That reminded her. “How’d you, Luther, and Zac get into Last State?” Scarlett asked, mixing the instant coffee into a paper cup she found in the van’s cupboard.
Dean handed her the canteen from around his neck. “Remember the Ravers? Well, they made an impromptu visit to Boom Town. Only Zac got there first.” Dean and Luther exchanged pensive glances.
“You got that right. Your boyfriend saved our lives,” Luther said.
Boyfriend? Was that how they saw Zac? He was so much more. Like an extension of her, like two souls melded into one. Lifetime after lifetime.
“Yep.” Dean hung his head low. “They would have slaughtered us in our sleep if Zac hadn’t warned us.”
Sitting on a crate near the cab’s caged-door, she nudged Luther. “I thought you despised Texas.” He had sworn off Texas at Ella and Justin’s wedding. Besides, Luther was considered a Class-Z, forever banned from Last State since he’d been bitten once but was apparently immune.
“I ran out of options,” Luther said. “Sheriff Wormer ordered me to hang with Zac and Mindy in that smuggler’s tunnel behind Boom Town. Never did thank you for that.” Luther turned to Dean. “You saved my ass. I could have been pulling guard duty on one of the towers when the invasion started. Thanks.”
“Ooh, I didn’t know that.” Twila’s golden-flecked eyes sparkled even brighter. “Grandpa Dean’s a hero!”
“Naw, I don’t deserve all the credit. As I recall, ol’ Luther badgered me into wearing the flak jacket. We were all heroes that day,” Dean commented wistfully.
“What happened at Boom Town?” Scarlett tried focusing on the western town but drew a complete blank.
“Afraid to say, they blew the place to kingdom come.” Dean rubbed his chest as if recalling the incident.
“What—Ravers blew up Boom Town?” She knew they were dangerous.
“Nope, Last State beat them to the punchline,” Luther said in a low tone.
Ella gasped. “Scarlett, I’m so glad you didn’t take me there.”
“Why would Last State blow up Boom Town?” Scarlett puzzled.
“Beats me,” Dean said. “Zac’s theory: drones spotted the pending Raver attack. And didn’t want it escalating to the border. Guess the Ravers finally got their due process. Draconian justice at its best.”
Scarlett was astounded. The seemingly random events that had unfolded within the past twenty-four hours had miraculously reunited them. Except for Zac. Was she fated to a doomed love affair?
“My dear, think not this mere happenstance. At this juncture, the timeline cannot be foretold. The forthcoming sequence of events remains crucial. Know that I am with you, championing you and your devoted soul-friends who made the celestial oath to save Hu-manity lifetimes ago.”
A visit from the Silver Lady was the last thing she had expected. “What should we do next?” Scarlett requested silently.
“My warrior-child, that I cannot ascertain. You must persevere.” The words faded away until she doubted they had been said.
They nibbled their MREs in silence. The baby had finally fallen asleep. Ella’s dark circles and shortness of breath worried her. Ella needed the monatomic tea to endure the tumultuous journey that lay ahead. Tonight, after they were settled, she decided.
Dean cleared his throat softly; something troubled him. “Say, Scarlett, if you don’t mind me asking? And I think I speak for everyone. Precisely what occurred during your kidnapping of sorts?”
All eyes turned to her. How could she explain it? The entire ordeal was not plausible. Not even to her.
“ ’Course, you have the right to tell me to mind my own business,” Dean offered after her hesitation.
Dean had a right to know; they all did. Every minute detail was of the most importance. That was the one thing she understood above all. Every action or nonaction, every word spoken or unsaid, including the slightest of thoughts—all held the power to manifest a particular future.
She dreaded the retelling. “Just before I left Boom Town, I knew they were after Twila and Ella at the cabin. Remember?”
“Like it was yesterday,” Dean said.
Twila’s lips pooched-out into a pout. “I was so scared for you, Mommy.”
“This clan of creepers—knew I was going back through the tunnel. And, well, they were waiting for me.” Scarlett stopped when her throat tightened. She would never forget the bony arms scuttling her across the tunnel’s ceiling. On second thought, they shouldn’t have to relive her terror.
“That’s so scary!” Tears clung to Twila’s lashes. Scarlett hadn’t meant for her to see that. She quickly redacted that bit from her thoughts.
“Something tells me there’s more to it than that,” Dean pushed, wanting more.
Dean was right. She hadn’t divulged everything. Were they ready for it? “The leader of this clan of Zs, the King of the Undead, managed to access the Akashic Records. There, he discovered a prophecy: a blue-eyed one had been fated to awaken his kind with an alchemy substance called Etherium Gold. Which we know as Ella’s monatomic powder. Once healed, their species would take over the earth and nullify the New Hu.” Scarlett still couldn’t forgive herself for betraying humanity by giving them the monatomic powder. But she hadn’t had a choice. Had she?
“They actually kidnapped you?” Luther still seemed stuck on that.
She simply nodded.
“For cryin’ out loud.” Dean threw up his arms. “That’s a bit much to assimilate. I mean, how could this particular dead-head reason things out. Before having the tea?”
“I know, it sounds far-fetched. See, a few creepers never fully crossed over to the zombified state,” Scarlett attempted to clarify.
“Oh yeah,” Ella said. “Shari called them Thinkers.”
“Exactly,” Scarlett said. “Anyway, a huge shift occurred once they learned to harness their collective consciousness. Apparently, that’s how this wannabe king gained access to the Akashic Records and learned of the healing properties in Ella’s powdery tea mixture.”
Justin
