by Tahnee Fritz
“Go ahead, do whatever you want to him.” I shrug. “Why don’t you just feed him to the zombies while you’re at it? Or perhaps let him turn into one again. He already knows how to live that life.”
Trevor darts his eyes to mine and I realize I just gave myself away. If he and the rest of the people out there believe my words, then they now know that the cure is real. Or at least they can start to believe that it’s real.
“What did you say?” Trevor asked, pulling himself away from the bars of the cage. “Your friend in there used to be a zombie?” he turns to the crowd and waves his arms around like he’s just discovered the holy grail. “Why, that must mean the cure is real. She just needs to show us how it works. Who else feels the same?”
His audience shouts out demanding that I show them the cure. Their eyes are filled with a strong desire to see it up close and personal. I don’t understand why someone would want to see that. It’s disgusting to watch a zombie tear into a human being. Their intestines fall out of their stomach and there is always so much blood and gore flying through the air. I might not be that bad when I bite into my victims, but I’m sure it’s not very pretty to witness either.
I scan my eyes over each and every one of these people. Some of them actually seem to be nice, innocent beings. The kind that have no purpose being here other than to stay alive. Maybe I should show them the cure. It wouldn’t be such a bad idea to give them a tiny amount of hope for their race. I could get Trevor off my back about the topic and end the hunger building in my stomach. No one I care about is here to stop me or tell me that I’d be doing the wrong thing by showing these people what they came here for.
“Trevor!” I speak up. “You want to see the cure?”
He spins around, eyes lighting up as he looks to me and says, “What else are we waiting for?”
I take a deep breath, already hating myself for allowing these words to come out of my mouth, “Bring me a zombie.”
The smile grows, stretching from ear to ear on his hideous face. He nods to one of his men, who suddenly disappears around the school building. His followers have grown quiet, speaking soft whispers amongst themselves. A few more have even joined them and I recognize two of the faces walking this way.
Sarah and her father stand away from the others to get a good view of the show that’s about to begin. That little girl will get to see just how evil this new cure will be in the hands of a madman. Trevor will use it for power and control. Her life will be even less glamorous than it already is and she’ll be forced to grow up with him for a leader. Zombies and vampires might not be as overwhelming in his idea of a future, but the world will be worse off and more humans will die due to the unending war Trevor will force upon the planet.
I turn away from her and wait for the guard to come back with my meal. I hear the groaning and the struggling of one man against the pull of the zombie he’s dragging behind him. They come into view, walking around the corner of the building. A dog catcher’s leash is wrapped around the neck of the zombie cutting into his skin. The metal pole is barely long enough to keep the creature’s arms from reaching the man holding onto it.
I sniff the air and a familiar frenzy begins and the sadness, along with my painful memories, are starting to drift away. The blood of that undead monstrosity is more than inviting and my mouth is watering at the thought of tasting it. I lean away from the brick wall wanting nothing more than to rip his head off and eat until I’m overstuffed. The zombie isn’t too far gone either. His skin will be tough at first, but my teeth can break it.
The people in the area gasp and cover their eyes at the sight of such a beast. They have spent so many years in fear of those things and in just a few minutes they’ll have another thing to be afraid of. Something that will never be understood or explained properly. I might have the cure for every nightmare these people have come across, but in the manner I plan on showing it to them, it will be less than pretty and I pray they hate me for it.
Trevor orders another, younger man to unlock the padlock of the cage when the zombie gets close enough. The lock clanks against the bars and the door swings open. They quickly shove the poor zombie inside with me, then close the door and lock it once again. With the leash now removed from his neck, he is free to move around and reach his arms between the bars, trying to grasp at the humans nearby. They laugh at his attempts and tease him as he begs for their flesh.
I take a step toward it and stare at the holey shirt on his back. Blood stains the tattered fabric and his pale skin shows through. His shoes are missing and his jeans are muddy and torn on the bottom. He doesn’t pay any attention to me, doesn’t turn around or even bother smelling the air for my flesh.
I look past him and notice the surprise written on Trevor’s face. He has no choice but to believe everything he’s heard about me. The zombies don’t care for what flows through me and he is seeing it up close and personal. The whole damn crowd is in shock by what they are witnessing and I’m standing here with a grin on my face and hunger growing inside of me.
The frenzy in my stomach is taking over and I feel the monster coming to life, driving my sad thoughts even deeper in the blackest parts of my mind until I can no longer recall them. I clench my hands into fists, tugging at the tight ropes that bind them. This will be difficult to do with my hands behind my back. In one quick movement, I use my arms like a jump rope and bring them to the front of my body. A hushed gasp fills the air and the sound of guns being aimed are quick to follow. I pass them an annoyed glance and shake my head.
“I’m locked in a cage you morons. What do you expect I’m going to do?” I say in a harsh voice I don’t recognize.
I get no answer, just the slow lowering of their guns as they shake my words off their shoulders.
I move to the zombie. My only care is showing these pitiful people what they came here for. I lift my arms, grabbing the back of the man’s shirt and yank him away from the bars. He’s heavier than I expected and hits the ground with a loud thud. A low growl escapes his throat, evil fills his black eyes and he leaps into the air, springing at me with all his might. He wraps his arms around me and pins me against the bars of the cage. There isn’t enough room in here for me to do anything and this damn rope on my wrists is constricting most of my strength.
This zombie’s moans fills my ears as he presses his body against mine and reaches through the bars once again. His real prey is out there taunting him with every scent they create just like they are taunting me. His neck is close to my face and I close my eyes letting the frenzy take over my mind. I open my mouth and clamp down hard on his skin. A shrill scream upsets my ears and he rips himself away from me, letting a small chunk of his skin rip away from his neck.
I swallow my bite and wipe the blood from my face and stare at the confused zombie. No longer does he bother fighting for the humans out there. I am his focus and his lifeless eyes cannot figure me out. He growls again and rushes at me. This time I’m quick to get out of the way and I grab onto his shirt once more. He claws at my arms trying to reach for my face and neck. I keep out of his reach and lift my right leg to his chest. The force of my kick sends him crashing into the bars behind him.
He slides to the ground in a disheveled state and his head bobs back and forth like a ragdoll. I dive through the air, landing on top of the big zombie. Once more, I clamp my jaw against his neck at the same spot I got the first time. I feel his hands digging into my back and his legs flail as he tries to get away from me. I hold onto his shirt and let the disgusting juices flow down my throat. The blood oozes from the wound, sliding down my chin and I hear cries of disgust coming from my audience.
My hunger pains are slowly fading. The frenzy is getting the relief it so deserves and I can feel my strength returning to me. The ropes don’t feel as tight against my wrists and the cage doesn’t seem so small anymore. I close my eyes and allow myself this tiny moment of joy to consume me.
The world vanishes and a black cloud takes over my
mind. It doesn’t last more than a minute. The haze slowly clears and a face comes into view. A face with dead eyes and blood in the corner of his mouth. Confusion takes over as I stare at this familiar face. The tiny frenzy took away my memories of him, but they are slowly coming back. Ryder stares at me with dead eyes and a pale face. Just like the last time I saw him, I have no idea if he is alive or dead, or perhaps both.
That’s when it hits me. The sadness comes back and the frenzy dissipates into tiny fragments of the only part of me that seemed to erase my despair. I let go of the zombie, spit his flesh from my mouth, and thrust myself away from him. I open my eyes and flush the image of Ryder from my head. I can’t bear the thought of him running through my mind like he is trying to tell me something. I don’t want to see his face or deal with the pain from the sadness his death is causing me.
I get to my feet and dig my fingernails into the palms of my hands. I press my body against the bars and force Ryder and everyone I have ever cared about from my mind. I need to stay focused. I need to keep myself from thinking of them. They’re never coming back to me and I can’t let them live in my mind anymore.
My eyes turn to the man lying on the ground. His body is motionless and his eyes are closed. The mark I gave him on his neck still drips with blood, but it won’t be for long. That inevitable gasp will soon fill the air and Trevor will have his cure and my life will still be over.
The man’s chest is the first thing they notice. It is slowly moving up and down, sucking in tiny breaths. His right hand twitches and his eyes flutter open revealing the bright blue irises. The gasp comes next, followed by coughing and he rolls onto his side. He closes his hands around the blades of grass and rips them from the ground as the pain of becoming human takes over.
“Holy shit.” Trevor exclaims. “The damn cure is real!”
I ignore his comment and stay focused on the man at my feet. He lifts himself to sit up on the grass and his eyes turn to me. They are screaming with fear and I slowly wipe the blood from my chin. I can still taste his zombie flesh on my tongue, but seeing him as a human has me craving for him all over again.
“Where am I?” he asks, his voice is filled with terror.
I lean down and say quietly, “In a place worse than hell.”
He scrambles backwards to get away from me and I hear the lock on the cage door rattling. His eyes dart toward the man opening the door and his face flushes with panic. Trevor orders his men to get this newly cured human away from me. Two of them rush inside and yank the poor soul from the ground and force him out of the cage.
I wasn’t lying to him. Being in a place controlled by Trevor is a fate worse than death in my eyes.
* * *
The man I cured had served in the Marines for fifteen years before he was honorably discharged. After that, he took up wrestling as a hobby and began teaching it at the high school in his home town. He’s got the muscle Trevor is looking for and the ability to take a man down with his bare hands. His mind just isn’t in the same place as Trevor’s. He’s kinder and knows how the world should be handled. I think that’s why he is being locked in the school instead of being allowed to roam outside with the two others I brought back.
Trevor was so thrilled after he saw the cure that he brought me two more around noon. They made for a decent lunch and I felt the same, memory-erasing frenzy take over my mind again. It lasted for a few brief moments while I attacked the zombies. Then another flash of a dead Ryder, as well as the rest of my family, interrupted my gorging and I ripped myself away from the meal. The memories and images are getting worse and the sadness is getting to be a distraction that I cannot run away from.
Such is my life now.
Anyway, these two new guys are much more suited to Trevor’s liking than the first. One is a short bald man with a tattoo of a dragon covering most of his back. He served time in the Iowa State Penitentiary for murdering his wife and the man she was in the process of sleeping with. He got lucky when a few of the guards were bitten and he was able to make an escape. The other guy is a massive black man with his hair in extremely tight braids on his head. He never spent any time in jail, but he’s been in more fights than I can count. By how big his arm muscles are, he looks like he could kill a man in one punch.
That has been the majority of my morning and afternoon. I listened to Trevor interview these two guys and explain to them his plans for the world. I saw their eyes light up when they heard that they would have a part in his plan of absolute control. They were more than eager to join his army and were instantly given weapons and a warm meal. They will be cherished like everyone else on Trevor’s team.
Once all of his minions are cured, it won’t be long before his new army is up and walking around, terrorizing the streets and taking what doesn’t belong to them. I am now a part of that simply because I gave in and showed him the cure. I can’t honestly say it was a bad thing. For those few minutes of devouring my prey, I was able to have glimpse of a life without painful memories and flashbacks. I actually preferred having that frenzy taking over my mind. It erased certain things from my head and I was able to feel peace while I ate.
If only there was a way to make it last more than a few minutes. I could really use a break from all this.
The sun has gone down and it has been dark out for nearly an hour. My sunglasses hang over the collar of my hoodie and I lean against the wall of the school staring through the bars at the guards pacing on the grass. Most of the people have gone inside to hide for the night. The few that are left outside are nervous and afraid. The rifles are rattling in their shaking hands and they reek of fear. Trevor is out here with them, standing tall and proud of his accomplishment for the day.
He turns toward me with a smile on his face. The chilly air is creating a slight fog from his breath when he exhales. He pulls the hood of his jacket over his head and folds his arms across his chest in an attempt to keep warm.
“Hard to believe another winter is right around the corner.” His eyes meet with mine as he speaks, “Can you even feel the cold since you’re dead?”
What an odd question, “Not really.” I reply, giving in to his small talk.
“Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t.” he says.
The snapping of a stick echoes through the playground and the guards surrounding Trevor whip their guns around and aim for the invisible creature sneaking up on them. I turn my eyes toward the sound as well and don’t see a thing. It was probably an animal or a ghost or maybe a vamp trying to sneak in on its prey. I can only hope for the latter.
“I trust you’ll be this obedient for me tomorrow. There are others I would love for you to cure.” Trevor states.
I shrug, “I’m pretty full. I think you’ll be alright without my help.”
He laughs, “I do enjoy your smart ass comments every once in a while.”
“Don’t we all.”
He moves closer to the cage and leans against the bars, “You know it really isn’t so bad on my side of things. You’d get to be inside in a room with a cozy bed and warm sheets. I’d make sure my men treat you fairly and give you whatever makes you happy.”
I glare at him and say, “You killed the only thing that makes me happy, so you can keep your worthless shit to yourself.”
He shakes his head and glances to his feet, “I do apologize for that. Things should have gone down differently between us right from the beginning. You should have joined us when I gave you a peaceful offer.”
I roll my eyes, “The type of peace you have to offer isn’t something I want to be a part of.”
“I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want any of this. My vision for the world is great. The cure will go to those who deserve it, those who can contribute to the rest of the world and my people will have a better life. You could even have a better life. You could live like a queen in a world created by us both.”
“I take it you would be the king in this twisted scenario.”
He smiles, “Who else wou
ld there be? I’m the only one who can control the world I plan on creating with you. Why wouldn’t you want to be with a man like me?”
I can think of a million different answers to that question, “You’re not a man. You’re just a pathetic excuse for a human being who was never granted the privilege of living life as a zombie or a vamp and allowing me the pleasure of ending that pitiful existence.”
The smile drifts from his lips and he grits his teeth, “You should be careful what you say to me. If you recall, I have your friend locked up inside and my men are more than eager to do what I say and beat that boy senseless.”
“Go for it.” I reply. “If you think that will hurt me, you are mistaken. You’ve already destroyed me to the point of no return and there is no bouncing back.”
“There is always a way to hurt a person. I just have to find another weakness of yours and go from there.” Trevor states. “Unless you decide to join me. I will always welcome you with open arms.”
“As unappealing as your offer sounds, I am always going to pass.” I reply.
He smiles and leans away from the cage, “One day, dear Bridget, you will see that my way of things is best for the world. People need order and I can give them that. I can see a leader in you as well, you just won’t let her out.” He turns to his men and motions for them to follow him, “Let’s get inside boys. It’s getting late.”
I listen to their footsteps crushing the grass as they walk to the door of the school. Trevor taps his knuckles on the steel door and a faint beeping sound responds a few seconds later. The latch gets released and they pull the door open and disappear inside.
Once again I am left alone in the quiet night air to think about everything I don’t want to think about.
