by A. Giacomi
He is gone, but I notice more zombies in the distance who are sprinting, mowing down slower, less powerful zombies in a single stride. I quickly run onto the plane and beg them to take off. They tell me it will be a few minutes.
“You don’t have a few minutes. Get this plane in the air, or you’re going to be surrounded by some pretty relentless zombies. We’ll be stuck here!”
A military aircraft is simpler for the zombies to overtake. If we had the height of a Boeing or Airbus, we would be safer. I shut the door and squeeze my locket as I stare out the window at the approaching zombies. The slower zombies are squishing to the ground like a smashed grape under a shoe as the faster zombies overtake them, using them as mats. The quicker zombies worry me; they might even be stronger than I am.
The first zombie begins slamming his fist against the window, so desperate for the fresh flesh that waits inside. I run towards the pilots and scream, “Go!” at the top of my lungs. They click a few buttons, and we’re moving.
I run back to the windows and see that zombies have pressed their faces against the glass, licking, and chomping, trying to race alongside the plane. If they break a single window, we won’t be able to get home safely. As the plane begins to speed up and the zombies get further and further from us, I feel a sense of calm wash over me.
I head over to the paramedics who are treating Marcus and his rather large wound. I fiddle with the locket at my neck as I remember the bite I received in Egypt; it was rather large as well but not like this. I hold the locket tighter in one hand and run my fingers through Marcus’s hair with the other. I try to tell him everything is going to be okay, mostly because I need that to be true.
The entire flight, I watch Marcus grind his teeth and scream at random moments. The Azrael Virus is taking him from me as each moment passes, and I grow desperate for home, for Dr. August, and for some sort of salvation. For the first time in a long time, I pray.
The paramedics leave me with him once they have done all that is in their power to do. They clean and seal his wound and give him medication to take the pain away. I place his head in my lap and decide to talk to him. I know he can still hear me, and while he lives, I will treat him as such.
“So, Marcus, I have something to tell you. I’m really sorry I kept it from you, but I just didn’t want to worry you. I guess it doesn’t matter now, but I just want to be honest. I’m rotting, for real, like real zombies. It started with my arm a few days ago. It’s like a scab that keeps growing and won’t stop. Except the scab is actually rotting flesh.” I laugh awkwardly as I show him my arm, which of course he can’t see. Marcus is very much asleep.
“I guess I won’t be around much longer either.” At this point, I’m sobbing. It’s not something I can help. I have been through too much, lost too much, and tears are all I have left to relieve the pain at least a little. “You see, Dr. August told me that I would have approximately two years before the Virus would take over completely, and it’s already been a year and a half since that guesstimate. So it’s all coming to a close…just the end, you know…I didn’t want that for you…I didn’t want this for anyone I loved.”
Marcus does not open his eyes, but he grips my hand when I say “loved” and furrows his brow. I squeeze back, letting him know that I am there. I hope he will fight. A fine Agent like him won’t back down easily.
When our plane touches down, I am anxious for our next steps. I practically jump through the door when I am able and notice a bunch of cars on the tarmac. This doesn’t seem consistent with CSIS and its inconspicuous nature. I spot Vallincourt, who eyes me with hatred; he is wearing a dark trench coat and dark leather gloves, which make him look all the more terrifying. Before I can greet him, he says to the two agents at his side, “Remove her from my sight.” He means me.
“Wait!” I beg. “I just want to see if Agent Williams is okay! Please!” My pleading goes unnoticed as one of them men injects something into my neck that makes my entire body go limp. They then proceed to drag me away into one of the many cars situated on the tarmac.
I am handcuffed and thrown into the backseat of a car. The tinted windows make it very dark inside, and shortly it doesn’t matter. My mind becomes a dark pool of nothing. Eyes open yet not a single thought processes. It feels as though I have been frozen in time. No past, no future, just now and the darkness.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
DR. AUGUST
The lab has been rather quiet today. I am able to test some more of Eve’s blood and even have a chance to run through the Pompeii reports; I think perhaps I might find a purpose for these little red rocks that seem more important than previously thought. We have retrieved two, but perhaps there are more out there. The red rock from the volcano seems to raise the dead when linked with fire. The dead appear to lust after the rock, which means those who hold the rocks hold the power to control hordes of zombies. In my mind, the worst-case scenario is that someone wants these scattered rocks to help them create an undead army, but who would want that? These undead soldiers would take over; humanity as we know it would be in jeopardy. I simply can’t fathom it.
The red rock has other powers as well. It seems to protect its carrier. I think back to the night I lost Vincent; when I held the rock up, he ran from me, into the darkness and out of my life. It seems as though it has become truer these past few days. They told me that Vincent had been disposed of. The loss hit me harder than the first time. This feels more permanent, for some reason, like the first death didn’t count. I agree that Vincent was dangerous; the virus in his veins was unpredictable. However, the loss still aches. Perhaps these stones would have been the key to saving him, and now I will never know for certain.
This single stone has capabilities of both good and evil, much like humanity. Everything holds this balance of light and dark; it’s our choices that cement our path. We can walk in the light or stumble in the darkness. I have always chosen to walk in the light, but within this building, within these walls, there are indeed men capable of much darkness. I have to be secretive about the rock, but I have this feeling that they will find others. My silence will only delay their discoveries, not stop them.
As I am about to tidy up the lab, two CSIS agents burst in, dragging an unconscious Eve into the room and dumping her on the floor.
“What is the meaning of this? You can’t treat her this way!” I scream at them as I rush over to check on her. “Eve, are you alright?” I ask as I kneel beside her, but she is only starting to come to and can barely open her eyes.
One of the men addresses my concerns with, “Relax, Doctor. We had to drug her. She took a piece out of Agent Williams. We didn’t want her having any other snacks on the way back. Vallincourt says you need to check on her. Something’s wrong. I mean, look at her. She’s still kinda…well…zombie looking.”
I glare at him once he finishes speaking and ask him and his companion to get out. They have insulted my dear friend when she can’t defend herself, and if what they said is true, she must be suffering a great deal more than they can comprehend. Love is painful enough; hurting the ones we love is irreversibly painful indeed.
As her eyes flutter open and focus on me, I can tell that she is glad to see me. A small smile creeps into the corners of her lips, and she says, “Hi.”
“Hello to you as well. Can you enlighten me about what happened and why you appear the way you do?” I help Eve into a chair as I await her answers.
She rubs her face, trying to escape her groggy state. “I don’t have time to explain. I need to see Agent Williams. We need to go help him,” she mumbles.
“Eve, they’re not going to let you see the man you attacked.”
She snaps out of her sluggish state immediately at those words. “I did not attack him! Is that what they’re saying? I told Vallincourt that a zombie bit him. Another zombie, not me!”
She seems angry and confused
at the same time, which begs the question, “Are you positive, Eve? You are in a semi-zombie state. What if you simply can’t remember attacking him? That has happened before.”
She rises from her seat and kicks over the chair. I have clearly offended her. “If I said I didn’t do it, it means I didn’t do it! It came out of nowhere. It just jumped on him and took a chunk out of his shoulder. Instead of talking about who did what, we should be helping him. I need him to be okay.”
Her eyes turn glassy as she speaks of Agent Williams. I can’t prevent her from caring for him, but I don’t have to agree with it. It might be best if Agent Williams is put down. Perhaps him and Vallincourt!
We don’t know where Agent Williams is, so I convince Eve to have a seat and let me take a few blood samples. She tells me of the changes that she has been experiencing over the past few days. The spreading rot on her arm, the veins that simply won’t go away, and she also mentions headaches. The worst is beginning; as I predicted, Eve is slowly slipping away. She will soon be a mindless zombie if I can’t come up with a cure. I can’t help feeling that the secret to her salvation is in that red rock, but no matter how much research I do or how many tests, I always come up empty. I simply have no idea what the rock is capable of.
As I view her blood on the slides, I cringe as I see the toxic cells killing the healthy cells. The end is near indeed. I don’t wish to concern Eve, so I tell her, “Nothing looks very different. Perhaps you need a feeding?”
I call downstairs, and they bring a new convict for her to devour. This time, it is a woman. She is rather large and heavily tattooed. Her chains will keep her restrained, but even so, I find it hard to believe that someone as small as Eve can overtake this woman. I suppose when hungry one can accomplish anything. As I leave the room, I see Eve’s eyes blaze, and her stance is animal-like and ready to pounce. The convict stands and accepts her fate without fear. I wonder what crime she might have committed to wish for death and welcome it so easily.
As the door closes and seals, a streak of blood sprays across the semi-transparent glass. There are no screams, no struggles, just crunching and slurping sounds from within. This is the first time I truly realize Eve’s curse. How do good people live in monster’s clothing and not become monsters in the process?
After her feeding, I escort Eve to her room. She glances around wildly, as if she doesn’t recognize the place. Her twitchiness concerns me, but I have no way of knowing if it is the virus or simply her stress levels peaking.
Once there, Eve has a seat on her bed and begins sobbing. I decide that silence will be best. What can I possibly tell her that will make any of this better anyhow? I hold her close and allow the tears to drench my lab coat. I often wished I had a daughter; I suppose I have acquired Eve in a way. It feels as though she is mine to protect. Now that she is turning, I worry that they will dispose of her. She won’t be safe around others once the Azrael Virus takes over, and if they keep her, she will be cut apart and experimented on until no parts of her remain. I shiver at the thought, but this is nothing new; they always experiment on what they don’t understand. It doesn’t matter if they are human, currently or formerly. The research is all that matters. I used to think that way, but since encountering the Azrael Virus, I realize that my humanity is all I want so desperately to hold onto.
I made a grave mistake ever going to Egypt in the first place. I was warned about the strange creatures that lurked in the tombs, but with my lust for discovery, I ignored all that, and that cost me my dear friend Vincent. My second mistake was returning to Egypt with a bunch of young volunteers. Eve was the only one brave enough to enter the tombs, but if all of them attempted it, then they might have all died, and that would have been on my hands.
I can’t apologize to Eve any more than I already have, and I truly don’t want her forgiveness. I will never deserve it. I am a cowardly man, following the orders given to me and keeping my head down. As I hold Eve tightly, I tell myself that I will be better; I will fight for her and for what’s right. I decide to start with truth, since all great battles of the soul are won with honesty.
“Eve, I need to tell you about my findings. Perhaps a little banter will help keep your mind off of things? Hmm?”
She nods glumly, and I accept that as a yes.
“Well, turns out the red rock might be a piece of a bigger rock. I think they are being scattered around the globe for a purpose. It’s just a theory, but it seems like a giant puzzle. I also noted that when combined with fire, the rock brings the dead back to life. Without fire, it can protect people from the infected, almost as though they are too mesmerized by the rock to attack. Isn’t that an interesting theory?” I smirk at my own brilliance, but Eve wears an expression similar to that of a kitten.
“Where’s the rock I gave you?” she asks curiously.
“I had to hide it, Eve. I think that Vallincourt wants it for something terrible. Just call it a gut feeling, so I hid it where no one will look.”
“I want to see it,” she says as she heads towards the door. “I need to check something.”
I’m not sure why she is so curious at the moment. She already has one of her own hidden away somewhere. She promised me it was safe, wherever it was. I tell her to follow me to my sleeping quarters. We walk slowly through the painfully white hallways so as not to draw attention to our haste.
When we arrive in my room, I shut the door and lead Eve to the bathroom. I reach around the sink and peel away the tape holding the rock in place. Eve holds out her hand, awaiting the glowing red stone. Her eyes begin to match the stone’s intensity, and the rest of her begins to transform into something other. Her cheeks grow shallow, and her skin glows blue as veins creep up her arms and eventually reach her face. Her lips are black and sinister looking. As I stare into her demonic eyes, I realize that I have made a grave error in showing her the stone.
“Eve, no! You may not have it!” I say as my voice trembles.
She nears me slowly at first and then catches me off guard when she quickly races an arm towards my neck and hauls me into the air. I drop the stone, and her gaze is no longer on me. She desires the rock; I am simply in her way.
I watch as she picks it up and cradles it in her hands like a pet. Something about this rock makes even the living dead obedient. They will follow this stone until the ends of the earth and back again.
“Eve,” I say slowly, “give me the rock. It’s hurting you.”
Still aware enough to understand me, she looks down at her arms and grinds her teeth as if to say she is disgusted, but she does not drop the rock. Instead, she begins to back out of my room and into the hallway. She takes one last look at me and then begins to sprint through the hallway.
I chase after her as best I can. I won’t catch up to her, but I will stay on her trail and see where she arrives.
Five minutes pass in the CSIS labyrinth before Eve finds her destination, a red door that says “Private Quarters” on it. Before I can speak to Eve, she kicks in the door, and it bashes to the ground. I suppose that is one way to enter a room.
Inside, Vallincourt, a few other agents, and a couple of nurses hover over Agent Williams lying in a hospital bed. He is so still that I can’t be sure if he is sleeping or dead.
Everyone takes a few steps back once they spot Eve. She doesn’t look like her friendly self, and I don’t exactly know what her plan is. She slowly walks up to Agent Williams and places the red rock in his hands. I want to scream, “No!” but it is too late, and I can’t stop Eve even if I try. She is determined and dangerous. Now that the rock is in his hand, he will know that I lied about destroying the stone, but that worries me much less than what they may do with it now that they hold its power.
Agent Williams’ hand clenches tightly around the red stone as soon as he makes contact with it. His eyes open, and they burn as hot as Eve’s. I tremble with fear; he is the last person we need wit
h powers. He will be as powerful as Eve, if not more so, and this puts us at a great disadvantage.
The nurse’s gasp as Agent Williams rises from his bed to greet Eve. She slowly begins to change back into a more human-looking form. The veins disappear from her skin, but her eyes remain a fiery red. As I watch them embrace, I worry that Eve will no longer listen to reason. She cares too much about Agent Williams to accept that he might be dangerous. I will need proof of his malice, and I will need it soon.
I decide to stay out of Eve’s way over the next few days. I don’t want her suspecting my contempt for her and Agent Williams’ union. I need to discover a few things while she blissfully relishes in his recovery, recovery being a term I use lightly. Oddly enough, he is like her. No heartbeat, strong, and unbreakable. His lust for flesh, however, is greater than Eve’s. He will need a fresh meal every three hours, or violence will ensue. It is difficult to come up with a new convict every three hours, so Vallincourt decides to keep them alive as they begin sawing off parts to feed to Agent Williams. Humans in snack size, if you will. If I think about it too much, I will make myself sick.
Eve isn’t bothered by any of it. In fact, she seems even more gleeful as of late. She now has a companion to share her misery with, two little zombie lovers with an expiration date. Her time is coming to an end, and Agent Williams’ has only just begun.
As for the red rock, I never see it again. I have a feeling that Vallincourt may have acquired it. He will be interested in something powerful enough to raise his best agent from the dead and make him even more efficient as a killing machine.
***
Nearly three months later, I finally find the proof I need to convince Eve of the dangers within this facility. I am on my way to the lab when I hear Vallincourt and Agent Williams discussing something in a nearby room. The door is slightly open, and I am able to peer in and watch the conversation unfold.
