by Katz, Gayle
“Oh, apparently this code is like a tracking GPS. It can be traced right back to a computer and an IP address. Don’t ask me how it works, but apparently it does.”
“Cool,” said Zan.
“There!” said Charlie, sending the text off to her scammer. “Done!”
zzz
“What the hell?” said Owen, struggling in the back of the van. He tried to pull the side door open, but it appeared to be locked. He kicked the back doors with his feet, but those doors didn’t budge either.
“Hey, take it easy back there,” called out a man. “We’re almost there. We’ll get you the treatment you need.”
“Let me out! I’ll call the cops!” he cried out, patting his pajamas, but not finding his phone anywhere on himself.
“Relax, almost there,” said a woman.
Owen could see them drive into the parking lot of a small motel. Was he being kidnapped? And for what purpose? He had so many questions, and he was going to get answers. They didn’t know he was a truthsayer after all.
The man got out of the van and went to pull open the side door. It slid on its hinges.
“What?” he called out. “Where are you?”
“Do you have him?” asked the woman.
“This is bizarre. I know he was back here. He couldn’t have gotten out as I had clicked the child safety lock.”
“Boo!” yelled someone, leaping out at the man.
“Ahhh!” the man cried. “Oof!” he said as Owen swung a hard punch at him.
“Stop it!” cried the woman. “We only want to question you! It’s nothing weird!”
Owen stopped. “Nothing weird? You grabbed me off the street! My parents will be furious!”
“No! No! It’s nothing like that,” she said. “Oh, don’t bite him!”
Owen looked confused. “Huh? What? I’m not biting anyone… oh.” Then he laughed. “You thought I was a zombie? That’s why you grabbed me.”
“Err, yes,” the woman said. “Sorry. I can see now you’re not.”
“Can we go inside and talk?” asked the man. “I’m Colin, and this is Adrienne. We’re from the FDA.”
“The FDA?” asked Owen. “You were talking to Stewart and Sergeant Bourne earlier?”
Adrienne looked at Colin in anger. “Well, so much for keeping it under wraps.”
Owen followed them into one of the ground floor units. “Hey, it’s my team and we share everything with each other. The few times we didn’t, things didn’t go well. So now we have a pact to share.”
“I see,” said Adrienne. “It’s a good thing we found your team then, as you seem the most competent so far.”
“Please, take a seat,” said Colin. “Do you want coffee? It’s not half bad what they have here.”
“Oh, and here’s your bag,” said Adrienne, tossing it to him.
“Sure, please,” said Owen, digging into the bag and taking out his ice cream bar to eat. “Since it appears I won’t be heading back to bed any time soon.”
Adrienne sat down beside him on the couch. “Sorry about that,” she explained. “You seemed like you were a zombie.”
Owen sneezed. “I’m starting to feel like one, but it’s just a dumb cold. I was out to get some cough drops.”
“Oh, sorry,” said Adrienne. “We’ll drop you off at the gas station in a bit.”
“Hey, thanks, just what I needed,” said Owen, taking the cup of hot coffee from Colin. “So you guys need some coaching on what a zombie looks like?”
“Hah,” said Colin, handing Adrienne her cup of coffee. “Here’s sugar and creamer if you want.”
“We must admit that we have never seen an actual zombie,” said Adrienne.
“No?” said Owen. “So what’s this about? Why do you want an actual zombie? I think Stewart said someone was trying to make a vaccine?”
“Yep, that’s us,” said Adrienne. “The FDA has heard zombie stories over the past three years. At first, we were doubtful they were true. But after repeated news stories, we have started to realize that there is some truth to them.”
Owen laughed. “Some truth? Mostly truth,” he said. “So you want a zombie to experiment on then?”
“Yep,” said Adrienne. “We used unorthodox methods because obviously a zombie has no rules either.”
“Great. Well, I hope that you don’t just grab someone off the street again.”
“Nope, that didn’t go well. But if they are a zombie, we will still do it.”
Owen stood up. “Next time, leave it to the experts. If a member of my team comes across a zombie, we can bring it in for you.”
“It has to be alive, though,” said Colin.
“I can do that,” said Owen. “But the zombies are under control here. Occasionally, one pops up. But there are no guarantees that any one on my team will get to it. Someone else could kill it first.”
“Well, at this point, even a dead zombie might help,” said Adrienne. “As you can see,” she nodded to the desk on the other side of the room, “we have a small lab set up and are ready to go.”
The desk was covered with three microscopes, an assortment of glass vials and beakers, and a small box of sterile gloves.
“So you’re just going to do an autopsy in this room?” asked Owen, inching toward the door.
“Yes,” said Colin.
“Have you considered contacting one of the scientists at the hospital or one of the laboratories here?”
Adrienne shrugged. “Most don’t have the experience with contagious diseases that we do. Both of us worked Doctors Without Borders in West Africa when they had that big Ebola scare.”
“Yeah, and we were both on the team for developing that vaccine you heard about.”
Owen was at the door now. “Oh right,” he said laughing. “The Ebola vaccine that no one can afford. OK, let me know when you really want to help people and not do it for profit. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to go back home now.”
“No problem,” said Colin, standing up. “I’ll drive you home.”
“Uh, no,” said Owen. “You’ll drop me off at the gas station.” He opened the door and walked out.
“What’s your name again?” asked Colin.
“If you need me, talk to Sergeant Bourne and Stewart,” he replied.
“Let’s get you back,” said Colin. “I apologize again for the inconvenience.”
Owen headed to the van.
“Say, how did you hide in the van when I first opened it? I didn’t see you.”
“You mean, you didn’t see me at first,” Owen replied.
“So, how did you do that?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was right there, to the side of the door.”
zzz
“It’s been fairly uneventful this week,” said Stewart to the three teens after school.
“Well, except for my kidnapping,” said Owen.
“And the bitcoin zombie disposal team scam,” added Charlie.
“I’m proud to say that I haven’t been the target of anybody,” said Zan.
“Good,” said Stewart. “But if we can deliver a zombie to the FDA, I’m certain they’ll greatly appreciate it.”
“A bit more difficult to do when they’re alive,” complained Charlie.
“Yes, but just imagine if they can actually make a vaccine,” said Stewart.
“Then they’ll just sell it to people and those who really need it won’t get it,” said Owen.
“I know, but it’s a start,” said Stewart.
“Any sightings, recently?” asked Zan.
“Any activity from Dr. Arora?” asked Charlie.
Stewart shook his head. “No, all quiet on the western front.”
“Oh, you love that phrase,” said Charlie. “I read that book. It’s something that everyone my age needs to read.”
“I can agree with that,” said Stewart. “I used to teach history, remember?”
“Well, keep us posted,” said Zan. “Apparently, I�
��m now on the scam team or something like that.”
Charlie laughed.
“You’re on what?” asked Owen.
“Bourne has a scam team,” explained Charlie.
“Well, let’s hope he has the time to work on that while the next round of zombies come out to play.”
“Seriously, what is left?” asked Charlie. “If Dr. Arora is baking up new zombies, where could they possibly be this time?”
“Hmm,” said Owen. “Zombies on a train?”
“Ha-ha,” said Zan.
“OK. Well, let’s wrap it up,” said Stewart, standing up. “Unless there are any zombie sightings between now and next week, I think we can skip next week’s meeting too.”
zzz
“Not much happening around here,” said Adrienne, sipping her orange juice in the morning.
“I know,” said Colin. “But I hate to pack it in. After all, we are being paid for being here.”
“Well, why don’t we scope out downtown Portland? There’s got to be some zombies around here somewhere.”
“OK, let me shave and brush my teeth. Then we can do some sightseeing.”
“Great,” said Adrienne. “I hear they have this free train in the heart of Portland.”
Once they were ready, they headed for their vehicle. They’d drive into downtown Portland, then take rapid transit after that.
They had lunch, and then walked to the transit station. A bunch of people from all walks of life were milling around.
“What I’ve noticed here is that people live in harmony with each other,” said Colin, observing the crowd.
“Yeah, that homeless man is standing right beside the well-dressed woman and she doesn’t care,” commented Adrienne. “I guess it’s just the status quo, and everybody is just used to it.”
As they waited, the woman pulled out a five-dollar bill and handed it to the homeless man. He thanked her and quickly tucked it away. A teenager came over and handed him a McDonald’s bag, which he gratefully took.
“It’s good to see the homeless are looked after here, at least a little a bit,” said Adrienne. She sighed. “It makes me wonder though. Mother Nature. She finds ways of keeping the population down.”
“Nah,” said Colin. “We are two steps ahead of her. We’ll get this vaccine made, even if it kills me.”
Adrienne laughed. “I hope not. We need more people on our team like you.”
“I know!” he said. “You too.”
Adrienne’s phone rang. “Why hello, Blake. Thank you for calling. We are just finishing up with lunch.”
Colin peered at her anxiously.
“No, no leads yet on the measles outbreak. We’ve traced it to downtown Portland, where the university is. But we can confirm that there is an outbreak in Portland. Yes. Yes. We are handing off the free vaccines to the hospital this afternoon. Yes, we look forward to seeing you in a week.” She hung up.
Colin sighed. “He doesn’t suspect anything?” he asked her.
She shook her head. “No, they have no idea why we’re really here,” she replied.
“Measles,” said Colin, laughing. “They’re friggin’ worried about a measles outbreak that rarely kills anyone and is easily preventable with a vaccine, unless you’re an anti-vaxxer, while in the meantime, we have a scientist deliberately killing humans.”
“Yep, you know it,” said Adrienne. “Twenty thousand.”
“Huh?” asked Colin, as the train arrived.
“Twenty thousand people have died from zombiosis in Oregon in the past three years.”
Chapter 13
________________________________________
“You gave me your stupid cold!” said Zan over the phone to Owen.
“Sorry!” he replied. “Next time, no kissing!”
“As if! Charlie told me she has a sore throat too.”
“Darn it,” he said. “I didn’t want to pass this onto anybody. Achoo!”
“Well, at least it’s quiet. No zombie sightings. If there are any, Stewart and Jay will just have to take them down without us.”
“Get well soon,” said Owen. “I’m staying in this weekend.”
“Yeah, me too,” she replied, hanging up.
zzz
Adrienne and Colin went to sit near the back of the train.
“Hey, that guy,” said Colin to her.
“He looks sick,” she said.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have taken this train,” said Colin, looking worried.
“But if he is a zombie, then we can get a sample from him,” said Adrienne.
“Right, aim for a sample. There is no way we can take a human hostage here. The police would show, fast.”
“Yes, and try explaining that to our boss,” said Adrienne.
The infected man slowly came down the aisle. By now, the train had started up again. His body shook with the train, but he managed to put one foot in front of the other.
Soon he was at the back of the train where the two FDA agents sat.
He kept on going straight to the back, then couldn’t go any further, as he’d reached the last seat on the train. He kept on trying to move, hands out in front of him.
“Psst,” said Adrienne. “This is the perfect time to get some blood from him, before anyone else comes down to this end.”
“But there is a camera over there,” he whispered back.
“It won’t catch anything. Your body will be blocking what you’re doing.”
“OK, I’m on it,” he said, reaching inside his pocket and standing up.
“Do it before the next stop,” she added, surveying the area around them.
Colin walked down to where the zombie was. He quickly pulled out the syringe. He flicked the blue cap off, letting it drop to the ground.
The male zombie was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, so Colin quickly jabbed the needle into his arm.
The zombie howled, then turned and swatted at Colin. He lost hold of the syringe.
“Dammit!” he cried.
“What is it?” called out Adrienne.
“I lost the syringe.” He was trying to move with the zombie, turning this way and that.
“Got it!” he said, pulling on the plunger, and filling up the vial with blood. He yanked it out of the zombie and dropped it into his pocket.
But the zombie wasn’t happy. He howled again, and then pushed against Colin.
Colin tried to punch him in the face, but the zombie quickly turned his head. He tried to push the zombie away again, but the zombie hit him, sticking him with something sharp.
“Ahhh!” he screamed.
“What’s happening?” called out Adrienne, looking panicked. She stood up.
“Tell my wife and child I love them!” Colin reached forward and clutched his hands around the zombie’s throat. Its neck quickly snapped.
Adrienne stood up. “You have to destroy its brain!”
By now the rest of the train had seen what was happening. The train stopped, and there was a mass exodus off it.
“Here! Use this!” called out Adrienne, handing him a metallic pen.
Colin still hadn’t turned yet, so he took the pen and plunged it into the zombie’s eye socket. The zombie dropped to the ground.
“Quick!” called out Adrienne. “Hand me the syringe!”
But by now, Colin was turning into a zombie. His eyes glowed green. His skin went from a pinkish-red color to a dark gray. His hair started falling out of his head.
“Where is it?” she called out. Could it be in his pocket?
She reached out to touch his pocket. Yes, there it was! She batted his sharp teeth away. He was trying to bite her. Finally, she had the syringe. She dropped it into her own pocket and quickly backed away.
“Hurry, miss!” called out a man behind her. “You don’t mess with zombies! You can be bitten.” He turned and ran out the door, giving up on helping her.
“I know,” she said sadly, not looking forward to making the phone call. She raced for th
e exit, and then ran the rest of the way to her vehicle. It was imperative to get the sample to her lab at the motel quickly.
zzz
Owen’s phone rang. He considered not answering it. “Hello,” he managed to get out. “Zombeez? So sick, can’t even get out of bed. Call Charlie.” He hung up.
zzz
Charlie was also so sick that she didn’t even hear her phone ring.
zzz
Zan threw her phone across the room. “Goodbye,” she muttered.
zzz
“Hee-hee-hee!” Dr. Arora cackled, as she gazed into the crystal ball. “My zlayers are sick with a tiny little cold. Now is the time to take over Portland!” She beckoned to one of her zinions.
“Hey you, come here!” she called out to him. “Here is what you’ll be doing for me.”
zzz
“Hey, sorry to wake you,” Sergeant Bourne said to Stewart over the phone, “but the kids are sick. And there is a zombie outbreak on transit.”
“On transit? Can’t you guys handle it?”
“Well, Norm is on vacation, Lara is sick, and I think John is sick too. It’s like some sort of illness going around. At least I’ve been OK so far. Achoo! Anyway, I’ll be there with backup, if you want to come and help.”
“Great,” said Stewart. “OK, where is it? I’ll go and check it out.”
“Good,” said Bourne. “It’s at Main and 6th. See you there. It’ll be fun!”
“Yeah. I’m sure that’s what it’ll be,” said Stewart, grabbing his pants.
zzz
Adrienne had managed to make it safely back to her motel room. By now, the news had gotten around. Apparently, that one zombie had caused about twenty more zombies. It was like cats or bunnies. One pregnant mother could lead to thousands.