by Katz, Gayle
She laughed. “Just kidding. Zlayers can’t have normal relationships anyway.”
He frowned. “They can’t?”
“Nope. Because someone will eventually get killed.”
“I see.”
“Yep, when I was working Dallas, I had a boyfriend. And he got killed. It was all my fault,” she said, opening up. They were seated at the back of bio class. No other students had come in yet.
“I’m sorry to hear that. But how was it your fault? It’s not your fault there are zombies and zleaders. You didn’t directly kill him.”
“Well, I needed bait and instead of sending someone in with experience, I sent him in. I was mad at him for forgetting my birthday. I did it out of spite. After he was gone, I really blamed myself.”
He shook his head. “You couldn’t have known that. You were only mad. Sounds to me like it was his fault. Isn’t there that old saying, ‘you reap what you sow’?”
She sighed. “Well, yes, I know. His actions led to it. But then, so did mine. Anyway, thanks for listening,” she said, as the first students came into the classroom.
“If you want to talk about it some more, then let me know.” He sat back and flipped open his notebook.
zzz
“This is a great idea,” said Zan. “I haven’t been out in ages. Though I hope this isn’t a zombie flick.”
“Nah,” said Owen. “Oh, and I watched some this week. They are hilarious. Not quite like real life,” he explained.
Charlie smirked knowingly. “Maybe that can be my adult career. Zombie expert,” she said.
“Hey, good one!” said Zan. “You can charge $1,200 per hour, like lawyers do.”
Charlie smiled.
They enjoyed watching their non-zombie movie, but it was mostly an action flick with little plot line to it. However, it was just what the teens needed to wind down after a tough week. Charlie was surprised to see Owen adapting so well. She wondered if he was going to turn into a zlayer. After all, they all had to start somewhere.
In the beginning, she had killed one or two zombies. Then, Stewart had initiated contact, saying that she was a zlayer. Once you were chosen, you had no options. It was your calling and you had to do it. The time to back down was earlier, when you could call the cops instead of killing the zombies.
The credits had just started rolling when the power went out.
“Hey!” said Zan.
“What the?” asked Owen.
Charlie was already up and out of her chair. She pulled her dagger from the back of her pants pocket. She always had it on her, no matter what. The other dagger was tucked inside a belt that pressed up against her skin. She kept that one concealed.
Most of the theater’s attendees quickly left the room. Some used their cellphones as flashlights to navigate their way out.
“Excuse me, what’s going on?” asked a young woman. She was with her boyfriend, who was holding up his smartphone.
Owen chuckled.
“The power has gone out,” said Charlie. “I think we just need to leave so they can fix the issue.”
They headed into the lobby.
“My name is Sara, and this is Ce,” she told them.
Charlie was distracted. She wasn’t here to make friends. She wanted to make sure that everyone would be safe. “Err, hi, Ce. That’s an unusual name.”
“It’s short for Cedar,” said the guy.
“Cool,” said Owen. “I’m Owen, and that’s Charlie and Zan.” They all shook hands.
zzz
The group headed into the lobby. Most of the people had left by now. After a minute or two, the lights came back on again. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“Say, it was fun meeting you,” said Charlie. “Let’s get together for a movie in the future,” she said. It would be nice to hang out with normal people for a change.
The couple waved at them and left.
“See ya!” said Zan, heading to her car.
“Oh man, I think I have PTSD or something. I thought we were doomed,” said Owen.
“I know,” said Charlie. “I don’t trust when anything goes wrong anymore. I’m always jumpy. That’s why I want to retire from this.”
“Don’t blame you,” said Owen. “Me too.”
“Oh, it’s easy for you. Just say no,” she said.
“But my friends are at risk,” he said.
She smiled, grateful to have a friend who had her back.
“I still feel a bit bad for bailing out on you before though.” They headed to her car. She’d driven it home from school the day after all the excitement happened.
“Please, say no more. I’d have done the same.” She thought for a bit. “I think there’s something I need to ask Gran.”
“OK. I’ll see you at school on Monday.” She stopped the car in front of his house. They both said their goodbyes.
Charlie drove home and parked her car in the driveway, and then carefully exited her vehicle. She peered around, but there were no zombies. Gran’s house was as clean and pristine as Stewart had left it the other night. But she knew Tonia wouldn’t just come charging out at them. The zombie was smart.
“Umm, wait,” she said to herself. “How had she known to come here? Does she know I’m a zlayer? And if so, how did she figure it out?” She pondered the issue. She sat on the front steps of her house. Tonia had seen her at the camp. But that wasn’t any indication that she was a zlayer. She hadn’t had the special dagger. And she wasn’t the only Oregonian who carried around knives and daggers, let alone guns.
“Eff it,” she said to herself. “Someone told her who I am.”
“Hi, dear,” said Gran, coming out onto the porch. “Who told her?” she asked.
“Gran, it’s not a coincidence that we’ve been targeted. I believe someone told Tonia I’m a zlayer. They get off on these things.”
“I know, dear. I wanted to tell you the other night, but you were exhausted. And even if someone tipped her off, she would have figured it out eventually.” Gran gave her a hug, which she willingly took.
“So, who could it have been? Is it possible that Zan is still tied to the zombies, despite the reverse spell?”
“I don’t think so,” said Gran.
“Then there is Owen, Stewart, Principal Allan, and Ben. I just can’t see it,” she said.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually,” Gran said.
“Well, it worries me. It’s like the zombies are up to something,” she said.
Gran nodded knowingly. “The zombies are always up to something. It’s like they want to conquer the world.”
“Say, Gran. I have a question for you.”
“Yes, dear?”
“How old were you when you retired? I mean, from zombie slaying?”
“Back then, there were more than just zombies, but if you want to know… Let’s see,” she said. “I tried a few times but then went back to it. I think I was 32 years old when I stopped.”
“Wait. More than just zombies?” Charlie questioned.
“Stories for another time, dear,” Gran replied.
“That’s fine, I guess. And you were 32?!” Charlie exclaimed. “Darn it, that’s a long time.”
“It should have been sooner, but there weren’t enough people like us back then. And there have been zombies as far back as the 18th century, at least that I’m aware of. It’s believed that they are a human creation.”
Charlie looked at her. “I don’t doubt it. Still, I was hoping I could retire a lot sooner and lead a normal life.”
“I know. Perhaps you can clear up this infestation, kill the zleader, and get back to your schoolwork.”
Charlie smiled.
zzz
Charlie’s phone got a text. She picked it up and looked at it.
“Hey, movie at 2 pm on Saturday?” texted Sara.
“Yeah,” Charlie texted back. “How did you get my #?”
“From Owen,” texted Sara. “He’s in the same calculus cla
ss as Ce.”
“Perfect,” she texted back, then closed her phone.
She headed off to her meeting with Stewart. At his house, they chatted about Tonia.
“OK, so Tonia knows where you live. Let’s see if we can figure out as much information about her as she knows about you,” said Stewart.
“Well, she’s at our school. I don’t know much more than that,” she replied.
Stewart picked up a legal folder and flipped through the papers inside.
“She’s a cheerleader, apparently, or at least was, until she quit last week. She’s been at the high school since 10th grade. She’s originally from Seattle. Generally, she does well in class, mostly As and Bs, but her marks have taken a dive this past week. She also has attendance issues.”
“Well, that’s the norm for a zleader,” said Charlie. “Did she even show up for class the past couple of days?”
He shook his head.
“Darn. I guess it won’t be easy finding her.”
“I suggest we head to her house to see if she’s there,” said Stewart.
She nodded. “Great.” She stood up, patting herself down to make sure she had both of her daggers on her. “I’d like to deliver the final blow so we can get back to normal again.”
Stewart smiled. “I’ll leave you to it. I have to grade some papers.”
Charlie stomped to the door. “That’s just great,” she said, as she took the slip of paper that Stewart handed to her. “And it’s friggin’ in Vancouver. It’s going to be an all-night investigation.” She opened the door.
“Good luck,” Stewart called after her. “Don’t forget…”
“To check in,” she completed his sentence for him. She left.
zzz
“Stupid Vancouver,” said Charlie, driving to the address on the small slip of paper. “Might as well be in Vancouver, Canada.” It was during rush hour traffic so movement was slow. She finally was able to cross the bridge, leave Oregon, and enter the Vancouver in Washington State.
“Geez, why do people live over here and commute to school?” She knew that many of the students and teachers had at least a 45-minute commute each day, longer if they got stuck in traffic.
She finally found the address and drove by the driveway. The house wasn’t as well kept as Gran’s house was and all of the decorative foliage was overgrown. She decided to park the car a block away so she could discreetly go in if she had to.
Chapter 12
________________________________________
“I’m going in,” she texted Stewart.
“Good,” he said. “Let me know if you need anything.” She put her phone away, got out of her car, and pretended she was only walking down the street.
The first time she simply walked past. It appeared to be like any other house on the block. She headed around the block to check to see if there was a back alley, but there wasn’t. It was a crowded urban layout where residents parked their cars on the street. She returned from the direction she had arrived.
Charlie walked up the steps to knock on the door. There was no response. She tried three times, peering in through the glass window at the top of the door, and then leaning over the side to peer in through the larger window. She decided to try the doorbell. No response. She walked down the steps and checked out the back. In the back, there was a small open carport with no vehicle in it.
She headed to the back door and tried the knob. It opened. Glancing around quickly, she went inside. She closed the door behind her so she wouldn’t draw attention to the house.
Inside, she quickly found the light switch. She flicked it on. “What the?” she said.
In front of her were three people tied up and on the ground. She raced up to one of them and pulled off the duct tape covering her mouth.
“Oh, thank god! We’ve had no food or water for three days!”
Charlie quickly undid the ropes binding her hands, and then untied the father and son who were also tied up. She helped rid them of duct tape and ropes.
She raced into the bathroom just off to the side and found a glass. She turned on the tap and let it fill the glass. She quickly raced back out and handed the water to the child first. They each took sips.
“What happened?” asked Charlie.
“Oh my god. Our teenage daughter tricked us. She got us down here and then tied us up.”
“Was it Tonia?” asked Charlie.
“Yes,” said the father.
“She’s never acted up before,” said the mom.
“Well, we have to notify the police,” said Charlie. “She’s gone too far.” She dialed 911 and placed the call. Now that there was good reason to contact the police, they could be on the lookout for a teenage girl bearing her description. More eyes meant that she would be found sooner.
When the MISSING warning went out, it also bore the disclaimer “armed and dangerous. Notify the police and do not approach.”
Fortunately, none of the family had been bitten. Charlie didn’t even mention to the paramedics that was a possibility.
“OK, if we’re done here, I’m heading home,” said Charlie.
“Yes, thank you for helping,” said Sergeant Bourne.
Charlie walked back to her car. Another dead end.
zzz
“Well, I managed to rescue the family, but Tonia was not in sight.”
“OK, well, try her workplace next,” he suggested.
“Do you know where that was?” she asked.
“I can find out,” he said. He called back two minutes later.
“OK, so she worked at a place called The Bean Trip on Main Street.”
“Argh!” she said. “Everything is connected together.”
“Oh, you already have a lead?” he asked.
“Yep, on it,” she said as she hung up. “OK, what was the name of that guy who worked the shop? Umm, Steve, the barista, that’s it. Shoot, but I don’t know his last name. Hmmm.”
She hated driving in downtown Portland, so she parked her car blocks away where she didn’t have to pay the Parking Kitty. It’s not like she got reimbursed for expenses after all. Though she didn’t really need to be reimbursed. She was set in her old ways, even if she didn’t have to worry as much about money now that she lived with Gran.
She walked on foot. She passed the big block of Main Street Books, and then headed across the street to where The Bean Trip had been. Part of the building still remained, charred and burned out.
She walked up, waving her hand in front of her face. There was a strong smell of burnt wood in the air along with a big condemned notice attached to what remained of the door. Beside it, another notice thanked all their customers, but the owner had decided to retire and wished everyone the best. The owner was just listed as Eli.
A few doors down was a small clothing store. Charlie headed that way.
She entered the store and heard the bell ring above her.
“Hi,” she said to the store clerk. “Do you know Eli or Steve who worked at the coffee shop next door?”
“Hi,” said the man behind the cash register. “That would be Eli Moon. He left for Seattle with the insurance money saying he wouldn’t be back. Why?” he asked. He was tidying the countertop.
“I found a wallet belonging to Steve,” said Charlie, lying. “But his ID has his old address on it. I need to find out where he lives, or if he works somewhere else.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” the clerk said. “I heard he works at the supermarket down the street now.”
“That’s great. Thank you,” she said, peering behind him. There was a backpack on the back counter. It was open with its contents spilling onto the surface.
She frowned. “Say, that’s not zrug, is it?” she asked.
The clerk frowned, then smiled. “It is, but it’s all mine. It’s the last of it since that shop shut down. I don’t know where else to get it. Any ideas?” he asked, flinging his scarf back.
“No. You should find some weed instead. That
stuff’ll turn you into a zombie,” she suggested.
She left the shop, now on the hunt for the supermarket down the street.
zzz
“Hello, remember me?” said Charlie.
Steve nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw her. “Say, umm, hi,” he said, pushing his bangs back.
“Hi,” she said, smiling at him.
“What’s up?” he asked. He leaned in close to her. “I don’t make or sell drugs any more.”
“It’s not that,” she said. “I was wondering if you know Tonia?”
“Tonia?”
“Yep. High school girl, 11th grade. Has blonde hair, is short and petite. Has an attitude. Is a zombie.”
“I thought you killed them all,” he whispered back at her, nervously peering around the meat counter.
“Nope. I’m looking specifically for her.”
He shook his head. “I haven’t seen her, only worked with her. We don’t socialize at all.”
“Darn it,” she said. “My leads are going nowhere.” She handed him a card. “If you hear anything from her or about her, I’d appreciate it if you gave me a call.”
He nodded.
She left and headed back to her car. This left only one lead open to her. She was going to have to go and visit Stan and John again. If they were still selling the zrug, then they must know a bit more about their sources and, possibly, Tonia’s whereabouts.
She drove around the corner, as their dumpy apartment building wasn’t that far from the supermarket and coffee shop. She parked a block away and gave a homeless man some change.
Then, she headed for the alley with the apartment. She quickly picked the main entrance lock and walked in.
She quietly moved to the drug dealers’ door, and then tried the doorknob. It was locked. She pulled the brooch off of her jacket again and flipped the long pin out. She used it to pick the door lock. It was fairly simple. These doors hadn’t been updated, and only had a simple lock in the doorknob rather than a deadbolt lock, which was nearly impossible to pick unless you had taken a long and complex lock-picking course.