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Ew!
I inch away from the dead cat and pull the collar of my t-shirt over my nose.
“I know you’re back there.” A male voice drifts from the other side of the dumpster. “So you might as well just come out.”
I literally stop breathing. Shit! Shit! Shit!
“Or I can just come back there,” the guy suggests, sounding kind of bored. “If that’s what you prefer.”
Dammit, I’m so screwed!
I rack my brain for a good lie as I push to my feet and inch out from behind the dumpster. What waits for me on the other side, though, isn’t what I was expecting.
“You’re not the drug dealer.” I say, eyeing over the guy in front of me.
Or well, I think he’s a guy. He’s definitely male, tall, lean, with blonde hair that hangs in his eyes. But underneath the moonlight, his eyes look silver. And his lips are black… perhaps from lipstick? He does have the whole Goth vibe going, dressed in clunky boots, black jeans, a black fitted t-shirt, topped with a black vest embellished with silver chains. But none of that explains why his blood veins show clearly through his pale skin…
What the hell?
I blink and blink again, wondering if I accidentally inhaled too much secondhand smoke before I left the house. Larry and my grandma were toking it up pretty hard. Then again, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen things that weren’t real. Sometimes, when I’m really tired and sleep deprived, I think I see my parents’ ghosts. My grandma told me I was probably just bat shit crazy, like my mom, who apparently claimed she saw ghosts too.
I frown. “I’m seeing things again, aren’t I?” I scratch my head. “Although, you don’t look like a ghost.”
The corner of his black lips quirk, but he never quite fully smiles. “That’s because I’m not.”
I cross my arms, my guard up. “Then what are you?”
He stares at me undecidedly for a beat or two. “A zombie.”
Chapter 4
Ava
I start to bust up laughing until I note the seriousness in his expression. Well, seriousness might be a stretch. More like expressionless, like a blank canvas.
“A zombie?” I repeat, staring at him blankly. Then it clicks. “Oh, I get it. You’re tripping on something.”
His brows knit. “No, I’m not.”
“Yeah, you are.” I pat his arm. “It’s okay. My grandma goes on bad trips all the time. She even thought she was a fairy one time. It took me two hours to convince her that she needed to stop trying to spit fairy dust in my face—which, FYI was just spit. Eventually, the drugs faded out of her system and she was fine.”
He stares at his shoulder where I patted him then lifts his gaze to me. “I’m not high. I’m being serious. I’m a zombie and I’m here to save you.”
Great. This is worse than I thought. Either this guy is high as a motherfucker or he’s a complete nutjob.
“Thanks for the offer,” I say, backing away from him. “But I promise you I don’t need saving.”
“Yes, you do.” He matches my step, eyeing me over with a strange look in his eyes. “You’re cursed. And soon that curse will be collected.”
I fleetingly pause. Larry has said something similar to me before. Am I cursed? Then I shake my head. Seriously, Ava, you think you’re cursed because your grandma’s perverted boyfriend and a guy who thinks he’s a zombie said you were?
Yeah, I definitely think I got high on secondhand smoke.
“Look, thanks for the offer to help me,” I tell Zombie Guy. “But I promise you I’ll be okay. Just as long as you take off, because I’ve got some business to attend to and if you’re around and I get caught, you’ll probably get your ass kicked. Or worse. And I’d rather that not happen.”
A crease forms between his brows. “You’re worried I’ll get hurt?”
“Yes, so please, just get the hell out of here.” I try to shoo him away.
But his feet remain planted to the asphalt, the crease between his brow deepening. “You’re trying to help me?”
I let out a frustrated groan. “I am, but if you keep doing this weird, shocked, no-one-could-possibly-want-to-help-me thing, I’m going to bail out and let you fend for yourself.” I put my hands on my hips as he continues to stare at me like a confused puppy. “Seriously, dude, what is with the lost, confused puppy act?”
“I’m not sure what you mean?”
I roll my eyes. “Sure you don’t. I bet that’s what you tell every girl who falls for the look, right?”
He shakes his head, sending strands of his hair into his freakishly gorgeous eyes. “No, there are no girls who fall for the look.”
“Okay, well, then guys.”
“No guys either.”
I grimace, growing more on edge. “You know what, it doesn’t really matter, just as long as you leave. Now.” I begin to push him in the direction of the road, but freeze when I hear someone coming down the alleyway. “Shit.” Panicking, I snag Zombie Guy’s sleeve and tug him with me as I duck behind the dumpster.
“What are you doing?” Zombie guy asks as I crouch down and pull him with me.
I cover his mouth with my hand. “Shhh… Just be quiet for a minute, okay?”
Surprisingly, he nods.
Well, he may be crazy but at least he listens.
I hold my breath as footsteps approach the other side of the dumpster. My heart is pounding in my chest and I still have my hand over Zombie Guy’s mouth. I can’t feel the warmth of his breath, which is strange. But what makes the situation even more bizarre is when he places a kiss on my palm.
My gaze snaps toward him and I blast him with a what the hell look.
His lips move against my palm as he whispers, “You smell good.”
I put my finger to my lips and scowl at him, indicating for him to shut the hell up. Although, deep down, my heart does a stupid little flutter from his compliment. Doesn’t matter, though. It’s not like I’m going to hook up with him or anything. I mean, sure the guy is hot, but he also thinks he’s a zombie. Plus, I don’t do hookups or dating or kissing or anything else like that. And I won’t. I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn’t get involved with anyone. And I’m sticking to my promise no matter what. Besides, hating to be touched by other people kind of complicates getting close to anyone.
I try my best to ignore Zombie Guy, lowering my hand from his mouth. Then I listen for signs that whoever entered the alleyway is still there. But it’s hard to concentrate with Zombie Guy staring at me.
He watches me intently before inching closer and tilting his head to the side. Then he reaches for me and plays with the strands of my long, brown hair for a bit. I want to tell him to back the hell off, but I’m too nervous to speak. My nerves only skyrocket when he dips his head toward me and licks a slow path up my neck.
“You taste good too,” he whispers then licks me again.
What the shit is happening? And why am I not stopping it? Not only am I not stopping it, but I shudder. Actually freakin’ shudder.
By the time he moves away, my heart is a clusterfuck of a wreck inside my chest.
“You’re going to be okay,” Zombie Guy says to me, trailing his finger across my hairline. “I won’t let anyone do anything to you—you’re too nice.”
“No, I’m not,” I whisper. “Trust me.”
“But you are.” His finger skims my jawline and he tracks the movement with his gaze, seeming mesmerized. “I don’t care what Leader says. We don’t need another one of me running around. I’m going to save you from this.”
My lips part to ask him what he means, but the dumpster goes sailing across the alleyway and crashes into the building. Garbage flies everywhere, causing the air to reek of spoiled milk and rotten eggs.
I spring to my feet, preparing to run like hell. I pull Zombie Guy up with me too, not wanting to leave him behind. Sure, the guy is straight up crazy, in a sweet way sort of. But he doesn’t deserve to get into trouble for something I was about to do
.
But what I see standing in the center of the alleyway makes me slam to a halt.
Because it isn’t the drug dealer. It’s…
I blink. “Mom….”
Chapter 5
Ava
My mom smiles at me, sticking out her hand. I start to walk toward her, but Zombie Guy clutches onto my hand, holding me back.
“Don’t. It’s a trap,” he warns, stepping up beside me in a protective move.
I dither, glancing from him to my mom, unsure what to believe. On the one hand, the guy next to me declared he was a zombie and that he needed to save me from being cursed. But on the other hand, my mom has been dead for years, so…
Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong.
The town clock chimes twelve, announcing the next day has arrived.
My mom smiles. “Happy birthday, Ava.”
My heart warms in my chest until her face starts to melt like candle wax, dripping down her body and pooling around her bare feet.
