by Giacomi, A.
Cam continues to speak of Eve’s desertion and apathy to the point that I want to slap him, and perhaps I would have if the stone didn’t start to shoot beams of red light into the car. It was glowing before, but not like this. The entire car is bathed in red light, and we are mesmerized by it, unable to look away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
EVE
Breaking into my own house seems like it shouldn’t be a crime, but I still feel guilty as I climb the wall of my family home, opening a window and landing awkwardly onto my bedroom floor. Being in this room feels so odd.
Many items have been cleared out; I suppose I should have expected my mom to donate items. She is a kind soul and gives back to her community when she can. With her daughter being dead and all, I’m sure she feels better knowing that the items from this room will live on in someone else’s home.
The only item that remains is the rather large Spiderman poster on the ceiling. I remember the day my mother bought it for me. I remember being still too small to cross the street alone, and my mother and I made a trip to the toy store. I saw this poster of Spiderman swinging through the air, and for some reason, it resonated with me. Perhaps it was his freedom, or perhaps it was his strength, but I simply had to have it. I remember begging my mother for the poster, and there was a little boy nearby laughing. When I turned to ask him what was so funny, the boy replied, “Superheroes aren’t for girls, dummy!” I remember scowling at him and sticking out my tongue.
My mother then took the poster and handed it to me, but before we took it to the cash register, and I’ll never forget this, she looked at that little boy and said, “Now listen here. Superheroes are for anyone strong enough to be kind when it’s easier to be hurtful. Remember that and perhaps you’ll be a superhero like my little girl here someday. Until then, you better learn to earn your cape, young man!”
And with those being her final words to that terrified little boy, we stormed off. I saw a bit of triumph in my mother’s eyes. Perhaps she was standing up for all little girls just then. I simply enjoyed the dumbfounded look on that boy’s face; it made me chuckle as I wondered if he might have even peed his pants.
I snap out of that cherished memory and direct my attention back to my original purpose. I am here to find that damn red stone before someone else discovers it. I don’t know why I thought leaving it here would be safe. I suppose I had no other options, but if it stays here, we will soon have a horde of zombies in Little Lake, and it will be impossible to stop them before they take most of the lives in this small town.
I start by going to the original drawer in my dresser that I left it in. When I open the drawer, it is completely empty. I open every other drawer in the dresser to find that they are all equally as empty as the first. I then go over to my nightstand and find it empty except for a Blu-Ray copy of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I almost begin to cry when I see it. I wanted to be like him; Indiana Jones was the entire reason for me wanting to become an archeologist. The plan was to discover new and important artifacts and then become a professor after I grew tired of my adventures. I suppose I am living a real adventure but not the one I envisioned. My original dream involved a heartbeat and a diploma.
By the time I check every drawer, nook, and cranny, I become aware that the stone is not here. I try to think where my mother might have sent the items; there are numerous charities in town, and it will take me ages to sort through the bags of donated clothing.
I walk over to my window, and I’m about to leave when I see a red beacon of light in the not so distant distance. “Oh no!” I say out loud and then dive out of my window, hitting the ground so hard that I snap my ankle. The foot rests sideways, and I have to crank it back into place before it will heal. Healing broken bones is more painful than flesh wounds. I bite down on my finger as the bone becomes whole again. I bit my finger so hard that I drew blood.
When I can walk without dragging my ankle, I begin to sprint towards the red light. I am terrified of what lay on the other side of the trees. Somehow, I already know that Cam and Alex are in the midst of this. The beacon of light can only mean that the larger rock at CSIS has been activated. It has found the final piece it needs, and now an entire army of the dead will rise to take it from them.
I run so fast I barely notice my surroundings. If people in town spotted me, they would feel as though they’ve seen a ghost, but I don’t have time to worry about that just now.
When I’m closer to the red light in the sky, I realize it is coming from the park. My vicinity to the light is crippling. Something about it is changing me. I can feel my entire body being taken over by the Azrael Virus. I sink to my knees, begging, pleading. “Not now! Not now! They need me!” I scream, but the Virus is strong, and with the stone calling, it is nearly impossible to ignore. I clutch at my stomach as the hunger calls. Starvation is painful for a zombie; the only thing you crave is to release yourself from the pain. That is why the flesh tastes so good. For a little while, we can feel nothing again, numb, but that is only after we have fed, after we have slaughtered.
The hunger forces me to rise from my kneeling position, and it drives me forward. I fight against the power of the glowing red light and try to turn back, but it is too powerful. Somehow I know that if I make it to Cam and Alex, I will be more of a danger than an aid.
I am very aware of everything this time, even though my body is on zombie auto-pilot. I see the veins on my arms and my stumbling steps from being possessed by something stronger than me, something that uses me as a puppet. My strings are my stupid veins, and I can’t very well cut them; that will perhaps delay me, but of course I will heal.
My body crashes through the trees of the park, and there is a mist in the air, a fog, but heavier. I hear footsteps and groans from up ahead, and this is when I notice how powerful the rock truly is. There are dozens of zombies stumbling towards the park’s parking lot. I see the high beams through the trees, shedding light on all the gruesome undead faces. One zombie male has only half a face, while another zombie female is managing to drag her rotten corpse along the ground without the use of legs.
I need to get to Cam and Alex, but the virus keeps screaming at me to feed. I can’t let the virus win today. I will lose my friends if I don’t do something. I begin to fight my way through the horde of zombies, pushing them so viciously to the ground that some corpses snap in half. These corpses must have risen from the cemetery; they look as though they have been dead a long time.
When I reach the car, I see one of the infected monsters pulling Alex out of the passenger side window. She is screaming, slapping the air, trying to make contact with anything that might delay her death. I am so close to the glowing red light now that to fight its call means to feel a million daggers hitting me all at once. I grind my teeth and force myself forward towards Alex. When she sees me, she gives a faint smile, unsure if I am here to harm or save her.
I grab the zombie holding Alex and pull his arms away from her, snapping them in the process so that they now dangle uselessly by his side. I then bring him to his knees with a single kick to the back of the joints and bash my elbow down upon his skull, leaving a nice new hole with shards of brain hanging loosely. I can’t speak to Alex in this state, but with a head nod from me, she knows to run. She starts sprinting towards the road, and I pray that more zombies won’t be waiting for her there.
Next is Cam. I see him fidgeting to get something in the car. Why doesn’t he just get out and run already? I try my best to get to him, but my hunger is slowing me down, weakening me. I sink to the ground and am forced to crawl towards the car, moaning and screeching the entire time. I reach the rear of the car and pull myself up. When I stare into the rearview window, Cam is staring back at me with horrified eyes. I feel myself drooling and my eyes heating with desire. I want to taste him, and I cringe as I realize the virus is winning. I fear myself, but I have no choice but to try and save him.
The other zombies are beginning to surround the car. As I stare into Cam’s eyes, I try to give him a little grin to let him know I am still in here, but the grin seems to only frighten him further. I take my fist and smash through the window, pulling Cam out of the car and dragging him off the hood with me. He screams as he sees the proximity of the other zombies. I shove him forward, but he stands there frozen. I shove him again, trying to direct him towards Alex. I want to call him dumb, but all that comes out is a grunt. I push him a final time, which lands him much further this time. Now that he is afraid, he begins to sprint away. Good, I think, but when I turn around to face the zombies, I realize that they will not rest without the stone. The zombies walk right past me as if I’m not even there. They are heading straight for that damn rock, and I am almost positive that Cam has it! The only problem is that it is too late to help them any further. I have lost my battle with the rock. I feel a jolt of energy shudder through me, and then the lights go off upstairs.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CAM
I find Alex sprinting a bit further ahead on the road. I call out to her, “Wait for me!” She pauses, begging me to hurry up. My senses are completely shot. I just witnessed a zombie uprising, but I don’t know the cause until I see the glowing red beacon surrounding me. I pull the rock out of my pocket as I begin to piece everything together.
“Cam, throw it into the woods!” Alex screams, noticing the same thing that just dawned on me. The only problem is that I can’t just throw this away. What if it causes more damage? What if I am throwing away hope instead of just a stone?
Alex kicks me in the shin to get my attention. The zombies have now filled the road outside of the park’s parking lot. They are all stumbling towards us, and there, front and centre is Eve. Alex and I stare at each other. We want to retrieve her, but this will mean getting ourselves killed. Instead, we begin to sprint away in the opposite direction while I still have the stone in hand.
We run until we find a dive of a bar. Motorcycles are parked out front, which usually means that it is a bar for bikers only, but we are much too desperate to care. I burst into the bar and shout, “We need help! It’s getting really fucked up out there.” But as soon as I glance around, I notice that my cry for help will go virtually unheard. Only one man sits up at the bar. The rest of the place is completely empty and silent.
Alex puts her mouth to my ear and whispers, “Cam…this doesn’t make sense. Why would bikers leave all their bikes behind? I have a bad feeling. Let’s get out of here.”
The man at the bar turns to look at us through his sunglasses as we begin to back away. I remember the tall man with mousey blonde hair from somewhere, but I can’t place him. When I go to grab Alex’s arm to pull her back outside, she is frozen in place and pointing her finger at the man. “You? What do you want? Why are you here?”
My mind races as I ask, “You know this guy, Al?” She nods slowly and stares him down. That is not a good sign.
The man smiles in a way only fit for a devil or demon with darker plans. It makes me feel so uneasy that I wish he didn’t bother to smile at all.
“Cam and Alex, so nice to see you again. It appears we continue to meet under the worst of circumstances. I assure you this will all be tidied up soon.”
His grin grows wider as he gets closer to us, and it sends a wave of ice over my skin.
“Who are you?” I ask, my curiosity growing with every second that passes.
The man’s grin fades, and he rapidly pulls off his sunglasses so he can scowl at me. His face is near mine, and I can see that his eyes are not human. They burn with the same ferocity that Eve’s do when she is hungry. I push Alex behind me and tell her to run. When she is too afraid to move, I shout at her, “Alex, run!”
She shoves her way out the door just as the man picks me up by my collar, lifting me off the ground. I hold his wrists to stop myself from choking completely.
“I am Agent Williams. I can’t believe you’ve already forgotten me, Cam.”
The heat behind his eyes burns brighter as he glares into my eyes with hatred. He then tosses me through the air like a ragdoll, and I land on one of the bar tables, breaking it apart when I land. That is going to bruise nicely. I roll back to face him, still lying on the floor, trying not to wince in pain. I need to see what I am about to fight. I will not back down, zombie or not.
“What do you want, Agent Williams? Now that you’ve jogged my memory, I’m a little curious as to why you’d return when you already have Eve…unless of course, she doesn’t want to be part of your little CSIS club anymore.” I pout sarcastically. I will have to get under his skin if I am going to have a fighting chance.
Agent Williams snarls at me like an animal. “She would never leave me, Cam. She and I are the same now. She knows better than to leave home. She’s here on personal business, which is perfectly fine. The only problem is that she’s also given you something that belongs to me.”
He points at my pocket, which is still glowing red. Shit! I should have ditched it. Now this asshole is going to take it from me anyway.
“If I’m not mistaken, Agent Williams, this rock doesn’t belong to either of you. Dr. August owned this rock, and somehow Eve got a hold of it, and then she passed it onto me. So for some reason, she wanted me to have it. I guess that makes it mine now. So suck it!”
Agent Williams no longer has the ability to smile. I have made him so mad that his true self is starting to show through. The blue veins creep up his skin and cover his arms and body in seconds. His mouth seems wider and unnaturally ready to feast.
He begins to creep towards me, and I rise to my feet in preparation for his attack. His creep becomes a sprint, and he runs me into one of the bar walls, smashing my back against it. He brings his mouth inches from my nose. His teeth chomp at my face, and I am forced to turn my cheek to him or lose my nose. I hold him back by his throat, but he is so strong that it is difficult to remove him completely. Eventually, my muscles will grow tired, and I will fail. I try to use my legs to push him off of me, but he seems able to use my own strength against me.
I try to break an arm free to punch him, but he bites my arm. I have a mini panic attack and scream until I realize that he hit nothing but fabric, thank God, but I am growing tired, and I won’t be able to hold him off much longer.
As I continue to struggle, I hear a scream from out back. It is Alex. I want to get to her, but I see no way of destroying this zombie. I have no weapons or superhuman strength that I can use. Her screams continue to fill the air, and I join her in frustration. “Alex! Alex!” I scream as I try feverishly to push the zombie agent off of me.
I stop talking when black ooze begins to leak from his mouth and land all over me. He spits it at me with every chomping attempt to catch flesh. My muscles are burning and trembling, and I can feel his teeth brush my cheek. I feel my heart stop for a moment and close my eyes, accepting the fact that I will lose today. I don’t want to see it happen, so I force my eyes shut and release the resistance I placed between us. To my surprise, nothing tears or feasts. No pain arrives. In fact, I don’t even feel a presence looming over me.
When I open my eyes, I am astonished to find Eve raising Agent Williams in the air like a puppet. She dangles him in the air, hissing at him. Then she throws him to the floor hard and punches a hole through his chest.
I want to look away, but the mere fact that I have never seen anything like this in my life keeps me watching in curious disgust.
Eve digs around in his body while zombie Agent Williams writhes on the ground in pain. When she finds the item she searches for, she tears it out in one swift move. Agent Williams’ back arches as a piece of him leaves his body. He watches as Eve holds his heart above him. I can swear I see her smile, but from my knowledge, zombies don’t smile.
Eve stands above Agent Williams in triumph and then drops his heart on the floor like dirty
laundry. She then raises her boot and continues to stomp on it until it looks more like chili soup. I cup my hand over my mouth to keep myself from yelling or throwing up or both. The entire bar floor is now covered in blood.
Agent Williams does not move much, but I can see that his body is working to regenerate itself. It will definitely be awhile before that gaping hole heals.
Eve twitches as she turns to stare at me. I clearly have her attention but for all the wrong reasons. She doesn’t seem to recognize me in her current state; instead, she simply looks hungry and curious. She slowly walks towards me, cocking her head to one side as if she is examining a cut of meat at the butcher.
I hold my hands up, hoping she’ll pause. “Eve, it’s me,” I say gently. “I need you to remember, please. I’ve waited two long years to see you but not like this.” I can’t help shedding a tear. It feels a lot like losing her all over again. She comes up close to me and places her hand on my chest. Her eyes roll with delight as she listens to my heartbeat. I suppose any zombie will find that sound appealing. Fresh food is always better.
She glances up at me without emotion. I slide to the floor, giving up entirely. I know I will not kill her, so I yield. “Eve, if you’re going to do this, then do it quickly. Just one thing before I go. I really fucking loved you, and you tore my heart out like that poor bastard’s over there. So just get it over with. I’m already dead in so many ways.”
Eve just stands there and brings her hand to her cheek. Bloody tears start falling from her eyes, and she can’t seem to control them. They stain her face, and that’s when I know. She is still in there somewhere.
Somewhere amongst all this madness, I forgot about Alex. I race past Eve and head around back. As I sprint towards the back of the bar, I trip over something, a limb. I kick it away from me in disgust, rise to my feet, and continue towards the back doors. Behind the bar, there are dumpsters, one of which is open and full of rotting dead bodies, limbs, heads, torsos, all mingled together in the human trash bin. The other bin is sealed, and I decide to head over and examine it. “Al?” I whisper through a crack in the dumpster. “Al, are you in there?”
