The Undertakers by Ty Drago

Author:Ty Drago
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Published: 2011-05-04T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 26

Trapped

The radio didn’t work.

“It’s basically just a cheap Walmart watch with some generic cell phone parts built into it,” Steve had cheerfully explained during one of tech lectures. “But don’t get your hopes up. This phone dials only one person: our on-duty Chatter. All you have to do is press this little silver button on the side.”

Well, I’d pressed it like crazy and—nothing. Not even static. Had it broken sometime during the fight in First Stop or maybe when I climbed into the Dumpster?

Either way it was bad news.

I struggled to stay calm. By now there could be twenty Corpses out there looking for us, and we had no way to call for help!

The others were all watching me. Maria was quietly crying. Harleen had an arm around her. Ethan’s mouth moved wordlessly, as though in prayer. Beside me, the Burgermeister stood almost at attention, regarding me as if I was his undisputed commander.

I’m no leader! I don’t want this!

“Busted?” Dave whispered, pointing to the watch.

I nodded glumly.

“It’s broke?” Maria exclaimed too loudly. Beyond the Dumpster’s high gray walls, the police sirens had gone silent. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not.

“Nobody panic,” I said softly, holding up the watch. “These things have trackers in them, remember?”

“GPS locators,” Ethan corrected absently.

“Whatever. It means that they can find us. There’ll be a squad of Angels here before you know it. We just got to stay put and keep quiet.”

“Yeah,” Dave immediately agreed.

Maria started trembling. “I can’t stay here!” she suddenly wailed. “They’ll find me again! I can’t! I can’t!”

“Hush, Maria,” Harleen cooed, doing her best not to sound scared. “Nobody’s gonna find us.”

“Shut her up!” Dave hissed.

I raised my hand, demanding silence. Amazingly I got it.

There were footsteps out on the street, neither loud nor hurried. Methodical—like maybe someone was searching.

I met and held everyone’s eyes, putting all my newly discovered and totally unwanted authority into that look.

“Be quiet!”

It worked.

The footsteps drew closer.

It was funny how I could tell the difference between dead and living footfalls. It was a subtle thing. When they weren’t running like crazed gazelles, Corpses tended to shuffle—not quite like zombies in the movies, but close enough that I could catch it.

And this shuffling was very close. Maybe just a few yards away from the Dumpster.

I glanced at Maria. Harleen was gripping the girl now, holding a hand tightly over her mouth.

If she screams, we’re dead.

The footsteps stopped. A voice spoke. “No. Find. You. Still. Smell. Blood?”

Another voice replied, this time in English. “You know the rule. Speak English.”

“Why. Speak. English? Nobody. Hear. Us.”

“It’s the rule.” Then, after a groan: “So?”

“What. So?”

“I don’t smell them. Do you?”

“No. Smell. Them. Sweet. Blood. Buried. Under. Odor. Garbage. Vermin.”

“They’re not here. Let’s go back.”

A long silence followed. I closed my eyes, gripping the half-empty water pistol so hard that my knuckles went white.

“Agreed. First. Check. Dumpster.”

Maria jumped a little. Harleen clutched her even tighter, almost pinning the smaller girl against the Dumpster wall. Nearby, Ethan clamped both his hands over his mouth to stifle a scream.

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