Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters Page B
Authors: Daniel Waters
Tags: Fiction, General, Death, All Ages, Children's Books, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction; Fantasy; & Magic, Social Issues, Interpersonal relations, Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9), Young Adult Fiction, Zombies, Love & Romance, Monsters, Death & Dying, Friendship, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Schools, First person narratives, High schools, Social Issues - Friendship, Emotions & Feelings, Prejudices, Triangles (Interpersonal relations), Goth culture
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...burned to ... a second death. No ...trads ...died. Amos Burke ...was the alcoholic ...janitor ...and the only one ...who talked ... to the press."
"How did the fire start?" Tommy said.
"Oh ...yeah," Cooper answered. "That was the other ...thing in the article... that was right. There were ... white vans."
Phoebe was a little shocked. She'd heard of the white vans so often without seeing any actual evidence of them that even she had begun to think that they were Tommy's personal conspiracy obsession, like the single gun theory or the alien autopsies at Roswell.
Cooper spoke to Tommy. "I know ...people ...think you are ...nuts. Even
zombies ...I've seen them ...call you a crank ... on your own ...Web site ...but it is true."
If she expected Tommy to look smug or self-righteous, she was disappointed. He looked intent and serious, maybe a little sad. But Cooper was right, there were a number of surprised faces in the room, including, for a moment, Angela's.
"Tell us what you saw, Cooper," she said, covering well.
"I was in ...the house," he said. "Because I didn't ...feel ...like dancing."
He must have noticed the looks of confusion. He closed his eyes and continued.
"There was a ...dance. Miss ...Mary ...she was a volunteer ...from the college ...who spent... a lot... of time ...with us ...had arranged it. Miss Mary would bring ... art supplies ... puppets ... and scripts from... plays. She was always ...trying to get us ...to have 'fun.' Her idea of fun, anyhow."
117
The voice was a dead one, but Phoebe could hear a note of sadness there.
"She brought... a radio ...and CDs and hung ... ribbons ... in the barn. The
other ...employees ...did not ...like her. Or ...us. We were there ... to work. On the ...farm.
"I ...wasn't going ... to dance. But Melissa ...came to ...the zombie ...room ...and ...asked me. Told her ... I'd think ...about it.
"I read ... a comic book. Batman. Then ...went ...upstairs. Saw the vans. Two vans, white. Four men ...the men ...wore sunglasses and white suits ...Tyvek suits. Two had shotguns like ...Burke ...said. I saw them shoot ...inside the barn. The others had ...Super ...Soakers ...not ...flamethrowers."
"Super Soakers?" Thorny said.
Cooper nodded. "Filled with ...gasoline. They sprayed ...inside ...the barn ... I couldn't see ...inside . ... where I was but ...Miss Mary ...came out. She was ...screaming. Covered in ...gasoline. One of the men said ...she should ...shut up ...unless she ...wanted to ...burn ...with the dead."
"She wasn't mentioned in the article," Tommy said.
"Conspiracy," Cooper said, something like a rueful smile on his face. "The
other ...employees ...had ...mysteriously ...vanished. One of the ...men ...punched her ... in the stomach and ...threw her down. Then his ...friend ...threw ...the
bottle ...with the rag ... in it. It went up ... so quickly."
"So it was the ...barn ...not the house?" Tommy asked.
118
"The house ... is still there," Cooper answered. "Free of...zombies."
"What happened then?"
"The killers ...watched. The flames ...threw ...shadows ...across the lawn and I heard ...silence. Nothing but the ...roar and ...rush ... of the fire. My ...friends ...didn't scream."
He looked at the floor, his eyes unfocused, as though he was staring at the ashes of his friends. "Later ...there were ...sirens. The men ...got in ...their vans."
"How did ...Melissa ...escape?" Tommy asked, his voice low, almost a growl.
Cooper looked at him a moment, and Phoebe felt like something electrical was passing in the air between them as he answered Tommy's question.
"She ...didn't."
No wonder the poor thing couldn't stay, Phoebe thought. She felt her fingernails biting into the skin of her palms.
"Miss Mary ...got up.. The flames ...were covering the ...barn like ... a coat of paint. A part of...the roof... gave way. She ...ran in ...used her jacket... on Melissa. I helped ...drag them out. None of...the ...others ...made ...it."
"What did the police
"How did the fire start?" Tommy said.
"Oh ...yeah," Cooper answered. "That was the other ...thing in the article... that was right. There were ... white vans."
Phoebe was a little shocked. She'd heard of the white vans so often without seeing any actual evidence of them that even she had begun to think that they were Tommy's personal conspiracy obsession, like the single gun theory or the alien autopsies at Roswell.
Cooper spoke to Tommy. "I know ...people ...think you are ...nuts. Even
zombies ...I've seen them ...call you a crank ... on your own ...Web site ...but it is true."
If she expected Tommy to look smug or self-righteous, she was disappointed. He looked intent and serious, maybe a little sad. But Cooper was right, there were a number of surprised faces in the room, including, for a moment, Angela's.
"Tell us what you saw, Cooper," she said, covering well.
"I was in ...the house," he said. "Because I didn't ...feel ...like dancing."
He must have noticed the looks of confusion. He closed his eyes and continued.
"There was a ...dance. Miss ...Mary ...she was a volunteer ...from the college ...who spent... a lot... of time ...with us ...had arranged it. Miss Mary would bring ... art supplies ... puppets ... and scripts from... plays. She was always ...trying to get us ...to have 'fun.' Her idea of fun, anyhow."
117
The voice was a dead one, but Phoebe could hear a note of sadness there.
"She brought... a radio ...and CDs and hung ... ribbons ... in the barn. The
other ...employees ...did not ...like her. Or ...us. We were there ... to work. On the ...farm.
"I ...wasn't going ... to dance. But Melissa ...came to ...the zombie ...room ...and ...asked me. Told her ... I'd think ...about it.
"I read ... a comic book. Batman. Then ...went ...upstairs. Saw the vans. Two vans, white. Four men ...the men ...wore sunglasses and white suits ...Tyvek suits. Two had shotguns like ...Burke ...said. I saw them shoot ...inside the barn. The others had ...Super ...Soakers ...not ...flamethrowers."
"Super Soakers?" Thorny said.
Cooper nodded. "Filled with ...gasoline. They sprayed ...inside ...the barn ... I couldn't see ...inside . ... where I was but ...Miss Mary ...came out. She was ...screaming. Covered in ...gasoline. One of the men said ...she should ...shut up ...unless she ...wanted to ...burn ...with the dead."
"She wasn't mentioned in the article," Tommy said.
"Conspiracy," Cooper said, something like a rueful smile on his face. "The
other ...employees ...had ...mysteriously ...vanished. One of the ...men ...punched her ... in the stomach and ...threw her down. Then his ...friend ...threw ...the
bottle ...with the rag ... in it. It went up ... so quickly."
"So it was the ...barn ...not the house?" Tommy asked.
118
"The house ... is still there," Cooper answered. "Free of...zombies."
"What happened then?"
"The killers ...watched. The flames ...threw ...shadows ...across the lawn and I heard ...silence. Nothing but the ...roar and ...rush ... of the fire. My ...friends ...didn't scream."
He looked at the floor, his eyes unfocused, as though he was staring at the ashes of his friends. "Later ...there were ...sirens. The men ...got in ...their vans."
"How did ...Melissa ...escape?" Tommy asked, his voice low, almost a growl.
Cooper looked at him a moment, and Phoebe felt like something electrical was passing in the air between them as he answered Tommy's question.
"She ...didn't."
No wonder the poor thing couldn't stay, Phoebe thought. She felt her fingernails biting into the skin of her palms.
"Miss Mary ...got up.. The flames ...were covering the ...barn like ... a coat of paint. A part of...the roof... gave way. She ...ran in ...used her jacket... on Melissa. I helped ...drag them out. None of...the ...others ...made ...it."
"What did the police
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