Chapter 81

He shrugged. “Feels exceedingly temporary, a brief reprieve, the darkness creeping in even as we speak.”

I tensed. “How long then?”

“An hour at most,” came the weary reply.

VaVa again looked my way. “But you can do whatever it is you did again, if they need it, right?”

And still I tensed. “Except, my own salt is quickly running out, quicker now that I’ve unleashed all my radiation. It’s the radiation, after all, that makes us zombies. And with me letting it run amok, it’s bringing the change on even quicker. I can feel it.”

Lola nodded. “Me too.”

And VaVa’s sigh went ten on the Richter. “So, just to be clear, there’s a chance that I’ll be surrounded by four hell-bent zombies in less than an hour.”

I nodded. “Five, if you include Blondella.” To which I added. “So, um, maybe we should get the salt first. Is your house nearby?”

Her frown sagged further on her face. “I’m guessing you need quite a lot of it, right? For all four of you, I mean.”