Zombie Boy 2: Level Up (Adventures of Zombie Boy)

by Val O. Morris

  "Hey!"

  Liam and Rhonda laughed.

  After breakfast, Liam grabbed Katie's magic bag from his closet. It wasn't really magic, but the stuff that she had thought to carry in her bag saved them on more than one occasion in the past. He combined some stuff from his own bag with hers and added fresh batteries and a few more snacks. Then he met the others downstairs in the den.

  "Should we ride our bikes?" asked Liam. "The rich part of town is kinda far."

  Caleb threw up his hands. "That's what we forgot!"

  Both Caleb and Rhonda had gone home the night before to get their weapons and supplies. Bikes, however, weren't considered.

  "There's some old bikes in the garage that you both can use."

  A few minutes later, Liam raised the garage door and rolled his bike out onto the driveway. Rhonda grabbed the next one and followed.

  Caleb stood there looking around. "Where's mine?"

  Liam chuckled. "Uh, you'll have to ride my mom's old bike."

  Caleb dug out a rusty, pink and white bike from behind several dusty boxes. While Liam and Rhonda watched, he aired up the tires and then sat on the banana seat. He rolled down the drive on his girly bike complete with a cute flowery basket and a bell on the handlebars. Liam and Rhonda stared in silence, trying their best not to snicker.

  "That's right. Only a real man can pull this off."

  They exited Liam's neighborhood and then rode through town past Gamer Haven and Arcade Dungeon, both regular spots for them. As they saw the tips of the roofs of some of the bigger houses in Draxon Estates, Liam slowed his pedaling. Even in pixelated form the houses were impressive. The only thing missing were the people.

  Talk about Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

  Caleb was once friends with Thomas and had been to his house on several occasions. "Take a right after that blue SUV."

  Thomas lived at the far end, the street literally ending at his driveway. It was a massive two-story brick house. Liam assumed the backside was just as impressive, if not more.

  "Maybe this isn't a good idea. He's probably not even home." Liam's nerves were getting the best of him.

  Caleb ignored Liam's worries, laid his bike down in the yard, and rang the doorbell. A few minutes passed and nothing happened. He tried the doorbell a few more times.

  Rhonda was standing in the driveway next to Liam. "Psst! I think I saw someone."

  Caleb was getting antsy. "Open up, Thomas! We know you're home!"

  Still nothing.

  "Follow me," Caleb said as he crept around the side of the house.

  A tall stained wooden fence traced the property line. He tried the gate latch but it was secured. Caleb was a tall guy and could jump just high enough to get a quick peek into the empty backyard.

  "Give me a boost," he ordered Liam.

  "No way! I plan to beat him fair and square."

  "Oh, he'll beat you square, all right. He'll pull every trick in the book. We've gotta make sure we get the upper hand."

  "Trespassing isn't the way to do it. He's probably got zombie dogs back there!"

  Caleb gave him a look. "Do you want Katie back or not?"

  "You know I do."

  "Then you've gotta start being assertive. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Now, come on and give me a boost."

  Liam hesitated. He glanced at the empty manicured yard next to Thomas' house and wished for a trampoline, but nothing appeared, so he helped boost Caleb over the fence. A few seconds later, the latch unhooked, and the gate opened. He and Rhonda stepped into the backyard.

  It was a big, beautiful, lush-green yard complete with an outdoor grill and eating area. On the other side of the stone patio was an inground swimming pool with a waterfall cascading over a stone fixture. It was breathtaking.

  "Wow. I never knew video games could make you rich," Liam said, eyes gleaming at the expensive setting.

  "Yeah, just don't forget how Thomas' father takes advantage of people like Morgan to get that way," reminded Caleb.

  Liam continued to sneak through the backyard being careful to duck down anytime he passed a window. He thought back to Morgan and wondered what his friend would say if he knew they were back in the digital game world again. Liam chuckled at the thought of Morgan saying, 'Kid, to get her back, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.' And he was right.

  As he crept closer to the back entrance, he called back to Caleb and Rhonda. "You guys wait here. I'm gonna lure him out, then we grab him."

  A muffled sound came from behind him.

  "Speak up, I can't hear you."

  Then a tap on his shoulder.

  "What is it?" Liam said, and he turned around. His eyes shot wide open as he immediately had to dodge a fist coming straight for his nose. Liam's face was saved, but the blow made contact with his shoulder.

  He fell against the brick house, and Thomas pinned him there and pounded him repeatedly with his fist. Liam could barely make it out through Thomas' punches and him trying to block and dodge, but it looked like Caleb and Rhonda were being held by some sort of energy field.

  Liam shouted "Let them go!" and "Where's Katie?" between punches.

  "You'll never see your little girlfriend again, peewee!" Thomas said. He stopped pummeling Liam and let him fall to the ground. Thomas rounded the corner by the back patio door. When he returned, he had Katie with him, leading her by her arm.

  Her hands were tied, but she was able to yell "Liam, help me!" before Thomas covered her mouth. She was dragged up onto the stone waterfall above the pool.

  Liam scrambled to get up. His pounding head said otherwise.

  From atop the waterfall, Thomas yelled, "You think you're smart following me here. Well, if you're so tough, come and get her."

  Then Thomas made a flicking motion with his hand and a portal appeared! The portal was similar to the one that appeared when Liam and his friends were previously able to exit the digital realm and return to the real world. This one was smaller, though, and Liam wondered if that meant it was a portal to another area within the game world.

  Even with the distance between them, Liam could hear the evil in his voice when Thomas continued, "I dare ya."

  Liam stumbled to his feet in time to watch Thomas and Katie disappear into the portal. He wanted to run, but the pain in his head kept him still.

  From behind him he heard Caleb yell. "Go after her, man!"

  Caleb! Rhonda! The confusion he was experiencing made him forget they were there. Liam rushed over to the energy field.

  "What are you doing? Go after them!"

  "I can't leave you here!"

  As much as he knew he might miss his opportunity, Liam was not the type to walk out on his friends. He wasn't about to change at that moment.

  "Hurry up! The portal's closing!" yelled Rhonda.

  "There's no power button!" Liam ran around his friends trying to figure out how to get them out of the energy field. They were being held in a sphere-like force field, and there was no visible sign of an entrance point.

  Finally, Liam stepped back. "You're gonna have to force your way out!"

  Rhonda and Caleb both pushed against the energy field. It fought against them. Rhonda gritted her teeth and leaned into it with her body. Her elbow poked through! "It's working!"

  Caleb stepped behind her and pushed. Rhonda fell onto the ground, free. Liam helped her up, and then they both stood ready to grab Caleb and help pull him through.

  Caleb poked a hand forward and the energy field moved across it as if it was about to dissipate. "Hey, it's disappearing!"

  Liam turned to look at the portal. He felt a responsibility toward his friend, but at the same time, the portal was about to close completely. They would only have a few seconds to make it from the energy field up the stone waterfall to the portal before they both disappeared.

  Rhonda yelled at Liam, "Go! I'll get Caleb!"

  Liam looked at Caleb, who nodded his approval, and then he took off across the yard toward the pool.

  Rhonda pulle
d as hard as she could on Caleb's hand, and he finally collapsed on top of her free of the energy field. They both quickly got up and took off after Liam.

  Liam made it up the stone waterfall to the portal. When he turned, he saw his friends running toward him. The portal had closed so much that they were each going to have to dive into it.

  Rhonda yelled, "We're right behind you!"

  "Go, man, go!"

  Liam filled his lungs with a deep breath and then dove head first into the portal.

  5

  As soon as Liam stood up, Rhonda and Caleb came bursting through the air next to him. Caleb clipped Liam's knee.

  "Whooooaaaa!" Liam slid down a grassy hill beside where they had first appeared out of the portal. Branches and tall grass slapped his arms on the way down. When he finally hit solid ground, he was sliding across the slick, wet grass at a fast rate.

  His eyes widened as he saw that he was heading right for the edge. He flinched and dug into the ground with his fingers to stop his skidding. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that he was on top of a huge cliff overlooking a valley of trees below.

  "Whoa!"

  The valley in front of him was vast. It was at least a mile to the other side, and that was if he could fly. The bottom, he assumed as he peered over the edge, was miles and miles below.

  "Are you okay?"

  He turned around to see his two friends still standing on top of the steep hill he had just slid down. "Guys, you've gotta see this!"

  Rhonda and Caleb were able to slowly make their way down the hill by using the trees and vines to their advantage. Rhonda walked over to where Liam stood by the edge.

  "What do you think's down there?"

  "I dunno, but I'm cool with not finding out right this second."

  At that moment, Caleb grabbed his skinny friend and pretended to push him over.

  "Ahh!" Liam screamed and fought to get free. He stepped back to the safety of the hillside.

  Caleb laughed as Rhonda punched him in the arm. "You idiot! What if you had dropped him?"

  "I'm not gonna drop him. He knows I was just playing." Caleb rustled Liam's hair.

  "Don't.. ever.. do that.. again." Liam's chest was heaving, so he sat down on the ground with his back against the dirt hill-as far from the edge as he could get.

  Caleb cocked his head to the side. "You're afraid of heights, aren't you?"

  Rhonda knelt beside her friend and patted his hand trying to calm him.

  "Yes.. very much so." He took a couple of deep, calming breaths. "When I was little my cousin tricked me into climbing onto the roof of his house. I slid off and broke my arm. It was years before I could even look out my second story window."

  Caleb scratched his head. "Sorry, man."

  Rhonda glared at Caleb, "No more close calls."

  Liam got to his feet and brushed himself off. "What is this place?"

  They appeared to have landed in a jungle. Where or when, they had no clue. Liam hoped wherever they were, Katie was there, too, and that he would find some sort of sign telling him which direction to go.

  There was no easy way to climb back up the hill where they first appeared through the portal, so they started walking down the winding narrow path. Overgrowth and switchbacks made the journey feel more difficult than it really was, but the time spent whacking weeds and vines to clear the path gave Liam time to think.

  She said my name.

  She called out for help.

  Liam felt that was a good sign. The fact that she remembered his name brought a slight grin to his face. A part of him worried she was enjoying being with Thomas. After the scene in Thomas' backyard, he was positive she was not.

  Thirteen years of friendship could not be easily erased. He didn't care how indifferent New Katie tried to act. He believed with all his heart that he could break through the facade and reach Old Katie. His Katie. The one everyone knew and loved.

  Love. Did Liam love Katie? The words had never been uttered between them. Sure, he loved puppies, and he loved his dog Shadow. And he loved his parents, but that was a given. Could he, at thirteen, truly grasp the meaning? Whenever she was around, he felt at peace, and there was no one else who he'd rather be around all the time. When he was upset over a bad grade, or not making the baseball team, it was always Katie who made him smile. When she was sick, he hurt, too, because he couldn't change places with her. And if either of them were to get the chance of a lifetime, he wanted it to be her because she deserved it. If that wasn't love, he didn't know what love was.

  Liam stopped. They had reached a thick section on the mountain trail. A tree had fallen across the mountain trail and weeds and thicket had grown up around it. Blocking the path was a spiderweb of greenery. Liam got the odd feeling that it was put there intentionally. "Rhonda, can I borrow your saw bat?"

  CRACK!

  Liam whispered, "What was that?"

  They turned in the direction of the sound.

  "I don't hear anything."

  Rhonda replied, "Me neither. No birds or nothing."

  "Yeah, it's spooky," Caleb whispered.

  Caleb said what Liam was thinking. It was suddenly too quiet. When they first started off, the jungle was full of normal sounds, birds, leaves rustling in the wind, but now it was dead calm.

  Then, another twig went SNAP!

  "Over there!"

  A zombie was shambling right towards them! Fortunately, he was several feet away and traversing the wooded terrain was a challenge for the undead.

  Caleb dropped his backpack. He quickly pulled out an opaque rain poncho and slipped it over his head. He had cut out holes for his arms to fit through so he could still have full range of movement. Then he put on goggles, like the big oversized ones from science class. Liam and Rhonda stood there watching, mesmerized, not sure if they wanted to question him or let him continue.

  "What?"

  Liam's eyebrows raised and a smirk spread across his face like he was fighting back a joke. "Nothing."

  "Don't make fun of my new zombie bashing attire. You'll wish you had one, too." Caleb pulled the hood over his head. He readied his bat and waited for the zombie to get into just the right spot before he swung. The bat smashed into the zombie's face breaking through its nose and cheekbones. Reddish-brown zombie goo splattered across Caleb's face and down the front of him. He smiled a big goofy grin as he sheathed his weapon.

  The poncho had kept his shirt underneath dry, which seemed to be something he had difficulty with in the past. It seemed that anytime a zombie went splat, it did so all over the front of Caleb. When he removed the goggles, his face was reminiscent of a raccoon with zombie blood covering his hairline, mouth, and chin, but his eye area was its usual pimpled skin. Caleb wiped the goggles on the ground, clearing off the gunk.

  "Now, stand aside." He took the saw blade bat from Liam. "I'll show ya how it's done." He cut through the overgrowth in effortless motion. When he stopped, he looked at the bat. "I like this."

  Before he could get too attached, Rhonda took it out of his hands. He stuck his lip out to which she rightfully ignored. "Yeah, well, you ain't keeping it."

  Liam led his two friends down the narrow path until they came upon a group of zombies mulling around one small area. The threesome took deliberate steps so as not to disturb the flesh-eaters, and as they got closer, Liam could tell they were circling something purple on the ground. "That's her scarf!"

  Rhonda tried to quiet him, but it was too late. The swarm of zombies raised their noses. They could smell Liam and his friends just like they could smell Katie's scent on her scarf.

  Liam and Rhonda readied their bats, and Caleb put on his goggles.

  "Let's do this."

  Liam had gained confidence after his first adventure in the digital game world, going from a kid who couldn't hit a fastball, to an experienced zombie slayer.

  Rather than let the zombies come to them, Liam and his friends took off in the direction of the flesh-eaters hoping to get the upp
er hand. Liam circled around and positioned himself on higher ground a few feet away from his first target. His friends followed along and used the sloped terrain to their advantage, too.

  Liam aligned himself with the zombie as it shambled up the hillside toward him. The zombie looked different than those Liam had faced previously in the game world. Its skin was the familiar gray and decayed, but its eyes were pure evil. There was savagery to its movements. Almost like it was expecting them.

  The zombie moved up the hillside faster than Liam had anticipated, using its hands to run up the ground like an animal. Liam was ready. As the animal-like zombie lunged toward him, Liam side stepped it and took his batting stance. Liam then swung and met the zombie square on the back of its head with his nail bat. Blood splashed onto the tree next to them.

  Two other zombies advanced on Rhonda and Caleb. Rhonda smacked her zombie in the face with her bladed bat stopping it cold in its tracks, while Caleb played Whack-a-Mole with his until it finally went down. It slid down the hillside landing near Katie's scarf.

  "Guys! She was here!" Liam said as he scooped it up into his hands. He was ecstatic to be on the right trail.

  Rhonda, looking around the jungle asked, "What do you think Thomas is doing here? In a jungle, of all places."

  "I dunno. Whoever wrote the code wanted to mix it up, I guess."

  Another batch of zombies advanced on their position, this time having the advantage of coming down the hillside. Liam smacked the first one and had to pry his bat away just in time to hit another one.

  Caleb took a swing at a zombie that looked like it had been a body-builder in another life. The bat stuck in its chest. The zombie looked down, then at Caleb.

  He yanked on his bat to pull it from the zombie's chest, but it didn't budge, and Caleb fell backwards on the ground. "Uh... guys! A little help here!"

  Rhonda smacked the muscular zombie in the back of the knees causing it to stagger forward. Caleb's eyes grew wide as it fell down right on top of him!

  "Ahh! Get it off of me!" Caleb screamed as he pushed and shoved. "Get it off!"