Pathogen, Ch. 8

With Bianca on board, Julian's plan should have been smooth sailing from that point on. Keyword: "should". All things considered, it wasn't that hard for Bianca to move her hybrid luxury SUV into the alley, or for the three of them to stuff Zombie Trevor into the back of it. Luckily he didn't put up much of a fuss, and there weren't too many people around to see what they were doing. The few people Marnie saw walking past the alley didn't seem to notice them, presumably because it was already dark out and they were in a hurry to get home.

Once they got Zombie Trevor in the car, the real challenge became keeping him in it. The minute Bianca stepped on the gas, he freaked hardcore: chewing the seats; throwing himself against the windows; tugging on the seatbelts until Marnie was sure he'd rip them off. While she was figuring out a way to tie him down without getting herself bitten, Julian had the bright idea to turn on the radio. After scanning through the stations for a quick minute, he found one playing smooth Jazz, which finally made Zombie Trevor calm down. Eventually he curled up on the trunk's floor like a big housecat, grumbling and sighing softly like he was asleep. Marnie wasn't the biggest smooth Jazz fan, nor was she sure that zombies slept, but she had to applaud Julian's quick thinking. If not for him, they never would've gotten more than half a block from the butcher shop.

Between the sultry strains of Kenny G and Bianca driving ten miles under the speed limit, Marnie almost fell asleep herself on the way home. It had been a long, weird, scary day after all, and she hadn't had a good night's sleep in a while. She'd started to doze when someone jiggled her shoulder, making her sit up straight with a jolt. Zipping her head around brought Julian's face into view, who was leaning forward between the driver's and passenger's seats.

"We're here," he said. "You ready for this, Pistol?"

Marnie rubbed the sleep from her eyes with a nod. "Yeah," she sighed. "Let's do this before I realize how stupid and dangerous it is."

"It'll just be for tonight," Bianca promised. "My parents have a summer house in Cape Cod. When Daddy gets back in town tomorrow, I'll get the keys from him, and we'll move Trevvie Bear to it after sunset."

Marnie stared at Bianca sideways, trying to hide her skepticism. "What, you're gonna bat your eyes and he'll just hand 'em over, no questions asked? You really think that'll work?"

Bianca's acrylic nails drummed agitatedly on her fluffy pink steering wheel cover. "Why not?" she muttered. "It has before. He doesn't really care what I do. Can you get out of my car now? It's late, and I am in desperate need of a hot bath, some trashy reality TV, and a pint of black raspberry froyo."

Marnie started to argue that it wasn't that late when she saw the time on the dashboard's clock. "Crap," she muttered. "It's almost ten. My mom's gonna kill me."

She honestly considered letting Zombie Trevor bite her as they carried him around back toward the basement doors. That way, if her mom shot her on sight, she at least had a chance of rising from the dead. After unlocking the basement for Julian, she scurried to the front door, pausing on the stoop to catch her breath. Once she made herself look marginally less anxious and sweaty, she opened the door. Not a second after she turned it, the doorknob was yanked out of her hand from the other side. Marnie didn't have time to breathe or think before a strong pair of arms grabbed her in a hug, pulling her over the threshold.

"Maryanne Heather Nightingale, I was so worried!" her mother cried, crushing Marnie tight to her chest. "I've been trying to call you all afternoon! Your teacher said you and your classmates were sick, but when I got to the hospital you weren't there!"

Marnie was so shocked by the hug, she forgot how to talk for a second. "I... I'm sorry, Mom," she mumbled.

"You're sorry?!" Lt. Nightingale pushed Marnie away as quickly as she'd hugged her, her blue eyes flashing with rage. "Marnie, what the hell were you thinking?! Why did you run off like that?! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?! What you put me through?! Then you have the gall to just waltz in here at this hour, with no explanation?!"

For all of two seconds, Marnie thought about telling her mother the truth; about the woman she saw die and come back to life at the hospital, and how Julian probably saved her life by making her run away. Realizing Phoebe Nightingale wouldn't believe a word of it no matter what, Marnie just hung her head and walked toward the kitchen in stony silence.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Lt. Nightingale snapped. "I am talking to you, Young Lady, and I expect an answer!"

"I'm hungry," Marnie shot back. "I'm going to get something to eat, then I'm going to bed! Permission to do so, Lieutenant?!"

Lt. Nightingale folded her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowing into a glare that would have the bravest soldiers quaking in their combat boots. "Permission denied," she growled, her tone dangerously low. "Sit down, Marnie... please. I want to know where you went this afternoon, and why you turned your phone off. Go ahead: I'm listening."

Of course, Marnie wanted to tell her mom everything, but there didn't seem to be a point. At best, she'd be called a liar and be grounded for the rest of her natural life; at worst, Lt. Nightingale would have her committed to the psych ward. Frankly, she wasn't sure which would be worse. Before she had the chance to come up with a believable answer - if any existed - there was a loud crash under her feet.

Lt. Nightingale's eyes widened and her back snapped ramrod straight. In one swift, fluid motion, she crossed the room to the couch and retrieved her service pistol from the safe hidden in the end table beside it. Marnie hardly had time to breathe before her mom was at the basement door, a bullet already chambered and the steely glint of a threatened mama grizzly bear in her eyes.

"Mom, wait!" she begged. "It's not what you-"

Lt. Nightingale raised her fist silently, the movement sharp and firm, signaling her daughter to be quiet. She stayed by the basement door a second longer, listening for more movement. Marnie silently begged Zombie Trevor and Julian to stay quiet, putting all her will and hope that they would get her telepathic message. Those hopes were dashed just as quickly when a series of bangs echoed up through the floorboards, followed by an agitated growl.

Marnie's mom was already headed down the basement stairs, so Marnie had to act fast. With speed she didn't know she had, she raced out the door and sprinted around the house to the basement doors. Julian needed to be warned; she could fix this, as long as she got there in time. She flung the basement doors open without hesitation, not caring that her lungs were burning and her heart was about to explode. After tripping down the stairs, she finally made it down there... two seconds too late.

Lt. Nightingale stood in the middle of the basement, strategically placed between both exits. She had Julian pinned between the washer and dryer, crouched on the floor with his back flat against a small shelf filled with cleaning supplies. Marnie's heart broke at how scared he looked, but thankfully her mom hadn't fired yet. There was no sign of Zombie Trevor, though, which almost worried Marnie as much as the Glock her mother had pointed at Julian's face.

"I thought you were a good kid, Julian," Lt. Nightingale snarled. "Guess I was wrong. You have three seconds to tell me what you're doing down here before I call the cops!"

"Mom, stop!" Marnie screamed. "You don't understand! I let him in, okay?! Please, just listen to me for once!"

Marnie's mom took her eyes off Julian for just a moment, slowly lowering her firearm. Julian took his chance when he got it, scrambling to Marnie's side as fast as his sneakers could carry him. As he dove behind her for cover, Marnie caught a quick whiff of ammonia. She didn't think much of it, though, considering he was just up close and personal with a bunch of chemicals. Feeling him tremble against her back just made her heart ache more; Julian was the only friend she had in Boston - the only real friend she'd ever had in her entire life - but he probably wouldn't give her the time of day after this. Frankly, she wouldn't blame him for it.

"Julian," she murmured, "I'm sorry. Get out of here, now."

"Pistol-"

"I said leave!" she snarled, fighting back tears. "Go, you idiot! Run while you still can!"

Julian's grip tightened on the back of her shirt, signaling his refusal to leave. Before Marnie could turn around and throw him out herself, a pile of boxes on the other side of the basement fell over on their own. Marnie's and Lt. Nightingale's heads both snapped toward them simultaneously, just in time to see Zombie Trevor crawl out of one. Drool flowed like rivers from his pale blue lips as his dull eyes fixed on Lt. Nightingale, making Marnie's heart pound like a drum in her throat.

He was hungry again, and it looked like Marnie's mom was on the menu.