Zoe, Undead

by J. R. Knoll

  The big one lowered his head and sniffed her, and Zoe shrank away as best she could. Clearly he did not like what he smelled and roared again, grabbing her arm and ankle and standing as he spun around, hurling her to the other side of the hallway and slamming her into the wall about four feet up.

  Crumpling to the floor again, Zoe just lay there, not daring to move as she expected the worst. She barely moved her head as she turned her eyes to the big zombie again, and saw him just standing there staring down at her. Four holes were in his white shirt around his belly and black red blood oozed slowly from them. Some primal rage was at work in him. This one was not like the others, not even like the mad-dogs, and she was sure the doctors would be very interested in knowing about him. But first, she had to get away, to survive!

  The big zombie's lips slid away from his teeth again, and it was clear that another onslaught was coming.

  Before he could react, Zoe sprang up and darted down the hallway, stopping after a few running steps to spin around and face him. He was still advancing and she back-pedaled, her eyes locked on his almost solid black eyes as she retreated.

  Commotion behind him drew their attention and he swung around, poising himself as a growl escaped him.

  Zoe moved to the side, raising her chin as she saw Adrian standing between the door and the nurse's station.

  Dressed in black commando trousers, combat boots and a black tee shirt with ZRT in bright white letters across the front, he was brandishing a black bladed machete, and his other hand was curled into a tight fist. Behind him, the other two zombies lay unmoving on the floor.

  The big zombie growled again.

  One of Adrian's eyebrows cocked up and he raised his hand before him, beckoning the zombie toward him with his finger.

  With an infuriated, inhuman roar, the big zombie charged. Adrian wheeled around and slammed his boot hard into the side of the zombie's head, finishing the spin to watch the big zombie stumble past him and fall. Quick to get to his feet, the zombie charged again, only to be met by Adrian's boot a second time, this time right in the middle of the face. With the zombie slightly stunned, Adrian wheeled around as he had before and slammed his heel into the side of the zombie's face, spinning him around.

  The zombie shook his head and turned to face the human who dared to stand against him. A low growl erupted into a furious roar as he lunged at his opponent again. This time Adrian wheeled around and swung both arms in a blur, and the zombie stumbled past him again.

  Zoe watched anxiously as the big zombie stopped. Adrian was still facing away from him. The zombie stood fully, his eyes on the girl, but his expression seemed much calmer. A trickle of his black red blood oozed from a perfectly straight line in his forehead.

  Adrian finally turned around and folded his arms.

  As the girl watched, the big zombie fell straight forward, slamming into the floor face first. When he came to rest, Zoe finally noticed that Adrian's machete was sticking out of the back of his head, and the blade was buried almost halfway in and sticking up handle first at about a forty-five degree angle.

  She looked to Adrian.

  He returned her look and raised his brow.

  Slowly, she approached turning her eyes down to the vanquished zombie as she neared.

  Adrian met her at the zombie's body and planted his foot onto the back of his neck. He reached down and wrenched his machete from the zombie's head, then he wiped it off with two swipes on the zombie's back before turning his eyes to the girl. Raising his brow again, he observed, "I need to teach you some moves, don't I?"

  She eagerly nodded and said, "Sure!"

  "Let's get upstairs," he suggested. "We can worry about teaching you some Kung Fu later." He extended his hand to the door and allowed her to go through first, holding the door open for her.

  She stopped just inside the stairwell as she found herself confronting a mob of about a dozen zombies. Reaching for her revolver, she realized quickly that it was not there, and she backed into Adrian as she barked, "My revolver's…" A tap on the shoulder stopped her and she looked to the right as he reached around her to hand her the weapon. "Oh," she declared. "Thanks."

  Adrian moved her aside, and as the zombies began to charge forward he spun around and kicked the closest of them solidly in the chest, and they all went down like dominoes, tumbling down the stairs as they had before.

  "After you," he offered.

  They ran up the stairs and Zoe turned the handle and slammed into the door, pounding on it with the handle of her revolver as she tried in vain to open it.

  "Try pulling," he suggested.

  "Oh, yeah," she mumbled as she pulled the door open.

  Right inside were two soldiers with a belt fed SAW set up right behind a makeshift barricade that was built of whatever furniture was handy and Zoe shrieked as she saw the muzzle aimed right at her, and in a panic, she froze and held her hands up. Adrian pushed her along and ordered, "Come on."

  When the door closed behind them, nobody attempted to seal it, and Zoe stopped and turned around as she heard the zombies begin to pound on it to get in. "What if they learn how to open it?" she asked.

  One of the soldiers manning the SAW looked to her and replied, "Then we shoot the one that does first and hope he didn't have time to teach the others."

  With a nod, she conceded, "Oh."

  Corporal Baker rushed to them and ordered, "This way. We're assembling a team on the roof. Princess, you're going to want to see this."

  Up on the rooftop, Zoe found most of the San Antonio ZRT, both doctors and Colonel Halstead along with many others. Several were aiming over the roof, but not firing.

  Zoe approached the Colonel as he was staring over the short wall, and she took his side, squeezing in slightly between him and Doctor Caswell. Both glanced at her, then looked over the side again, so she did as well.

  In the street below, the sidewalks, the manicured lawns, were thousands of zombies, a sea of them, all moving in a dizzying, head bobbing current toward the hospital doors. Nothing could be seen but the mass of undead horror that meant to consume everyone in the building.

  Morgan was standing on the colonel's other side, her hands resting on the edge of the wall as she mumbled, "This is so not good."

  Corporal Anderson was about ten feet away and looked to the colonel as he informed, "It's only a matter of time before they breach the eastern stairwell again."

  With a nod, Colonel Halstead added, "And only a matter of time before they push their way into the fifth floor. Let's make sure that all of the…"

  A very loud bang from below preceded a swath of destruction being cut through the mass of zombies. Black red blood, entrails, heads and other body parts became a common, grisly spray in a V shaped wave that swept through their ranks almost all the way. Another thunderous bang had similar results, but closer to the building.

  Anderson pointed to one side and shouted, "Tank!"

  Everyone looked that way, and a cheer went up as they saw the dark green form of an M-1 Abrams main battle tank rolling relentlessly into the zombie hoard, and they cheered louder as its big gun pivoted slightly and it fired again.

  "Canister rounds!" someone shouted. "That's now the biggest shotgun in the world!"

  Another ear splitting bang and hundreds more zombies were torn apart by the half inch diameter pellets that the big gun belched. The machine gun beside the barrel spat fire and lead and in a subtle sweep of the turret more zombies were ripped apart and fell.

  The tank stopped at the corner and fired again from its main gun.

  Doctor Kavorski looked down the other way, pointing to the corner of the street as he shouted, "Look!"

  Everyone turned their attention to the right as another tank rounded the corner and stopped, aiming its main gun into what remained of the zombies and firing right into the middle of them.

  Someone, a civilian in hospital clothing, came running from the other side of the roof and yelled, "Do you see what's happening down the
re?"

  Colonel Halstead smiled and nodded, confirming, "The Cavalry's finally showed up." He turned around and shouted, "Okay, everyone get to your assigned fire teams and stand by to assault the stairwells! Nobody is to go lower than the second floor. I don't want any friendly fire incidents down there. We're taking this hospital back!"

  A cheer went up and everyone turned and raced toward the last secure stairwell.

  As Zoe started that way, the Colonel grabbed her arm and stopped her, and he shook his head as he insisted, "Not this time, Princess."

  "But I want to help!" she cried.

  "You have," he assured. "I want you to stay with these doctors you rescued and make sure no moaners get by us. You're going to sit this firefight out." He cupped her cheek in his big hand and informed, "We almost lost you once, Kiddo, and I'm not ready to risk you again."

  She watched him turn and stride with purpose toward the stairs, then, when she felt someone take her shoulders from behind, she half turned and looked into Doctor Caswell's eyes.

  Rachel smiled and said, "We both want to thank you for what you did. You didn't have to put yourself at risk for us like that."

  Zoe shrugged and countered, "I like you guys."

  With a bigger smile, Rachel wrapped her arms around the girl and hugged her as tightly as she could, and Doctor Kavorski joined them, embracing both of them.

  As Zoe did her best to hug them back, cringing as one of the tanks fired its main gun again, she admitted, "I was kind of in a hurry and might have forgotten my bra again."

  Both doctors laughed and Rachel assured, "I think we can overlook it this time."

  Zoe nodded, then she pulled away and looked to Doctor Caswell, asking, "Is Snowflake still downstairs?"

  CHAPTER 15

  The next couple of hours was all about reclaiming the hospital. The promised reinforcements wiped out all of the zombies of every kind around the hospital, on the first floor and into the basement. Fire teams from those already there cleared the hospital floor by floor from top to bottom, and by the time the reinforcements arrived at the second floor, Colonel Halstead's Zombie Response Team had already cleared the top four and half of the second. From there, guards were posted and squads were sent down each hallway to ferret out the last of them.

  By evening, the hospital was secure again. Most of the zombies in the city had laid siege to the building, and all of those involved were killed. In the streets outside, where the worst of the carnage had taken place, dump trucks and front end loaders were at work scooping up the thousands of bodies to hall them away. Other teams, wearing yellow hazardous material gear, carried bodies on stretchers and gurneys outside to be disposed of with the rest.

  Zoe found herself in for something she did not like: More tests. Though she understood, she had really wanted to help hunt down the last of the zombies. She was grateful, however, that these tests got her out of cleaning up the bodies, a job she considered icky and gross.

  By the following morning, order had been restored and the base at the hospital was returning to normal. The assault team that had reinforced them found a nearby hotel and laid siege to it, taking it over in a couple of hours, and this is where they would establish their own base and soldier's quarters. The plan was to take the whole city back, building by building, and rescue any survivors who remained.

  A meeting between Colonel Halstead and the general who had led the charge was convened in the hospital's conference room where they always held their meetings, but this one would include the doctors and their favorite subject.

  When Rachel, Zoe, and Doctor Kavorski entered the office, Colonel Halstead sat where he always did, the lieutenant to his right and the general to his left, and they all stood as the door opened. Also there were Josh and Morgan, and Alfred Knox, who found himself in charge of the civilian volunteers, and they all stood as well. Zoe was still in her pink tee shirt and denim shorts, and she still wore Sergeant Morris' cap and had her hair in a long pony tail behind her.

  Zoe's eyes found the general and she raised her chin slightly as she studied him. He was a tall, strapping fellow with white hair, bushy white eyebrows and a thick jaw. His eyes squinted slightly and his green and tan camouflage uniform seemed to be in perfect order.

  He raised his chin to the girl and asked, "Is this her?"

  "Yes, Sir," the colonel confirmed. Beckoning to Zoe, he ordered, "Come on over here, Private."

  With a little nod, she complied, but walked with hesitant steps. Stopping a few feet away from the general, she found she could not make eye contact and instead glanced about as he studied her.

  With a nod, the general stepped toward her and extended his hand, saying in a deep, imposing voice, "My name is General Garza. I've heard a lot about you, Miss Templeton and I must say it's an honor to finally meet you."

  She shook his hand and still would not look at him, but she did sheepishly correct, "Colonel Halstead likes to call me Private Princess now."

  Laughing under his breath, the general nodded again and folded his hands behind him, conceding, "That will work just fine, Private." Extending his hand to the chair beside his, he pulled it out for her and offered, "Please. Have a seat."

  Zoe glanced back at Rachel, and when she got a reassuring nod, she looked down to the table and sat down.

  When she was seated, everyone else followed suit.

  Colonel Halstead folded his hands on the table and looked to Doctor Kavorski, demanding, "Well, Doctor? What did you find out?"

  Raising his brow, he reported, "What she subjected herself to almost killed her, but we tested her extensively last night and this morning and… It seems that the virus is gone from her cranial spinal fluid. Her entire nervous system seems to be clear of it. In fact, we couldn't even find it anywhere in her saliva, either. She's not even contagious anymore."

  "And the rest of her?" the General asked.

  Rachel replied, "A weakened form of the virus is still in there and she is still very much infected. For all practical purposes, she still is a zombie. She will heal quickly, not feel the pain of injury and have every other advantage a zombie would have, but at the same time she remains conscious and retains all of her cognitive abilities. The infection even reversed her autism to an extent, not all the way, but she actually made some degree of progress there."

  With a nod, the colonel observed, "That's the good news. Now, do you think it will take her over completely?"

  The doctors glanced at each other, then Doctor Kavorski shook his head and looked back to the colonel, then the general. "That's not even a possibility anymore. Whatever happened in the sauna created a new relationship between her and the virus, and now they are living in an apparent symbiosis. They've effectively become one organism. Zoe is among the undead, but she is still, in many respects, very much alive."

  Zoe leaned toward Rachel and whispered, "That's good, isn't it?"

  Doctor Caswell patted her arm and smiled as she assured, "That's good."

  "What about this vaccine that you meant to make based upon her antibodies?" the general asked.

  Raising his chin, Doctor Kavorski proudly announced, "We're well on the way and our research has uncovered some extremely valuable information that we can use to fight this virus. We really don't even need her for this phase anymore. What we've learned from her has already been invaluable."

  With a nod, General Garza looked to the colonel and informed, "Sounds like things are well in hand here, Colonel. Since she clearly does not pose a threat and seems to want to help us win this war against the zombies," He looked to her and continued, "I'm going to leave the disposition of Private Princess here in your hands. We're going to have our hands full with this war, young lady. Are you up to the challenge of helping us protect humanity?"

  With a nod and a little smile, Zoe smartly replied, "Yes, Sir!"

  "Outstanding," the General said. "Doctor, Doctor, Private, you are all dismissed. The Colonel and I have some planning ahead of us." He looked to Josh and added
, "We'll call on you when we are in need of you. Until then, feel free to use this as a base of operations, and if you wish to continue your zombie hunts, then I would gladly assist you in any way I can."

  Josh nodded and offered, "Thanks, General. We'll do what we can to help out." When he stood, Morgan stood with him, and as the turned to leave the room, Zoe sprang up and darted to them, following them out.

  In the hallway, she grasped Morgan's arm and informed, "Adrian said he will show me some Kung Fu stuff!"

  "He definitely knows what he's doing," Morgan assured. "He even had a match with Chuck Norris once. Got his ass kicked, but… He was fighting Chuck Norris, so what did he expect to happen?"

  "Where are you going now?" Zoe asked hopefully.

  "Well," Morgan began slowly, slipping her arms around the girl's shoulders, "we're going to get something to eat, maybe have a few beers, and then we were thinking about going across town to stir up some trouble with the zombies." Her eyes slid to Zoe and she cocked an eyebrow up, a little smirk on her mouth as she asked, "You in?"

  Zoe smiled broadly and breathed, "I can really come?"

  "Sure!" Josh barked. "We kind of like you and I'm sure Morgan's tired of being the only chick on the team."

  The girl's mouth straightened slightly and she asked, "What about Zachary? Is he coming?"

  "I don't think we could get rid of him if we wanted to," Josh laughed. "His dad said it's cool if he hangs with us for a while, as long as we don't do something stupid like get him killed or turned into a zombie. Come on, ladies. Lunch awaits!"

  They got into the cafeteria to join the others and Zoe's eyes found Zachary at a table with the other San Antonio team. She had not gotten her meal yet when she almost danced over to him, standing right behind him as she patted his shoulder, then she folded her hands behind her and greeted, "Hi!"