"Same thing his bowler-hatted friend waited for," Jeremy said. "The doe to separate from the herd."
He was right. Unlike Hollywood's brain-dead, brain-munching zombies, these guys weren't stupid.
Before I could even open my mouth, Clay said, "No."
"I--"
"Remember your promise? At my side. At all times."
"I'm not suggesting I lure him away and finish him off myself. Just the luring away part."
"Elena's right," Jeremy said. "We'll be close behind. It's safe enough."
"Good," I said. "Then it's time for me to use the bathroom." I raised my voice. "There's a food court just around the corner. You two can sit and eat while I find a washroom."
When we reached the food court, I put my sandwich bag on a table, then looked around.
"Oh, the bathroom's over there," I said loudly. "We walked right past it. I'll be back in a minute."
I took one last hit of chocolate milk, giving the zombie time to get out of sight.
The bathrooms were down a service hall. As I walked, I tracked the distant pad of footsteps behind me, ready to turn if they got too close before Clay arrived.
I reached the end, only to realize the hall dog-legged. At least this would give Clay a chance to attack the zombie out of sight of anyone passing in the main thoroughfare.
As I rounded the corner, I looked around for security cameras. None. Good. The footsteps behind me sped up...and Clay's joined them. I smiled. Easy as--
A shadow leapt from a recessed doorway. I wheeled, but too slow, and a body hit my shoulder, knocking me into the far wall. I kicked. As my foot went up, I mentally slapped myself. Again, the sudden move threw me off balance. As I stumbled, the figure rushed me, hands out, going for my throat. I swung and caught my attacker in the jaw. He flew back with a shriek...a very unmasculine shriek.
I leapt onto the falling figure. A face turned to mine--a woman's face, pocked and red. Rose.
"Thought you were done with Rose, didn't you?" she cackled.
My surprise threw me off. She lunged at me, fingers hooked into claws, aiming for my eyes. An uppercut stopped her hands before they got within a foot of my face. As she fell back, I grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the wall. Her face twisted, then went slack, and when I let her go, her body slid to the floor and started to crumble.
"Easy to kill," I muttered. "Problem is keeping them that way."
At a noise from the corner, I whirled, hands going up. Clay raced around.
"I heard--"
"Got her," I said. "Again. It was Rose. I could have sworn it was a man--"
"It was." He grabbed my arm and pulled me back toward the main hall. "The same guy I killed at the truck stop."
"Did you--?"
"Started to," he said, now moving at a jog and pulling me along. "Then I heard you and mine got away. Jeremy
went after him."
"Let's go," I said, and we started off.
The bowler-hatted man had taken the first exit. We crested the top of the escalator just as Jeremy was stepping onto the down side. He backed off it and led us outside before speaking.
"He crossed the road and I lost the scent in traffic," he said. "Are you both all right?"
"Just another encounter with not-so-sweet-smelling Rose," I said.