by A. Giacomi
She shakes her head. “Nonsense. You three can hang out. I’ll call you when it’s all ready. I’ll have Janna set the table. She needs to have something to do or she’ll get up to no good.”
I am glad to leave the kitchen.
We retreat to Alex’s room, and we pass Janna on the way.
“Hey, little sis, Mom wants you to help set the table,”
Janna replies with sticking her tongue out at her big sis and then continues downstairs obediently.
When we get to Alex’s room, she shuts the door behind us. We wouldn’t want anyone hearing our strange conversation now, would we?
“So what’s the plan?” Cam asks impatiently.
“I don’t really have a plan, Cam. We checked the cemetery, we checked your old house, and we drove around the entire town. I think the best thing to do is see if he will come to us. Tonight, we will wait and observe.”
Cam looks disappointed. “But what if he doesn’t show?”
I shrug. “Well then, we are no worse off than we are right now.”
***
We try to eat dinner rather quickly. I want out of the dining room as soon as possible. Mr. and Mrs. Dashkov are at it again, this time about table etiquette.
“Arthur, I’ve told you countless times that you need to pass the food to the guests first. You’re not supposed to serve yourself first. It’s rude!”
Mr. Dashkov starts taking food off his plate and putting it back on the serving trays.
“Is that better, Dina? Can we start again so I can do this properly?”
Mrs. Dashkov rolls her eyes. “That wasn’t necessary. I was just trying to teach you the right way to do it.”
Mr. Dashkov is starting to get angry now.
Wow, this is getting mighty uncomfortable.
“Dina, if I wanted a teacher, I would hire one.”
I tune them out after that. If I keep listening, I might lose my mind. I wish they’d both just shut up already.
I really don’t even know how they work together. Mr. and Mrs. Dashkov actually met at work. They both work for the pharmaceutical company Med-Trust. I’m sure they just avoid each other at work; how else would they get through the day?
I decide it’s time to excuse us from the room.
“Thank you so much for dinner. Cam, Alex, and I are going to go for a little after-dinner walk. The rain has stopped, so we thought we’d take advantage.”
Mrs. Dashkov looks a little disheartened. “But you haven’t had dessert yet.”
Crap, I want to leave now!
“Well, maybe we can have some when we get back? The walk will help us make more room for dessert.” I give a very fake smile, hoping she will agree to that.
“Oh okay, you three have fun. I’ll leave some dessert on the kitchen counter for when you get back.” She winks at us, and I stand to leave before she can say another word.
It’s always an interesting dinner at the Dashkov house.
Our walk consists of neighbourhood watch duties. We spy on our neighbours and look for anything suspicious. The only strange thing we see is a creepy black cat that not only crosses our path but hisses at us on the way by.
Un-believable! I don’t need any more bad luck these days! Stupid cat!
We head back to Alex’s house empty handed. Since I haven’t been feeding, I feel exhausted. I request an early bedtime, and no one protests.
Sleep comes easily to all of us. We’ve been through a lot together, and it’s all been so stressful.
***
My eyes flutter when I hear a bird. Is it morning already? I open my eyes to find it pitch dark out. I have to find out where the sound is coming from. My first instinct is to check the window, and right there on the sill is a crow. It’s sitting on the window ledge making so much noise! I can’t believe Alex and Cam are sleeping through this!
I fully open the window and shoo him away; he wisely flies off immediately.
“Good riddance,” I whisper.
I am about to shut the window when something outside grabs my attention. I look down at the ground below me, and I see a dark figure lurking in the shadows, avoiding the moonlight.
“Who are you?” I ask.
The figure does not reply. Instead, it backs away further into the shadows.
Dang! I’m convinced it’s Henry.
“Alex, Cam, wake up! I think he’s here! He’s in your front yard. We gotta go check it out.”
They both look groggy, but they eventually manage to get up and follow me out.
We tiptoe downstairs as quietly as we can. I would hate to wake Janna; she might want to see what we’re up to. Such a curious girl, I’m almost positive it will get her into trouble someday.
We quietly head out the front door and into the cool night air. I don’t bother putting on any shoes, and I can feel the moist grass squish under my feet with each step I take.
We stand in the front yard waiting. I still see something moving in the darkness.
“Come over here. Come out where I can kick your ass!”
Cam and Alex give me a “what are you thinking?” look.
I shrug. “Don’t worry, guys. I got this.”
I’m ready for a fight; I’m thirsty for it!
The figure continues to move forward out of the shadows until he is in full view. It’s Henry alright. He has a creepy smile slapped across his face. It’s probably only creepy since most of his cheek is missing and his teeth are showing in a way that no living human can achieve.
I guess he can’t heal as well as I can. However, the rest of him looks pretty good, so I guess he has some healing ability. Dr. August did say that the virus manifests differently in each person.
Henry comes closer and closer. I put my fists up ready for a fight. I feel confident and excited for the chance to test my body. I don’t really know my full capabilities yet. But I will get a bigger opportunity than I thought because as Henry nears, I notice five other zombies following him out of the shadows.
“Fantastic! A zombie gang! For shit’s sake! Cam, Alex, get inside! I can’t fight them all and protect you both. Get out of here.”
I’m waiting to hear their retreat, but they stay. It isn’t a good time to be stubborn.
“Please go! We don’t need more zombies!”
Cam acts as though he doesn’t hear a word. Instead, he pulls a wooden stake out of Mrs. Dashkov’s garden. I look to Alex next, who is also blatantly disobeying my orders. She grabs a trowel out of the garden and holds it out in front of her in preparation.
I look Henry in the eyes. They are fiery; he’s out for blood. I can sense this is no ordinary feed. You don’t bring a posse unless you expect a fight or a bloodbath.
Henry stands there and signals his minions forward. The first zombie approaches and lunges at me. I head butt him, and he crumbles to the ground. I’m pretty sure I cracked his skull. The power I hold feels so amazing. I feel a sick pleasure coursing through me and point to the next zombie. “Come on, freak show, come get some.”
The zombie tries to tackle me, but I grab both of his arms and pull up, instantly snapping the bones. His arms flail limply as he continues to try and attack. I kick at both his shins, and they shatter instantly. The zombie is immobilized. He kneels in front of me and is still hissing and growling. I put both my hands together to make one mega fist and smash it down onto his skull. The crunch is loud and satisfying.
“Whoo! Is that all you’ve got? The score is 2-0, my creepy friends. Who wants some more?”
I want to eat my words after the next zombie approaches. I guess this was a former body builder on steroids. He’s humongous! With a light tap, I’m on my ass. Mr. Massive zombie grabs my throat and lifts me in the air.
The other two zombies head for Cam and Alex. I hope they can handle them because I’m a little
busy at the moment.
The massive zombie launches me across the yard and into a tree. I feel the tree crack a little as I make a nice dent in it. I’m a little dizzy and breathless, but I can see him approaching again. He’s drooling; I think I might be his next meal.
Quick, Eve, think. I look around and notice a shovel by the shed. That shovel could work; now I just need to get over there.
Big boy is already too close for comfort. He growls and shrieks in my face so that I can smell his rotting breath. I want to throw up, but there is no time for that right now. I try to push him away; even with my new strength, it’s very difficult to keep him off of me.
Luckily I am able to get an elbow free. I lift my elbow as far into the air as I can and then rain it down onto his forehead. It stuns him for a moment, and he drops me. I make a run for the shed. The shovel is just in arm’s reach when he grabs my legs and takes me down to the ground. I keep throwing my arms forward, hoping I can grab it as he tries to drag me backward. I’m pulling at the ground, trying to get closer to the shovel; a few inches will grant me salvation.
I turn to face him and continue to try and wriggle free. He’s about to chomp down on my exposed ankle, but luckily I wiggle one foot free and kick him in the teeth. He is thrown back a bit. As he fumbles to recover his hold on me, I launch forward and grab the shovel. I shove it towards his neck. When the shovel buries itself into his neck meat, I press and lift it straight into the air with all my might. The shovel slices through like butter, and with a “pop,” his head flies over the shed. The rest of the body lands right on top of me.
“Eww, gross, zombie blood.”
I seal my mouth shut as the goopy blood pours all over me. I don’t need to ingest any more of it. It’s all over me, and I’m stuck struggling to shove this large body off of me. As I continue to struggle, I glance around, and my eyes find Cam and Alex still fighting off the other two zombies. I want to run over and help them. A different fire burns inside of me. It’s not hunger; it’s desperation.
I will not lose them. I will not fail.
Using my blood-covered body, I try to lift the body slightly and slide out from under it. Fortunately, the blood works as a lubricant, and I slide out from under him, one leg at a time.
Once free, I am running towards Cam but notice he has the zombie pegged to the ground. He then raises the garden stake and drives it straight through the zombie’s eye, and it stops attacking.
Since Cam has everything under control, I turn to look at Alex, who has successfully stabbed the zombie many times with the trowel but hasn’t managed a direct strike to the head.
A head wound seems to be the only way to stop them.
“Alex, throw the trowel over here.”
She looks at me wildly, wiping the blonde hair out of her face, and then tosses it over the zombie’s head. The trowel lands in my hand, and before the zombie can react, I hammer the trowel into the top of its head. The body crumples to the ground, and I can see relief spreading over Alex’s face. Relief will have to wait; it isn’t over yet. Where is Henry?
Cam looks out into the distance. “He’s gone. Why would he come all the way over here and then not stay to watch?”
I look at Cam as he says this, and a startling realization hits me. “Cam, I think your father may be smarter than the average zombie. He seems to have a plan. He got these zombies to do his dirty work, and we know he is trying to re-build his wife. He’s thinking.”
A zombie that thinks. Now that is a scary thought. He has nothing to lose. Perhaps he even likes being a zombie. The more I think about the possibilities, the more fear I feel.
“I think we need to notify the police.”
I raise an eyebrow at Alex. “I agree with you, I do, but how would we go about this without looking crazy? Alex, are we supposed to tell them that there are zombies walking amongst us? I’m fairly sure they will laugh hysterically.”
Alex rolls her eyes. “I know we can’t tell them that. I was thinking of making another anonymous call about ‘strange occurrences’ at Cam’s old house.”
Alex makes a good point. If they see what we saw in that basement, they may start looking around town for a suspect. Never in a million years will they guess that it is good old Henry back from the dead.
It is time to take action. I can’t be afraid of being linked to this right now. What are the chances they will place me as the cause of this whole mess anyway? It is all so far-fetched.
As I look around the yard, I realize we have quite a bit of clean up to do.
“What should we do with the bodies?” I say casually.
None of us has ever hidden a body before, and it takes a bit of planning before we come up with a reasonable solution. Cam is the one to suggest we throw them down the sewer. It seems like a good enough plan. Alex grabs a crowbar from her parents’ shed and hands it to Cam. He pries open the closest sewer lid; luckily, it is just down the road from Alex’s house. He makes it look effortless. Cam is built like a Greek god. It is hard not to look at him in awe. I can understand why Claire is so obsessed with him.
Cam and I carry the bodies over one by one, while Alex keeps an eye out for any wandering neighbours. I don’t want to have to explain this to anyone.
Our gruesome task is completed quite quickly. The bodies are rotting so well that the bones simply snap as we shove them down the manhole. The only one that is a little problematic is the massive zombie I fought off earlier.
Alex grabs another shovel from the shed and pummels the body until just about every bone in it is smashed. That makes it much easier to squeeze the body into the hole. It takes all three of us to accomplish this. We throw any of our bloodstained tools down the manhole and then seal it again with its lid.
After the bodies are taken care of, there is still the issue of blood on the front lawn. I quickly head over to the side of the house and grab the hose. I rinse the grass until it looks clean enough. It is a bit hard to tell in the dark, but I hope that I am able to rinse off most of it.
When we get back into the house, Alex places the anonymous phone call and then hangs up quickly so the call can’t be traced. She takes a deep breath and regains her composure. Cam is the one having a hard time calming down; he paces back and forth in Alex’s room.
“We need to do something. I’m sick of waiting around. I want to know what’s going on!”
I pat Cam on the shoulder. “I know you want answers, but we have to be smart about this. Neither one of you needs to end up like me, or worse. We can’t just go zombie hunting when we’re outnumbered!”
Alex looks at me with a raised eyebrow. “Why not? Why can’t we zombie hunt? We have the best weapon available. We can use it to our advantage.”
She winks at me. Of course, she is referring to me as their secret weapon, and though I am virtually indestructible, I am still terrified. I’m not afraid of hunting Henry; I am afraid that I will lead my friends to their deaths. I can’t have their blood on my hands too.
“Okay, here is the deal. I will track Henry down myself. I don’t want you guys out there. When I find him, I will call you for back up.” They nod.
I don’t really intend to call them; I think it will be best if I take Henry down on my own. A little white lie, but it is worth telling. After our little agreement, we all try to get some sleep, but I’m not sure any of us will ever sleep again without nightmares.
The next morning, Mrs. Dashkov knocking on the door awakens us. She sounds a bit perturbed as she asks to come in.
“Come on in, Mom,” Alex replies.
When she enters the room, she is fidgeting with her hands and searching for her words. “Umm…the police are here to see you three…”
All I can think is, Oh crap! Someone must have seen what we were up to last night. I begin to panic and wonder how we are ever going to explain all this.
Mrs. Dashk
ov looks directly at Alex. “Do you have anything you need to say to me, Alexandra?” She is hoping for a confession, which means the police haven’t told her why they want to speak to us.
Alex shakes her head and looks confused; that is some pretty good acting. Cam, on the other hand, looks like he has crapped his pants.
“Okay, come on downstairs when you’re ready.” And then Mrs. Dashkov shuts the door.
“Stay calm, guys. I know this looks bad, but we still don’t know what they want. It could be anything! Maybe they just want to update us on Henry’s missing body? Maybe they’re just asking if we’ve seen anything suspicious?” I’m not sure I believe those stories myself.
In that moment, Cam and Alex look so lost. Alex bites her perfectly manicured nails, and Cam tugs at his dark hair, almost pulling out a clump. I can’t let them get in trouble for my shitty problems. I can’t help but feel I am destroying them somehow.
“Look, guys, if they do know about the bodies, I will take the blame…”
Cam cuts me off. “No, Eve, we’re in this together. We always have been.”
I could kiss him right there. It is nice to have someone on my side, even if I am the one to blame.
“Listen, Cam, we can’t all look for Henry from a jail cell.”
Cam hugs me tightly. He’s so warm, I don’t want the hug to end. As he holds me, he whispers, “Exactly, Eve. That’s why I can’t let you take the fall. It has to be me. You need to be the one to find Henry. You’re the only one who can stop him.”
He lets me go and bolts out the door before I can argue. Alex and I look at each other. I guess we better follow that boy. Who knows what he’s up to?
We join Cam in the front room. He’s already sitting in front of the two cops. One cop is a fairly pretty Latina woman. She is the type of cop many men would hit on, but I can sense she is a no-nonsense kind of girl. Her badge says, Officer Gomez. The man she’s with is Officer Han. I know him fairly well. His family owns an amazing Chinese restaurant in town, and he helps with many local charities. I first met him when doing the ten-kilometer Run for Breast Cancer Awareness. He is a very nice man; he even let me call him Han Solo the day of the run, which makes him super cool in my books. I hope Officer Han will go easy on us today.