Page 54 of Perfectly Perplexing Zombie

“And as soon as we go after it, that asshole will make a wish, and Aurelia will fry our asses.” Johnny planted his elbows on the bar and rested his chin in his cupped hands. “This is a pickle.”

“No doubt about that,” Muriel agreed before swallowing the remainder of her whiskey. “But I, for one, am worn out. No one does their best thinking when they’re exhausted. It’s best we all get some rest and maybe contemplate the issue. We can reconvene and hash things out when we’re all a bit fresher.”

While I didn’t require the same amount of rest as the others, I understood the sentiment. I wasn’t necessarily physically tired, but I was emotionally strained. Without thought, my gaze drifted toward the stairs leading to Wendall’s apartment.

Muriel caught the action. “Give it some time, Ray. Wendall needs to process what happened. He’ll come around.” She patted my shoulder while passing and heading toward the door.

“How much time?” I mused.

“I’ve never met a human as able to roll with change as Wendall,” Muriel answered. “If we had more time, I’d say take it.”

“And since we do not?”

“Stop by tomorrow.”

Muriel walked out the door. Johnny muttered something unintelligible and disappeared into the back room. Lucroy guided Peaches to a corner booth and hugged him tight. I stood there, alone with my disparaging thoughts and a tether connected to my chest, the end leading up a short flight of stairs and ending behind a closed door. Each and every day, that tether pulled a little tighter.

ChapterTwenty

Wendall

I thought about asking Johnny for the night off. He would give it to me. He might even be relieved I asked. But I couldn’t do that. One more night or a dozen, eventually, I’d have to crawl out of my apartment and face the music. Muriel said no one would judge me, and she was probably right. It wasn’t judgment I dreaded; it was the repeated look of pity I’d seen splashed across their faces. That was the one thing I couldn’t stand and didn’t want.

Glancing in the mirror, I fiddled with my bandaged neck. The patch of necrotic skin had grown, and it was more difficult to cover. It was the side Trinket typically settled on, and her fur would cover a lot of the garish white. I’d put on a long-sleeved shirt tonight, trying to cover as much of my remaining skin as possible. So far, the deteriorating patches of skin had stayed away from my face, but it was only a matter of time before they popped up there too.

With a weary sigh, I turned from the mirror. I no longer saw my sandy, wavy hair or bright, pale blue eyes. My wasting flesh was all I could focus on.

“Ready?” I asked Trinket.

She was sitting on the back of the love seat, her gaze, as always, fixed on me. In response, she loudly yipped and sprang from the couch to my shoulder. For such a tiny thing with legs I rarely saw, she had an impressive vault.

“Guess so,” I chuckled while giving her a few scritches on what I thought was her chest.

Trinket leaned into the touch and cooed.

With Trinket in tow, I opened the door and headed down the stairs. Habit made me take a deep breath. The music below was still low. Dusk wouldn’t officially open for another hour. We had a few stragglers, mostly the families of existing workers. Mr. Moony didn’t mind. This time of year, when the sun went down early, a few of his nestmates lingered also. Mr. Moony didn’t charge his nestmates for blood. I wasn’t sure if all vampire kings and queens were so magnanimous, but I got the feeling my boss was a rarity.

“Hey, Wendall.” Lizbeth was setting up her station, getting glasses of all different shapes and sizes ready. “Johnny’s in the back.” Lizbeth tilted her head toward the door leading to the supply room and the washing station. “He told me to send you on back when you got here.” Lizbeth shot me a warm smile. Her hair was bubblegum pink today. She’d worn this color before, and it was one of my favorites. The bright pink glowed under Dusk’s lighting, making Lizbeth look less human.

“Thanks, Lizbeth.”

Trinket made a happy chuffing noise, and Lizbeth’s grin turned mushy. I swore she had cartoon hearts in her eyes. Lizbeth was tough as nails, but when it came to Trinket, she turned into a pile of goo.

Pushing through the door, I easily found Johnny. He was in the storeroom going over the inventory. There were already several bottles he’d pulled and piled around him. It was the typical routine. Johnny was restocking the front of the bar.

“Johnny,” I said while attempting to steady my voice. I thought his name still came out a little frog-like, but Johnny just turned and gave a wide smile.

“About time you got here.” Johnny pointed to a shelf higher than the reach of his arm. “I need that one and the blue bottle over there.”

Not wasting time, I retrieved Johnny’s order. I wasn’t tall, but I barely had to stand on tiptoes to grab them. With cloven hooves, Johnny didn’t have the same luxury.

“Thanks, Wendall. I’ve got a couple more things to get, and then you can help me move these out front.”

“Sure thing.” I stood there, twiddling my proverbial thumbs, my anxiety ratcheting up as the silence dragged on. I shifted my weight, alternating between fisting my hands and rubbing them against my pants.

“Stop fidgeting, and don’t say shit,” Johnny ordered, and I clamped my mouth closed on whatever nonsense I was about to spew. “You think what you did yesterday is the weirdest shit I’ve ever seen?” Johnny scoffed. “Not even close, kid. It’s fine. You’re fine.We’refine. Got it?”

It was like Johnny had just pulled the electric cord charging my body. I slumped and would have slid into a relief-filled puddle if not for a nearby shelf. “Thanks, Johnny.”

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