Serial Killer Z: Shadows

by Philip Harris

  When Cali spoke, there was an almost reverent tone to her voice. “It was… magnificent.”

  Peter shook his head, slowly. “I bet it was.”

  Behind him, Olivia’s anger had returned. Her jaw clenched. She seemed about ready to take a swing at Cali.

  “I can make you feel that way,” Cali said. She glanced at Olivia. “Both of you.”

  Peter licked his lips. “H—How?” The word came out cracked.

  Cali leaned across the table toward him. She cupped one hand around the side of his head and pulled him closer, placing her mouth near his ear. She whispered something, and Peter’s eyes widened.

  Then her hand swept from beneath the table, and she slipped a syringe into his neck. Peter tried to pull away, but Cali had already depressed the plunger and removed the syringe.

  Peter scrambled back from her, his hand pressed against his neck. “What did you do?” His voice was tight, strained.

  Olivia grabbed his shoulder “Peter! What’s the matter?”

  Peter blinked, grimacing. “She… stabbed me.”

  Fine black lines had already begun to spread from the injection site. They crawled across Peter’s neck, disappearing beneath his suit. He blinked, his eyes becoming unfocused. Dark tendrils crept across his cheek.

  “Peter? What’s the matter?” Olivia said. She turned on Cali. “What did you do to him? Was that cocaine?”

  Peter’s eyes widened, and he let out a gasp. Dense black foam formed at the corners of his mouth. He made a thick, wet choking sound and clutched his throat. His mouth opened and closed. He pulled in one rasping breath. His eyes fell on me, and he reached out, grabbing at my sleeve. His fingers dug into my arm.

  “Please…” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

  I pulled away.

  Peter twitched and shook, his feet thumping against the floor. No one in the auditorium was paying any attention to us. The sound was drowned out by the music, and they were all too deep in their own conversations.

  He took another tight breath then fell back against the seat. Foam bubbled inside his mouth until it overflowed and ran down his chin, soaking his shirt.

  Olivia shook him. “Peter? Peter!”

  His head lolled sideways. The web of black veins was spreading quicker now, and they’d reached his eyes. An oily blackness crept slowly across them, turning them black. Viscous black fluid seeped from Peter’s nose.

  Olivia pushed him away and turned on Cali, her terrified eyes wide. “Help him!”

  Cali lunged across the table and grabbed Olivia by the hair. The femme fatale act had gone. Now her face was twisted in manic, violent glee. She yanked Olivia’s head back and slid another syringe into the woman’s neck.

  Olivia’s eyes filled with tears. “No!” She tried to knock Cali’s hand away, but the serum was already gone.

  Cali pulled the syringe out and slipped the used sharp into her purse. She regarded Olivia with a startling intensity, staring at the young woman as she clawed at her neck.

  A spider web of fine black lines spread across Olivia’s skin. They were moving quicker than they had through Peter. Within seconds, they’d made their way down her neck and across the pale skin of her chest.

  Olivia tried to cry out, but the words came out dry and rasping. Now it was her turn to look to me for help. Her eyes pleaded with me. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to form the words that would convince me to save her.

  I watched the realization that I wasn’t going to help wash over her. Tears poured down her cheeks. She tried to push past Peter to get away, but she staggered and slipped. Her chin cracked the edge of the table. She let out a strangled cry of pain and forced herself upright again. Blood poured from her mouth.

  The fear in her eyes grew deeper. She clawed at her throat. Her shoulders heaved as she tried to drag air into her lungs. She managed two shallow, hitching breaths, then even that became impossible.

  The blood running from her mouth darkened, steadily turning black. The dark veins stretched right across her face. Black fluid ran from her nose, running slowly over her flesh like warm tar. Her eyes flickered closed. When she opened them again, they were covered by a thin gray film. Her head fell forward until her chin rested on her chest. She fell still.

  Chapter 27

  Olivia Rising

  Cali leaned across the table and positioned Peter and Olivia so that they were embracing each other. The tracery of veins and the sticky blackness dripping down their faces shattered any illusion their positioning might create, but as long as no one looked too closely they’d look like a couple that had just had too much to drink.

  Cali leaned back, admiring her handiwork. “That’s better.”

  “Now what?” I said.

  “We wait and see what happens.”

  “Aren’t they just going to become zombies?”

  “They might. The effects of the serum vary a lot from person to person.” She gestured toward the two bodies. “The initial stages are almost identical, but how they turn, if they even do, seems to be unique to each subject.”

  Subject. It was a word I’d used hundreds of times myself to describe my own victims.

  Cali’s eyes were locked on the couple. There was excitement there, but something else, too. Nervousness? Was she afraid of being so close to her subjects?

  Olivia moved first. The fingers of her right hand twitched slightly. The movement was small and easy to miss, but then her entire hand flicked upward. A few seconds later, her head jerked to the side.

  The movement unsettled Peter, and he slid sideways. His head lolled on his neck. The foam that had formed inside his mouth bubbled and hissed. His eyes were open. They were a milky gray color.

  “He’s gone,” Cali said.

  “Gone?”

  “About ten percent of the time, the serum just kills the subject outright.”

  A quiet murmur came from the other side of the booth. Olivia was clearly one of the ninety percent. Slowly, she raised her head. The black threads had faded almost completely, but her skin had taken on a blueish gray tinge, and her eyes were the black orbs of the living dead. She moaned again and reached unsteadily across the table toward us.

  “Time to go,” Cali said.

  I stood and headed toward the entrance, but Cali tapped my shoulder and directed me over to another booth. It was empty and close to the door if we needed to make a quick exit. When we needed to make a quick exit. We slipped into the booth. None of the crowd had noticed the threat in their midst.

  Olivia’s gaze locked on the nearest group of people. She shoved Peter’s body. It fell sideways, and she was forced to clamber over it to get out of the booth. She stumbled, regained her balance, and took an uneven step toward a group of three men having an intense conversation. One of them, the tallest and oldest of the group, was gesticulating wildly. The other men were watching him intently, oblivious to their surroundings. The older man swung his arms out wide. Olivia lunged toward the man’s outstretched wrist and sank her teeth into it.

  The man’s screams cut through the noisy room. He managed to pull his arm free and staggered back into the other two men, but Olivia had already torn a chunk of flesh from his wrist. The man’s face contorted in pain. He grabbed his arm, blood pouring from between his fingers and soaking his shirt. The two men he’d been talking to were frozen in place. He barged between them in an effort to get away from Olivia.

  Someone shouted, “Zombie!”

  Most of the audience turned toward the stage, perhaps expecting to see Monstro making a triumphant return. The few that looked in the right direction saw Olivia. Confused frowns appeared on their faces.

  Olivia’s mouth dropped open. Blood coated her teeth. She’d found her undead legs, and when she stepped toward her next victim, her movements were quick and sure. She reached the two other men just as they realized the danger they were in. One of them threw himself backward out of her reach, but the other, a man in a white tuxedo, ran at her. He tackled he
r, jamming his shoulder into her chest and forcing her backward. The impact lifted her off her feet. They slammed into a table and crashed to the floor.

  Tuxedo lifted himself up and raised his fist, ready to slam it down into Olivia’s face, but she was too quick. She grabbed the back of his neck, just as Cali had done to her, and pulled him down into her waiting jaws. He screamed. Blood gushed from his throat, staining the tuxedo scarlet.

  The violence finally broke the confusion that had been holding everyone in place. Dozens of people screamed. A few of them headed straight to the fire exits at the sides of the room, but most ran toward the main entrance. The doors were narrow, and they quickly became jammed with people fighting to get out. One man tripped and went down. The people behind clambered over him, crushing him in their desperation to get away. Someone’s boot landed on his neck, snapping it.

  Cali was smiling.

  The man Olivia had bitten first was nearby, still clutching his bloody arm. He spun slowly in place, a stunned look on his face. His skin was pale and slicked with sweat. A young woman in a purple dress ran past him. He grabbed her shoulder, but she pulled away and was gone.

  Olivia rose to her feet and took a step toward the injured man. Then she turned away and stalked in the direction of the crowd trying to fight their way through the main doors.

  A woman in a dark pant suit with long white hair was standing at the back of the crowd. She heard Olivia’s approach and had time to turn and start to cry out before the zombie bit into her face. The woman’s screams increased in pitch, then cut off as Olivia tore open her throat.

  Olivia let the woman collapse to the floor and waded into the throng of people trying to get away. Her presence intensified the panic. A man at the front cried out. He twisted, clutching his knee, and went down. Someone tried to help him back up, but she too was knocked off her feet. The crowd surged forward, trampling the fallen couple.

  A young woman ran past us. Her dress was torn, and there was blood pouring down her face from a cut on her forehead.

  Cali laughed. “Run, little one!”

  Olivia grabbed the shoulder of a man in a bright orange suit. He twisted away and started running toward the emergency exit. Olivia leaped on him. She landed on his back, wrapped her legs around his stomach and bit into his neck. He took a few more steps before his momentum and her weight carried him over. His face slammed into the floor. Olivia lifted her head, tearing a strip of flesh from his neck.

  Four men in body armor forced their way through the crowd at the door, quickly fanning out across the room. They trained assault rifles on Olivia, who now seemed content to sit atop the man in the orange suit, chewing slowly. Occasionally, she tore a new chunk of flesh from his body and put it into her mouth.

  Most of the people had found their way out of the room. Half a dozen bodies lay on the floor. Three more people were holding injuries and moaning.

  One of the armored men pointed a finger at us. “You two, get out now!”

  Cali smiled broadly and rose. I followed suit.

  We obviously weren’t moving quickly enough because the man shouted at us again. “Out!”

  She walked slowly across the room, picking her way between the fallen patrons. She passed as close to the man who’d shouted at us as she could. I kept my distance.

  The lobby was empty apart from a small contingent of soldiers in black body armor. As soon as they saw Cali and me, they urged us to leave the building. They weren’t quite as insistent as the man inside, but the carefree pace of Cali’s exit had them jabbing their fingers angrily at the exit. She smiled at them as we passed. Her eyes were filled with happiness.

  One of the soldiers pushed open the cinema door. Cali thanked him, and we stepped out into the cool air. The crackle of gunfire came from the auditorium behind us.

  Chapter 28

  Cracks

  Most of the club’s patrons were standing outside in the alley. They’d re-formed into small groups. Nervous chatter echoed off the walls, but the fear in people’s faces was already fading, replaced by excitement. They’d survived a real outbreak. This was something they could tell their friends.

  P.K. moved between the groups, tenderly touching shoulders and whispering assurances as she checked in with people to make sure they were okay. Before P.K. reached us, Cali turned down the alley, away from the club. No one was paying any attention to us. If they’d seen Cali with Olivia and Peter, they hadn’t made the connection or seen her inject them.

  A soldier in body armor stood at the end of the alley. He was carrying an automatic rifle, but it was pointing at the ground. His finger was well away from the trigger. As we approached, he straightened his back and shifted position slightly so that he was between us and the main street.

  Cali pressed her hand against her mouth. “Oh, officer. How can I ever thank you?” she said, her voice breathless.

  The man blinked. “I—”

  She took a look over her shoulder. Her eyes glistened. “That—That thing in there. It was just ghastly!”

  “I know, miss, but—”

  Cali threw her arms around the soldier and hugged him so tightly, he almost overbalanced. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

  The soldier stuttered. His hands hovered in midair just above Cali’s back, not sure whether to return the hug. “It—It’s nothing, really.”

  Cali hugged him tighter. “It’s everything.”

  After a few awkward seconds, she pulled away. “I can’t believe you put yourself on the line like this, every day. How do you do it?”

  Trying to regain his composure, the man coughed and tugged his body armor straight.

  “I—well, I…”

  Cali tilted her head, her lower lip caught beneath her teeth.

  The soldier glanced at me for a second. “It’s who I am, miss.”

  I stifled a laugh.

  Cali leaned forward, smiling. “I love a brave man in a uniform.” She reached up and lightly brushed his cheek with the tips of her fingers.

  A deep blush spread across the man’s face. He swallowed.

  Cali began to laugh—a deep-throated, mischievous sound. She stepped back from the soldier and grabbed me by the arm. “Come on, B, let’s go home.”

  She led me briskly past the soldier. When I looked back, he was still staring after us, his mouth slightly open.

  Jon was waiting for us a couple of blocks down the street, leaning against the hood of the SUV with his arms folded across his chest. He saw us, pushed himself upright, and walked slowly around to the passenger side.

  Cali sighed and pulled my arm tighter. I could feel the heat of her skin through her dress. “Wasn’t that incredible?” She tilted her head back and sighed again. Her face was awash with excitement. “That was my first time.” She smiled. “Injecting them with the serum, I mean.” Her eyes widened. “I’m hooked!”

  She’d reacted almost as strongly at the club, when Jon had released the zombie. In fact, I’d seen a hint of it before the outbreak, at the HNR lab. I’d had that first zombie trapped, but Cali had tacitly encouraged me to set it free. I wondered if that had been the beginning of her obsession. Or did she already have her own shadow by that point? Either way, administering the serum had taken things to a whole other level. Excitement flowed off her in waves.

  Without speaking, Jon opened the passenger door. Cali climbed in and slid across to the other side. I followed her. Jon slammed the door shut.

  Cali looked at me and grimaced. “I think he’s angry with me,” she whispered.

  The driver’s door opened, and Jon got in.

  “We can go home now,” Cali said. “I think we’ve had enough excitement for one evening.”

  Jon nodded sharply and pulled away from the curb.

  Cali leaned back in the seat, arching her back and letting out a low moan. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep as it is.” She looked at me and smiled. “I guess I’ll have to find a way to tire myself out.”

  I tur
ned toward the window and watched the city streaming by. I didn’t share Cali’s enthusiasm for the events at the club. There might have been a time when the shadow would have reveled in the chaos, just as Cali did, but not anymore. I wasn’t shocked or revolted or even afraid. I just felt numb.

  There was something that intrigued me though. Monstro. Yes, it had been a zombie, and yes, it had been driven by a desire to kill Falcon, but there was something else, too. It hadn’t acted with the mindlessness I’d seen in every other zombie since the outbreak. It had waited for Falcon to leave himself exposed and then chosen that moment to attack. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have said it had set a trap. And it had torn off his armor to get at him. It was as though there was some intelligence there.

  “Where does P.K. get the zombies like Monstro?” I said.

  Cali frowned at me. “There’s a store down on Main Street.”

  I stared at her, stunned.

  She rolled her eyes. “I was joking. I don’t know where she gets them from. Why?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing.”

  “She doesn’t have the serum, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  It hadn’t even occurred to me. “No. It wasn’t that.”

  She shrugged and settled back into her seat again.

  Jon drove quickly, accelerating through lights and almost throwing the car around the corners. Ten minutes later, we pulled into the parking garage beneath Cali’s building.

  Cali took my arm again as we walked to the elevator. Jon followed a few paces behind us. Inside the elevator, Cali pressed the button marked PH1.

  I reached over to press the button for my own floor, and she knocked my hand away. “Come up for a nightcap.”

  “No, thank you. It’s been a long day and I’m really tired.”

  “Oh, come on. It’s only whatever time it is. Just come up for a few minutes.” Her eyes widened. “We can make plans for tomorrow evening.”

  I didn’t want there to be plans for tomorrow evening. I shook my head and pressed the PH2 button. “I’m sorry, it’ll have to just be you and Jon.”