by Katz, Gayle
“And you two, get out,” said Jay. “And Mr. Warcola, get your wife to a hospital so she can be seen by a real doctor, please.”
“Yes, sir!” said Mr. Warcola, glad that they weren’t being arrested. He left with the mayor.
“OK, Jay. I have it all. Looks like she didn’t keep much in the way of scientific equipment or supplies here.” Zan held out a small shoebox of vials.
“Good,” he said, taking it from her. “I’ll put this in storage as evidence for now, until we can figure out what to do with it. Let’s get out of here before the neighbors start talking.” They left the house and he closed the door.
zzz
Charlie and Owen waited in Mr. Warcola’s class, but he never showed.
“That’s just great,” said Owen.
“Maybe we get passing grades?” she asked. Her phone rang. “Really? Awesome! I mean, we’ll get right on it.” She hung up. “Wow, we missed a lot.”
“What’s up?” asked Owen, grabbing his bag. “Oh, and this is yours.” He handed her the dagger.
She smiled. “Thanks! It appears that something was going on with Mr. Warcola. Apparently, his wife turned into a zombie and, all this time, he’s been treating her with a zombie vaccine or something.”
“Weird,” he said. “But I thought you said she died?”
“Well, that’s what he’s told everyone. And, I didn’t see anyone else at his apartment. Errr, well, I didn’t check the closets. Hmm.”
“OK. So, what are we doing? I don’t see the problem.”
“Oh! Right,” she said. “Apparently, his wife got out and has eaten someone or something. She’s on the loose.”
He laughed. “Of course. Let’s go.”
They decided to carpool and went in her vehicle. They drove to Mr. Warcola’s building. Sergeant Bourne was already there, along with the mayor. As they walked closer, they could hear an argument.
“It’s over, Jane. I can’t deal with this anymore,” yelled Sergeant Bourne.
“Fine. You’re too judgmental anyway,” said Jane. She left.
“What’s happened?” asked Charlie. “Stewart called to say we had to deal with a zombie.”
“I had my wife locked up, but she took a chunk out of my arm, then ran away,” said Mr. Warcola, holding out his arm.
“I’ve called for an ambulance,” said Jay, opening up a first-aid kit. He applied some gauze to the wound.
“OK. We’re going in,” said Charlie. Owen followed behind.
“Please don’t kill her!” cried out Mr. Warcola.
Jay had to restrain him. “Unfortunately, that’s what happens to zombies,” said Jay.
“But what about zombie rights?” said Mr. Warcola. “Zombies should have rights too.”
“Nope,” said Jay, holding him still. The sounds of sirens were heard in the distance.
Charlie and Owen ran into the apartment building. They began their search at Mr. Warcola’s residence, but the place was empty. They even searched in the closets and behind the curtains but found nothing. A small trail of blood was on the floor, but that would be his.
They headed back into the hallway. Screams came from the end.
“That way,” said Charlie, leading the way.
The zombie had managed to get into one of the other apartments. The door was open so Charlie popped her head in.
“Hello, kids,” she said. “I suggest you close your eyes.” The zombie was trying to get past the couch to where three kids were huddled in front of the TV.
She ran in and quickly took down the zombie. The female zombie dropped to the ground. “Well, that was easy,” said Charlie, backing away. “Don’t worry, kids. We’ll get the police to remove the body, then you can go back to your video games.”
Owen looked frantically into the room. “Charlie!” he yelled out. “Look out! She’s still alive!”
“What the hell?” said Charlie, turning around. Sure enough, the zombie was moving. It jumped up and leapt at her. They grappled together. The zombie was aiming for her throat, which wouldn’t be good. These zombies couldn’t transfer the virus to humans, but they could certainly kill them in other ways, such as eating them, or ripping out their throats.
Charlie kicked the zombie’s kneecap and it fell to the ground. “Quick, Owen, help me get her out of here!” She grabbed one arm, while Owen grabbed the other. “Bye, kids!” called out Charlie.
They dragged the zombie body out of the apartment and into the hallway.
Owen pulled out his dagger and aimed for its eye socket. It didn’t even slow the zombie down. “What the? Zombies that don’t die?”
Charlie’s energy came back. “Let’s get her outside.”
Holding onto her tight, they dragged the zombie down the hall to the exit. Once outside, they pulled the body into the driveway.
“We need to burn it,” said Charlie.
Owen frantically looked through his bag. “Here, body oil and a lighter.”
Charlie rolled her eyes but grabbed them. She poured the oil over the zombie. Then she flicked the lighter on and touched it to its dress. The body quickly caught on fire.
The teens backed off. At the same time, they heard yelling in the distance.
The zombie’s entire body caught on fire. It rolled around on the road and tried to stand up, but soon it was too late for fighting. Eventually, the fire destroyed whatever spark it had left in its brain. The body finally lay prone.
“It’s best we leave it to burn fully,” said Sergeant Bourne running up to them.
In the distance, Mr. Warcola had been handcuffed to the police car while he was being treated for his wound.
“Is that necessary?” asked Owen. “That was his wife.”
Jay shrugged. “I’ll undo him and he’ll be taken to the hospital.”
“That was crazy,” said Owen, as they headed off to brief Stewart on what had happened.
zzz
They had their usual meeting with Stewart in his living room. All three teens were seated around the couch sipping their sodas.
“I still don’t know what happened to me,” said Charlie.
“I really hate when people mess with science and spells,” said Stewart. “Apparently, Mr. Warcola was using both magic and the zombie vaccine to keep his wife alive after she’d had a stroke at home, or fake-alive as we can call it. While he was reciting a spell, you must have been drawn into it. It was a good thing it was only temporary.”
“That’s crazy,” said Owen. “What was he feeding her?”
“I don’t want to know,” said Zan.
“Also, my ghost zombie issue hasn’t been resolved,” said Owen.
Stewart sighed. “I’ll come by tomorrow and help you out with that.”
“Or not,” said Owen. “No one is taking me seriously because I’m a guy.” Then he laughed.
“How did Mr. Warcola know what spell to use?” asked Charlie.
Stewart shrugged. “That was a witch’s spell, not a zombie spell and it went horribly wrong. His wife must have passed away at home. He reanimated her with the zombie vaccine he acquired through Mayor Jane, and then used the spell. Perhaps Jane also gave him the spell. Now, usually most of those spells don’t work. But they are out there. And I have no control over other spell books, only my own.”
Zan frowned. “But it’s obvious that the zombie vaccine doesn’t work. It didn’t bring her back to life. It only turned her into a zombie.”
“But what happened to her soul in the other dimension? Is she still stuck there?” asked Charlie.
“I don’t think so,” replied Stewart. “I believe you told me she said she was stuck. She should now have gone onto wherever it is we go after we die.”
Charlie smiled, relieved. She’d hate to have been stuck in the dark for the rest of her life, errr, for eternity. “Oh wow. So if someone is a zombie, that’s how they feel? They are stuck in that dimension? So they don’t know what their physical body is doing?”
Stewart nodded. “Exactly, Charlie.
There is nothing that remains in the physical body after death, or even after death and being a zombie. I’m not going to give you a lesson on ethics and morals, but turning people into zombies is just wrong, whether you’re doing it for evil purposes or to try and save them. It really messes with where the soul is meant to be.”
They sat and thought about that for a minute.
“Wait a minute,” said Charlie, breaking the silence. “What if the zombie vaccine were given to a live person?”
Zan shuddered. “I don’t think that’s how the vaccine works. Look what it did to a dead person. Imagine what it would do to a living per… say, gotta go. I have to um, meet my dad for a drink.” She grabbed her purse and headed out.
“Bye, Zan,” everyone called after her.
Zan smirked as she headed to her car. She didn’t have the expertise to fully analyze a zombie vaccine, but she knew exactly what she was going to do with the sample she had stolen from Dr. Arora’s townhouse.
Chapter 6
________________________________________
Zan wandered around the small boutique. It was filled with many wonderful handbags, jewelry, accessories, and gifts. She surreptitiously peered at the salesperson at the counter. When the time was right, she lifted a large, bright red handbag from the display stand and slipped it over her arm.
She then proceeded to walk up and down the aisles, dropping items into the purse. Finally, she headed for the exit.
“Thank you!” she called out to the salesperson. The salesperson waved back and then returned to what she was doing.
Bag in hand, Zan left the store. Then she waited. And waited. And nothing happened. “Screw it,” she muttered, and went back into the store. She dropped the bag back on the rack. She looked up, but the salesperson wasn’t even paying attention to her.
She turned and walked out. “OK. Where to next?” she whispered to herself. She walked into the candy shop next door. “Not what I need, but it might work.”
She wandered around viewing the displays. Every single item contained some form of sugar. She reached into a display case that contained gummy bears and grabbed a few. She popped them into her mouth. Then she ate some gummy worms.
She saw a fridge at the back of the store. “Cool,” she said, finding pineapple soda. She reached in and took one out. Then she twisted the cap off and proceeded to drink it.
“We’re not a cafe,” called out the young shop clerk.
She looked up at him and shrugged. “Sorry,” she said. She smiled and continued drinking her soda. She found the chocolates and unwrapped one of the bars and ate it.
“I hope you enjoyed that,” called out the guy.
She left the bottle on the counter and then headed to the door.
“OK, so, that’s $7.99,” he said, tallying up what she had consumed. “Um, miss, aren’t you going to pay?”
“Nah,” she said, lingering by the door.
“But that’s shoplifting,” he said. “I’ll have to call the cops.”
“Oh, OK,” she said, lingering by the door. “I can wait.”
“Errr,” he started to say, confused. Shoplifters usually took off right away. “Say, I know about you. You’re one of those homeless people. You don’t have money to buy stuff, right?” He looked at her with a snooty expression on his face.
She laughed. Homeless, right.
“And, I’ll bet you do stuff to get arrested, right? So you have a warm bed at the city jail for the night? It’s a ploy that many make. However, there are many nice homeless shelters around, and you’ll be grateful that you can stay in one, rather than building up a criminal record.” He rummaged under the counter. “Let’s see. Here it is!” He held up a business card. “I have the address for a women’s shelter right here.” He came out from behind the counter to give it to her.
By the time he reached her, Zan had pulled out a twenty-dollar bill.
“Keep the change,” she said and left. She shook her head. “What does a girl have to do to get arrested around here?”
If her lock-picking skills were any good, then she could simply pick the lock at the city jail and get Ray. But she really didn’t have a clue. She wasn’t like Charlie, who had actually worked for a locksmith during her time in Texas.
Well, there was only one thing left to do. She pulled her smartphone out of her pocket. “Hello? Charlie? I need some help.”
zzz
“Do you spend a lot of time with your friends?” asked Paulo, sipping his coffee.
She nodded. “Yes, I do,” Charlie admitted.
“Well, I hope you can free up some time to spend with me,” he said.
She smiled at him. “I’ll do my best, but I have to take this stupid summer class because the teachers couldn’t add up my grades properly.” She rolled her eyes.
“Oh, well, I can help you with your homework if you want,” he offered.
“Nah, I already know everything. It’s just a matter of showing up every time and taking the final exam.”
“Well, I’m here if you need me.”
They put their chairs together and gave each other a hug. It was good to have a boyfriend again. She hadn’t had one since 10th grade in Texas, and even then, that had just been a platonic relationship. Hugging him felt good.
zzz
Owen was suffering from a lack of sleep. He was so paranoid that the zombies would jump out at him at any moment. When his parents were away, he tried having a nap in their room for a bit. At least he could get a few hours here and there. When he’d checked with his parents, they said they hadn’t seen or heard anything unusual around the house.
One of the factors contributing to his lack of sleep was that the ghost zombies could hurt his parents. He could look after himself, but they were oblivious as to what was happening. So far, the zombies had been no threat, as they didn’t have a physical presence. But whoever was sending them to his house may just be working at changing that. He decided to have a short nap to catch up on sleep.
He finally woke up from his latest slumber, and then headed to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. As he rounded the corner, he thought he heard sounds. He walked into the kitchen, but he didn’t see anyone there.
Then he saw a knife rising into the air. It had been situated within a knife block on the counter. He wasn’t used to fighting off knives. Usually zombies had no weapons on them. Their arms, legs, and mouth were their weapons. The knife came at him. He ducked and it hit the wall behind him. He turned and looked at the wall in shock.
How was he going to explain to his parents about the damaged wall? Perhaps he could patch that up before they arrived home. He turned and looked back at the rest of the knives in the block. Then, before his eyes, a zombie materialized. It soon turned to a solid form.
He went to yank the knife from the wall. He tossed it in the direction of the zombie. The knife went through the zombie, then hit the back counter and bounced around for a bit before settling in place. While the knife didn’t cut the zombie, it soon dissipated back into thin air.
“That’s crazy!” cried Owen.
zzz
Charlie was having a great time with Paulo. They chatted and laughed about many things. And then her phone buzzed. She was annoyed as she grabbed it to look at the screen.
“Sorry, I’d better take this.”
Paulo looked disappointed.
“You want to what?” she said. “Zan? I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Ray may not know anything. OK. I’ll meet you there.” She hung up.
“What is it?” asked Paulo. “You have to leave?”
“Oh, yep. My friend’s mom just died and she needs help with something. Sorry.” Her phone buzzed again. “What now?” She answered. “Hi. What do you mean there are more ghost zombies? Right now? Zan is in trouble. I have to go help her out first, but then I’ll be at your place.” She turned off her phone.
Paulo looked extremely interested. “What was that about? Zombies?”
She shook her he
ad. “Oh, Owen is just playing a stupid video game. I have to go to Zan first.” She finished off her drink and got up. “It’s been fun. Let’s do it again.” She went to Paulo and gave him a hug.
With a sad expression on his face, he watched her leave the coffee shop.
zzz
“OK, Zan. This better be good,” said Charlie. They were seated in her vehicle and very close to the police station. “Why can’t you just sweet talk Sergeant Bourne? He’ll find out what Ray knows.”
Zan looked uneasy. “Jay already knows what Ray knows. Or he won’t give up what he knows. I thought if I could get inside to see him, that maybe I could persuade him to divulge certain information we don’t already have.” She shrugged nonchalantly.
Charlie turned and glared at her. “You mean you want to beat him up to make him talk?”
Zan shook her head. “Really? When have I ever done that to humans? Who do you think I am?” She looked offended.
“Uhhh. Sorry,” said Charlie. “It’s like we go around in circles and never get to the root of the problem.”
“This Ray guy knows something, that’s for certain. My mom got killed in his zombie factory. I think that he’ll sympathize with me and give me the info I want.”
“OK,” said Charlie. “But I don’t like it. Let’s not tell Stewart. He doesn’t like breaking and entering, or anything that will get us arrested.”
Zan smiled. “Sure.”
The young women exited the vehicle and headed around to the back of the police station. This was a smaller community police station, but Zan was a hundred percent certain it was where Ray was being held. Soon he’d be transferred to a state prison, so this was her one last chance to do what had to be done.
They headed up to the back door. If anyone questioned them, they could just say they needed to report a bike theft or something.