Page 36 of Geoffrey the Very Strange
Oh no. Aspic's stomach dropped in horror as it dawned on him what had happened here. "The zombie shells got out. They made new zombie shells."
"Yes.Gods, Aspic." Geoffrey aimed one more furious kick before his anger dissolved again into fear. "Mari. Mari!"
His call went unanswered, and Aspic suffered a moment of gripping despair. Then his sensitive ears picked up muffled sobbing. He turned. Turned again.
"She's in the house," he announced before he sprinted to the door, Geoffrey racing after him.
The house wasn't in much better shape than the yard with broken crockery and at least one drawer upended on the floor. Something behind the door held it partly shut. The sobs cut off in a shriek when Aspic forced the door wider, then reverted directly to sobs again.
With a tiny flame at the top of his finger, Geoffrey lit one of the still-upright lamps. In its wavering light, Aspic spotted a pair of black otter eyes watching them from atop the kitchen hutch.
"Mari? Are you hurt?"
"Shrimpie!" she wailed.
"Um, all right." Aspic looked helplessly at Geoffrey, who shrugged. "Can we get you down from there?"
He retrieved a stepstool from the corner and stood on tiptoe trying to reach her, but she scooted to the other edge of the hutch top.
"Shrimpie!"
"Come on, sweetie. We have to get you down." Aspic stared around the wreckage. "Do you suppose she's hungry?"
Geoffrey gave him the same look he'd given his cousin. "I'm thelastperson to ask about small children."
Moving light shone in through the open door. Someone's hooves clopped up the steps, lantern thrust out in front.
"Hello, Aspic. What's happened here?"
Aspic blinked at his fellow lodger. "Timms? Why are you awake?"
Shaking dust from his hooves and stepping carefully through the ceramic shards, the faun shook his head. "Who can sleep? There's been a lot of noise tonight, and some of it seemed to be coming from here. Is everyone all right?"
"Shrimpie!"
Geoffrey gestured to the shrieking kawauso child. "Ryu's chasing zombie shells, and Mari's screaming for food."
"Um." Timms glanced up at Aspic for confirmation.
Aspic shrugged. "Brief, but accurate. I can't get her to come down."
"Shrimpie!"
"Oh. I know what she wants. Hold on a moment." Timms searched the floor of the kitchen and pulled an object out from under the upended drawer. It appeared to be a large cloth shrimp toy in eye-searing rainbow colors. "Here's Shrimpie, Mari. I'm too short to hand him to you, though."
With a squeal, Mari launched herself from the top of the hutch and managed to land in Timms' arms, where she clutched her stuffed shrimp and stuck half her paw in her mouth, finally quieting.
Timms shot them a strained smile. "That's sorted, then. I'll, ah, take Mari back to Mrs. Pickle's while you two take care of… whatever this is. Shall I?"
"Excellent idea." Aspic clapped him on the shoulder, his ears thankful for the sudden quiet.
"Bolt the doors," Geoffrey said abruptly. "Bring the eggs in."
Timms stared at him. "The what?"
Geoffrey took a deep breath but repeated the word. "Eggs. The shells will come for anything of the same substrate. Limestone. Bones. Eggshell."
"Right." Aspic fought down his panic. The whole town would soon be overrun. "Tell everyone to keep inside, Timms. I'll explain everything later if I can. But we have to keep the zombie shells from making more zombies if we have any hope of stopping them."
