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“Put down that gun right now, Mister Brown.” An unfamiliar figure parted from the shadowy crowd, put her hand on John Brown’s pistol, and pushed it away.
A brief sigh leaked from my throat.
“What’s going on?” Erik asked.
“Shush,” I said, not wanting to miss a moment of whatever was about to happen next. Shep was crouched beside me, preternaturally still and silent as if hoping to disappear into the gloom. John’s shouting had drawn the dead’s attention away from my party, and the small contingent of soldiers guarding my sister’s troupe fired at the fray. Despite the soldiers’ efforts, the dead continued their advance.
“You are replaceable, Brown,” snarled the unfamiliar woman. She wore a glittery lavender frock that hugged her full bosom and complemented her golden complexion. Her black hair sat atop her head in a high pompadour. Shorter than all the others around her and small-framed, the woman still managed to exude power. “Miss Blite, however, is not.”
If I were a gambling girl, I would’ve bet all of next year’s crops that the small woman giving John Brown orders was none other than the notorious Moll Grimes.
“But Sera’s gettin’ away.” John gestured with his gun in my general direction.
“That’s not important right now.” Moll motioned to the dead pressing in around them and the soldiers struggling to keep them back. “Your job is to protect me. We’ll worry about the Blite girl later.”
Bloom gave me a look, widening her eyes and nodding. She was telling me to go, make my getaway before it was too late.
“Shep, let’s go.”
I had just glanced away, preparing for the drop to the sewer floor, when a scream of pain and horror tore apart the night like a lightning storm. Every fine hair on my body stood up, and the ghost of a familiar pain ripped through me. That scream made blackness swirl at the edges of my vision, and a brief memory of being bitten sparked before my eyes. My stomach rolled, but I couldn’t afford to swoon or vomit at that moment, so I sucked in a deep breath and held my composure with a sweaty, shaking grip. Please don’t let that scream have come from Bloom.
“What happened?” Erik shouted from the sewer below me.
My vision strained against the darkness, but I could only make out a few dim figures huddled over a heap on the ground. Throngs of Crunching Corpses were filling in around them. Guns fired, people shouted, and fear for my sister lashed against my heart.
“We’ve got no time for this. Go, now, Sera.” Without warning, Shep shoved me, and I swallowed a squeal as I fell through the sewer hole.
With a stumble and a grunt, Erik caught me. Moments later, Shep dropped down beside us, bringing his lantern with him.
“What was that scream about?” Erik asked.
“I think someone was bitten,” Shep said.
Still in Erik’s arms, I sobbed. “It might’ve been Bloom.”
His embrace tightened around me. “You don’t know for sure?”
“No, but I can’t leave her.” I squeezed Erik’s arm, pleading. “We have to help.”
“How?” Shep asked. “We’re out of bullets. We’ll make a fine corpse sandwich if we go back up there now.”
A torrent of explosions and light suddenly rocked the street above us. The concussion blasted my eardrums and reverberated through my chest. Stumbling apart, our trio crouched, covered our ears, and waited for the attack to end.
“Shock bombs,” Erik said when the silence finally returned. “Sounds like reinforcements have arrived.”
“What do we do?” My ears were still ringing as I peered at the sewer opening above us and searched the small circle of night sky for a clue.
“I’m going to Dwivedi’s college.” Shep’s head drooped, and he sounded worn and beaten. “I’m done with favors.”
Erik patted his shoulder. “You’ve done more than anyone could have asked.”
I couldn’t disagree, but I also couldn’t leave if my sister was in danger.
For several still moments, the three of us contemplated our next step.
“Sera?” A familiar voice shouted from the street. “Sera, where are you?”
“Bloom?” Heart surging into my throat, I sprang into the pool of gloomy moonlight streaming through the sewer opening. “Are you okay?”
Above me, Bloom’s figure cut a black silhouette from the starry sky.
“Somebody screamed in a very bad way.”
Bloom’s shadow nodded. “It was Moll. She’s been bitten. Badly.”
“Where are the Biters now?”
“Ran off. Extra Forces showed up and scared them away, but the Biters tore Moll up pretty good first.”
“Did she take any immunity serum?”
Bloom’s shadow nodded. “We all did, at the first sign of trouble, but that was a while ago. Not sure if it was still effective when she was bitten.”
I paused, giving myself a moment to digest that bit of news. Mostly, I was relieved Bloom had gotten away unscathed, but my pity for Moll Grimes was slow to appear. “What are you going to do now?”
Muffled voices argued above us for several moments before Bloom answered. “We need to get her to the College of Kimiyagari. Get her Dwivedi’s cure.”
Erik and Shep turned to me as if I somehow got to have a final say in the matter. “Why are you looking at me?” I threw my hands out and shrugged. “It’s Dwivedi’s decision.”
“Should we even bother?” Erik asked. “Life would be easier without Moll.”
He had a point—one I had a hard time disputing. Problem was, Moll served a purpose, like it or not. She kept order, and she produced hard-to-come-by products for trade—maybe at steep prices, but some people might’ve said it was worth it. As for her plans to bring the city back to life, who else had the resources and chutzpah to make it happen? Also, I’d already worn the pair of shoes Moll had just shoved her feet into, and I wouldn’t have wished the curse of undeath on my worst enemy. Considering Moll Grimes probably was my worst enemy—not counting John Brown—well, then, I had answered my own question.
Taking Erik’s hand, I gave him a beseeching look, hoping Shep’s dim lantern provided enough light for him to see me. “No, we can’t let her turn. Besides, if we save her, Moll Grimes will owe us. Big time.”
“I’m not sure Moll keeps track of favors owed,” Shep said. “She’d turn her back on you before she’d ever be in your debt.”
“Maybe or maybe not. I can’t have her death on my hands though. If nothing else, Dr. Dwivedi would appreciate having another test subject. It’ll be repayment for all the help he’s given us.”
Giving me a grim smile, Erik nodded.
Shep sucked in a breath through his teeth, sounding thoroughly put out. But then he nodded. “Well, I guess I was going to Dwivedi’s place anyway...”