by Waltz, Fred
Chapter 14
Monday morning has arrived much too soon. Jimmy has taken advantage of the furlough, and has made the arrangements with the transplant team, and Julie –against her will–has been flown across the country and checked into Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles. Jimmy knew there was a chance he would not be allowed to leave Syscorp, so he wanted to make sure that Jules was taken care of.
Jimmy is exiting the final checkpoint, and notices that Jeff now has an assistant, who is conducting a very invasive full body pat down on everyone, heightened security. After being patted down, and his groin thoroughly groped, Jimmy goes to his office.
The phone is already ringing when he enters, so he hurries to answer. He listens as Mike asks, no tells, him to get down to the conference room immediately.
On exiting the elevator, Jimmy meets up with two camouflage laden men, both carrying M4 carbines with the M26 shotgun modification. No doubt that these two were serious.
“Sir, please stand back against the bulkhead, and display your identification while my partner verifies your thumbprint and retina scan.”
Jimmy moves back to the wall, and allows himself to be scanned. Damn lucky that I got the package out before all of the added security measures.
“Thank you Mr. Gaston, the General is expecting you in the conference room.”
As Jimmy walks away, one of the men is speaking into a transmitter, probably announcing his arrival.
Mike meets him at the door. “Jimmy, I am glad to see you. Sorry about all the beefed up security, but with the recent developments it is a necessary evil. Jimmy, I am truly sorry about Ross, I know that the two of you have been working together for a while. We need to talk about what happened, come on in.”
Jimmy lets Mike lead him into the conference room, but stops a few steps in. Sitting in one of the seats is a middle aged African American woman, whom Jimmy has never seen before. Mike makes the introductions. "Jimmy, this is the newest member of the project team, for now you can just think of her as an advisor. Dr. Okayo Alphonsine Solaine.”
The woman rises to her feet and approaches Jimmy. “Nice to meet you, please call me OhAy, all of my friends do. Doctor is so formal, and only my grandmother calls me Okayo.” She has a slight accent, that Jimmy can’t quite place, maybe Jamaican he thinks. “I can see the puzzled look on your face Jimmy, I am Haitian.” Jimmy shakes her outstretched hand.
“Nice to meet you OhAy, if you do not mind me asking, what exactly are you going to be advising the team on?”
Mike answers, “Jimmy, OhAy has a doctorate in archeology, specializing in ancient civilizations. She is also a High Voodoo Priestess; she is here to shed some light on Specimen Z.”
“I am an expert on zombies”, she interrupts while shaking Jimmy’s hand.
Jimmy pulls his hand back, “Mike, are you kidding me with this shit, Voodoo, zombies?”
Mike begins to reply, but OhAy waves him off. “Jimmy I am a Mambo Asogwe, and I am here to channel the Loa and hopefully help you with your project. I can appreciate your misunderstanding about my culture, but please make no mistake; Voodoo is as much a religion as Christianity or Judaism, the practice of Voodoo dates back to the 17th century. I represent the white, or good, side of Voodoo. My ancestors have been communicating with, and channeling the Loa for ages. From what I have read, and been briefed about, your Specimen Z is a zombie that was created by a very powerful Bokur. A Bokur is a high priest that concentrates on the dark arts, evil Voodoo if you will. And if the scrolls found with the zombie are accurate, then you have a very special zombie; one possessed by a Loa, an ancient African Deity”
Jimmy tries to digest what he has just heard, unsuccessfully. “I am sorry OhAy; this is just a lot to deal with right now. My daughter is 1500 miles across the country, going through double kidney transplant surgery, without me. One of my closest friends was just killed in a car crash, and now I find out that I have been studying a zombie! My buffer has hit the overflow point, and I really do not think I can process anymore information right now.”
“I can certainly appreciate where your head is Jimmy. Let’s go take a look at Specimen Z. I have not seen an African zombie since I was a little girl.”
“Specimen Z is not here anymore, Mike had it transferred.”
Mike joined the conversation. “Actually Jimmy, we never intended to transfer Specimen Z, we just wanted to see if that information leaked.”
“And did it?”
Mike just shrugs his shoulders. “Only time will tell. Come on let’s go, after you OhAy.”
The three of them proceed to the examination room holding Specimen Z; followed closely by two armed security team members.
Chapter 15
Approaching from the opposite direction, Breaker has Old Glory pushing along the pavement at close to one hundred miles per hour. Breaker definitely has an attitude, and is equally daring anyone or anything to get in his way. It has been three days since he has been able to hold court at Valhalla. The local news reported some sort of drunken driving accident, which Breaker knew was bullshit, had the road closed off.
Old Glory is rumbling on, Breaker’s hair flowing behind him like a cape. In an instance, Old Glory swerves underneath Breaker, as he takes his right hand off the handle bars, and brings it toward his face. He regains control of Old Glory just before laying her down. He is coughing and gagging.
The fly was dead the minute it hit the soft pallet of Breaker’s mouth. By the time Breaker reacted with his first cough, the fly was already being dissolved in his stomach by hydrochloric acid.
After one final cough, Breaker regains his composure. Little does he know that his white blood cell count has increased by 10,000; and those white blood cells are losing a battle against some strange mutant cells that are quickly multiplying, and speeding toward Breaker’s brain.
Within minutes, he is walking into Valhalla, listening to his entrance music. God of thunder (Dadu-Da) and rock and rolllll (Da-da-da-da-Dun-da) the spell you’re under (Dadu-Da). Breaker pumps his fist over his head in appreciation. He makes a bee line toward the bar and grabs the bottle of San Miguel waiting for him. He downs the whole bottle in a single gulp; but he can still feel that damn fly, or moth or whatever the hell had flown into his mouth. He pounds the empty bottle on the bar, and is downing a second bottle now. He lets out a loud belch, then a deep exhale.
“Get any on you?”
“Screw you Butchy! Give me another.” Breaker turns around and surveys his domain. “Hey Butch, you got the heat turned on or something? I am sweating my ass off.”
“Got the air set on 70, you sick or something Breaker?”
“It feels like it is a hundred degrees in here.”
“That’s because you have too many clothes on”, says Mia Rae the cute little brunette that has joined the conversation. “Come on with me and I’ll cool you down.”
Breaker glances in her direction. “Hey Mia, you are looking good girl.”
Mia tosses her head to the side, sending her hair flowing in a rippled wave. Her hand makes a slow climb up Breaker’s muscled thigh, stopping just as her fingertips reach his crotch. She makes eye contact with the blonde behind the bar with Butch.
The blonde shakes her head and lets out a sigh. “I am going out back to have a smoke Butch; I will be back in twenty.”
“OK Amy, burn one for me too.”
Amy rolls her eyes at Breaker, and storms away from the bar. Mia is now straddling Breaker, grinding her hips to the beat of the music.
“Hey man, what is the deal with you and Amy?”
“No deal Butch, I just don’t like being anchored in port, know what I mean?”
“Does Amy know that?”
“Butch, how about we don’t do this? No disrespect man, but your sister is a big girl, and you and I have been friends too long. Do us both a favor, and mind your own damn business.”
Butch throws his hands up, indicating his surrender. “You are right; I will stay out of it.”
“Thanks Butch.” Breaker turns his attention back to Mia. “Now, what exactly did you have in mind young lady?”
Mia whispers something in Breakers ear, he smiles, and then Mia smiles as she takes his hand and leads him to the back room. After fifteen minutes in the back room whatever has infected Breaker’s body, is now swimming around inside of Mia’s. Ten minutes later, she is the first to leave the back room, reapplying her lipstick and adjusting her top. She continues on her flirtatious rounds, kissing hello and stealing sips of beer from everyone she meets. Breaker is barely able to button his pants up and stagger back to the bar.
“You want another Breaker? Hey, Breaker, you alright man?”
Before Butch can reach out and grab him, Breaker falls forward, smacks his head off the bar, and thumps to the floor. Blood is flowing from a gash in his forehead, as a crowd quickly gathers; Butch feels for a pulse and looks around at the group; he shakes his head ‘no’. As he is getting back to his feet, trying to avoid the spreading puddle of blood, he hears a scream from across the room. The crowd’s attention shifts toward the scream.
“Something is wrong with Mia, she just passed out, and I don’t think she is breathing. As Butch is approaching Mia, a man, Erik Zesttrim, has already started CPR. He is trying to force air into her lungs. Butch kneels down and puts his forefinger against her neck. “Erik, she is gone you are just wasting your time.”
Erik stops and looks at Butch, “I gotta try man, go call an ambulance.”
Butch shakes his head disapprovingly, “Closest hospital is 150 miles and they sure aren’t sending a life flight copter for that skank. You go ahead and knock yourself out; I’m going to wash this blood of my hands. Butch turns to head back to Breaker’s body and then stops in his tracks. “Alright, who moved him? Cut off that music, now! Who the hell moved his damn body?”
The music stops and the bar is silent. Breaker’s body is gone, there are bloody footprints leading away from where he had collapsed but no drag marks. Butch is about to holler again but Erik beat him to it.
“Hey look, she is coming around; I told you she wasn’t gone.”
All eyes turn back to Mia, her arms and legs twitching ever so slightly, as Erik still kneels next to her. Suddenly Mia’s eyelids open, a cloudy grey mist covers the entire eye; the pupils are almost nonexistent. Erik takes his hand from beneath her head and begins to move his arm away, and then Mia notices the movement. She turns her head toward him, and reaches out for his arm. She lets out a low throaty hiss, and then bites him, taking a chunk out of his arm. Erik pulls away, blood pumping out of his arm as Mia scrambles to her feet. Butch pulls his .38 from his waistband and empties all five shots into Mia’s chest. He is dumbfounded when she keeps coming toward him.
By now the bar is in a panic. Nobody has noticed the dozen or so other people that have collapsed. A few people are trying to help wrap a tourniquet around Erik’s arm as he slides into shock; but most are running to the door. Standing in their way, in front of the locked doors… Breaker. His eyes are also clouded over, but his pupils are fiery red.
Chapter 16
The examination room is bathed in bright light, which is magnified by the white walls and floor. A single stainless steel table sits in the middle of the room, with a corpse strapped atop. As the three of them enter the room, Jimmy stops and gasped. “My god, is that Z? Why isn’t it inside the cryogenic capsule? Mike, you do realize that it will deteriorate if it is allowed to thaw?”
Before Mike can answer, the restrained corpse turns its head toward Jimmy’s voice. Jimmy feels his legs buckle and then finds himself being supported by Mike.
“We are pretty sure that deterioration is not going to be an issue Jimmy; and the official name of the subject is Specimen Z.”
“Hey, do you know what Mike, I will call that thing whatever I want. We have all known it as Z since the project started.”
Mike sighs, “Alright Jimmy, Z it is.”
OhAy steps around the two men and approaches Z.
“You are going to make sure you stay clear of its mouth”, Mike said.
OhAy turns and shoots him a glance. “This is not my first time, General, and his hands, I mean hand, is just as dangerous as his mouth.” She walks past the table to the glove dispenser hanging on the wall.
“You mean its hand, right Doctor?” Jimmy asks.
“No, I mean his hand. What you have strapped to the table is a male zombie.”
She snaps on a pair of gloves and she focuses her attention on Z. Carefully she examines his eyes, then his hand and then his feet. Jimmy watches in amazement as Z struggles and squirms against his bonds.
OhAy pulls off her gloves and rejoins the men in the corner of the room. “Well, gentlemen, what you have here is indeed a zombie, however I see no signs of any type of Loa possession. Where are the missing digits from the hand? It is very possible that the essence of the Loa, if he did indeed once possess this creature, is still contained within one of the amputated pieces. Whoever translated the scrolls for you was mistaken about the Loa being Nzambi; that deity is far too powerful to be summoned, and even if he was, no spell would keep him contained against his will. I believe the Loa referenced in the scrolls is Azaka-Tonnerre, the thunder Loa. We should reanimate and check the digits.”
Jimmy clears his throat. “The fingers and thumb are gone, they were utilized during testing.”
Mike joins the conversation. “Completely utilized, as in destroyed, nothing left?”
“Yes Mike, completely utilized. Don’t act so surprised, the use of the fingers and thumb was fully documented in the daily reports.”
“Jimmy I have read those reports and the weekly briefs, I was aware of the fingers, but I do not recall having seen anything about the thumb.”
“Well then you better go back and re-read, because it is all there. Both myself and Ross.” Jimmy stops for a moment after saying the name, “I am sorry, I forgot he was gone for a minute. Anyway we both reviewed the testing schedules; all of the digits were utilized. I don’t have anything else to say on that matter.”
“Gentlemen, it does not matter. If the amputated parts have been destroyed, then there is only one way to ensure that the scrolls you found are not describing this zombie. An embodied spirit has to be released, it cannot be destroyed. There are only two ways, that I am aware of, to release it; removal of the spell, or rebirth. I will set up my talisman and perform a banishing spell. If this zombie is possessed, the Loa will be released.”
“Rebirth? What exactly do you mean? Mike, do you know what she is talking about? I mean I understand removing the spell, actually I don’t understand that or should I say I don’t believe it. What does she mean by rebirth?”
Mike shakes his head no. “What do you mean Doctor?”
“What I mean is the spirit must be passed on to new life. Once reborn the spirit can move freely as it pleases.”
OhAy removes various bottles, gems and candles from her bag. She carefully places drops from the different bottles on the zombies head, wrists, ankles and stomach. She positions shiny black stones on the four corners of the examination table, and a black candle, carved with symbols, at the foot of the table and lights it. She pulls a colorful veil up over her head, and begins to chant, in Haitian, while waving a petrified chicken foot through the smoke of the candle. After five minutes, she collects the gems, and extinguishes the candle.
“It is obvious to me that Azaka is not embodied in this zombie, this zombie is nothing special; I would recommend immediate termination.”
“Are you crazy? Mike, she has to be joking! This is ground breaking research.”
“Relax Jimmy, no one is destroying it; I mean him, I mean no one is destroying the specimen. Dr., are you certain there is nothing special about Z?”
“Gentlemen, please do not insult me, my ancestors and I have been dealing with zombies far longer than your government has been keeping them secret. I know why each of you have your motives for wanting to keep t
his creature animated. General, you and your government wish to create an unstoppable soldier; and Jimmy you hope to utilize the zombie to synthesize human organs. You are both fools. Nothing good comes from these creatures. They are the result of dark magic and evil intentions. Nothing good can result from the use of the dark arts, nothing.”
Before either man can respond a member of the security detail, outfitted in full combat gear, enters the room and approaches the general. “General, I have an urgent message for you.”
“What is it?”
“Sir, I am afraid the message is classified”, the soldier responds gazing at Jimmy and OhAy suspiciously.
“I said what is it, sergeant, everyone in this room is cleared!”
“Yes Sir. There is a situation in the morgue Sir”, the soldier is now staring at Z.
“What kind of situation? Can you please just spit it out?”
“Sir we have a number of casualties, two men mortally wounded, and three more in critical condition. Also, two members of the medical staff are dead, Sir.”
“What the hell happened?”
“Sir they were attacked, by one of those”, the soldier responds pointing at Z.
Chapter 17
Two men wearing dark suits, one carrying a black duffle bag that makes him resemble an old time doctor, come out of the train station and approach the idling limousine at the curb. The darkened rear window of the limousine descends, and the two men have a brief conversation with the occupant of the back seat. The man with the bag hands it through the window and then steps away from the car as the window goes back up. The limo pulls away from the curb and the two men walk across the street to a waiting taxi cab.
They both crowd into the back seat of the cab, and the second man is just pulling the door closed as the driver is turning around in his seat to face them. As the door thumps closed, the driver pumps three shots, from a silenced pistol, into each man. Satisfied that they are both dead, the driver puts the cab into gear and pulls away from the curb. The cab is 200 feet down the road when it erupts into a massive explosion, sending twisted metal and pieces of the driver and his two deceased passengers out in a 50 foot radius.