“What sort of problems?” Shane asked, opening a folder on his laptop labelled – PRIVATE – “It should’ve worked fine.”
Mike nibbled his bottom lip and glanced at Blake; covering a hand over the phone to whisper, “He’s a bit of an arrogant prick.”
Blake just nodded.
“I need to know what you mixed it with?” Mike asked as he returned to the call. “And I need to know now…”
But the “now” bit annoyed Shane.
Mike didn’t wait for a reply, he just dived straight in, demanding a full list of the ingredients inside the compost as Shane grunted and coughed. Mike knew he had him rattled.
“…Oh, and I need you to hand-deliver it.”
“Is this some sort of a joke? A windup? …You’re miles away…”
Mike wanted to punish the man for the downfall of the town but knew he couldn’t just arrest him; especially since it hadn’t been confirmed that his stuff was the culprit. But Mike had a strong feeling the results would confirm it. So, for now, he would make Shane travel with the results.
“…I’ll tell you what I’ll do!” Shane barked. “I’ll deliver the list when my schedule isn’t so hectic…Maybe sometime tomorrow.”
Mike sensed a challenge emerging, knowing he needed to be more demanding to receive the other guy’s attention.
I will knock that smarmy look off his face.
“Listen up buddy,” Mike snapped down the phone. “I don’t know you, but right now you’re pissing me off to the point where I don’t fuckin’ like you…”
Blake was left gobsmacked as Mike went ballistic on the other man.
“…If you don’t get your arse down here tonight then I’ll go to you with my truncheon and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine…Are you hearing me now?” Mike’s face turned blue after he’d held his breath for too long. “We’ve got a major situation developing here,” he said, breathing again. “And we need your assistance.”
Blake waited for Mike to completely blow his top, but it didn’t get that far. Shane had been put in his place.
“I’ll sort it,” he cowardly croaked. “See you soon.”
***
The clock hanging on the wall in Mike’s office had just ticked to 7.45 pm when Shane entered the building; his nerves now shot as he approached George at reception.
“You must be the reason as to why the chief keeps shouting,” George said smiling, teasing Shane into almost running away. “Follow me.”
Shane walked with him until reaching Mike’s office, feeling pleased not to hear any shouting as he entered the room. He saw Mike nod towards George before the latter walked away, his ears pricking as Shane waited for another violent outburst of words. But Mike just smiled at him.
“Take a seat…”
Mike sensed Shane was a bit unsure of what was expected of him, even though he’d already been told to bring the list, so reassured him all was going to be okay. Then Shane nervously smiled and sat down.
“…This is Blake,” Mike said pointing at him.
Shane nodded towards Blake whilst gripping the list tight.
“Why am I here?” he asked Mike, holding the list in the air. “It can’t be just because of this.”
Mike sighed. “I need you to remain calm.”
“Remain calm? Why?”
“Is that the list?” Mike asked, wanting to see it so badly. “It could be important to an investigation about the stuff inside the fertiliser.”
Shane handed it over to Blake but he didn’t recognise half of the ingredients.
“I’m no use to you with this,” he said, handing the list to Mike. “Most of the names on it are unpronounceable.”
“Unpronuncible is also hard to say,” Mike said, releasing a much-needed giggle.
Shane stared at the whiteboard to see crime scene photos attached, but none of them made any sense to him.
“…I’ve sent some of your experimental compost to the police lab for tests, but I’m still waiting for the final result.” Mike stared at Shane until he turned and looked at him. “I know there’s something strange in it. And something probably illegal.”
Shane flinched before almost bursting into a fit of laughter. It wasn’t because he found it amusing, it was because he was annoyed.
“Have I driven all the way here just to explain the ingredients inside the fertiliser? …I could’ve done that over the phone.”
“You’re right, you could’ve, but you wouldn’t have been able to witness the damage that your wonder stuff has caused this town.”
Shane felt guilty about something now, but what was Mike going on about? He thought fast for a few seconds until recent memories printed pictures inside his mind.
“Hold on a minute, does my fertiliser have anything to do with what was on the news earlier?”
“Now you get it!” Mike snapped at him. “I think there’s some form of chemical inside the stuff that’s caused ultimate chaos, but I don’t know how yet?”
“I’m sorry…I had no idea.” Shane stared at the whiteboard again, shivering from the thought that he was accountable; his head shaking as he retraced his steps back to when he made the bug killer. “We tested it inside the lab on a small number of crops.”
“How?” Mike questioned, spooking Shane.
“We placed the bugs that cause infections and those that eat the plants amongst the crops before sprinkling the new fertiliser over the top…Then, after a few days, we checked on progress.”
“Come on, man!” Mike bellowed. “Get to the point…What the fuck happened?”
“What we expected would happen…The bugs died, but the crops had grown a few more centimetres...”
Mike and Blake stood open-mouthed as Shane’s explanation about what the fertiliser did came to an end. It was no different from what Blake had said when he described its uses. Mike felt more confused now.
If everything he is saying is true then why are the dead in my town coming back to life?
“…So I ask you again, why am I here when my creation worked?”
Mike gulped.
“It may have worked but something still stinks about it…The quicker I can get the ingredients on your list sent off to our lab, the quicker I can eliminate your stuff as a line in our enquiry…”
Mike didn’t want to tell Shane about the zombie breed and he didn’t want anyone else telling him either, so, whatever the man heard from the news was enough for now.
“…What’s this Moltovenium?” Mike asked, checking out the list. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s new.” Shane rose from his seat to stand next to Mike’s desk. “It’s a poison to get rid of those bugs.”
Mike rubbed his chin before jotting down the magic word, hoping it was a breakthrough.
“I’d best notify our guys,” he said, looking over at Blake. “Do me a favour…Open the door and shout out to George. He should be at the reception desk.”
Blake nodded and did what was told, shouting out to get George’s attention. He was glad he didn’t have to shout twice.
Mike heard the man rush towards the office; his heavy breathing bouncing off the walls as he closed in.
Mike shook his head. He knew George was overweight and it worried him. He’d told the man several times to lose weight but every order sounded like a punishment to George, so he did nothing about it. But now, as his breathing slowed down, Mike could only think of how lucky George was that his main job wasn’t strenuous.
“You need me, chief,” he said, holding his stomach before taking a final pant. “I need to cut back on the chocolate.”
“I think you need to cut back on more than chocolate,” Mike replied, shaking his head again. “Before you end up unable to work.”
“It won’t come to that,” George said smiling. “I’m fitter than I look.”
Blake and Shane had to look away because they were on the verge of laughing. George noticed, but, like the happy-go-lucky type of guy he was, he just ignored
them.
“Phone the lab and give them this.” Mike passed the piece of paper over to George. “And don’t rush back to your desk. I don’t want you getting an injury.”
George pulled a face and left.
Mike stared at Shane, grabbing his car keys before ushering him out of his office.
“It’s time I showed you some of the horrors that have been going on around here.”
“But I need to get back to work.”
“Not yet you’re not.”
Mike followed Shane out of the room, leaving Blake feeling ignored and unwanted. But he was pleased that his time there was over.
He left the room, catching them up as they entered the outside to see Mike escort Shane towards his car, but Shane didn’t seem to be enjoying being ordered about.
“Where are we going?” he asked, feeling a little fearful.
“You’ll see soon enough,” Mike coldly replied. “We’re going for a little drive.”
THIRTY-THREE
Mike never spoke to Shane during their journey to the hospital and his silence left Shane worried. He watched Mike park the car as thoughts of feeling unsure of what the plan for him was scared him; his heart racing as the chief grunted for him to get out. But he waited for Mike to open his door first.
They entered the main doors as the clock in reception ticked to 8.30 pm, but Mike still never spoke. All he did was pick up the pace like he was in a hurry to get somewhere.
“Why are we here?” Shane asked, catching him up. “I really need to get back to my job.”
But Mike didn’t reply. He just kept on walking.
They turned a corner, heading for a room with a makeshift sign saying – PRIVATE – attached to the door, but the closer Shane got to it, the more he panicked.
“We’re here,” Mike said, staring at him. “I need you to be quiet when we go inside.”
“You mean as quiet as you’ve been since we left the station?”
Mike cringed.
He wanted so badly to lash out at the man, but he sucked in a deep breath and opened the door.
They entered the room to see four people suddenly stare at Shane, but he was still in the dark over why? and of who they were? But the more they stared at him, the more he wanted to leave.
He wasn’t stupid, he knew something bad was going on.
Why else would there be an officer, a nurse and what looked like a married couple here?
He saw Mike walk over to the nurse with a sense of sadness on his face, touching her arm before smiling.
“How’s he doing?” Mike asked her.
“He’s stable at the moment, but that could change at any time,” Hazel softly replied, smiling back. “He’s very weak now…I don’t think he’ll make it to tomorrow.”
Mike couldn’t bear to think that he was about to lose another officer. It was all too much.
He turned to see Jason’s parents close in with their heads bowed as if saying a silent prayer. But he just watched them. He had no words.
“Let’s hope a cure can be found soon,” Dawn spluttered, lifting her head to reveal tears rolling down her cheeks. “I can’t lose my boy.”
Shane stood in the background feeling invisible as the others huddled together, with the other officer also getting involved. Their actions making him sense this was why he was here, to see what his wonder growth had done.
He stared beyond the others at a large curtain before guessing who was behind it, knowing deep down it had to be a relative of the distressed couple. He remained silent and out of the way as Hazel slowly moved towards a cord. She gripped it and pulled back the curtains, revealing a lifeless looking man behind a piece of glass lying in a bed.
“It sickens me to see him like this,” Mike said, tearing up. “And he only had a tiny scratch.”
Hazel placed an arm around his shoulders. “But it was very infectious and spread extremely fast…Once it reaches his heart it’ll be the end for him…”
“But you’ll find a cure before then?” Donald interrupted; eyes wide, hoping she’d say “YES.”
Hazel shook her head to leave him crumbling into a seat, breaking into pieces as he sobbed into his hands. And Dawn closely followed, sitting beside him to do the same.
“…I’m so sorry,” Hazel said, feeling her throat quiver like she was about to puke. “I wish I had more positive news.”
Now Shane became emotional.
He stared hard at Jason as he tried thinking of an ingredient that he’d missed from his list; his heart-melting to find an answer to save the man before it was too late.
But there wasn’t one.
He backed up against a wall, punching it after hearing many woeful cries, wanting to kick himself for not being able to prevent everyone’s hearts from being ripped from their chests once the poor man in the bed faded off into the blackness of no man’s land.
Mike swallowed hard as he turned to him to say, “Follow me.”
But Shane took one last look at Jason before moving away from the wall. He followed Mike out of the room, feeling rotten, as thoughts of the fertiliser sending him from hero status to villain crashed inside his mind. He knew he would have to destroy it if it ended up being to blame.
“I’m confused,” he nervously said, fearing Mike was about to unleash hell on him. “First you said I am to blame for all the tragedy and then you say maybe I’m to blame…Which is it?”
“Whenever there’s a victim, your stuff ends up being top of our most-wanted list,” Mike replied, nudging him. “So you tell me…Are you to blame?”
Shane shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, but I’m here to help if you need me.”
“I know you are…”
Mike smiled sadistically to worry Shane into backing away.
“…Don’t worry, I’m not going to hit you,” Mike said, reaching for his phone to scroll down the numbers. “But I need you to take Blake’s number.”
“Why?”
“So you two can team up and find an answer…”
Shane gulped.
“…Right, let’s get out of here,” Mike finished; looking back at the door before walking away.
THIRTY-FOUR
Wayne watched Hazel escort Jason’s parents out of the room, feeling sad after an image of them crying entered his mind. He knew he had a job to do but he couldn’t leave Jason, not right now, so, just sat and stared at him through the protective glass shield.
He leaned back in his seat, glancing at his watch to see it was 9.00 pm; feeling drained of energy as he tried to stay awake. But he nodded off a few minutes later as Jason stirred in his bed.
He turned to look at Wayne before silently crying, as the virus clogged up the arteries in his heart; releasing his last breath to collapse and close his eyes. But they turned a cloudy white within seconds from within the lifeless lids.
Jason had changed from human to monster at a quicker rate.
***
Chris entered the hospital again looking more like his usual self, but Hazel stopped him before he reached reception. She knew he was a fraud when he visited before to see the Smythes but somehow he’d managed to manipulate her into thinking he was a relative. But not this time. This time she was ready for him.
“No flowers today?” she questioned, close to sniggering at how awful they smelt. “I hope you’re not here snooping around for more info on the recently deceased?”
“That all depends on if the officer in quarantine is still alive…”
Hazel froze for a split second, feeling shocked at how abrupt and cruel the reporter’s words came across. She hoped he was joking but somehow knew he wasn’t.
“…I’m messin’ with ya’,” Chris said, winking. “I’m here looking for Officer Strong…He’s not at the station, so I thought maybe he was here?”
“Yeah, he’s here.”
“Cool…Where is he?”
Hazel held off from telling him. She sensed he may be scheming again; his words making her think that he w
as trying it on like the last time.
“No disguise today?” she asked quickly, trying to fluster Chris. But he was too calm and it worried her. “The staff here have nicknamed you Mr Benn.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t you watch the TV show? He wore many costumes.”
Chris just shrugged his shoulders and tapped his watch.
“Listen, love,” he said, itching to get away from her. “I’ve not got all day…I’ve just seen the chief and he told me about the awful incident with the copper…So, is officer Strong here or not?”
“Okay! Okay! Keep your hair on…Follow me.”
Hazel led Chris down the corridor of gloom, keeping close to him in case he snuck off. She still wasn’t sure he was being honest, but it was too late now to change her mind because the door leading to where Wayne was had now been noticed by him. And he was closing in on it.
“Slow down!” she hollered out to him. “You can’t just walk in.”
“Watch me,” Chris replied, opening the door.
Hazel swore under her breath.
She tutted and left him to it, walking away feeling angry for being so easily put in her place.
***
Chris entered the room to see Wayne fast asleep, close to falling off his seat without even realising it. Chris knew the man was out of it, whacked from doing too much in such a short amount of time, so left him alone to concentrate on the body in the bed. But he was left shocked after seeing a sheet covering Jason’s face.
Damn! Looks like he’s already gone.
He stumbled back, nudging into Wayne’s outstretched leg to jolt him awake before seeing him rub his eyes frantically. He knew Wayne wasn’t pleased to see him.
“What the fuck are you doing here?!” Wayne screamed at him, rising from his seat. “I’m only tolerating you because Mike ordered me to. Otherwise, I would be punching you right now.”
Chris soaked up the angry words but remained calm.
Clifton Falls: A Zombie Story [Part 1] Page 23