Zombie Hunter

by A. Giacomi

  “I promise,” I say as I weep.

  “The man who will take you tomorrow used to be the leader of our Country. He’s now leader of this planet, many things have changed since the dead roamed the Earth. The world has become unified and stronger as a result; one common enemy will do that. You will play a big part in this story, Beni, and I’m very sorry I will miss it. They need you, much like your mother, you have been chosen. You were born to be a hero, it’s in your blood.”

  “Can I trust this man?” I ask still confused by the entire situation.

  “I would never advise you to trust anyone, Abeni. Always be cautious and quizzical. Your curiosity is what reminds me most of your mother. She always felt others had ulterior motives, and she was mostly always right.”

  “So you’re saying I should just trust my instincts?”

  “Precisely, like I said it’s in your blood, you’ll know what to do when the moment comes. Until then, you will be trained as a soldier, you will become a warrior for this planet. You will keep it safe.”

  He looks at me so proudly as he says this that I can’t bear to disagree with him. I remained so unsure about my place in all this. How could I be my mother? She sounded like a God, and here I was a nearly sixteen-year-old farmer who’d never left home before. What could I possibly offer?

  Instead, all I say is, “What will I do when I miss you?” which immediately has him tearing up. I should have known better than get him too emotional in his state.

  “When you miss me, know that I am always with you. I will never leave your side, even as I leave this Earth. You will have a trinity of protectors guarding you, my dear, and they all live in here,” he says as he points to my glowing heart.

  That night I ask him to tell me all about Eve, Cameron and Alex. I wanted to know every detail he did about their lives, who they were and what made them laugh. I wanted to remember them as I saw them in the photos, as carefree young people ready to take on the world.

  ***

  The next morning there is a knock at the door. I am certain it is the men from yesterday, they had returned to retrieve me just as they had promised. Amongst all the excitement of storytelling I had forgotten to go to bed, rising from the sofa, I see Father had also fallen asleep in his chair. A warm smile grows as I glance at the man who raised me, protected me and gave me a home. He would never know how grateful I truly was; he took me in without hesitation and made me his family. As I try to gently wake him, I realize that his skin is cold to the touch, his lips a slight purple.

  “Father?” I cry out. “Wake up please, please wake up!”

  It didn’t matter how much I shook him or begged, it was obvious that life had left his body. I sob into his sweater and ignore the voices at the door. I could barely make out what they were saying between my sobs.

  Without a reply, the men take it upon themselves to break down the door. I shudder as light floods the room.

  “Get away from him!” a soldier shouts aiming his gun at me.

  “He’s dead,” I say. “He died in his sleep.” I continue to sob.

  The man in the fancy suit enters next. “Abeni, I’m so sorry for your loss, but I’m going to need you to step away from him. Come here please,” he says as he stretches out his hand.

  “No, I can’t! I can’t leave him!” I scream.

  “You must!” he shouts back. “I suppose he didn’t tell you, did he?”

  “Tell me what? He told me many things, what else could there be to tell?” I blurt out angrily. I could feel my temperature rising, I was getting too angry and I had to take deep breaths to control it or I would be causing much damage quickly.

  As I try to breathe in and out, I notice my father moves and grunts. I smile and the anger dissipates. “He’s alive! He’s alive! Oh, thank god!” I sigh in relief.

  “Beni! He’s not alive! Move away from him!” the man in the suit screams once more.

  I don’t understand the fear in their voices until I see it myself. My father opens his eyes and they are bright red in color. He wasn’t my father anymore, he was one of those things.

  “How is this possible?” I gasp.

  The soldier aims his gun at my father and asks me again to move out of the way.

  “No, wait stop! He wasn’t bitten! He’s not bitten!”

  “It doesn’t matter,” the soldier screams. “It doesn’t work like that anymore!”

  In my confusion, I don’t see my father lurching forward, he’s on me in seconds and he’s strong. I try to keep his teeth from my flesh. I don’t want to hurt him, I just want to stop him. It’s not logical I know, but I didn’t want to kill my own father. It didn’t matter anyway, the choice is soon made for me. When he has a good shot, the soldier fires. A hole appears between my father’s eyes and blood soaks me. I scream and scream as the soldier retrieves me and ushers me out of the house.

  Once outside, the well-dressed man holds me until my screaming turns to sobs.

  “I don’t understand,” I say nearly incoherently.

  “Neither do I, Abeni, but I’m trying to help solve this crisis. I promised your father I would take care of you until you were ready. Come with us now, I’ll give you all the information we have.”

  “What of my father? Will you give him a proper burial?”

  “I’m afraid we can’t do that any longer, Abeni. It infects the soil, instead, we burn the bodies. Did you want to see him once more before we go?” the man in the fancy suit asks sympathetically.

  “No, I don’t think I want to remember him that way.”

  The man nods and I follow him to a car located not far from the house. It was time to embark on a new adventure as my father would call it. I just wish he could have joined me on this one. I had never felt this alone before, and for the first time, I found myself afraid of my surroundings.

  ***

  The next thing I know is that I am being shaken awake by the well-dressed man. His suits were surely custom made, they all fit him to perfection. I suppose being the leader of the entire planet had its perks.

  “Beni, we’re here,” he states excitedly, pointing to a large concrete building that resembled a castle, but lacked some of its beauty.

  “What is this place?” I ask in pure awe of it.

  “This Beni, is going to be your new home. There are plenty of other people around your age and in your program.” He hesitates a moment. “Of course you can start the training whenever you feel ready. I’m aware this is all a lot to take in, especially with…”

  “No it’s fine, I want to get started as soon as possible, sir.” The truth was that distraction was the best medicine. I didn’t want to think about the loss of my father, I wanted to think about everything and anything else.

  “Please, don’t address me as sir. I’m not used to that, my name is John Lessard, but you can most definitely call me John. Walther did and he had become a good friend over the years. I think it took him about a decade to trust me, but he came around,” he says with a wink.

  “Okay, John.” It sounded weird to say, and sort of disrespectful, I couldn’t promise this first name basis thing would stick.

  Before we head in, John pulls a letter from one of his pockets and hands it to me. “This was a letter Walther wanted me to give you for your birthday. He knew he wouldn’t be with you on the day, but I’m sure he never expected to be…well you know…” John shifts uncomfortably in his seat, he didn’t want to bring up the fact that my father was gone because he knew it still stung.

  “It’s okay, John, thank you. Is it all right if I have a moment alone to read it?”

  “Of course,” John says as he exits the vehicle.

  Opening the letter ever so gently, I shiver as the handwritten note slides out and I view my father’s handwriting. I nearly begin to weep again but force myself to relax, my father had taught me to control my e
motions and those lessons would not be forgotten in vein.

  The letter reads:

  Dearest Abeni,

  On this, your sixteenth birthday, I wish you a lifetime of great adventure. May you always remember your teachings, may you grow to be wiser than myself, and may you forgive me for what I am about to reveal to you.

  I am not your birth father, but instead a very loyal friend to your birth parents, whom I miss very much till this day. Forgive me for lying to you all these years, but I couldn’t bear to tell you the truth so young. I wanted you to have a happy and safe childhood for as long as I could provide it, but now that you’re sixteen, you deserve to understand who you are and who your parents were. I promise you we will have a conversation about all this and I will answer any questions you may have to the best of my ability.

  Another thing I must tell you is both heartbreaking, but exciting. Where you are about to go next I cannot follow. I’m sorry my dearest Abeni, but I’ve grown too old for travel so you must go on without me. Around the same time we built our home, an old friend contacted me. He wanted to take you away then and train you from a young age to be the warrior you were born to be, but I decided it wouldn’t be fair to you to lose so much of your childhood. Instead we struck a deal, I would raise you until the age of sixteen and then you would be taken to begin your training. I do think it came at a good time, for you now need so much more than an old man can offer you. It’s time to go out into the world and meet your peers and make a name for yourself.

  I must warn you of one thing Abeni, as you venture forward, be careful with who you tell of your special condition. The glow of your chest is a testament to the power you hold. Conceal it, control it, for others may not understand it and try to channel it for themselves. Be wise, be safe, be brave, my darling girl.

  I am so proud of you.

  The letter had obviously been written before John Lessard’s unscheduled visit. Lessard must have been desperate to contact us if he couldn’t even wait a couple of days for my father to provide me with my birthday gift. Whatever awaited me needed me to be a quick study, which I was determined to be.

  Tucking the letter into my pocket, I exit the vehicle and take in the grand concrete palace before me. I had been told many fairytales by my father, and if I were to pick which sort of palace this resembled I would almost say a great warrior resided inside. The walls were thick and tall, it seemed an impossible barricade to ever overcome. I would be safe here, or it would become my prison. My instinct told me that I would not be leaving the facility either way without being granted permission. This was to be my home.

  “Are you ready to head inside?” John asks gently, snapping me out of my daydream.

  “I think so,” I say in earnest.

  “Also, I’m not sure if your father told you, but I’m aware of your secret, Abeni, but I am the only one. I think it would be wise to keep it between us. Inside your room you will find I’ve picked out a uniform for you, it will keep you concealed, and that will keep you safe. Not to say any of the recruits are dangerous, but humans can be…well…curious.”

  “I understand curiosity, sir…and I can understand the dangers of it,” I say nodding.

  “Call me John,” he says again with a grin.

  “Will the others be calling you John? I don’t wish to stand out…curiosity, sir…”

  “Yes, I believe you’re on to something, Abeni. Call me what you prefer,” he says as he holds his grin.

  Clearly, he liked me, I didn’t know why until I entered the building. Through the main hallway were many framed photos of military personnel, there were quite a few framed pictures of my mother in military garb. Even in her zombie form I noticed I looked so much like her, perhaps I even had some of her personality, but it was hard to know.

  “Sir, why are there so many pictures of my mother?” I say genuinely curious. I didn’t know she had known Lessard.

  “I worked with her for a brief time, Abeni, she was a great help to us and she did save our world, so I owe her a great debt. This is why you are here, she wanted your protection and I am here to protect you until you are ready to protect yourself. I will say you share the distrust your mother held. She didn’t think I had an ounce of honesty in me, and to be honest, Walther thought the same of me. I suppose it’s difficult to trust a politician, but I’m not like the others, power hasn’t gone to my head, and I don’t have hidden motives. People know my mind and all I want is to protect our people.”

  When we reach what is to be my new room, I am surprised by its homey appeal. It wasn’t quite as sterile as the rest of the building. It was colorful and welcoming, above the bed was my Spiderman poster from home. Lessard notices me admiring the ceiling.

  “That was part of your father’s request,” he said.

  All I could think to say was, “Thank you.” I was truly grateful for the attempt to make this home for me.

  “I think I will leave you awhile now to get settled in. Tomorrow we begin our training. “Oh and Happy Birthday, Abeni. I know it hasn’t turned out the way it should have, but I do think you’ll like it here.”

  And with that, he closes the door and disappears.

  I take a moment to examine the room. There is an entire bookshelf of things to read. Father only ever had a few books, but after the war against the undead, it was all about taking what you could find. We hadn’t had many luxuries over the years, but the neat things we did retrieve made it feel like Christmas. Examining the books a bit closer, I notice they are all about mythology in a sense. One was about demons, one was about a devil, and another was about conjuring spells? The selection of books seemed quite odd. Where were the fairytales? Did they not exist anymore? I find myself too tired to ponder this any further and decide to rest my head. The bed is delightful; I had never known a comfort like this. Sleep finds me fast.

  ***

  A woman appears in front of me, her eyes glow like flames and her skin is as pale as snow. She walks up to me and brings a chill to the air around me. She does not touch me, instead, she points to my glowing chest which I cover immediately with my palms.

  “Stay back!” I say to the strange woman who grins in an evil manner at me.

  She does not say a word, but continues to approach me, she removes the hands from my chest in order to view the glow again. This time she presses her hand to it, the warmth of the glow seems to heal her slightly and warms her skin. She begins to press harder on my chest until she presses a hole through it. I can’t scream or move as she clutches at my beating heart.

  She pulls it out of my chest and holds the glowing heart into the air.

  I feel faint and collapse to the ground, but still seem to be alive?

  “How is this possible?” I ask the strange woman.

  She merely continues to hold the heart and smile at me curiously.

  As I try to rise, I notice my limbs look odd, they are purple and stiff, when I try to speak again a growl expels from my mouth instead of words. I feel cold and begin to have trouble seeing. What is happening to me?

  When my sight returns, the woman is gone, and my heart with her. A large mirror rests before me and I fear approaching it because I can already tell my appearance has changed. My eyes glow that same red, my skin is pale with purple bruising. I am what I feared, I am the monster now.

  A small child appears out of nowhere, she looks at me with fear in her eyes. I try to tell her to leave, to flee from me, but she is frozen with fear. My stomach growls, my feet move without my say so and soon I am grabbing her small arm and chewing on its flesh. The child screams, but I can’t stop feeding. The screams flood my mind, but I am lost to the illness. I am gone.

  ***

  “Hey are you alright?” an adorable voice asks as she shakes me awake. The small child resembles the girl in my dream and I continue to scream as she comes into view.

  “Shhh! Shhh!”
she says gently. “I think you were having a bad dream.”

  Instead of thanking her for her concern I ask, “Who are you?”

  “I’m your neighbor. I sleep next door. My name is Julia.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I say, still dumbfounded by the resemblance to the young girl in my dreams. “How old are you Julia and how did you get in here?”

  She giggles as she points to a vent. “I crawled through there. They lock the doors so it’s the only way I can get around at night. Oh, and I’m nine years old.”

  I couldn’t understand why a nine-year-old would be here alone, I suppose my father had mentioned in his note that they wished my training to start sooner, but this seemed too young. I wanted to ask where her parents were, but reconsidered, perhaps we were all orphans in this place and that’s what made us more efficient. No family meant we only had training to focus on and excel at. We would be each other’s family here, I could sense that already.

  Julia rubs her eyes. “If you’re okay, then I’m going back to bed, just knock on the wall if you need anything,” she says with a large grin.

  She was much too adorable and I thank her for her consideration before she sneaks back away into the vent. What a strange place this was, and apparently it was crawling with people, another thing I wasn’t used to. It had been Father and me for so long that I forgot other people existed. We had a few animals along the way, but eventually they would pass on and we would be alone again. This place was going to take a lot of getting used to.

  ***

  A knock on the door tells me that it’s time to rise and shine, outside the door sits a brown paper bag, a muffin and some strange beverage awaits inside, but I’m nowhere near hungry or interested. Searching through my closet I find my uniform quickly and dress in front of a long mirror. The mirror reminds me so much of last night’s dream that I shiver slightly. Before I zip my top all the way up, I examine the light that glows from my chest. I wouldn’t say it was blinding, but it was unmistakable. “Stay hidden,” I say as I zip the shirt all the way up to my neck. The uniform made me look a bit like a superhero. It’s dark parachute material looked like it was something out of the military, but much more sinister. I liked it a lot.