I close my eyes, letting the birds’ melodies wash over me as a low, metallic rattling fills the air, raising the hair on the back of my neck.
I snap my eyes open.
The massive bronze bell sways.
It. Sways.
Just slightly.
More than a wind could do.
THIRTEEN
DAKOTA
“Julien…” My voice dies as the buzzing grows louder.
The bell swings again, the metal groaning as it shifts back and forth.
I stare at it, unable to process what I’m seeing until it reaches the apex of its swing, and for a suspended moment, everything goes quiet.
No birds. No wind. No heartbeat.
Then it falls, momentum carrying it down forward, and the clapper inside hits the wall with a resounding GONG that shakes the entire tower, my bones, my teeth, and my skull.
Julien’s eyes lock with mine, wide with the same horrified realization.
That sound—that fucking church bell—brings every walking corpse straight to our door.
“Shit!” Julien grabs my wrist, yanking me toward the staircase. “Move!”
The second gong hits as we reach the top step, the sound even louder now, pulsing through the stone tower like a deathknell. We sprint down the spiral staircase, our footsteps creating a frantic counterpoint to the steady tolling above.
My foot catches on a worn step. My ankle twists, body pitching forward into empty air. I don’t even have time to scream, imagining my body tumbling down the stone stairs, bones shattering?—
Julien’s arm jerks me flush against him. My back slams into him, knocking the breath from my lungs, but his grip holds.
“I’ve got you.” His breath is hot against my ear. “You okay?”
I nod, unable to speak, heart thundering against my ribs. His hand slides down my arm to grasp mine, fingers interlocking.
“Stay with me,” he says. “Slower now.”
Another GONG vibrates through us. We descend at a more controlled pace, though every instinct screams at me to run as each gong puts another nail in our coffin.
We burst into the main room to find everyone already awake, a storm of movement and panicked voices.
My mother hovers with a bottle of water over my father, who clutches his head, face gray with hangover. Sienna kneels beside Amelia, stuffing granola bars and cans into a bag. The reverend paces back and forth in prayer while Cameron darts between people, distributing the few weapons we have left.
Rosa stands in the center, arms raised, trying to restore some semblance of order. “Everyone, please?—”
“What the fuck is happening?” Cameron spots us, eyes darting between our joined hands and the ceiling. “The bells?—”
“Automated system.” Julien lets go of my hand and crosses the room to the reverend, the Bible clutched to his chest. “You didn’t think to mention they ring?”
“I—” The reverend shrinks back. “It’s Sunday. The Lord’s day. They always ring. It’s a test of faith.”
“A test?” Julien yanks him by the front of his shirt. “That bell just rang the dinner bell for every zombie within two miles, and you’re talking about faith? How do we turn it off?”
