This chapter starts off with Anita wanting to spit in Nicky's face, keep up that classy attitude!
We also learn that Nicky's breath smells of peppermint, but under that it smells like old blood, fresh murder. Which makes no sense since it's common cannon in this series that vampires don't have to kill to get a good feed, so, yeah... Screwing up pretty early in your series there LKH...
Anita points out that her breath smells like blood, when Nicky pulls back, placing a hand on her lips. Anita laughs since it's such a human gesture that it... Amuses her?
Either way, Nicky doesn't like this so Sparta kicks her into the wall, which... Doesn't appear to do anything much to Anita's surprise and my disappointment.
Nicky then commands that they get her the hell out of the room before she kills her, herself. Telling JC not to move she then starts to talk to Anita, asking her if anything is broken, showing disappointment when nothing is then explains that while the police are aware of four vamp murders there have since been six more.
When Anita asks why they didn't go to the police with you know, this extremely important information, Nicky laughs and mocks the fact that human law is yet to fully include that of the undead, not entirely sure how that proves her point... She then goes off and says that JC was once the fifth most powerful vamp in the city, now he is the third.
Is she implying that JC is behind these murders? Cause... That'd be kinda awesome.
Anita is in shock, thinking that Nicky is pulling her leg before exclaiming that it meant someone had killed two vampires more powerful then JC, this pleases Nicky who claims that Anita can grasp situations quickly (this isn't exactly Sherlock level leap of logic you know...) which means that JC's punishment will be less sever then she was originally planning since he was the one who recommended her to them.
Anita demands to know why JC is being punished (she internally rambles about the fact he hasn't been allowed to feed first) when Nicky asks if she isn't pissed that he pointed the vamps in her direction, she logically figures that since JC is terrified of Nicky and clearly hates her, he's the best ally she has at the moment so says no, she isn't annoyed at him.
This naturally pleases Nicky like a stake to the heart, she then does another jump in topic (seriously, I'm starting to get whiplash from this) claiming that they have a witness to the second murder (Lucas is apparently the name of the murdered vamp)
Zachery is also a animator that Anita vaguely remembers from somewhere, he comes across as a slimy bastard who enjoys shoving his nose up Nicky's derriere, so the zombie witness shambles into the room stinking of both fear and death, his eyes are wide and showing too much white.
When asked if he remember's Nicky his fear clearly grows, Zach orders him to answer all questions Nicky asks.
We then learn that he was questioned previously, when he refused to answer he was tortured. These guys are clearly stupid since they locked him up with a belt so he hung himself, I'm no fan of torture but if you're going to use it in your books be bloody smart about it, this vamp is over a thousand years old, it's implied that she's into torturing people so you'd think she'd be aware the best way to hold tortured people prisoner is to strip 'em naked and have them under constant guard. Good luck killing yourself in that situation, at least if they're smart about it and have removed everything.
Alrighty, so the zombie doesn't seem to remember that he hung himself and Zach wanks about how great he is since he's made the zombie forget that he's dead, Anita points out that doing something like that means Zach is throwing around some serious power.
Nicky taunts Anita about not recognizing a fellow animator, Zach meets Anita's eyes before smiling again giving her a flash of recognition.
Nicky then gets down to business, asking the zombie who killed the vampire Lucas, not getting a answer her and Zach have a back and forth about how the question might be too complicated so Nicky commands that Zach asks the questions and that she expects answers.
Zachery turned with a flourish, spreading arms wide. "Ladies and gentlemen, behold, the undead." He grinned at his own joke. No one even smiled. I didn't get it either.
Pfft, like you can fucking talk. You're sense of humor isn't much better you know.
So the zombie is able to answer pretty basic questions like how was he killed? heart torn out, head removed. But when asked who did the dead the zombie freaks and can't seem to answer the question properly, when Anita suggests that Zach ask the zombie what killed the vamp he freaks the fuck out, claiming that it's his zombie and his business. Only Nicky steps in, pointing out that it's a reasonable question, her tone implying that not asking it could be detrimental to his health.
So lots of back and forth between Zach and the zombie about who/what killed the vampire, only the zombie can't seem to answer the question, when the zombie says that he can't. Zach losses his shit, beating the zombie while demanding that it answers him.
Anita intervenes, claiming that since he was once human he deserves some respect. Nicky says that Zach should leave the zombie for now. Anita in the first sign of humanity she's shown in the entire book so far comforts the zombie, thinking that he killed himself to escape and even that didn't work for him, she also never thought that someone would raise a zombie for this purpose and that the world was a much darker place then she wanted to admit to.
Looking into the zombies face she realizes that it's mind is broken, someone, it's not specified who points out that zombies don't have minds.
Which Anita agrees to, they don't what they have are memories of what they were for a short period of time, if you treat them well they can keep their memories up to a week, maybe longer. Ill treatment will speed the progress, shock will destroy it completely.
You know I actually don't have an issue with this, it makes a certain amount of sense. I just wish she'd stop with the descriptions and pointless word chewing, if she kept to the more world/character building aspects of the book this could be a zillion times more interesting.
Nicky spazzes out at this news, telling Zach to get the fuck out of the room before she kills him, she also orders that he takes 'the women' to her car and that if he fails her again in anyway she'll rip out his throat and let her children bathe in his blood.
Seriously, you could make a pretty good drinking game out of all the horrid vampire cliches in this book.
Anita thinks that it's graphic, a little melodramatic, but graphic. But for once knows when to keep her mouth shut since Nicky seems to be on the verge of causing some serious pain.
Zach seems to share her opinion, he bows making sure that his eyes never leave her face he then turns and walks towards a small door, his motions are careful as though he isn't aware that he has a seriously pissed vampire staring daggers into his back. Pausing at the door he mentions to Anita that she should follow him.
Anita pauses, realizing that she never got to ask for Catherine's safety (huh, I'd actually forgotten about that plot point, I never really see it as a good thing when I forget the entire point of a certain plot point)
She looks at JC, whose eyes are burning bright blue as his humanity folds away. He screams at her to run, she turns slightly and notices that Nicky is slowly levitating (oh the horror!) and JC thrusts his hand towards Anita, causing something to slam into her, shoving her into the wall and halfway out the door. Zach grabs her arm, pulling her through completely before slamming the door shut.
Zach is already at the bottom of the stairs, holding his hand out to Anita as he begs her to get her ass moving. A smell oozed from under to door. It was the smell of rotting corpses. The smell of bloated corpses, of skin cracked and ripening in the sun, of blood slowed and rotting in quiet veins.
*Stares at that description, gets up and wonders to the fridge. Pulls a bottle of booze out and takes a large mouthful* There just... *Deep breath* I'm not drunk enough for this so... MOVING ON!
And now it gets bloody confusing, the door creaks open and there is wind? Like... An indoor storm? Either way Anita and Zach flee up the stairs, Anita thinks that there couldn't be a wind chasing them, just like that there couldn't be rotting corpses behind the door. Then thinks that she doesn't know and doesn't want to know.
It seriously hurts me that I know it's only going to get worse from here on out... I'm going to go and drink some vodka while kill some bandits in red dead redemption. Hopefully that'll help kill the pain.
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