by G Sasaki
“I don’t know.”
Hailey huffed in frustration. Does this guy know anything? He certainly didn’t seem to be acting like a zombie.
Mike’s eyes squinted and struggled to get a good view of them. From up there, with only the flashlight blaring, the girls seemed so small. Grace asked, “How did all of this happen?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. He stared at Grace and his eyes tightened, like he found something important. He said, “You’re Grace Jensen, aren’t you? I recognize you. I go to Washington High. I’m a senior.” Grace couldn’t help but feel goosebumps tingle across her arms. They all went to the same school. Mike’s traveled to Hailey’s and he asked, “Do you go to Washington too?”
Hailey wouldn’t expect him to know her. Nobody did. She nodded. Grace added, “She’s Alex Bates’ girlfriend.”
“Oh!” Mike let out. “You’re that girl!” Hailey wasn’t sure his that was a good thing. Excitement poured from Mike as he turned his attention back to Grace. “I was friends with your brother, Aaron.” Mike paused with hesitation but continued. “Me and the guys used to tease him about you… that we would all go out with you and…” Mike stopped. His exuberance vanished. And to himself, he uttered, “Maybe I would have tried if it wasn’t for all this.”
Grace stared. This was nothing like what she expected. Questions flew through her mind… too many to even know where to start. She heard Aaron talk about a Mike before. Was it really him? Mike broke her wandering. “The only difference between you and I is that I got sick… and you didn’t. I don’t know how you pulled that off. I might be a ‘zombie’, but there’s nothing wrong with me. For the first few days everyone went crazy. I guess the virus, bacteria, or whatever caused this was eating away at people’s brains, making them do things they normally would never do. But eventually, that all went away.”
A horrific thought overcame Hailey. If that was true, then all the people they killed didn’t have to die. They would have come back to their senses. Her stomach tightened with nausea. There weren’t any zombies after all, just temporary insanity.
Mike continued, “People saw things. Their worst fears became reality. I don’t remember what happened to me that night. Maybe that’s a good thing. But I woke up. Angry. I remember screaming things. Who knows what it was. After that, I stood in the middle of the street, dead people all around me. I probably killed a bunch of them.” Mike paused. His eyes darted around, seemingly lost on where to settle. “I haven’t told anyone any of this. Especially not those men out there. I don’t like them. They think I’m a monster. And maybe I am. Either way, I will be soon.”
“What do you mean?” Grace asked.
Mike stepped back and his face disappeared from view. Hailey nervously watched as his hand appeared at the window and slowly extended through, revealing his arm. Shockingly, brown fur covered it.
“Oh my God,” Hailey uttered, realizing what this meant. He was going to change.
“This is only the first stage. Next, I’ll have wings and my face will change. When it’s all done, I won’t be human anymore.”
“A giant bat?” Hailey asked.
“Yes. Essentially, that’s what I’ll become. Once my entire body is covered with fur, I won’t be able to talk. I’ll make the noises they make.”
Grace asked, “What are the noises?”
“They’re speaking. I can understand them. Once a person is infected, they’re able to understand what they’re saying. Listen, I don’t know everything about this. This thing seems to have taken longer to change me. Others have changed in as little as two days.”
Hailey asked Mike the most important question left. “Is there a cure?”
“I’m not sure… there was a rumor going around that there was. A magic potion, I guess. Others have said that it’s the next step in humanity or something. But what does anybody really know?”
Hailey pulled Grace back and whispered in her ear, “What do you think?”
Grace whispered back, “I believe him. He was friends with Aaron. He’s technically our classmate.”
In the midst of these overwhelming revelations, there was only one thing Hailey could think about. She whispered, “Alex could be a bat now. Should we check the hospital first?”
Mike interrupted, “Don’t go to the hospital.”
“You heard us?”
“My hearing’s getting good. I’m turning into a bat, remember?” He chuckled, overly pleased with his joke. “Anyway, it’s not a good idea to go after someone out there. Some of the bats have regained their sanity and are practically human. But others are still nuts. They eat people. They devour each other. There’s no way to tell the difference. Besides that, you’ll never be able to spot a certain one. They all look the same. If you think Alex has become a bat, you might as well consider him dead.”
Hailey’s resolve came roaring to life. She looked at Mike’s blue eyes through the window and responded, “Alex is out there. If he’s a bat, I don’t care. And if he’s crazy, I don’t care either. I will find him. I would rather die trying than live my life hiding from giant bats.”
Mike smirked and a confidence resonated from his eyes. “Well, it sounds like you’ve made up your mind then.”
Minutes later, Hailey and Grace emerged from the backroom. What they saw made Grace scream.
Wolf laid on his side, surrounded by a pool of blood. His ribcage trembled and he took short, sporadic breaths.
“Wolf!” Grace screamed.
Victor stood and stared at the girls. His friendly, inviting glow had vanished. Now he scowled and pointed a gun at Hailey and Grace. He held out his free hand and demanded, “The backpack.”
16
Hailey stared at the gun pointed at her. It had been a while since she’d been in this position. Why did I leave Wolf alone with him? I should have known this was a bad idea. Wolf rested on the floor, battling death’s grip. She could see the stab wound under his belly where the blood trickled out and flooded the floor.
Victor’s army of men gathered behind him, staring at the girls. Hailey growled. “You’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life.” Victor snapped back, “Shut your mouth. You don’t know anything. You’re too young to understand.”
Hailey’s fist clenched. Waves of rage flowed across her vision like heat on the desert sand. If her gun was in hand, she’d blow his head off. The image of his head flying off tempted her hand but if she tried to reach for the gun, he’d kill her. Victor now owned the upper hand. There was no choice. She had to give him what he wanted. “Grace,” Hailey’s voice whispered in defeat. “Give him the backpack.”
Grace reluctantly stepped toward Victor, her heavy eyes never leaving Wolf. Grace had been glued to his side since they met and watching him die weakened her knees. She unstrapped the backpack from her shoulders and extended it to Victor. But instead of taking it, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her toward him. Grace’s body flailed forward and her shoulder popped out of its socket. As the backpack fell to the ground, Victor pointed his gun at Grace’s head and wrapped his arm around her neck. One of Victor’s followers grabbed the backpack and ran off, disappearing down the aisles with at least half of his goons following.
Victor grunted at Grace. “Take off your pants!”
Hailey shouted, “What!?” But she stood by powerless. Just like in the cafeteria when Trevor snapped Alex’s fingers. Then, she was too afraid to move. Now, she couldn’t risk it.
Grace flailed and kicked her feet, but Victor’s strength overpowered her. He gripped her breast and groped her. “How convenient that you walk into our home. We don’t want to kill you. Just take off your clothes and you’ll be fine.” Victor rubbed his flushed cheek against Grace’s. “Such soft skin,” he murmured. His rough hand pushed its way under her shirt.
Hailey stepped forward and Victor reacted by extending his hand and pointing his gun at her. He whispered to Grace, “If you don’t get naked in the next 5 seconds, I’m going to shoot your frie
nd.” Victor smiled at the irony of their reversed situation.
Hailey softly said, “Don’t do it Grace.”
Victor shouted, “One… two…”
Grace peered at Hailey, who stood vulnerable behind Victor’s gun. Why was Hailey always trying to throw her life away? Grace breathed heavily and closed her eyes.
“…three… four…” Victor cocked his gun.
“Alright!” Grace lowered her hands to her jeans and snapped free the button holding them up. “Please. I’ll do it. Just give me a minute.”
Victor grinned and continued to extend his gun at Hailey. Tears escaped from Grace’s eyes. When they left the school, she never expected a person to be their biggest problem. Victor’s grip on her neck loosened and she stepped forward. Grace now stood several feet in front of Victor. She looked at Hailey and hung her head in shame. She lowered her jeans, exposing her underwear and freeing her legs. The remaining men behind Victor hollered in anticipation.
BANG!
Hailey closed her eyes and jumped from the startling gunshot. She looked down. No blood. She was clean. What happened?
Victor screamed. His hand wasn’t holding a gun at her anymore. Instead, his hand sprouted blood and even lacked two fingers! The gun had been shot right out of his hand!
From behind the deli counter, only feet away, Hailey saw Mike pointing a gun at Victor. Mike smirked. “Gotta work on my aim.” Without a shirt, Mike’s chest was exposed, revealing thick muscles that protruded from his skin and two appendages that sprouted upwards from behind his shoulders. Using his hands and leaping like a four-legged animal, he soared to the top of the counter. “Not a bad shot overall though.” The group of men around Victor scattered and covered the silence with screams. Mike stood tall, menacing over the scene. He nodded at Hailey, as if to say Thank you with his eyes. Besides the appendages that grew from his shoulders and held the makings of wings, his forearms and legs were covered with fur. Still human, he wore shorts to keep himself covered.
Mike hopped down from the counter and ran to Hailey and Grace. “Are you both alright?” Mike toggled on the safety of his gun and stuck it in the pocket of his shorts as Grace buttoned her jeans. “Thank you, Mike.” Mike nodded and gently placed his hand on Grace’s back. That slight touch calmed her racing heart and even prompted a slight smile.
On his knees, Victor screamed in horror as he looked at his shredded hand. His remaining fingers looked like torn up cheesesticks. “You let the zombie out!” Victor looked at Hailey and shouted, “I’ll kill you!”
Mike skipped forward and, with all the force in his leg, punted Victor’s face. Victor’s head bounced off Mike’s bare foot. His jaw cracked and his body flopped sideways, unconscious. “Shut up.”
With Victor’s army of men cleared out, Mike stood alone with Hailey, Grace, and the ailing Wolf. Mike absorbed the sight of the dying dog. He knelt to him and placed his hand near his face.
“Careful,” Hailey said. “He doesn’t like to be touched by strangers.”
Mike nodded but continued to move his hand toward Wolf’s face. When he made contact with him, Wolf closed his eyes and let out a relaxed sigh. Grace knelt next to Mike and sobbed. Hailey knelt across from Grace and watched her embrace their dying friend. Grace said, “I love you, Wolf.”
Mike closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hesitant to speak. He did anyway. “He says thank you… for accepting him.”
Hailey and Grace gazed in surprise at Mike, who continued, “He says his family was killed. He found you at the school and you took care of him. He’s understood everything. Hailey, he knows how much you love Alex, and believes you will find him. Don’t give up. Grace, he says don’t be afraid. He knows how much your family meant to you. Your mom, your dad, your two brothers… but they would want you to be happy. It’s not too late to find happiness, even now. Never doubt that you’re good enough. Because you are. Most importantly, he’s grateful for the time you spent together.”
A burst of sadness overcame Grace and her lips quivered uncontrollably. Tears trailed down her cheek. Grace couldn’t help but grieve, not only for Wolf, but for her family. For everyone she lost. That pain renewed again. And it felt crippling against her heart.
Wolf’s body convulsed and he gasped for air, inches from death. Mike said, “There’s one more thing. Someone named Dave…”
Hailey nearly forgot. “The bat from the parking lot.”
“Dave told you something important. Before he flew away, he said, ‘Find us at Washington High. We will help you.’”
Hailey had no idea how Mike could be getting this information from Wolf. She figured it had to do something with his transformation. The sheer amount of what he knew was enough for her to know it was the truth. With time short, Hailey said, “Thank you, Wolf. We’ll never forget you.”
Grace wrapped her arms around Wolf as his heart slowed. As Mike caressed his face, Wolf closed his eyes and embraced his fate.
Wolf let go of his life.
Grace lost control and rubbed her face into Wolf’s back, releasing a fury of tears. “No,” she cried. “No…”
BANG
A gunshot blared in the distance. Victor’s men were coming back. Mike declared, “We have to go. Now. I know the exit through the back.”
Hailey and Mike stood up, waiting for Grace to follow. But exhaustion consumed her. She just wanted to stay behind. She wanted to see her family again. Grace’s arms stayed wrapped around Wolf. Mike said, “Grace, we have to go.”
“No…” Grace’s grip remained firm. “I can’t leave him.”
Mike knelt down and looked into her weary eyes. “Grace, listen to me. It’s not too late. We have to go now. Take my hand.” Mike held his hand to Grace, who looked at it with a heavy gaze. “Okay.” Grace gave him her hand. Not wanting to take any risks, Mike effortlessly lifted and carried her in his arms. “Follow me,” he said to Hailey.
Hailey and Mike, with Grace in tow, ran out the back of the grocery store.
And Victor’s eyes wearily opened.
17
Dozens of cars sat abandoned in the back parking lot. Grace wrapped her arms around Mike’s neck as he and Hailey sprinted through.
Mike yelled, “Find a car with the keys in the ignition!”
Hailey shouted back, “Why would there be keys in the ignition?”
“Trust me! There will be!”
Hailey frantically darted from car to car, looking for dangling keys. She headed away from the store and into the deepest edges of the back parking lot.
As Mike peered through car windows, he effortlessly cradled Grace in his arms. She looked up at his face. He was a ‘zombie’, yet here he was, carrying her, protecting her from… people. He was supposed to be the enemy. As she looked in his frenetic blue eyes, she smiled. Sure, he would eventually turn into a bat and look nothing like the handsome boy he was, but something about him made her trust him. Maybe it was the fact that he was a friend of her brother’s… or maybe it was that he was just so good looking. Without even realizing it, Grace gently placed her hand on his chiseled chest.
The feel of Grace’s hand caused Mike to pause his search and look at her. A soft smile rested on Grace’s face. Her admirable gaze reminded him that despite his changing appearance, he wasn’t a monster. Mike looked into Grace’s blue eyes and smiled. For the first time since that night, he felt good.
Hailey’s faint voice shouted, “I found one!”
Mike snapped away from ogling Grace’s eyes and thrust his feet into action.
BANG!
The grocery mob caught up with them and fired a gun from Hailey’s arsenal. Three men stood at the exit and shot through the traffic of parked cars. Mike ducked at the sound of the gunshots and ran low to the ground, using the other cars as shields.
As bangs roared into the air, glass exploded around him and metal popped like popcorn. It sounded like all three men fired at the same time. “Shit,” Mike mumbled. There were precious seconds standing bet
ween escape and death. The comforting rumble of a starting car growled in the distance.
Behind the steering wheel, Hailey snapped the seatbelt into place. Can’t be too careful, I guess. Mike’s voice faintly pierced her ears. “Drive past and I’ll get on!” Get on? Didn’t he mean get in? Hailey whipped the car into DRIVE and slammed her foot on the gas pedal. The tires squealed and she jerked forward. Mike’s instructions were to drive past him… but how would he get in? Hailey lifted her foot from the gas to ease her speed.
Mike leaned his back against the wall of a car as glass shattered around him. “Faster!” he yelled.
Hailey shook her baffled head. There was no way he would be able to get in with Grace if she went faster.
Around the sound of gunshots and bullets colliding into metal, he yelled, “Trust me! Slam on it!” None of these dummies even tried to shoot at Hailey, it was Mike they wanted.
Hailey pushed on the gas as far down as she could. The car flashed ahead and inched nearer. Mike saw Hailey grip the wheel of a red four-door car flying through the parking lot perpendicularly from his left. Her insane speed was perfect. “I don’t know if this is going to work... but I have to try. Hold on, Grace!”
Mike’s powerful legs darted him forward at lightning speed. He leapt into the air, straight toward the direction he anticipated the car would drive past. Hailey screamed as she witnessed Mike and Grace soaring through the air, narrowly above her. She closed her eyes and kept driving forward at the crazy speed that Mike demanded.
Bullets whizzed by Mike. While airborne, he slammed his fist downwards at the roof of the car that flashed below him. While firmly holding Grace, his fist crashed through the roof and into the car, just barely stinging his knuckles. It felt like punching through a piece of paper. He pivoted his feet and slammed his knees against the hard top. He tucked Grace in with his free arm. Mike smirked. “A little risky… but it worked.”
So that’s what get on meant.
The car disappeared from view for the grocery store mob. The men stood, watching in disbelief at the silence that stood ahead of them. How did this happen?