by Giacomi, A.
Agent Williams introduces us, and every soldier stands to salute us, except for their leader. He walks up to us and shakes our hands as he introduces himself as Major Tom Wolfe.
I can’t help it. I begin to laugh hysterically. “You mean like in the song?” A few of the soldiers smirk, but I can tell they are holding back a chuckle themselves. I start to sing, and before I can finish the verse, the entire plane bursts into laughter. Agent Williams elbows me hard in the ribs. I suppose he is right; I’m not making the best first impression. I silence myself and apologize as I stare at Major Tom’s bemused look. Has he never heard that joke before? That can’t be!
When the laughter has completely died off, Major Tom continues. “Now if we can focus, gentlemen, we have to discuss a few things about this mission. First, we are here to protect Eve and Agent Williams at all costs. They are here to find the source of the problem and take back any samples they need to stop a deadly virus that’s spreading through the Yucatán. My colleagues in that region of Mexico went offline yesterday. We don’t know what happened, and I have a feeling it’s going to be messy once we get there. So you’re going to need to focus if you plan to stay alive. Secondly, Eve here is one of the infected, as I’ve already explained. She is capable of looking this innocent, so some of the other zombies might be just as adorable.”
I’m slightly flattered, except for the fact that he also described me as infected. He really knows how to make a girl blush, doesn’t he?
Major Tom ends his discussion and turns away from me to face my partner. “I’m sorry to say we’re going in blind, Agent Williams, but Vallincourt asked us to proceed anyway,” he says in an aggravated manner.
I can see Agent Williams grinding his teeth. He isn’t happy about Vallincourt’s call, but he doesn’t want to display his true feelings. I suppose for fear it might get back to Vallincourt somehow.
The soldiers take their seats, and the plane gets much quieter than when we first arrived. Agent Williams and I sit next to Major Tom. They begin to discuss the mission as I space out and stare out the window. I am still thinking about Cam and Alex as an item; I can’t get them out of my head. I want to be happy for them; if Cam has to be with anyone else, shouldn’t I be glad it is Alex? But I’m not happy. I am furious! It feels like a betrayal on both their parts. As I doze off, I dream of ripping out their hearts with my bare teeth. It’s an oddly pleasing dream, and I slumber peacefully in my corner of the plane.
***
Two hands wake me from my sleep. Someone is shaking me so fiercely that I want to bite their hands off. When I open my eyes, I can see another pair of light eyes staring back into mine. Agent Williams looks relieved. As I glance around the plane, I notice all eyes are on me, and they look terrified. What have I done now?
“Eve, are you alright? I’ve been trying to wake you for five minutes!” Agent Williams says in a panic. “You were growling in your sleep, like an animal. Everyone was afraid that you were turning…and I had a very hard time convincing them not to shoot you.” He whispers that last part for my ears only.
That’s when I notice Major Tom’s gun pointed at me. I shudder at the thought of a bullet through my forehead. He lowers his gun, but he offers no apology. Why would he apologize for trying to protect his soldiers? I understand that. You have to protect the ones that depend on you.
I stare around the plane; I need to break the tension. “I’m okay! Sorry, I’m a loud snorer. Should have mentioned that earlier. Hopefully, you brought some earplugs along.” A few men chuckle, and they all go back to their previous routines. I am grateful to be ignored. That is a luxury now.
***
When our plane lands, the soldiers are already lined up in the plane aisles. Agent Williams and I have barely talked the whole flight, but he chooses this moment to say something.
“Eve…now I want you to know that I don’t judge you. I know what you are. I know what you’ve done, and for the record, I know you’re going to do a great job. So let’s get started.”
He taps my shoulder and then joins Major Tom up at the front. Why is he being so nice to me? It is a little alarming, but it also feels good to have someone in my corner. I don’t have any other allies here, just him and me.
We exit the plane, and although the skies are cloudy, it is excessively hot out. I don’t mind the heat, but the soldiers begin sweating immediately; I suppose carrying large backpacks and weapons will do that. We wait on the tarmac for our ride. A rather large transport truck arrives, and we pile in the back of it.
The ride towards Chichén Itzá is slow and bumpy. Major Tom informs us that we won’t be able to drive the whole way there. Something about the Mexican government not wanting us to disturb the beauty of the ancient capital. I can see how a big truck like this one would trample all the natural beauty around it, so I can’t blame them for asking us to “park it” before entering Chichén Itzá.
The bumps in the road keep me awake. I’m not sure why, but I’m on edge. I have a truck full of soldiers with me, yet I don’t feel safe. I rub my hands together and feel some pain around one of my fingers. When I look down, one of the nails is purple and green. When did that happen? I turn away from everyone in order to examine it further. I grab the nail and wiggle it; it is barely hanging on, and it peels away from my finger easily. I am horrified as I stare at the nail, but what is even worse is the very infected-looking finger. I drop the nail and hold my index finger in the air. Why isn’t it healing? My mind is racing, and I begin to panic. I might be getting hungry. I know I heal better when I am fed, but there will be no food until we exit the truck. Being inside of a transport truck seems like a very bad idea. Many humans in a very enclosed space will make things too easy for me. It is like sitting inside of a lunchbox.
I call Agent Williams over, and he rushes to my side.
“Eve, what is it? You look a little green.”
That could be true; I feel something changing in me.
I have trouble speaking but manage to ask, “Do you have handcuffs? Or anything to tie me up with?”
Agent Williams calls Major Tom over, and they both wear the same look. They know as well as I do that I am about to have one of my “episodes” again. The virus loves to take over at the worst times; it functions separately from me, and I can’t hold it back forever. I feel my body pulsing, my brain getting hazy, and I scream at them, “Hurry up!”
“We need to tie her up, Major. Quick!” Agent Williams screams.
When Major Tom returns, he has some rope, and they both start winding it around me feverishly. It makes me dizzy, and I close my eyes. I fight the virus off as best I can, but when my eyes open again, I know that I’m different now. I see things differently. My body pushes against the ropes begging to be free. I feel my mouth biting at the air as Agent Williams and Major Tom back away from me. I can see the other soldiers sitting at the other end, as far from me as they can be. I want them the most. The more fearful they look, the more it makes my mouth water.
My stomach aches. I’m starving and unable to move. Growling and hissing, I wriggle on the ground like someone who has completely lost her mind. I calm down when I notice there is something wriggling above me. A small living creature stares back at me. It is lowered into my mouth, and I chomp on it like a piece of divine pizza. Once I eat, my brain begins to clear up, and I am able to act more and more human as the second’s pass.
“Eve? Are you back?” Agent Williams asks as he kneels cautiously beside me.
I nod and sit up. “You can untie me now.”
But before he can set me free, one of the soldiers in the back yells, “No fucking way! Keep that bitch tied up or I am out of here! She’s gonna kill every last one of us if we let her!”
I can tell he is terrified; his voice shakes. It is normal to fear things you don’t understand, and in this case, even if you understand, it is still wise to fear me.
Major Tom speaks next. “Sit your ass down, soldier! I didn’t peg you for a coward. She’s with us, like it or not. We are here to protect her, and she’s here to help us get rid of some zombies. There is some awful shit happening down here, and we need to stop it. We can’t do it without her, and I can’t do it without my soldiers. So man up. We need you to focus.”
Major Tom’s little speech seems to silence the soldiers. They still glare at me with distaste, but I am here to stay.
CHAPTER SEVEN
AGENT WILLIAMS
After the whole zombie-scare, it is difficult to get the troops back on track. We arrive at the edge of our truck clearance and have to continue the rest of our journey to Chichén Itzá on foot. I keep Eve by my side as the soldiers pass by. Many have murderous looks in their eyes. It is becoming clear to me that she is very unwelcome, and if the soldiers have an opportunity to take her out, they just might. Eve isn’t making the situation any better. From the corner of my eye, I see her spit on the soldier who was yelling inside of the truck. He wipes it from his sleeve and smiles maniacally at us. That was not a good move. I grab her arm and pull her aside.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing? We are outnumbered here, and if they decide to bash your pretty little head in, I won’t be able to do a damn thing about it. Now play nice, little girl.”
She kicks the dirt up as she yells, “I am not a little girl!”
I laugh because she clearly resembles a small child in that moment. I keep forgetting she is only twenty years old. I try to remember what I was doing at twenty as I walk up the hill behind the soldiers. I definitely wasn’t consuming the flesh of the living, perhaps just consuming many beers while watching hockey. I’m not a very interesting person. No real hobbies, no crazy stories from my college days, not even a steady girlfriend. I am married to my work, and sometimes I think that sad, but most days I think I love my job more than I could ever love any woman.
We continue our hike through the gorgeous greenery of the Yucatán, and in about forty minutes, we reach the clearing where Chichén Itzá greets us. I glance over at Eve, who has a look of wonder in her eyes as she gazes at the glorious pyramid before us. She truly lives for this stuff. I watch as a grin spreads across her face, and it is infectious. When she catches me smiling at her, she turns away and replaces the smile with a grimace. As she walks ahead, I take a moment to touch base with Major Tom.
“So where do we begin, Major? This place is a ghost town. Have they closed off the area to all tourists? Or are they simply too afraid with all the rumors spreading around?”
He looks at me with such intensity that I think I might have offended him.
“You know we need to stop calling it a rumor. It’s not a rumor if it’s true.” He points to Eve and then returns to his task of setting up camp for the evening.
I could punch him. A bloody lip would remind him that I am still the head of this mission; he and his team are just the extra muscle. I refrain because I don’t want to stir the pot any further. Instead, I listen to my surroundings. The silence and stillness of this place is daunting. Chichén Itzá was typically filled with tourists, tour guides, and locals, but today it is abandoned. If there are zombies lingering in the shadows, we will find them soon enough.
Camp is set up just as the daylight starts to fade. I start a fire as Major Tom and his soldiers finish up for the day. Eve sits on a rock watching the flames come to life. There is sorrow in her eyes as she stares mindlessly. Perhaps she is thinking of all she has lost, her family, her friends, her old life. I continue to have this desire to protect her, to hold her and tell her that this isn’t as bad as she thinks.
As I walk towards Eve, I’m not sure what my intentions are; I just want to be close to her for whatever reason. When I stand in front of her, she looks at me in a new way. I’m not sure what her eyes are saying, but it isn’t rejection. I sit next to her on the rock and let her lean against me as we watch the fire silently.
After a small dinner, most of the soldiers head to their tents to get some rest. It will be too difficult to explore in the darkness and most likely very dangerous. The shade of night gives the zombies an unfair advantage. They don’t need to see us; they can smell us from miles away.
Eve decides that she’s off to bed herself. She looks back at me with a bit of bashfulness touching her cheeks. She very quickly says, “Thanks,” and then turns to leave.
I assume she is thanking me for the shoulder. I watch her walk away, and with every inch that grows between us, I feel a tug at my chest. I rub my face in horror as I realize that I am beginning to feel something for this girl. I’m not good at relationships, not even friendships, and besides that, she won’t want someone over a decade older than her. I am well aware that she is still in love with Cameron Jackson, and I am not even close to a good substitute. I looked into the boy’s profile. He has been friends with Eve since high school, is a straight-A student, and isn’t as much of an asshole as I am. He also holds the pity card, since his mother died tragically in a car accident and his father was an abusive alcoholic who Eve murdered in her zombie-state. Cameron seems to be a gentleman unfazed by his upbringing, a good guy. He is also better looking than I am; he has this Superman quality to him. I guess most women would call him the “total package.”
I pace around the fire. I have to find a way to stop thinking about her. I try thinking about the lab full of dead scientists or her hellfire eyes, but nothing I think of makes me like her any less. She is a fucking zombie, for God’s sake! How can I have fallen for that?!
Eve and I are supposed to share a tent, but I want to place some distance between us for the time being. I need to stay focused on the mission.
As I lay on the ground watching the fire, I hear something from behind me. There is a rustling in the bushes closer to the ruins. I stand immediately with my hand on my gun. I begin to back away towards the tents; I need to warn everyone if we are going to be attacked. I stand staring at the bushes with sweat dripping from my brow. There is no sign of anything just yet, just the constant rustling of the bushes. My heart races as I see a limb force its way out of the foliage. I don’t shoot yet; I need to know if it is human.
I raise my gun, and just in case, I point it to where its head should be. As it exits, I can see that it’s stumbling. The creature is in view, and it is truly grotesque, bones exposed, skin peeling, and eyes like Eve’s. I aim for one of the eyes and fire. The sound rings through the ancient walls of the ruins, and as the creature slumps to the ground, everyone emerges from their tents with wide eyes.
Major Tom is running towards me with two guns in hand. “Agent, did you spot one?”
I point to the corpse lying in plain sight. Major Tom looks terrified; he has clearly never had to kill one before. I ask the other men to grab their weapons and be prepared for more visitors. We wait in silence with our guns pointed at the bushes, but nothing ventured out. There is only a strange moaning or screaming sound from time to time. Nothing about the shrieks sounds human or animal; it is hard to explain, but perhaps if you blend a pterodactyl and a cackling witch, you will have the proper noise.
I can feel the terror building in each of the soldiers; they are used to fighting other men. They are accustomed to men bleeding and dying, but these creatures will need a lot more coaxing to stay dead. I remind all of them to aim for the head; anything else will be futile. Special Agent Vallincourt promised us a dozen of the best shooters for this mission, and I am praying that that wasn’t a fabrication.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and point my gun towards its source. Eve backs away. Her eyes are that burning colour again, but the rest of her seems calm, no purple-blue veins spreading around her face in anger or hunger.
“I can smell them,” she says as she begins walking towards the bushes.
“Eve, stay here!” I scream, but it’s almost as if they are calling to her, summoning her to join. I run
towards her and shove her to the ground. “Stay!” She looks up at me, confused.
“If I stay, you’ll die. I have to stop them.”
I let go of her. It is strange seeing her so calm. It is almost as if she is learning to control the virus better. Before Eve can get to her feet, the undead army begins to venture out from the bushes and into the moonlight. Some move rather quickly, and others drag their legs slowly. I can see about twenty, then thirty, and the numbers are quickly multiplying. We are surrounded.
Major Tom orders the soldiers to fire relentlessly, and I do the same. As I attempt to sever as many brains as I can via flying bullets, Eve runs towards the bushes, howling like a true warrior ready for battle. She takes her first zombie down with the force of a football player and detaches its head with god-like strength. I find that a smile creeps up my lips as I fire and watch Eve in action. That girl has some serious balls.
Corpses are piling up by the minute; it seems like we might actually win this fight. That is until we encounter something we could have never predicted. I hear one of the soldiers next to me scream. When I look to my left, he seems fine except for his expression. It is only when I look down that I can see a hand has sprouted from the ground. The hand tears the flesh from his ankle and uses him to pull itself out of the ground.
I shoot at the ground and yell to the others, “Watch the ground!” A few more zombies rise from the earth, and before they can be shot, two other soldiers are bitten. I can only watch as I try to get a clear shot. The men scream amongst the groans of the undead. We have no time to cater to them. There are still more zombies closing in on us. The men who are still able, continue to shoot, and Eve continues to bash in as many skulls as she can.
Soon, it grows quiet, and we lower our weapons but not our eyes. As I quickly glance around, I see that Eve is sitting in the tall grass panting, and there are no other zombies surrounding her. Next, I see the three injured men and the river of blood pouring from their wounds. A few soldiers tend to them but only because they don’t understand how the Azrael Virus works.
