kept herself busy at the kitchen sink.
She’d lived more than eighty years without seeing a zombie virus up close. No reason to change that now.
“This will not kill the virus.” Koz lifted one of the vials from its foam padding in the case. “It will knock it out. Like a sleeping gas. Back up, everyone.”
“Is it safe for us?” Nonna asked, throwing open a window.
“It was designed for the virus,” Koz said. “We will be fine. Watch.”
To illustrate the point, he opened the vial. As soon as the liquid inside had contact with the air, it began to smoke. Small tendrils rose out of the bottle. Koz inhaled a few of fumes, wrinkling his nose.
“Smells bad, but see? Harmless.” He spread his arms wide to illustrate the point. Next, he bent over the table and let some of the gas drift over the tissue sample before returning the stopper. “Look,” he said to Amanda.
She bent over the microscope. “Oh, my God. You guys, you have to see this. The virus is slowing down. It’s barely moving anymore. Wow, that was fast.”
“Dormant,” Koz said. “Hibernation. Deep sleep. That is what the gas does.”
Everyone jostled for a look, exclaiming over what they saw.
Nonna focused on scrubbing her spaghetti pot until it shone. As much as she hated to admit it, Anton had been right to bring the Russian beast here. He might hold the only legitimate key to battling the sentient zombies.
She hated the idea of leaving Pole Mountain. But if the Russian had intel to help their country, there was no choice. They had to go to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. All of them. No one could sit this one out.
There was just one problem: Leo hadn’t come home yet.
“This is all great,” Lena said, “but no one has asked the real question. Just how are we supposed to get to Nellis in Nevada?”
Anton shocked everyone by saying, “Koz stole a tank. We drove it here from Rossi.”
“A tank?” Dal said. “How could you forget a little detail like that?”
“Where the heck is it?” Lena said. “I didn’t see any tank outside.”
“It’s parked a half mile down the road. I didn’t want to give anyone a heart attack by driving into the clearing with a tank. It has food stored. Tate and I took out a supply truck on the way to Rossi. We loaded up on our way home. But there’s something else I have to tell you.”
