Dead Meat (Book 2): Dead Meat [Day 2]

by Clausen, Nick

  Again there’s a word the officer deftly avoids: “shock.” The officer turns the car around, and Selina looks out at Jonas’s face as they roll past. He’s looking at the paramedics, his eyes dazed.

  What had he even been doing out here? He lives in the town. The only thing she can think of is that he might have come to visit her. Strangely, that thought almost makes her tear up, and she thinks about the stupid goodnight kiss in the car last night.

  “It won’t be more than a couple of hours,” Dan whispers.

  Selina glowers at him. “Before what?”

  “Before he dies, of course. We need to explain to them how dangerous he is.”

  Selina feels the anger contract in her chest. “Don’t you start again.”

  The officer hears them and turns her head. “Please don’t speak to each other.”

  Selina is more than happy to obey. She looks out at the fields gliding by. Out there everything is normal. The wheat is green and lush, the swallows are flying about playfully. No zombies in sight, no dying Jonas. All of that suddenly seems like a distant dream.

  Dan pokes her thigh.

  Selina sends him a burning look, which he apparently misses, because he hands her his phone. She takes it reluctantly and reads the message he has typed.

  Promise me you’ll tell them what’s going to happen to him. We need to convince them. Or it all will have been for nothing. The future of the world is at stake.

  Selina already knows it all. But for some strange reason, she doesn’t want to hear it anymore, doesn’t want the responsibility. She just gives Dan the phone back and looks away once more, feeling how he’s looking at her in silent amazement and desperation, but she doesn’t care, she just wants to look out at the fields.

  Then he pokes her again, offering her the phone again. She shakes her head, but he keeps on trying to hand it to her. She folds her arms. He holds the phone in front of her face so she can’t help but read the new message. It’s very short.

  Please … Jennie was my sister.

  The words hit her like a punch in the gut. She finally looks at Dan and realizes he has tears in his eyes. And when she sees how tired and scared he looks, she feels terrible about how she has talked to him. Of course, she knew he had been through some stuff before they met up, but she had no idea he had lost a sister. Maybe he even watched her die.

  Jennie deletes his message and writes a new one.

  How did it happen?

  Dan takes back the phone and types for several minutes. When he hands her the phone once more, she reads a short summary of the last twenty-four hours of his life—and they sure haven’t been boring.

  Selina feels the car slowing down. She looks up and sees they’ve reached town. The police station is just a few blocks away. She writes a short answer.

  Sorry about your sister. Will tell them about Jonas. Here’s my number. Call me afterwards.

  Dan puts the phone away just as they pull over by the station.

  ELEVEN

  It’s not at all what she excepted. None of it. The police station, the officers, the questions. Everything is very unlike what she’s seen in movies. There are no cigarettes or lukewarm coffee cups or suspicious looks. No cramped rooms with one-way mirrors or grueling bright ceiling lights. The officers act like regular, friendly people. They believe what she says. There’s even a female psychologist who smiles at her and listens to her talk.

  It all passes by in an odd sort of haze in front of Selina. It feels like she doesn’t really take part in it.

  They offer her something to eat when she says she hasn’t really eaten anything since last night. A sandwich and a Coke appear in front of her. She fights down a few bites, mostly to please the officers.

  She tells them everything—but she never mentions the word “zombies.” If she does, she knows they’ll never take her seriously. She makes sure though to emphasize several times the fact that Jonas is incurably contaminated with some strange virus which he got from Allan. Even as the words leave her mouth, she can hear how crazy it sounds, and the more she insists, the less believable it becomes.

  Then her dad is suddenly there, and the sight of him makes her burst into tears. The situation reminds her of that time in the first grade where she fell down and broke her wrist and her dad came to pick her up at the hospital. He wasn’t angry with her back then, and he isn’t angry now, only worried, and that makes her cry even harder.

  “You go home with your dad and get some rest,” one of the officers says. “We’ll call you if we need to ask you anything else. And if you feel like talking to someone, you have the number for the psychologist.”

  Selina nods and wipes her eyes, feeling like a little girl. Dad puts an arm around her shoulders and leads her towards the door.

  “Hold on,” Selina says and turns around. “What about Jonas?”

  The officer smiles reassuringly. “Don’t worry about him.”

  “But … what will happen to him?”

  “We can’t say for sure until after the preliminary hearing. I suspect he might get a fine for speeding and he might face charges for manslaughter, but—”

  “That’s not what I mean,” Selina says. “Will he be … cured?”

  The officer comes to Selina and lowers his voice. “We talked about this, Selina. Jonas is fine. There is nothing wrong with him.”

  “No, but there will be. He’s infected. If you don’t do anything …”

  “Jonas is getting the medical attention he needs. The detention center has a doctor who tends to him.”

  “Does … does the doctor take blood samples and stuff like that? So he can detect the virus in his blood?”

  The officer smiles again. “I’m sure the doctor knows what he’s doing. Don’t think any more about Jonas. You can probably go and visit him tomorrow if you feel like it.”

  “I would like to visit him now. Can I?”

  The officer’s eyes flicker.

  “Selina,” Dad says.

  “He’s my friend,” Selina exclaims. “I just want to see how he’s doing.”

  “Maybe tonight,” the officer says, his smile returning. “I’ll look into it and get back to you. All right?”

  Selina looks at the officer, and in her head, she suddenly hears Dan’s voice: “They won’t believe you! Not until it’s too late …”

  “All right,” Selina mutters.

  “Come on, honey,” Dad says, and they walk out of the building together.

  TWELVE

  Selina is lying on her bed about to drift off when the phone suddenly vibrates next to her.

  When she and her dad returned home earlier, Ulla was there to greet them with worried hugs. The dead bodies of Jennie Nygaard, Josefine and the policeman had all been removed, and the terrace had been washed clean, no trace of blood left. Ulla told them how the police had taken pictures and tests of everything before cleaning up.

  Selina headed straight up to her room. She had never felt more exhausted. And yet she couldn’t sleep. Her thoughts kept creeping back to Jonas.

  Now she sits bolt upright, groping for the phone, and almost drops it. It’s a number she doesn’t know. She answers.

  “Hello?”

  “Selina Peterson?”

  “Yes?”

  “This is David Mortensen from the police, we spoke earlier today.”

  “Yes.”

  “How are you holding up?”

  “Fine.”

  “That’s good to hear. I promised to contact you concerning Jonas Westholm, and …” A short hesitation. “Unfortunately, it seems like he has taken a turn for the worse. He’s been moved to the hospital.”

  Selina feels a cold shiver down her spine and closes her eyes.

  “The good news is that he didn’t have any traces of alcohol in his blood, so he’s no longer being detained, and I’m sure you could go visit him if you still—”

  “Where is he?”

  A short pause. “Room eight, fourth floor. As far as I understoo
d, his mother is with him, so of course you need to check with her if Jonas is all right with having a visitor.”

  “Right. Thank you.”

  The policeman once again encourages her to talk with the psychologist, but Selina is only halfway listening. She just says “yes” and ends the conversation as quickly as possible.

  Then, she runs downstairs. In the living room Louisa is watching a cartoon. Ulla is in the kitchen cooking dinner. She sends Selina a smile. “So, did you get some rest?”

  “Kind of,” Selina mutters. “Where’s Dad?”

  “In the backyard, I think. Could you tell him dinner’s ready in five?”

  Selina steps into her shoes and leaves the house. Even though it’s almost seven o’clock, the air is still hot. The heat wave is meant to last at least two more weeks, if you are to believe the weather experts.

  She finds her dad on the terrace, where he is busy scrubbing one of the chairs with a sponge. He’s working hectically, his T-shirt is all damp.

  “Dad?”

  He looks up in surprise, blinking. “Oh, hi, honey. I just noticed some … well, blood.” He wrings the sponge into a bucket of soapy water. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine,” Selina repeats herself. “That officer just called to tell me Jonas has been hospitalized.”

  Dad wipes sweat from his forehead. “Really?”

  “Yes, he’s taken a turn for the worse.” Exactly like I told you he would, she adds in her mind.

  Dad stretches his back. “Look, honey, I know what you’re thinking. But please don’t believe everything you’ve seen in movies. This is not like that. The doctors will deal with whatever is wrong with Jonas, and I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

  “I would still like to go see him.”

  “Sure thing. I’ll take you there first thing tomorrow morning.”

  “I would like to go now.”

  “Right now? I think dinner is almost ready.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Well, I am.”

  Selina crosses her arms.

  Dad sighs. “Come on, Selina. You have to eat something.” He drops the sponge into the bucket and dries off his hands on his shorts. “Besides, the visiting hours at the hospital are probably over for today. We’ll go tomorrow right after breakfast, all right?” He puts a hand on her shoulder.

  Selina looks up at him and thinks to herself: Tomorrow it’s too late. She forces a smile and says: “All right, Dad. Ulla said to tell you dinner’s ready in five.”

  “Thank you, honey. I’ll be right there.”

  Selina goes back around the house, her steps firm, and her mind determined. She knows what she must do. She finds her phone and searches for a number online. Instead of going to the front door, she darts one quick look over her shoulder to make sure Ulla can’t see her from the kitchen window, then she walks across the courtyard, putting the phone to her ear.

  “You’ve reached Top-Taxi, and we’re happy to help,” a female voice says.

  “Hello,” Selina says, as she walks out of the driveway. “I need a taxi as soon as possible …”

  THIRTEEN

  Just as she gets into the taxi, she gets a text from Dan.

  I’m still with the police. Can’t go home until my parents come back. Of course they don’t believe me about the zombies. What about you?

  Selina writes back: I got to go home a few hours ago.

  The answer comes almost immediately: And Jonas? Did you hear from him? They just keep telling me he’s fine.

  On my way into town to see him now. He’s in the hospital.

  A few minutes pass before Dan writes back this time. Selina imagines how he’s considering his answer. He’s probably thinking about writing something like: I told you, or: You know what to do, or the worst possible one, the one Selina really doesn’t want to hear: You need to kill him.

  But apparently Dan decides none of those are necessary, because when the text finally does come, it’s very short: Be careful.

  The taxi arrives at the hospital two minutes later. Selina pays the driver and gets out. She looks up at the tall glass building, the evening sun flashing in the windows. She takes a deep breath and walks up to the entrance. The automated glass doors let her into the air-conditioned entrance hall. And as she walks towards the elevators, she realizes she has no idea what her plan is—other than to find Jonas, of course. But after that, well, she simply didn’t think about that until now.

  If he really is infected, then he will die and come back just like Soren and Allan and Josefine did, and there will be no other choice than to kill him again. The thought alone makes her nauseous and makes her want to turn around.

  And why not? She didn’t ask for any of this. She just wants to go back to her life of being a teenage girl whose biggest problem is that her best friend saw her kissing a guy last night and is bound to tease for it. In fact, Krista already texted her a bunch of times, but Selina hasn’t replied. And they’re going to Prague Monday morning! The whole class, as a summer school trip. She had almost completely forgotten about that. She needs to go home and pack. And she could do so. Just pretend like this whole thing is over and go to Prague with her friends.

  But if she does that, she might have the end of the world on her conscience—although she can hardly fathom that thought. A thing like this simply doesn’t happen in real life. The fate of the earth can’t be resting upon one person’s shoulders.

  But the fact of the matter is that she and Dan right now are the only two people who know what’s most likely going to happen to Jonas, and seeing as Dan is still being kept at the police station, she’s the only one with the power to do something about it.

  An old lady with a bouquet of flowers is waiting by the nearest elevator. As it opens, she steps inside, turns and sees Selina. “You going up too?” she asks, smiling.

  Selina nods and steps inside.

  “What floor?”

  Selina looks at the old lady. “Sorry, what?”

  “What floor are you going to, dear?”

  “Uhm … fourth.”

  The lady pushes the button and the doors close. With a feeling of absolute unreality, Selina feels the elevator start moving.

  “My husband had an operation on his heart,” the lady says. “He just woke up, and the procedure went fine.”

  “I’m … happy to hear that,” Selina says, managing a polite smile.

  “Who are you here to visit?”

  “A friend.”

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  “He … was in an accident.”

  “I’m sorry,” the old lady says, real regret in her voice. “Young people simply aren’t careful enough behind the wheel.”

  Thankfully, Selina doesn’t have to come up with an answer, because the elevator stops and the doors open.

  “I hope your friend feels better,” the lady smiles as Selina steps out.

  “Thank you,” she mutters back, right before the doors close again.

  Then, she’s alone in a long hallway. Room eight, she thinks and makes her legs start moving, even though they aren’t exactly keen on it. The numbers on the doors glide by and she reaches number eight way too quickly. It’s closed. She stares at the knob. The door feels like an unbreachable barrier. She has no idea what’s waiting on the other side.

  Selina closes her eyes. She’s nauseous. Or maybe it’s hunger.

  She reaches for the knob and opens the door.

  FOURTEEN

  The room is stuffy and dim, since the windows are closed and the blinds are pulled shut.

  In the bed lies Jonas. He’s on his back, eyes closed, mouth slightly open. His face is red and swollen, his forehead wet from sweat, and his breath comes in tiny, wet thrusts. One leg is protruding from under the blanket. A neat bandage is wrapped around Jonas’s skin at the place where Allan scratched him. The skin surrounding the bandage is fiery red.

  Selina just stands there for a moment, searching for the courage to step closer,
when a totally unexpected voice says: “Hi?”

  Selina jumps and spins around, staring at the woman sitting on a chair in the corner with a magazine. She’s around Ulla’s age with the first signs of grey in her bangs.

  “Oh, I’m … I’m so sorry,” Selina mutters, swallowing in an effort to force her heart back down her throat. “I didn’t see you.”

  “That’s okay,” the woman says, getting up and offering Selina her hand. “I’m not sure we’ve met. I’m Pennie, Jonas’s mom. Are you Selina?”

  “Ehm, yes, I am,” Selina says with surprise, shaking the woman’s hand. “How did you …?”

  Pennie nods towards the bed. “Jonas told me you were there when the accident happened. You were the one he was going to see, weren’t you?”

  “Uhm, I … to be honest, I’m not sure.”

  “I think so. It was something about you forgetting your purse in his car.”

  “Oh, right!”

  Pennie smiles. “He wanted to give it back to you. I still think it’s in his car, actually. You can get it back tomorrow if you swing by.”

  Selina nods and rubs her arm. “Thank you. Listen, is it okay for me to be here?”

  “Of course, dear! The doctor said nothing about no visitors. He just told me to let Jonas sleep off the fever.”

  Selina looks at Jonas and steps a little closer. She can feel the heat coming of him, it’s almost like vapor rising from his skin. It’s surprisingly painful to see him like this. She has naively been telling herself all the way out here that Jonas was just an acquaintance, someone she happened to give a casual kiss last night, and nothing more. But hearing Jonas’s mom tell her that he had come to give her back her purse once he realized she had forgotten about it, somehow changed the way she now looks at him. She might have only known him for a couple of months, since that night Krista introduced them to each other, and although she had an inkling right from the beginning that Jonas had a crush on her, she didn’t really find him to be her type, so she has been ignoring his attempts at getting closer.

  Until last night.

  “Are you his girlfriend?” Jonas’s mom asks, as though she read Selina’s mind.