by Gayle Katz
“What are you doing?” she yelled.
“I need this space for my gym equipment,” said Dad. “You’re welcome to move your crap to your room. I really don’t care.”
Her things were in boxes. Some of it had been moved to trash bags.
“You have no right!” she yelled at him.
“I do have a right! This is my house! I own it!”
“I can see why you alienated my brother!”
She grabbed a couple of boxes and carried them back up the stairs.
zzz
“There have been no more reports of zombies in Washington State,” said the TV reporter. “It’s believed that most of them have been killed by authorities. If you see a zombie, please call 911. Do not try to engage.”
Owen flicked to another channel.
“There have been false reports of zombies sighted in Washington State,” said another local TV news anchor. “This weekend there are three different fan conventions. Expect to see plenty of people dressed up as your favorite superhero characters, manga characters, and zombies.”
“OK, then,” muttered Owen. “Oregon State still plays games, while Washington State admits the truth.”
His phone rang. “Hey, Zan. What’s up? Why yes, you can stay here. I’ll go ask my parents, but I’m sure they’ll understand.” He frowned and hung up. What was going on with her family? Sounded like her dad was an asshole.
Owen went to ask his parents if she could stay in the spare room in the basement. It wasn’t anywhere near his, so they should be fine with it.
They were concerned, and asked if the police needed to be involved. He shook his head and went to get the room set up for her. He then had a good laugh, as it was more likely the police would need to be called on her, if she got too angry. Good call that she had decided to walk away instead.
zzz
Sergeant Bourne was fed up. He banged on the mayor’s front door.
It opened. “Why, Sergeant Bourne, how nice to see you on this lovely morning. Not too hot out yet.”
He looked angry. “Cut the small talk. I want to know what you burned in your boyfriend’s basement yesterday. Was it accounting?”
She frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, you do.” He put his hands on his hips. “You were seen on the video camera footage.”
She looked dismayed.
“Did Ray ask you to burn some evidence? Or were you creating a disturbance to take attention away from somewhere else?”
She nodded. “I was destroying any and all evidence of him and me. You can’t fault a woman for doing that.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“There was nothing illegal in it,” she explained. “They were just some contracts I had with him. Joint ownership in his businesses. Obviously, they’re all shut down now. The factory, the golf course, etc.”
“I see,” said Bourne. “But it’s still illegal to set fire to a building.”
She shrugged. “It’s all concrete and brick. And the fire department put it out rather fast. And, it was all papers, as I’m sure your lab has already confirmed.”
Bourne turned and walked away.
“Say, aren’t you going to arrest me?” she called after him.
“Can’t be bothered,” he said. He went back to his car.
As he drove away, he felt that he was still missing something, but he wasn’t certain what.
Chapter 19
________________________________________
“Are you OK, Zan?” asked Owen.
“I think I’ve about had it with my parents. Mom is never around, and Dad is totally against everything I have ever done.” She had her head on the table with her arms wrapped around it.
“Do you have grandparents or somewhere you can live? Only one more year, and then we’re outta school.”
“Ugh, I know. Umm, not anyone who lives in Portland.”
Owen was at a loss as to what to do. He needed to distract her from her problems. Soon, she’d just go back home again, just like she had the last time around when she’d needed to stay at Charlie’s place.
“Hey, Zan. Have you seen this video?”
Zan barely looked up. “What?”
“There’s footage of some zombies walking down the freeway.”
Zan looked up. “How odd. The zombies are just walking. They’re not attacking.”
“And see here. The police are just watching them, not doing anything.”
“So, maybe it is some zombie actors’ group then?”
Owen laughed. “Whatever it is, they sure look realistic.”
Zan stood up and grabbed her purse.
“Hey. Where you going?” asked Owen.
“I need to get my pajamas and toothbrush from the house.”
“Oh, I should go with you, in case you run into your parents.”
“That’s fine. Let’s go.” She headed to the door.
Owen grabbed his car keys. “Are you sure? We can stop at the store instead.”
She shrugged. “No. My parents will be at work now. What could possibly go wrong?”
zzz
Charlie was on her phone. “Yes, Stewart, I’m aware that the zombies have crossed the state line and are entering Oregon. I am ready for when they arrive in Portland.”
“Wait a minute,” said Stewart. “Why do you think they are coming to Portland?”
“Umm, why not? Wouldn’t they be heading to the zleader wannabe?”
“That doesn’t make sense,” said Stewart.
“Oh, gotta go,” said Charlie. She hung up. She was getting impatient. This was taking too long.
zzz
Stewart called Zan next. “Any luck in finding Fay?” he asked her.
“No, she’s disappeared into thin air. Anyway, I think she told Charlie everything. Plus, I have my own problems.”
“Yes, Owen filled me in. Let me know if you need help finding somewhere to stay.”
Zan shrugged. “I can couch surf, if I have to. He’s helping me collect some belongings.”
“I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I can’t even begin to understand it. Usually parents would be thrilled their child is going into science.”
“I give up,” said Zan. “I don’t care anymore. Anyway, I have plenty of cash socked away to do what I want. I just need to turn 18 so I can get my own place.”
Stewart laughed. “I’m sure you could get a place right now.”
She laughed. “Well, yeah, but I want to do it legally.”
“OK, well, if you need anything at all, then please call me.”
“OK. Thanks, Dad,” she said jokingly, and hung up.
zzz
Stewart thought about being called “Dad.” Since he was a mentor, he’d never had the opportunity to have kids. But mentoring was kind of the same. If he could, he’d solve all his students’ parental problems. He turned the TV back on to check out the latest zombie situation.
His phone rang.
“Hi, Jay. How’s it going? Yes, I see the zombies coming, but so far they’re no threat. The police and military seem hesitant in attacking, until they figure out what is going on. You’re what? OK. I see you have your hands full.”
He hung up. Sergeant Jay Bourne was busy investigating the mayor. Stewart had his own problems so he’d just leave him to do what he had to do.
zzz
Charlie decided to head to Ray’s clothing factory. That place had to be the key to everything. Unknown to her, Sergeant Bourne had come to the same conclusion. He was aware that she was parked in the lot but chose to park out on the street. He’d keep an eye on her and see what developed. These teens were always up to something, even if it did keep Portland safe. But usually they didn’t fill him in until they had reached the boring point where cleanup needed to be done. This time around, he wanted to be ready. He loaded his pistol with bullets and waited.
zzz
Zan slowly opened her front door. “Hel
lo? Anyone here?” She stepped inside. Owen was waiting for her in the car.
She quickly dashed upstairs and tossed some stuff into her backpack. She decided to leave the science equipment behind. She could either buy it or use the high school’s lab equipment. But she did grab the Star Trek Barbie Uhura that Owen had bought for her. She had a quick look around. She supposed she could come back if she wanted.
She was just running down the stairs when Owen raced up to the staircase.
“Hurry! Charlie just called. She says she’s found the thousand zombies.”
“How is that even possible? Where can they all hide?” Zan leapt the last three steps to the bottom.
They were about to head out the door when Owen stopped. “What was that sound?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care.” Zan rushed past him.
“Stop! I hear something.” He turned and ran through the living room. Nothing was there. He headed to the kitchen. “Hey, Zan! Your dad is hurt!”
“What the?” Zan raced for the kitchen. “Oh no! Dad!”
Her dad was lying on the floor, trying to sit up but couldn’t. His head was covered in blood.
She grabbed a towel and pressed it to his head. “Call 911!” she yelled at Owen.
“OK, but Charlie needs help!”
Zan glared at him.
Kowtowing to her demands, he frantically called 911. “OK, they’re on the way. You stay here. I’ll go to Charlie.” He turned and headed for the front door.
“Owen! Don’t leave me here!” Zan called after him. “Crap! It’ll be OK, Dad,” she said, patting his arm. “Don’t leave me, Owen!” she screamed at him. “We aren’t friends anymore!” But she wasn’t certain if he had heard her or not.
“It’s OK, Dad. I’m here with you. I’m sorry we fought. I’ll move back in. That was just a misunderstanding.”
She hoped her dad understood her but had a feeling he had slipped into a coma. But she still talked to him, just in case he was aware.
Had he fallen? Had someone attacked him? She had gotten sloppy and hadn’t thought to search the house first. And where was Mom?
zzz
“Call him back and tell him not to come,” demanded the zleader wannabe. She was dressed in a casual t-shirt and yoga pants.
“No!” said Charlie, unwillingly sitting in a chair, with her hands behind her back. “You can let Fay go. She has nothing to do with this.”
Fay struggled in the chair beside her. But she could not talk, as she had duct tape covering her mouth. A tear ran down her face.
“You’re not the boss here. I am!”
“What’s your name anyway?” Charlie asked.
“You may call me Wanda,” she said.
“That’s a stupid name,” said Charlie.
“OK, fine, by the time your friends get here, you’ll both be dead.” Wanda held a syringe in her hand, with a sharp, long needle.
“Go ahead, stupid,” said Charlie. But she bit her tongue, as she didn’t want her to know that she was immune to whatever zombie virus it was.
“You teens are so nosy.”
“Wow, such a clever idea,” said Charlie. “I was wondering how someone could even store a thousand zombies in Portland, considering it’s got some of the most expensive real estate in Oregon.”
Wanda looked pleased with herself. “Thank you! With the help of Fay, we created the second strain of zombie virus. Sadly, this new strain of zombie can’t bite and make more zombies. But they do love to eat people. And they can instill fear in the entire city.”
Charlie shook her head. “I can’t believe it was you who did it. I’m just sad.”
“Doesn’t matter. You won’t be around to break the news to all your friends. And hey, I just might keep Fay alive. She is super smart. Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to infect my little friends here.” Wanda tapped one of the cages that was behind her. Rustling and scratching sounds came from the cage.
Charlie squinted. She considered how her Plan A didn’t seem to be aligning with these new developments. She had no idea that this was the result of the zleader wannabe’s experiments. She didn’t know how this would go down.
Where was Owen? She’d called him several minutes ago.
“Soon, I’ll release my little friends. The entire city of Portland will be infested! And then, the city shall be mine!”
“Um,” said Charlie, clearing her throat. “I don’t see the point of this. What if you get infected?”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” said Wanda. “Fay and I developed a special vaccine. If we get infected, we are immune.”
“Wow, I’m so impressed,” said Charlie. “And I know exactly how you found that.”
Wanda laughed. “You got it.”
zzz
Owen and Sergeant Bourne met outside the clothing factory.
“So, I saw Charlie and another woman both go in,” explained Sergeant Bourne.
“OK, so people are already in there?” asked Owen.
“Yep.”
“When Charlie called, she told me she’d found the thousand zombies,” said Owen.
Bourne shook his head. “How would that many zombies fit inside that small factory? That doesn’t even make sense.”
Owen shrugged.
“OK. Time to go in,” said Bourne.
Owen was getting ready to follow him. They turned to walk down the street, only to discover that there were a couple dozen zombies blocking the entrance.
“Now what?” asked Owen.
“Now we shoot,” said Bourne, getting ready.
Owen ran to the nearest zombie. It was strange, but it didn’t seem threatening. He double-checked, but it was dead and not a human disguised as a zombie. He plunged his dagger into its skull. It dropped to the ground.
Owen was ready to take on attacking zombies, but there were none. The rest just stood there, doing nothing.
“Help!” The cries came from the building.
“Forget these guys! They’re no threat, for the moment.” Sergeant Bourne and Owen raced to the entrance.
zzz
Wanda had changed her mind. She shot Fay in the head. That’s when Charlie started screaming.
“Shut up!” said Wanda, slapping her in the face. “I’m still keeping you alive. Because I want you to be rat bait.”
Charlie struggled to undo the ropes behind her back. This woman was good. Usually, criminals just tied a basic knot, but this one was intricate.
Wanda walked up to the cages that were stacked on top of each other. Then, there were sounds of running. “What is that? Is someone here?” she asked.
She turned to look at Charlie. A strange mist surrounded her. Her eyes seemed to glow green. “Zombies at the ready,” Charlie called out.
“What the? No! I am the zleader,” she screamed. “Not you!”
The running footsteps entered the basement where they were. “What the?” yelled Owen.
Chapter 20
________________________________________
“I’ve got you covered from the back,” cried out Bourne.
“What the?” said Owen again. “These are rats!”
“Wow, can’t fool you,” said Wanda, still holding her gun.
Owen walked around the cages. “So, these are the zombies?” As he got closer, some of the rats in the cages leapt at him. Fortunately, the cage held them.
“Yes, what better way? There was no way I could find a thousand humans to infect, even if I worked at the hospital full-time.”
“Oh my god, Zan!” said Owen, recognizing Wanda. He ran over to where Charlie was, but she’d already gotten loose from her bonds.
“I know, Owen,” said Charlie.
“How could you do this?” yelled Owen.
“I want to be mayor of Portland,” said Wanda. “I want money, and I want fame. I think that I’ve covered all the bases.”
“Same old, same old,” said Charlie. “I’ve been doing this for a while. So, you manufactured your own zombie v
irus out of the original one that infested Portland last fall.”
Wanda paced the room. “Why are we covering old shit again?”
Owen saw Sergeant Bourne behind the stairs. He shook his head to stay out of the way.
“OK, so you release your little pets. Can you be confident they’re going to eat people? Seems to me like that’s going to be a lengthy process.” Charlie laughed.
“Oh, these rats are ravenous. They can eat several people each day. Nom nom nom,” said Wanda.
“And how do you think Zan will feel about it?” said Owen.
“Oh, Zan, she does her own thing. Doesn’t matter. She’ll be out of my hair after she graduates. She can look after herself.”
“Did you hurt her dad?” asked Owen.
Charlie looked over at him in concern.
“Yes, he’d figured out what I was doing. He’d been chatting with colleagues at the hospital and found out that I hadn’t been working all those long hours. Instead, I’d been in the lab.”
“Wait a minute,” said Owen. “But your husband was angry at Zan for doing her science experiments.”
“Yes, he was,” she said. “He suspected that I was up to no good. Also, I tended to stoke the fire a bit and he said he’d handle it. I was also the one who destroyed and packed up some of her equipment. I knew that she was researching the origins of the second zombie strain. I had to slow her down.”
“Wow, nicely planned,” said Owen.
Wanda smirked. “And now you shall watch as I release my friends.”
“No, you won’t,” said a familiar voice. A shot rang out.
Wanda dropped to the ground.
“Jane!” another familiar voice yelled out. “That was my hit!”
