The Zee Brothers: Halloween Holocaust: Zombie Exterminators Vol.3

by Grivante

  JJ hit the end call button. “Well, shit. I’m sorry, little guy." She knelt, patting him on the head, then shifted to find Xanadu watching over them. “What do you think boy, will they be upset if I bring home another stray?”

  Xanadu walked over to where Jefe’ stood, trembling and whimpering next to the gore-strewn pile of his deceased owners and licked his face, comforting and distracting him.

  Jefe’ turned, his lips quivering and letting out a short, sad bark.

  “Ok, ok,” JJ sighed and scooped the little dog into her arms. “Hopefully, they’ll understand.”

  Jonah and Judas appeared a while later, coming from the darkness between two houses. Jonah holding a cigar in his mouth, puffing away. JJ leaned against her Charger, smoking and wearing her leather jacket in the cool morning air. She spotted them and smiled.

  “All clear?”

  “Yeah,” Jonah responded, blowing out a puff of smoke. “A couple of stragglers stuck here and there, but we got ‘em. How were things out here?”

  “Quiet,” she said. “What a mess this turned into.”

  Jonah nodded and glanced around, spying Burt’s costumed form, he sighed and shook his head. “Just once I wish we could save somebody.”

  JJ followed his gaze. “He saved me you know… when they started shooting. He stepped in front of me.”

  “He did?” Judas asked. “That’s not the Burt I remember.”

  JJ turned to him. “He said something earlier, how when there’s nothing left to lose, a person finds their courage. I think he found his.”

  They stood in silence, then JJ spun and opened the door of her Charger. “There’s someone I want you to meet.” She disappeared inside and the brothers exchanged looks of confusion.

  She emerged a moment later, having snatched Jefe’ off the seat where he slept next to Xanadu. “Meet Jefe’,” she smiled and peered at Jonah, whose face had gone stoic, lips tightening. “His owners are over there,” she pointed to the red strip of mush running down the pavement. “And think about it this way,” she caught Jonah’s eye and grinned as big as she could, “we saved this one!”

  Jonah laughed. “It’s a good thing we’ve got a wide-open garage. We may need to convert it into an animal rescue.”

  JJ, beaming from ear to ear, bounced on the balls of her feet before leaning in and kissing Jonah on the cheek. “Thanks for not getting upset. I’ll take care of him. Besides, he and Xanadu are already best buds.”

  Judas reached over and scratched Jefe’ on the chin. “Welcome to the family, little guy.”

  A beeping sounded from Jonah’s pocket and he removed his phone. On the screen, a pop-up message displayed a reminder.

  ‘Judas Driver’s Test in one hour, leave soon to arrive on time.’

  “Shit,” Jonah sighed.

  “What is it?” his brother asked.

  Jonah stared at him. “Your driver’s test.”

  “Oh…” Judas’s face went pale. “With everything going on, I’d for—” He examined the wreckage of their rental car. “I’m not gonna be able to take it in that.”

  “Don’t worry,” JJ tossed her cigarette to the ground, “I’ll let you use the Charger.”

  “Wh-what?” Judas asked, his heart thumping loud enough they could all hear it. “But it’s a stick, isn’t it? Plus, what about Larry?”

  “Put him in the trunk!” JJ laughed. “Won’t be the first time!”

  Jonah agreed. “C’mon bro. You got this. Help me get Larry out and put him in the trunk.”

  They grabbed Larry and hauled him to the back of the car. JJ walked to a nearby yard to take the dogs potty.

  Judas looked inside the trunk while Jonah held Larry still. “We'll need to make more room back here, Jonah.” He picked up a heap of clothes and dropped them back in. “Why does she have so much stuff in here?”

  “Grah!” Larry grunted.

  “I don’t know, bro. Women like to have a cram hole, somewhere to keep things out of sight. Hers must be her trunk.” Jonah shrugged.

  Judas rummaged around, making room for Larry by pushing JJ’s stuff deep into the rear of the trunk, then stopped when he spotted something unusual. “Like this?” He held up a three-foot dark-handled stick, with a two-inch leather tab at the end. Hanging from the tip of the riding crop were a pair of black vinyl panties.

  Jonah’s eyes widened. “Whoa!”

  “Yeah,” Judas replied, setting them aside and pulling out a leather satchel. He unzipped it and gasped, capturing his brother's attention. Sitting on top was a large pink dildo. Underneath it, they found an assortment of items not normally encountered together. Dildos, handcuffs, small ropes, a huge bag of clothes pins and a full bottle of lubricating jelly.

  “What is all this?” Judas spat, looking back and forth from his brother to the bag, “and why does JJ have it in her trunk?”

  JJ walked back from across the street, dogs at her heels and noticed the strange looks on the brother’s faces. “What’s… up?” she asked, then glanced down to discover the leather satchel in Judas’s hands, its assortment of implements on display.

  “Oh… I guess we all have stories to tell,” she blushed and studied the ground at her feet.

  Part XX - Driving Miss JJ

  The Charger lurched its way down the street leaving Burt’s neighborhood, Judas at the wheel. JJ and Xanadu in the passenger’s seat next to him with Jonah and Jefe’ in the back.

  “You got this, sugar.” JJ reached over and put a hand on his leg. “Breathe and relax.”

  He let out a long shuddering breath. “I’m so nervous. I’ve failed this thing so many times, I’m not—”

  “Shh,” she said, patting his leg. “Quiet and focus. I’m gonna tell my story while you drive. You just listen and let your feet do what they’re supposed to. You’re ready for this.”

  “But I—”

  “No ‘buts’, sugar.” She glanced back at Jonah and winked.

  “This thing is much smoother than Sasha’s finicky transmission ever was,” Jonah said. “Remember what we’ve practiced. JJ’s right. You’re ready.”

  Judas looked in the rearview mirror, met his brother’s eyes and nodded. He took a deep breath, reached into his pocket and pulled out a mint. “Ok, yeah. I’m green!” He smiled and popped it in his mouth. “Let’s do this!” The Charger purred around the corner and he slipped it from second gear into third.

  “So,” JJ began, “about the bag…”

  Neither brother spoke. JJ looked back and forth between them, twirling Xanadu’s hair in her fingers nervously. Her cheeks were flushed and she stammered as she let the words start flowing. “Before Xanadu, I was a part-time fetish dominatrix.”

  The car swerved as Judas turned and stared at her, mouth hanging open. “You were a hooker?”

  “No!” JJ snapped, her lips pursing together. “Not a hooker.”

  “Eyes on the road, Judas,” Jonah yelled from the back. “Let her tell her story. None of us are lily white here.”

  JJ lowered her head, stroking Xanadu’s fur while he slept in her lap. “I wasn’t a hooker and I didn’t have sex with people, I helped them explore their fantasies. I was a safe place for them to be accepted.”

  She looked over at Judas, who gripped the wheel tight and kept glancing between her and the road. When she turned to see Jonah’s expression, she found his face to be a stoic mask.

  “So,” Judas asked, “they didn’t pay you to have sex with them?”

  “No, Judas. Mostly, they paid me to beat them. To dress in sexy outfits and let them worship my feet, stuff like that.”

  They drove along in silence for a minute. JJ’s petting becoming more vigorous as she waited for them to say something. Finally, she couldn’t take it any longer and twisted to stare at Jonah. “Well?”

  Judas glimpsed his brother’s face in the mirror and the gears made a crunching sound as he messed up his timing switching from third to fourth.

  “Clutch, shift, gas,” Jonah said in a
monotone voice to his brother. He met JJ’s gaze, raised his eyebrows and said simply, “Ok.”

  JJ’s petting of Xanadu increased in intensity as she stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate. “Ok?” She threw her arms up. “That’s it? What does that even mean, Jonah?” She looked out the window shaking her head. “Oh my god, you hate me, don’t you?”

  “No,” Jonah said. “It’s a surprise, yes. But no, I don’t hate you. Ok meant just that. Ok. I accept you. I accept who you are, who you were and who you will be.” He took in a deep breath and placed a hand on her shoulder as she sniffled.

  She stopped petting Xanadu and rested her own hand on top of his, turning to look at him again with wide wet eyes. “You don’t think I’m a freak or something, do you?”

  “No. I kinda hoped that you were.” He grinned. “Besides, I already knew you were into bondage. You liked the rope work I did, so it’s not a total surprise you have other kinky interests.”

  “I do!” Her face brightened. “I love being restrained. So did many of my clients.”

  “Many?” Judas spat out, the car swerving again. “How many were there?”

  “Judas!” Jonah barked.

  “No, it’s okay, Jonah. I can tell Judas has more questions than you. What is it, honey?” She turned to face him as he drove, noticing as she did that he shifted without even realizing he was doing it.

  “J-just how many were there and what does foot worship look like?”

  She smiled as she spoke. “I had three to four regulars, nice men, professionals, always respectful. And a handful of others, including two women. Everyone liked something different. Some enjoyed watching me wear sexy shoes and nylons. Others wanted to kiss them, suck on my toes, things of that nature.”

  Judas’s face reddened. “Uh, I, um.” He rolled his window down. “That’s kinda sexy. I love women in heels.”

  She laughed. “A lot of people think so, though many are ashamed to admit it. Some have a hard time even accepting these truths about themselves. I made it safe for them to express their desires.”

  Jonah squeezed her shoulder and let go. “It sounds like we’ll be having a lot more interesting conversations in the future.”

  “How are you feeling about this, Judas?” she asked.

  He bit his lip and shifted before pulling to a stop at a red light. “Ok, I guess. It’s just unusual. Kind of a shock, but I’ll get used to it.” He looked at her as the light turned green, he shifted into first and gave the car gas. “It’s kind of exciting too!” he grinned at her. “I’d love to see some of your outfits if you still have them.”

  She laughed, reaching over, touching his thigh, and leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Judas. I still have them but feared you two would hate me.” She sat back and exhaled. “You’re doing awesome at driving by the way. You didn’t even hesitate on the clutch back at the light.”

  Judas shifted into second and then third, smiling at her. “Huh. I am!” his grin widened before abruptly disappearing as JJ turned to Jonah. “So, what’s your story? What happened with this Dr. Nitsau and how can you be certain that woman I saw tonight wasn’t her?”

  Jonah looked her in the eyes, pulled a cigar from his pocket and ran it through his lips. “Well, I wish I could say our story was as benign as yours.” He shook his head.

  A light rain sprinkled the windshield and Judas clicked the wipers on.

  “We used to work for her company, you know that,” Jonah said.1

  “Mhm,” JJ nodded, her hand resting on Xanadu’s head. She breathed deep, fortifying herself against the possibilities of what they had to say, whispering in her head, I will not react, I will not react.

  “We, uh, when we saved her after her experiment got out of control, she hired us to work for her personally. We were her…” he paused, struggling for the right word.

  JJ raised her eyebrows, her anxiety getting the better of her. “You were what? Her henchman? Her minions? Her boys?” This last remark left her cheeks burning.

  Jonah ran the cigar in and out between his lips twice wishing he could light up. Eventually, he nodded. “Yeah, something like that. At first, she had us study all about zombies. The various ways they come back to life and how to kill them. She had an enormous amount of research.” He sighed, shaking his head.2

  “Then she directed us to start the Zombie Exterminators business and license it with the UCA. Only she didn’t want us exterminating the dead, she wanted us to collect them… for her experiments. We’d go out on jobs and bring back as many as we could and then we’d be on duty while she did whatever research she needed to do. Mostly, to make sure things didn’t get out of hand again and to terminate them once they’d run their course. Sometimes, she’d inform us of an outbreak, give us an address and instruct us to exterminate the dead we found there.”

  “How’d she know about these outbreaks?”

  “No idea,” Jonah shrugged. “She was in charge of a large corporation. We weren’t the only employees she had working for her.”

  “And this was for anti-aging research?”

  The Charger lurched again as Judas’s foot slipped while shifting.

  “That what she’d told us at the beginning, but the longer we worked for her, we kinda fell under her spell. She was very charismatic, she had this way about her. We… shit,” Jonah grimaced, biting his lip as if the words themselves were barbed. “Well, she had us do some things that weren’t exactly legal, that weren’t…”

  In the driver’s seat, Judas sniffed and tears ran freely. JJ noticed the wet streams on his face and her heart quickened. “You what?”

  “We abducted someone, someone who had betrayed her. Another scientist. We kidnapped him for her.”3

  JJ’s hand clutched at Xanadu’s fur.

  “We brought him to one of her labs and she used this gas she was developing to turn him into a zombie and experimented on him. Had us feed him corpses until he exploded while she watched and laughed.”

  “Oh my god,” JJ clamped her hand over her mouth. “That’s…” she opened her glove box, pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes, removed one and lit it while lowering her window. She handed the silver lighter with the engraving ‘Bitch’s Bic' on it to Jonah. “Normally, I don’t smoke in or allow smoking in my car… but…”

  He took the lighter, looking at the words engraved on it and running a finger across them, before flicking it open and lighting his cigar.

  JJ watched him study the words on the lighter and explained as he handed it back. “It was a gift from one of my clients. A tribute to who I was to him. He used to enjoy watching me smoke.” She shrugged her shoulders and chuckled at the memory. “I’d wear a slinky dress and smoke cigarettes in those ridiculously long holders and he would…” She took a long slow drag. “Well, he’d enjoy himself.”

  Jonah cracked the back window and blew out a puff of smoke, taking her revelation in stride. “We knew things had gone too far but like I said, she had this way about her and we did things we didn’t want to do. Then one day we discovered her plans. She wasn’t researching anti-aging. She was part of that group of CEO’s they called ‘The Legion of Doom’ they had this competition between them. Dr. Nitsau said it was the underworld equivalent of the X-Prize, except their goal was world domination.”

  “What?” JJ said raising both her eyebrows. Her cigarette already smoked to the filter, she reached for another. “What was her plan?”

  Judas, meanwhile, drove along, sucking on the mint and wiping tears from his face.

  “Yeah,” Jonah continued. “It was insane. Each of them had their own crazy plot to take over the world. Hers was zombies. Only she couldn’t figure out how to control them. She could turn people into them, but they’d be the mindless flesh-hungry creatures we’ve been killing. That’s what she was trying to accomplish, trying to infect large quantities of people and be able to direct them to do her bidding. The fact that she couldn’t drove her mad. She became increasingly unstable and that’s when w
e could see through the cracks in her elaborate facade.”

  JJ’s face tightened as a realization dawned on her. “That means she must’ve figured it out, those zombies tonight—”

  “No,” Jonah glowered. “It can’t be her.”

  “Why not?” JJ asked, glancing at Judas who sobbed and pulled the car onto the shoulder.

  “Because we killed her.”

  They sat in silence, JJ looking from one to the next with her mouth agape. Judas cried, Jonah puffed on his cigar and gazed out the open window.

  JJ flicked her cigarette outside and then opened the glove box, pulling out a small pack of tissues. She placed them on Judas’s lap and turned to Jonah. “What happened?”

  Jonah sighed and continued. “When we uncovered what she was really trying to do, we also discovered she’d been manufacturing this toxic zombie gas. The same stuff we found buried on the Tucker’s farm.4 She was prepping to distribute it to population centers around the world once she mastered her control techniques or, if need be, to use it as a way to stop the other CEO’s from succeeding with their own plans. We confronted her and things turned deadly. We were trapped in a company facility with a bunch of undead employees she poisoned trying to get us. She didn’t go missing all those years ago. We escaped the building, trapped her inside with them, and blew the place up.”

  Jonah looked right at JJ. “We killed her, the zombie employees, and destroyed the gas she’d manufactured.”

  JJ’s mouth hung open and she repeated her earlier exclamation. “Oh my god! This is…” she drifted away, staring out the front window, then snapped back to glare at him. “But tonight? Someone’s completed her work. Someone figured out how to do what she couldn't.”

  Jonah nodded. “It certainly looks that way.”

  “And you’ve no idea who?”

  “No. There were many people that worked for her, other scientists, security personnel, assistants, but I don’t know anyone that knew her real plans. After we… after we blew the facility up, we left. Eventually, we decided we were pretty good at zombie exterminating, so we applied for a new permit from the UCA, went to work, and never looked back. We figured it was best to try to forget everything that had happened.”