by Gayle Katz
He runs up to the bouncer, pushes him, and screams, “Put her down!” He reaches for my hand, but the bouncer doesn’t stop. Instead Samir says something in another language and another meathead thug appears and points a gun at him. He opens fire and, before Samir has a chance to pull his own weapon, he falls to the floor.
“No!” I continue kicking and screaming, but the bouncer doesn’t miss a step.
As we vanish into the back of the club, my eyes begin to adjust to the darkness and I see Samir’s body lying lifeless on the floor.
“No! Why did you do that? He’s a human being for God’s sake!” I say, shaken up, still struggling to understand the sudden turn of events.
Ignoring me completely, the bouncer opens up the door to the same holding cell I was in before. He hauls me into the room, throws me to the floor, takes my bag, and exits.
I get back to my feet and rush to the door. I try the doorknob. It doesn’t turn. The door is locked. I pound on the door with my fists. “Let me out of here now, you thug! You’re a murderer! I did what you asked me to do. I want what you promised. I want my husband back. I want Jack!”
“Calm down,” the familiar voice says over the loudspeaker. “You won’t get anything being so rude.”
I lean my back against the door and slide down to the floor, hands over my face, crying. “I did what you asked me to do. Where is Jack?”
“All in good time. You did a good job with your assignment. I didn’t expect you to return with the prize, and a boyfriend no less. After a couple of days, I thought the harsh environment, the zombie outbreaks, or someone else would have killed you, but you still survived, which surprises me.”
“He wasn’t my boyfriend. And he was just pretending to help me, isn’t that right? He was really helping you the whole time, but you had him killed anyway.”
“I needed some way to ensure you made it back with the item.”
“Great. Fine. I’m back and more people are dead. Is that how you treat people? You should be ashamed of yourself. You know what you are? You’re a coward. Plain and simple.”
“Name calling isn’t nice, Jane. I’ll let that slide because I know you’re under a great deal of stress.”
“We should be killing the zombies, not each other. You’re an animal.”
“And I’ll remind you to be polite or else you may never see Jack again.”
“I passed your test. Now keep your promise and give me Jack.”
“I’m not sure that qualifies as polite, but…I don’t have him.”
“Wait. What? I don’t understand. You don’t have him? So you’re a coward and a liar?”
“Tsk, tsk. My patience won’t last forever.”
“Where is he? Do you know where he is?”
“I don’t, but I know someone who does. And now that you’ve returned with what I wanted, I can negotiate for his release. You can stay here.”
“No. No. No. Take me to him. I don’t trust you.”
“It doesn’t look like you have a choice.”
“Come out and show yourself! You jerk me around and leave me hanging. Show your face, asshole.”
“Strike two and three. In case you haven’t noticed, you’re not in the position to give orders. And I already warned you about the foul language.”
I quiet down.
“I see you’re in need of some medical care,” the voice says. “I guess you didn’t escape without some bumps and bruises. No matter. I’ll show you I’m not such a bad guy and I’ll make sure we fix you up.”
I don’t say anything.
“Not talking? That’s fine. You’re tired. Why don’t you get some sleep? I’ll handle everything from here.”
I shut up and listen. I can hear the gas entering the room again. Before I can say another word, I feel my legs give out and I fall to the floor. As my eyes close, all I can think about is Jack.
“I’m sorry, Jack. I love you.”
Chapter 23
________________________________________
When I wake up, I’m in another room, sprawled out on the floor. I try to move, but as soon as I pick my head up from the floor, a pain surges through my brain. I touch my temples with the tips of my fingers and I can feel the blood pounding through. I sit up and hold my head. My arm still hurts. I push up the sleeve of my black dress and see it’s bandaged up now. I try to look around, but my vision is blurry. That, along with the dimly lit room, makes seeing anything beyond my hand nearly impossible.
“Headache?” the familiar voice says. This time the voice is not over a speaker system, but in the same room with me. “It’s nice to see you again.” It’s definitely a man’s voice. And I know I’ve heard it before, many years ago.
“Hello? Who’s there? Show yourself!” Still sitting on the floor, I manage to open my eyes and peer around the room. I see bright computer monitor screens all over. Slicing through the monitors are vertical bars. I reach out to touch them. They’re metal, cold to my fingertips. As my eyes adjust to the odd lighting, I see they surround me.
“There’s no point in trying to escape.”
“What? Where’s Jack?”
“Jack is good. Just like I promised. Take a look,” the voice says.
The monitors change scene and I see Jack. Some people completely wrapped in head-to-toe garb are letting him go. I smile. I haven’t seen him in so long. He looks beat up and scruffy, but he’s alive and still the most handsome man in the world. After staring at the screen for a moment or two, I forget where I am. I’m thankful Jack is safe and being released. Then something strange happens. I see Jack get close to the screen. We also have audio so we can hear him speak.
“Jane, it’s so good to see you again. I’ve missed you so much. I love you,” he says as he wraps his arms around someone who’s not me.
“I love you, too,” a woman’s voice replies. And it looks as though they hug and kiss.
I stare at the screen, perplexed. “Where is he? What’s happening? I don’t understand. Who did he just call Jane?”
“It’s you, of course.”
“It can’t be me. I’m here with you.”
“Yes, but you’re also with Jack right now.”
“How can that be? You’re lying. It’s another woman pretending to be me.”
“It’s not another woman. Believe me. It’s you down to the last molecule.”
“Last molecule? What are you talking about?”
The voice doesn’t reply.
“Say something. What’s going on?”
“Jack is free. See? That’s what you wanted. It should make you happy. Listen, I think it’s time you accepted the fact that your life is here now.”
“What? Are you crazy? I’m not staying here with you.”
“Again it doesn’t look like you have a choice.”
“And Jack won’t be fooled by your impersonator.”
“It looks like Jack already thinks it’s you…because it is you.”
“Why do you keep saying that? That thing isn’t me.”
“It’s definitely you. While you were away on your mission, we cloned you.”
“Cloned me?”
“Yes. It’s amazing how science has advanced to the point where you can create a whole new person with just a little vial of blood.”
It’s then that I remember the red dot on my arm from my first encounter with the Rat. “And what I stole for you?”
“Yes. That was part of the deal. We give my business partners the zombie samples and Jack goes free.”
“What? Business partners? You gave zombie samples to thugs? Terrorists? Who knows what they’ll do with them. They’ll destroy the world. You never told me that was part of the plan.”
“You didn’t bother to ask and, frankly, you didn’t need to know.”
“You said you were going to let us go if I did what you asked.”
“No, I said I would use my connections and talk to them about releasing Jack. I never said anything about you.”
&
nbsp; “What? Me? You want me? I don’t understand.”
“Sure you do,” the mystery man says as he steps into the light.
“Oh my God. Lance?” I shy away from the bars that confine me to get as far away from him as possible. My mind races back to the last time I saw Lance years ago during the first outbreak at Scarlet Peak. He was a sleaze bucket and an opportunist back then, and it seems he hadn't changed after all this time.
“You remember. That’s good, good,” he says, slithering up to my cell and wrapping his hands around the bars. While he looks somewhat older now with crow’s feet forming at the corners of his eyes, there’s no mistaking that he’s still the same douchebag I knew back in college.
“I-I thought you died in Scarlet Peak.”
“Clearly I’m not dead. However, I was worried about you. After everything you’ve been through and all the drugs pumped into your system, you might have forgotten about me, but I knew we’d meet up again. We have so much work to do.”
Chapter 1
________________________________________
“Run, Jack! Run!” I shout, as our arms and legs propel us furiously through the air. Confusion sets in as I’m not sure where we’re running from or where we’re running to. All I know is that we have to stay ahead of the zombie horde close behind us. If we don’t, we’re dead – or worse.
Almost as fearsome here are the elements. Dashing through this unknown, foreign land is almost as deadly as the undead ready to attack us. No matter which way we decide to go, overwhelming obstacles greet us at every pass. The heat is burning us to a red-hot crisp. I can feel the sun singe my exposed skin. The sand beneath us is so fiery that it’s burning the soles of our feet through our shoes. It also ensnares us with every step, preventing us from running as fast as possible. And the zombies. Ugh. They’re in pursuit. And they’re catching up. Fast. I don’t understand. How can zombies run so much faster than us? It doesn’t make any goddamn sense.
“Jane, I-I d-don’t think I can make it,” Jack weakly says. He can barely get the sentence out.
“Yes, you can! You have to! We have no choice!”
“I’m exhausted.”
“Me too. Ignore it and keep running! Whatever you do, don’t stop!”
Still sprinting, I see a small town on the horizon. I turn my head toward Jack, shouting and pointing at the potential safe house. “See! We’re almost there! Keep going!”
“It’s so far away.”
“No it’s not. If we can speed up a little more, we should be there in minutes,” I say. Shouting and running at the same time isn’t easy and I’m ready to collapse from exhaustion myself. Setting my eyes on our target, I pick up speed and haul ass. “Keep up with me!”
Sucking every last ounce of strength out of my muscles, I keep running towards town. We’ve been running for a while now, but the town doesn’t seem to be getting any closer. That’s strange. No matter – it’s probably just my eyes and brain playing tricks on me.
Focusing on the goal of evading the monsters chasing us, I hear Jack scream my name. “Jane!”
Turning around to acknowledge his cry, I gasp as Jack collapses to the ground.
“What happened? What’s wrong?” I shout, frozen in my tracks. With the zombies still in pursuit, I turn around and run back in their direction in order to help Jack. Then I see that his foot is caught in some sort of burrow.
“My foot! It’s stuck! I’m yanking it, but I can’t get it free.” I see him worriedly glance behind us. He has a concerned look on his face and, rightfully so, is panicking. “You have to go! They’re gonna be on top of us in seconds,” he warns, pushing me away.
“I’m not leaving you!” I shriek as I furiously attempt to dig in the sand to dislodge his foot and ignore the imminent threat fast approaching.
“AHHH!” he shouts as the sand starts to pull him under. His whole leg is now consumed. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know!” My heart is racing. His other leg is now beneath the sand, too. “Something is pulling you down faster than I can dig you out. Can you feel it? Can you shake it loose? Grab onto me! I’m gonna try to pull you up!”
I grab onto his hands and start to back up, hoping to release him from whatever’s got ahold of him. My fingers are clamped around his hands. Pulling against whatever is below the surface, I stave off his descent for a moment or two, but then the drag continues. Not giving up, I fear I’ll rip his arms out of their sockets, but I keep going. I have to save him! Within seconds, my efforts prove worthless against this unknown force. And the tug-o-war doesn’t seem to be progressing in our favor.
“Jane, listen to me, baby,” he says. “It’s not working. Y-You have to get out of here. I don’t know what’s got me and the zombies will be on top of us in a second or two. You have to go. Now! Get to safety!”
“No! No, I’m not leaving you here to die.” I’m completely freaking out.
“Y-You don’t have a c-choice,” he says, seemingly resigned to his fate.
“No! Jack! I love you!” Still holding his hands, I lean back and put all of my weight and all the strength I can muster into getting him back in one piece, but it’s not enough. The sand is up to his chest now. And the zombies are only a couple yards away. I can see their angry, foul faces and inhale the putrid stench of their rot and decay. Realizing the hopelessness of our situation, I persist. My life is nothing without Jack by my side.
To my dismay, Jack lets go of my hands, our connection now broken. With nothing and no one countering, the pull on him gets stronger. I fall forward trying to grab his hands again, hold on to him, and drag him back to safety, but most of his body is beneath the surface now. I only see his head and I can hear him whisper, “Go!”
Arms outstretched, I watch the sand completely cover his head and engulf his entire body, and only a couple of fingers poke out above the sand. With nothing left of Jack to grab on to, I look up and see zombies encircling me. Their grotesque faces and rotten teeth are contorted into horrible expressions. The ear-piercing screeching sounds coming from them are beyond frightening. Turning around, I have nowhere to go. I’m completely surrounded.
They stumble closer, blocking out the sun, leaving no room for me to escape. I can feel their stink enveloping me. I can’t breathe. Their jaws are chomping. Their retching gets louder. With tears in my eyes, I stoop down. I can’t watch them gnaw at my bones and feast on my flesh, so I close my eyes. I just can’t stomach it. Out of instinct, I wrap my arms around my head and neck in a fruitless attempt to protect myself. Within moments, I feel a thousand sharp teeth slash into my flesh as I scream and cry beneath the swarm of evil.
***
Sweating, I jerk awake with a groan. It’s dark. Looking around, there is no desert, there are no zombies, and there is definitely no Jack. However, I do hear voices. I try to calm down, collect myself, and listen to what’s going on around me.
“How are things coming along?” a mysterious voice asks. “We need a status update.”
“A status update? Man, you can’t rush these things. Everything would be going faster if you’d allow me more flexibility,” Lance complains.
I hear him talking on the other side of the room. Trying to listen intently and see what he’s up to, I peer through the bars of my cage. All I can see is the side of Lance’s head. The rest of him is shrouded in shadow. And what’s strange is that he’s talking to a pixelated image on the monitor screen. The person on the screen looks like a blur to me. The voice seems off, too. It doesn’t sound human, but instead like it’s being disrupted somehow – computerized, maybe.
“Haven’t we given you enough leeway? Just get the job done already,” the voice replies. “It took you a while to complete your last job and we’re losing patience with you. Do yourself a favor and don’t get attached to this one, all right?”
“Yeah. Yeah. Listen, I found another source for what we talked about, but…”
“But what?”
“Bu
t this source needs a significant amount of funding to continue their research and development.”
“How much?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s safe to say this type of venture doesn’t come cheap.”
“How much?” the voice repeats.
“Not sure yet.”
“Well, figure it out and then let us know. We want that research.”
“Mmm-hmm. Sure thing, boss,” Lance says, leaning back in his chair.
“Just get it done,” the voice commands once more as the conversation ends. The Scrycor logo appears for a moment, and then vanishes as the screen goes dark. I definitely recognize their logo. I’ve seen it a few times before, and it’s never boded well.
“So you’re still a big loser, huh? Now just cleaning up someone else’s mess?” I remark. Lance was a loser in college, not caring if I lived or died in the first zombie outbreak on campus. Now, he or one of his co-conspirators has kidnapped my husband, Jack, to lure me here for nefarious reasons. Clearly, I’m still fuming and hoping to get a rise out of him, frustrated that he deceived me. How can I not be angry?
“You’re up. How lovely! Mind your manners, though. Don’t forget who you’re talking to.”
“Remind me again, who am I talking to exactly?”
“Someone who can kill you.”
“Are you trying to scare me?” I am frightened, but I’m not going to show it and give him the satisfaction.
“I’m just letting you know your options.”
“And what are my options again? Stay here under your thumb or be killed? Somehow I think I’d prefer death.”
“Be careful what you wish for. I’m warning you.”
“Don’t play with me. Anyway, what are you waiting for, Lance? Kill me if you want. It’d be better than being forced to stay here with you. You wanna know what I think?”
“Oh, please. Enlighten me with your words of wisdom.”