“What do you think we’ll need?” Judas asked.
Jonah reached in and grabbed a catch pole, then handed it to Judas. “Two of these to start. We should each have a knife and a handgun. There should only be a couple of them, so we can come back and grab more equipment if needed.”
“Ok, sounds good.” Judas hopped in and looked at the knives and guns. “Nice Glocks. You want one of those?”
“Sure,” Jonah nodded. “Wish I’d thought to grab Brutus out of Sasha.” He took the gun his brother offered, popped the magazine and checked the chamber before slipping it into an empty holster on his belt.
As they headed for the front of the house, a cream-colored sedan pulled into the driveway next door. The man driving it, a tall thin man around six-foot tall with a pencil-thin mustache running across his upper lip, got out and looked at them, eyes widening, then rushed into his home.
The brothers paid him little attention as they stepped onto the concrete slab at the front door, both shuffling their feet and fidgeting with their equipment. Jonah knocked on the door and they waited.
“We should have a business card or something like we used to have at Pests B’ Gone,” Judas said.
“That’s a good idea. We’ll have to ask—”
The door opened and a young Hispanic-looking man answered, two grade-school aged girls huddled behind him.
“Hi, we’re—” Jonah started.
“Come in,” the man waved them inside. “We closed the blinds but they haven’t stopped pawing at the back door. Their moaning and groaning is scaring my girls.” The two children whimpered, sniffing the snot running from their noses in unison.
“Please do something,” the man asked.
Jonah stood taller. “We’ll take care of things for you, sir. Don’t worry.” He smiled at the girls, hoping to calm them.
A thump from the dining area alerted him to where the problem was. They made their way through the living room and up a small step into the dining room where the sliding glass doors were. Jonah grabbed the plastic rod and slid the blinds open, revealing two very dead people. A man and a woman appearing to have been in their sixties when they died, both pawing at the glass. When they caught sight of Jonah, they let out a loud growl and banged against the door.
The two girls shrieked behind him, causing Jonah to jump and spin around. Fresh tears stained their terrified faces. “Dammit,” he muttered under his breath, then turned to the homeowner. “Sir, maybe it’d be best if you took your girls and locked yourself in a back room until we’re done.”
The man nodded, grabbing each of the girl’s hands and turning them away from the scene. “Yes. Good idea. C’mon, Rosey. C’mon, Esme. Let’s go play with your dolls, while these nice men…” he looked back to the dead creatures at the door, “clean things up.”
Jonah and Judas studied the zombies through the glass. Their grayish-green skin cracked and peeled in places, with brown spots of long dried blood here and there. The male’s left arm dangled as if it might fall off at any moment.
“Siblings?” Judas asked.
“No,” Jonah shook his head. “I think they were a couple. See their wedding rings.”
“Oh.” Judas nodded. “So what do we do, Jonah?
“I’m not sure yet,” his brother said, taking in a deep breath.
Judas leaned in and stared through the glass. “It’s strange seeing them up close. These have been dead a long time, not like in the lab where it felt like we were killing living people.”
“Yeah, it sure is.” Jonah looked at the catch pole in his hand. “We’re supposed to bring them back alive for Dr. Nitsau, so…, I’ll open the door enough for the first one to come through. Then you grab it with your pole, take him and pull him in, then lead him out front. I’ll close the door, then we can come back for the second one or I’ll use my pole on her and we can get them both out front and into the van. Better if we can secure them one at a time but we’ll do what we need to do.”
“Ok, sounds good.” Judas adjusted the hoop on his pole open and closed twice to make sure it was working.
Jonah grabbed the handle of the door and flipped the lock to open. “Ready?”
Judas huffed out a big breath, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Yeah, I’m green. Let’s do it!”
The door opened and the male zombie shoved his hand through the opening, their groans filling the room, followed by the stench of long-dead flesh.
“For someone who’s been dead a long time, he sure is strong,” Jonah said, struggling to keep the door from opening too far. “Here he comes,” The door opened letting the dead man in.
The zombie growled, looking at Jonah but stumbling toward Judas. Judas swung the catch pole toward his head but overshot, missing him with the hoop and hitting him upside the skull with the pole instead. It tore free a piece of his scalp, the flap of rotted flesh and gray hair falling to the floor.
“Sorry,” Judas scrunched up his face, then shook his head muttering, “what am I apologizing for?”
At the door, the dead woman lurched forward, grasping at the air. Jonah slammed it shut to stop her from getting in but caught her arm in it instead, severing the limb from the body just above the elbow. It fell to the white tile floor, writhing and oozing black blood everywhere.
The woman tried to pull away, only to find herself stuck by the bits of flesh and parts of her dress being pinched tight in the door. A dark thick goo dripped from the wound coating the glass.
“Perfect,” Jonah said, clicking the locking lever in place. He turned to see how his brother fared with the man, then let out a cry. “Oh shit, Judas!”
Judas tried repeatedly to get the hoop around the zombie’s neck, opening it as wide as he could get it but still struggling to slip it over the head of the moving target.
“This was much easier when Hank had us practice on dummies,” he said to himself, backing up further as the corpse approached. “Stand still!” He grit his teeth and ran his tongue through his empty lip, wishing he had a chew in.
Distracted as he was, he didn’t see the small ledge that stepped down into the living room from the dining area behind him. “Ahhh!” he cried out as his foot found nothing to stand on and he fell over backward, thrusting the catch pole into the air and through the ceiling where it stuck. It dangled there, mocking him as he fell.
He smacked onto the ground, getting the wind knocked out of him. Gasping, he stared up at the approaching zombie as it stumbled forward. Judas threw his arms up, covering his face as the dead man lunged off the step.
Judas waited for the impact, wheezing in a hollow desperate breath, the rush of blood pounding in his veins overwhelming his senses. A dozen rapid heartbeats passed and he opened his eyes. Why am I not being eaten alive?
He moved his arms and looked up to see the zombie leaning off the edge of the stair but suspended there, grasping uselessly at the air a foot away from him.
“Wh-what?” Judas gasped, then the zombie rose as Jonah yanked on his catch pole, the hoop securely around the creature’s neck.
“I got him, Judas,” Jonah panted. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Judas sat up, gasping. “Just winded. Thought I was… zombie chow.”
“Not this ti—”
“Mama!” A loud voice rang from out back.
Jonah froze, listening.
“Mama, what are you doing out there? I told you not to bother the neighbors. Get over here right now.”
The dead woman at the door groaned and pulled away from it, tearing the sleeve of her dress and the bits of rotted flesh free.
“Oh shit,” Jonah growled and turned to Judas who rested on his elbows, still struggling for a full breath. “Judas, I need you to take this one, quick!”
Judas nodded and struggled to his feet.
Jonah shoved the zombie out of the way with the pole and handed it to Judas. “You got him?”
His brother, pale-faced and still wheezing, took the pole in both hands. “Got him. Go, b
ro! We don’t want anyone dying on our first job. That might start a trend!”
Grabbing the dangling catch pole from the ceiling, Jonah yanked it free, bringing with it a chunk of the ceiling and a plume of dust. The debris smacked onto the floor and Jonah scrunched up his face. “Whoops.” He rushed to the back door.
Outside, he found the tall thin man they’d seen in the neighboring driveway earlier, pushing the dead woman toward his house. “Let’s get you home, mama. Then I’ll find dad and your arm.” The man wept as he spoke.
“Sir!” Jonah stood tall and walked after him. “I’m a zombie exterminator and we’re here to deal with this. We’re professionals. I’ll take care of that creature.”
The man looked over his shoulder, saw Jonah approaching in his black fatigues, body armor, and the catch pole. His eyes shot wide, pupils narrowing into tiny dots amongst the bulging whiteness. He shoved the zombie forward, tripping it and knocking her to the ground, then spun to face Jonah.
“You are not exterminating my mama!”
“Wh-what,” Jonah stopped short as the angered man charged toward him.
“Did you hurt my pops? Where is he?” The man pushed the catch pole aside and walked right up to Jonah. A few inches shorter, he craned his neck staring up at him.
“Sir, we’re—” Jonah started but the man wouldn’t let him speak.
“What? Here to break up our family, like my crackhead ex tried to do with my children? We’ve been through hell and stayed together through it all. You’re worse than those people from immigration. They’re not deporting my parents and you are certainly not departing them.”
Behind them, the man’s mother got back to her feet and with her one remaining arm outstretched made her way toward them.
“These creatures aren’t safe,” Jonah tried. “They were terrorizing your neighbors and we’re here to help.”
Mention of the man’s neighbors caused him to turn and look at the house, Jonah’s gaze followed. Through the sliding glass door, they could see Judas pushing the man’s father around with the pole, struggling to get him under control.
“Hey! What’s he doing to pops!”
The man turned, knocking the catch pole from Jonah’s startled grasp with a kick and charging toward the house. Jonah dove for the pole, snatching it up and getting back to his feet only to find the woman’s small shape lunging for her son.
Jonah shouted an unheard, “No!” and closed his eyes as the inevitable happened.
Douglas Kay-Fraser reached for the handle of the sliding glass door and then screamed as his mother dove in, biting into the flesh at the back of his neck, tearing free a strip of fat and gristle. “Mama, no!” The man fell to the ground, curling into the fetal position and bringing his mother with him. He wept and howled, feebly smacking at his mother with one hand and sucking on the thumb of his other as she feasted on his flesh.
Jonah stepped in behind the woman, slipping the loop over her neck, cinching it and yanking her back.
From inside, behind the glass slider, Judas stared, eyes wide. Jonah shoved the woman forward and moved to the door.
“Let’s get these two loaded up and…” he glanced back at the sobbing man, "come back for him.”
Part IV - Undead Delivery
Her red-painted lips spread until they formed an open-mouthed smile. “Excellent!” Dr. Nitsau beamed at each of the brothers in turn. “You boys have done well.” She turned to examine the two older specimens. “They were turned in England?”
“No, ma’am, Scotland,” Jonah answered.
“And they bit their son while you were there?”
“Yes.”
“Was he the one who called you?”
“No. He… it was his neighbor. A dad concerned for his girls’ safety.”
“Hmm, were any of them bit?” She cocked her head and eyed Jonah.
“No. We kept it well contained, there was only the one… collateral damage, ma’am.”
She nodded and looked at the couple’s son, the fresh wounds on his back still oozed blood. “It’s rare to get samples that originated abroad. So hard to get them into the country legally. I wonder how he did it.” She walked around the three chained zombies, her heels clicking on the concrete. “These two look at least a decade dead and to know that they are still infectious after all that time is fascinating. They’ll make for an excellent study to further my research."
Dr. Nitsau pivoted on her right heel and faced the brothers. “Put them in the cold storage on sub-level B. You’ll find places to chain them up in the freezer. The cold will slow them and I’ll have someone collect samples later.” She turned to Judas and gave him a slow smile that made his cheeks warm. Then, she turned to Jonah. “Next time, don’t be overly concerned with collateral damage. If it happens, that just means more samples to work with.”
Jonah’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak but the way her eyes flicked up and bore through him silenced the protest he wanted to muster. He took a deep breath, nodding. “Yes, ma’am.” He moved to undo the younger man from the bolt securing him to the wall.
Behind him, he heard Dr. Nitsau’s heels click their way to where Judas stood. The CEO whispered something to his brother and the hairs on the back of Jonah’s neck stood up. He turned to see what she was doing and saw her leaned in, face right next to Judas’s ear. His brother had wide eyes and bright red cheeks. Jonah took his time undoing the zombie, trying to keep quiet, so he could hear but he couldn’t make out anything she said.
When he heard her heels clicking away across the concrete, he waved his brother over. “What was that about?”
Judas didn’t look at him, instead, he studied the floor and muttered something Jonah couldn’t make out.
“What?”
Judas met his brother’s gaze for a moment, then looked back at the floor. “She told me we did a good job.”
“Ok… so why are you lit up like a Christmas tree?”
Judas let out a huff and looked up, shuffling his feet. “She touched my face, said she was proud of me and appreciated how well I followed orders.”
Jonah’s brow furrowed, he turned, watching as the woman disappeared down a hallway.
What is she up to?
About Grivante
Grivante, pronounced “Gri-von-tay” for anyone wondering, is the author of The Zee Brother’s series. What you have just read is part two in a special origin story that tells us how the brothers got into zombie exterminating in the first place. It also deepens the mystery surrounding Dr. Natasha Nitsau.
Special thanks to Jack Kelly for his editing skills in fine-tuning this story into all it could be!
The Zee Brothers series can be found on Amazon and on their website www.thezeebrothers.com
10
Valley of the Shadow
by L.C. Champlin
As Amanda plopped down between her two daughters on the couch, the lights and TV went out. Darkness enveloped the house.
“Aw man,” whined Denver, the younger of the two siblings at nine years old. “The power’s out?”
“Maybe it’s a breaker,” responded Taylor. The twelve-year-old took the older-sister role seriously.
“Hang on.” Amanda pulled her smartphone from her pocket. After activating the flashlight, she went to the living room’s bay window. She pulled the slats of the blind apart. Night darker than any she’d seen in years filled the neighborhood and obscured the neat, upper-class houses that lined the street. In the north, where San Francisco usually glowed, more blackness festered.
“It’s not just us,” Denver remarked, suddenly at her mom’s elbow.
“Let’s see what’s going on.” Amanda turned off the flashlight, then loaded the local ABC News app. Crap, no data. And no cell service. She wet her suddenly dry lips. She ran her hand over her dyed-blonde hair, which a braid kept out of her face. No power and now no way to communicate. Maybe a sunspot or something had knocked out the systems.
“Taylor, where did we p
ut that emergency radio?” she asked, keeping her voice calm as she reactivated her flashlight.
“I’ll get it!” Denver called as she bounded into the darkness. Sounds of rummaging came, then the crackle of static. “I’ll find a news station.” The static shifted, like the sound of a restless winter sea against the coast. “Huh, I’m not finding much.” Eyes on the radio, she returned to the living room. Her neon pink and green hair hung in her face.
“—Authorities say to stay where you are. If you need emergency support for life- threatening conditions, contact 9-1-1. Be advised, due to the situation, response time will be extended—”
“What situation?” Taylor looked up at Amanda with anxiety.
Amanda shook her head. “Let’s keep listening.” What kind of situation? An earthquake? She hadn’t felt anything. A tsunami? No, that would give warning. A gas-line explosion? Or a—
“—Authorities confirm that the Federal Reserve was attacked. There are reports of other locations as well. If you are unable to find shelter, proceed to the safe zones—”
“Attacked?” Denver squeaked.
“Shh.” Amanda placed a gentle hand on her daughter’s shoulder.
“—Terrorists may be responsible, but there’s no hard evidence—”
“What do we do?” moaned Taylor. “Are they going to attack us here?”
“I don’t think so, honey. We’re in Silicon Valley, but we’re not very close to the big tech buildings.” Google and Facebook owned offices to the south.
“This is like 9/11,” Taylor murmured.
The trio looked out the front window as the news reported poor traffic conditions, people assaulting one another, explosions—
Taylor sniffed. “I don’t want to listen anymore.”
“I’ll get my headphones,” Amanda decided. “I’ll listen for any emergency updates.” The sisters would have nightmares for weeks about this. They hadn’t experienced the terrorist attacks of 9/11, but she had. The feeling of an abyss opening below her heart returned.
Undead Worlds 2: A Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Anthology Page 15