Zombie Hunter

by A. Giacomi

  The man closest to me introduces himself as “Jim” my best friend in the whole world. If that were the case, why couldn’t I remember him? The ball scratcher was James and the lovely lady in the corner was Rachel, now something about her seemed familiar at least, but I couldn’t put my finger on what.

  “You don’t remember us do you?” Jim says with a strange grin.

  “Not really no…should I?”

  “Well you would think you’d remember your friends, but I guess you don’t even remember who you are huh?”

  Jim was right about that, when I tried to think really hard I couldn’t remember where I was born, my parents, or even my name. My mind was like a blank slate. The shock of it made me want to get up and pace the room, but when I try to move I wince in pain. This is the first time I glance at my limbs and body and feel a sharp pain by my temple. I’m nearly purple in color. What the hell happened? But before I can ask it, Jim is already at my side with an explanation.

  “Look, you were in a real bad accident. A hit and run, just awful. I swear if we find those bastards who hit you, we’ll hang them!”

  Jim said this with such ferocity that it scared me a little, but surely someone this passionate about my safety could be trusted? I look over at James who nods with every word Jim utters. Rachel continues to bite her nails and is now pacing the room. It’s as though she’s hesitant to say something.

  Looking back to Jim I ask, “How long have I been in this bed?”

  “A little over a week. You would open your eyes from time to time so we knew you were alive, but you couldn’t respond. You did keep asking for Eve. Does that name ring a bell?”

  Jim and James watch me intently; I guess they expected me to know who that was when I didn’t even know who I was. I shake my head. “No, never heard that name before.”

  “Ok, well get some rest then, take it slow the next couple of days. You didn’t seem to break anything, you lucky dog, but you have some major bruising to almost every part of you, so it’s going to be a challenge to start farming. I’ll have some others take over until you’re ready. Sound good?” Jim says with a wink.

  “Farming?” I say with total and utter confusion.

  Jim slaps his forehead. “Right you wouldn’t remember your job either. There’s a lot that you won’t know, so it might be safer if you stay in the house. Rachel here can fill you in. She’s our cook and cleaning lady. So if you need anything, just holler for her.” He walks over to Rachel slaps her ass and leaves the room. James follows him and Rachel is left staring at the ground, she seemed mortified.

  Before I knew what I was saying, the words come blurting out, “They don’t hurt you do they?”

  Rachel shakes her head. “No never, I just don’t get treated like much of a human being around here is all. I’m the help.”

  “Are we friends?” I ask, trying to change the subject, which had noticeably made her uncomfortable.

  “Yes, I guess we are. We’d only just met before your accident, but you were nice to me and seem like a good guy.” She glances at the floor again. I could feel that there was something she was burning to tell me, but I didn’t want to pry, perhaps in time she would tell me.

  “Could you do me a favor, Rachel?”

  She nods. “Of course!”

  “Could I trouble you for something to eat? I’m starving,” I say as I rub my belly.

  She chuckles. “Of course, Cam, coming right up!”

  “Cam? Is that me?”

  Rachel bites her lip nervously and says, “Yup,” before scurrying out of the room. Something was off about her.

  ***

  The next week proves to be an info dump as well as a physical challenge. All the bruising made walking around pure agony, but I refused to spend more time sitting in that bed. I wanted to know who I was, who my friends were and most importantly where the heck I was. From what I could gather so far we were in Canada, on a farm, in a small community called Fenelon Falls. None of that really meant anything to me, none of it sounded familiar. The one thing I found really odd was that there was no electricity. When I asked why, people would just look away. There was something they wanted to spare me knowing, but I just had to know what that was. Ignorance was only bliss if you wanted the bliss. In my mind ignorance was torture.

  Jim and James had also told me that I wasn’t allowed to leave the town, there was something very dangerous in the outskirts and that I would find out soon enough exactly what that was. They told me I would need to learn how to use a gun, so one afternoon they take me far out from any of the houses and give me some shooting practice. A few cans on a fence post await me. James hands me a gun and explains how it works. I hold the small handgun steady and fire at the first can knocking it down with ease. Jim and James stare at me in astonishment.

  “Now where the heck did you learn that?” James says grinning and giving his brother a punch in the arm. “Do it again, Cam!”

  “I’ll try,” I say modestly believing it was only beginners luck anyway.

  The next can is taken out just as easily, so I go for the third and the fourth. I nail each can and can’t help but feel a bit of pride along with a lot of confusion.

  Jim looks just as confused and asks, “Who the hell are you?” His confused look turns into a scowl and he grabs me by my collar and pins me against a tree. “Why did you come here? Who are you?” he asks again furiously.

  “I don’t know who I am. I don’t know how I did that. It just felt…simple. Call it luck. I don’t know,” I say trying to calm Jim down. He had a temper for sure, but I had never seen it directed at me before. “I hope you don’t think I’m dangerous or something, Jim. I’m not like that, I don’t have any secrets from you,” I say reassuringly.

  Jim nods as he tries to compose himself. “I’m sorry, Cam. I just want to keep this place safe and when you arrived here, we didn’t know where you came from, so maybe you have fired a gun before? And if that’s the case who knows what else you can do.”

  I nearly see a light bulb light up over Jim’s head as he says, “You know what? I think your farming days are over…I think we need you on patrol.”

  I wasn’t sure what patrol meant, but I agree to it because smoothing things over with Jim seemed like the smart choice to make. In my short time here, it was clear that you didn’t question him, you followed him and all was well with the world.

  Jim and James explain that tomorrow I would start my training; they don’t say what that entails, but that I should have a good meal and a lot of rest.

  As I walk toward the house, I see Rachel pulling some vegetables from the small garden out front. She waves to me and mentions that dinner will be ready shortly. Smiling and waving back I notice something lurking behind her, when it begins to gain speed I lose my smile and start springing toward her yelling, “Rachel run!”

  She looks terrified and frozen to the spot.

  I make it just in time to throw her to the side before the creature pounced. It takes me to the ground and smells putrid. Its form is human, but its eyes are dead, its teeth are ready, and its body showed obvious signs of decay. I place my hands at its throat trying to keep its chomping teeth away from me. It’s so strong for something so frail looking.

  I call to Rachel, “Get me a weapon, something, anything.”

  She snaps out of her stupor and begins searching around the garden for something to use. I hear her hands tearing through the grass feverishly. “I have my knife from tending to the weeds.”

  “Good, throw it over here quickly!” I scream.

  The knife lands so close to my face, I almost regret the instruction to throw it, but luckily she hadn’t hit me. I hold my right forearm against the monster’s throat, and quickly loosen my left hand from his neck and reach for the knife. Taking the knife steadily in my hand I jab it right through the monster’s ear and it goes limp.

&n
bsp; I roll the body off of me and remain on the ground trying to regain my strength. I feel all the soreness return to my body and I’m not even sure how I accomplished killing this thing. I guess adrenaline can be useful at times.

  Soon Rachel appears above me. “Are you alright?” she asks softly as she tries to help me rise. When I get onto my feet she stares deeply into my eyes. “Thank you,” she says quickly and then runs inside the house.

  Well, that was odd, but I suppose this entire situation was odd. I inspect the strange rotted creature laying on the ground beside me, kicking it to be sure it was dead. Jim and James come shortly after, they had heard Rachel’s screams and came running with guns at the ready.

  Without a word they look to me and then the body beside me. They didn’t look very surprised by it being here, which meant they knew something about what this thing was, and it wasn’t the first time they’d seen it!

  Jim starts laughing. “I guess training got started early, Cam. Well done.”

  Jim and James clap and rather than feeling heroic, I simply felt stupid, there was clearly much more I had to learn.

  Over dinner, Jim and James explain about the zombies that plague the surrounding areas. An outbreak had begun a few months ago, and it only got worse and worse in the cities. The outskirts were safer, but there were few survivors. They explained that Fenelon Falls survived because they had brought the town together and taught them how to keep the zombies away and protect themselves from attack.

  After our chat at dinner, I felt lucky to be part of such a well-established town. It seemed they were few and far between these days, and although I couldn’t remember how I got here in the first place, I felt certain that it was pure luck and I was grateful. I couldn’t wait to start my training tomorrow as a hunter of these “things.” I didn’t like the word zombie, it made them seem less real, and they were as real as real could be!

  CHAPTER FOUR

  EVE

  “I thought you said we were close? It’s been two days!” I scream at Vincent.

  “Well, he’s closer than a whole country away! That’s good news!” he says as he sniffs the air like some forest dwelling creature.

  He was truly like an animal now, able to sniff out certain scents that he had only encountered for seconds back at the CSIS facility. I was astonished when he said he could smell a young man’s scent on the way out of the building, and he could smell Agent William’s rotting stench heading that same way. I asked Vincent if I would eventually earn this talent and he assured me I would once the virus had taken over most of my brain. Whatever part of Vincent was left, he assured me took a daily struggle to maintain. His words repeated in my brain, “The virus will fight against your will to remain human, and eventually, even with your best efforts, you will lose.”

  Most days I wish I hadn’t asked him was it was like, maybe it would be easier to keep going if I didn’t know what would eventually happen to me. It felt so stupid to worry about being dead when I was already dead.

  Throwing myself to the ground I shout, “I need a rest!” I feel pulsing inside me, a growing heat as though I am on fire.

  “Eve, what is it?” Vincent asks with an exasperated look on his face.

  “I don’t think I have much time left, Vincent,” I say as I roll up my sleeves to reveal the growing blue toxic veins, pieces of my skin peel away as I roll up the fabric.

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Vincent says scratching his head.

  “I didn’t know how to tell you. I just wanted to keep going. There’s no stopping it anyway. So what’s the point?” I roll my sleeves back down, concealing my rotting veins.

  Vincent hangs his head before speaking again. “You have a little less than twenty-four hours before the virus takes over most of you and you become like me. After that, it will become a struggle to control your body, every waking moment will be agony, a battle between good and evil. You must fight it with all you have, Eve, or else we’ll never get to Cam.”

  Knowing full well I didn’t want to fail, I ask, “Is there anything I can do to help fight it?”

  Vincent sighs. “Just don’t listen to the voices.”

  “Voices?” There was always more to this, wasn’t there?

  “Yes voices, they will be commanding you, trying to trick you, trying to get you to succumb to the Azrael Virus. You must block them out. This is how you fight; this is how you will continue forward.”

  I nod while staring quizzically at him. “So do you hear these same voices then?”

  “Yes, I even hear them now. They’re telling me to shut up and stop helping you. That I should kill you.”

  Well, that was comforting.

  I decide it best to ask Vincent no further questions. Instead, I send him out to hunt; fighting this virus might be easier with some fuel.

  When he returns he holds two squirrels still squirming by their tails. He chucks one at me and I feverishly tear into it. Stealing its life-force and limbs as quickly as I can. It is over in seconds and I’m left to dream about food as we set up camp for the night.

  Vincent no longer sleeps; he told me that he worries the virus will take him in this most vulnerable state. So instead he sits up all night, still and stiff as any dead guy should be. The only difference is he stares up at the stars, identifying them, counting them. This seemed to be his only joy now.

  I decide that sleeping didn’t seem that bad just yet and I was still willing to try it. So I allow myself to drift off.

  The nightmares come quickly. First, my mind goes to Alex. I watch her die a dozen times before the dreams shift to Cam. He hates me, he spits fiery words at me and then begins to throw stones as if I were a sinner in biblical times. Oddly enough I feel each stone, it feels real, and it hurts. I try to plead with Cam to stop! But I soon realize it’s not Cam at all, it’s Marcus. He wears an evil smile as he calls out to me, telling me, “It’s all over. We’ve won.” I wasn’t sure who he was referring to, but I begin to feel that burning sensation again. Like my insides were on fire. Screams fill the inside of my brain, I want to wake up, but I can’t.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  VINCENT

  Eve’s screams pulse through the air. I can feel the zombies in the vicinity awaken from their stationary state, they know we’re here. I had been having this sneaking suspicion since leaving the CSIS lab that we were being followed, but I could have never imagined it would be the dead lurking around and waiting to hunt us down. I hadn’t told Eve about this suspicion, I thought if we kept moving we would eventually lose them. They were slower, but by no means weaker. If we could simply stay ahead of them we would have the advantage.

  Shaking Eve proves to be useless. Her eyes remain shut as she screams and twitches in the night. Although the night is cool, her flesh is on fire and beads of sweat begin to appear on her brow.

  The fever had her now and there would be no way to wake her until the Azrael Virus had feasted upon her brain and made her compliant. I could only watch and pray that Eve was as strong as I thought she was and that she would be able to keep that small piece of herself like I had. The only way I had managed to do this was to think of my family, I didn’t want to forget them, there was this small hope that someday I would greet them again, but over time I realized the dangers were too great. If I hurt them or worse turned them, my soul would never rest. Instead, I devoted the rest of my undead life to eating foul humans with dirty souls. I could smell the evil on them, it was a strange curse this virus, always giving us new reasons to feed. I felt no guilt eating the humans with dark hearts. I could smell their secrets and the last thing I remember before feasting on them is revealing their skeletons to them one by one and the horror on their face turning to shame. They welcomed their deaths, and for that reason alone, my hands remained clean. Before CSIS had retrieved me from Egypt, I thought I would stay there and hunt those with foul souls for an eter
nity. It had earned me the nickname of “Grim Reaper.” A nickname I treasured, and had become quite proud of. Many had stopped going to Hierakonpolis because of the stories, and that left me no choice but to venture out for food, this, of course, got me caught. CSIS found my trail easily and took me home only to preserve me for their own evil. The tested me, tormented me, and even dared to promise me a cure. That cure never came.

  As I drift into my memories I scarcely hear the dead approaching. Why were they here for us? What did they want? Sniffing the air I smell ten, no twenty of them. Their voices in my head tell me to stay and greet my friends; I knew that this meant I should do the opposite.

  Looking down at Eve I see that she is nowhere near ready to fight them, she had her own battle to fight, and I wouldn’t be able to take them all down myself. This leaves me no choice but to throw her over my shoulder and run for it.

  The forest surrounding us is dark, and the rotting stench of the dead begins to surround us. The voices in my head continue to scream, “You won’t make it! Your time is up.”

  I try to shake my head clear of them, but that was nearly impossible. Leaves begin to rustle in all directions around us. Placing Eve down gently, I ready myself for a fight, there was no other choice.

  Holding my hands out ready for the first attack I notice that the forest has become silent. They were hoping to sneak up on me, and since it smelled like death all around me, I couldn’t possibly know which way my attacker would approach from. Glancing around rapidly I try to catch any sudden movement in order to take down the first attacker. I catch a glimpse of an extended limb glowing in the moonlight as it pushes itself out of the tree line. Racing toward it, I soon realize the little zombie is just a small girl, no more than seven. Her small features are corrupted by the dark blue veins that surround her face and arms. Her eyes glow red, but there is no life left behind them, she belonged to the Azrael Virus now.