Survivor Song(75)

What Robert said about her sounding different rings in her ears. The very thought of him attempting to take the piss scrunches up her face. There’s also this: maybe she does want to sound different. Maybe that’s who she’ll be.

Lily stares at the list of files on the screen and whispers, “I’m mad at you,” but there’s no real anger behind it. Only a complex longing and wonder at once what was and will never be.

She opens the first file and presses the Play button symbolized by a triangle fallen on its side.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Erin Stapleton and Dr. Jeff Kolodny, for their invaluable research help. Any medical inaccuracies are mine, either through error or convenience. (Don’t judge me.) My awesome sister, Erin, especially went above and beyond with this book. First I made her house spooky in A Head Full of Ghosts and then I put her to work with this novel. Sorry, Erin?

Thank you to my friends and first readers, Lydia Gittins and Stephen Graham Jones. Their input was invaluable. Extra thanks to Lydia for shepherding me on side trips to South Shields, the Newcastle Castle, and of course, to the Vampire Rabbit. She also didn’t laugh at me when I ran the original what-if by her: can a zombie give birth to an uninfected baby?

Thank you to friends Nadia Bulkin and John Langan, who listened, advised, and helped along the way.

Thank you to Stephen Barbara and Jen Brehl, for your guidance and help smooshing this thing into a thing. Thank you to everyone at William Morrow and Titan Books for all you do.

Thank you to friends and family for their love, support, and patience.

And thank you for reading.