Flip This Zombie

by Jesse Petersen

  I flinched, but he wasn’t done. His voice elevated.

  “And since we somehow convinced ourselves we have to make our living in this world by chasing things that go bump in the night, that means we might die. Or worse, get bitten so that one of us might have to kill the other before they go all undead on everyone’s ass.”

  “So wait, are you saying no more zombie catching, even no more zombie killing?” I gasped.

  He gripped the steering wheel with both hands until his knuckles turned white. “Neither one of those activities seems like it’s going to ensure a nice old age with a retirement pension, Sarah.”

  I blinked as I stared down at my rough hands. Once upon a time, when I worked in an office job, they’d been soft. I’d even done home manicures and painted my nails all pretty. But today they were the hands of someone who worked to survive. Someone who had to.

  But I missed manicures. I missed being able to sleep in on a Sunday and then have waffles. I missed being able to just watch bad television at night while I munched on microwave popcorn.

  I missed normalcy even if I’d grown accustomed to not having it. Even if I’d accepted I’d probably never have it again.

  I sighed. “I realize what you’re saying,” I said softly. “But I see what Kevin showed us in that lab. And I think that might help us get to an old age, though maybe not the pension.”

  “Christ Sarah—” he started.

  I touched his face. “No, just listen to me. Really listen. What if Barnes is right? What if what he has really is a cure and all this could end? What if we could go back to the way things were? What if we all could?”

  It was The Kid who answered, not David.

  “No more camps,” he whispered. Dave blinked before he looked back at him. The Kid was looking at us. “No more zombies to run from?”

  I nodded, caught between my own hope and my desire not to give a child a false version of it.

  “Maybe,” I finally offered weakly.

  “Do you think there’s a Midwest Wall?” The Kid asked after a long hesitation.

  I glanced at David. My husband didn’t believe in any of that stuff. But he was sitting quietly, so I shrugged as an answer.

  “I don’t know. I’ve heard things, but we have to wait out the winter up North before we even think about heading that way.”

  The Kid’s shoulders slumped. “Oh.” He was quiet for a long moment and then he surprised me by continuing, “See, I have this aunt who lives in Nashville.”

  “Yeah?” I encouraged him.

  He nodded. “Maybe if there weren’t zombies, she would come and get me.”

  I smiled. This was another one of those times when I remembered The Kid was, well, a kid.

  “My mom lived in the middle of Illinois before the outbreak and I heard my Dad ran for Chicago when all this started,” I said. “Maybe they’d come get me, too.”

  Dave smiled a little. “My parents are in Virginia,” he said. “I guess they might want to get me if there weren’t any zombies.”

  I laughed. “Are you kidding? You’re probably on the back of milk cartons all over the East Coast. You’re the beloved baby of that family.”

  His smile fell. We’d had to kill his sister when she turned zombie a few months back, so I guess that made him the only child now. I reached out and touched his arm as an apology for my stupidity.

  “I’d rather say I tried to save the world than to wish I had,” I said softly.

  There was a long hesitation before Dave surprised me by nodding. “Okay, so I guess that means we keep catching for Dr. Doom in his underground lair.”

  I almost squealed in delight, but Dave looked so somber about the whole thing that I couldn’t exactly feel happy about it.

  “But that pulley thing isn’t going to work on a regular basis,” he continued. “It’s too limiting when it comes to hunting grounds and I don’t like that it requires one of us to be up and away from the other.”

  “Hey!” The Kid said from the back.

  Dave shot him a brief glance. “Others. Sorry Robbie.”

  “So we need a new way to catch, I’m okay with that. Let’s talk about it some more,” I said, anxious to show him that I was totally down with working within his limits, as long as it meant I didn’t have to quit.

  “What about a net gun?”

  Dave and I both froze before we slid around in our seats to look at the kid. He had a candy bar in his hand, though I swear I had no idea where it had come from, and he was looking at us like we were idiots.

  “And just where are we going to get a net gun from?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “Maybe Army Surplus, but you could make one, you know.”

  Dave blinked. “Really?”

  He nodded with enthusiasm. “I read about it in the library.”

  I stared. “The library? Wait, you went to the library?”

  Somehow I couldn’t picture him curled up with a book like the kid from The Neverending Story. That seemed more Lisa Simpson than Bart.

  He nodded like it was weird that I’d doubt him. “There’s tons of stuff you can learn in the library, Sarah. You should try reading.”

  I bit my tongue and glared at Dave when he dared to laugh at the brat’s little quip. “So do you remember what book the directions were in?”

  Again The Kid nodded. “Sure, it was at the Desert Sage branch of the library. You just need stuff from the hardware store.”

  Dave nodded and I started accessing the GPS to give us a route to the library that didn’t include going back toward the bionic zombie. Although I could tell David wasn’t happy about the prospect of doing this, his jaw was set as we took off.

  I just had to hope that in the end, our decision to keep catching zombies for a man he apparently despised wouldn’t be one he (or either of the rest of us) would regret.

  Outside of the camps, the libraries were probably the most happening social scene in a post-zombie world. It was funny because before the outbreak, it was so hard to get people into them and so many had struggled with funding, but after… well, they provided entertainment, information, and comfort with their books and old magazines.

  Unfortunately, the biggest local branch had been situated squarely in downtown Phoenix and had been totally destroyed in the firebombing. But lucky for us, the little Desert Sage location was far enough away from downtown and a low enough building that it hadn’t suffered any damage from the government cleansing.

  Eventually, survivors had boarded up the windows and reinforced the doors to keep the zombies from seeing the activity inside and coming to investigate. Instead of bright fluorescents that illuminated every corner, the lights were now only Coleman lamps and lanterns (we never risked candles with the books. See, we could have nice things now.).

  Once inside, we milled around with about two dozen other people. They were all kinds, from ones who were searching for information on building a shelter to building a nuclear device to kids curled up with Huckleberry Finn or Anne of Green Gables. Dave broke away from us and started hitting the others up for information about the new zombies and anything else of use.

  Meanwhile, The Kid and I went to the back of the library, to a long-ignored corner where old-fashioned, hard-copy library catalog cabinets stood. When we opened them, they smelled like musty paper and ink, delightful. But I didn’t have much time to enjoy the nostalgia. We had to find that book The Kid claimed had directions for a net gun.

  And damn if the brat wasn’t right. Not only was there a how-to book on that subject, but it contained all kinds of other useful build-it-yourself projects, too. If only the damned copy machine could be made to work….

  I thought of Kevin’s shining lab. I bet he had a copier I could use if we managed to bring back another zombie. I glanced around. There wasn’t anyone nearby to see me, so I blocked the view of my backpack and gently opened it. The Kid stared at me as I gingerly slipped the book between all the other stuff inside my bag and then covered it up with the hoodi
e I had put on in the cool morning air.

  Taking the books from the library had become a no-no since the outbreak. Especially books like this that could aid and assist other survivors in the fight.

  What I was really supposed to do was place the book on the tables that had been shoved together in the center of the room. They were special books that contained everything a human in a zombie-crazed world could want. Books on water purification and agriculture and weaponry and building exactly the kind of shit you always saw on television on Survivor or Lost or whatever.

  As I zipped back up, The Kid glared at me.

  “So there are no rules anymore?” he asked.

  I almost laughed. Now he was lecturing me on good and bad behavior? The same kid who had resorted to blackmail to get what he wanted just a few hours before?

  I shook my head and glanced around to make sure no one had heard his annoyed statement. “Chill out. I’ll bring it back after I see if Kevin can make a copy. He’s got to have a copier in that lab.”

  The Kid shrugged. “Do you like him?”

  I blinked. “Huh? Who, Kevin?”

  The Kid nodded. “Yeah. I think he likes you.”

  Heat flooded my cheeks and I jerked my gaze across the library toward David. He was standing with some guy I didn’t recognize having what looked to be a pretty intense conversation. Good thing, too. I doubted he’d like hearing what The Kid had to say.

  “Don’t be stupid,” I hissed. “You don’t have a girl you like, do you?”

  The Kid made a face. “Ew. Girls? Um, cooties.”

  “Well, that’s how I feel about Kevin. Dr. Barnes. And he doesn’t like me, he just wants what I can give him.”

  I hesitated as I ran that sentence back in my head and realized it actually made the situation sound worse, not better. I hurried to correct myself.

  “Zombies, I mean. He likes that I can bring him zombies for his lab.”

  The Kid looked incredulous, but then shrugged like he didn’t care. “Whatever.”

  I jumped as Dave suddenly appeared beside us. “Whatever what?”

  “Nothing,” I said, a little sharper than I had intended to sound. Dave’s brow wrinkled at my tone and he tilted his head like he was going to press further. I grasped for any subject to put him off the one The Kid and I had been discussing. “So any news from the others in here?”

  It worked. Dave’s concern and confusion fled, but his face grew long and worried over something else instead. “Not a lot, unfortunately. A few of them had more reports of… bionics or whatever you want to call them. No fights so far, at least none anyone has survived to report, but lots of distance sightings. It’s starting to freak people out.”

  I flinched as I was forced to remember the zombie on the hill over the highway. I wanted to forget him, but he was on my mind constantly now.

  Dave continued. “And that guy over there says no one has seen Jimmy No-Toes since the last time we got called out to see him.”

  I stared, my thoughts of super monsters fading a fraction. “What? Really?”

  Dave nodded, grim. “Yeah. Apparently he was supposed to do some trading at the barbershop with some people. They waited half a day for him, but he never showed.”

  I shifted. “The guy is a flake, for sure, but that’s not like him to avoid a trade meeting. If there’s profit to be had, he wouldn’t miss a date.”

  A sigh was Dave’s response. “Don’t get me wrong, the guy is a shit, but I don’t like the idea of him getting zombiefied or anything.”

  The Kid shifted uncomfortably next to us and when I looked down I was surprised to see how miserable he looked. Shit. It was so hard to remember he was just a boy in all of this. And sometimes talking about scary things made a child into a child again.

  I motioned my head toward him and Dave blanched as he saw the same thing I did.

  “Oh, Christ, Kid, I’m sorry,” he said as he reached down to ruffle the boy’s hair. “I’m talking out my ass. Probably this guy we’re talking about just decided to take off for greener pastures.”

  All of us knew he was lying, but The Kid forced a smile anyway. Dave returned it and continued, “So, did you find your net gun instructions?”

  The Kid looked at me. “Yeah. Sarah stole the book.”

  I shook my head. “Fucking tattletale.”

  Dave stared at me. “You’re stealing the book?” he whispered after a brief glance around us.

  I shrugged and decided not to mention my plans for favors from Kevin involving copy machines.

  “I just thought it might help us not to have to copy everything by hand,” I explained without looking at him.

  Dave looked at me weird.

  “I’ll bring it back,” I promised.

  The Kid snorted, but we were blissfully interrupted when we were approached by some newcomers. I smiled as Josh and Drea, our friends from the camp, came into the library. They saw us and made a beeline in our direction.

  “Hey, you two!” I said, relieved for their interruption. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  Drea hugged me briefly and waved at David, then she looked down at our companion.

  “Who’s your little friend?” she asked, though I caught her sending a side glance at Josh. His normally friendly face was solemn and even sad as he stared at the little boy who stood with us.

  The Kid glared at her. “I’m not little.”

  She shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

  “What’s your name?” Josh asked quietly as he continued to stare at The Kid.

  “Robbie,” The Kid answered, but for once there wasn’t anything snotty to his tone. He actually smiled at our friend briefly.

  “He was helping me find a book,” I offered as some kind of explanation as to why he was with us. I liked Josh and Drea a lot, but I wasn’t ready to start spreading the word about what we were doing here.

  “Well, I was looking for a book, myself,” Josh said. “Want to help?”

  The Kid shrugged one shoulder. “I guess.”

  The two of them started off toward the catalog where Robbie and I had looked up the book tucked into my backpack. Drea watched them go with a sigh.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Yeah, I just hope he is.”

  “Why?” Dave asked as he looked off toward our friend and our unwanted guest. They were talking as they flipped through the cards together.

  She blinked and I was surprised to see tears in her eyes. “Josh had a little boy. A bit younger than your kid, but…”

  I flinched as her sentence trailed off. There was only one ending to it. “I had no idea.”

  “It’s okay.” Drea shrugged. “It just kind of hits him sometimes.”

  I nodded. We all had our moments.

  Dave shifted in discomfort since there wasn’t exactly anything you could say to make the situation better. “So what are you guys doing here?”

  Drea stopped staring off into the distance and smiled as she swiped at her tears. “Doing a little research on chemical grenades. They might be good for distance fighting and clearing buildings that are already useless for anything else.”

  My eyes went wide at the idea. “Chemical grenades? Isn’t that super dangerous?”

  Drea nodded. “Yup.”

  Before we could press her further, Josh and The Kid came back with a card in hand.

  “Pretty fucking dangerous,” Josh interjected as he ruffled The Kid’s hair. “But don’t worry. I was almost Dr. Josh before the plague struck. I know what I’m doing.”

  “You’re a chemist?” The Kid asked with wide eyes.

  Josh nodded. “Or I would have been, anyway, if everything hadn’t gotten all fucked up. But hey, I wanted to take a sabbatical anyway, so I guess this has been it.”

  Dave chuckled. “Huh, I like that. We’ve all just been on sabbatical.”

  “What’s a sabbatical?” The Kid asked, his brow wrinkling.

  “A vacation.” Drea sighed as if the idea was heave
nly. And it totally was.

  The Kid shook his head as he started off toward the library entrance. “You guys are weird.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh and so did the rest of them.

  “I guess that’s our cue to leave,” Dave said as he saluted our friends briefly.

  “Yeah.” Josh looked after The Kid for a minute. “Take care of him.”

  “We will,” I said softly.

  “Bye!” The Kid said as he turned with a smile for our friends.

  We said some brief good-byes to the pair and then followed The Kid. We found him waiting near the checkout desk, watching Josh and Drea head into the stacks.

  “What’s up with them?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “Just good people, trying to make it out of a bad situation. Like the rest of us.”

  “If he’s a chemist, maybe he could help us,” The Kid said softly.

  Dave shook his head. “Well, I don’t know about that. There’s no reason to tell our business to the world.”

  “At least not yet,” I said as I steered our little group toward the doors that led to the library foyer. “But maybe in the future.”

  Dave nodded and as we exchanged a look I could tell we were on the same page. Nice since we hadn’t been the past few days.

  “Yeah, I could definitely see turning to them in the future,” he said.

  I shook my head. Right now the only future I could think about was the one that involved a new toy.

  I grinned at the very thought. I’d always liked toys. “Let’s get out of here and get to the hardware store. If we can get this gun built today, we could have a new zombie by tomorrow midday!”

  Dave opened his mouth as if to say more, but then shut it again. I was almost glad. We’d been bickering way too much lately and I really didn’t want to start round three with a library full of strangers and a child who was likely to blurt out that I had a secret boyfriend to my surprisingly jealous husband. Or a stolen book to what could quickly turn into a mob.

  I led the way out of the building and into the desert sun. As soon as we were out the door, though, we were greeted by not only the late morning heat and the sparkling blue sky, but a collection of three zombies pacing around our van across the small parking lot.