Deadlocked 7 by A.R. Wise

I’m too important to you and your blustering, braggadocios leader.”
    “Bitch…” Hero was past frustrated, and pointed the gun at the cabinet with the boxes of tea. He fired twice, bursting various boxes into a mess of wrappers and loose tea. Then he pointed at the kettle on the stove and shot it, causing it to fly off the counter and bounce on the floor.
    Beatrice yelped, dropped the tea bag, and held her hands over her mouth. She seemed to shrink as she tightened her elbows to her breasts and bent her knees. A simple silver bracelet jangled on her wrist as she cowered.
    “Do I have your fucking attention now?”
    “What are you doing, you idiot?” She still slunk away from him.
    “I’m not one of Jerald’s men. I don’t belong to anyone, no matter what impression you got from my black ass skin. For you, I’m the single scariest mother fucker on the planet right now. Understood? Can I get some respect now?”
    “Who are you?”
    Hero groaned in frustration. “I’m asking the questions, or do I need to kill some more Earl Grey to prove it? Now get over there and sit on the fucking couch, you pain in the ass.”
    “Okay, okay,” said Beatrice. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
    “I make a living of that.” Hero shook his head and laughed as she walked past him, her arms over her face as she went as if he was threatening to punch her.
    Beatrice sat on the plush leather couch and crossed her legs, still acting like a proper lady even as a brute pointed a gun at her. She huffed, straightened her slacks, and then took a breath to steady herself. “Have at it then, Mister Levon. Ask away. But first, you must tell me just who the hell you are.”
    “Oh, must I?” Hero mocked her British accent.
    “I implore you,” she matched his sarcastic tone.
    “I’m a member of the High Rollers.”
    Beatrice sat forward, intrigued and eager to learn more. “Reagan’s group? Are you serious?”
    “Yeah, how do you know about the old man?”
    “Reagan?”
    “Yeah, what the fuck? Everyone seems to know about him. What’s with that?”
    She paused, and Hero wasn’t sure if she was trying to think of what to say, or what not to say. “A lot of people have been interested in finding your group.”
    “I thought that was because you assumed one of us was immune. How does Reagan fit into it?”
    “He was examined by a group of scientists after the apocalypse, and it turned out his immune system had developed antibodies to the virus. He had been,” she looked down and paused, but then coughed and continued, “exposed to a version of the cure, and it was thought that the exposure had taught his system to fight off the virus. That’s something that we’ve never been able to replicate. It’s important because that ability could lead to us being able to inoculate massive numbers of innocent people.”
    “They told me you were looking for a kid, a girl that was tested on back when the apocalypse started,” said Hero.
    “Yes, we were. A man named Courtland performed two experiments on children. One of them was a failure, and created the first of what we call the Undying.”
    “The zombies that don’t pop,” said Hero. “We call them Greys.”
    “The other child, a girl, disappeared. We knew she was with Reagan, so there was a chance that her immune system might’ve been influenced by his. We wanted to find her to help save the world from this disease. Think of it, Levon. With them, we might be able to create a cure that spreads from person to person. We could save the world.”
    Hero gave a sly smile, and then chuckled. “Nice try, you twisted old bitch.”
    “What?” asked Beatrice. “I’m telling the truth. If the girl’s immunity had been bolstered by contact with Reagan, then we might very well have been able to stop the virus.”
    “Oh really?” Hero feigned excitement. “Gosh, that’s super.”
    “Why are you acting like this?”
    “Because I know your game already, Bea. Hope y ou