Chaos (30 page)

Malachi’s expression darkened. “Then it’s good I returned.”

“You think you can figure it out?”

“I have an advantage that neither you nor Henry has.” He smiled, and it was cold as mid-January. “I’m wearing Juri’s skin.”

THIRTY-ONE

I
WALKED INTO SCHOOL
a few hours later with a grim sense of purpose. I’d spent the earliest hours of the morning planning our strategy with Malachi and Henry at the Guard house, and another few stolen minutes kissing Malachi while Henry went off to take advantage of his chance to rest.

Malachi and Henry had left early to watch the school, to see if Juri showed up, but Evan Crociere had driven into the parking lot alone. When the first bell rang and there was no sign of Juri, we put our plan into action. I’d expected to see Malachi at lunch, but when I walked into pre-calc, he was already there, looking confident and gorgeous with his arm around the girl who’d been with Juri at the meth house last night. She had long, straight brown hair and a beaky nose. Her clothes were clean—she looked better groomed than most Mazikin I’d seen. But then again, so did Juri. Her nails were long but painted blue. Her eyes were full of hunger and hatred as she raised her head and looked at me. “What are you looking at?” she snapped.

Malachi’s grip on the girl tightened, and she smiled.

As I sank into my seat, he gave me a cold smirk that sent a chill down my spine. When I heard him murmur something to the girl and her soft, delighted intake of breath behind me, I forced myself not to turn around and stab her with my pencil—and I promised myself I’d make this up to him later. But when I heard her low odd purring—a sound no human would make—my jealousy went away.

He’d gotten her to reveal what she was.

I sat through that class, trusting that he wouldn’t allow the Mazikin sitting right behind me to hurt me. He had my back, even if he was masquerading as the enemy. I spent more time listening to his movements and breath than I did to the teacher. When the bell rang, I got up quickly and turned to the two of them. She was already standing next to his desk, her hands in his hair, his resting on her hips. He gave me a sidelong glance and raised an eyebrow. “I’ll see you at lunch,” he said to me, then slid his fingers down the girl’s leg. At the back of the classroom, Laney, who he’d broken up with on prom night, looked like she was about to cry.

I felt a bit like doing the same, but I channeled that hurt into stalking out of the classroom. Putting on a good show for whoever happened to be interested. Two hours later, I made my way to the packed cafeteria. Ian, Tegan, Laney, Jillian, Levi, and Alexis—her leg in a cast—were sitting at their usual table, which looked a lot bigger since so many of our friends had been killed or injured. Ian stared at me, maybe wondering if I was going to join them, maybe wondering if I’d head out to the parking lot and eat in the spot where we’d shared several impromptu picnics when both of us were trying to escape our grief.

Tegan was less subtle, waving me over, but I made for a table at the back of the room. Malachi was there, surrounded. Seven kids were sitting either on or around the table. Pre-Calc Girl was sitting on his lap, and Evan Crociere was lounging next to them, running his fingers up and down her back. His long, skinny legs were stretched out in front of him, clad in baggy jeans with plenty of pockets where I’d always assumed he stashed his weed. But even though he looked like the jerk he’d been, his movements were pure animal now, and it reminded me of some of the things I’d witnessed on the streets of the Mazikin city. I recognized four of the guys at the table as having been at the meth house last night, and two looked extremely strung out—bloodshot eyes, greasy hair. Were
all
of them Mazikin? Did we really have seven of the remaining eleven right here? Hope quickened my steps.

“Lela,” Tegan called, right as Malachi shoved Pre-Calc Girl off of him and stood up, his eyes focused on me. His lip curled as he beckoned me forward, the gesture so commanding that I swear half the cafeteria was staring at him. Probably most of the girls were wishing he was looking at them instead of me.

I approached his table, my heart pounding. “What do you want?” I barked, putting my irritation at Pre-Calc Girl and her wandering hands into my voice.

Malachi gave me a once-over, letting his gaze linger on my chest in a way that made my cheeks burn. He sank back onto his seat. “Join us for lunch.” He flashed a mischievous smile. “I’m quite hungry.”

Everyone else at the table, including Pre-Calc Girl, snickered. Evan gave me a satisfied smile and made room for me. “Yeah, Lela,” he said, showing his teeth. “Sit right here. I want you close.”

Evan might be Mazikin now, but the thing inside him had all Evan’s memories, and that included his intense hatred of me.

“Not sure I want to sit with you,” I said, wrinkling my nose as I made eye contact with each of them. “You guys kind of stink.”

The guy sitting closest to me growled, deep in his chest. Malachi chuckled. “If you don’t sit with me,” he said, “I might get bored. I wonder if Diane is still sleeping, or if she’s gotten up for the afternoon?”

Even though we’d agreed he would make this threat, it still sent rage all the way through me. He said it so coldly, with a glint of eagerness in his eye, and horror suddenly struck me. What if this was actually Juri? My eyes darted to his neck, but Pre-Calc Girl had her hand over the spot as she stood behind him, her other arm stroking his chest.

“Sit down, Lela,” he said firmly.

A stocky guy with an underbite and bad skin grabbed my wrist and twisted, but before I had a chance to punch him, Malachi nailed him in the forehead with a pen, hitting him hard enough to leave a swollen bump tipped with blue. The guy howled and smacked his hands over his face, while most of the others at the table cringed, their posture wary, all eyes fixed on Malachi. He glared at each of them in turn.

“She’s mine,” he hissed as a vein pulsed at his temple. He coughed out something in Mazikin that had all but the two strung-out guys crossing their arms protectively over their chests.

He’d probably threatened to eat their hearts.

His eyes met mine. “They won’t bother yo
u . . .
unless I tell them to.” He held out his arm, inviting me to sit. “I’m getting tired of waiting for you to come to me, Lela,” he said softly.

I shivered. He sounded
exactly
like Juri. Again I glanced at his neck, but Pre-Calc Girl’s hand was still there. I walked around the table and sat down next to him, Evan on my right. Evan’s fingernails had grown long, and he’d filed them to points.

“I can’t wait to watch what he does to you,” Evan whispered, leaning close.

I can’t wait to watch what he does to
you, I thought. “So, shall we go around the table and introduce ourselves?” I suggested. “Because I don’t know all of your names.”

Malachi stroked his hand down my hair, letting his fingers sink into my curls. “You make me laugh, Lela. It makes me so sad about what happens next.”

He didn’t sound sad.

“I think we’ve outgrown our need for school,” he said breezily. “We’re leaving now.”

“What?” That had not been part of the plan.

“We’ll have more fun elsewhere.”

The excitement from the others was palpable. They shifted in their seats, their long fingernails scraping at the surface of the table. “But
I . . .
” I closed my mouth. My probation officer would love to hear that I’d skipped the last half of the day.

Malachi—or was it Juri?—stood up and turned his back before I could get a look at his neck to confirm. He peered over his shoulder at the stocky guy with the red bump on his forehead. “You drive.”

“I thought she was driving,” the guy replied, looking at Pre-Calc Girl.

“I have other uses for her,” Malachi said smoothly, his fingers twisting into her hair and jerking her near. “Help Lela out of her chair, please. Lela, please remember that I won’t hesitate to skin Diane and make you watch if you don’t behave.”

Two guys, one of them wearing a Quahogs cap to cover his scruffy blond hair, came at me, and I was too stunned to fight. Our plan had been to wait, to go after school, but here we were, marching out of Warwick High at noon, surrounded by seven kids who had been tied to a table and possessed. Seven dead kids. We passed through the double doors that led to the student lot. Malachi was improvising, right? But if that was true, why was I the only one who was surprised? I fought the urge to tear myself away from them and start running.

But then again, this was the best chance I’d have to take out most of the Mazikin.

We were heading toward the corner of the lot when someone shouted my name. I craned my neck to see Ian jogging toward us, with Tegan several paces behind. Her face was pale with worry. Malachi peeled himself away from Pre-Calc Girl and strode past Evan, growling something in Mazikin that made Evan wrap his fingers around my upper arm.

“Lela,” Ian called. “Hey. Wait!”

I shook my head, my eyes wide as Malachi strode forward to meet him. Dread choked me. I knew that walk. I knew the coiled tension in every muscle.

Ian didn’t slow down. As Malachi stepped into his path, Ian drew back his fist. But as it rocketed forward, Malachi sidestepped him and rammed his elbow into Ian’s back, sending him to the ground with a crunch. Tegan screamed. I nearly did, too, but Evan chose that moment to yank me toward the car. I struggled as Malachi planted his foot on the side of Ian’s face and leaned over to say something to him. Ian’s fingers were twitching. His eyes were open. He didn’t try to get up.

Malachi stepped back and walked toward us, unhurried and predatory, Tegan shrieking in the background.

Evan wrapped his arm around my throat. “Come on, Lela. Time to die,” he said, grunting to the others as we approached an old Bronco. Malachi caught up with us as I was being hauled into the backseat. He gestured to four of the Mazikin to get in, then shoved the two strung-out guys, making them fall to the pavement. It confirmed what I had started to suspect—those two weren’t Mazikin.

Evan laughed as they collided with the blacktop. His arm was still around my neck as Malachi got into the backseat and sat next to me, with Pre-Calc Girl crammed in on his other side. Evan said something in Mazikin, and all of them let out animal chuckles, including Malachi. I leaned so I could see Ian. Tegan was helping him to his feet. His face was bleeding, and it looked like every breath caused him pain, but he was up and watching us drive away.

As Stocky Guy pulled out of the parking spot, I turned to Malachi and felt pure relief as I caught a glimpse of his neck—smooth skin, no scars. It was really him.

And we were in a vehicle with five Mazikin. This was a dangerous game, but now I had proof I wasn’t playing alone. Stil
l . . .

“Did you enjoy that?” I snapped at him. “You didn’t need to hurt him.”

Malachi chuckled, his dark eyes on mine. “Yes, I did,” he said softly, even as Pre-Calc Girl’s hand crept onto his thigh. “Don’t worry about him now. Worry more about what’s waiting for you.”

I nearly smiled—it reminded me of what he’d said when we were trapped in a cage in the Bone Palace—
Focus on what’s next, not what came before.
He was reminding me of where my thoughts should be. But before I could relax too much, he leaned his head back and allowed Pre-Calc Girl to nuzzle his neck. I looked away and found myself staring into Evan’s bloodshot eyes. They narrowed, and he poked Malachi in the shoulder. With a growl, Malachi shoved Pre-Calc Girl away. Evan began speaking in Mazikin to him, and the conversation got intense quickly. Something wasn’t quite right, but Malachi was so forceful that Evan was cringing against his window by the time Stocky Guy pulled onto Cedar Swamp Road, right by the airport. We motored onto a gravel road, all the way to an abandoned construction site. Malachi gestured to the site with an I-told-you-so kind of expression. “See? It’s perfect,” he said to Evan.

As soon as we were out of the car, Malachi grabbed Evan by the scruff of the neck and slammed him against the hood. “And don’t question me again.” He raised his eyebrows and waited until Evan nodded his head in defeat.

Malachi gestured for me to walk beside him as we hiked across loose gravel to an old trailer. The others looked confused, their eyes darting to the road, crouching any time an airplane roared overhead, which was pretty much every few minutes or so. I kept my attention on Evan, who skulked behind us, his eyes on Malachi like he expected him to attack again.

“I stashed him in here,” Malachi said. “And I thought it was time for a reunion.”

We entered the trailer to see Henry, his hands tied behind his back, his head down. Though I was relieved that he was in position well ahead of time, I choked out his name and lunged for him. Pre-Calc Girl and Stocky Guy dragged me backward and shoved me down so I was on my knees next to Henry, whose eyes were closed. I could tell from the tension in his body that he was alert, though. We’d chosen this spot because it was so loud no one would hear the chaos as we slaughtered however many Mazikin we’d been able to ensnare. Our new Guard house was nearby, reachable by car or by a quick sprint through the woods. My fingers twitched with eagerness and a bit of fear. I was about to kill kids I’d gone to school with, or, at least, it felt a little like that. If we succeeded, though, we’d have rid Warwick High of the Mazikin, and all we’d have to do was get Juri and the other five who were left.

And then we’d be done. The possibility shot adrenaline through my body.

The Mazikin circled us, making no pretense at humanity now. They poked at Henry, who stayed limp and unresponsive, and tugged at my hair. Evan was watching me as Malachi knelt behind us and made a show of tightening the ropes around Henry’s wrists.

“How did you capture him?” Evan asked. “He’s been hard to track.”

Malachi’s head jerked up. “I told you I would.”

Evan laughed and nodded. “You did.” He scratched his head. “But you also said he’d burn to death in the fire.”

Malachi growled at him, the sound coming from deep in his chest, making me shudder. I hadn’t known he was capable of making those noises. Evan shuffled his feet and glared at Malachi before turning his attention to me.

“You don’t look that nervous,” he said, sniffing at my hair before standing up straight again. His hand slid along his waist and behind his back. Henry moaned softly. Malachi went still.