The Pulptress Versus The Bone Queen: Blood and Bone (5 page)

I lingered at the bottom of the hallway and listened. The door eased open and I could make out the muffled sound of Jackson's voice, and then another loud thud. Jackson's voice got louder and then I heard a distinct crash of something shattering. Drawing my pistol, I rushed her way.

Jackson stood above a pile of dust and bones at her feet, mingled with the shattered remains of a lamp. "He...It attacked me," she said slowly, taking several slow deep breaths. “They must’ve followed us from the graveyard.”

"Get back into the basement," I told her, pushing her behind me.

She stumbled toward the stairs as I hurried to check the rest of the floor. The rooms were empty, though I found one broken window with some ripped fabric on it that marked the monster's entry point. The rain from outside poured in as the lightning crashed and thunder roared. Looking into the backyard, I found it crawling with stumbling creatures.

I pulled my pistol from my pocket, and loaded it with the extra bullets I kept along my belt before I took a position under the broken window. Aiming through the broken panes of glass, I fired, taking out the closest creature. It dropped to the ground in a heap of filth.

The noise sent the other monsters clawing for me. One moved faster than others grabbing my hand, digging its nail into the soft flesh of my wrist. I grunted with pain as my hand lost grip on my pistol and dropped it. I managed to get my other arm up and slammed my elbow into the creature's nose. It released me and stumbled backwards.

I took the chance to step away from the window as one of the monsters began clawing through. Pulling my knife from its sheath, I slashed across its throat. It groaned, then dissolved. The next two went down just as fast, but then the door behind me burst open and more of them rushed. I dropped to the floor, just barely missing the grabbing hands.

Cutting Achilles' tendons as I went, I crawled from the room. The monsters toppled above me, still clawing and grabbing. One got firm hold of my boot. I pulled my leg back and slammed it crashing into the thing’s shoulder again and again, until the thin arm separated free from the rest of its body.

Grabbing my pistol as I escaped the room and rolled back to my feet, kicking the skeleton hand still clinging to me free from my pants. Several more rushed toward me and I stumbled backwards. I snagged my finger around the trigger and fired into the mouth of the closest monster lunging toward me, its toothless mouth agape.

The bullet took out its intended target and the three behind it before embedding in the wall of the bedroom. I took the moment of confusion to rush out of the hallway where more monsters were pushing out of the bedrooms.

Windows shattered all around me as they crawled in from all sides, swarming. Was she sending them after me or after Aramis I wondered, glancing toward the basement door, still closed and unscathed. I turned my attention back to the task at hand and raised my pistol.

I fired three quick shots, knocking the closest group down before running into the hallway and slamming the door behind me. The closed door slowed down the hoards enough for me to reload the gun. As the door was ripped open, I fired into the masses. The last three dissolved into nothing but dust.

After the last of the dust and bones hit the floor, the house fell quiet. I headed to the back door and let out a breath when I saw the backyard sitting empty once again. I slid my gun back into my pocket and drew out my knife from the holster around my waist as I stepped out the door and into the rain. "A cake walk," I muttered to myself.

I never saw what hit me. Pain just exploded across the back of my head and I slammed into the ground with a groan. My knives toppled into the soaked clay as I struggled to get my bearings and try to get back to my feet. Cold hands closed around my neck, squeezing tighter and tighter as I wheezed and struggled.

The world started to grow dark as I clawed at the ground, finding enough dirt in the area to fling a handful backwards. It loosened the grip around my neck enough for me to take a gasp of cool air and get my senses back somewhat.

I slammed my head backwards, cracking the already throbbing back of my head against the nose of someone behind me. The figure groaned and let go. I grabbed one of my knives and rolled backwards to jump to my feet.

The dead man staring at me wore what looked like an old Civil War Confederate gray uniform, and he groaned, clawing at his busted nose, cracked and revealing slivers of his skull through his thin skin. Not waiting for him to recover, I slammed my blade into his eye until he dissolved into dust that melted under the rain.

Beside me I heard something crack against bone and turned in time to see Jackson with a baseball bat in her hand, swinging wildly as the dead swarmed around her.

Aramis stood beside her with an old, partially rusted sword in hand, cutting down any that came too close. In a matter of moments the two had knocked down the rest of the dead.

I cleared my throat. "Nice help," I croaked out.

"Are you alright?" Jackson walked to my side, putting her hand to my shoulder. I tilted my chin up to let her look over my throat.

"Just sore," I said.

She nodded, gingerly touching at my throat. "It will be bruised, and your voice is going to be a bit rough."

"I'll live somehow," I said with a roll of my eyes. “Let’s get out of this rain.”

Jackson shook her head and began collecting the bones dropped around the yard.

"You're pretty good with those little daggers of yours," Aramis commented, walking over to me, helping me up and heading inside.

I followed after him. "Practice," I explained with a shrug, rubbing the back of my head, grateful no blood coated the back of my hand. The last thing I needed was some head wound slowing me down. "What did he even hit me with?" I muttered.

"The butt of a musket," Aramis answered, pointing to the pile of dust where a rusted old gun laid on the grass.

"Of course." I sighed. “I guess this means she really is here," I said, glancing at Aramis.

He looked up at the setting sun. "If you had any doubts before I guess this is proof enough?"

I nodded. "Not unless anyone else can summon these things."

"God I hope not." Aramis said.

"Almost all of these bones have rosemary with them," Jackson said, walking back up with a pile of bones and the small green herb in her hands.

"And?"

"Well I think that almost confirms that they came from the cemetery. That's really the only place you can get rosemary in this amount. This is fresh from a bush. It must have stuck to them when they left the cemetery." Jackson mused, "God, these bones are ancient."

"Yeah, I bet they are," I muttered, picking up a bone she'd missed, and running it over in my fingers. The touch of time was all over these bones, picked clean and smooth over the years in the ground.

"Going to the cemetery in the dead of the night in a thunderstorm when we're thinking we're going to run into more of those things is not a good idea." She frowned at me.

"Time's not exactly on our side." I said as I checked my pistol.

"If she finds that gem before us that won't lead to anything good. The more gems she has, the stronger the creatures she revives will be," Aramis said. "She can summon the dead innately, but with two gems... anything that she raises from the dead will be touched by the power of her blasted goddess."

I turned to Aramis. "You know a lot more about this than you let on at the beginning of all of this."

Aramis cleared his throat as thunder roared overhead.

Jackson looked between Aramis and me before jumping when a raindrop hit her. "Let's get back inside. I need your help getting this place put back together. I can't really tell the police that a bunch of zombies attacked me and that's why it's a mess."

I waited until Jackson had stepped inside and Aramis had followed her to go after them. I didn't want Aramis at my back.

*****

I began working on getting the rooms put back together. Jackson swept up the broken pieces of furniture, plates, and lamps while Aramis got the desk flipped back upright and tried to put some of the things back into place.

"What are you going to tell them about all the windows being broken?" I asked as Jackson carefully collected the broken glass and tossed it into the trash.

Jackson shrugged her shoulders. "Storms break all kinds of things."

I grinned. "Smart girl."

"Not a girl. A doctor," Jackson pointed out as she straightened the display case with her diploma in it.

"My bad." I held up my hands.

Jackson turned back toward me. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" I asked as I shoved a bookcase back into place.

"Everything that you do."

I laughed. "Well that's the vaguest question I've ever heard."

Jackson sighed. "I mean how do you keep at hunting all these things?"

Frowning, I crossed my arms over my chest. "She took someone from me, and I'm going to make sure she never takes anyone from anyone else every again."

"I just still don't really understand all of this." Jackson shook her head. "But I want to help."

"You what?" I asked, staring at her.

"I want to help you find her," she said again. "Partially out of professional curiosity you understand. I've done the autopsies of thousands of bodies, and never had a one come back to life on me, but this woman is raising things from the dead. It's incredible."

"Yeah, forgive me if I don't see it as such a marvel," I muttered.

"I don't mean that it's a great thing, but I don't understand how she does this, and I never let anything stump me. Besides, I know the cemetery and I think you could use a local guide."

"Oh yeah? They make coroners take classes there?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes. "First, I'm a medical examiner, no one votes for me, and secondly, no. I was a history major for my undergraduate degree. My main focus was on cemeteries so I went into focus on the cemetery right here. I can tell you where just about every major grave site is and I'll know if something doesn't look right."

I frowned. Having someone who knew the area would be helpful, a lot more helpful than dragging Aramis around alone and hoping that eventually he got a 'feeling' that the gem was close. Sighing, I nodded. "Yeah, help would be nice."

Jackson smiled and offered her hand. "Besides, we women have to help one another because frankly, I don't think Aramis could find his way out of a wet paper bag on his own."

I laughed. "He does seem a little dense."

"I heard that!" Aramis called from the hallway, "You two stop talking about me!"

Jackson smiled. "Look, I may not be a great shot but I know how to use a gun, and I know enough about how a body works to keep myself safe. Besides,” she swung the bat, “I played second base on the softball team until I was 22. I’ve got a mean swing.”

I sighed and shook my head. I could see enough of myself in Jackson that I knew better than to just say no. "If I don't agree to let you go with me, you're just going to do it on your own, aren't you?"

Jackson shrugged, putting her hands on her hips. "I didn't get into medical school by doing just what I had permission to do."

I smiled. "Alright fine. I've got a pistol I'll let you use, but you don't use it except as a last resort, all right? If we run into trouble then you run, got it?"

Jackson laughed. "Heroics are not my thing, don't worry."

"Are you two done having a moment yet?" Aramis asked, leaning in the doorway.

"Don't get jealous," Jackson walked by Aramis, patting his cheek.

He stammered, and I laughed before going after her.

Chapter 4

"I've got a few maps of the cemetery we can look over tonight while this storm is out there, and tomorrow morning we can start going to the area and hitting up the best spots, but at least looking at the map we won't be going in totally blind." Jackson said.

"And waiting for a 'feeling' about where to go." I glanced at Aramis.

He sighed. "Look, I know it sounds ridiculous but that's about all we have to go on." He scratched the back of his head. "Well, it glows when it gets close to the other gems, but I don't think you'll really be able to see that."

"What? It glows?" Jackson perked up. "How?"

"What do you mean how? It just lights up!" Aramis frowned, taking a step back from the doctor as she approached him.

"Does it heat up?" she asked.

"I guess so." He took another step back. "What are you doing?"

"Where exactly is the gem?" I spoke up.

"It's where my heart used to be," he admitted. "I had to make sure it was somewhere safe."

"The heart," Jackson murmured, tapping her chin before going to a different bedroom.

I could hear her shuffling through something. Occasional bits of plastic or metal hit the floor and rolled across the hallway before she rejoined us with a pair of goggles in her hands.

"One of the deputies left these." She smiled. "Thermal vision goggles."

"Thermal what?" Aramis frowned.