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ck, and pulled out of the parking lot without a comeback. As soon as he drove off, I called Dr. Nikas and filled him in on the Saberton involvement then sent him the photo. “We have to get Connor out of here.”
“Pierce is looking at options.”
“He’d better look fast. They’re doing a CT scan and lumbar puncture soon.”
“Oh dear. That is unfortunate.”
“And Connor is bitey as hell. The longer he’s here, the more chance of someone else getting infected.”
“I will inform Pierce,” Dr. Nikas said, voice tight and stressed. “Keep me apprised, please.”
“Wait. Sedatives aren’t working on Connor, so that fits the normal zombie model, but they’re starting a Paxibiotic drip right now. Is that bad?”
“Antibiotics shouldn’t cause a problem, even with a mutated parasite.”
“Whew. Thank heaven for small favors. I’d better get back in there. Thanks, Dr. N.”
By the time I reached the room, Patricia and Dr. Renley were gone. Connor still struggled against his restraints but seemed a touch calmer. Kyle and Allen had their heads together in quiet but intense conversation.
“Pierce is working on options to get Connor out of here,” I told them. “But it can’t hurt to brainstorm from this end, too.”
“Removing him from the hospital is one of the options,” Kyle said, voice unusually grave. “The threat may need to be eliminated.”
“Right, that’s what I just said . . .” I trailed off as his meaning sunk in. “You’re saying Pierce is thinking of outright killing him?”
“It’s on the table.”
“Fuck that. Not this table. Connor has a mom who loves him. There are a few dozen cops out in the waiting room hoping and praying that he’s going to be fine. Pierce can’t do that to Connor or to them.”
“I’m with Angel on this,” Allen growled. “No one is killing anyone.”
“Not yet, no,” Kyle said. “It is a last resort contingency, but Connor is dangerous.”
“We’ll figure out how to make him undangerous!” I all but shouted. “We don’t even know if he can infect someone else since it’s a mutated parasite. Surely Dr. Nikas can learn more from a live subject! We can say he’s being transferred to another facility.” I shot a desperate look to Allen, but his gaze was on Connor.
Kyle released a low sigh. “A fictitious transfer to another facility would raise suspicion. His family, friends, and colleagues—cops—wouldn’t simply forget about him. There would be a hue and cry over his disappearance, which would engender the sort of attention our kind must avoid.”
“But it could buy us time. Buy him time.”
“Angel is right,” Allen said, expression somber. “And even though the Connor we knew may already be gone, I won’t condone murder. But if this infection spreads . . .” He rubbed his eyes. “Maybe it’s time to put another option on the table. Turn this over to the CDC.”
“No!” Kyle and I said in unison. Kyle eyed Allen warily as if assessing whether or not he would take that step on his own. Allen was a solid ally to zombie-kind, but we were staring at the kickoff of a potential zombie apocalypse. I couldn’t blame him for thinking beyond our need to keep zombies secret.
“Look,” I said, “there’s no need to get radical with the CDC just yet—”
Connor turned his milky-eyed gaze on me. A sound rattled deep in his throat before it gurgled out. “Annnnnngggggellll.”
A chill shuddered through me and settled in my chest. Kyle didn’t flinch, but Allen backed away from the bed, eyes wide and face pale.
“It’s okay,” I forced out, not feeling the least bit okay. “Judd did the same with his entire cerebrum gone. It doesn’t . . . mean anything.” Like whether there was a chance Connor was still Connor somewhere in there.
Allen’s shoulders relaxed a bit, but he stayed well away from the bed.
My lower lip began to quiver. “Connor wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for me. I bit Judd and—”
“Angel.” Kyle snapped my name out like a whip. “Cut the shit. That’s like blaming a person who transmits the flu for not keeping their immune system up to snuff.”
It wasn’t the same thing at all, but I couldn’t marshal an argument. “Fine,” I said, voice cracking.
