Hush (The Infected: Ripped to Shreds Book 1) (18 page)

The other woman, Trivia, was just
a family friend. One that sort of had a crush on Brian, if Charlotte was right.

That got Cin to frown, then hide
it. The woman could screw Proxy's brains out for all she cared. She was just
there for the information. The stuff about her. As soon as the day was over, or
at least once they all left town, she didn't need to see them ever again, now.
It never hurt to meet people however, as long as they weren't annoying.

As soon as the door opened, two
things were apparent. The first was which one Rachel Chambers was. She looked
like a thirty year old version of Bridget. They weren't related by blood, but
it was still there. When she tried to read the woman's story, the explanation
for it was that Bridget had imprinted on her, when she was young. The looks,
and a stronger version of her own powers, being kind of passed along. Blood
relation or not.

The other woman looked at her and
smiled. She was pretty. An eight or so, though it was clear that a lot of it
was down to makeup. Her hair was perfect, and she was dressed in rather
informal clothing. A nice shirt and black jeans. Ones that weren't too tight.
She had on sneakers, though they were tied funny. When she tried to read the
woman however, the world seemed to fold in on itself for a bit, and her head hurt.
She could see the pages, and it did look like a standard book, but the title
page of it just said,
Everything
.

When she mentally flipped to the
next one, the whole thing shifted, into columns. One for each person in the
room, and several others that weren't.

A hand came out, and the woman
walked over to her.

"Hi! I'm Brie. Or close
enough. I've had more than one name, but Brian knows me best by that one."
She grinned then and stared directly into her eyes. "I know everything.
About everyone."

Cin felt her stomach go cold.

That could, in potential, be a
very bad thing.

Cindy didn't let her small tinge
of fear stop her from nodding. It had always been a risk, and so far the woman
hadn't screamed and run away, so she might not have that kind of power for
real. It was also possible that she had so much information that she couldn't
really track it all. Going to the index in her book, she was able to find a
page about that, which indicated two things to her.

First, it was correct that having
the information of an entire world in your head was impossible to handle at
once. The second bit was that when Trivia met a new person she
did
make
certain to focus on them. Always. That meant, for at least a few seconds, the
woman would know everything about her. Longer if it was interesting. Which,
Cindy knew,
was
the case.

Everyone else had stopped their
collective hugging and patting of Rachel, and turned to watch them speaking,
feeling that it was probably interesting for some reason.

Brie, being a bitch, obviously,
nodded at her, smiling warmly.

"So, yes. I know that
you're
the serial killer that brought everyone here. Also that you're a
lot
more powerful than you know. I think Lyn is about to call dinner? We should go.
This place smells wonderful, doesn't it?"

Everyone was staring at her,
waiting for the denial of the charges. That would be silly, since the woman was
always right. After a few moments they would have worked it all out on their
own. Instead she nodded. Trying to steal the march a bit.

"It does smell nice, doesn't
it? Well, we should go get set up. If I'm going off to prison later, I might as
well get a good meal first." It might be her last, since she'd have to try
and fight for her freedom.

There was no way for her to walk
out of that room, or even to run, however. Fighting would be ridiculous. She
wasn't certain, but in a raw fight, it was just possible that every single
person in the house could kill her.

Bridget looked troubled, but not
near tears or anything.

"Um...
What
? Is that
a joke? We didn't even know if the killer was Infected. It was just a half lame
excuse to get here." She was looking at Brie, who was looking polite now.
Perfectly composed, actually.

Given everything, feeling a sense
of defeat, if not panic, descend on her, Cindy forced a small smile and shook
her head.

"No. She's right. It looks
like I got too cocky? I shouldn't have let myself interact with you all like
this. Here I thought it was a great way to get insider information. Well, some
stuffing? I saw some cornbread dressing in there that looked really good."

Everyone else, all of them,
simply stood there, until Brie moved and started walking. Rachel tensed, ready
to fight her, but her words explained that she was a better fighter, and would
have won against Cin even without any powers. Which she had on a level that
pretty much ensured the deal. Even if the others liked her too much to kill,
this woman would do it.

If Brie felt the same it was too
hard to tell. Going back to the index over the woman's head she reengaged with
her personal story, and read for a bit. Oddly enough,
she
didn't think
that they'd need either bloodshed,
or
prison. At least if these others
didn't kill her first, by accident. A lot of that came down to what Cindy did
however, if she ran, or fought, they'd probably end her life instantly. If she
went to dinner, there wasn't a
whole
lot they could really do about it.

After all, she was Infected, and
the IPB was who you called in for that. Given her power level, which at a guess
was closer to a class five, even if Cin really didn't see it yet, that meant
Infected Operatives would be called in to handle her. Handily enough, right
there in the house, they had more than enough firepower to bring her in. That
meant they weren't even going to have to call in the local police or the FBI.

So she went to the dining room,
with everyone else following her. The table was already set and most of the way
filled with food. It
was
delicious smelling. Seeing Lyn move in, with
Brian following, she spoke first. It might not be easier to hear coming from
her, but it might, possibly, save her life. That, or end it. There was a real
risk to the whole thing. As always. You didn't kill people from compulsion, or
for fun, and not know that a day like this one would eventually come.

"This looks wonderful! By
the way, Trivia is here?" She looked over at the woman, and saw Brian
smile. His words said that this was a pleasant surprise at least. "Also,
she worked out that I'm actually the killer you came to look for in the first
place? I am, and she wasn't joking about it, so... Yeah. I was hoping to get
some food before being shipped off to the pokey?"

Brian blinked, and then, in an
instant, figured out what she'd been doing. Almost all of it was perfect too.
Even her using him to get at the information streams like she had been. The one
thing he got wrong was a thing she corrected instantly, sitting down at the
table. There was a name card for her, written in a very fine hand. The paper
was a bone white, but it was embossed around the edges, and seemed very
refined.

She spoke again, shrugging.

"I really don't know what's
going on with last night's attack. It had
nothing
to do with me. I told
you everything I was able to get so far on that one." She didn't expect to
be believed, but Brie nodded, smiling.

Then she looked at the table,
meaning fully.

"Lyn, could I get a plate
too? I hate to impose like this, but I found some things that need to be
discussed in person. Not about Cindy. That
was
interesting however. We
should see if Dr. Burrows can help her, with her genetic treatment? The
compulsion to kill is part of her first mode. Also psychopathic traits. If
those are toned down she could be a real asset. Her power is about comparable
to Christian's, in a lot of ways. Plus, she's far more willing to pry into
people's secrets. We could use her to spy on almost anyone, with a bit of
training."

She was about to start reading up
on that supposed treatment, but didn't get a chance, Brian sighing at her.

"Damn. I actually kind of
liked you, too." There was misery under the words, and above him, floating
there in space feeling betrayed.

"I know. You're a great guy,
Brian. I can't really feel that, but I
know
it. I'm pretty sure that if
I were capable of that kind of thing I'd have really liked you. You too,
Bridget. Only, without the girl on girl stuff." She shook her head then.
"Though I might as well get used to that, huh? I probably won't get a big
choice, in prison."

She didn't let herself sound
upset about it, just matter of fact. Looking down at the fine china plate,
which still had her name card in it, she waited for whatever was going to come.
Her secret was out, and in a very real way, Cindy was as caught as a person
could be without chains.

Oddly, Proxy, the boogeyman that
millions feared, simply shrugged.

"Not really. We kill class
fives if we can't control them directly. With a mental power like that, even we
can't hold you forever. So, good news, you won't have to eat at the all girl
cafe. On the down side, if the higher ups don't go for it, then we probably
have to kill you. Tonight, most likely. Giving you time to think won't help us.
That just gives you a chance to escape and keep killing. If you can't help it,
then that won't work. It just means that others will eventually die."
There was a certain sadness to it all.

Proxy went to the other room, to
make a phone call. That and get the oven warmed rolls, and whipped butter. It
was to her bestest pal ever, Marcia Turner of course, who would, in the end, be
in charge of her life or death. Cin had to feel a bit bad about calling her
names now.

Then, a bit stiffly, everyone
else sat. They all had to move, so that Brie could sit down. She managed to put
herself between Cindy and Brian, who
had
been right next to each other.
When Brian came back, a few minutes later, he had the goods with him, and was
roughly pleasant seeming.

After setting things down, he stood,
and faced Cin directly. She was, after she turned to him, figuring that she was
about to die, then and there.

"I talked to Marcia, and she
agreed to let you live, as long as you're willing to take the treatment, and
understand that if you try to escape, or even manage it, you'll just die. I can
find you, pretty much anywhere you go. So if that happens, it means I have to
be the one to do it." He sounded blank about it, but there was a lot more
that had happened in a few moments on the phone.

Proxy had reported in, then
practically
begged
for her life. The condition that he had to kill her
if anything happened at all wasn't a joke however. It was his punishment for
being too trusting. Swayed by the promise of some pussy into making a foolish
decision.

Those words, which hadn't really
been on the table at all, had been what Director Turner had actually said to
him. It also wasn't totally wrong. That was a real part of the whole thing. He
also kind of wanted to see if the genetic treatment would work on a woman. It
might not, but hadn't been tested yet. For all they knew there could be side
effects, and while a few people had volunteered anyway, they'd all been men so
far.

She nodded.

"I can do that. You might
have to lock me up, so I don't kill anyone? I don't feel that way
all
the time, but when it happens I sort of
have
to do it." Part of
that was down to her simply really liking it, but she didn't share that part,
and interestingly, Brie didn't tattle on her.

Instead there was just a nod.

"She isn't lying. We can
keep tabs on her well enough. So, food? I haven't eaten all day. Intermittent
fasting. It's a little early for my eating window, but I can fudge, once in a
while."

Brian sat, still a bit tense, and
looked at the woman.

"I noticed that you lost
some weight. You look good." He was just making a statement, but the other
woman preened, knowing that she was having a real effect on the man.

Cindy nearly told her to just
tell him how she felt and do it with him, since there was more than enough
attraction going both ways, but it felt like a poor plan to push her luck at
the moment.

For one thing, a constant stream
of sex coming from Cindy might just help keep her alive, over the next weeks
and months, so getting Brie to hook up with him might not be her personal best
plan.

Bridget was on her other side,
and didn't wait for everyone to get in place before loading her plate up. It
was a bit greedy, but there was more than enough anyway. She'd claimed that
they had enough for about fifty people, but Lyn had, in all actuality, planned
enough for
eighty
. Thankfully, since Rachel, the other red haired woman,
would probably eat nearly as much as Bridget.

Then, once her own plate was
full, she grabbed Cindy's and filled it too. With a lot less food, but more
than enough. It was placed back in front of her, so the dishes could be passed
around. It was a bit abrupt, but the girl wasn't trying to be mean, just let
everyone know the Cin got to eat too.

Then she half muttered to the
table.

"Not everyone
I've
killed really deserved it. I just didn't have a choice."

Which oddly had Proxy clearing
his throat.

"I've been there too, I
think. It's so hard to know. Anyway, let's have dinner. This all looks lovely,
mom." He smiled at her, and it seemed real.

His mother looked back at him and
waved a bit.

"You helped. Who'd like to
carve the turkey?"

That, it turned out, was Ron, and
he did a
horrible
job of it. The slices were more like torn out chunks
by the end, and at one point, laughing, he just pulled the legs off. Ripping
them away. For all of that the meat was tender and flavorful, being spiced and
coated with maple. There was ham too, but she passed on that when it came
around, since she had a fully loaded plate already. No one ate until the last person
was ready.

Then she waited for someone to
insist on praying, but no one did. Ron just smiled at them all, and waved.
"Dig in?"

That was enough.

It was probably the best
Thanksgiving dinner, as far as the meal went, that she could remember. The
stress level was pretty normal however, Cin noticed. Everyone was pretending
that nothing was wrong, even though they were sitting there, wondering how evil
she really was. Well, that wasn't totally true, she realized, looking around.
Brian actually felt bad for her, being forced to kill, even though he kind of
got that she enjoyed it at the same time. Bridget was feeling bad for the
things that she'd done in the past, and Mary wondered...

What the big deal was.

To her mind being able to kill
men, in battle, even unarmed ones, just proved her right to do it. If they didn't
like it, or if it had happened in their territory, they could put her on trial,
but this city, Vancouver, was Cindy's home. The only ones there that should
have a big problem with the idea were the locals, Lyn and Ronald. They simply
made small talk, appearing appropriately worried that they might be killed
next. True, Brian was their son, if by marriage for Ron, but he didn't offer to
abuse or kill the new woman in their midst. Instead he allowed himself to be
lead by this Brie person that was attempting to seduce him, even at the table.