dare bite a nun. She turned Goss’ head and found marks.
“Jesus Christ!” she cried in frustration.
It was then that Sister Ann blinked open, a hoarse sound emitting from her throat.
“Holy God,” said Poe, pulling out a bottle from her pack and pouring some water into Sister’s open mouth.
“Do not,” began Sister, coughing. “Do not use the Lord’s name in vain, Julia Poe,” she said tiredly.
“Sorry, Sister. Are you alright?”
Sister shifted her position and attempted to sit up.
Poe helped her. “I feel like hell. Go slice some lemons.
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They’re in Goss’ cupboard.” She stared at the discolored face of Goss.
“They’ll be back soon,” said Sister Ann when Poe came back with four sliced lemons. “Better cut off Goss’ head. He’d a wanted it that way.”
“But there’s no hole in his head.”
“Doesn’t matter. They’d bitten him several times.
I’d do it, but I’m weak.”
Remembering the pact with her friend, Poe swallowed her disgust and shot Goss in the heart with a holy water bullet.
“Sorry, doggy,” she apologized to Penny’s tongueless whimper as she pulled out a battery-operated meat carver from her pack. With numb efficiency, she cut off the head of her friend. She flung the bespattered carver once the deed was done. Lifting the heavy bloodless head of Goss put a permanent frost in her heart. She placed the head in a pillowcase and covered his body with a sheet.
“I’m so sorry, Sister, for being a coward,” Poe said as she dropped Goss’ head down the garbage chute. “Sorry, Goss. I let you down after all you’ve done for me. I’ll be brave from now on and kill as many of them as I can.” She listened to his head banging against dirty metal as it made its way down the shaft.
“Don’t take it so hard, child,” said Sister Ann, gulping down the rest of the water. “Goss knew it would end bloody.”
Poe sniffed, crouching over Penny. “Hold on for a while longer,” she said to the dog with wiry hair. “I’ll get you out of here, I promise!”
Poe could do nothing about the dog’s tongue. All she could hope for was that the bloody wound would coagulate on its own. She wrapped the shaking dog in 61
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her trench coat and stuffed her in the pack, scruffy head sticking out.
Sister got unsteadily to her feet and held to the arm of the couch. “Better scoot. They’re bound to check on their friends. They know you’re here by now.”
Because she didn’t deserve a present from a friend whom she had betrayed, Poe left the unopened box on Goss’ stomach. She doused the body with holy water and sprinkled the rest all over Legs. Penny whimpered, tightly bound inside the pack.
“Sorry about being mean to you before, doggie,”
Poe apologized, feeling awful for the injured scruffy dog. The dog whimpered again in response, turning her head toward the elevator, almost as if in warning. Eyes widening, Poe dashed to the elevator, placing her palm on the cool metal surface. Sure enough, she felt a vibration.
“Oh shit,” she groaned.
“Give me a gun,” said Sister Ann. She deftly caught the .22 Poe tossed her way.
“You’re not fit, Sister. Get by the staircase and let me handle this.” Before the nun could protest, Poe shook her head. “Don’t fight me now, Sis. I need you safe. I can’t be alone again.”
Reluctantly the nun struggled to the emergency exit to the west side of the pad. She was dizzy and shaken from her ordeal. “I’ll watch you from here.”
Slinging the pack over her shoulders, Poe pointed her Uzi at the elevator and prayed that the gun wouldn’t jam. Her left hand slid down to the Velcro pockets of her green army pants. She had at least three rounds per handgun in each pocket.
“Nice work leaving the incendiaries underground,” she chided herself. Realistically, explosives would most likely have left everyone 62
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permanently dead, including herself in such a confined space as Goss’. Her eyes quickly darted down to her shoes. Just fine. She was ready.
Hate and guilt overpowered her fear, and when the elevator door opened, she let the eight halfdeads and leeches have it. Shrieks and cursing accompanied the sound of her bullets ricocheting, hitting steel and flesh alike. She didn’t know the body count because the bullet-ridden elevator door closed again. Not waiting for their return, Poe said a quick goodbye to Goss and the loyal dog, Legs.
“I’m sorry about this. If I had just left sooner…”