Wanted: Undead or Alive

Mx. Landry Was Right

I woke up in Nick's arms. His eyes were closed, and he held me to his chest and rocked me back and forth while whispering in an unfamiliar language. Soft light enveloped us. I took a mental inventory and found, to my astonishment, there was zero pain. Rather, my entire body felt warm and relaxed, as if I'd just gotten out of the bath.

"Nick, she's back."

I turned and saw Benji kneeling on the ground nearby. Blood dripped from a cut over her right eye.

Sirens screamed in the distance.

Nick continued whispering and rocking. I nestled against his chest and breathed in his scent, content like I'd never been before.

"Nick," Benji said, louder this time. "She's okay, Nick. She's with us."

He rocked and whispered.

She reached out and lay a hand on his arm. "Nick. The cops are coming. You have to stop now."

He stilled and his eyes fluttered open. It was like staring into two blue flashlights. The whites were completely obscured. He held my gaze for a long moment. "How do you feel?"

I squinted into the brightness. "Warm." The word just popped out of my mouth.

A ruckus of tires on gravel and the flash of red and blue lights disrupted the night. Men shouted, and turned a hose on the car. Benji stood and met the first responders, explaining that I'd fallen, but I was fine. The cut over her eye was no big deal. She was fine. Everyone was fine. No need for medical intervention for any of us.

Nick's eyes drifted shut. In the darkness, his skin glowed.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"He needs to concentrate," Benji said. "Bringing you back from the dead came at a cost." I'm not sure how I missed her joining us again. Maybe I'd fallen asleep. Her hands were under my arms, hoisting me to my feet.

"I'm fine," Nick mumbled. He watched us with regular, non-glowing eyes. His skin looked pale but human in the moonlight. A muscle in his jaw worked as he gritted his teeth.

Benji left me swaying on my feet and turned to get him up off the ground. "Sure thing, boss. Whatever you say."

"Anugṛhito'smi," Nick said.

I raised my eyes to Benji.

"It's Sanskrit for something in the neighborhood of 'thank you, I've been blessed.'"

Sanskrit?

"Ma'am, would you like us to check you over?"

I turned and faced the paramedic—a paunchy, middle-aged guy with smile lines around his eyes. A yellow mask covered the lower half of his face.

"I'm okay." I was at least seventy five percent sure that was true.

"Sir?"

Nick's gaze wandered absently over the landscape. "Na, naivam," he mumbled.

"He says, no, thank you," Benji said.

With a look that clearly conveyed his skepticism and reservations, the guy wandered back toward the ambulance. Just as they pulled away, another cop car came screaming down the entrance ramp. A minute later, Chantelle leaped out of the passenger door and charged straight at me.

"Oh, my god, child, I'm going to kill you." She threw her arms around me and squeezed until I was half dead.

Again.

"I'm okay," I said for what felt like the twentieth time.

"What happened?" She looked at Nick and Benji. Her eyes narrowed. "Why aren't you at work?"