by J. R. Knoll
Leaning on the doorway, he folded his arms and asked, "Would you like some company?"
Her eyes flitted to him and she just shrugged.
Morris strode in with slow, heavy footsteps, right up to her bed, and he half turned and sat down beside her. "Scary day out there, huh?"
She nodded, her wide eyes locked on the TV.
He slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him, and when he did she squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head to lay her cheek on his chest, and she began to cry.
"Shh," he soothed. "It's okay, Princess. It's okay." He wrapped his other arm around her and she cuddled in as close to him as she could.
A few moments passed and she calmed, but stared ahead at the floor across the room.
"You want to tell me about that new zombie?" Tex finally asked.
"I don't even want to think about it," she whimpered. "It was so strong and it was attacking me like some big dog that wanted to eat me. It just came out of the bushes…" She closed her eyes. "I was so scared."
"I know you were, Kiddo," he confirmed. "I was, too."
Zoe blinked, then she finally pulled away and looked up at him. "But you aren't scared of anything!"
"We're all scared, Kiddo," he corrected. "Every time I go out I'm scared. But there comes a point when you have to put being scared aside and do your job. Too many people are counting on me for me to be too afraid to do what I'm supposed to. I've just got to concentrate on my job and make sure that I get done what I need to, that way I don't feel so afraid while I'm out there working."
She stared back into his eyes for long seconds, then her mouth tightened and she said, "So, I'm not just a little wimp?"
He smiled and roughed her hair. "No wimp would be that afraid and still go out and do what you do. Being scared just makes you human."
"But I'm a zombie," she said softly.
"You're only part zombie," he corrected, "and that gives you an advantage over them and us. Hell, you can walk right up to most of them and give 'em a slap in the head and they still won't try to get you."
She giggled and nodded.
"Kinda wish I was half zombie," he went on. "I could go out there and do all kinds of damage if I was, just like you can."
Zoe lowered her eyes, bowing her head a little as she mumbled, "I still don't think I can go back out there right now. I don't think I can do it."
"You haven't been trained for this," he pointed out. "Just give it some time, Kiddo. You'll go back out with us when you're ready."
"Okay," she whispered.
"Now," he started in a more authoritative tone, "how about you give us some intel on those new zombies?"
With a nod, she said, "Yes, Sir."
They walked into the conference room with Zoe under the Sergeant's arm and her arm around his waist. She stayed as close to him as she could until he pulled her chair out, then she looked up to him for a sign of reassurance, which she got with a nod. Climbing into her chair, she sat cross legged as she had before and looked right to the Colonel as Sergeant Morris took his seat.
"I think there are some things you need to know about the new mad-dog zombies," she informed. "I'll be as helpful as I can, Sir."
CHAPTER 9
Apparently, half zombie girls could succumb to fatigue, too.
Zoe sat down at an empty table in the cafeteria and rested her elbow on the table, her cheek in her palm as she stared down at the meal before her. As promised, she was looking at a bowl of Spaghetti-O's, a smaller bowl of carrots, some kind of pastry and a glass of fruit punch soda. She drew a breath, then she vented it slowly. The day had taken its toll on her, on her nerves, and it was days like this when the medicine she took to control her explosive emotions just did not seem like enough. She could feel frustration, fear, anger, anxiety… All of them were welling up inside of her. Her mother had done her best to teach her deep breathing exercises, but that would only do so much.
She absently picked her spoon up and scooped out some of her dinner. Tex had told her he would try to join her for ice cream later, but he and the other army people and doctors were involved in that meeting, and that meant he would probably not be able to get away, and this only fed her frustration.
Feeling someone standing over her, she looked up from her lunch, then to her left, and she swallowed what she had in her mouth as she saw Zachary standing beside her with a tray. Clearly half a foot taller than she was when she was standing, he was staring down at her with blank eyes as if he was expecting her to say something to him.
The two just stared at each other for a moment, and finally she barked, "What!"
"Can I sit here?" he finally asked.
Zoe looked down to her Spaghetti-O's and just shrugged.
Zachary sat down across from her and looked down to his own dinner, but he did not start eating right away. There was a quiet awkwardness between them and neither spoke for a few moments, even after he finally started eating his dinner.
He finally shattered the silence with, "Your name's Zoe?"
Not looking at him, she just nodded.
"That's a cute name," he complimented.
"Thanks," she offered. "I like yours, too."
"Thanks," he said.
They ate in silence again for a while, then he finally glanced at her and asked, "So, how long have you been a zombie?"
Zoe shrugged and replied, "A week or so, I guess."
He took a drink, then went on, "Do you like being a zombie?"
She had never really thought about it and just stared down at her bowl for long seconds. With a little shrug, she said, "It's okay, I guess. There isn't any pain when I get hurt and I heal really fast and most other zombies don't bother me anymore."
"That mad-dog sure bothered you," he pointed out.
Turning her eyes away, she snarled, "Yeah." Finally looking to him, she insisted, "You have to shoot them in the head, otherwise they won't die. You have to. That's what the soldiers said to do."
He was staring at his bowl, and just nodded.
She stared at him for long seconds, then turned her attention back to her bowl.
"I've killed like twenty of them," he informed. "They came to our house and we had to fight them off, then we got in the R.V. and went looking for supplies and stuff." He turned his attention to her. "I got that one off of you and you didn't even say thank you."
"You didn't shoot it in the head," she countered, her attention still on her dinner.
"I still got it off of you," he grumbled, picking up his glass.
He was really aggravating her, but in the end he was right. She looked off to the side, her brow low over her eyes as frustration and pride waged battle against what she had been brought up to believe. Manners were manners and she huffed a sigh and grudgingly offered, "Thank you."
"Yer welcome," he replied. He took a bite of his lunch, then vented a breath through his nose, swallowed his mouthful and informed, "I'd do it again. Pretty girls shouldn't ought get eaten by them things."
Unconsciously, Zoe reached up and combed her hair back behind her ear, and she could not stop the little smile that overpowered her lips.
They finished their meals in silence. Zachary finished first and just sat there looking around him at the other people who were eating. Zoe finished hers and leaned back in her chair, keeping her attention on her tray for a moment.
"Do you want me to take your tray?" she asked without realizing.
"I can get it," he assured.
They stood up together and Zachary walked behind her to the big window where they would set their trays onto the conveyer belt. Halfway there they stopped as the lights dimmed, and a breath shrieked into Zoe as they went out completely.
An eerie hush fell over the entire cafeteria as darkness consumed the area for long seconds.
Zoe and Zachary exchanged looks, then they resumed their mission to turn in their trays.
As they left the cafeteria, the hospital speakers, which had been silent since Zoe
's arrival, announced in a man's voice, "All strike teams report to the rally area. All strike teams report to the rally area. Any civilians with electrical or electronic or mechanical expertise are to report as well."
The two looked to each other again, then they turned and ran toward the stairs.
The rally point was a beehive of activity when they trotted into it. Zoe looked around frantically for someone she knew, and finally she saw Captain Langley preparing his gear and giving instructions to a few men who stood close by listening to him. She ran to him and patted his shoulder.
When Langley looked to her she raised her brow and asked, "What's going on?"
"Something happened over at the power plant," he answered. "No idea what, so we're sending a few teams in to check it out. Most likely something broke down so it's going to be one of those fix-it jobs more than anything."
"We still have power though," Zachary pointed out.
"That's the emergency generator," the Captain informed. "The grid's a whole lot more efficient for running places like this and we don't want to have to rely on the generator until we absolutely have to, that and there are other places in the city we want to keep up and running." He patted Zoe on the shoulder and offered her a smile. "You kids just sit tight. We'll be back in a few hours, God willing."
Zoe watched him as he turned and strode toward the door with a number of soldiers and a couple of civilians following him. Looking around her again, she saw one of the other soldiers she knew and hurried over to him, taking his arm as she asked, "Do you want me to go?"
"No, I think we got this," he assured. "You might ask the Colonel what he wants you to do. I got to go. Catch you later, Princess."
He also turned and hurried to the door and for the first time in many days Zoe found herself left out of the action. Without a word, she trotted to the elevator, only to find it not responding. Looking to the door off to the side, she darted to it and pulled it open to reveal the stairs that would take her to the floor she wanted to go to, and Zachary was right on her heels.
She found Colonel Halstead still in the conference room, talking with some civilians and a couple of soldiers and she rushed to him, calling, "Sir!"
He looked to her, then to the men he had been talking to and ordered, "Okay, get to it, people." As they left, he looked back to her and asked, "What can I do for you, Private?"
"Do you want me to go with the soldiers?" she asked anxiously.
"Negative," he replied almost harshly. "Two of the Strykers are already on the way. I think we can handle this. You just need to stand down for the next couple of days. We'll hold the fort for a while." He stood and strode toward the door without speaking further.
"Where is Sergeant Morris?" she asked desperately.
"Already on his way," the Colonel replied as he left.
Her eyes were a little wide, her brow held high over them as she looked toward the floor. With her mouth ajar, she tried to shake off the feeling she had that she had just been left behind, even though she knew to expect to be.
Doctor Caswell peered into the room and declared, "There you two are! Come on, Zoe. We have some things to do, and Doctor Kavorski wants to see you, too, Zachary."
**
Hours later found them in one of the examination rooms on the first floor, sitting in chairs that faced each other and laughing, Zachary found himself working to show Zoe some secret handshake he had learned in his childhood, and she was struggling to get the intricate gestures just right.
"Okay, okay," he barked. "Let's try it again. You ready?"
Zoe made herself control her giggles and nodded, assuring, "I'm ready."
Doctor Caswell sat at a desk outside of the room that had a view of the inside, and she smiled as she looked up from the reports she read and to the kids who were simply having fun. She heard Doctor Kavorski walking toward her, but kept her eyes on the young people as they both broke out into hysterical laughter again.
Kavorski set the papers he had down and turned to lean his hip on the desk as he also looked into the room, and a smile found his lips as well.
"People call them disabled, or challenged," Rachel observed, "but I'll bet those same people don't have a fraction as much fun as they do."
"They sure are the lucky ones in many respects," Kavorski confirmed.
She looked up at him. "Bob, when was the last time we had that much fun?" She turned her eyes back to the two kids and shook her head. "The whole time we were testing I could hardly get them to exchange two words between them. It wasn't until I was administering psych tests on Zachary that either of them began to open up. Then I got them in there and left the room and that started to happen. I mean, seriously. When was the last time either of us had that kind of fun?"
Raising his brow, Doctor Kavorski replied, "I don't even know." He looked down at her, to the many papers she had stacked up in front of her. "So, what did you find there?"
"Zoe's medical files," she answered. "Her parents were thankfully very thorough about keeping up with her mental and medical needs." She looked back to the young people who still played in the examination room. "I tested them both. Zachary is mildly autistic as well and he does not appear to have been formally diagnosed. He didn't even know what any of the tests were for." She laughed under her breath. "Zoe kept trying to walk him through them and I finally had to send her out on an errand so that I could finish with him. I retested her as well." She looked back up to the other doctor and raised her brow. "She's shown marked improvement since her last exam, which was only seven months ago. She's improved across the board and really shouldn't have. In fact, I've noticed recent changes in her behavior that aren't consistent with Asperger's Syndrome."
Doctor Kavorski raised his chin, prodding, "Like?"
"Her tactile defensiveness, for starters," Rachel reported. "Not only does she not cringe every time someone touches her, but I've seen her seeking out contact with people."
"Certain people," he corrected.
"There's that," she conceded, "but she's also reasoning things out differently, she said the loud noise of the guns going off does not bother her as much as it did… Bob, according to my tests, her autism has reversed to some extent, and I think the virus that brought on her zombosis is responsible."
Kavorski looked away and rubbed the back of his neck, then he looked into the room as Zachary tugged on her hand and pulled her nearly out of her chair. "That kind of social behavior… You may be on to something, Rachel. It failed to reprogram her brain and it would seem that she may have some unexpected benefits of its efforts." His eyes slid to her. "You are recording your findings, aren't you?"
"Of course!" she scoffed. "If we all live through this I want to be the first in the medical journals!"
He laughed and shook his head.
A commotion at the end of the hallway drew their attention and they both looked that way, and Doctor Caswell stood as they saw soldiers rushing toward them, pushing gurneys down the hallway, gurneys with injured soldiers and others on them.
"Get them to the secure area!" one of the soldiers shouted. "We've got two here who've been bitten!"
"Oh my God!" Doctor Caswell breathed. She wheeled around the desk ahead of Doctor Kavorski and ordered, "Get them to Containment, stat!" She looked to the room where Zoe and Zachary were standing in the doorway, and the concern in their eyes, the fear that was there, prompted Rachel to order, "You two stay in there. We'll be back for you as soon as we can!"
Zoe peered out of the room, watching the movements of the people and doctors as they disappeared with the injured soldiers behind a set of double doors. Zachary looked around her and there was a certain intensity in his eyes when Zoe looked up at him.
She felt anxious as she asked, "Weren't those the soldiers that went to the power plant a little while ago?"
Still watching after them, he nodded. "I think my Dad went with them."
"Do you think something happened?" she asked in a near panicked voice.
"Yeah," he confirmed. "Something bad."
**
Zoe and Zachary burst through the door to the stairwell and ran to the center of the rally area where at least twenty soldiers were wearily checking weapons, pulling off vests and backpacks and helmets. None were talking and Zoe turned a few times as she glanced around for someone she knew, and finally saw a soldier she recognized, one who had driven one of the Strykers on the mission to the school.
"Excuse me," she offered, clasping her hands together as he looked to her. "Where is Sergeant Morris?"
He stared blankly at her for long seconds, then he looked away and shook his head. "He ordered us back, Princess. He and about six others are on their own at the power plant."
"What?" she breathed.
Another soldier turned to them and reported, "We got jumped as soon as we got into the power plant. They got inside of our perimeter and were all over us before we knew what was going on."
Still another slammed his pack down and grumbled, "I've never seen moaners move like that before."
"Mad-dogs?" Zachary demanded. "Is my Dad still out there?"
The first solider nodded, just staring down at his pack, and he found himself unable to speak.
"We have to go get them!" Zoe insisted. She looked around her, seeing that none of the soldiers or volunteers were even looking her way. "Come on!" she cried. "We can't just leave them there! We have to go get them! It will be dark and we can't just leave them!"
"They're going to try and get the power back on," a soldier behind her informed. "We just need to regroup and we'll try and get them in the morning."
She wheeled around and shouted, "It will be too late then! We have to go and get them now!" She turned and tugged on the Stryker driver's arm. "Come on! We need to go help them!"
He still would not look at her, and bowed his head. "We lost four people out there already. There are just too many of them and too many places for them to come out of. We can't afford to lose anyone else." He shook his head, then turned toward the stairs. "You just need to face the inevitable, Princess. Do it now and it'll be easier later."