Zombies Evolved

by Derick Campbell

  “I told you Rob, years on the farm taking out gophers.”

  “I see.” Now she knows that I’m not entirely convinced either.

  I continue. “It’s just that for shooting gophers on a farm, you probably used some kind of rifle. Not really developing the same shooting skills that you’ve got now with a handgun Dana.” Just say it Dana – tell me you’re with the FBI so I can trust you.

  “Perhaps there is more to it than that Rob. I’ve got a few more stories to share. Not on the phone though.”

  Okay, she is going to meet me part way. I can accept that for now. We’ve only known each other for a week.

  “Fair enough Dana. I’ll send you an email with the church details I’ve been digging up.”

  I decide to share a little more. “Incidentally, I contacted I guy I know with the zombie police unit up in Vancouver. They told me they’ve been having zombie drug problems too. And they found a hospital-style room in the church like we have in Seattle – for turning zombies.”

  “I wonder how many of the zombie churches are turning people?”

  “Yeah, this could be an epidemic we have on our hands.”

  * * *

  In the University District of Seattle, the city mayor, her husband, and their kids were enjoying a luncheon. They were in attendance with other Seattle officials, local business executives, some University of Washington faculty and staff, and a couple dozen honor roll students from the University.

  All told, there were about one hundred and fifty people at the charity event for the University – raising money for student scholarships. At each table, honor roll students shared their own personal stories of hope and commitment to education with the attendees.

  Maria Gonzales, the Chief’s wife, sat down with the mayor. “I can only stay for a quick lunch, and then I am headed back to the hospital.”

  The mayor was surprised to see her here. “Of course Maria, I’m impressed that you joined us at all. You are so committed to educating children.” She paused and looked more serious. “Our hearts and prayers are with you and Ben.”

  Maria nodded and sat down. “Thank you.”

  Nearby, her plainclothes police security detail arranged to join a half-full table where they could continue to ensure her safety while respecting her privacy.

  About thirty minutes after the main course, coffee, tea, and desserts were being served throughout the crowd. The alcohol enjoyed earlier had everyone in a congenial mood. Quiet, pleasant conversation was taking place at every table.

  From the far corner, a young girl’s shriek cut through the calm of the room like a knife. “Zombies!” She pointed.

  Entering from the side hall was a group of at least ten hungry zombies. They ambled over, arms outstretched in search of sustenance.

  Several of the zombies had scratches and cuts on their face, arms, and bodies – where their shirts had been partially torn away. Bleeding and infected sores were on a few – leaking pus and blood.

  The lead zombie had pale eyes, greyish skin, and disheveled hair – he was wearing a dirty Huskies sweatshirt, the mascot of the University. Some of the dirt looked like dried blood.

  The people sitting at the closest three tables all rose, and backed away. More screaming and yelling came from the crowd. Mass confusion occurred, as people scrambled to get away. They stumbled over each other. Some people pushed others out of the way as they ran.

  One particularly pretty young student was chased by a large zombie, screaming. The zombie yelled with its own throaty scream in reply.

  Some of the zombies started eating the food left on nearby tables, thrusting their hands into cake and ice cream, and generally made a huge mess of things. They had icing and cake on their hands, face, and hair.

  Some zombies continued further in to the room, causing more panic and uprising. Students screamed, and some of the athletic young men in the room assumed a defensive position – protecting those that had run away. As two zombies approached, they lost their nerve and ran away as well.

  The Husky wearing zombie scrambled further into the room. In the center of the room contained an ice statue centerpiece and three large chocolate fondue fountains surrounded by fruit, cookies, cake, and marshmallows.

  He let out a blood-curdling roar and lunged forward into the room.

  * * *

  It should be easy to break in to Dad’s house.

  I grew up here. Mom and Dad would usually keep a spare key in a hollow of the apple tree in the front yard. It is still here.

  Mom doesn’t live here anymore – she and Dad divorced years ago. She moved to live closer to my sister in California, who was busy cranking out grandkids for Mom to adore.

  I’m pretty sure Dad is travelling this weekend, and not back until later tonight. I’ve got a few hours to poke around.

  I spend some time going over a few of Dad’s mementos, books, and keepsakes.

  I notice that he has some new pictures up. A few of them are with him and the Chief and other city officials. There are two with him, the Chief, and the Chief’s wife Maria. I put them down to get to some serious investigating.

  Dad still isn’t keeping a password on his computer. I don’t know how many times I’ve told him to do that. Today I’m ok that he didn’t.

  I look through his itinerary for the past eighteen months or so, since he retired from the department. He’s got some email records of a few trips – more of the same places he’d travelled to while working for the department.

  Two trips catch my eye however, a trip to Mexico a while back and a more recent trip to China. Hmmm.

  I copy a spreadsheet containing a list of addresses for various buildings around town. One of the addresses I recognize – Dana and I had visited it late last week and encountered some friendly zombies.

  I put my USB drive away and start to clean my tracks. I don’t want it to be obvious to Dad that someone’s been here looking.

  * * *

  “Chief, its Ted.”

  “Ted – good to hear from you. What news do you have?”

  “The release of the original zombies seemed to go exactly according to plan. We didn’t stick around for long – don’t want people to recognize us – but there was plenty of screaming and people scrambling out of the luncheon while we left.”

  “That’s good news. This is exactly the type of experience we want to influence the mayor.”

  “Will I see you at headquarters tonight?”

  “Yes – I’m just arriving in town now.”

  * * *

  While I’m taking my time at Dad’s place, looking over a few more photos and books, I receive a call from Mac. He and Jake have been acting as special security for Maria Gonzales today.

  “Rob – you will never believe who we met today.”

  “Who Mac?”

  “Remember those original zombies you rounded up? Them.”

  “Where?”

  “It was the craziest thing Rob. We were at some upper class luncheon in the U District. Maria was taking a break from staying with the Chief at the hospital, meeting with the mayor and a hundred other uppity ups.

  “Right during dessert, all twelve of the original zombies come into the hall looking pretty – and they freak everyone out. There was screaming and mass commotion.”

  “Wow – what did you do Mac?”

  “I was about to kick some serious zombie ass, when Jake comes up to me and says, ‘Try to keep everyone calm Mac – I’ll take care of them.’ Then he walks over to where most of the zombies are, and he says in his polite voice, ‘do you mind if I borrow this table?’ He didn’t need to – nobody was left at the table.

  “Then he starts rounding up zombies, sitting them in chairs, and zip tying them to their seats by the leg.”

  “Amazing.”

  “I was so proud of him Rob – you should have seen him. It took him less than three minutes to sit all the zombies down at two tables, while he puts down food in front of them.

  “
At first, people were screaming and stumbling over each other to get out, but once Jake got started, everyone was watching him. Some people even laughed a little at the zombie antics.

  “When Jake finished securing the zombies, he called out to everyone, ‘apologies for the interruption – these zombies were just a little hungry’. And then he talks to some students, and gets them to come in closer to watch the zombies. He was feeding zombies and roughing up their hair. Some people even took pictures!”

  “This is incredible Mac – any idea who brought the originals?”

  “I was thinking the same thing once I realized that Jake had things under control. I stepped outside to look for anything suspicious. There was a grey van parked nearby – it was leaving just as I watched it.”

  “Please tell me you got something.”

  “Yup – sure did Rob. I took down the license plate and set up a watch order on it. If anyone in the PD notices it they will let us know, and won’t engage.”

  “That’s great news Mac!”

  “It was a sight to see – Jake was wonderful. He even went over to see the mayor and Maria afterwards, and commented to them, ‘someone must be trying to scare all you nice people with these original zombies. But once you feed ‘em, they aren’t scary to nobody. I’ve seen these zombies before ma’am – we’ll get them back to social services.’ And that’s just what we did. The luncheon ended without much fuss – relatively speaking – shortly after that.”

  “That’s a remarkable story Mac. Thanks for calling.”

  Its a few hours later and I’m back at my home relaxing on the sofa. I listen to some music while going over the list of addresses I picked up from my dad’s computer. I’m looking them up online, to determine what kind of building each one is.

  Most of them are small warehouses or seem like abandoned buildings – no homes or apartments. One of them is a small office complex called Trey Landing. It has several units covering a whole block. From what I remember of it, it contains mostly high tech companies.

  A short while later I’m watching the football game, when my phone buzzes with a new mail. Mac’s license plate watch on the grey van has resulted in a hit. Apparently the van is parked outside of Unit C in Trey Landing.

  Bingo.

  No time to waste! Rather than visiting tomorrow as I originally planned, I decide to visit tonight.

  “Dana – are you still up?”

  “Yeah Rob?”

  “If you aren’t terribly busy, I could use some company. I’m headed out to Trey Landing Unit C, the high tech offices by Greenwood. Do you know where it is?”

  “Yes, I’ve been through there before. I think I can find it. Unit C?”

  “Yes. Thanks Dana – I’m headed there right now,” and I hung up.

  It isn’t a very long drive for me – I’m already close to North Seattle.

  I’m excited – this find could connect my dad to the original zombies and the church. I grab my flashlight and head towards Unit C.

  Dana isn’t here yet, but she can call me when she arrives. Hopefully she will notice my car here. Just in case, I set my phone to vibrate.

  I wander up to the grey van – yup, this is the plate. I look around inside. Perhaps a little messy, but it seems like a regular van.

  I walk up the stairs to the front of Unit C. There is no security guard inside, and the lights are dimmed. The front door is open however, so I invite myself in.

  I keep my gun holstered, but unclipped. I don’t want to accidentally shoot an employee or security guard just doing their job.

  I poke around, looking for anything interesting, or the sounds of people.

  The unit is shaped like a large circle – bringing in lots of natural light during the day I’m sure. The core of the circle is locked – perhaps containing computer rooms or meeting rooms.

  I navigate around the entire unit once, and arrive back at the front. I don’t see anything suspicious so far. No evidence of people. It’s time for me to check the second floor. These units only have two floors. With the first floor empty – at least the parts I can see – hopefully the owner of the grey van is upstairs.

  As I approach the stairwell, I can hear footsteps. I open the door silently and slowly to peek inside. Climbing down the stairs whistling is the man in the suit – the man who killed Steve.

  He hasn’t noticed me yet, so I slip back out. There are only two places for him to go at the bottom of the stairway – and one of them is right into my lap. I un-holster my gun and get ready nearby.

  Right that moment, Dana joins me. I motion for her to be silent, and urge her to join me.

  “Dana – you’re just in time.” I plant my eyes back on the staircase, gun ready. “The guy that killed Steve is coming down those stairs right now. You’ve got to help me g…”

  I’m completely taken by surprise. Dana covers my mouth with a cloth or napkin while lowering my weapon. That’s the last thing I can remember.

  Chapter Ten – Regret

  I awake in a large comfortable chair in a daze. I look around slowly to get my bearings. I think I’m in the same building, on the second floor. The layout is similar and the wrap-around windows look the same. Except this floor has a really comfy chair.

  I can’t quite get up yet; I stay seated and think.

  “Hello son.”

  It’s my dad, Dan Stack, the retired Deputy Chief of Police for the IAB.

  “Hi Dad.”

  I scan the room for more people, including the man who killed my partner.

  “Ted and Dana have left us alone to talk.”

  “I see.”

  “It’s quite the situation we have here. Complicated.”

  “I don’t think it’s that complicated Dad. I want in.”

  He looks surprised, and then smiles thinly. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “C’mon Dad! Drugs, zombie turning churches, going national. You need people on the inside. You need someone you can trust. You can’t just trust a zombie. You need family.”

  The breadth of my knowledge surprises him again.

  Before he can say anything else, I jump in. “How about we discuss this over drinks at my bar?”

  “You have a bar?”

  * * *

  Maria Gonzales was at home to sleep for the evening. Mac and Jake were with her for protection. They were about to be relieved by the evening crew.

  “Goodnight boys. I have a few things to take care of and then I’m going to bed.”

  “Goodnight Ms. Gonzales,” they said together.

  She wandered upstairs, with Mac in front and Jake behind.

  Mac peeked in each room ahead of them. He went to investigate her bedroom and adjoining bathroom for any potential intruders.

  Maria saw the crime scene tape around her husband’s office and walked towards it.

  Jake spoke from behind her. “Uh, I don’t think it’s a good idea to go in there Ms. Gonzales.”

  She ignored him, stepped beneath the tape, and entered the room.

  Jake nervously rushed in after her. He noticed that the large picture window was still wide open. He closed the drapes to eliminate the view from outside. Maria turned on the lights.

  She stared at the blood on the floor. Then she wandered to the desk. “Your cops sure made a mess of things here Jake.”

  “Ma’am, I’m reasonably certain they left things pretty much as they were. Anything that wasn’t directly involved in the crime, like these documents here, would have been photographed and put back in place.”

  She looked intently at the documents spread about. She read.

  Mac noticed that he hadn’t been joined in the bedroom, and rushed to the door by the Chief’s office. “Okay you two, you need to leave that area immediately.”

  “This is my home Mac. You can’t tell me what to do.”

  “Well ma’am, you’re partly right. This area here is a crime scene, and I don’t think the guys are quite done with it yet. We should do what we c
an to keep it secured.”

  She reached back into her Latin heritage and considered several excellent insults she might use. After a moment, she changed her mind. Insults won’t make anything better with Jake and Mac, and she wanted to be on their good side.

  “Of course you’re right Mac. I’m sorry. I just can’t believe that this is where it happened.” She wandered back out of the room.

  * * *

  My dad and I arrive at Chuck’s bar. “Two beers Chuck.”

  “It’s a nice place son, but isn’t it a little small?”

  “Evening Rob. Who’s your acquaintance?” Chuck places two drafts on the bar.

  This exchange is part of our security protocol. I reply with the safe response. “He’s a friend Chuck.”

  Then I realize just how silly our safe response sounds in these circumstances. “Actually, this is my dad, Dan.”

  Chuck replies, “Nice to meet you Dan.”

  Dad nods in Chuck’s direction.

  “Come with me Dad.” He grabs his beer and follows me toward the back.

  “Evening guys – this is my friend.” Again, starting with the security phrase sounds strange tonight. “Actually guys, this is my dad, Dan Stack.”

  They both relax and introduce themselves enthusiastically.

  “Evening Mr. Stack.”

  “Welcome to the club Mr. Stack.”

  The sound of the door unlocking invites us in, and I push the door open. We both enter.

  My dad stops part way into the room, looking around. I examine the astonishment and pride in his eyes, and smile. “You were saying?”

  “Quite the place you have here, quite the place.” He is still taking it all in.

  I wander towards some of the tables, and Dad follows.

  Jim and Dave are here tonight. I walk up to their table. They are closely following the game, and don’t notice us until we arrive.

  “Evening guys.”

  “Evening Rob.” Dave recognizes who I’m with. “I mean, evening sir!”

  Jim sits up straight. “Nice to meet you sir!”

  “Cut it out guys, I’m retired. You can call me Dan.” He reaches out to shake hands. “I recognize you two. You’re both with the force, right?”

  Jim starts, “Yes sir – I mean Dan. We’re both retired too.”

  My dad asks them, “What brings you here tonight?”

  “Your son runs the best gambling club in town Dan. We’re here practically every night. Good food and drink, maybe a little sports gambling. We each have a few bucks on the game now.”