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"Lilywhite! Lilywhite! Lilywhite! LILYWHITE!"
By the time the repetition of the word had drawn Major's attention long enough for the idea to filter through what was left of his mind that the sounds involved had to do with him, the guard was pissed at having had to repeat himself so much. He grabbed Major by the arm.
This close, the brain smell was divine. All-consuming. Major looked at the guard, and he dropped Major's arm abruptly and backed away. "You're out, Lilywhite."
Out. That should mean something. Major tried to pretend it did.
"Let's go," the guard said, getting angry all over again.
Confused, Major shuffled behind the guard.
"Jesus. Whatever you've got, I hope it's not catching," the guard muttered.
What did he have? Major wondered. He was so hungry. Everything was hazy, only the scent of brains was real.
They stopped in a room, where the guard threw a bag at his feet. "Get your shit on."
Major didn't understand, so the guard dumped the contents of the bag on the floor and picked up something at random, brandishing it at Major. "Put on your damn underpants, Lilywhite!"
Underpants. Underpants? Hungry. Underpants.
With a disgusted noise, the guard threw the underwear at him. "Hurry up. I don't have all day. And don't die in here. I don't want to deal with the paperwork."
Major couldn't make any promises. He was so hungry, he thought dying sounded okay. He could just give up, let himself go, eat the brains …
In the pile of things on the floor, a face smiled up at him. Pretty. Familiar. He searched for the name … Liv. Liv. He had to live. Right.
Somehow he managed to fumble on his clothes, forgetting half of what he knew about how to get dressed and having to figure it out. The guard led him down another hallway, smelling so strongly of brains that Major was tempted to lick his bald head.
"Here. The rest of your shit." The guard slung a bag over Major's shoulder, backing away when Major turned to look at him. "Get on now, get out of here."
A door swung open in front of him, fresh air breaking through some of the haze that filled Major's brain. He was … free? Out of jail? How?
Then he looked up and there was Liv, standing there waiting for him. She came toward him, hurrying, as Major slowly put one foot in front of the other, the door swinging shut behind him. Liv took him in her arms, and he rested there, relieved as much by the lack of brain smell as by the embrace. To be able to stop fighting the urge to feed, for just a moment … He closed his eyes, clinging to her.
Then she drew away and handed him a bottle. He took a pull, and immediately felt the jolt as the brains hit his system, the fog clearing. He was Major Lilywhite, and he had made it. He was going to live. He kept drinking as Liv led him up the steps and toward her car.
He sank back against the seat of the car, still sucking up that life-renewing goodness, feeling health and strength returning to his body with each mouthful.
At last, he was himself enough to wonder. "How did you do this?" he asked between gulps.
"I … told Clive. About us. About zombies."
"You told him? What did he say?"
"Well, I had to show him, so he didn't say much for a little while. But then he said 'That explains some things'. Which I suppose it does."
"So he let me out? What about Meat Cute?" God, it was so nice to remember his life and who he was and not be consumed by the need for brains.
"He understands about Meat Cute. And I told him about Blaine, and the memory loss, and the cure, and … He knows everything." Liv glanced at him. "You're looking so much better."
"Amazing how much better it feels." He thought about making a sarcastic comment, but they were past him being able to blame this on her. And she had been suffering right along with him, trying to get him out of jail, and had had to tell her partner the truth, which couldn't have been easy.
Liv pulled the car into a parking lot, turning it off and reaching for his hand. It was astonishing how good it felt to feel again, to be aware of her hand in his and the softness of her skin. "I was so afraid I was going to lose you."
"I was afraid you were going to lose me, too. In more ways than one." He thought about the anger he had felt toward her, the blame and the bitterness. He had to let that go now for good. He couldn't hold a grudge, not after everything. "Did … Ravi tell you? Everything?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry about Drake," he told her, clinging to her hand. "You have to believe me, I didn't know who he was."
"I know. Major … the bodies are gone."
"Gone?"
She nodded.
It all fell into place. What Vaughn du Clark had wanted to show him, what must be down in Tacoma. Max Rager. He said it out loud. "Max Rager."
"Had to be."
"So, what are we going to do?"
With a final squeeze of his hand, Liv turned the car back on. "We're going to take you home, you're going to rest, and then we're going to figure it out."
Major would have liked to argue with her, but the car was warm and comfortable, his belly was full of brains, and he hadn't slept in … days, at least. He was asleep before she left the parking lot.