General Population

by Eddie Jakes

  Javier did not seem concerned one bit for who they were or that the two men were twice his size as he stepped ahead of everyone and pointed to the door to the interrogation room. "Have a seat, please. I have some questions for you."

  Maddix darted from the office. "What's this?"

  "Monsieur Benbrook," Javier avoided eye contact, "I trust you are well. I have brought in these three for questioning, and we shall get to the bottom of this unacceptable attack on your person. Now if you will just run along—"

  "No way! Not this time. There is something seriously fucked up going on and we have no time for a pissing contest. I'm going in there with you."

  "Trust me, monsieur, I have the solution to this problem."

  "Great, we can discuss in in there." Maddix slipped away and followed the three lycanthropes into the interrogation room.

  Javier huffed in frustration but accepted defeat reluctantly. The two men took seats across from their guests.

  Eric and William were both equally intimidating, but William's eyes were this constant shade of yellow that made him just a touch more frightening. They both looked like they had aged well in their forties—dog years he supposed—with long graying hair. William kept his hair in a ponytail, which only served to bring out his unsettling eyes better. Maddix read once that werewolves who spent too much time in wolf form tended to keep some of those animal attributes in human form. Then there were some that could just change certain aspects of themselves as tools or to intimidate. Maddix could not tell which was the case with William.

  Tanya was a unique among the werewolves. She wasn't frightening physically, but there was an energy that exuded from her that set the hairs on one's skin straight. Every movement she made had grace and patience. After a few seconds of staring at her alluring blue eyes, Maddix noticed that she never blinked. Just looking on the surface it would be hard to picture her as being deadly, but Maddix knew that there was only one way to become a pack leader of werewolves … a fight to the death.

  "Now," Javier chimed in, "I hope everyone is comfortable?"

  Nobody said a word. They just stared at Javier and Maddix with disdain.

  "If everyone here is honest and answers every question, this will be over quickly. Do you know why you are here?"

  "Is this over a dead bloodsucker?" asked Eric, with a grimace.

  "Maybe," Maddix jumped in. "You know of any?"

  "I didn't say that," said Eric. "Just curious."

  "Perhaps then you might be able to tell us why one from your kind would attack Monsieur Benbrook tonight?" Javier was all business.

  "That's impossible," Tanya answered.

  "Oh trust me," Maddix quipped, "it happened. I have the scars to prove it."

  William hummed to himself.

  "Something you wish to share, monsieur?"

  "Not at all." William was a soft speaker. There was a calm to his demeanor that was unnerving. He seemed unfazed by anything.

  "You're all aware of the zombie attack earlier today, right?" Maddix asked.

  More silence.

  "Listen," said Maddix, "we're not trying to accuse you of anything. If there is something wrong—"

  "Monsieur, please. Did one of you order someone from your pack to attack Monsieur Benbrook tonight?"

  "As I said before," Tanya replied, "that would be impossible. Overseer Benbrook is protected. Besides, we would have no reason to do so. Doing so would get us all killed."

  "I propose a solution then." Javier's arrogance crept back into his voice. "The three of you shall be escorted to the body and identify the remains. If the attacker belongs to any one of your clans, you shall be held responsible and dealt with accordingly. Understood?"

  "Wait—" Maddix couldn't get the words our before Larouche was ordering his men to join them in the room.

  Javier instructed his men to escort the pack leaders to the first aid room and they obeyed without an argument. Each one took turns with William going first, followed by Eric. Both men shook their heads and walked out upset but composed. Tanya stopped and stood there frozen for a few seconds before giving in to tears. Suddenly the hard as stone pack leader appeared vulnerable and almost human.

  "You know him," Maddix stated.

  "I do, Overseer. His name was Benjamin."

  "Is he one of yours?" asked Javier.

  "He is."

  "Stop, Tanya, don't say any more to them," said Eric. He put his hand on her shoulder.

  "That settles things," said Javier.

  Javier pointed to Tanya and his men escorted her to the cells. Eric and William stepped tried to step in but could not help her. They were powerless against unseen forces that prevented them from doing harm to the constables. Seeing their inability to react only confused Maddix even further considering what had just transpired. What was it that was special about Benjamin that made it possible for him to jump him?

  "This doesn't prove anything," said Maddix. "It's circumstantial."

  "This isn't a court of law and these people have no such rights," Javier snapped. He turned to Eric and William. "We have no further need for your assistance. I thank you. My men will escort you to the door."

  "This is shit!" shouted William, his yellow eyes glaring at Larouche.

  There were a few words exchanged before the two were shown the door. Maddix could see Tara passing them as she walked into the station. She made her way to Maddix and held him by the shoulders.

  "Are you okay?" Tara asked.

  "Little bruised up but I'll live."

  "Madam Cherane, so sweet of you to join us. We have just concluded our investigation. Perhaps you could bring Monsieur Benbrook home and pour him a stiff drink. I assume that you will have much to decide now."

  Tara barely acknowledged Javier. "What is he talking about?"

  "Now hold on! I'm not rushing to make any snap judgments here."

  "It is the opinion of this office that we have a clear violation of the pact and the next course of action is obvious."

  "It not that simple, Javier," said Tara.

  "It is simple to me, Madame. They broke the rules and they must pay the price. And the responsibility for reporting such violations falls on the overseer. The ball is in your court, as they say."

  "It's not like I have a secret phone line to the outside," Maddix replied. "I need more solid evidence than some weak correlation."

  "Monsieur," began Javier as he stepped in really close to the overseers; his voice lowered to a whisper, "I do not give a damn about these demons. We have all kept up this nonsense for long enough. Now do what needs to be done and get us out of this fucking hell."

  Maddix was silent as Javier walked away from them. Part of him didn't think it was right to condemn everyone in Malevolent, but the other part sided with Javier. Things were worse than he thought if he was starting to agree with Larouche.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  When Maddix awoke the next morning, his muscles in his upper body ached. It was a painful reminder that a rabid werewolf had almost eaten him the night before. He vowed to himself that when things settled down that he would start exercising more and reading less. Tara was always pushing him to be more physical, but Maddix was never much for athletics. That was his conclusion anyway. Who really knew what he was into? Not being able to recall his past made it hard to argue with Tara.

  After getting dressed, Maddix made his way to the library. The earthly smell of fresh coffee smacked him in the face. Tara was already pouring two cups that she had laid out next to a silver-serving tray containing warm toast and muffins. Maddix's growling stomach reminded him of the delicious dinner that they never got to have.

  "Good morning," Maddix muttering, picking up one of the full coffee mugs. Holding to his face, he gave the warm beverage a deep inhale. It was just what he needed to clear the cobwebs from his brain. With so much on his mind, Maddix had barely slept during the night.

  "I made it stronger than normal. I imagine you need it as badly as I do."

 
; "Yes," replied Maddix, sipping generously. "Probably the worst night of my life. Ironically, considering the circumstances, I didn't have those dreams, at least."

  "Getting mauled by a werewolf was probably enough of a nightmare."

  Maddix nodded in response, mouth full of coffee.

  A knock coming from the adjacent office's door interrupted their morning banter. They both looked at each other with fraught expressions. What could possibly be next? Maddix was almost afraid to answer the door and find out, but answer it he did.

  Maddix breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the smiling face of Ephrain Ketter wearing his apron and protective sleeves. Under his left arm, he carried a big book with what looked like a grasshopper on the cover.

  "Aren't you supposed to be opening shop?" asked Tara, stepping in behind Maddix with her cup in hand.

  "Yes, but it's not like they're beating my door down. I found some information on your bug friend." Ephrain held up the large book with a grin. It was an old science book about exotic insects from around the world. After letting himself in he dropped the aged tome onto Maddix's desk.

  "What did you find?"

  "Well," said Ephrain, as he flipped through the worn pages, "the wings themselves match different varieties of wasp, but the coloration is more closely related to the South Asian variety of jewel wasp."

  "South Asian? How the hell did it get here?"

  "Can't help you there, but I can say, these are a nasty breed of a bug. The jewel wasp reproduces by stinging a cockroach in the brain and turning it into a zombie. Then it lays its eggs inside it, and the larvae eat the poor sucker from the inside out. Vicious bastards."

  Maddix stared at the pictures in the book. The size proportions were off from what he had found on the Statsnys' property. By his best estimates, the wasp they were looking for was at least double the normal size. "Must be something in the water for it to get so big. Have you been doing some illegal experimentation?"

  Ephrain laughed. "Wasn't me, I swear. Seriously, though, this isn't my expertise. Maybe ask Herr Doctor about it."

  "Oh hell no," said Tara. "That man is sick. Besides, I doubt he would willingly help."

  "Maybe," Maddix replied, gobbling the last bite of his muffin, "this would be something he'd have an interest in. After my last talk with him he is probably dying for some scientific work."

  The last conversation wasn't pleasant for Maddix. Deryck Himmelreich arrived in Malevolent some decades ago. Everyone knew the story about the resident Nazi war criminal that performed the most diabolical human experiments ever known in recorded history. Never a member of the Nazi party himself, but he aligned himself with the Third Reich just to gain access to their vast resources and no restrictions.

  Shortly after being condemned to Malevolent, rumors circulated that he had begun rounding up zombies from the forest and performed experiments on them. This caused a big unrest in the population and it was the first and only time Maddix had to deal with a problem directly. The brief conversation the two men had had been enough for Maddix to understand the real depth to the man's evil. The human race was nothing short of a work in progress and Dr. Deryck Himmelreich considered himself a chief architect. Aside from his brilliantly diabolical mind, there was nothing supernatural about the man at all. How he came to become a resident of Malevolent instead of being executed as a war criminal was a mystery to everyone.

  "Zombies," said Maddix.

  Tara and Ephrain both looked at each other, confused.

  "You said the wasp turns cockroaches into zombies?"

  "Oh yeah, says it right here. Injects venom into the brain."

  "Breakfast is over," Maddix stated. "We need to look at those bodies before the constables burn them,"

  After the arrival of the zombie population to Malevolent, there also came a new set of guidelines involving possible infection from being bitten. One of the more unpleasant of these guidelines was the burning of all bodies exposed to the infected. It was supposed to be handled on a volunteer basis, but all that meant most of the time was the chief 'volunteered' people for assignments. Larouche did not consider the constables to be a democracy or civilian security force. It was paramilitary from his perspective and he would be the final word on everything.

  The main strip ran along the southern part of Malevolent and ended just a few miles shy of the eastern edge. Kept in a secluded area out of sight of the town was the makeshift crematorium made out of rock and some rusted metal. It was crude but practical and got the job done. The few constables that were still there from when it was built spoke of how much of a pain in the ass it was to put together. They had tried to get some help from the residents, but the idea of helping their jailers build something to potentially burn their families with was not something they were keen on.

  The weather was hot that morning and the flames from the fire didn't help matters much. Rick and Jackson practically begged Larouche to pick someone else, but the chief was not someone who second-guessed or pulled favors. When he gave someone a command, they followed it or faced repercussions, and Javier was really good at coming up with punishments that made you think twice.

  "Feels kind of wrong, doesn't it? Just burning his body like this," said Rick

  "Maybe, but it's the rules. We don't know if he's contagious still," Jackson replied.

  "I just wish there was another way, you know?"

  "Yep. But fuck it. At least we get to burn one of those furry fucks."

  "Yeah," he laughed. "If this damn fire will start to burn."

  When Maddix and company arrived, they could see two bodies were wrapped up in white sheets and laying in a small wagon. They were piled on top of each other and spilling out over either side. No respect for the dead, Maddix thought.

  "Hey fellas," Maddix called.

  "Christ," said Jackson. "What the hell you want, Benbrook? We're busy laying our friend to rest."

  "I see that. Larouche spared no expense for the service, did he?"

  "Watch it, Overseer."

  "We don't have time for this. I need to inspect the bodies before you dispose of them."

  Tara and Ephrain were already taking the two bodies from the wagon and laying them next to each other on the ground. Ephrain removed the covering from their faces. It was almost hard to tell the zombie from the bitten constable by now. The infection continued to decay the body even after the brain was destroyed. The dead constable was still dressed in his uniform, sans his protective badge.

  "Hey now! You can't do that!"

  "Thanks for your help." Maddix patted the two men on the back and joined his friends by the bodies.

  The two overseers looked over every inch of the two bodies, occasionally breaking a bone trying to move the limbs where rigor mortis had set in. The smell was strong and got only worse the more they moved the bodies around. Finally, after almost giving up, Maddix found a hole in the back of the zombie's neck underneath his hanging hair and skin.

  "I think I found what we're looking for," said Maddix, sticking his fingers into the hole. The sloshing sound of puss and brain made everyone but Ephrain look away.

  "What the hell are you doing?" asked Tara, covering her face. The smell grew worse.

  Holding his breath, Maddix slid his whole hand into the small of the zombie's head. He could feel pieces of bone and brain as he continued to dig deeper. I know you're in here, Maddix thought. After pushing his hand in up to its wrist, he felt something that should not have been there. It felt hard on the outside but soft overall. Getting a good grip on it, he pulled his hand out of the monster's brain.

  Maddix's hand was covered in black slime and chunks of rotten brain, with the remains of the strange wasp in his palm. It was similar to a textbook jewel wasp, but its abdomen looked like a deflated balloon, and its stinger was longer than normal with a hooked tip. Clearly whoever got stung by this would have a difficult time getting it off of them.

  "I think we have some new guests in the realm," Maddix stated.


  "You are one sick fuck, Overseer," said Rick. "Now can we get back to work?"

  "Yes, absolutely. Where is the werewolf I killed last night?"

  "It's still at the station. The dogs want it back so the chief is negotiating a release."

  "So," said Ephrain, "what are you going to do with that?"

  "Well first, I'm going to borrow one of your mason jars so I don't have to carry it like this. Then I'm going to take your advice and show it to Dr. Himmelreich. Something tells me that he might be interested in this little specimen."

  After a few minutes of arguing back and forth, Maddix finally convinced Tara that he should go see Himmelreich alone. The loss of either one of them—tragic as it would be—would not be as bad a loss as if both of them were killed. They both had knowledge that was crucial to the safety of all the humans in Malevolent and the outside world. Besides, Maddix felt responsible for her safety as well, even though he knew she could handle herself. It was just part of his nature.

  Walking through town felt different from the day before. He was more paranoid and kept glancing over his shoulder or the tops of buildings. Things were so unpredictable now and it was enough to drive Maddix crazy. Where would the next attack come from? Would there be another attack at all? Hopefully, some insight from the local mad scientist would help shed light on things.

  The voice of Constable Roberts called out from behind him as he walked past the station. He stopped and turned to face the man as he shuffled quickly to catch up with him. Maddix recalled the sexist comments from the night before and really didn't feel like talking, but he kept his professional wits about him.

  "Just the man I was going to see," Roberts remarked.

  "Good morning, Sergeant," said Maddix.

  "The chief wants to talk to back in his office. Now please."