General Population

by Eddie Jakes

  Javier began to laugh.

  "Well, that's something new," remarked Maddix, as he also began to laugh.

  Tara's arms were starting to get sore, but she managed to get them to the shore without so much as a complaint. It was a tiny island, no bigger than eight yards or so long with a lone tree growing next to a big rock parked in the center.

  "That's where it is." Maddix pointed to the rock.

  "Is it a secret passage or something?" asked Javier.

  "No. We have to move it."

  "Are you crazy? That's too big for just the two of us to move."

  "Three," said Tara. She put her hands on her hips and gave Javier a scolding glare.

  "No disrespect intended, but that's too big for even three of us."

  "Just roll up your sleeves," Maddix instructed. "We can do it."

  Javier removed his uniform jacket and rolled up his sleeves. The rush of cool breeze suddenly made him realize just how uncomfortable the jacket had been. "Let's do it."

  They each placed their hands against the cold stone and pushed with all the force they could gather. Tara's arms were like butter from all the rowing, but she refused to let anything get in her way. To her and Javier's surprise, it moved a lot easier than its size would suggest it would. A few good shoves and the rock moved, revealing a trap door underneath. Maddix opened the door, and looked inside where a small wooden box was sitting undisturbed. On top of the lid was a carving of a gate … the gate.

  Just where I left it, he thought to himself.

  "Is that the key?" questioned Tara.

  "The key is kept in this box."

  "Let's see it," said Javier.

  Maddix was lost in his thoughts. "I'd never thought I'd be the overseer to actually use it."

  Maddix slowly began to undo the latches on the box.

  A rustling in the tree caused the three to stop and look around. Javier had already drawn his weapon and aimed it at the tree. Peering carefully through the leaves he could see something brownish in color hanging from a branch.

  "It's a bat!" Javier shouted and opened fire.

  The bat was too fast and charged Javier, attacking his face and causing him to drop his gun.

  Maddix reached for his weapon and took aim. Standing before him was a well-built, naked man holding a large clawed hand to the throat of Javier. He had seen this man before under different circumstances.

  "Havel Statsny," said Maddix. "Back from the dead … again."

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Javier was frightened and extremely confused by his current situation. How was this vampire able to put his hands on him like this? Could the wasps have gotten to him? He wasn't acting all wild like the others. It dawned on him once his eyes looked to the ground near Maddix's feet and saw his pristine gold badge still pinned to his blue uniform jacket. He had let his guard down in the worst possible way.

  "Pleasure to finally meet you, Overseer. I must apologize to your lovely assistant about my lack of attire. It's not as it is in the books," said Havel.

  "I had a feeling you might still be alive. Why the ruse?"

  "Distraction, nothing more. Now if you would be so kind as to hand over the key."

  Maddix laughed.

  "Over my dead body. You can't hurt me and I'll be damned if I'm going to help you escape."

  Havel started to drive his clawed finger deeper into Javier's neck. Some blood dripped from the wound and onto his collar. Javier refused to acknowledge the pain. He'd be damned if he were going to let this bloodsucker have any satisfaction.

  "I will ask one more time, then he dies."

  "Fuck you," said Maddix. "Constable Larouche knows the risks as do the rest of us."

  "Then perhaps we should just take it, no?" asked a woman's voice from behind them.

  They both turned but saw nothing. In an instant, the box was snatched from Maddix's hand. Quickly they turned to find the naked form of Drahomira Statsny holding the box and smiling.

  Maddix drew his weapon and opened fire on her. The bullets bounced off of her like rubber. Small burns marks appeared on her skin but quickly faded.

  "Silver is mildly itchy, but useless, Overseer," explained Drahomira wiping away at faux injuries.

  With that, Havel tossed Javier to the ground and laughed at him.

  "I would like to thank you for your assistance in investigating my brother's demise, but—as you can see—your services are no longer needed. Ever." Drahomira almost cackled as she spoke.

  "I don't get it. With those things flying around making everyone crazy, why the need to make us think your brother was dead?" Tara asked.

  "Simple," said Havel. "We've always known that the overseer must have some way of opening the gate, we just didn't know how. Some decades ago one of the past overseers went mad and started screaming about a key. He almost opened the gate back then, but his assistant stopped him before he could. One day he was gone, and a new overseer took over. We've spent all that time since studying everything about you. Then the constables came, and that made things more difficult."

  "Sorry to be such a pain in the ass," said Javier, and spit on the ground.

  "Where did you get those wasps? Without them, none of this would have worked."

  "Precisely," replied Drahomira. "You didn't do what we expected you to do. After seeing my brother dead, we had hoped you would open the gate then, but you didn't. So we had a … how do you say it? Plan B."

  "Where the hell did they come from?"

  Havel started to look around. He could hear the sound of a swarm coming close. "Why don't you ask them yourself? Seems as though they are coming in for a bite."

  "Yes, we should go. I am allergic," said Drahomira, sarcastically.

  Drahomira grabbed the small boat and with a single arm smashed it into pieces against the tree, before standing next to her brother. The three watched as the two quickly morphed into bat form and carried the box with them as they flew away.

  The buzzing was growing louder.

  "Now we are fucked, monsieur."

  "Not yet," said Maddix. He grabbed Javier's jacket and tossed it to him. "Grab your badge. We're going to have to swim."

  "With those things in the lake?"

  "They can't hurt us, and if we stay under the surface as much as possible, those things will deal with the wasps for us."

  "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, eh?" Javier ripped the badge from his jacket and pinned it to his shirt.

  "Let's hope so."

  With that said, the three dove into the water just as a swarm of the wasps swooped down on the island. They kept low, only coming up for air when necessary.

  As Maddix suspected would happen, the creatures paid them no mind and instead focused on eating the wasps as they flew overhead. By the time they reached the end, the buzzing was gone.

  "Thanks again, fellas," said Maddix, as he flashed them a fake salute.

  Dozens of amphibious eyes peeked out from the lake to watch the three of them step out of the water. They chewed away happily at their bountiful meal of evil bugs.

  "The key isn't in that box, is it?" asked Tara.

  Maddix couldn't fight back the devilish grin forming across his face. He couldn't remember anything about who he was in the real world, one thing had always been obvious to him—he never trusted anyone or anything. He had kept this part of himself from Tara during their whole time together. He hated the rules and procedures. Whenever possible he was always second-guessing traditions and skirting around the Founding Father's policies, and the first that had to go pertained to the one thing that could destroy the world.

  The very idea that the one possible escape from this prison was to be hidden on some isolated island surrounded by lake monsters was incredibly cliché and ridiculous to Maddix. Every day for the first few months he would walk by the lake just to be sure that no one had disturbed the stone or dug up the key. It was a constant source of paranoia and extremely distracting. To be able to do his job effectively meant that
Maddix would have to eliminate the one thing that hindered that.

  "So where is it then?" asked Tara.

  "Let's just say it's safe for now."

  The three of them, clad in their undergarments, squeezed out the last of the water saturated in their clothing before putting it back on. They were still damp and uncomfortable, but it was better than being totally weighed down by rancid lake water.

  "You are a crafty one, monsieur."

  "I don't get it. Why didn't you ever tell me?" Tara questioned.

  "At first? I wasn't sure if anyone saw me take it so I had to keep it on the down-low, and after a while I just forgot to tell you."

  "So why did we just go through all that on the island?"

  "I knew someone was behind this. I just wasn't sure whom. I had some suspicions about the Statsnys ever since I went to see the body. If they were watching us, this was the best way to flush them out."

  "Crafty, monsieur. Very crafty. Now what?"

  "They think we are helpless right now. That's why I suggested we take the boat. Makes us look weaker than we actually are. It's basic poker, my friend. Never show the other players your hand."

  "So we've bought some time, but we should move now," said Tara.

  Maddix agreed and buttoned his shirt.

  "Where is this gate, precisely?" Javier asked.

  "That's the worst part. It's on the very edge of the realm, past the forest."

  "Christ. If those things are there—"

  "Let's assume that they already are, and stay alert," Maddix stated.

  "Okay, boys, let's get moving," said Tara.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The forest in Malevolent was already creepy, but when the sun dropped it was downright ominous. The trees gave the illusion of being larger than life against the black backdrop of the night sky. The moisture in the air elevated the pungent odor of living corpses. The reflection of stars was giving the zombies' eyes a glint to them that made it seem as if they were following the group as they hiked toward the gate. In was most unnerving and it was a reminder to Maddix and his friends that they were traipsing through a different world that wasn't theirs anymore. They were unwelcome guests in someone's new nightmare of a land.

  The three of them exchanged glances but barely spoke a word to each other during the short journey. They were all scared, and it was taking everything in their will to gather the courage needed to keep it together. Letting go of that focus and speaking would only allow the panic they felt inside to come bursting out.

  They pressed forward with only the limited moonlight to guide them. Maddix had a really tough time seeing anything in front of him and waved his wooden stake around to check for obstacles. After everything he had been through, and everything he knew he would go through, he considered the stake his good luck charm.

  "So far, so good. Just keep going and don't look back. Keep your ears open," whispered Maddix.

  They were moving at a brisk pace while trying to stay quiet, but all the dried leaves and sticks on the ground made that next to impossible. Anyone with supernatural hearing would be sure to triangulate where they were. What about the wasps? Were they attracted to sight, sound, or smell? Best thing to do was keep their eyes open and pay attention.

  But then, Javier tripped …

  He landed on top of a rotting corpse, its bottom half removed from the torso due to the decay of its own flesh. He was face-to-face with the creature. It let out a gurgling hiss but made no move against him. With Javier's badge in place, it was still helpless and posed to harm.

  Maddix helped Javier to his feet. In a rage Javier stomped the monster’s face with his boot.

  "Calm down, Constable," said Maddix.

  "Fuck these things! Why couldn't they just kill all of them? Why send them here?"

  "Apparently," Maddix gave Javier a pat on the shoulder to calm him, "it wasn't as simple as that. Nobody really knows where they came from. The only thing the Founding Fathers figured out is that they aren't magical or spiritual in nature. It's some kind of biological infection that keeps their brains going."

  "How's that possible?"

  "Who knows? They never could pinpoint what caused it, and it was starting to spread so fast they had to act quickly before it was out of control."

  "So they sent them here where they would be harmless?" asked Tara.

  "They used the last of the magic available to them to do it," Maddix replied. "Really nasty stuff, too."

  "I don't understand," muttered Javier.

  "Well, look at your badges. They are based on lost Egyptian rituals. Protective scarabs created by worshipers of Anubis. It wasn't possible to change the terms of the pact so they had to create new magic for you and your men."

  "I had no idea," said Javier.

  "That's because you never read any of my "precious" diaries," said Maddix. He winked at Javier.

  After all they had been through, Javier did feel guilty about the past. He wanted to say something but could not get the words out. Maddix patted his shoulder again and they kept walking.

  "It occurs to me that they must have foreseen something like this happening," Tara stated.

  "I'm not following you," said Maddix.

  "Well, think about it. They sent the zombies here, and the constables with them. They must have expected some kind of problem to send an armed police force to a magically protected prison realm."

  "You think all this was expected?" said Javier.

  "Yes. Or planned."

  "Are you suggesting—"

  "Wait," said Maddix, "I hear something."

  It was a good five seconds before the first buzzing of insect wings broke the silence. The cracking of bones and footsteps followed this. One of the zombies had been stung, but it was impossible to see which one.

  "Shit," said Tara. "I can't see anything out here."

  Javier pulled his pistol from his waist. Hopefully, it would still fire after being waterlogged during their swim to shore.

  In the distance behind them, Tara thought that she saw movement. The night was pitch-black and the area littered with walking dead, making it too hard to determine for sure. There may have been footsteps, but the deep moaning and hissing of zombies drowned out most noises.

  Then there was a voice—that much they were all sure of—but it was unintelligible. Suddenly, the forest was filled with the sounds of wasps flying, stinging, and manipulating the horde of zombies.

  The three of them turned in horror as one zombie after another began to awkwardly walk toward them. Javier drew his weapon, but Tara put her hand on his barrel. "It's useless. There are too many of them. Run!"

  They were practically blind, running through the forest bumping into more zombies and narrowly evading trees that had fallen to the ground. The swarms of wasps surrounded them and whizzed passed them. Javier almost caught one in the neck but managed to grab the bastard and crush it with his bare hands. He would not go down before he could avenge the death of his men.

  Maddix stopped abruptly as the wasps began to sting the zombies in front of them. They shook and twitched like the others and then began hobbling toward them.

  I really wish I had more bullets, thought Maddix. He took aim with his gun and dropped two of the dead biters before the third sparked and misfired.

  "Shit," Maddix muttered. He struggled to eject the waterlogged cartridge.

  Javier was luckier and managed to squeeze off several shots before his gun misfired. He was so distracted that he did not see the creature slowly creep up behind him and wrestle him to the ground.

  Taking his pistol, Javier wedged the barrel into the mouth of his attacker. He wasn't in any sort of position to get this thing off him, but he'd be damned if he were going to allow himself to be bitten and turned. The brain-dead zombie paid little attention to the gun in its mouth and kept trying to take a bite out of its victim to no avail.

  Tara moved in to pull the zombie off Javier, grabbing the gun from either end like a horse's bit. She
struggled but managed to get the upper hand, pulling its head back and off of its shoulders, throwing herself back in the process. Now she was on the ground and being closed in on.

  Maddix managed to unjam his weapon and fired more rounds at the surrounding horde, creating a hole in the crowd big enough for Tara to run through. She quickly tossed Javier his pistol and grabbed the small stake from Maddix's belt.

  The three of them fought them off with all the strength they could muster. The physical drain was taking a toll on them. It was easy to kill them, but the sheer numbers made it difficult to stay ahead in the game. When one dropped, three more would step in their place.

  "Something is headed toward us … fast!" said Tara.

  Maddix looked over his shoulder and spotted what Tara saw on the horizon. Whoever they were, they were making short work of the zombies. Whether they would be friend or foe was another matter. The stranger carried a large club and was splattering heads left and right with it. He was wearing a gas mask and had a large scarf wrapped around his neck.

  "I have a clear shot, should I take him down?" shouted Javier.

  Maddix took another look at the masked man; his brain was saying yes, but something in his gut was telling him it was the wrong move. "Just concentrate on the zombies, we'll deal with him later. He's thinning out the numbers for us."

  The last of the horde attacking them went down. It was now down to them and the stranger. Both men trained their guns on him while Tara held the stake, ready to strike at the first opportunity.

  "Jesus, boy, is that the thanks I get?" the stranger spoke. His voice was muffled but familiar.

  "Ephrain?" said Maddix. "Is that you?"

  Ephrain pulled his mask off, revealing his big, grinning face. "Sure is."

  "Your timing is perfect, monsieur," said Javier.