by Gayle Katz
“Yes, sir,” she replied.
He grabbed his snacks and headed to one of the tables.
He caught the tail end of the conversation before it suddenly changed at the table beside him. “So, yeah, I have no idea where to buy that cannabis, or even what it is.”
“Me either,” said his friend.
Sergeant Bourne just shook his head and rolled his eyes. Somewhere right now, a woman was being attacked and a child was being beaten. The last thing he was concerned about was if someone was doing legal drugs. He hoped he had a few moments of peace before he had to shove an asshole against the wall and tell them he’d send zombies their way if they were abusive again.
He was just getting settled into drinking his steaming cup of joe when his radio squawked. He hurriedly chewed and swallowed the last of his donut. “Sergeant Bourne, over.”
“We have a code Z at the high school. Over.”
“How many? Over.”
“Just one, but it ate someone’s dog.”
“On my way.” He grabbed his coffee cup, but left the garbage on the table. He headed back to his car.
zzz
Keri was relaxing at her desk in her astronomy classroom. She’d finished all her work and everything was in place. She smirked. She was proud of herself. Now all she had to do the rest of the week was relax and sip wine. She pulled out her compact and took a look at herself in the mirror. Not bad for 45! She smoothed a loose strand of hair off her face and stuck it back into her curls.
She was still admiring herself when she heard the sound of breaking glass coming from the classroom next door. “That’s not the plan,” she muttered to herself.
zzz
Owen’s phone buzzed. He looked at it. It was Julian. “How are you?” asked Julian.
“Good. How are you? Still good?”
“Yep. My cut fully healed up. Zs do heal.”
“That’s awesome.”
“My skin even has some pink in it now. Maybe I will get better.”
“Hope so,” replied Owen.
“No one is coming after me?”
“Nope, the team is cool.”
“Awesome. Any news?”
“Nah, quiet. Dr. Arora had her funeral.”
“Right. That was a miss for me.”
“Thanks for helping out. All we have to do is kill any violent strays, and then Portland is safe.”
“Good job. Glad to help.”
“We should meet for coffee sometime.”
“Yes, let’s meet at Yum soon. Also, I have more info about Dr. Arora you may be interested in.”
“OK.” They made their plans, and then Owen put his phone away.
zzz
Keri walked down the hall, her high heels tap tapping across the floor. Her feet were starting to feel fatigued. Perhaps tomorrow she would wear flats. She slowly opened the door to the classroom and peered inside.
She could see glass on the short bookcase and on the floor, but no one was inside. She shrugged. It wouldn’t be the first time that a student had smashed a window at the school.
She had just turned to head back to her classroom to grab her purse when she heard a sound from behind her. She barely had time to turn when something jumped on her back and pushed her to the ground.
zzz
Sergeant Bourne turned on the red lights and the sirens on his way to the high school. He smiled. There had been some rumors of shutting down his police station, but if there continued to be zombies on the loose, then that was a guarantee they’d be put into Mayor Jane Cote’s budget for next year. He made a mental note to give her a call, as they’d had few chances to talk since they had broken up.
Bourne swerved into the school’s parking lot and put on the brakes. He didn’t bother finding a parking space. One of the rookies-in-training waved at him. She was by the window, with a small corpse lying on the ground.
He jumped out of the car, not even bothering to close the door.
“Hey, Maia. Did you shoot the dog in the head?”
“What? Shoot it? Why? It’s already dead and three quarters eaten!” She held its collar in her hand.
“It was bitten by a zombie! We don’t know yet if zombies can turn animals.”
Maia flashed into action, pulling out her gun and shooting the dead dog in the head. Then she put her gun away. “Sorry, Sergeant, I knew that second strain zombies can’t bite and turn humans, but I didn’t think about the animals.”
“It’s learn as you go, officer. Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it.”
“All right then, so I fill out a Firearms Discharge Report back at HQ?” she asked, taking out a plastic bag to dispose of the dog.
“No! You only do that if you shoot another living human, got it?”
She nodded. “Right. Two different sets of rules.”
“That’s right. You can imagine how we’d be tied up in paperwork for hours if we have to record every zombie kill. It’s bad enough that there has been this Zombie Rights group running around doing protests.”
“Can I shoot them?” asked Maia, trying not to laugh.
Bourne looked at her. “You may just get the hang of it yet. OK, let’s bag this sucker and get it burned.”
“Oh, the best part!” she said, putting on plastic gloves.
“Any signs of the zombie who did this?” He glanced around.
“Yes, it broke a window and went into the school. I haven’t seen it come out, so it should be fine in there for now.”
“Good, then let’s get rid of this corpse first. There’s no one in the school right now, so there are no worries. We can watch from here while we make a bonfire.”
“Yes, sir.” She had the dog bagged, while Bourne went to gather some twigs and branches from the small park beside the school.
He wanted to get this done before sunrise so he could get a few hours of rest before the next shift. He placed his pile of wood at the edge of the parking lot where it wouldn’t catch anything else on fire. Maia brought over the plastic bag and placed it on top of the pile.
“Let’s get this done before the fire department shows up. We are not accountable to them for anything.” He pulled out his lighter and flipped the button, then held the flame near the plastic. It quickly caught on fire.
Maia pulled out a small bottle of oil and poured it over the flames. “Should we say a few words?”
“OK. Sorry, doggy. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. We will inform your owner that you are gone.”
“Goodbye, pooch. You made someone a happy owner,” Maia added.
They waited while the corpse burned for the next couple of hours. When it was finally all ashes, Bourne used a branch to sift through the ashes to cool them down. He scooped a small amount into a small plastic container he had. “Here.”
“What do I do with this?” Maia asked him.
“You have the collar and tag, right? Find out who the dog is registered to, and return the collar and cremains to the owner.”
She grimaced. “Great, I have to do the dirty work.”
She had just placed it in her police car when a scream was heard coming from the direction of the school.
Chapter 3
________________________________________
Sergeant Bourne and Officer Maia hopped into the classroom through the broken window. They raced down the hallway in the direction of the screams.
On the ground was Keri, the astronomy teacher, with a zombie on top of her. She held out her arms as far as she could, trying to keep the zombie from biting her.
She heard the sound of racing footsteps and turned to look at the officers. “Help me!” she cried.
Sergeant Bourne didn’t waste any time. He ensured that Keri was safe while he pulled the trigger. The bullet plunged through the zombie’s eye. It quickly collapsed. Keri pushed him off her.
“Oh my god! There are at least five more in the school!”
“Really?” asked Sergeant Bourne. “They all got in through
the broken window?”
“I don’t know how they got in!” She brushed off her skirt and put her high heels back on.
“OK. Maia, call the kids,” he instructed.
“The kids?” she asked.
“You know. Charlie, Owen, and the rich one.”
“Oh, you mean Zan? Yes, sir.” She pulled out her cellphone.
Sergeant Bourne walked up to Keri. “Are you hurt? Do you need to be checked by the paramedics? Did it bite you at all?”
Keri turned to look at Bourne. “Why no, I’m fine. Thank you for asking. You can check me out if you want.” She winked.
“I’m glad you’re fine,” he said, and placed a call through his radio to HQ advising them of the situation.
Just as Maia and Bourne finished their calls, there was the sound of a large item of furniture falling over.
“Officer, can you see Keri home? I’ll wait for the kids and we’ll find the rest of the zombies.”
“Will do. This way please, ma’am.”
Keri followed Maia out of the classroom. “It’s miss, not ma’am.”
Officer Maia rolled her eyes. “If you say so, miss.”
zzz
Zan begrudgingly got out of bed at 4 am. “I think I need a better job,” she grumbled to herself.
zzz
“Good!” said Charlie, putting her phone away. “I’ve been up since 3:30 am.” She put on her clothes and looked sadly at her unread novel. “That will have to wait.”
zzz
“Do you really need me there?” asked Owen. “Usually only two of us go out and one is a backup. OK. If there are more than six zombies, let me know.” He put his cellphone back down on his nightstand and flopped back down onto the bed.
zzz
“Wow, Zan. Did you pull an all-nighter with Jay, or something?”
“He’s right there!” said Zan, pointing near the unmarked police vehicle.
“Handy,” commented Charlie.
Zan glared at her. “I see you had no time to do your face.”
“Yes, because it’s very important to look your best when fighting zombies,” said Charlie in a sarcastic manner.
Sergeant Bourne walked up to them. “Hey, kids, you seem a bit grumpy this morning. Keri said there were half a dozen zombies here, but I feel like she was lying.”
“Lying? Why would the astronomy teacher lie about zombies?” asked Charlie.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Also, why was she at the school so early in the morning?”
“Maybe she forgot something?” asked Zan.
“I don’t know. But one thing is for sure, there is definitely one more intruder in the school. I heard it for myself.”
“I wish Owen was here. He’d be able to find the truth,” said Zan.
“Yep,” said Sergeant Bourne, keeping an eye on the broken window. “Where is your boyfriend anyway?”
Zan sighed. “I got a text from him saying that if we really need him, to let him know.”
“Let’s see. There are three of us here now, and one zombie.”
Inside the school, crashing sounds were heard.
“OK, let’s get to it.” Charlie ran up to the window and hopped through.
“I was going to say that I have keys for the front door, but that way works too.” Sergeant Bourne followed after her.
Zan reluctantly followed them. She carefully hopped through, and winced when the sharp glass caught on her good sweater. She landed on the floor on the other side.
She tried to ignore the sounds of the cries coming from the hallway. She pulled the hem of her sweater up and looked at it. “Should be able to fix that.”
“Zan? Where the hell are you? You should see this guy!”
“Sorry! Coming!” She raced to catch up to the group.
zzz
Officer Maia dropped Keri off at home. As soon as she was through the door, she quickly locked it. She dropped her purse on the table and then started chuckling. Her plan was in place. She turned and had a look in the mirror. She was a mess. Time to get cleaned up.
zzz
“Why am I here again?” asked Zan, looking bored.
Sergeant Bourne and Charlie had the zombie blocked off at the end of the hallway. Unless he could open doors, it would be simple to keep him down there.
“Wow. I almost hate to do it,” commented Charlie.
“I can get you a ladder,” said Sergeant Bourne. “You’re kind of short.”
The zombie in front of them was skinny, but at least seven feet tall. Its clothes hung on its body in rags, like they had been torn after he had died.
“Nah, thanks. I got this.” Charlie jumped out with a sharp karate kick to its left shin.
The zombie howled in pain and collapsed down to its knees. Charlie was a bit disappointed, as that kick would take down the average man.
She leapt forward, jamming her dagger deep into its eye socket. The zombie howled again.
Charlie was surprised he didn’t immediately die. She twisted her dagger clockwise, and then yanked it out. She jumped back to assess the situation.
The zombie was having spasms. Its body twitched and jerked around on the floor. Charlie was ready to plunge her dagger into it again, but finally, it was dead.
“Freaky!” said Zan, running up. She plunged her dagger into its other eye socket. “Just to make sure its dead.”
Sergeant Bourne strode up and whistled.
“She’s not that hot,” said Charlie.
“That zombie is huge! Like a giant!” he replied, ignoring her comment.
“Oh right,” said Charlie. “He’s almost seven feet tall.”
“Weird. Was he like that before he turned?” asked Zan.
“Not certain,” said Charlie. “That’s why Owen should really be here.”
Sergeant Bourne put his gun away. “OK, kids. I’m going to check out the rest of the school, but I believe it to be clear. If you two can find a way to get this thing outside, and grab the other zombie in the classroom there, we’ll burn the bodies.”
Zan and Charlie looked at each other, confused.
“Say what?” Charlie pulled out her phone. “Usually they go to the morgue.”
Sergeant Bourne shook his head. “New protocol after that unkillable zombie wife at Mr. Warcola’s apartment.”
“Do you think that this guy has had some additional magic then?” asked Zan.
“I’ll answer that question tomorrow, once I notify the family. But I’m not taking any chances. Have fun.” He took off down the hallway, slowly opening each door to check.
Zan and Charlie headed to the janitor’s closet where they figured there would be a dolly that could transport the bodies outside.
“Here it is,” said Charlie, pointing at the scuffed up dolly composed mainly of hardwood.
“Great. But if we burn all the bodies, sooner or later someone is going to see it and raise a big stink.”
“I know, but at least there aren’t that many at the moment.”
Zan grabbed the dolly and wheeled it down the hallway to where the giant zombie was lying.
“Oh my god,” said Charlie, taking a look at the spot where they had left the zombie.
“Oh shit. Now what?” asked Zan, frantically looking around.
zzz
Owen was having a great sleep. He’d had a dream where he’d seen Charlie as an adult, unemployed, with four cats and a musician boyfriend, living in Hawaii. He smirked in his sleep, thinking that was funny.
When that dream ended, another one started with Zan. She was divorced and had two kids. She was just getting off a shift at the hospital.
He dreamed about Stewart next. He was married, but they had no kids. They both taught at the high school.
In his sleep, he felt calm. He was dreaming about all of his friends. He was about ready to dream about his future life when his smartphone rang.
“Dang!” he said, waking up and grabbing it. “Hello?”
It was Stew
art. “Hi, Owen. Tomorrow morning I need you to initiate contact with Keri, the school’s astronomy teacher. It seems like she was lying to Sergeant Bourne about zombies at the school.”
“What? So there were none?”
“No, there were only two.”
“I see. OK, I’ll check her out then.”
“Awesome,” said Stewart. “And try to figure out if she’s lying or trying to deceive us. You have the advantage, as you can get people to tell you things that they’d never tell anyone else.”
“Will do. Now, I need to get about twenty more minutes of sleep.”
zzz
“Bourne was right. We should have burned the bastard five minutes ago. Let me go find him.”
“Dammit,” said Zan, looking at the spot where the zombie should have been.
“But the other zombie is dead on the floor in the classroom,” Charlie said. “Sergeant Bourne! Where are you?” she called out, running down the hallway. She figured he wouldn’t be inside any of the classrooms with closed doors, so just checked the ones with open doors.
“Hello?” called out Bourne, stepping out of the girls’ bathroom.
Charlie was so concerned that she didn’t even have time to make a bad joke about him using the wrong bathroom.
“One of the zombies is gone!”
“Holy mother of…sorry!” said Bourne, trying to stop his bad language. “OK, he has to be here somewhere.”
“He wouldn’t be in any of the closed doors, would he?” asked Charlie, not certain which way to go.