by A. Giacomi
Eve and I glance at each other briefly. I shake my head at her slightly, trying to say, “Don’t answer,” and then of course Eve foolishly answers for both of us. “Yes, it’s tomorrow. We are slacking a bit, I guess. We should have asked our questions earlier.”
Agent Williams’s smile fades. I guess that is the wrong answer because Dr. August hangs his head in defeat.
“You know what’s funny, ladies? Dr. August here had told me that his schedule was clear for the next week. He was going to come and have a visit with us, actually. I even took the time to peruse his schedule to be sure it would be a good time to visit him tonight.”
He waits for a retort, but we aren’t prepared with an explanation. I’m a little afraid of what will happen next. Agent Williams walks closer, and his men follow behind him.
Oh shit, they know! I’m sweating, trying to think about how to get Eve and me out of this. I don’t want them to take my friend. Plus we still need to find Cam. We don’t have this kind of time to waste.
Agent Williams is uncomfortably close to us now, and the other two men are stationed behind us. They are most likely anticipating our attempt to escape. I examine the agent on my left; my eyes focus in on a gun hiding under his tailored jacket. How do they hide those guns so well? It feels a little like we are stuck in a James Bond film and this is the showdown between the good guy and bad guy. The only problem is that I don’t think we are going to be the victors, and I am pretty sure these CSIS guys are the ones with a license to kill.
“So which one of you has been Dr. August’s test subject for the last little while? Huh?”
Agent Williams’ voice sounds curiously calm. Is he attempting to lure us into confessing everything by treating us like toddlers?
“I’m not going to hurt anyone. I just want the truth, and it seems Dr. August has been hiding some of it from me, which is not very nice.”
He shakes his finger at Dr. August before returning to look at us. How condescendingly rude! The hairs stand up on the back of my neck; I don’t trust this guy one bit.
After about a minute of silence, Agent Williams starts to pace the room. He pauses and grins. I don’t like that look. He is up to something. I can hear Eve starting to growl to my right; I know she senses something, but now is not the time to show her true colours.
Agent Williams walks towards Dr. August, takes out his gun, and quickly grabs him and pulls him to his feet. He places the gun against Dr. August’s head.
Eve juts forward. “Stop! What the hell are you doing?”
The agent closest to her quickly pushes her back. This angers Eve, and she shoves the agent back. He looks stunned by the force Eve exhibits.
I whisper to Eve, “Stop it.”
She backs off but retains her scowl. I feel dizzy. I want to protect Eve and Dr. August and save Cam and somehow save my own ass. How am I going to achieve this?
“Ladies, I will ask you again. Which one of you has been his little lab rat? I will kill him. He’s only mildly useful and absolutely replaceable. So let’s start talking, huh?”
I grind my teeth with pure hatred as I stare at Agent Williams. I realize that he is totally and utterly serious. One of us better say something soon, or Dr. August will have a nice bullet hole where his eye used to be. I look over at Eve, and she instantly knows what I’m about to do. She shakes her head and whispers, “No, no, Al!” but my mind is made up.
I stare at her with worry in my furrowed brow and simply whisper back one word. “Cam.”
She and I know very well that if anyone could save him, it would be her. I will never stand a chance next to Claire. Eve needs to get out of here. Saving my own ass will have to wait.
“It’s me. I’m the one you want. Dr. August has been protecting me this whole time. I was scared, and he was trying to help me.”
I look over at Dr. August, hoping he’ll keep his mouth shut and play along.
Agent Williams lowers his gun. “Now was that so hard? Thank you, darling, for being honest.”
Just when I think I’ve given him what he wants, he raises his gun over Dr. August’s head and lowers it with a thud against the doctor’s temple, knocking him out instantly. Eve and I both cry out as we see Dr. August drop to the ground.
Now is her chance. “Eve, get out of here.”
She looks at me with resistance. “No, Al. There’s another way.”
I elbow the agent next to me so hard that it winds him. “Go!” I yell, and I jump on top of the other agent. Very quickly I am pulled to the ground and held down.
Everything moves in slow motion. I see Eve running towards the door and looking back at me with a horrified glance. She continues out the door until she is out of sight. She made it. Thank God, she made it. The last thing I remember is convulsing on the ground and jolts of pain reaching my every extremity, then everything goes black.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
EVE
I keep running until I am outside, hidden by shadows. I witnessed my friend being tasered by two strange men who believe she is the infected student. I keep replaying the image of Alex seizing on the ground. It looked like they were killing her. How could I leave her? I pull at my hair and pace in a circle until I can compose myself.
In the middle of my panic attack, I hear something rustling in the bushes. I turn to see another zombie student. She isn’t going to attack me; there is no food to get at this time.
We are the same. Dead. Unfortunately for her, she looks it. Her eyes are unnaturally pale, and her skin is flaking. There is blood around her mouth. Oh God! Who has she been eating? As I look at her, I think of Cam. What if this is his fate and he’s wandering the campus somewhere?
Everyone I love is in danger because of me. So many students have been killed tonight, and this one is no different. I can’t let her live and pass on the virus. That is irresponsible.
I pick up a rock near the bushes that is usually used as decoration and bash her head in. While I repeatedly slam the rock against her skull, I think about the family that will never see her again, and I feel disgusted with myself. I find myself wishing that I am the girl whose head now resembles scrambled eggs. At least then it will all be over.
I am exhausted and emotional as I stare at the former zombie, former student, former human. I don’t even know where to begin looking for Cam. I collapse to the ground. The pressure to succeed is too much. Alex sacrificed herself so that I can save Cam, and once I do so, I’m sure she’s counting on me to save her. I can’t let them down, but I am immobilized by my distress.
Lying on the cold grass feels so good. I try to think like Claire. If I am a psycho-stalker, where will I hide?
As I try to think up a plan, images of Alex being tasered, Doctor August with a gun to his head, and Mark’s lifeless body keep flashing back and forth in my mind. My body begins to build up with rage. I can feel myself shaking with anger. The virus is taking over in a whole new way.
My back arches on the ground as I try to fight back and keep a clear head. Something is changing in me, and it is terrifying. I fight for as long as I can but eventually let the virus take me.
My body rises off the ground without my consent and head in a direction that I haven’t selected. It is auto-pilot time, and I am just along for the ride whether I like it or not.
Before I know it, I am in front of my residence. My body feels as heavy as a stone wall; every step feels powerful. My eyes feel fiery; they burn with purpose as I enter the building. Soon I am in front of Claire’s dorm room door. I don’t bother to knock; I just begin to slam my body against the door until I am through.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
ALEX
When I wake up, I find my cheek pressed against the cold floor, and I am lying in a puddle of drool. I feel disoriented but manage to slur a few words. “What did you do to me?” It comes out as more of
a mumble.
I try to rise, but my body feels stiff. As I lay there, Agent Williams brings his face closer to mine and smiles. I want to tear that smile off his face.
“What did you say, dear?”
Before I can repeat myself, his two minions pull me to my feet. They drag me across the floor and throw me into a nearby chair. I don’t have the strength to sit properly, and I begin to spill over the seat, which causes them to hold me in place.
Now that I am upright, I can see that Dr. August is sitting at his desk. He looks distraught, but I’m glad he no longer has a gun pointed at his head. I see Agent Williams grab a book off of Dr. August’s desk. He’s flipping through the pages looking for something specific. When he finds it, he shouts out, “Ah ha! Here it is.”
He puts the book down in front of Doctor August and asks him to read a passage. Reluctantly, he begins to read.
“The subject seems to heal at a rapid pace. Wounds heal in a matter of seconds, leaving no identifiable mark or scar.”
Dr. August’s eyes grow wide as he watches Agent Williams approach me. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a switchblade. It glistens as bright as his smile as he approaches me.
“Shall we run the test again? I need to be sure it’s you.”
This man loves being in power; I can tell he thrives off of it.
Agent Williams holds the knife over my thigh. I scream and try to move away, but I am held down in place. “Please don’t! I can’t heal right now. It only works when I feed, and I haven’t eaten today.”
Agent Williams ponders that for a second but decides to plunge the knife into my thigh anyway. The pain is excruciating, and I am screaming so loudly it causes the two agents holding me down to jerk backward a bit.
He watches as the blood pours out of my leg. He shrugs as he looks at me.
“It’s not healing. Why isn’t it healing?”
I’m in too much pain to answer anyone. I see Doctor August appear behind him, and he grabs Agent Williams’ gun and points it at him. “Leave her alone,” Dr. August says.
Agent Williams drops the knife and backs away. “Now, now, Doctor, there’s no need for that. I’ve finished my experiment. I guess she’s not the one we’re looking for. Perhaps that other girl, Eve? Was that her name? Perhaps she was the one we should be looking for.”
Agent Williams backs up towards one of the other agents, who hands him something. I want to warn Dr. August, but he moves so quickly that everyone is surprised by the sudden “bang” that fills the air.
I look over at Dr. August as he drops his gun. Blood starts to flood his sleeve, and he crumbles to the ground, yelling in pain. This is quickly turning into a blood bath.
My screams along with Dr. August’s are filling the room. All I can hear between screams is Agent Williams shouting at us to shut up.
I try to calm myself and put pressure on my leg, which is still bleeding. Surprisingly, Agent Williams grabs the first aid kit on the wall, pulls out some bandages, and begins to bind my wound to the best of his ability. Why is he bothering to mend me if he is intending to kill me? He doesn’t bother to do the same for Dr. August, who is leaning against his desk holding his arm.
“What do you want from me?” I cry out, sniffling like a baby.
“I want what any other government agent wants. I want information. Can you give that to me? If you can, then I promise you I will disappear like this has all been a bad dream. Now where is Eve?”
Does he really think I will hand over my best friend? And then it dawns on me; I can give him some other information that might peak his interest.
“The woman you are looking for is Claire Madison. She is our dorm leader...”
I continue to tell him about how we found Mark’s body and how we believe she kidnapped our friend Cam. I eventually get to the part where she creates multiple zombies, and this confession sends Agent Williams into a fury. I’m sure he is pissed that he will now have to stage a rather large-scale cover up. There are multiple families to contact about their child’s death, bodies just strewn across campus, and a violent zombie on the loose. That is a lot for Agent Williams to swallow. I hope that he will focus on the cover-up mission and forget all about Eve.
Agent Williams turns to his men and asks them to go and check on the situation in the parking lot. He whispers something about wanting to start with a physical clean up before working on the explanation for the whole incident.
As soon as the men have their orders and take their leave, Agent Williams begins screaming at Doctor August.
“Do you have any idea how much work you’ve created for me? Why couldn’t you have told me about the girl sooner? This whole mess could have been prevented. Did you think that you could save her? You couldn’t even save Vincent. What makes you think you can help her?”
Dr. August’s retort is short, but it’s brave. “I won’t let you kill her,” he utters and spits at Agent Williams.
He curses at Doctor August and kicks him in the leg, adding insult to injury. I’m still too weak to move; I am only able to watch and hope that he won’t hurt him any further.
“You’re a bad man,” I whisper.
I didn’t think Agent Williams would hear me, but somehow he does. His focus is now on me. He walks over to me with a murderous look in his eyes.
Agent Williams leans into my face, leaving almost no space between us, and yells, “What did you say? You think I’m the bad guy here? Really? You’re looking at the man in charge of protecting this goddamn country, and right now I’m not doing a very good job, am I? I will do anything to make sure that people are safe, and I will make up whatever story I have to so that people will believe they are safe and can go about their daily lives without looking over their shoulders.”
He has a point, but I don’t really appreciate his technique.
Agent Williams sighs and picks up his phone. I hear him mention something about a cleanup crew and staging a fake fire. Looks like I am going to witness the creation of a conspiracy theory.
As he talks on the phone, I try to think about anything else but the pain in my leg. I wonder if Eve has found Claire and Cam. I pray that Cam is okay, but I fear for Eve. I’m not so sure she will be safe after all this. All eyes will be on campus. I’m sure they will have spies everywhere looking for leftover traces of the virus. I don’t want Eve to become their little experiment. I hope that Agent Williams will believe that Claire is the only zombie girl in existence, and if he does, then maybe, just maybe, Eve will be able to return to some slightly normal way of life.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CAM
My wrists are raw from trying to free my hands from the ropes Claire bound them with. She continues to stare out the window, and I know she is determined to eliminate the only woman I have ever loved. She wants me all to herself, but why? She doesn’t even know me very well. She has no idea that my mother died, leaving me heartbroken at a young age, and that my father continued stomping on my heart by drinking himself into a monster. She doesn’t even know the simpler things about me, like my favourite colour, or my favourite sport, or my favourite team for that matter. She doesn’t care about any of that. The only thing she is interested in is whatever fantasy she has created in her head. Perhaps I am Prince Charming? Don Juan? Casanova? Whatever she is thinking is pure fiction. If only I can make her see that it isn’t me that she loves; she is in love with a figment of her imagination.
I venture to ask, “Claire, why do you love me?”
She turns to look at me with a bewildered expression.
“I love you for so many reasons, silly.”
That isn’t really an answer, so I try again. “Can you tell me some of the reasons why you love me?”
She laughs it off without a real reply.
That’s what I thought. She’s in love with a work of fiction.
&nbs
p; I decide to ask a question she might know the answer to.
“Claire, what colour are my eyes?”
She looks over at me, and her smile fades. With a furrowed brow, she answers, “Why, they’re blue, silly. Of course, I know that!”
I shake my head and smirk. “Nope, they’re not. If you love me, shouldn’t you at least know my eye colour? I mean, at the very least?”
I can see I’ve pissed her off. She has a scowl on her face and is now walking towards me rapidly. She grabs my face and stares into my eyes. She’s squeezing my face so hard I think my jawbone is going to snap.
“So they’re brown. Oops.”
She’s not very sorry about her inaccuracy; she shrugs it off and then begins to untie my hands. Is she going to let me go?
Once my hands are free, I rub them and try to get my circulation going again. Claire grabs my hands so suddenly and violently, it feels as if the bones are going to shatter.
“Claire, you’re hurting me.”
She doesn’t release me.
“I’m not trying to hurt you, Cam. I want you to feel how much I love you. That’s how much it hurts when I’m not near you. Do you feel it?”
I’m about ready to scream; I just agree with her and hope she loosens her grip. The virus has made her strong, just like Eve.
“Claire, please.”
She stares into my eyes, but it’s like she’s looking through me, not at me. The new Claire is even scarier than the previous one.
Just when I think my wrist is going to snap off, I hear a big bang at the door. Claire steps back and snarls. I automatically scream, “Eve!”
A few more bangs and the door splits open like that scene from The Shining. Shards of wood fly through the room. A piece just misses my face, but Claire gets a rather large chunk lodged in her shoulder. She doesn’t bother to pull it out; she is fixated on the door. Eve pulls the rest of the door apart and makes her way inside.
I’m happy to see her, but I’m not sure I like seeing her in full zombie mode. Her eyes are red; she is twitchy and looks ravenous. Claire has a similar look to her; she glares at Eve as if she can tear her apart just by staring.
