Plague Unleashed (The Intern Diaries Book 2)

by D. C. Gomez

  “Abuelita, you can’t be serious that some fried pies are stealing your business. We don’t have a dessert menu, remember?” Was I missing something here?

  “That’s the problem; she is stealing any potential clients we might have. Besides, people are questioning my skills compared to hers.” Now it made sense; this crazy thing was about pride.

  “Got it. No need to panic. I’ll start packing your supplies and labeling things. We’ll get you ready to roll for tomorrow.” Abuelita rushed to give me another hug. I was afraid if she did, she might crush my windpipe. “Hold it. No more hugs till we at least get semi-packed. Not to mention I’m starving, so I want to hurry so I can eat.”

  “Are you seriously going to get food somewhere else when you are already here?” Abuelita was looking at me, a little offended.

  “No need to get mad, now. I didn’t think we had anything to eat or time to make brunch.” Abuelita looked like she needed food herself.

  “You’re in luck; I made breakfast earlier. Start doing your magic over there, and I’ll get you food.”

  Maybe Constantine was right, and we did work for food. I was so excited I wanted to whistle.

  I started organizing boxes with trays, utensils, napkins, and condiments. I labeled and numbered each box. I wanted to make sure there was no mistake or lost time trying to figure out what was in the boxes. Before I could start my second box, Abuelita brought me a plate of huevos rancheros with tons of cheese and refried beans. She had added corn tortillas to my plate as well. The smell of the eggs with the sauce had my mouth watering. I was surprised when she placed a cup of Mexican hot chocolate in front of me. The hot chocolate was a mixture of rich cocoa and chili powder. I was in heaven. If all I needed to do was fill and label boxes, this was amazing.

  “I love this hot chocolate. And the food is delicious.” I was trying to chew and talked at the same time. It was not a pretty sight.

  “You love them so much because you are not eating enough food, Isis. You are shrinking to death.” Abuelita’s definition of health was a woman with plenty of meat on her bones.

  “I’m healthy. I just run a lot, remember.” I give her my brightest smile. Abuelita was not buying it. Fortunately, I was saved by the bell. We both looked at the back door to see who was coming in.

  “Sorry, I’m late.” Ana rushed in. She looked awful, and I had no idea what had happened to her.

  “Girl, have you been crying? You look awful.” I gave Abuelita a look at her statement. Ana did look like hell, but Abuelita didn’t have to call her out like that.

  “I’m sorry. I fought with Joe. He’s been acting all sorts of weird.” Ana looked like she was going to cry again.

  “Weird how?” I was probably paranoid, but I wasn’t taking any chances with weird-acting people in Texarkana.

  “Angry, moody, and aggressive. It’s crazy, cause a couple of days ago I thought he had flu symptoms. The symptoms are gone, but now he’s off.” Ana was almost ashamed for telling us.

  “Ana, I need to ask you a question, but I don’t want you to get mad.” I wasn’t sure how to ask, but I needed to know. “Has Joe been using lately?” Joe had a hard time adjusting to normal life. I was afraid he had fallen off the wagon.

  “No Isis, I swear. We both been clean for months now. It was awful at first, but Abuelita gave us each a tonic, and that took some of the withdrawals away. Isis, what is going on?” Ana was becoming even more desperate, and I was not helping.

  “We’re afraid there’s a plague loose in Texarkana. What you’re describing sounds familiar. Ana, do you trust me?” I wasn’t sure if she could handle all of this. She was so attached to Joe; I was afraid she might lose it if he relapsed. “I want to get Joe examined by our friend just to make sure he’s OK. Would you mind?”

  “Is it going to hurt him?” Ana was scared, but she always put the welfare of Joe before her own.

  “I doubt it. But I want to make sure he’s in a safe place, just in case he might turn.” I wasn’t sure if I could explain everything without scaring her to death.

  “Turn into what? Isis, please just tell me.”

  Ana’s voice was trembling, and I couldn’t stand it. I was so worried for both of them. I knew I could trust Ana with anything. After last fall she knew I worked for Death and was OK with the supernatural world. She wasn’t afraid and was still my friend. I bit the inside of my cheek before starting; this was going to scare her.

  “He might turn into a zombie and try to kill you.”

  Ana almost passed out. I had to rush to her side and hold her up. “We’re trying to figure out what it is and how it’s transmitted. I just want to make sure you’re both safe. What do you think?”

  “Isis, please don’t let him turn into a zombie. Do whatever it takes.” Ana was squeezing my arm. It was still amazing to have so much support and faith from her and Joe. I didn’t want to let them down, but I also didn’t want Joe to hurt her.

  “We’ll do everything we can. Let me make a call.”

  She hugged me. This was the day of hugs, it appeared. I walked toward the exit. Ana went over to Abuelita. They started whispering to each other. I dialed Reapers and prayed one of the boys was up. It didn’t take long to get someone on the other line.

  “Reapers Incorporated, how may I help you?” Bob’s voice was professional and soothing all at once. I was impressed.

  “Hi Bob, it’s me. I need your help.”

  “Isis, where are you? Are you OK?”

  Bob sounded worried. Maybe my intro was too quick. I needed to slow down now and explain things.

  “Sorry, Bob. Yes, I’m good. I’m at Abuelita’s. Ana is here, and she mentioned that Joe is acting odd.” I tried to explain without scaring Ana, who was probably listening.

  “Do you think he might be infected?”

  “Maybe. Could you have Eugene check him, please? I’ll get Shorty to pick him up.” I hated waking everyone up, but this could be important.

  “Too easy. I’ll get him myself. Is Ana coming as well?”

  I hadn’t even thought if she wanted to join him. Good point on Bob’s part.

  “Hey, Ana, would you like to go with Joe to get tested?” I asked Ana from across the kitchen. She looked at Abuelita first before replying.

  “Child, go take care of your man. We got this here,” Abuelita said softly.

  “Thank you so much,” Ana told Abuelita. She turned toward me. “Yes, I’ll head home now.”

  Ana looked a little too frazzled to drive, but we didn’t have that many options.

  “Are you OK to drive? Bob can pick you up on his way to your place.” I didn’t want her in a wreck.

  “I’m good, Isis; I’ll head out now. Thank you so much.” Ana smiled at me and took off.

  “Bob, she’ll be home when you get there. Thank you.” I was so grateful for Bob I didn’t have enough words to thank him.

  “Anytime. Be careful out there, and I’ll see you later.” Bob hung up before I could reply.

  “Well, that’s settled,” I told Abuelita as I put my phone back in my pocket.

  “That’s great; now we got tons of work, just for the two of us. So, my little helper, let’s get started.”

  Abuelita was right. I had just sent away our only helper. I took a sip of my hot chocolate and got back to work.

  Chapter 20

  Next time the brilliant idea pops into my head to send away helpers, I would slap myself. With Ana gone, it took Abuelita and me twice the time to get everything done. She was planning to fry the patelitos and some of her meats on site. This meant everything still had to be prepped, seasoned, and packaged. I was so grateful she was keeping her menu simple. I still felt like I chopped millions of pounds of tomatoes, lettuces, and all sorts of food products. It didn’t help that Abuelita was still planning to cook for her customers at the restaurant tonight. Fo
r the first time, I was grateful I didn’t have to work at Abuelita’s this weekend, because it was going to be insane.

  By the time I got in Ladybug, it was past ten, and I had four missed texts. I couldn’t answer anything while I was working. It was getting too crazy. Bartholomew had found our favorite accountant’s parents and had sent me their info. Constantine wanted me to check on them and see if their prodigal child had stopped by. That was going to be an interesting conversation. Bartholomew was amazing; he had loaded the directions directly to my phone. The technology was awesome.

  As I sat in Ladybug trying to stretch my muscles, I had to laugh at myself. I had started the week moping around, feeling left out and almost useless. Everyone had a job and a reason to get me ready. Constantine was wrong. I was officially the infantry of this team, and everyone else was a support element. I was starting to believe the support element had a much easier job than I did. I was the one in the front getting shot at. No wonder interns didn’t last long.

  Nothing in Texarkana was very far. According to Bartholomew’s directions, the parents lived on Stonegate Drive off Summerhill Road in Pleasant Grove. For a person who was never on this side of town, I was making up for it. Like most things in Pleasant Grove, the houses on Stonegate were beautiful. The parents lived in a charming two-story home. I was used to most of Texarkana being one story tall, so anytime I ran into anything taller it caught me by surprise. The place was beautiful, but I would hate to have to cut the lawn here. That looked like a lot of work.

  I made a quick U-turn and parked facing Summerhill. In case I needed to leave in a hurry, I wanted to be facing in the direction I felt most confident about. I took a quick breath. Even as an adult, talking to other people’s parents made me nervous. I always felt that they were judging me, for some strange reason. I looked around. The street was deserted. I hope Bartholomew was right and her partners were home. Coming back tonight was out of the questions. For some strange reason, this type of cute and sweet neighborhood scared me to death. Way too pretty to be true.

  I sprinted up the sidewalk and rang the doorbell. It didn’t take long to hear footsteps coming to the door. Thank you, Father. I wanted to be out of there, ASAP. A thin woman maybe in her late sixties opened the door. She looked terrific. Her hair was done very fashionably, and her makeup was spotless. She was probably a knockout in her twenties. She still carried that grace of youth about her.

  “Hi, I’m sorry to bother you, but I was looking for Ms. Emma. Are you her mother?” I started improvising as quickly as possible.

  “Yes, dear. Do I know you?” Emma’s mother was looking at me very suspiciously.

  “No, sorry. I’m a friend of Emma’s from college. I heard she was back in town and decided to stop by.” That sounded fairly convincing. I was sure she would know that I wasn’t from here.

  “You’re a long way from Harvard.”

  Mom was a little too sharp for my taste. I tried to smile and play it off.

  “True. I joined the army when I got out of college, and recently I got a job with the military base here. I remember Emma said she was from Texarkana, so I looked her up. I’m still trying to get used to the new location.” I was starting to ramble, and I was hoping Mom-dearest was buying it.

  “Dear, you must be having such a hard time adjusting.” She sounded worried about me. I was impressed.

  “It gets easier each day. Everyone here is so helpful and understanding.” That part, for the most part, was correct. Most people in Texarkana were nice.

  “That is so true. Texarkana is twice as nice.” I smiled when she mentioned the popular slogan for both cities. “Unfortunately dear, my daughter hasn’t been around for a while. I think she’s embarrassed by us.” I looked around, not sure why anyone would be embarrassed by this lady. I guessed we never really know what goes on behind closed doors. She kept talking. “As soon as she graduated, she moved out. She was tired of the small town and left for the big cities.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that.” I had no idea what else to say. “Thank you for your time.” I was getting ready to walk away when she grabbed my arm.

  “Have you checked with her boyfriend? We haven’t seen her, but we know she’s back in town. She had sworn she would never move back here. I suspect she’s embarrassed to come and tell us.” Her mother looked down the street, as if she was expecting her daughter to show up.

  “You wouldn’t happen to know where he lives?” That was my first real clue, and I intended to milk it for all it was worth.

  “The boy is a low-life loser.” Sweet little mother almost spat at me. I guess she wasn’t a fan of the relationship. “Last time I heard he was jumping from place to place. He can barely hold down a job. I don’t know what my daughter ever saw in him.” She looked disgusted.

  “How long have they been together?” The accountant has been gone for more than fifteen years. How were they still together? The girl graduated from Harvard; I had no idea how she made that work. I had a new respect for her commitment to things.

  “They were high school sweethearts. They have been on again, off again for years. I have no idea why. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.” She looked sad. She did miss her daughter.

  “Ma’am, you were a huge help. Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it.” That part was true. At least we had a lead now.

  “I’m so glad, dear. Have a good day and be careful. People are crazy lately.”

  If she only knew the truth of that statement.

  I made my way to Ladybug. Bartholomew was terrific at programming my schedule as well as the directions on my phone. Sometimes I wondered if he thought I was that flaky. I sat inside Ladybug trying to decide what to do next when I noticed two joggers. Joggers in town were frequent, but there was something odd about one of them. One was falling behind and looked shaky. His friend turned around when he noticed he wasn’t next to him. He ran back just in time to see his friend fall on his knees.

  I didn’t have time to wonder too long what was going on. One minute the guy is on the ground, the next he jumps up and is attacking his friend. I looked around, wondering if anybody was watching. In that short time, the guy had gone full zombie. I looked around Ladybug for a weapon. I had my machete attached to the ceiling, but killing anyone was out of the question. I glanced back, and a gym bag was sitting in the back seat. I pulled it over and found a paintball gun, fully loaded. A small note read, watch your back and happy haunting. Bartholomew had signed the note. He was amazing.

  I grabbed the paintball gun and ran at full sprint toward the joggers. The zombie was inflicting severe damage on his friend. I didn’t want to take any chances of having him turn on me. When I was about twenty feet away, I took aim and fired. I knew Eugene had increased the dose on his formula, but I wasn’t prepared for the results. The zombie dropped like a sack of potatoes as soon as he was hit. I was speechless, and my mouth was wide open. That was some impressive result.

  I ran over to check on the friend. He was lying on the ground, looking like hell. He tried to move but was barely able. I shot him too. The boy passed out in less than a second. The last thing I needed was a screaming guy drawing more attention to himself. Besides, I didn’t feel like explaining what had happened to his friend. I was leaving that part to somebody else. I grabbed my phone and dialed Reapers.

  Constantine picked up the call. “Isis, what’s wrong?”

  “Why does it have to be something wrong?”

  “You only call when something goes wrong.” Constantine was right about that.

  “Good point.” I hated when he was right.

  “What happened? Did you find the parents?”

  “I found the mother, but that’s not why I’m calling. I just knocked out two joggers. One went full zombie on his friend. Constantine, this is getting worse,” I told him as I looked around the street.

  “I’m sending the clea
nup crew. Secure the area till he gets there. See you back at Reapers.” Constantine hung up before I could reply. Guess I was stuck here guarding the comatose.

  The cleanup crew didn’t take long to arrive. Probably because Shorty was still driving like a maniac. I wondered if he realized he was driving a truck, not an indie car. I wasn’t sure if he saw me, but I jumped out of the way just in time to watch him hit his brakes. Fortunately, they worked amazingly well. Shorty jumped out of the truck, carrying a large blanket.

  “Shorty, you’re going to kill somebody someday,” I told him as I walked back to his truck.

  “Boss lady, the big guy said to hurry. We can’t have people finding dead people on the road.” I couldn’t argue with his reasoning, even if it had some holes in it.

  “You do know that they are not dead.” I wanted to make sure he wasn’t dropping off people in a grave now.

  “The fact that they are alive is worse. They could wake up and jump off.” Shorty had opened the tailgate of his truck. The bed was now covered with some foam material. At least they would be comfortable on their way. We walked over and dragged the zombie first.

  “Fair enough. By the way, where are you taking them? I don’t think we have that much room at Reapers.” I never asked Constantine where they were dropped off.

  “The big guy has it covered. Father Francis is taking them in. Converted the basement to a hospital wing. That dude is the bomb.”

  Two things jumped out. First, my priest had converted the parish hall of the church into a hospital wing for zombies. Second, nobody said bomb nowadays to describe people. Shorty was showing his age.

  “Is that safe?” We loaded the beat-up friend in the bed and closed the tailgate.

  “We got this, boss lady. Next time call me directly. It’ll save us some time. Be careful now; if you are finding them in the morning, it means trouble.” I watched Shorty hop in his truck and take off. I had a feeling we were past the troubled category. We were now in the apocalyptic department.