by Katz, Gayle
Charlie followed her and sat down, curious.
“What’s up?” Charlie asked.
“It’s about your mother,” she replied.
“Oh, not this again,” said Charlie. “I know she and dad died when I was very young.”
“Yes, dear. I loved Mica so much. But, she was destined for greater things. When she took up with your dad, I was pleased. I thought, now she’ll put this zombie slaying nonsense to rest, particularly when she had you. And she did. Unfortunately, when they moved to Florida, and Florida had their big zombie outbreak, she and your dad tried to fight the zombies. She hadn’t realized that she’d lost all her teenage zlaying powers by then.”
“What? This is all a lot to take in,” said Charlie. “She was like me?”
“Yes, dear.” Gran patted her hand.
“But, what do you mean? She lost her powers?”
“Well, if you don’t know, a zlayer is always a young adult, but once they become a full adult, they lose all their zlaying abilities. Of course they can still rely on strength and flexibility. But I’m sure you have felt how strong you are when you have killed a zombie.”
Charlie laughed. “Killed a zombie. You should hear yourself, Gran.” She looked uneasily around the living room.
“Dear, if you ever want to talk, I’m right here for you. I know it sounds so crazy. But you also know it’s true. I know you want to protect me, but trust me, I have a thick skin about losing your mother and your father.”
“I thought they died in a car accident?” asked Charlie.
Gran nodded sadly. “They did.” She paused. “Surrounded by an army of zombies. Mica jumped out the passenger side and struck down the zleader, but not before the car rolled over her body. Sorry.”
A tear slid down Charlie’s face. “I always thought it was odd that part of the story was held back.”
“I know, dear.”
zzz
Stewart watched the news. Soon, something came on about a possible zombie outbreak. But instead of zombies, it just mentioned that there was a gang problem and to be on the lookout for masses of teenagers wearing tattered clothing who also were covered in blood.
Stewart nodded and felt glad that’s all they knew. He was about to change the channel when there was further news.
“We have word that the owner of the locksmith shop in Dallas has kidnapped Tara Noddles from the worksite, and is holding her somewhere. Right now, it’s believed that they haven’t yet left Dallas. It’s important to apprehend them quickly, before they leave the city,” said the anchorwoman.
Stewart pressed the button on the remote. That had worked well. Then his phone rang.
“Hi? Charlie?”
“I don’t know what you did, but that was brilliant!” she said to him over the telephone.
“Oh, just some strategic things,” he replied. “A note to her parents saying she was running off with her boss.”
“That’s great. Oh, and I wanted you to know,” said Charlie.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I’ve been thinking. I feel really bad that Tara is dead. I mean, she was a work friend, but a friend, nonetheless. And I killed her.”
“Charlie, she was a zombie. There was nothing you could have done.”
“I know. But I’ve discussed this with Gran. We are moving, once I finish 10th grade.”
“Well, good for you,” said Stewart.
“See you in class on Monday,” said Charlie, hanging up.
“Bye,” said Stewart, too late. He placed his phone on the coffee table and shook his head.
Should he have told her that their worries were only starting? Because the spell book had revealed to him that the zombies weren’t done yet.
Chapter 11
________________________________________
THE PRESENT
“Hi, Stewart. Thanks for joining us today.” Sergeant Bourne led him from the reception area of the Portland police station to the back meeting room.
“You said over the phone that the FDA was meeting us?”
“Yep, have a seat. I’m getting coffee.” He turned and went to grab it.
Stewart had a seat in one of the extremely uncomfortable metal chairs.
“OK, here we go. I think they’re here.” Bourne placed a coffee pot down and several paper cups, sugar packets, and creamers.
“Why are they here and not at the hospital?” asked Stewart.
“Hello,” said a voice from the hall. “I’m Colin and this is Adrienne.”
“Oh good, coffee,” said Adrienne, taking a seat closest to the door.
Bourne closed the door.
“So, I take it that you’re wondering why we’re here, and not at the lab or the hospital?” asked Colin.
“Exactly,” said Stewart. “I have a master’s degree in biology, and I teach high school, but that hardly qualifies me to work for the FDA.”
“Well, you wouldn’t be working for us, but with us.”
“Yes, we’re aware of the zombie outbreaks in Portland and across the state of Oregon over the past three years. Right now, there is no vaccine. But, if there were, then we could save people a whole lot of heartache,” explained Adrienne.
“Right,” said Colin. “But no one wants to admit they have a family member with it, as it’s pretty much a guaranteed death sentence. The infection rate is fast, and deadly.”
“Well, there is one infected person who has been around for over six months,” said Stewart.
“Oh yes, we’ve been filled in by Sergeant Bourne here. But he won’t give a name, and apparently he’s not being cooperative.”
Stewart poured a cup of coffee for himself. “Exactly. He doesn’t want to have someone show up at his home and be killed, which is exactly what happens.”
“No, that’s understandable,” replied Adrienne. “But he may be some sort of anomaly. If we could just get a tiny sample of his blood, it would go a long way in finding a cure.”
Stewart shrugged. “I can contact him and ask, at least.”
“Good,” said Colin. “Are you aware of any other survivors?” He looked at Bourne first.
He shook his head. “No. Our fellow is unusual.”
“No,” added Stewart.
“OK,” said Colin. “We need to do a few things while we’re in town. Besides having you get the zombie blood, of course.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” said Stewart.
“Well, we could use a real live zombie,” said Adrienne.
“I see,” said Stewart.
“And, any of those injectables that we heard this Dr. Arora has,” added Colin.
“Well, actually,” said Jay. “We burned a lot of her supplies a while back. As far as we know, there is nothing left.”
“OK, but what about her house?” asked Adrienne.
“Hey, you’re welcome to search it, but we’ve searched it multiple times. It’s been picked clean.”
“We’ll also need a list of any possible headquarters for Dr. Arora and her gang,” said Colin, looking at his tablet screen.
“Again,” said Bourne. “My officers have combed all the sites. There is nothing left, and if there was, we torched it.”
“I see. Is that standard procedure?” asked Colin.
“It is if it prevents people from being infected.”
“Really?” said Adrienne. “I thought you were here to keep people from taking and stealing things.”
Sergeant Bourne stood up. “The prime directive of the Portland Police Department has been and will always be the preservation of life.”
“OK. OK,” said Adrienne. “We get it.”
“Look, if you have any more questions, ask them, as I have two missing kids, a bank robbery, and an arson to deal with today.”
“OK, I think that’s it. We have your number if we need it,” said Colin.
The pair of FDA agents left the building.
“Typical,” said Bourne. “It always comes down to blame, doesn’t it?
”
Stewart finished his coffee and tossed the cup in the trash. “Take it easy. They’re on our side. Let me know if there are any more developments.”
“Will do,” said Bourne, adjusting his badge before heading out.
He laughed as he headed to his police car. Missing children. Burglaries. Arsons. As if. Portland had zombie problems now. He smirked as he got into his vehicle. He’d find the assholes a live zombie all right. He laughed as he thought about the looks on their faces when he dropped one off for them.
zzz
“What’s this?” asked Owen, holding up a flyer. “Zombie Disposal Team? That can’t be legal, can it?”
“What? Is someone horning in on our territory,” asked Zan.
Charlie yanked the flyer out of Owen’s hands. “Oh, it’s when zombies are dead. It’s someone to dispose of their bodies.”
“Right,” said Zan.
Owen peered down at the flyer. “Hey, that’s definitely illegal. It’s been determined that zombies are allowed all basic human rights after death. Cremation or burial. A proper funeral.”
“Killed a zombie?” read Zan. “Worried about cops? No questions asked. Call 1-800-ZRe-movl. Nice.”
“OK, I’ll take a pic and send it to Stewart,” said Owen.
“How much do they charge?” asked Charlie. “That might come in handy.”
“It says $1,200 per body,” said Owen.
“What?!” said Zan.
Owen burst out laughing.
“Oh, you!” she said, laughing.
“It doesn’t say. But I’m certain they’ll charge a fee.”
“OK, I’m calling,” said Charlie.
“Really?” said Zan.
“Hi. Is this the Zombie Removal Team? Yes? There are three zombies stuffed into the garbage bin behind the police station. Yes? What is it? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Thanks.” She hung up.
Owen and Zan giggled.
“So? What did they say?” asked Zan.
Charlie laughed. “They want me to sent them a bitcoin. That’s over five thousand dollars or something.”
“Really?” said Zan.
“What the hell is bitcoin?” asked Owen, confused.
“It’s like a virtual currency,” said Zan.
“So, are you?” asked Owen.
“No, I don’t have that much money,” said Charlie. “I think it’s a scam. I mean, I’ll check with Stewart, but I’m pretty certain someone is just trying to scam people.”
zzz
“What do you think?” asked Adrienne. “Can we trust these people?”
“I think so,” said Colin. “But I hope we can get a sample sooner rather than later.”
“I hope so too,” said Adrienne. “How is your daughter?”
“She’s hanging in there. I gave her the elixir and she cheered right up.”
“Elixir?” asked Adrienne.
“Yeah, it’s this booze from 1776 or something. She was snooping around my liquor cabinet the other day and I caught her drinking it.”
“Wow. How old is she?”
“Five.”
“Um, better not let anyone hear that,” she said.
“I know, but it has some sort of magical property in it. I’m thinking that between that and the zombie blood, I should be able to make a fairly good vaccine that can slow down the virus.”
“Kind of like giving the rabies vaccine to infected humans?”
He smiled. “You got it. A lot of people don’t understand how a vaccine can also prevent further infection. Another example is tetanus.”
“I got it,” she said. “You’re the scientist.”
“Anyway, see that bottle on the desk there? That’s for testing, not drinking.”
“And I thought you were bringing a bottle to my room,” she joked.
“OK, turn on the news and the radio. If there are any zombie sightings, we’re going to be ready.”
zzz
Zan was lying in her bathtub, letting her bath bomb fizz up and color the water red. She smiled as soon as the entire bathtub was red. Then a small plastic ball popped up.
“Cool,” she said, grabbing it. She popped it open. Inside was a ring, with what appeared to be a brain, with several red rhinestones. She placed it on her finger. “Zombie bath bombs. Love it!” she said.
There was knocking on the door. “What is it?” she called out.
“It’s your friend, Charlie,” called out her dad. “Something about bitcoin?”
“Oh geez,” said Zan. “Fine, I’ll meet her in the living room.” Zan pulled the plug on her bath.
zzz
Owen visited some of his favorite local coffee shops, but the baristas hadn’t heard of any zombies for a while. He’d checked on Julian, but he was fine and not interested in talking.
This was good, as Owen was coming down with a sore throat, and felt that it was his body telling him to take it easy for a while. So, he was going to do what Zan had told him she was doing, and take a nice hot bath, then watch some movies, and take it easy over the weekend.
“Stupid sore throat,” he said, gargling with mouthwash. Maybe that would kill the bacteria in his throat so he could get rid of it.
“Hey, Dad,” Owen called out. “Do we have any cough drops?”
“I don’t think so. I can pick up some for you, but we’re heading out for dinner. Are you joining us?”
“No, I don’t feel well. It’s OK. I can just run to the gas station and grab them if I need them.”
“OK, take it easy.”
Owen decided to take an aspirin, but it just didn’t cut it. He grabbed his jacket and put it on over his pajamas. It wouldn’t be the first time that the corner store attendant saw someone in their PJs. He grabbed the house keys and his wallet and headed out.
zzz
“What’s happening?” asked Adrienne. Her colleague was nervously looking at his smartphone.
“It’s not good. Amelia has taken a turn for the worse. I instructed my wife to give her a bit more of the elixir, but she said it only had a small effect on her.”
“Damn,” said Adrienne. “Onto the hospital then?”
“No,” said Colin. “I will not have my daughter experimented on at the hospital. I think we need to step things up. But first, I need some gas.”
“OK,” said Adrienne. “I’ll go with you as I want to get some more snacks.”
zzz
“What is it?” asked Zan, with a towel around her neck.
“Sorry for disturbing you,” said Charlie. “I called Stewart, but he’s never heard of a zombie disposal team, or at least not after Dr. Arora stopped working at the hospital. Now this guy keeps on texting me, telling me if I don’t send him bitcoin that he’ll call the cops and tell them that I killed those zombies.”
“Just ignore him,” said Zan.
“But this jerk has my number and copies of the texts.”
“So? Just block his number,” said Zan. “You got me out of the tub for this?”
Charlie sat down on the couch. “I know he’s not really going to report me to the cops, but I want to teach him a lesson. He can’t just bully people like this!”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” asked Zan.
“Nah,” said Charlie. “He’ll probably lose interest by then.”
“OK, so tell him you’re sending him two bitcoins. And give him this super long string of numbers and letters. I read up on it and that’s how it’s sent.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to give them the police department’s number too. And address for additional verification.”
Zan laughed. “OK, you don’t even need me to be here.”
“Yeah, but it’s much more fun when you do it with a friend.”
zzz
Owen headed out to the corner store at the gas station. He found some cough drops and ice cream, made his purchases, and then walked out the door.
He felt like death. He coughed, and dragged his feet. He even held his a
rms out in front of him for fun.
A man jumped out of a van parked along the sidewalk.
“Hey! Watch it,” he said, struggling to get past him.
But the man pushed him into the van, and then shoved the door shut.
“What the hell?” yelled out Owen.
“Got one!” said the man, hopping into the passenger side of the van. “Let’s get out of here and back to the hotel. We don’t have much time.”
Chapter 12
________________________________________
Charlie quickly called Sergeant Bourne. “Hey! Remember when you told me about that bitcoin sting you guys did before the zombies took over Portland?”
“Yes?” he asked.
“Well, some guy has been trying to scam me,” she explained.
“Is that right?” he asked.
“Yes, and you said there was a code or something to give the scammer, which will lead you right to their doorstep.”
“That’s right,” said Bourne. “However, we’re a bit past scammers at this point in time. I’d really like to focus on finding Dr. Arora and Rina Orzola.”
“Oh, I know. It’s petty,” said Charlie. “But if you could just text the code to me? Then you can deal with them in your own time.”
He sighed. “All right. It’s on the way.”
“Is he going to do it?” asked Zan.
Charlie nodded. “Got it!”
Zan peered at Charlie’s small flip phone screen. “That’s it. It’s just a string of numbers and letters.”
“Yep,” she said. “I’ll send this to that scammer as payment. Then Bourne can trace it right back to his wallet.”
“I thought wallets were private?”
