Maybe Kelly had learned from his mistakes. Maybe his print was the only one that would work.

I searched one more time. Still no sign. Coward that he was, he’d probably left the battle. But he wouldn’t have gone far. He would want to watch, to see whether his men succeeded or failed.

I panned the darkness, watching for movement rather than a silhouette. There! A bush swayed. Kelly? Only one way to find out.

“I have a plan.” Needing a boost, I dosed up on antidote before racing off, staying in the heart of the shadows, heading for the line of trees. The moment I broke the first, I changed direction, heading for the trembling bush.

I kept my steps as light as possible, but a twig snapped. Though I tensed, I didn’t allow myself to stop or slow. I palmed two daggers, and just before I reached the bush, I raised them. Ready.

But he wasn’t there.

A few feet away, another bush danced, and I figured he’d heard me and moved on. I picked up the pace, charging after him.

I smelled the rot before I passed the wall of brittle foliage. The moment I stood in the small clearing, I saw the zombies surrounding him. Six creatures, reaching for him, snapping teeth at him.

What happened next happened quickly. Within three seconds, at the most. I could only watch.

One of the creatures bit into his arm. The suit protected his skin, but he felt the pressure of the action and grunted. He swung with his other arm, hitting the zombie in the head. The creature bit down with more vigor, like a bulldog with a bone, refusing to give up the prize. Another zombie latched onto his other arm, jerking to the ground.

“Let go,” he commanded. “Stop. Stop!”

Another creature fell upon him, sinking teeth into his unprotected cheek. Kelly released a high-pierced shriek.

I launched into action, willing the fire to come as I moved. White-gold flames spread. They weren’t as wild and consuming as before, nor as weak as they’d been with Gavin, but they would do. I reached the zombies and got to work. Contact. Ash. Contact. Ash. Contact. Ash.

Victorious, I peered down at the writhing Kelly.

“Antidote,” he rasped. “Please. In my pocket.”

Strapped to a chair... Injected with poison... Electric shocks tearing through me... “I’ll help you, but then you’re going to help my friend.” I slid my hand into the pocket of his suit. Placed the needle at his neck.

Just like with Gavin, my flames licked over him, and his back bowed.

“Don’t worry. It’ll fade in—”

Kelly burst into ash.

Shocked, I fell to my butt, my flames dying. Like Kelly. I stared down at the pile of blackened dust he’d left behind, wide-eyed. I had...I had just...

Hard hands dug into my shoulders and jerked me backward. I hit my head on a rock, and dizziness took advantage, consuming me. Two collared zombies circled me, peering down at me with abject hunger. Their red eyes were bright, no more than a blur to me.

What were they doing? Why hadn’t they attacked?

The collars?

I tried to sit up and fight, but my body had thrown in the towel. I should...oh, pretty...stars swirled overhead, spinning round and round, hypnotizing me. Think. Concentrate. “Emma.” Yes. She would help. “Get...Cole.” He could see her. She could tell him where I was.

I thought I saw a wall of clouds part and my little sister float down to me. Worry contorted her features, and she opened her mouth to speak, but I couldn’t hear the words.

Zombie Ali rose from my body and grabbed her by the arm. The two faced off.

“Don’t...touch...her,” I tried to shout.

The zombies bared black-stained teeth.

The zombies!

How could I have forgotten?

Done waiting, the pair fell on me, biting into me. The pain was intense, white-hot yet freezing cold. I needed to summon the flames...flames...flames...but they remained at bay, out of reach.

All of a sudden, the zombies sprang away from me, sickened by the antitoxin, seizing, clutching at their throats.

Emma raced out of the area, and I tried to call her back, to tell her never mind, it wasn’t safe, she needed to leave.

Where was Z.A.? Back inside me?

Flames...flames...still nothing. All I could do was lie there, a bone-deep hunger growing inside me.

I wasn’t sure how much time passed before I felt a warm caress against my cheek. My eyelids fluttered open. Cole loomed over me, his features bathed in red. Red...from my eyes? He was speaking, but just like with Emma, I couldn’t hear him. He stuck me with a syringe, then another, and another.

How many doses had I had today?

I felt a rushing river of strength, and some of the pain faded. The cold and heat evened out.

Careful of my injuries, I sat up. How much trauma could I endure? “I broke your rules,” I said. “Got bitten.”

“Don’t care.” Cole kissed me hard and fast. “You’re okay now. That’s what matters.”

“I’m okay,” I agreed. “You? Everyone?”

“I’m fine. Some of the guys are cut up pretty bad, and Trina...”

“I know. She’s collared. I think Kelly’s print would have opened the metal, but I...I killed him. Cole, I killed him with my fire. He was full of zombie toxin, and I touched him, and just like the zombies, he ashed.”

He traced his thumbs over my cheeks. “Baby, he needed to die. As for Trina, we’ll find another way. Come on.”

As he helped me to my feet, I said, “How did you find me?”

“Emma. She said she had to fight Zombie Alice to get to me.”

That was right. Z.A. had tried to hurt my little sister.

No one hurt my little sister and lived to tell about it.

We left the clearing, hand in hand. When I tried to hurry him, he shook his head.

“It’s over.” He grinned, violet eyes glowing with triumph. “We won.”

* * *

We decided to leave the Hazmats in the forest, both surviving and dead, rather than taking the time to cart them to the dungeon. Our main concern was Trina, and our own injured. We hooked up with our bodies and rushed to Mr. Ankh’s basement. There, Ethan was able to remove Trina’s collar with his thumbprint.

After everyone had been bandaged up, Mr. Holland, Cole, Frosty and Gavin shoved Ethan into the back of a car and drove off...somewhere. They planned to release him into the wild. With his father gone, Ethan was the only one left to take care of his sister, Isabelle. I hoped the girl recovered, I really did. Just not at our expense.

Despite our ragged condition, the rest of us ended up congregating in Mr. Ankh’s game room. Some played pool. Some Ping-Pong. Some darts. Anima wasn’t out for the count, we knew that, but the entire company had been severely crippled tonight, and we were flooded with the intoxicating taste of victory.

Reeve and Kat heard the commotion and hurried down the stairs. They looked for Frosty and Bronx, and when they didn’t see them, raced to me and H-bombed me with a thousand questions about what had happened. I explained as best I could, and they relaxed.

“You should have seen our girl, the Ali-nator,” Justin said, coming up to my side and putting his arm around my shoulders. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

I smiled at him. “You weren’t so bad yourself.”

“Probably the second best out there,” he said with a nod.

“Please. Your skills aren’t even close to mine, Justin,” Lucas called. He had his front pressed against Trina’s back as she lined up a shot at the pool table, and she didn’t seem to mind.

Were they a couple?

“You looked like a beginner compared to me,” Justin said.

Lucas flipped him off, and Trina laughed, her stick digging into the table.

“Concentrate on the game, Rina,” Collins commanded. “Seriously, my mom plays better than you. And she’s blind!”

“Maybe Trina’s just that poor of a player,” Justin said as if sticking up for her. “Ever think of that?”

Trina blew him a raspberry.