by Gayle Katz
“What?” said Charlie. “But that was shut down.”
“Well, that’s what we thought,” she said. “It was on the register to be auctioned off next month. Someone must have gotten in and started a zombie lab. About a hundred zombies have been seen leaving the factory.”
“Wait a minute,” said Charlie. “How did that happen?”
“I just made an announcement that everyone should lock themselves safely at home or work,” said Jane. “Because right now, one hundred zombies are walking the streets.”
The teens looked frantically at each other.
“I can’t,” said Charlie. “I’m shaking. Holding onto those pipes killed my muscles.”
Stewart looked at his team. “I suggest Charlie go home and get some sleep. Whoever else is not tired yet, I recommend we head out.”
“Cool!” said Zan.
“Great. You’re the first team out,” said the mayor. “I’m going home too. Jay? Are you coming?”
He followed after her.
“Good luck!” she called out. “You also have the police force backing you up!”
They all looked at each other.
“OK, so the Orzola factory it is,” said Stewart. “I can drive. Owen, you take Charlie home.”
“Are you OK?” asked Owen, as he walked Charlie back to his car.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “I just need a few hours of rest.”
They got to his car.
“What the?” exclaimed Owen, as he glanced through the window.
“What?” she said. “Either I’m already dreaming, or that’s not what I think it is?”
Owen’s phone rang. “Hello? Oh, OK. Thanks for letting us know. Yes, we’ll do that.” He hung up.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“That was Stewart. Apparently, we have kidnapped a zombie.”
“Kidnapped a zombie?”
He nodded. “Yes. Since we can’t leave Portland right now, we are to drop it off at Zan’s house. Later, we’ll try and drive the zombie to the next city and see if it still lives.”
“Um, that’s crazy!” said Charlie.
“Yeah, something about trying to figure out if zombies can leave the city and die, or not.”
“So, it appears this guy is gagged and tied down, so he shouldn’t be causing any trouble.”
Owen got in and slammed the door. “Great, so kind of Stewart to let us know.”
Charlie got in and closed her door. “Yeah, so nice that we’re zombie chauffeurs now.” She looked behind her. The zombie tried to spring at her, but it couldn’t move beyond the confines of its seatbelt.
“Let’s get this done,” she said.
By the time they’d reached Zan’s house, Charlie was ready for a ten-hour nap. But she and Owen managed to untie the zombie from the seatbelt and lead it up to the house.
“I found this key and a note on the dashboard,” he said. He quickly unlocked the door.
“Let’s get this done fast before we wake her dad.”
They quickly led the zombie down to the basement. The note said to leave it in the storage closet at the back. They quickly found it and opened the door.
Charlie flicked on the light. The light flooded the room.
“Hey. That’s bizarre,” said Charlie. She saw hooks and chains on the opposite wall.
“Yeah, very weird. It’s like she’s stored zombies in here before.”
They quickly had the zombie in place. They double-checked that the zombie was chained and secure.
“Wow. I wonder what her dad said about this?” asked Charlie.
“Hmm. He probably didn’t care about the bondage gear, probably just all her science crap.” He laughed.
“Shh,” said Charlie. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Right,” said Owen. “I’ll return the key to her tomorrow.”
“Are you heading out?” Charlie asked him, after he dropped her off at her house.
“I think so. Can’t leave Zan on her own,” he said.
“Good. Send me a text if you need anything.”
They said their goodbyes, while she stumbled up the sidewalk to her house. Once inside, she crashed on her bed. She didn’t even bother changing into her pajamas or washing her face.
Chapter 16
________________________________________
“Are you sure?” Jay asked Jane, as he parked in front of City Hall.
“Yep, it appears no one is sleeping tonight. Besides, I can catch a couple hours on my couch. In the meantime, I will be announcing a special press conference for the afternoon.”
“But it’s recommended that everyone stay at home tonight, err, I mean this morning, seeing as we’re almost there.”
“They’ll have to be careful,” she said. “Besides, have you ever heard of a zombie attacking a car?”
He thought a bit before answering. “If they can carpool together, that might be even better.”
She shut the door and waved at him.
He waved back, and then headed to the police station.
zzz
Sergeant Bourne was seated in the chair opposite the police chief. He’d just been given some terrible news.
“I can’t believe it,” he said in protest. “Tell me that isn’t true.”
The police chief tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. “Sorry, but it’s true.”
“But how can this be possible? Hasn’t the funeral been held already?”
“Believe me, I’m as surprised as you are. I’m also outraged. This is against every law we know.”
“So, what’s being done about it?” he asked.
“Well, we’ll be checking all the usual spots. The hospitals, the cells.”
Bourne laughed. “What would a criminal do with a dead body anyway?”
The police chief shrugged. “Crazier things have happened in Portland.”
“You can say that again.”
“I thought I’d let you know, in case you come across any dead bodies tonight, err, I mean this morning.”
“Oh, because I never come across dead bodies in Portland, ever,” he said sarcastically. He stood up, ready to head to the streets. There were already some concerned calls from people who had seen zombies on the loose.
“Oh, one more thing,” said the police chief, standing up.
“What is it?” Bourne asked, his hand on the doorknob.
“The information I gave you is top secret. It isn’t to be shared with anyone.”
“What? That’s crazy! Surely, I can tell the zlayers? Or Stewart?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” said the police chief. “Telling one person who will tell another person is never a good idea.”
“But they may find out what’s happened. Then they’re going to ask me what’s going on.”
The chief shrugged. “Let them ask then. For now, let’s keep it under wraps. The body may show up yet.”
“Well, I can’t see the point of taking dead bodies and turning them, when they’ve already turned a casino full of staff and guests at tonight’s fun festivities, not including past events.”
He shrugged. “I expect that someone is still conducting experiments to see how far they can go. Anyway, keep me posted if you see anything out there.”
“Will do,” said Sergeant Bourne, heading out of the office to his car.
zzz
“Wow. This brings back memories,” said Owen. “I’m sorry you have to be here, Zan.” The teens were walking through Ray Orzola’s former clothing factory. They had broken past the barriers.
“It looks like people have been here recently,” said Zan, looking at the debris on the ground. She ignored his comment.
“Oh, I can go downstairs. You don’t have to,” he said.
“Oh, but that’s where Mom was killed, right? It’s OK. I want to see.”
“All right, but you can leave anytime.”
Zan headed down the stairs. It was dark, and the lights didn’t work.
Most likely the electric company had shut them off permanently, until the property was auctioned off to a new owner.
They reached the bottom floor. Zan walked straight to the back. Owen was concerned and quickly kept pace behind her.
“This is it, right? I see dried blood on the floor that no one bothered to clean up.” Zan gazed down at the speckles on the concrete.
Owen rushed up to her. “Oh, there was a lot of killing that night. It might not be her blood. It’s probably some random zombie’s.”
She looked up and glared at him.
He shrugged. “I really admire you, Zan. You’re so tough. Even more than Charlie.”
Zan smirked. “Well, you don’t see the crap I think sometimes.”
“Well, feel free to share your thoughts with me sometime. It’s better to talk it out.”
She nodded. “Thanks!” She smiled at him.
Owen felt she was being genuine for a change. Then a terrible feeling filled his mind. He looked closely at her and it was like he saw the future.
“Say, Zan, let’s get out of here.” He wrapped his arm around her. She didn’t even protest as he led her up the stairs and out of the building.
“Do you feel it?” she said to him, as they stood outside the factory.
He nodded. “I think you need to go home, now.”
“Are you kidding? If I go home, I’ll have a breakdown. Out here, we can fight zombies. It’ll keep my mind off things.”
“I’m so sorry. We should never have come here. It was a big waste of time. No one is here.” He reached out and touched her shoulder. Usually, she would brush him away, but this time she didn’t.
“No, it’s OK. I wanted to see. Things have been building up lately. Avoiding this would not prevent what is to come.”
They walked back to Stewart’s car, where he was waiting.
“OK, but let me know if you need anything,” said Owen.
“I will. Oh, and one more thing, don’t say anything to Stewart about this, please.”
Owen seemed hesitant but could only say, “Yes,” to his friend.
They hopped in the car and got caught up with the news.
“Hi, guys,” said Stewart.
“It’s folks, not guys,” said Zan, considerably cheered up now she had something to complain about.
“Folks, sorry, right. I know Charlie uses that one.”
The teens laughed.
“Anyway, Portland is walled in,” Stewart continued to say. “The police have set up barriers, fences, and vehicles around the region that we believe the zombies are still in. If there are any strays, they’ll quickly be taken care of. We have also been helping people to leave, should they wish to do so, but since zombies don’t know how to open doors or windows, and they don’t break in, that shouldn’t be much of a problem.”
“Cool,” said Owen. “So, where do we start?”
“OK, I have some coordinates. There have been zombies sighted at 44th and Jones Streets. The police are busy in the other direction, handling some zombies stuck in a school yard, so we’ll head to 44th first.” He started up the car and headed in that direction. “Say, Zan, put your seatbelt on,” Stewart advised.
“Oh right, thanks,” she said, twisting to grab it and pull it around her body and into the slot.
“Say, you OK?” he asked, looking at her.
“As OK as I can be, after having seen the spot where my mother was killed.”
“Sorry, we should have gone somewhere else, but I wanted to confirm that the police said the factory had been cleared out.”
“I’ll be OK,” she said, wiping a tear off her face.
Owen looked at her. He knew she was definitely not OK.
“So, did they find anyone at the factory earlier?” Owen asked.
“They found a few zombies, yes. They were quickly put down.”
“Wow. Look at that,” said Zan, trying to distract herself by looking out the window. “Portland is dead quiet.”
Owen chuckled. “Zombies will do that.”
“It’s like a movie, or something,” she added.
“Yep. And I’m ready for a good movie right about now,” said Owen.
“Will it ever end?” asked Zan.
“It’ll end when we are no longer ayers,” said Owen.
Stewart looked at the rearview mirror to see Owen’s face, while Zan turned her head and looked at him.
“Tell me that’s not how it works,” she said.
Owen looked shocked. “I,” he stumbled to say. “That just came out.”
“Stewart!” yelled Zan. “Tell me that’s not how it works.”
Stewart shook his head. “Well, zlayers usually appear through natural selection when there is a zombie infestation in a city. And when zlayers are older, they lose their abilities. But that doesn’t mean that the zombies will all be gone. We know that’s not true. Zombies can pop up in another city. And, we know with these second strain zombies, that many of them can be created.” He paused, waiting for a driver to make a left-hand turn. “But what Owen says has me interested, for sure.”
Zan glared at Owen for the rest of the trip, while he sat there uncomfortably.
“It could just mean that when we become legal adults and lose our abilities, that there will be no more zombies left. It’s a good thing, really!” said Owen.
But Zan just sat in her seat and frowned.
zzz
Joe was hunting around his basement for the toolbox, as there was a leak under the kitchen sink and he needed a wrench to fix it. He admired the new look of the downstairs recreation room. In the past, it had been a music room, and then Zan had converted it to a science lab for her school projects. Then they’d had a fight, so he’d cleared it out and tossed out some of her stuff. He’d packed the more valuable items, such as a microscope, into the cupboards. It had been his wife who’d goaded him on to destroy her lab and clear out the basement, which he felt bad doing.
Now that she was gone, he and Zan had agreed to turn it into a theater room. There was a big screen TV there, along with a gaming console, and surround sound speakers.
But now that it had been cleared out for use as a theater room, he couldn’t figure out what they had done with his toolbox. He looked up at the closet door.
That must be where it was. The walk-in closet was always a disaster, but it was likely the perfect spot to keep a toolbox and other gear.
He walked up to the door. He paused when he heard strange shuffling sounds coming from within.
“Looks like I’ll have to get those rat traps out again,” he mumbled to himself. “Or maybe a cat? I’ll bet Zan would like a cat! Why didn’t I think of that before?”
He opened the door. It definitely wasn’t rats.
zzz
“The preparations are coming along well,” said City Councilwoman Clara Stokes.
“That’s great,” said Mayor Jane Cote. “We’ll be ready for the meeting this afternoon. I’ve had the big boardroom cleared out, and extra seating added for our special guests.”
“No problem. Thanks for allowing me to fill in for Mars.”
“Oh, that asshole. Right. It’s a good thing I still get invited to business openings, though likely after that last casino fiasco, I probably won’t anymore.”
“But that opening went well. It was just a later event when it all went wrong.”
Jane tossed a file on her desk. “Doesn’t matter. It’s like zombies follow me around all over the place. I’m so glad that I have you as an assistant.” She smiled at Clara. “Err, I mean, city councilwoman now.”
Clara smiled back at her. “I’m grateful for the promotion.”
Jane stood up. “Well, I’m going to go freshen up and get ready. It’s a good thing I keep a spare suit handy.” She left her office to head to the bathroom.
Clara waited a moment to ensure she was out of hearing distance, and then she pulled her smartphone out of her pocket to make a call.
Chapter 17
&n
bsp; ________________________________________
Stewart, Zan, and Owen got out of his vehicle. There was a mass of zombies hanging around near a bookstore. Each of the ayers had their daggers out and ready.
“Hey, guys! Read some books!” yelled out Owen. The zombies took notice of the team, turned, and moved forward.
Many of the zombies were in various states of decomposition. “They still can’t make a zombie that doesn’t stink,” said Zan, as she raced up and took out the first zombie.
“How many of them are there?” called out Owen, after his third kill.
“I think ten or so,” said Stewart, backing off to take a breather. The teens were so much younger than him, and had far more energy. He was getting too old for this. Was there such a thing as mentor retirement? He wondered if he looked in the book whether it would tell him or not.
He held out his smartphone and added another tally to the total. He was keeping track of the kills. He’d compare notes with Sergeant Jay Bourne later, and see how many zombies were still on the loose.
“Ahh! It bit me!” said Zan.
“OK, let me get the final two,” said Owen. “Go get patched up.”
Stewart rushed back to the car and got the first-aid kit. By the time he had it open and ready, Zan was already by the car.
“The bastard got me,” she said.
Stewart cleaned up the wound the best he could. He applied an antiseptic, and then covered it with a bandage.
“OK, that should do it. You’ll be fine,” he said.
“Thanks. It doesn’t even hurt.” She patted her arm.
“Are you OK, Zan? Usually, you don’t get bitten.”
“That’s not true,” she said.
“Well, not like that. We’ll check it in the morning. If it’s not better, you’ll have to go to the hospital.”
“It’s fine,” she said.
“Is she all right?” yelled Owen from a distance.
“You’re going to bring them all out,” Zan called out.