Zombies

by Grubbs, Roger

  “I am ready to listen.”

  “You say that, but I am not convinced,” said Angelica.

  “Don’t underestimate me, my friend. I can be as stubborn as any demon you have ever crossed paths with.”

  “Oh, I can see that already; but being stubborn can work against you, especially if you are wrong,” warned Angelica.

  “Then since you are my mentor, just make sure I am right.”

  “I am trying, Michael. Heavens knows I am trying,” said Angelica, stepping through the door to the cabin. Once inside, they both stared at the walls of the lonely abode and wondered what it would be like to be in Dr. Blanchard’s shoes at that very moment. However, there was no comfort in the thoughts of what could be going on with both body and soul. Angelica didn’t have all the answers to the mystery, and Michael knew even less. For the time being, they could only deal with the emotions created by the absence of their friend.

  Suddenly, while standing in silence with those thoughts occupying their minds, Angelica went into action. “Grab the professor’s laptop while I use this one. We are going to find out what is going on here.”

  “Do you expect to find the answers on the internet? I know it contains everything, but the demons and angels are not going to lay open their souls on the web,” said Michael.

  “I realize that, but we can study the past and tie that to predictions for the future. If my sources won’t reveal the answers, we will search out the mystery using these more unorthodox methods.”

  “Is that allowed? We don’t want to tick off your boss, do we?”

  “You don’t see it lightening, do you?” asked Angelica. The concerned young man walked to the window to look outside. “Relax, Michael, I was just kidding.” The sound of that admission startled him. She had never told a lie as she so adamantly professed. Wasn’t kidding a mild form of a lie? Now he was really becoming disturbed, and the feeling showed on his face. “What is wrong, Michael? You look like you have seen a ghost.”

  “You are scaring me. What have you done with my friend?” asked Michael, staring into her eyes. No sooner had those words left his mouth; Angelica’s eyes glowed in a bright red display similar to that of the demons. The frightening sight sent him leaping backwards about ten feet. Now he could only watch the drama unfold. All sorts of questions came up. Had she succumbed to the evil spirits, or was she evil all along? Being both frightened and confused, Michael prepared to fight. Then suddenly, the creature came out of his friend in the form of a bright red demon, similar to those he and his companion had confronted earlier. The familiar appearance of the demonic creature confirmed his expectations. She was in trouble and now he would be attacked too. But, Michael was in for another surprise.

  Just as quickly as this came about, it abruptly ended, leaving behind his beautiful friend. Seeing that she had collapsed on the sofa, Michael quickly approached her. However, was it okay to touch her in this condition? He had already been warned against it more times than he could count. Yet, her beautiful face seemed to glow, and he became convinced she was indeed an angel. With mixed feelings, he leaned over his friend. Slowly he reached for her eyelid to open it. He needed to see for himself if they were back to normal. She seemed to be resting comfortably, but the glow was still visible. Remembering the warning, he almost backed out. Yet, he had to know the truth.

  Suddenly her eyes popped wide open, being large as saucers. “Don’t you dare!” yelled Angelica.

  He jumped backwards, knocking over the lamp sitting on the end table. Now lying flat of his back, Michael sought to rise up to make a run for his life. Before he could do that, his friend stood over him, at least he thought she was his friend. After what he had just witnessed, he wasn’t really sure. As he stared up at the beautiful creature, he prepared to die. Maybe this was for the best. If he was going to die anyway why not just get it over with? “Before you kill me, tell me what in the devil is going on.”

  “Kill you! Why would you even think such a thing?”

  He was more confused than ever. “Do you not remember anything about what just happened?” asked Michael.

  “I remember being in the spirit; and while fighting demons, you almost touched me.”

  “There was more to it than that. Wait a minute. Were you fighting demons like we did last night and the night before?” asked Michael, running his hands through his hair.

  “Exactly and I searched for you, but you were nowhere to be found. Thankfully I handled it, but why were you going to touch me? Don’t you listen to anything I say?”

  “You scared the crap out of me when a demon came out of you,” said Michael.

  “Are you sure about that?” asked Angelica, being distraught.

  “I know what I saw. That beast looked just like the ones you and I battled, at least that is the way it appeared. Now I am not so sure. Are you certain you are not possessed?”

  “I am positive, but you should never touch me when I am like that,” said Angelica.

  “If you had witnessed what I did, you would understand why I had to see for myself. Your eyes were bright red, and all of a sudden that ugly creature came out of you. Then you collapsed on the sofa with your eyes closed. All I intended to do was open you eyes to see for myself,” said Michael.

  “You should never do that,” warned Angelica. She took him by the arm to lead him to the sofa.

  “Why is it you can touch me now?”

  “Look at me and tell me what you see, Michael.”

  “I see a beautiful girl with enchanting eyes and a body to die for.”

  “I give up,” said Angelica. A bright flash of lightening followed by a loud clap of thunder caused her to gaze upward. “Sorry, it was just an expression.”

  “I forgive you,” said Michael, placing his arms around her.

  “I wasn’t talking to you. In fact, I am still angry with you, Michael.”

  “What did I do now?”

  “You keep mentioning my anatomy, and you know how I feel about that,” said Angelica.

  “Well then don’t ask me to describe what I see when I look at you,” said Michael.

  She shook her head, wondering if the young man would ever learn. “Just stop talking and get to work. We need to find answers for what is going on,” said Angelica.

  “We already know what’s going. We are getting our butts kicked by those ugly little creatures.” She shook her head, refusing to comment, and began searching the internet. “Could you please answer one question?”

  “The answer is no,” said Angelica.

  “I haven’t even asked the question.”

  “You were going to ask me if we would be sleeping in the same bed, now that the sofa is free.”

  “No I wasn’t. Get your mind out of the gutter,” said Michael. The clap of lightening and the rumbling of the ground beneath them caused him to recant his statement. “Okay, I admit it! Jesus!”

  “Don’t you dare use his name in that manner,” said Angelica.

  “Sorry, I will try to remember that in the future.”

  “You do that. And while you are at it, work toward focusing on my face and not my butt,” said Angelica.

  “How can I when you keep bringing it up?” argued Michael.

  “I keep bringing it up because you keep staring at it. Now just accept it. We are not going to have an intimate relationship, at least not physically.” She bit her lip afterwards. Had she revealed something about another relationship, maybe in a spiritual form? The stares of the young man sent a signal. Then with a smile on his face, he logged onto the internet. However, they soon became distracted by breaking news. It revealed that flesh eating people we plaguing the city. In fact, it was rapidly getting out of control.

  “Are you reading this?” asked Michael.

  “I am all over it. This is really bad news,” said Angelica as her eyes rapidly scanned the screen on the laptop.

  “Then it has begun?”

  “Yes, and evidently I messed up,” said Angelica.
r />   “How so?” asked Michael.

  “I should have never agreed to become separated from the professor. Now they have a key element out of the way. You and I are all that’s left, and I just hope it will be enough to prevent chaos.” Continuing to read, she had an answer to that question. “We already have chaos. The zombies have risen!”

  “I can see that, but do they not realize what is happening?” asked Michael, looking up from his screen.

  “People have no clue as to what is going on. By the time they figure out what this is all about, it will be too late. This could be contained if only someone knew what to do.”

  “We know what to do, don’t we?” asked Michael.

  “Yes, but we will have to be discrete about it.”

  “Would you care to share it with me?” asked Michael.

  “We must destroy the zombies before it becomes an epidemic.”

  “Okay, how do we do that?” asked Michael.

  “I already told you, there is only one sure way—a bullet or knife to the brain,” said Angelica.

  “Is that all? That sounds like a cake walk.”

  “If there was only a few of them, you are right. But I can assure you, there will be thousands of zombies before the end of the week. After that, a crisis of epic proportions will emerge; and then our only hope will be survival.”

  “What is the worst case scenario?” asked Michael.

  “They eat everything alive, including us if they can get their hands on us.”

  “I would think this would be the time to work your magic,” said Michael.

  “It is too late for that. The battle is now in the flesh, and that’s what we will have to train for.”

  “So you are saying that your powers have left you?” asked Michael.

  “That’s exactly what I am saying. Unfortunately we are now on our own. You and I will have to launch the attack, and our only weapons are crude at best.”

  “That stinks. Was this my fault?” asked Michael.

  “No, the buck stops here. Now I have to figure out a way to fix it without divine intervention.”

  “So I was right. You were an angel and now your wings have been clipped,” said Michael.

  “I hate to burst your bubble, but I never had my wings. And from the looks of things, I never will. I should have never let the professor out of my sight. Okay, we have our work cut out for us. We just as well become prepared for the worst.”

  “I want my weapon, preferably a gun,” said Michael.

  “They are in the closet; but I must warn you, the Samaria sword is the best choice,” said Angelica.

  “You take the sword and I will take the gun.”

  “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Angelica.

  “I have been shooting guns since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I know how to use one.”

  “Oh, I do not doubt it. But, what will you do when you run out of bullets. When you have depleted your ammunition, the Samaria sword will keep swinging and swinging my friend,” said Angelica.

  “There are plenty of bullets in here. I’d say there are at least a couple hundred.”

  “I know and then what?” asked Angelica, cocking her eyes.

  “Shoot, girl, don’t tell me we will need more than that. Won’t anybody else be taking out the zombie?”

  “I already explained it to you. There will likely be only a few survivors; and if we are lucky, we will be among them,” said Angelica.

  “Aren’t you the optimist? I find all this hard to believe.”

  “Have I ever lied to you?” asked Angelica.

  “Not yet. But now that you aren’t an angel, things have changed.” He stared at the beautiful girl and once again his eyes began to wander. This time the gesture returned a smile. Being surprised by her response, the young man became more than a tad nervous.

  “What’s the matter, big boy? Can’t handle me now?”

  “I will manage,” he replied with a squeaky voice. She laughed while shaking her head. Michael nervously took a seat beside her to begin the research for a solution. Soon he realized they were just wasting time. “There is no solution is there?”

  “Not unless we can find the zombies before they spread the infectious parasites. Once it becomes an epidemic, our only hope is to kill them all. But, let me warn you again. You best not let them latch onto you. They will have superhuman strength and will eat you alive.”

  “Are we safe here?”

  “For the time being. But if they locate us, we will have to go into hiding,” said Angelica.

  “Don’t they already know where we are?”

  “The demons do, but zombies are brainless, well in a manner of speaking. After parasites completely take over their brain, they act like mindless beast with an appetite for flesh,” said Angelica, taking in a deep breath. “Once infected by the parasite, there is no cure and the brain continues to deteriorate. Finally it reaches the point to where the zombie is only interested in eating the brains of humans. They leave the rest of the body for zombies that haven’t reached the final stage.”

  “What about the people that have just been infected? What are their symptoms?” asked Michael.

  “You can hardly recognize them, so don’t trust anybody until you determine whether or not they are turned.”

  “Then there is no way to tell is there?” asked Michael.

  “Evil is difficult to disguise, so watch their actions. If they are being turned, it will show up within a couple of days.”

  “It could be too late by then. What if they infect us while we are trying to figure out if we should kill them?” asked Michael.

  “They won’t be able to infect anybody until the zombie stage hits them. By then you will know for certain. But even before that stage they can still harm us, so don’t drop your guard. Clues will be abundant if you pay attention.”

  “That sounds like a horror movie.”

  The smile on his face disturbed his companion. “This is not a game, Michael. It’s very serious and our worst nightmare is coming to pass.”

  “I am sorry, but this is hard to believe. Don’t take this wrong, but I will have to see it first,” said Michael.

  “You will get your wish soon enough,” said Angelica. The expression on her face indicated she was serious. He slowly approached the closet to retrieve another sword. Armed with a 9mm sig Sauer, limited ammo, and a primitive sword, Michael waited for the enemy to show up. “Relax, Michael. It will probably be days before they come here. In fact, that is why I chose this cabin. We are secluded out here, yet close enough to campus in the event we need to go there.” This reminded them of the professor. Being overtaken with sadness, they both wondered what was happening to their friend. Soon they were forced to push aside those thoughts and focus on the task at hand.

  “It’s a matter of survival now, isn’t it?” asked Michael.

  “At least you listened to that part. Now let’s see how long we can last,” said Angelica.

  “Hey, I am not planning on giving up that easy. We are in this to win, remember?”

  “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Now sit beside me while I show you something,” said Angelica.

  “What about the touching thing?” asked Michael, jokingly.

  “Forget about all that now. We are both human and subject to becoming zombie bait.” This pleased Michael before the gravity of the situation jolted him back to reality. Then he wondered if having a beautiful friend was worth the price. Yes, she was human now and subject to the same carnal feelings as him, but what sort of life awaited them? Yet, she was very attractive and built like a model. Without warning, those thoughts were interrupted. “Only if we fall in love. Otherwise, the answer is no,” said Angelica.

  Startled by the out-of-the-blue statement, Michael attempted to figure out what she was inferring. Unable to make any sense of it, he decided to just ask her. “What in the heck are you talking about?”

  “What in the heck were you thinking abo
ut?” she asked, smiling.

  Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. “You can still read my mind?”

  “That was easy, Michael. You are a guy and you have been hitting on me from day one. While I couldn’t allow you to think about me in that way in the beginning, things have changed.”

  There was a shocked look on his face. Many thoughts raced through his mind, and the change pleased him. But, he needed to make sure it was okay to have those thoughts without repercussions. “So does that mean I can think anything I please and not get in trouble with the big guy?” asked Michael.

  “You won’t get in trouble with him, but don’t let that go to your head. At the moment, we are just friends; and unless we fall in love, it will go no further,” said Angelica.

  “I can accept that. You will fall for me, if we stay shacked up here long enough,” said Michael, glancing around the primitive dwelling.

  “Why do you see the need to make it sound like that? Love doesn’t have to be physical to be beautiful. What happens when you get old? If love is based purely on the physical appearance, you will no longer be in love with the person.”

  “Try me,” said Michael. She shook her head, realizing Michael was like any other typical male his age. While she was attempting to teach him the true meaning of love, she wasn’t sure they would live that long. That thought caused her to laugh. “What’s so funny now? Was it something I said?”

  “No, actually it was something I was thinking,” replied Angelica.

  While he chose not to pursue this train of thought, he did have something else on his mind. “I’m getting hungry,” he said, staring at his friend.

  “What are you telling me for? I’m not your wife,” said Angelica.

  “You may want to get used to the idea. After all, we may be the only survivors after the zombies take over.”

  “There is nothing written that says we have to get married, ever. It’s a choice,” said Angelica. “Besides, who would want to bring a child into the world in the middle of this crisis?”

  “Hey, I didn’t say anything about children,” said Michael.

  “Then what would you need a wife for?” After noticing him dropping his head, she added, “That’s what I thought. You only have personal reasons for wanting me.”