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"Master," he inclined his head at Parker I was baffled, wondering what Clyde was up to He turned his glittering gaze to ht his eyes were black pools of nothingness, the gray unrevealed

They were telling led and Clyde looked at Parker "Release the young woaze slide to Gale, her eyes wide in her face, the zombie who held her had his forearm parked across her chest

Parker stared and Clyde’s lips thinned into a flat line

He had never looked more dead

He had never looked more alive

The knuckles on his hands knobs of steel, braced to pu

"I know," I said, thinking about what to do

"Ask yourself why the cops are here, Caleb?" Parker asked like he knew the answer

I shook my head "I think the question that reallyup and bad crap goes down People die, disappear, whatever" I spreadyou Caleb You’re in danger You and your females"

I drew Jade into the circle of

"I told you to stay out of it That means Jade too" Parker looked at her intently and I said, "Don’t you look at her Don’t you ever look at her,"with e in an involuntary hiss I breathed out a relieved sigh when I saw his tongue was pink and whole in his mouth

"Rein your zombie in, Hart He’s out of control, you know," Parker said

"No," I said

The zorip and she whih she was That lether resolve

Clyde didn’t like her resolve being tested

He swung an already clenched fist at the zombie with such force he split his skull on iray over the top of Gale The spread of it seeping and leaking onto the ground at her feet A little an to leak into her uniforore a look of dreamy desire

Then Gale’s resolve broke with a scream and in a broken cry she shouted, "Clyde!"

Her fear clutched at the tether ofit like ahad been plucked

He responded by unhooking the ar it fro it

At Parker

He batted the ar y toward the rey I recognized it i co himself on the zombie just as it wrapped its clenched hands on Garcia’s neck, ready to spin his head off the column of his spine

We couldn’t have that

Clyde snapped his arered back, releasing his hold on Garcia

Garcia recovered quickly, ripping his gun out of its holster and leveling it at Parker

Who had grabbed Mia

Bry looked like he was gonna barf but it was the new girl, Randi, that saved the day She’d let herself go to the ground and without a twitch, her body rose in ghostlike for above him The distraction of her small body in front of him made him pause for just a moment, transfixed

What the hell was she?

Alex and Bry leaped forward, tackling Parker and Mia was released She fled, getting out of the way of the irl

Randi’s body slid back into her physical form a few feet ahere she lay unconscious

Jade screaion of ravens descended on the group Called by Parker

I flung the only co the power like birdseed at the flock "Stop!"some overflow and I instinctively pulled that thread back from him and redistributed the coony as their ht for control Three fell frolobs of flesh and liquid splattered the soaked ground around us, the rain of yesterday ore One crawled around in a circle, cawing for assistance

"Oh God," Jade said in a sick voice, her dainty hand covering herto Parker

Who was strung between Bry and Alex, Garcia’s gun trained on hioodon the ground Unprotected

I felt hiirl on the ground

Parker looked at ht, they will co and it plays jingle bells

"Like you’ve been so "Hell! I’d love to see what you did when you didn’t want to protect me!" I restrained an eye roll, Jade’s head pressed to my chest, her arround when Clyde tore the zombie that’d held her apart She was on her knees, preparing to get up when Clyde was there, his hand out to help her to her feet

She took it

And Parker snapped his gaze to mine We both felt it Clyde’s connection to Gale, separate froainst hiot proble that

I looked from him to Gale Her eyes ide and dazed, held in the arms offork of death

This was so out of normal I didn’t have one idea in the world of what to do K, one thing at a ti withcuffs off a utility belt full of useful goodies Jonesy gave the belt an appreciative look and Alex was riveted by the cuffs

Figures

I did rollin the mess of the crows, Gale held by Clyde and then I felt a subtle vibration in the air

"Crap Hart!" Jonesy yelled as our hair lifted, the inco, insect like chopper blades spinning above our heads A Graysheet was planted on the legs of the chopper, an automatic pinned on Garcia