I looked at Clyde, thinking of all we had been through and what he meant to me.

He was more than a zombie.

I turned on Parker, giving him a jab that had him holding his throat, his breathing coming in such sucking gasps that the bugs went in his mouth like a vacuum.

He began gagging even as the bugs began to escape again from his will alone.

Clyde shook off the trance-like state with an effort. "He wished for me to restrain you, Master."

Parker was writhing around on the road, hacking and spewing bugs in a flood of vomit.

I nodded. "I know. Couldn't have that, Clyde."

"Very unseemly," he agreed and I smiled.

Jonesy said, "Alex, deck that dick that's workin' Terran over."

"Your wish is my command, Jones," Alex said as he walked over and cold-cocked the Null.

"Master, I have summoned the policewoman."

"What? You mean Gale?"

He nodded.

"How?" I asked, thinking that this was going to be a PRIMAL cluster in about three seconds. That's all I needed, the cops again.

"She is connected to you as this one is," he gestured toward Tiff. "She does not come in the capacity of policewoman but as..." he trailed off thoughtfully.

John came over and said, "Back-up?"

Clyde nodded. "I believe so."

"So, Gale's got the Undead Radar thing now, Clyde?" Jonesy asked and Clyde frowned just as she showed up.

It was just like seeing your teacher in public outside of school.

Weird.

Here Gale was, without Garcia, in beat-up jeans and a T-shirt, pulsing off her car and leaping out. No make-up, her hair still wet from the shower. She jogged over to us, her busy eyes missing nothing.

"What-the-hell is going on?" Gale yelled.

Parker wouldn't stay down, getting his second wind, he reined in his zombies. I didn't think he was going to be able to do much with scuttlebutt. Alex had put a hurt on him pretty good.

Clyde took in her appearance. Both her showing up and her unsightly outfit. He wore a disconcertingly natural grin as he looked at her. He was glad to see her.

Too glad, I thought uneasily.

All the Graysheets were out for the count and the bugs came to me, their quarry unconscious, their job done.

With a deep breath I released them. They swirled in a loose circle in the sky, like tiny, inky stars, colluding into a tight bundle, dropping into the forest like an opaque bomb of death.

Parker excavated his gun from underneath his jacket and pointed it at Gale.

Clyde's expression went from one of neutrality to rage in an instant, like water rinsing off soap suds from a dirty dish. It was that fast.

"I will tear your spine through your entrails if you discharge that weapon," Clyde said casually.

His eyes were not casual.

Parker's eyes flicked to Clyde's. "You're not fast enough, carcass."

"Do you wish to test me, necromancer?" Clyde's eyes glittered back at him like obsidian marbles, his intent clear.

"I can nail her and you wouldn't get to me."

"Mayhap or no. You would breathe your last but a moment later, Death Master."

Parker deliberated. Finally, his zombies behind him, gun still trained on Gale he said, "I only came to warn you. All this," he spread his hands at the fallen Graysheets, "was unnecessary."

"Use the pulse, dumbass," Jonesy said, making a rude noise with his mouth.

Parker looked at him, "Don't disparage me, Mark Jones."

Jonesy didn't say anything.

He shifted his attention back to me. "Stay out of this AP issue, Caleb. It doesn't concern you. As a matter of fact, neither does the clairvoyance sample that has so conveniently disappeared. He holstered his gun and looked at me for a long moment. "It's in your best interest to stay away."

I shrugged, dismissing his message. "Duly noted, Parker. But think about this, you're the one that brought it like ya did. We just responded like we had to. You always put me on the defensive."

Jade walked away from Bry's car and stood beside me.

"Why don't you try explaining things instead of manipulating us all the time. Obviously, unless you kill us, there is no negotiation. And, for the record, if someone means to hurt one of us, especially one of our girls," Tiff huffed in the background and I ignored it, "we're not going to stand around and watch."

I could see that Archer was moving around all the cars, locking them for a slow getaway for the Graysheets.

Nice.

"Stop coming after these kids," Gale said. "I know your face, I know who you are."

He leaned into her space and Clyde was beside him instantly. "As you were," Clyde said, his body one tense, tight line.

Parker looked at him and sighed, leaning back.

"If Caleb doesn't do what I tell him, he'll see a rain of shit come down around his head the likes of which he never imagined. He doesn't think so now but I am his friend."

John barked out a laugh. "Priceless," he said, shaking his head.

"I'm leaving now, Parker. And you're gonna watch," I said, tucking Jade against me and backing away toward Bry's car.

"Do you think that if I'd really wanted to hurt you I couldn't have?" Parker said in a low voice.

I had wondered. It had seemed like a weak assault by Parker standards.

Whatever. "Like Jonesy said, pick up the damn pulse. Don't run us off the road and manhandle my friends. That isn't gonna ever work for me."

Parker stared.

His zombies stared harder.

Clyde gave his steady regard back and the zombies took each other's measure. It didn't bode well for the future. A line had been drawn in the sand and they were gonna cross it.

I could feel it in my bones.

CHAPTER 9

Sophie

Sophie fluffed her hair one more time, giving her lips an experimental pucker as she put on the last of her stay-on-all-damn-day lip gloss.

It better, she wanted to look hot for Buddy.

Actually, she didn't really give a flying you-know-what about Buddy. If she was honest.

It was all for Jonesy.

She sighed. They'd been through so much together but none of that seemed to matter. People said girls were EMO. She didn't think so. Jonesy was tender one minute, his heart in his eyes, then the next he was dating one of the million and one bimbo-sluts in the high school.

Pick one, they were like ants. Sophie wanted to wreck the little hill they scurried around on. Well, the hell with that noise, she wasn't going to wait any longer for him to get over his hairy case of commitment-phobe. Besides, it was Buddy that was supportive of her. Especially with the mega-creeper that had attacked Amanda. Buddy was AP. He said he'd protect her.

She sighed. She did totally hate who he hung with sometimes. Sophie had never liked Carson Hamilton or Brett Mason. Add in Brody and Diego... well, she thought they were dangerous. She'd told Buddy. He'd said that they were guys to hang with sometimes. Well, she sure-as-hell wasn't going to hang out with him when he spent any time with them.

She threw on her matching cheetah panties and bra and slid into the tightest pair of pants she could without the Dreaded Muffin Top and put on a turquoise blouse, laced up the sides, a sliver of the cheetah showing.

She liked it. Maybe Mom wouldn't see that bit revealed.

Sophie rolled her lips one more time and turned away from the mirror to make the short walk to school. That was the only good thing about KPH, she could walk.

Not that she needed to.

As she exited the house Buddy was there in the driveway, he was a senior and had wheels.

She couldn't see his face very well but in the shadows that played tricks in the morning light she thought that his face looked funny.

Feral.

Her step faltered for a moment, but she picked up her pace, her high-heeled shoes clicking on the hard cement of the sidewalk, dipping her head down a little to get a better look at him inside the car.

As she moved closer, she saw his face more clearly.

Trick of the light, Sophie thought. Shaking her head, her misgiving slid away into her unconsciousness.

*

Caleb

I had my head in the cradle of my arms on top of my pillow. I was completely exhausted. I'd gotten everyone home and Gale and me had talked for two, solid hours about everything that transpired with Parker. I swear, the parents were never gonna let me do anything again.

Happy Birthday to Me.

I rolled over and looked out my window where I saw Halloween had come in clear and cold. The sky an irreverent blue, snubbing its nose to summer. I turned over on my back and pulsed Jade.

I swiped my thumb over the pad and the luminescent green characters floated and collided, errant flakes of color coming together to form:

Jade LeClerc- Hot One.

Seeing my pulse customization I laughed. I had changed everyone. Terran's had been the first to go (with his lame last name add). When pulse customization came out, I sucked up the application and it had been so worth it.

Hey babe smiles, you're the birthday boy. Or...should I say the emancipated boy? JLeC

Yeah, I feel pretty profanity-block! emancipated after last night.- CH

I know, right? It was horrible. What about Clyde? JLeC

Mom let him stay in the back until I could get him to the cemetery today.-CH

Really? Is he... hanging around the separators again? JLeC

Yeah stress in voice modulation pattern -CH

Sorry, I have this dumb thing on hyper-sensitive emotive response.- CH

I turned my pulse to "none." I didn't need every little tweak of emotion rippling through the pulse to the girlfriend. Duh.

Idk if that's okay, Caleb. Remember last year when Carson and them jumped you? It was because your pulse was on high I was able to feel their intent... JLeC

She was right. I left it on "none." I wasn't some kind of candy ass, as Gramps would say.

Did you tell Andrea? CH

No way! She'd ground me forever and make us break up again.- JLeC

I didn't want a repeat of that. It caused a panic to stir in my guts, uncomfortably churning. I looked at my pulse controls that rode the top of my screen and saw emotive control, with a check mark in the box "off."

Right. Well, I guess I'll see you at Gramps. After I take care of Clyde sighs -CH

Don't be sad, Caleb. It's your birthday. Forget Parker. He's just trying to intimidate you.-JLeC

I don't think so, Jade. He knows something. His tactics are lame and scary but he's right. If he'd wanted to hurt me, or incapacitate the guys, he would have brought more... everything. Profanity-block! he could have brought twenty zombies and we would have been in for it. He knows something, and it's bigger than some loser after the girls, somebody with DI. It's bigger. And I want to find out.-CH

I was afraid you'd say that.-JLeC

Don't worry, I won't bring you into it.-CH

How can you not? I am part of it. I'm like an island in a sea of danger. Threat to me, threat to our group. I'm scared. I've been raised with fear and the potential for violence my whole life and I don't want to choose that path. Not if I can avoid it, Caleb.-JLeC.

I understand Jade. But sometimes there's necessary violence. There's your dad's profanity-block!, it doesn't make sense. He just does it because he can, like automatic. Then there's people that are premeditated. Well, we gotta be too. We gotta beat them at their own game.-CH

You know I love you.-JLeC

Yeah, I do. You're starting to worry me.-CH

No... don't be. I just, I want a quieter life where I feel safe and happy... JLeC

I can do that.-CH

I believe you think you can. But I don't know, Caleb. I don't want to be with anyone else. I do feel safe with you. Then this stuff happens... JLeC

The stuff that's happening now has to do with that sample you touched and the AP creeper that's gunning for the girls. For once, I'm not in the middle of the cause.-CH

But ya will be.-JLeC

Yeah.-CH

See? JLeC

What do ya want from me Jade? I'm not going to stand back while some murderer sets his sights on my girl. Sophie's not my problem but she's your best friend. And whether Jones wants to admit it or not, he loves her. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her. We can't stop being guys because you girls get cold feet or feel like things may get outta control.-CH

I know, it all makes sense.-JLeC

Then what is it? You're killin' me! CH

Just try! Just try not to be violent. Promise me... JLeC

I closed my eyes and touched my pulse to my forehead briefly. I had to be truthful. It was the only way.

I can't, baby. I can't. If someone threatens you, I'll kill 'em. It's what I am.-CH

It's what you've become, Caleb.-JLeC

I thought of the last year and a half, all the zombies, all the action. All the violence. Yeah, I was definitely who I was because of what I'd been through. But none of it was my fault. It just was. I had zero choice.