Zombie Slayer Box Set, Vol. 2 [Books 4-7]

by Katz, Gayle

  He grabbed the last book on the shelf. The History of Witchcraft in the United States, it read. He looked more closely and frowned. Much of the book had been a made-up history, using the names of women who’d been hung from trees in the northwestern part of the country.

  “I wonder if I should search the real history books?” he muttered to himself. He shrugged. He didn’t have his first class until eleven. By now, Owen and Zan should have been released on bail, and would either be in school, or slacking off at home.

  He headed up the gigantic marble staircase to the upper floors. Why was it that the more interesting books were so far away? As he walked, he had the library app open on his smart device. He finally reached the sixth floor and walked into the vast room full of shelves of old books.

  There should be a book about America’s Founding Fathers somewhere near the entrance. That would be a good place to start. Usually, actual history books were more accurate, though often he still spotted errors from textbook to textbook.

  He pulled the book down from the shelf and starting flipping through the pages. Most of this was history he already knew. Then he tried to flip to the next page, but the pages were stuck together. There was a whole section stuck together, so he just grabbed that entire section and flipped it to the left.

  Stewart inspected what appeared to be the heavily faded illustration of a group of men, seated around an old table. He almost flipped past but stopped. Something was odd about the picture. One part of the image seemed almost blurred out and difficult to comprehend. It was like the ink had run or something. But the more and more that he looked at it, the more and more he thought how curious that drawing was.

  “This is the book I seek,” he muttered. He tossed the book into his bag and went back through the door. “Time to head to school.”

  The security alarm beeped loudly, and the light lit up as he left the room. He muttered a spell under his breath. It quickly turned off. He glanced around, but no one had noticed.

  zzz

  The first morning of school had gone well. Charlie had attended Stewart’s class, but they had pretended they didn’t know each other. At the end of it, she had asked him if she needed to give anything to Zan or Owen, since they were out sick.

  He had smiled knowingly and said no. It was just the first day and they could pick up their textbooks tomorrow.

  But then, Charlie’s cell phone buzzed. She looked at it and was worried. “They’re still in jail. How is that possible?”

  He looked puzzled, and pulled out his phone. He waited until the last of the students had left, then made his call.

  “Hello?” asked Sergeant Bourne.

  “Hello, Jay! How’s it going?”

  “Stewart, hey! All is well. I managed to get the zombie’s body out of Vancouver and back to Portland. It’s now at the morgue so family can make the proper arrangements.”

  “Since when did we care about that?” asked Stewart.

  “I don’t know. There is this new movement happening, zombie rights, or something.”

  “Zombie rights?” Stewart looked at Charlie. She raised her eyes. Zombie rights? Why did that sound familiar?

  “I’ll talk to you about that later. Right now, I heard that Owen and Zan haven’t been released from jail yet. Any idea why?”

  “No, they should have been. Then, once I go in today, I’ll erase all the records. It’ll be as if their little junket never happened.”

  “Well, I’m here at school with Charlie, and we’re concerned.”

  “I’m on it,” said Bourne, sighing. “I’ll meet you at the front of the station in fifteen.”

  “Good. See you there.” He put away his phone.

  “What’s up?” asked Charlie.

  “He doesn’t know. We’ll go and meet him at the station. We have an hour before you have to be back in class.”

  “OK,” she said. “I guess this means we have no time to talk about Zan.” She watched as Stewart locked up his desk and grabbed his briefcase.

  “Zan? I thought she was doing well now?”

  “She is, but I talked to Owen. He has disclosed some disturbing information.”

  “OK, but let’s save this for later. I have some news too. I went to the library earlier. But I want to get her out of jail first. Even if she should really stay there.”

  They both laughed.

  zzz

  The room was dark and silent. Occasionally, a gentle moan would be heard, but then a sharp female voice would say, “Shut it!”

  Someone sighed in the distance. “Can we get going yet?”

  “Aren’t we all here now?”

  “Quiet! I’m thinking!” said the woman.

  “Do it fast, or I’m leaving.”

  A gunshot was heard, and then something hit the floor, hard.

  “Anyone else want to leave?” the female voice asked, challenging those remaining. But now the room was in complete silence. “All right. Thank you for joining us today. In case you don’t remember who I am, let me remind you.” She flicked on a light near her chair. It fully illuminated her face. Some of her dark hair was missing and had fallen out in clumps. Her face was gray, and she was missing chunks of flesh, but both her eyes were intact and glowing green.

  A man stood up. “Dr. Arora! I’m shocked to see you alive!”

  “Sit down, please. Yes, I’m still alive. I kicked the morgue door open myself. It was so cold in there. I was so pleased to find myself in the hospital. I simply headed back to my secret lab in the basement, stitched myself up a bit, and was pleased to see that no one had found my secret room, not yet anyway.”

  “We’re glad to have you back. We haven’t known what to do with ourselves since you were gone.”

  “Thanks for your concern, Frank. I’m happy you are doing well.”

  “As well as can be. I’m pleased to be here. I also hear that you’ve cooked up some new zombie vaccines. When do we kill the zlayers and take over the city?”

  “Relax, Frank. There’s plenty of time for that.”

  “Excuse me, doctor,” another voice chimed in. “We used up the last of the vaccine you gave us. Sadly, the zlayers have killed off most of the zombies. It’s like we no sooner create, then they kill.”

  She cackled. “Yes, it’s their job. It’s as if they’re magically drawn to zombies. I could release a zombie on the far western side of Portland, and a zlayer could be two hours away on the far eastern side of Portland, and yet, in two hours, that zombie will be dead. And unfortunately, I have yet to develop a zombie that can cross borders without dying.”

  “Are the zlayers becoming even more powerful?” asked Frank.

  “They are. The longer they live, the more powerful they become,” she acknowledged. “Sadly, I tried to lay a trap for them at City Hall, but it fell apart.”

  “So, what is next?” he asked.

  “That plan is already in place,” she said. “You don’t even need to do anything. We just wait.” Then she started laughing uncontrollably.

  Her minions joined her in her mirth.

  zzz

  “Hello!” called out Zan, banging on the bars. “Can we have some lunch? Where is Dad?”

  “Hello?” Owen called out, joining her. “Are my parents still here?”

  “That’s weird. It’s like the police station has been abandoned.”

  “Yeah and they took our phones so we can’t even call anybody.” Owen paced back and forth.

  “I really wish I had learned some of Charlie’s lock-picking skills,” said Zan.

  “Lock picking! That’s it!” Owen raced back to the front of the cell door.

  “Oh? You paid attention?” asked Zan sarcastically.

  “Of course. I’m a quick study. But it doesn’t matter. I might have also subconsciously picked up that skill.”

  “Oh right. You’re a truthsayer,” she said in a mocking manner.

  Owen looked up and glared at her. “I think you need your cat right now.”

  S
he glared back at him, thinking he was being sarcastic when he really was trying to be helpful.

  “OK,” he said, patting his pockets. “Do you have a hairpin or brooch, or something?”

  She looked down at herself. “They took all my things. My belt, jewelry, watch. Everything!”

  He looked down at his clothes. Then he touched the collar of his shirt. “That might just work, but how to get at it?” Then he proceeded to take his shirt off.

  “Hey! What are you doing?” She wasn’t certain if she should be looking or not.

  “You know that guy’s shirts have these plastic things in the collars, right?”

  “No.”

  He proceeded to rip the collar off his shirt. Then he put his shirt back on. “It’s chilly in here, definitely not home.” Then he picked up the collar and was easily able to pull out the insert.

  He held it up in the air.

  “Is that going to work?” she asked. “It looks too wide.”

  “If I can just break it in half.” He bit into it, and then worked at it with his fingers. “Ouch! Cut myself!”

  “Great. Be careful.”

  “OK. This is jagged, but it may actually work better than expected.”

  He walked back up to the cell door. He had to actually reach around to the other side of the lock, as he couldn’t pick it from his side. He tried to relax and let the plastic do most of the work.

  Soon the lock clicked open. “Got it!”

  “Hooray!” said Zan. “You can let me out next.”

  Owen walked out of the cell, and then closed the door. He grabbed the piece of plastic just so no one would ever know how he had gotten out. Then he walked down the hall, ignoring Zan.

  “Hello? Are you going to let me out?”

  But Owen just kept on walking, ignoring her.

  zzz

  “This got out of control fast,” said Sergeant Bourne. He hadn’t even had time to change from plainclothes to his uniform yet. Right now, zombies surrounded the police station. There were at least fifty of them.

  The officers had moved all their cars around the block to stop people from gaining access, and to stop the zombies from getting away.

  “I think this is how they came in,” explained a rookie to Bourne. “Someone must have drove them in on this dilapidated ambulance. Should I remove it?”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s blocking the street, so that’s good. I’m just waiting for our zombie slayer team to get here.”

  “But surely we can just start shooting? We’ve had plenty of practice.”

  “I know,” said Bourne. “But look.” He pointed in the direction of a large group of people further down the block. They were protestors, holding up big signs. “They all have smartphones. In the past, we’d take down the zombies. Now look what’s going to happen. It’s going to be all over the news. We have to do this by the book.”

  “By the book?” the rookie asked. “I didn’t think there were even zombies in the book.”

  “There will be. Unfortunately, there will be.” Sergeant Bourne looked relieved when he saw his favorite team run up to him. “Finally! OK, rookie, can you please get those barriers up?”

  “Barriers? We didn’t talk about that. Oh!” Sudden understanding filled her mind. She might just enjoy this job. She ran off to do as he asked.

  Chapter 10

  ________________________________________

  “What is happening?” asked Charlie.

  “It appears the zombies have invaded the police station,” said Stewart, looking around.

  “That’s crazy,” said Charlie. “But why are they putting up those fences and blankets around the station?” She peered into the distance. It appeared that some of the officers were installing a barrier fence around the block. For now, the zombies were focused on the police station and ignored the other people.

  “I have a sneaking suspicion that the police station has been targeted by the zombie gang.”

  “But why?” asked Charlie, digging her dagger out of her bag.

  “Probably because this was a setup. They knew that Zan and Owen would be inside.”

  “Great. Let’s hope that they don’t get inside. OK, what’s the plan?” she asked.

  “I suggest you go around to your favorite entrance, get in, and rescue them.”

  “Good plan,” she said, running off.

  Sergeant Bourne walked up to Stewart. “Hi, Stewart. Thanks for coming out. It’s funny how the zombies love these government buildings.”

  “It is,” said Stewart.

  “We got everyone out of the station, but no one had time to dash downstairs and let Zan or Owen out. Sorry.” He looked contrite. “I sent their parents off to work. No point in having them hang around. Surprisingly, or not, they left. They must be used to having kids as zlayers now. We told them the kids would be safer locked up anyway.”

  “I see the cops have their priorities in order.”

  “Hey, sorry!” said Bourne.

  “Relax. They’ll be fine. Charlie is on her way to them as we speak.”

  “Good,” said Bourne.

  “Say, what’s up with the barriers? Is it something to do with zombies getting on social media or something?” asked Stewart, peering back at the station.

  Bourne laughed. “As if. It’s because of them.” He nodded in the opposite direction.

  In the distance, Stewart made out a small group of protestors. They were holding signs and chanting. He could almost make it out, something like ZOMBIE RIGHTS. And the signs they held seemed to match.

  “Oh and get this,” said Sergeant Bourne. “One of your friends is here. Perhaps you want to go and set him straight.”

  “One of my friends?” Stewart looked at the group. “What the hell?” he said as he recognized one of the men in the group.

  zzz

  Charlie was able to pick the lock at the back of the police station. “I might as well move in,” she muttered to herself. She opened the door and walked in.

  She hadn’t taken more than a few steps when she nearly got bowled over by Owen. “Whoa, stop!” she yelled out.

  “Oh! Hey, Charlie! Good to see you! Sorry!” He forced himself to stop.

  “What’s going on?” she asked. “Have the zombies entered the building?” In the distance was the sound of smashed glass.

  “They have now,” he joked. “Seriously, let’s go home.” He headed for the door.

  “Wait,” said Charlie. “Where’s Zan?”

  He shook his head. “Back downstairs. I don’t care.” He started walking again.

  She ran behind him and grabbed his arm. “Where are you going? Zan is our friend!”

  “Didn’t you listen to a word of what I said the other night? Zan is wacko. She was going to kill Ray. As I said, I can forgive stealing and lying but not murder.”

  “Wait! But she didn’t do it. She stopped at the last minute. Remember? She did have a conscience. She felt bad and then tried to help him with the vaccine, but it didn’t work.”

  He stood there, debating with himself. “Maybe.”

  Charlie placed her hand on his shoulder. “And don’t forget, he was responsible in part for the death of her mother. Doctor Arora is dead, so she couldn’t go after her. Any one of us could have lost someone we loved, and then gone after the guilty person.”

  “I suppose,” he muttered. “But it’s not just that. We can make up all the excuses for Zan. It’s what I felt as I was dreaming.” He turned and looked at Charlie.

  “What is that?” she asked him.

  “Zan should not and should never have been a zlayer. Something has gone wrong.”

  Charlie nodded. “I get it. I do. But it’s too late to go back. What are we supposed to do? Fire her?”

  He shrugged. “I still haven’t had time to talk to Stewart about it.”

  “Hey. There’s all the time in the world for that. Let’s get these zombies killed, then we can deal with Zan. Right now, we need her.”

&n
bsp; He resigned himself to admitting that she was right, for now. He turned and walked back down the hall. “Let’s get her out.”

  zzz

  Zan had already gotten herself out, or at least the being she was with right now had gotten her out of the jail cell. They were on the ground floor of the police station.

  “What do you mean? Doctor Arora is still alive?”

  “I’m telling you,” said the man in a gentle lisp. “She is still alive.”

  “So, why tell me?” she asked. She looked frantically around the police station. Why would a zombie help her?

  “Because I’m part of her gang,” he said.

  “OK. But why would you even help me?”

  He grimaced, or contorted his face as best he could, as his lips were gone and most of his teeth were exposed. “I was forced to. She said she would send zombies after my family if I didn’t. But now, I’m tired. She is after all the ayers and mentors. You are in danger.”

  Zan laughed. “I’m always in danger. Seriously, since I started as a zlayer, I have been in danger almost every single day.”

  “Hmph,” he said, trying to laugh. “Not just that. Do you know where people go when they die?”

  “Well, I know that a zombie can be trapped between worlds, after hearing what happened to Charlie and to Mr. Warcola’s wife.”

  “Exactly. For eternity, you can be trapped between worlds.”

  Zan smirked. “OK, so maybe it’s better between worlds?”

  He shrugged. “No one knows what is after. But it’s got to be a lot better than living by yourself for eternity.”

  “So what you’re saying is that she wants to kill us all and trap us in between?”

  He nodded.

  “What purpose would that serve?”

  He turned to look at her with his glowing eyes. “Because then no new zlayer or ayer would be created.”