by Gayle Katz
Owen looked at her in a curious manner.
“I mean, not to mention the sudden outbreak of zombies running around. It was all around a crazy day.”
“But what has that got to do with Zan’s mother?” asked Stewart. “Was she there too?”
“Oh no,” said Owen. “But I believe that Zan’s mother somehow got samples from the zombie outbreak at the airport. And she didn’t turn them in. She brought them to Portland with her.”
Zan stood up. “Mother...” She let loose with a stream of expletives that even Charlie hadn’t heard before.
“Ummm?” said Owen.
“I would kill her if I could!” yelled Zan. “We would never be in this situation if she hadn’t done that!”
Charlie jumped up. “Wait a minute, Owen. Are you certain? Because Portland had its first zombie outbreak after that. Dr. Arora could have gotten samples then.”
Owen nodded to the affirmative.
“I think you’re both right,” said Stewart. “Unfortunately, if Dr. Arora had acquired two samples of different zombie outbreaks, if not more, then regrettably, this led her to produce the injectables to turn people into zombies. Besides the magic, I mean.”
Zan stopped stomping around the room. “So, it wasn’t just these samples then?”
“Sit down, Zan,” instructed Stewart. “Your mother isn’t entirely to blame. And I’ll bet that Dr. Arora promised her a job at the hospital in exchange.”
“Oh crap,” she said, sitting back down on the couch.
“Huh,” said Charlie. “Mighty interesting.”
Owen grunted. “But is there any point to having me tell you this stuff? These things are done. It’s not like I can go back in time and change anything.”
“No, but the more info we have, the better,” said Stewart. “And thank you for sharing with us. Anything else?”
“Yes, one more thing. We need to search Dr. Arora’s house.”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot you mentioned that earlier.”
“Yeah, we should really do that soon. Who knows? We might be able to find things the cops missed,” said Charlie.
“We can always hope,” said Owen, not looking forward to their upcoming breaking and entering adventure.
“That is actually a good idea,” said Stewart. “You’ll need a lookout. Because if you get caught, how am I going to explain it to Philly?”
“Hey. Why is the family holding onto her house anyway?” asked Charlie, picking up the cups and cans from the table and walking over to the kitchen to put them away.
“Oh, because the estate probate isn’t quite done yet. She said they’ll sell it once that’s all done. Well, I hate to end this, but Philly is coming over soon for dinner. You folks let me know how the house search goes, all right? Other than that, it’s all quiet on the western front.”
“Huh? What’s that mean?” asked Zan.
“It’s a book and a movie,” said Owen.
“Oh, is it any good?”
“Not really. Unless you want to see a bunch of people get shot.”
“Oh, are there zombies in it?”
“Yeah,” he said, joking.
“Great,” said Charlie, getting up. “I don’t want to meet her.”
“So, are you OK with it now?” he asked her.
“Not really, but it’s not like it’s my life. But don’t you come running to me crying when something goes wrong.”
Stewart just laughed. It sounded like something a parent would say to a child.
zzz
Sebastian was lying in bed, dripping with sweat. His fever had reached 105°F. How was he even alive? He’d have to call out to his parents to take him to the ER. He’d never felt so hot in his entire life. And what was worse, the heat was intermittent with feeling ice cold. He had nothing left in his stomach, but would still retch. His entire ribcage was in so much pain. But if he tried to take anything, it would come right back up.
He wasn’t the type of guy to cry, but the tears came out of his eyes. He was so hot, smelly, and miserable. First, his teacher groped him, and now he was sick. The school year could end already.
zzz
“What is that noise?” asked Jane.
Marta went to peep out the window. “It’s protestors.”
“Oh great, I guess I’d better put on some lipstick and go talk to them. What’s it about anyway?”
“Something about zombie rights.”
The mayor just shook her head and rolled her eyes. There was a loud banging sound in the distance.
“Better do it now before we have to call the cops,” said Marta.
Jane grabbed her lipstick and hurriedly put it on her lips, and then patted her stray hair strands in place.
Marta opened the door for her. As soon as she did so, there were some camera buttons clicking. Apparently, the press was here, too. Mayor Jane Cote put a smile on her face and stepped outdoors.
“Hello. Thank you for joining us today,” said Jane. “I’d like to make a little speech, and then we’ll open it up for questions.”
There were some voices coming from the back, but they quickly got shushed.
“Thank you,” she said. “It’s been about one year now since the initial zombie outbreak. I’m sure you’re all in the know, but I’ll give a short summary so we’re all on the same page. We had a new zleader from Texas, also known as a zombie leader, hop on a plane and come to Portland, Oregon to set up camp. As you know, when a new zleader is created, they must leave their city and find a new one. No one knows why, but it’s part of the zombie rules, I believe.”
“Why do zombies have rules? Can’t we just tell them to leave us alone then?” someone called out from the back.
“Well, can we ask bears or tigers not to eat us? No, we can’t. It’s part of their nature. Anyway, the first zombie outbreak was quickly struck down by our amazing police department and a small group of experienced zombie fighters. Unfortunately, Dr. Arora, who worked at the local hospital, developed a way to create more zombies.”
“Why didn’t they just die out like the first outbreak?” someone called out.
“Well, we don’t really know, except this is a separate outbreak. And Dr. Arora is now dead and her family knows nothing.” Jane looked out over the crowd of thirty people or so. Every now and then someone walking past would join the group.
“And here we are. We still believe there are random zombies around, but eventually we’ll kill them all off, because unlike zombie outbreak one, these guys can’t infect others through bites. They can only eat people, or kill them.”
“Oh? Is that all?” called out one of the members of the press.
“Anyway, in the beginning, it was chaotic. Many people were killed. Bodies were disposed of incorrectly. But we have learned a lot in the past year.”
“Respect for zombies!” called out a man from the back.
“Exactly,” said Jane. “Respect for zombies. They are killed as humanely and quickly as possible. And their bodies are disposed of, errr, cremated and treated with the respect that all humans deserve. Families are contacted, and these people are allowed to have the same funerals that everyone else does.”
“Why kill them?” called out the same man.
“Well, if there were some way of neutralizing them, and then locking them up, we could do that. But unfortunately, there is little time to act. And we don’t want them to hurt more people, or children, or pets.”
“Question!” called out someone off to the side.
“Anyway, I think that’s all I have to say on the matter. If you have any suggestions, we invite you to write a letter and drop it off. We welcome all suggestions.”
“Are there any zombies left?”
“I’m not certain,” she replied. “It’s possible this outbreak is done.”
“What are you doing to ensure it won’t happen again?” called out a female reporter.
“Our local police department is the best place to ask that question. I also wan
t to add that Portland had the most balanced budget to date last year, and that overall crime, and even murder, is still half of what it was the previous year.”
“Are you running for mayor again?”
“I’m not certain,” she said. “It’s a lot of work. Well, if there are no further questions or comments, I need to get back to work. Portland won’t run itself.”
“Thank you, Mayor Cote!” called out the female news reporter.
“Yeah, thank you!” called out a man, sarcastically. Then he tossed something in the air.
“Duck!” cried out Marta, pushing Jane out of the way. Small bits of glass stuck their clothing, the concrete sidewalk, and the wall behind them.
“Call the police!” someone cried.
“Inside! Now!” shouted Marta.
“Wait until Bourne hears about this,” said Jane, shaking the glass out of her hair.
“I’ll have security check the recording,” said Marta. “We can figure out who did this.”
“I think I’ve seen that man before,” she said. “But I’m not sure where.”
“Next time we’ll have a police presence instead of an impromptu gathering.”
“Whatever you say,” said Jane. “I think a piece of glass scratched my face.”
“I’ll get the first-aid kit and then call Sergeant Bourne.” Marta headed out to find it.
Chapter 12
________________________________________
“Hi!” said Julian, who saw Sebastian coming out of his front door. “You’re looking better today.”
“I am!” he said. “I hit the breaking point and was about to go to the ER when suddenly, my flu bug cleared up.”
“That’s great.” Julian headed to his car to drive to his pizza shop job.
“Yep, and I got myself a job. Just after school.”
“Hey, very cool,” said Julian. “Good luck!”
Sebastian headed to the bus stop. It was a short trip from there to City Hall.
zzz
“I feel yucky for doing this,” said Charlie, quickly picking the deadbolt lock of Dr. Arora’s house. “Is there anyone watching?”
“No,” said Owen. “No one at all.”
The lock clicked. She turned the knob and the door quickly opened.
“Neato,” said Zan. “I should really learn how to do that one day.”
Charlie was the first one to step into the house, with Zan following.
“I’ll just hang out here,” said Owen. “Keep your phones handy. I’ll send a text message if anyone is seen heading down the path to the house.”
“OK,” said Zan, pulling her phone out.
Charlie closed the door behind them and flicked on the lights. “Great. Where to start?”
Zan peered around the house. “It’s quaint. Lots of old stuff here. I never get bored of coming back.”
“Yeah, cool,” said Charlie, looking at the large cabinet of cat ornaments. “Well, I suggest we skip the drawers and cupboards and look for any hidden compartments in the furniture. Look under the cushions, check the wall outlets, that sort of thing.”
“OK,” said Zan. She looked up the stairs. “I can do the second floor, while you do the main one here.” She headed in that direction.
“OK,” said Charlie. “And we can do the basement together.”
“Right. Oh, and don’t forget, we should check outside too.”
Charlie smiled. “Right, forgot about that. Good suggestion!”
Zan made her way upstairs while Charlie looked around the room. She walked over to the cabinet first and pulled open the glass doors. The shelving was thin, so definitely no hidden drawers there. She pulled out the cabinet and looked behind it, on top of it, and under it.
“If I were illicit drugs, where would I hide?” she muttered to herself. If there was anything hidden, chances are it would need space. It wouldn’t be like hiding a ring in a small place.
She checked the rest of the furniture, but could find nothing. The carpet didn’t pull up, and there were no fake outlets or fake light switches. Even all the vents were real.
She turned to the kitchen and headed that way. She pulled open the first cupboard. “Oh crap.” There was a lot of stuff here. How did she get stuck with the cluttered room?
zzz
“Thank you for joining us,” said Jane to her new worker, Sebastian.
“Thank you, Mayor Cote. I’m honored to be here. I do hope I can assist with the budget.”
“Me too. And I believe the people of Portland would be proud to know that a young person, with their whole future ahead of them, is assisting us. We need the input of a young person just starting out in life. By the way, call me Jane. That’s what everyone does.”
“Thank you, Jane.”
Marta poked her head in. “Hey, Jane? Jay Bourne is here to see you.”
“Oh right,” she said. “You go ahead and familiarize yourself with our computer system. Marta can help you if you get stuck.”
She dashed out of the office and into the main lobby of City Hall.
“Jay! How good to see you!”
“Hi, Jane. I hope all is well with you?” He gave her a hug.
“Why yes, it is. But why are you visiting? Is it personal? I should have you know that I can’t do lunch today. We have a big meeting.” She led him over to the small boardroom.
“Oh, no, it’s because Marta reported that you were hit by glass during a protest?”
“Oh right, I was hoping to forget about that.”
“I see you’re OK?” he said.
“Well, except for this little scratch on my cheek, which should heal up fine.”
“I can’t even see it,” he said. “But Marta said she’ll get me the footage from outside. I’m certain we can identify the culprit and make an arrest this afternoon.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you. You’re always on top of things, Jay.”
“Well, I like to be,” he said, winking at her.
She laughed. “Still the same Jay.”
“Yep, stay safe, Jane. We should have coffee together some time.”
“Yes, and thank you for coming by. Don’t worry about me. I am fine.”
“If you want, I can have someone keep an eye on City Hall this week.”
“Sure, thank you.” She led him back out to the entryway.
Marta came up and handed a flash drive to him. “Here’s the footage. I can clearly see the man who did it.”
“Good,” said Jay. “We’ll identify him and arrest him this afternoon. Oh, and go ahead and clean up that glass so no one cuts their foot. I already took photos before I came inside.”
Jane headed back to her office. “Where is my address book?” She shuffled through the papers on her desk but couldn’t see it. She walked into Marta’s small office where Sebastian was working. “Have you seen my address book?”
“No, but I have all your contacts on the computer and in my own book if you need to look something up.”
“Great, thanks. I’m just annoyed because I liked the cover on it.”
zzz
Owen decided to head back to his car rather than prowl around outside. Then he had second thoughts, and had a look around the yard. Nothing unusual here. He headed around the side of the house. Nothing seemed amiss. He doubted that Dr. Arora would have hidden anything biological in the garden, as extreme weather conditions could affect samples. There was an open carport in the backyard. He had a quick glance at it, but saw nothing that indicated storage.
But there was a small green shed at the back of the property. Perhaps there would be something in there?
He walked up to it and rattled the padlock. The shed didn’t have any sort of window. He sighed and patted his pockets. He found a small straight pin. Perhaps that would work. He’d watched Charlie do it dozens of times.
He lifted up the padlock and slipped the long pin down into the channel where the large thick pins were. The locked clicked.
He shook his head,
thinking how easy that was, and how useless these padlocks really were. He put the pin back into the fabric of his jacket to keep it secure.
He then lifted the padlock off the door and moved the metal plate away. He pulled a small flashlight out of his pocket and then pushed the door open.
“What the hell?” he cried out as the door slammed against the wall.
zzz
Zan really enjoyed going through Dr. Arora’s things. She had so many first-aid supplies in the bathroom that they barely fit in the medicine cabinet. There were also disinfectants and cleansers for the floor, toilet, and all possible surfaces that might require a thorough cleaning, but she couldn’t locate anything at all related to what they came here to find.
“Zan! Get down here right now!”
“What? Did you find something?” She headed to the stairs.
“Did I find something?” called Charlie up to her. “Like yeah! Down in the basement!”
“The basement? I told you I’d help with that.” She went racing down the stairs. “I’m coming.”
Charlie saw that Zan was coming down the stairs so she walked over to the basement door. Zan followed after her.
The light was sparse in the basement, as only one lone light bulb seemed to work.
“Wow, it smells like mildew in here.”
“I know. That’s why I’m thinking that this may be garbage.” Charlie led her over to the window. She pulled up a board that should have formed part of the window ledge.
“A hidden space?” asked Zan.
Charlie nodded, and then pulled out a clear plastic container. She held it by the handle. Inside were an assortment of test tubes and vials standing up, each with a small cap on the end.
“Wow, that’s some find. We have to take it to Stewart so he can run tests and see if it’s anything.”
Charlie beamed in pride at her find. “Not just that, but we’ve kept this from the hands of the bad guys. If these are the same injectables she used to turn people into zombies, then we can destroy them and save a bunch of people from turning.”