by A. Giacomi
“Eve! Cam’s missing!”
Her voice is slightly raspy; I don’t really want to ask about how her night went last night. I know she was out hunting and was most likely successful. I don’t want any vivid images in my mind.
“I found one of his shoes on my front lawn. Where would he go in such a hurry without a shoe? What if someone took him?”
I start crying; I can’t help it. I’m so afraid that Cam was trying to track down Henry on his own and something horrible happened to him. I don’t need two zombie friends. One is quite enough to worry about.
“Okay Al, listen, here is what we’re going to do. You drive around town, see if you can spot anything strange. I want you to pop in and check out Cam’s old house. I know the cops said they didn’t find anything there the other day, but it’s worth a shot. If you notice anything strange there, do me a favour and call Officer Han or Gomez. Do not go in there by yourself! I’m going to check out the cemetery. Call it a hunch, but I think zombies like hanging out there. It sure makes me feel strangely at ease.”
We hang up the phone, and I plan to start my mission immediately.
I am almost out the door when my mother stops me.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?”
I try to act calm. “I need to go meet with Eve for a bit.”
My mother looks a bit concerned. “Please don’t get into any trouble. I don’t need my daughter going to jail. Those cops seemed very interested in you and your friends the other day.”
I hug her. “Don’t worry, Mom. We’re not criminals.”
I don’t think that puts her at ease much, but I turn to leave anyway.
I jump in my car and try not to speed away in a suspicious manner.
***
I park in front of Cam’s old house and notice the cops are already there. It is too late to pretend that I am just driving by. They will know that I came here for a specific reason.
Officer Han and Gomez are right out front, and they spot me. They start to walk towards my car. I fear they will arrest me and take me to the station for questioning. I do not have time for that!
Officer Gomez leans into the driver’s side window and smiles at me as she removes her sunglasses. “Good morning, Miss Dashkov. What brings you here? Before you answer, here’s a fun fact. About 60% of all criminals return to the scene of their crime. Cool, huh?”
She says it in such a mocking manner that I’m sure my face matches her sarcasm.
Officer Han walks up behind her. “Now, now Martina, down girl. She’s just about to tell us why she’s here. Right, Alex?”
I nod, although I don’t quite know what I am going to tell them. My head races with a whole bunch of lies I can tell, but ultimately my mind settles on the truth.
I burst into tears. “Cam is missing. I don’t know where he is. I found one shoe.”
I lift the shoe up for them to see. “I thought he might be here. I don’t know. I just want to find him. Please help me.”
Officer Gomez stands back, clearly affected by the sudden outburst of emotion. Officer Han is the first to comfort me. “Don’t worry, Alex. We’ll find him. I just need you to tell me what you know. When did you see him last?”
“The last time I saw him was before bed. I don’t know when he left the house. I’m sure he left on his own, but then something must have happened in front of my house. He left without one of his shoes. I’m scared someone took him.”
Officer Han looks closer at the shoe. The two officers stare blankly at each other, and then Officer Han signals to another cop in one of the vehicles nearby. “Hey, Roy, will you bring me evidence bag number 3?”
Roy obliges and brings him the bag. Officer Han opens it and reveals Cam’s matching sneaker. I cover my mouth to hide my silent scream.
“Oh no! What happened to him? Is he in there?”
I jump out of my car and want to run and check the house myself.
Officer Han stops me. “There is no one in the house, Alex. We checked everywhere. The sneaker was in the basement and…” He stops there.
“And what? And what?” I’m starting to raise my voice now. I’m scared and angry; I need answers.
He continues reluctantly. “And there was some blood in the same area. We are sending the blood samples to the lab. We will see if it matches Cam’s. You’ve helped us a lot, Alex. We didn’t know that Cam was missing. We didn’t know who the shoe belonged to. Now that we have a lead, we might be able to save him.”
I am so terrified I am shaking.
“Officers, I’m not sure we can wait that long. I have a very bad feeling about all this.”
We all look at each other in silence. All three of us know very well that something awful happened to Cam, and the likelihood of Cam being alive dwindles with every minute that passes.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
EVE
I arrive at the cemetery and immediately start sprinting towards the two grave sites that I have seen enough of this past week. I don’t waste any time looking around the entire cemetery; there is something driving me towards this one particular spot. I always believed you should trust your instincts, and I do just that.
I don’t see anyone or anything, but that doesn’t mean I am alone. I cautiously inspect Henry’s grave first. It is still dug up, and it now has caution tape around it. I shudder at the thought of someone falling in accidentally.
After a few minutes of searching, I sit on the ground, a bit baffled. I really thought I would find something here. As I’m seated, I look over at Cam’s mother’s grave. There is something different about it; the dirt is no longer disturbed. It looks as though someone has filled the hole. Perhaps this was done for the same reason? They definitely don’t want people falling into an early grave. I chuckle. “Early grave, that’s funny.” As I enjoy my little laugh, I feel something below me. I freeze and listen carefully. What was that?
Next, comes a muffled sound from below. I place my ear to the ground; there it is again. I follow the sound to the newly filled grave. My eyes grow wide. “Oh my God! Cam!” I scream.
Why didn’t I think of this before? The freshly filled hole must have Cam in it! That sicko Henry decided to really finish him off this time.
I begin frantically digging dirt with my bare hands. My strength and speed only allow me to dig as fast as a rabid dog, which is still not fast enough. He could be losing air; he could be dead soon; he maybe has seconds. I shed tears as I continue to dig frantically.
What else can I do? I look around for a shovel, but there isn’t one anywhere. As I dig, I start to yell, “Help, please help! There’s someone down there!”
The muffled sound underneath me stops. “No no! Don’t you die on me! Cam, stay with me! I’m going to get you out. Just please hold on.”
It’s almost as if my prayers are answered when I see Alex, Officer Han, and Officer Gomez running towards me. I could kiss them all, even Officer Gomez! I have no idea how they knew to come, but I am so happy to see them.
“Oh thank God! Please help! He’s down there! I could hear him banging on the lid and screaming for help. He’s buried down there.”
Alex slides down next to me and tries digging with her bare hands too. I can see Officer Gomez calling for back up and explaining the situation.
Officer Han heads over to his car. He starts it up and begins backing up towards the grave site. Han Solo gets out of his car and opens up his trunk; he has a shovel and throws it to me. I catch it and begin digging bigger loads of dirt out of the way. He grabs something else out of his trunk. It appears to be a chain with a hook attached to it. Han Solo hooks it up to the hitch on his car and brings the chain towards us.
“Eve, if we can find a corner of the casket, we can attach the hook to it and I can try and use my car to drag it out of the ground.” That sounds like a plan.
I drop the shovel, and Alex and I clear more dirt away with our hands to expose the casket for Han to see. He has a little axe and makes a hole in the casket so that the hook will have something to grab onto. As soon as he has a big enough hole, he puts the hook in place and returns to his car. Han starts it up quickly and hits the gas. His wheels are spinning, but the coffin hasn’t budged.
I keep digging with my shovel, hoping I can help dislodge the coffin as Han’s car pulls at it. This has to work; I don’t want to think of the alternative.
Han backs his car up a little to give him some more space to rev up. He hit the gas, and we all prayed as we watch the grave. As the chain tugs at the casket, the dirt shakes, and the casket shoots halfway out of the ground. “Thank God!” That is good enough.
I grab Han’s little axe and begin to hack away at the bottom of the coffin. We can drag Cam out that way. I hack away at the coffin until wood blasts apart, splinters of it everywhere. I hope they won’t notice that this sort of force isn’t natural for my stature.
The end of the casket is off, and I can see feet. “Help me grab him out!” I yell over to Officer Gomez.
She grabs one ankle and I grab the other. We both pull until Cam is halfway out, then we try to gently take the rest of his body out. He doesn’t need further injuries; he has been through enough.
It takes all four of us to place Cam on the ground. Officer Gomez yells that she sees another body in the casket. With the help of Officer Han, she drags out Cam’s half-built mother. They both retch at the sight of her. Alex and I are shocked. It is almost as if Henry is expecting a big family reunion.
My interest returns to Cam; his body doesn’t seem in bad shape. There is just a gash on the top of his head. I’m so happy to have him out that I forget to check if he’s breathing. Officer Gomez is already ahead of me. She is checking for a pulse. After a minute, she shakes her head. My stomach lurches. “No, no, he’s not dead. Move!” I shove Officer Gomez out of the way and check for myself. There is no breath on my hand when I place it over his mouth. I place my ear to his chest, and it is silent. I scream in agony. I can’t lose him.
I begin CPR. I can hear the ambulance in the distance. Help is on the way, but I need to be doing something productive before they arrive. I give Cam a breath of air and pump his chest and repeat. Air, and then pump again. It isn’t working! I sob as the paramedics move me out of the way. They set up their defibrillator as fast as they can and attach it to Cam. The machine shocks him once, and his body jolts, but nothing happens. I close my eyes tightly and pray for the first time in years. Please God, just let Cam live.
I hold my breath as they prepare for the second charge. Cam’s body jolts viciously again, and this time, he gasps and opens his eyes. Alex and I begin to breathe as well. I hug her so tightly I may have crushed her bones; she lets out a little yelp but does not back away.
The paramedics place Cam on a gurney and roll him into an ambulance. I’m not leaving Cam’s side again and insist on riding in the ambulance with him. I tell Alex I will meet her at the hospital and that she should probably fill our parents in on what’s happened.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CAM
I wake up in another hospital bed. This can’t be good. I feel much more awful than the last time I was in here. I feel very numb and out of it.
The first person to greet me is Eve. She’s staring down at me, and my heart beats faster, which makes my chest sting a bit, and I place my hand over the sore spot. Eve runs her fingers through my hair, and I feel instantly at ease. She has such power over me, but I can never admit to it.
Next, Eve starts crying. She presses her forehead to my hand. “Cam, I thought I lost you.”
I stroke her cheek with my free hand. “I’m still here.”
She nods and tries to control her sobs. “Your dad took you?” Eve asks as she tries to gulp back her tears.
“Yes, he did. He smacked my head with something outside of Alex’s place and then took me to my old house. I only remember bits and pieces, but I think I remember seeing my mother? And I definitely remember being put in a coffin. That asshole buried me alive!”
Eve takes a big breath before speaking. “He buried you with her.”
This whole thing is so strange. “I thought zombies were supposed to be mindless. My father plotted to take me and bury me with my mother. How can a zombie do that?”
Eve shrugs. “This is going to sound stranger still. I think he just wants his family back together.”
The weight of what Eve is saying hits me like a bus. My eyes well up with tears, but I don’t dare let a single tear fall. Men don’t cry; my father taught me that.
“Cam, your father loved you. He had a messed up way of showing it, but even after death, he can’t stop thinking about his family. What does that tell you? I think it’s time to end this. I don’t think Henry will put up much of a fight now that we messed up his little get-together.”
I want this all to be over. Both my parents are dead, and I don’t understand why I have to keep revisiting this incredibly painful fact.
“So when can I get out of this place so we can get to work?”
Eve looks at her watch. “Well, it’s midnight. The nurse said sometime in the morning.”
Eve makes room for herself in my bed and closes her eyes.
“Well, aren’t you going home to sleep then?”
She opens one eye and raises an eyebrow. “Where else am I going to go? This is where I want to be.” She closes her eyes again and gets comfortable.
I am touched, not that I expect anything different from Eve. I know that I am important to her; I just want to be everything to her that she is to me.
When I notice she is sound asleep, I whisper my true feelings into her ear. “I love you more than you can imagine.”
I feel better after saying it, even though she didn’t hear me. I close my eyes and doze off.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
EVE
While Cam is giving his statement to the police, I find time to wander around in my thoughts. Something in me has changed. I want Henry dead so badly it’s all I can think about. I am consumed with hatred. I don’t want him hurting Cam again.
I have fed recently and feel powerful. I could tear his head off with my bare hands or kick it off like a soccer ball. I catch myself smiling as I think of Henry’s demise. Something evil has risen in me, and it doesn’t bother me one bit. I am starting to embrace my darker side. I’m not human anymore; it is about time I start accepting that.
Once the police leave, I ask the nurse when Cam can leave. She says she will go ask the doctor. The nurse returns an hour later and tells Cam he is free to leave. She tells him to take it easy over the next few days and come back if he feels even a little strange. Cam promises he will and begins putting on his normal clothes. I pretend to look away but find myself peeking as he changes. I am finding him really distracting at the moment. I can’t help but stare at his perfect abs as he puts on his shirt. Cam catches me looking. Damn. He smiles at me and finishes changing.
I don’t want to give him any ideas; it won’t be smart for us to be together now. If I want to keep him alive, I should keep him as far away from me as possible.
***
We get in the car and pick Alex up from her house. She has a large duffle bag with her. This makes Cam laugh out loud. I guess the tiny woman with the large bag is quite a sight.
“Alex, are we robbing a bank, or have you started some boxing training I don’t know about?”
She punches Cam in the arm when she nears the vehicle. “Shut up! I thought I would bring some weapons. I packed a few crowbars, a shovel, a nail gun, a bas
eball bat, and some knives.”
I look at Alex. “Good thinking, girl. You will both need to protect yourselves. You might even need to protect yourselves from me.”
They both say, “Never!” in sync with each other. This angers me. They need to see me as a threat and have their guard up.
I raise my voice so they will understand my seriousness. “No, you don’t understand. I can’t always control the virus. It does what it wants, and if it wants to rip you to shreds, it will!”
The car goes silent; I hope that means that I have gotten through to them.
We go back to the only place I can think of. It’s daytime, but the cemetery has heavy gray clouds above it. We get to the grave site, and I sit on the ground. I shiver at the thought of Cam slamming his fists inside of a buried casket. That was only a couple of days ago, and here we are again.
Alex and Cam sit beside me. Alex hands Cam the baseball bat, and she takes the crowbar in hand as her weapon of choice. She doesn’t offer me anything; she knows I won’t need anything extra.
After thirty minutes, I can tell that Cam is getting antsy. “So now what?”
I give him a look. “Now we wait. Do you have a better idea?”
I guess I shouldn’t be getting snappy with him. I know he just wants to bury the past in a very literal sense.
After a few hours, I begin to get a bit frustrated. What can I do to draw him out? I’m sure he will be here. Where else would Henry hide? I have a rather gross idea enter my mind, but it might do the trick.
I ask Alex to hand me one of the knives in the duffle bag. She looks at me sideways. “What are you gonna do with that, Eve?”
I don’t answer the question. I just tell her to trust me. She hands me the knife, and I cut into my arm deep enough for the blood to gush. I hear Cam and Alex scream, but I ignore them; they’ll get over it.
“Hey, Henry! I know you’re out there!” I yell out.