Existing Dead

by Lyle Perez-Tinics

  “Did he …?” Albert asked as he shrugged forward.

  “Yeah.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. That piece of shit got what he deserved.”

  Doctor Greenly snapped a smelling salt and began waving it under Victor’s nose. The boy didn’t respond. He waved it again a few more times, but still, nothing. Greenly checked his blood pressure and heart rate. The diagnosis was something they weren’t prepared for.

  “What’s wrong?” Kyle asked.

  “He’s not responding. Is this the boy’s first concussion?” Greenly asked, again looking at the boy’s face.

  “No.” Kyle began to reel through his memories. “There was the time with the dynamite.”

  “Dynamite?” Albert interrupted. “What the hell were you two doing out there?”

  “Surviving.” Kyle quickly answered. “That was the first time. Then after he was raped. That’s two, so this makes three.” Kyle reflected on the fact that Victor had sustained more injuries than he.

  “Oh, no,” Greenly said throwing the salt into a waste basket. He opened Victor’s left eye lid and reached for the light in his coat pocket. Victor did not respond to the beam of light being flashed in his eyes. He put the light away and pitched Victor on the forearm. Victor flinched and his right eye half opened, then closed. “Victor, can you hear me?” Greenly said. “Victor, if you can hear me, try to say hello.” Victor’s lips did not move. Greenly grabbed his arm again and was about to give Victor another pinch, hoping that the boy would recoiled, he did not. Greenly sighed and said, “I’m afraid that Victor might have lapsed into a coma.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The room fell silent. Kyle didn’t know what to say, or even think about the situation. He was in shock and felt guilty that it was his fault.

  “Will he wake?” Albert asked.

  “That’s something I cannot answer. Without the proper monitoring equipment, I can’t offer any more information. All I can say is that he is mostly unresponsive. If he does not awake in the next few hours, I can confirm he is in a comatose state. Only thing we can do is hope he makes it through the night and wakes soon. His breathing is steady, which is the only good news.”

  Kyle remained in shock. All he could do was stare at Victor’s body. The boy looked as though he was taking a nap and nothing more.

  Greenly began to put his medical supplies away and found a blanket and pillow. He placed the pillow under the boy’s head and covered him with the blankets. “There’s nothing we can do but wait.”

  All of the good memories with Victor played in Kyle’s head like a movie. From the moment they first met at the gas station to where they were now. But then, he remembered something, something that he had been distracted from. The reason why he was in this mess in the first place. Jasmine.

  “I’m in the middle of a new breakthrough,” Doctor Greenly mentioned before walking out the door. “I didn’t forget about our question and answer session, Kyle. Give me two hours. By then I may have even more useful information.”

  Kyle nodded.

  “Albert, find something for Kyle to do. Boredom is something we cannot risk in times like this.”

  Before Doctor Greenly closed the door behind him, Kyle said, “I need a vehicle.” Greenly doubled back into the room. “Your men,” he turned to Albert, “and woman, shot up my truck. I need a replacement.” His voice carried through the room with authority. He was back to his normal self. Jasmine was back in his mind. He couldn’t afford any more time lost.

  Doctor Greenly clapped his hands together and said, “Ah, yes. That won’t be a problem. Albert, take him to the parking lot to check what we have. He is free to take anything he needs.”

  That was easy, Kyle thought. No more than an hour ago, Albert had told him that he would leave with whatever he came with and nothing more. Why was Greenly so easily swayed? Kyle nodded as Greenly left the room.

  “You heard the man,” Kyle said.

  Albert snickered and opened the door. Kyle left the items he had with him next to Victor and followed Albert. He led him down the hall and through another set of gates. Not a single word was uttered as they walked. There was a tension between them, but Kyle didn’t know why.

  They walked through gates that were between the cafeteria and gym. There was an open space where to his left were portable classrooms and to his right was the back of the gym. More mustard plants were planted in almost every open spot of dirt.

  The men continued walking passed the classroom until they reached another set of gates. Beyond the gates was a large parking lot about two acres wide full of vehicles. When the plague hit, most of the students here didn’t have enough time to get to their cars.

  “Take your pick,” Albert said.

  Kyle walked in front of Albert as he strolled up and down the aisles, looking at all the cars. He saw a truck that was similar to his; it was no surprise that this was the vehicle he wanted. “I want that one.”

  “The black one?”

  “Yeah, it’s stick shift, lightweight and has room to carry supplies.”

  Albert took something out of his pocket. It looked like a car antenna after he grabbed it by the ends and extended it. He examined the modified curve with a hook at one end, checking it was in order. He then pulled out a small flat-head screwdriver from his pocket and used it to pop the plastic where the glass and door met. He stuck the antenna down the open gap in the drive side door. It didn’t take long for him to lift the locks.

  “Done this a lot?”

  Albert ignored Kyle and opened the door. Closing his instrument, he sat and began work on the starter. Using the screwdriver, he jammed it into the ignition keyhole and twisted. The truck started without a problem. The fuel gauge rose a little above half a tank. Kyle stood by the door watching Albert as he worked.

  “Do you know how to siphon gas?” Albert asked.

  Kyle grinned. “I’ve done it a few times.”

  “Good. Then you’ll have no trouble getting gas when you leave tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  Albert took the screwdriver out of the starter and handed it to Kyle. “Here’s your key.”

  “Don’t you need to hold on to this?”

  “No, we have enough screwdrivers.”

  “Did I do something to offend you?” Kyle asked.

  “I envy you. You have something I no longer have. Hope. You have a mission. I had one too, but I failed. Everyone I loved is dead.”

  A surge of sympathy hit Kyle. He did have a mission. Jasmine.

  “Hey, Albert,” Carter called from the roof of the classroom.

  Albert looked up in his direction. “What?”

  “Get up here.”

  “Duty calls,” he said looking at Kyle then covered his mouth so that Carter couldn’t see. Under his cupped hand he muttered, “Act normal.”

  Kyle continued looking around the car as if he hadn’t heard him. “What?” he whispered once he turned to look out the back window.

  “Take me with you. Please.” Albert paused. “We’ll talk later.” He removed his hand away from his mouth and looked up at Carter.

  Kyle tried to act as normal as possible. Carter stared down at the two men. He gave a quick nod to Albert.

  “What should I do for now?” Kyle inquired.

  “Clean out the car. When you’re done go to the cafeteria. They may need help preparing dinner.”

  Albert walked behind the classroom building and climbed to the roof with Carter. Kyle heard them talking while he cleaned the trash from the truck. Before he knew it, he was done.

  The walk back to the cafeteria didn’t take long. He entered through the same door as before. Inside the room were three men. One he recognized as Ignacio. The Hispanic man sat at one of the tables talking into a CB radio. Kyle walked up behind him. Ignacio spun the knobs checking every channel, but there was nothing.

  “What are you doing?” Kyle asked, scaring the man.

  “I
look for channels. Look for signals. Communicate wit others out in da madness.”

  “Oh, shouldn’t someone else be doing that? Maybe someone without broken English?”

  Ignacio looked at him and squinted. “What broke English?”

  They both smiled.

  “Albert sent me in here and said something about helping with dinner. I’ll tell you right now, my culinary experience goes as far as hotdogs and quesadillas.”

  “We’re full for dinner,” someone from the kitchen said.

  “You help me,” Ignacio said. “Here.” He handed Kyle a notepad with a pen. “I tell jou channel, jou write on pad. Understand?”

  “All right.” Kyle took a seat next to Ignacio and began writing. Having a pen in his hand felt strange, almost alien. He wrote down a couple of scribbles just to familiarize his hand again.

  “Channel tenty-tuo, at four thee one PM, no signal.”

  Kyle marked it down.

  “Channel tenty-thee, at four thee one PM, no signal.”

  Again, Kyle marked it down as Ignacio turned the knobs.

  “Channel tenty-four, at four thee tuo PM.” He paused and listened. “No signal.”

  Listening to Ignacio give the first three reports, Kyle wished he could have done something else. His English was not making it easy on anyone.

  “Channel tenty-five, at four thee tuo PM, no signal.”

  They continued on until they had searched all forty channels. Ignacio took the notepad and ripped the sheet of paper out of its binding. He opened a file folder and placed the sheet inside. “All done for today,” he said, and checked his watch. “Five o’clock, should be dark soon.”

  Kyle nodded.

  People began to walk into the cafeteria as dinner was served. The lights flickered on as Albert walked in. Everyone in the room stared at Kyle, as he was the new kid on the block. Some walked up and greeted him. He brushed them off as politely as possible; he was never one for socializing at parties. Not that this was a party, but in end-of-the-world times, a gathering like this was as close as it was going to get.

  Dinner began to be laid on a table like a buffet. Once Kyle had a closer look, he saw it was spaghetti. One tray had the noodles. Next to that was another long tray with tomato sauce on the left and Alfredo sauce on the right. Another tray contained slices of garlic bread. Not the most expensive meal, but it smelled fantastic.

  Everyone began eating. Even Kyle dug into the food heartily. He sat at the table with Ignacio, Virginia, and Carter across from him, and Ricardo and Albert either side of him.

  “Where’s Greenly?” Kyle asked, digging in.

  “He’s usually here right now. Might be working on something big,” Virginia said.

  Kyle was eager to talk to Greenly and even more so to Albert. Why would he want to leave such a safe place? Albert glanced at Kyle and then looked back at the mountain of noodles with no sauce.

  “Don’t like the sauce?” Kyle asked.

  “No, the red sauce gives me heartburn and the Alfredo gives me the runs. I’m stuck with bread and noodles.”

  Just then, Doctor Greenly came into the room. He was no longer in his scrubs, but in street clothes, a pair of blue jeans with a pastel button-up shirt. His hair was wet as though he had just got out of the shower. He began greeting everyone with much care, as a grandfather would greet his grandchildren.

  “He’s very friendly,” Kyle said.

  Doctor Greenly grabbed a paper plate and began loading it with noodles. Then he did something that repulsed Kyle. He took a scoop of the red sauce and a scoop of the Alfredo and poured them both onto the noodles. Different men have different tastes. Greenly took a seat at one of the tables and began eating.

  After Kyle saw that he was almost done, he got up and strolled over to Greenly. He took a seat at the only available chair at the table. “Is there any news on Victor’s condition?” Kyle asked.

  “Hello, Kyle. Nice to see you again,” the doctor answered with much glee. His smile slowly turned into a frown. “I’m sorry,” he continued.

  Kyle froze. It was as if the world stopped at that second and Kyle would hear the most horrifying words. His friend, his son, his boy, his responsibility, was dead. Dead like Mary, dead like Eddie, and it was all his fault. He was ready for it. His body tensed as if he was bracing himself to take a blow.

  “There is no progress,” Greenly concluded.

  Kyle sighed in relief. There was still a chance that Victor would be able to pull through. “Victor is still in a comatose state. I will check again on his condition before I retire. I will be honest, it doesn’t look good.”

  “I know you’ll do everything you can,” Kyle said.

  Greenly took a large bite from the garlic bread and smiled while he chewed.

  “Can you tell me what you know about the Existing Dead?”

  His smile grew from ear to ear. “I actually have something new to share with everyone. Once I am finished, an announcement will be made.”

  Kyle nodded.

  He watched Doctor Greenly as he slurped the last of his spaghetti. He wiped the excess sauce from the sides of his mouth with a paper towel and placed it on top of his plate.

  “Can I take that from you?” the girl sitting next to Greenly asked. She was young, no older than Victor. She had a look on her face, one that could only be described as love.

  “Yes, dear. Thank you,” Greenly said pushing a little away from the table as the girl took the plate to a nearby trash bag. “Now’s the time to make my announcement. Afterwards, we can talk in my lab.”

  Kyle remained seated while Greenly walked to the wall that had the whiteboard and erased one of the lines with his finger. I guess it doesn’t mean how long this place has been here, Kyle thought. Now there were only eight check marks. Kyle glanced around the room and locked eyes with Albert. He turned to see the whiteboard and a look of fright crossed his face. Everyone else in the room stared at Greenly with wide open eyes and huge smiles.

  “I have an announcement,” Greenly started as the room fell silent.

  Kyle continued examining everyone in the room. They all had an expectant look on their faces, it was as though he was God and they were his angels. Among his loyal angels, Lucifer, in the form of Albert, had a different look. One of loathing and disgust.

  Greenly continued, “I want to show everyone something. We will worry about the cleanup afterward. Let’s go to my lab.”

  Everyone stood except for Albert. Greenly started for the door, and one by one all of his angels followed. Kyle and Albert were the only two left in the room.

  “Do you see that?” Albert asked.

  “I saw something.”

  “That’s how it’s been since he got here. They follow him, do anything he asks.”

  “Why aren’t you doing the same thing?”

  “I don’t know. I remember when he first arrived that he talked to everyone. He talked in such a way that it was like he was putting them in a trance. Like hypnosis.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because he did it to me, too.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The door to the cafeteria opened and Ignacio’s head poked out. “Doctor Greenly is waiting for jou two. Les go. Vamanos.”

  “I’ll be right there, Ignacio,” Albert said as the door closed and Ignacio disappeared.

  “What happened?” Kyle said quickly as he knew their time was scarce.

  “Nothing. I don’t know, I felt fine, but everyone else was just doing whatever he asked. How do you think he became the leader here?”

  “Strange. What’s the thing with the whiteboard?” Kyle pointed behind Albert.

  “Countdown.”

  “Countdown to what?”

  Albert shrugged. “Now do you see why we have to get the fuck out of here?”

  “That’s another thing. Why would he just let me go so quickly?”

  “Are you really that stupid?” Albert asked raising his voice. “He’s not going to let
you go anywhere. He’s going to do that hypnosis shit the second you are alone with him. Why do you think I’m always around you two? He won’t do it unless you’re alone.”

  “This just gets crazier every day,” Kyle said under his breath. “I just want to get to fucking California.”

  “I’ll help you get there. But we have to leave tonight.”

  “What about the Existing Dead?”

  “I know as much about them as Greenly. Not the scientific shit, but I’ve been around them for a long time and survived.”

  “Okay, we have to take Victor with us.”

  “Forget about him.”

  “No!” Kyle yelled.

  The door opened again, this time it was Carter.

  “Um … homos,” he said and smiled. “Hurry up you lovers, Greenly is getting impatient.”

  Albert and Kyle looked at each other and began walking for the door.

  “Good little fairies,” Carter added.

  Without warning, Albert grabbed hold of Carter’s throat and dug his uncut nails into his Adam’s apple. “I am your superior. You show me respect. Don’t forget it.”

  Carter turned red and forced out a quick, “Okay, okay, sorry!”

  Albert let him go. Carter instantly grabbed his throat and fell into a coughing fit. Albert and Kyle walked out of the cafeteria as Carter composed himself.

  The three of them walked the short distance to Greenly’s lab. The room was filled with people. Doctor Greenly stood next to a medical table with one of the Existing Dead strapped to it.

  “I believe we are all here now,” he said. “This specimen is one of the more advanced creatures. For this experiment, we will call him, Frank. Destroying the brain no longer incapacitates him. Once the brain is destroyed, the cause overrides the nervous system and creates a small boil somewhere on the body. Why? I do not know, but what I do know is that once the boil is destroyed a pink substance is extracted from the body and the creature is no longer active. As you can see by the hole in Frank’s head, his brain has been destroyed and the boil can be seen here.” He pointed to the creature’s stomach. “It has been there for twenty four hours. Now watch this.” Greenly took a scalpel and cut the boil in half. The Existing Dead didn’t move, or even seem bothered by Greenly’s presence. No pink matter spewed from the wound.