The Rabid (24 page)

December 24

I
wasn't even sure how I'd act when my little sister finally got hitched. The
family had always agreed I'd go first and she'd be divorced a few times over.
weren't we a lovely group? I was just happy I got to be a best man for once.
Everybody knew Silas was going to be a bachelor forever. And now he was dead
forever.

"Are you all right?"

Lisa's question startled me. I looked at her in her beautiful blue maid of
honor dress. That color looked amazing on her.

"Yep. Just in my own world for a sec."

She nodded as Gregg came down the aisle with the help of Ms. Huntington. He was
walking so well that I had to smile. When he made it to the altar, he leaned
against his crutch for stability.

I leaned forward. "Hurt her and it won't just be your leg that's gone."

He tossed me a look. "What? What does that even mean?"

After a roll of my eyes, I said, "Your life will be gone, man."

"Oh, 'cause you'll kill me..."

I gave him a thumb"s up and straightened. Lisa had one eyebrow raised, but all
I could do was shrug as music began to play.

I had no clue what song Raychel had picked to walk down the aisle, but it was
fitting. Very elegant yet playful. But when she stepped out all I could focus
on was this...thing she had on her head. It was like...some sort of crown of beads
or jewels or...

"Jack."

I must have been making a face because Lisa grabbed my attention and gestured
to me to smile. So I put on a big one that was only one-quarter goofy. But I
couldn't keep it to myself when she was finally standing next to Gregg.

"What are you wearing?"

She batted her lashes. "it's a Norwegian headdress."

I squinted hard at her. "We're not Norwegian."

"Reynolds is a Norwegian name."

"Yeah, but—"

"Dearly Beloved!"

I shut up when the pastor started to speak. But Raychel was able to get in a
quick raspberry in my direction.

"All of us have come to this place as a result of recent unfortunate events.
Those of you who've stayed have done Ms. Huntington a great service by keeping
her company. And to those of you new faces, we hope you stay just a little
longer as well.

"While the events of late are certainly frightening and difficult to become
accustomed to, somehow these two people have found each other. And in each
other, they have found protection, peace, safety and love."

I tossed Lisa a wink, but she was busy watching Raychel glow like a lamp. Her
smile was just infectious.

"Gregg, please look at your lovely bride to be."

"Okay."

Some of the folks in the audience laughed.

"Do you, Gregg, take Raychel to be your loyal bride, to have and to hold, in
sickness and in health until death may take you?"

"I do."

"And Raychel, do you take Gregg to be your loyal husband, to have and to hold,
in sickness and health until death may take you?"

"And beyond." Raychel giggled.

"Well, by God's great will, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your
bride."

I looked away while my sister kissed her new husband. And with what I'd call a
rebel yell, she and Gregg held onto each other as they walked back toward the
house.

"Well,
if anyone else would like to get married, now's the chance! All the flowers are
set and there's a nice photographer who won't charge you a dime for prints."

I
began to step down onto the runway.

"Wait."

I
looked back at Lisa. Everything I felt for her bubbled into my chest in that
moment; with one glance. I knew I wanted to marry her. I wasn't sure if I'd
make a good husband, but I wanted it.

"Jack."

She
told me I'd know when she was ready. And I knew.

"Do
we have takers?" The priest's eyes sparkled.

"We're
more doers than takers, but yeah, I get what you mean." I tossed a smile at
Lisa. She bit her lip but quickly stowed away any anxiety and gave me a smile.
Her eyes shimmered. "Oh, Foxtrot, now don't cry. You're going to make me lose
it."

She
let out a half laugh half sob. I grabbed both her hands and faced her in front
of the priest. In front of a hundred people. Strangers. But I didn't care.

"Today
is a beautiful day for love, folks."

The
crowd clapped.

"We
gather once more in the presence of pure intimacy. I'm non-denominational, but
if there is a God, he'd want the two of you to be together."

I
tossed him an amused glance. Lisa's hands were shaking. I caressed the top of
one with my thumb, silently telling her she was okay. She squeezed my hand back
in response.

"Now,
do you Jack Tiberius Reynolds—"

The
crowd of people laughed. Without taking my eyes off the beautiful creature in
front of me, I said, "Yeah, my parents watched a lot of
Star Trek
."

Lisa
let out another laugh/sob.

"Do
you Jack Reynolds take Lisa James to be your wife?"

"You're
damn right I do."

He
turned to Lisa. "Do you Lisa James take Jack Reynolds to be your husband?"

She
swallowed hard to hold back her tears and nodded her head vigorously. "I do."

In
that moment, I realized she was all mine. I couldn't believe I'd snagged a
woman like her. I was a lucky son of a bitch. Even Silas thought so. Because I
could see him against the far wall, clapping.

"Now,
please...kiss your bride, Jack."

Before
I could lean in, Lisa grabbed me and pressed her lips against me. Her hair
smelled like coconuts, but she tasted like strawberries.

"Ladies
and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds!"

***

"Are
you happy?"

Lisa
looked up at me with her beautiful blue eyes. Ms. Huntington had been kind
enough to take care of Rex and Alex while we were given the second biggest room
in the mansion for the night. Raychel and Gregg got the biggest. And thank God
it wasn't next to ours.

"I
can't even put it into words."

"Oh?
That's a first." I sat next to her on the large bed and brushed a strand of
hair out of her face. My hand trailed to the back of her neck.

"I
know." She smiled. "Who could have guessed this horrible plague would have
brought you to me?"

I
allowed my hand to follow the curve of her spine. "Well, I could've been a
little more proactive and met the best friend of the woman who'd been living
across from me for two years."

She
sighed. "I was a different person then."

"No
you weren't. You just hand't come out of your intellectual shell."

She
straightened when I tickled the small of her back. "We've come such a long
way." Her voice faded into a somber tone. "We've lost homes and family. We've
lost friends"

Her
words caught in my chest. I'd married her without telling her the darkest
secret in my life. I was a murderer and she didn't even know. And as she looked
at me that night with her eyes full of love and hope, I felt like I'd failed. I
leaned over and put my head in my hands.

"Jack?
What is it?" She placed a gentle hand on my back.

There
were tears behind my eyes, so I rubbed my face to keep them at bay. I had to
tell her. But I couldn't look at her while I did.

"I
did a bad thing."

I
could see her cock her head to the side in my peripheral vision. "What do you
mean?"

"My...my
friend Silas. The one I told you about that...died before this whole thing
started... I told you one of those things got him, but..."

"You
did."

I
snapped up to look at her. There was no judgement in her face at all. She was
calm and collected like always. Unfortunately, that made me well up and I couldn't
stop the tears this time.

"I
fucking murdered him."

Her
hand touched the back of my head. She ran her fingers through my hair. "Tell me
what happened."

"He
was... I was downstairs sleeping on the couch because I was watching the
news...waiting for them to come into our neighborhood. He...he came stumbling down
the hallway and groaning like he was a fucking Biter. He even had foam coming
from his mouth.

"I
slept with the shotgun in my lap in case of something like that and I...I didn't
even think twice. I just cocked it and blew a fucking hole right through him.
Fuck, the look he gave me before he went... It was a Goddamn prank!"

We
sat in silence for a moment. My breath came in ragged gasps and hitches. I felt
stupid for crying.

"Well,
that was an idiotic decision for him to make. Did he always prank you like
that?"

I
rubbed my eyes. "We joked all the time, but he never did something like that
before."

"Well,
it's not your fault. You know that."

I
looked into her eyes. My brain was a fog of confusion, sorrow and anger. My
heart was pumping so hard I thought she could hear it too.

"He
shouldn't have done that."

I
couldn't bear it any longer. I grabbed her and held her tight. She understood.
I didn't think I could ask for more, but she understood me completely. Even when
I didn't understand me.

"There's
more."

"Go
ahead."

"Ever
since then, I've...been seeing him. He comes to me and talks to me. He's got this
huge hole in his chest and he keeps decomposing every time he comes around. I'm
going fucking nuts, aren't I?"

Lisa
sat back. "No." She said it with such nonchalance that it startled me. "That's
just your guilt. It's manifesting in a way your brain can handle it. It's
perfectly natural. Now that you told me, you probably won't see him again."

"You
think?"

She
shrugged. "Most likely. It was just guilt."

I
cleared a few stray tears from my eyes. "Wedding nights are supposed to be
about lingerie and bubble baths...not confessions."

Lisa
studied the pattern of the comforter on the bed. "Well, as long as we're
confessing."

At
first, concern rose into my chest. Was something wrong with her? Was she sick?
Had someone died? And then I thought about the chef kid and got a little angry.

"What
do you mean?" I kept my tone low and quiet.

"I
want to tell you what happened to Sylvia outside the casino in Las Vegas."

Shaking
the bad thoughts out of my head, I almost laughed. "Go on."

Lisa
took a deep breath. I couldn't read her face. "They ate her."

And I
waited. She seemed to be staring into space a bit, so I let her take time to
collect her thoughts. But I wasn't willing to give more than thirty seconds.

"And?"

Her
gazed snapped to me, brows furrowed. "What's that?"

"What
happened?"

"I
told you. They ate her."

I
paused. "But...how? How did it start? How did it make you feel?"

She
cocked her head to one side. "Well, they tore her throat out so she couldn't
scream. That's about all I recall. Of course I was frightened. Then a bit
angry. But I've dealt with it."

"Oh-kay."
I kicked off my shoes and fell back onto the bed.

"What
is it?"

"What
would happen if I get eaten?"

That
line creased into her forehead. "Well, I should hope that doesn't happen."

"Yeah,
but if it does. How would you feel?"

"Devastated,
of course." She answered so quickly that I had to believe her. Even though her
tone was flat, I knew it was true. I felt a smile spread across my face.