A hoarse, “No,” came out of his mouth.
“So, your throat was too sore to talk? That’s why you haven’t said anything to me?” I asked.
Nick nodded his head gently. “And my neck has been stiff too. I hurt all over.”
“But you drank blood at school. I saw you.”
Nick’s dad laughed again. “I’m sure you saw Nurse Evans giving him his antibiotic. He’s on penicillin, and it’s pink, but it does look like blood in that funny syringe they gave us. It makes it easier for Nick to swallow his medicine.”
“So, your soul wasn’t trapped in that clay jar?” I asked, as I pointed to the mess.
We all stared at the broken jar and the dust and ash on the floor.
“So, what was in that jar?” Jake asked.
Nick’s mom stepped into the kitchen. “What’s going on down here?” She looked at us, and then at the dirt. “And who made that mess on my floor? I just mopped it before going to bed.” She moved closer. “What is it?” she asked.
I didn’t want to know.
It could be the ashes of one of The Amazing Zoltan’s family members for all I knew. I watched as it gently blew underneath Nick’s refrigerator. His mom was going to be very angry with us.
Chapter Nine
Nick sat at his desk Monday morning. Jake and I went through the day as if nothing had happened over the weekend. Our evil plan was set, and we glanced at each other throughout the day as we waited.
Cody made faces at us and continued to taunt me with his Zombie talk.
As the final bell rang, our class left the room. Nick walked with me to the playground.
“Heading to the graveyard?” Little Cody said. “Feeding time for the Zombie?”
Nick opened his mouth and said, “Hun - gry.”
Cody stepped back, as did the small crowd of our classmates.
“Way to go, Cody,” I said. “You mentioned food and now he’s hungry.”
Cody took another step back.
Nick turned to Jake. “Feed me.”
“Matthew, what can I do?” Jake asked.
I shrugged my shoulders. “We’ll have to feed him.”
“But then won’t I turn into a Zombie, too?” Jake asked.
“He’s got to eat,” I said.
“We could feed Cody to him,” Jake suggested.
Cody backed away from us.
Nick stepped closer. “Hun - gry,” he said again.
Jake offered his arm to Nick.
Nick walked to Jake and bit him. Jake fell on the ground and jerked around for a while. Nick slowly made his way toward me. “Hungry,” he said.
I raised my arm, trying to fend him off, but he grabbed my arm and bit it. I dropped to the ground next to Jake. I kicked my legs and flopped my arms all around.
Cody slowly backed up. His eyes widened as Nick turned to him.
“Jake. Rise,” he said. “Matthew. Rise.”
Our classmates gasped.
Jake and I sat up stiffly. We stood without bending our knees and shuffled over to Nick. The three of us raised our arms straight out in front of us, and we moved toward Cody.
“We want you, too,” we said together.
Cody backed up to the wall, cornered.
The three of us moved closer.
Cody pressed his back against the wall.
“You’re next,” Nick’s hoarse voice warned.
“Please no. Don’t do it,” Cody pleaded.
“You’re too mean,” Jake said.
“You’re a bully,” I said.
A wet spot appeared on Cody’s pants. He screamed and pushed between us. He went shrieking across the playground. “Zombies, Zombies, they’re all Zombies. They’re going to get me! Ahhhh!”
The three of us fell on the ground and laughed.
Our classmates cheered as we all stood and watched his stubby little body run home.
Hopefully, Little Cody had learned his lesson.
Chapter Ten
After Cody screamed and cried like a baby in front of our entire class, Nick, Jake, and I knew that he would be a lot nicer to us and to our other friends, or so we hoped.
Jake got on the bus, and we waved to him.
At home, my mom said, “Come on guys. I have some ice cream for you. I think we deserve a sundae.”
Our phone rang as Nick added caramel on top of the vanilla.
Dad put his bowl down and answered the phone. “Hello,” he said. He listened for a while, and his face became grim. “I see. I see. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
Nick poked me. “Do you think Cody ratted on us?”
Would Cody’s dad call my dad?
Dad’s expression didn’t look happy. He shook his head as he listened.
“I’m sorry. I’ll talk to them. I hope he will be okay.” Dad hung up the phone.
Oh no, busted.
Mom looked at him, confused.
“Matthew, Nick,” my dad said.
Both of our appetites for ice cream faded. We were in trouble now.
“I have some bad news to tell you. That was…”
“Cody’s dad,” I finished for him.
“No, Matthew, it was Jake’s.”
“Jake!” Nick and I said at the same time.
“After all the confusion about Nick’s surgery, Jake’s dad called us right away.”
“Why? What’s wrong? Did something happen to Jake?” Mom asked.
“It seems that Jake was bitten by a bat on his neck. He’s going to need rabies shots.”
“A bat?” Mom said.
I turned to Nick, as he turned to me.
OH NO, OUR BEST
FRIEND IS A VAMPIRE!
Author’s Bio
LANCE ZARIMBA lives in a haunted house that man who invented Old Dutch potato chips built. He works as an occupational therapist in Minneapolis, MN. He helps people with hand and finger injuries. It is only natural, that he grew up watching Dark Shadows in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and enjoys all of the classic monster movies. He has read every Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew book. His nephew, Matthew, helped him come up with the idea of Oh No, My Best Friend is a Zombie and Oh No, Our Best Friend is a Vampire. Lance is currently working on the third book in the series, Oh No, My Brother is Frankenstein’s Monster. His house is full of books, and his white schnauzer, Ripley, who helps him write his stories. He can be reached at [email protected].
Oh No, Our Best Friend is a Zombie! Page 4
