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One of Bobbi’s eyebrows cocked "Like what?"

"Using the power of Life-Transference is tricky and I’ve only done it a few times By accident, and under duress," I added

They waited

I explained

"You s to the surface that raves?"

I nodded, but it was h "It is also like a dinner bell to other AFTDs By doing this, I’ the C-Ms"

Clyde frowned, the skin between his brows staying in a frozen ripple of flesh between his eyes I was so ready to fixdeal if a dead chicken starts pecking in your front yard here," I said and her eyes strayed to the grirandfathered lawn into a sodden swaal fire spewed fumes into our atmosphere

"Somehow, that’s not a comfort," she said and Clyde actually covered his hed, he was so on board with the chicken hu this power ht not alert the undead media I’m just sayin’"

"So," Bobbi cocked her head and palular face "Other Cadaver-Manipulators "

"Yes," I said, relieved

I kneas rare to be a five-point, it’d al I liked to think that the potential for bullshit happening was as far out as a Hail Mary pass on the football field

Although, I’d caught far more Hail Marys than sheer chance allowed

"Well Parker is not a proble

Yeah, Parker wasn’t a problem Clyde and I shared a look

"I’ to be insensitive" she said, looking between the two of us "I know you’re worried about hiht of irony that ht need a hero

Na my head to hide my expression There were too e any of thenored the whole tamale and concentrated at the task at hand

"Parker would knoas using" I looked at both of thereater That is the concern That I would call another C-M to our location"

"What’s so bad about that?" Gale asked but it was Clyde that answered "It is not good that another as powerful as our Caleb make an appearance whilst I am vulnerable and we are tied in this" He waved his shriveled, vaguelyhand and I finished, "reverse Life-Transference"

He nodded

"I want you to try anyway," Gale said

"You knoant to but I just had to let you guys in on it What could happen"

"The potential for evil will always lurk at the edges of what is good what is wholesoht," Bobbi finished

I nodded in agreement, they were correct on all counts

Then I laid hands on Clyde Everything receded to a pinpoint of consciousness and the only noise was a war in my ears like blood

But it was death

Death ca one

All that mattered was the corpse under my hands, his flesh called to mine My death power that was only barely held in check cah, it slipped out of its prison and swah the conduit of our union

It crashed into Clyde and his mouth dropped open, slack with the crush of it and htened,to white with his hold and I watched as color came back to skin that had been ashen littering obsidian velvet to brown Finally the flecks of green that made theo of my hands "No me your mouth, Clyde," I requested

He smiled and like an amateur dentist I was happy to report that all his teeth reue was pink

I kept my shudder of relief to myself

Gale and I sically restored to order I wasn’t sure how I had wardrobe control but that was for a different day Right now, ain Gone was the rot

"I feel like a new creature!" he sang in his rich tiure

We were all grinning like fools when Gale said hesitantly, "Is that what I think it is?"

I looked at where she was pointing through the , the hand-rolled glass added to the disquieting iht

There was a chicken in the yard A quite obviously dead chicken

Our sin’ on the coincidence of the very thing I had joked aboutso neatly

We walked to the door and opened it

I stepped out onto the stoop

There were a million chickens Or at least about fifty They were real creepers too They came to stand on the lawn and stared atearthworly disgusting consumptive noises

"Caleb," Gale said in a shaky voice "God, I can feel them they’re so"

"Vacant," I supplied in a flat voice These dead were different I didn’t like it At All

Bobbi nodded in tacit agreement Clyde stood behind her, a head taller and wrapped a beefy (and perfect) forearm around her waist

He hissed at the flock and the one who had appeared first cawed like a crow, its rotting eyes fixing on Clyde, recognizing him The sound of it thru underneath the surface of

It was a rooster

Just then, the Js rolled up to the front door The birds, instead of acting like live birds and getting out of the way stood there staring at the approaching car and stayed

Jonesy plowed over one, feathers and chicken zo in the spokes of his wheels like plaque in teeth

He’ll be flossing that out of there for forever, I thought,like feathered sentinels in my zombie’s yard

Wow just