Zombie Rehab

by Craig Halloran

  Jennifer’s eyes glanced down at their shaking hands. Henry watched as her body stiffened and she tried to pull her arm away. Tori held her fast. Jennifer looked over her shoulder at him, eyes pleading for mercy.

  “Tori, let go,” he said, rising up from the bumper.

  Jennifer’s knees began to buckle.

  “LET GO, TORI!”

  Jennifer gasped as she tore her arm away. Without looking back, she jumped into her car, tore out of the parking lot, and didn’t wave good-bye. Tori did, however, waving her gnarled half-dead arm like a banner from the 4th of July.

  “Tori, put your arm down and get in the car. Now!”

  They both slammed their doors as they got in. Henry had the car in drive and had punched it to the floor before she even got her seat-belt buckled.

  “Way to go, Tori!”

  “What? You can’t be mad at me. You’re the one sucking face with some woman in the parking lot!”

  “I’m sorry—look, I’m sorry. She took me by surprise. I tried to get away, she just—”

  Tori laughed, “She just what, over powered you? Give me a break, you cheater!”

  “What? I’m not a cheater! You know better than that. Now get a hold of yourself.”

  Tori didn’t say a word; she just stared out of her side window and brushed her hair back from her face with her odd hand.

  All Henry could think about was getting back to the complex so he could bury himself back in his work, and Tori would do the same. There had been other highs and lows between them since they departed the Zombie Day Care under the most bizarre circumstances. Normal was no longer an option in his life. Embracing the abnormal to survive was his only option.

  “You’re sick of being with me, aren’t you? Now that I’m deformed and all, you are wanting something better, perfect, like I used to be until you drug me into that day care.”

  “Don’t go down this road, Tori. You said you wouldn’t bring it up anymore. I told you to stay outside, but you wouldn’t listen. Can’t you just be thankful that you’re alive?”

  “I’m a freak!” she said, slamming her gnarled hand into the dashboard.

  “Hey-Hey! Don’t do that. Quit acting like a child. You’re still beautiful; you know that.”

  It was true. Tori was every bit as sexy as she ever was. Her auburn hair was lustrous, her buxom figure not as soft as before, but firm. Still, her sweet face was drained, almost haggard some days, but nobody paid her hand any mind as they were too busy looking at the rest of her. As strange as her hand was, it wasn’t nearly as bad as she made it out to be.

  He glanced over at the appendage, but Tori tucked it under her leg and glared. From the elbow down you could see the flesh was pasty and gray. The fingers remained stiff and bent, the nails dead and black. Henry figured she could have coped with it better if it was her own arm to begin with, but it wasn’t. It was someone else’s, thicker and stronger like a man’s, but they were assured it was a woman’s. A woman lumberjack maybe. Henry always wondered about that. At least it worked, and it was better than nothing there at all.

  Tori tore open the twelve pack of beer and pulled out a bottle.

  “What are you doing now?”

  “I’m having a beer,” she said, turning the top off of one and tilting it to her lips.

  “Tori, quit that. Now you’re just being silly. You don’t even drink.”

  “Well, today I’m starting a new diet.”

  Henry reached and grabbed the bottle saying, “Gimme that.”

  “Oh Henry, don’t take my bottle. Please Henry don’t.” She said it like she was on a vaudeville stage, exasperated and silly.

  Henry tugged at the bottle that was in the vise-like grip of her replaced hand. She was giggling at his futile efforts.

  “What’s the matter, Henry, can’t the big boy take the bottle from the little girl?”

  The car almost crashed into the rail as Henry jerked the wheel over and weaved back and forth between the single lanes before getting the car back under control. He let go of the bottle.

  “Geez, Tori! You’re gonna cause a wreck. Now quit being a baby and put that beer back. It’s for the party. Stupid Rudy! And we’re on our way to work! Stupid complex! Stupid everything!” he shouted.

  The thought of going back to the complex filled him with dread, as each passing hour approached, to the appointed time. He and Tori had been granted three weeks of leave after having been inside the dreadful complex for the prior six months. That’s what the World Humanitarian Society had done: given him another job, less than thirty miles from the last one. He had tried to quit, but he wasn’t given much choice. He wanted to run, but there wouldn’t be any escape. They had made all of that perfectly clear in all the briefings that followed the incident at the Guthrie Facility, home of the Zombie Day Care.

  He felt Tori reach out and grab his hand—with her normal one—and squeeze. She scooted closer and said, “I’m sorry, Henry, it’s just that, you know it’s that time—”

  “I know, that time of the month.”

  “No, Jackhole!” she said, squeezing his hand, “It’s the anniversary of the day I lost my parents, Idiot!” She let go and scooted back away.

  After he pulled off the highway, the car brakes squealed as he came to a stop. Idiot would be correct. Looking through the windshield, his body filled with dread. In the distance, a ten foot high limestone wall stretched over a hundred yards, with a chain-link gate in the center. He could see some of the brick-red building through the gate and some of the many tree tops that jutted over the top of the wall. He wanted to turn around.

  “You ready?” he said, looking over at Tori’s pouting face.

  She shrugged.

  “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was your parents, uh, you know. I’m sorry.”

  “Forget about it, Henry. Besides, it almost is that time of the month, too. But you’re still gonna make things right once we get in there.”

  Allowing himself a faint smile, he looked over at her and said, “So you forgive me?”

  “Of course. You’re all I’ve got, Henry … all I ever wanted. I just wish things were different. I hate being in there as much as you. But as long as I’m with you, then it doesn’t really matter where I am.”

  He looked into her pretty eyes, held her face in his hands, and kissed her. When he finished, she opened her eyes and said, “You owe me a lot more than that, Henry. Now, let’s get this over with.”

  He nodded his head, put the car in drive, and slowly headed down the road towards the front gate. Once again he would have to make the most of it, but he’d rather turn around. The sun was lowering in the horizon, and a flock of birds burst from the trees behind the wall. He swore he could hear something screaming. Tori grabbed his hand as his stomach began to knot. Six months. Six more months of living among the dead. The complex was a place filled with the unexpected and unnatural. Forget everything you just left. That was normal. Check your humanity at the gate. Forget your sanity. Embrace the insanity. Think abnormal. Welcome back to the Zombie Rehab.

  CHAPTER 4

  Location Unknown

  The next time he woke up, things were different. The room had changed, and he was starving. The room was illuminated by a blurry light above him, that caused his eyes to ache. He was thirsty. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was raw and sore. He shifted in his bed, and when he heard the steel framework beneath him groan, a thrill raced down his spine. I’m moving.

  As he turned his head, he noticed a small metal dresser across the room and a heavy wooden door. When he realized he was partially sitting up, he managed to look around some more. No windows, but there was an air conditioning unit rattling along the wall, alongside a padded metal chair and a table. He reached his hand over his stomach as it groaned. My hand, I can feel my hand!

  He held his hand up to his face and watched it tremble as he opened and closed his fingers. He couldn’t feel his legs, but managed to pull his knees up into a bent position
. Thank God, I can move! He was still weak, hungry, and confused. What is this place? The haziness in his mind seemed to be lifting like a fog as he peered around the little room. It looked like an old hospital room, decades old, with the original paint, trim, and checkered floors. The room was stuffy, the air from the air conditioner stale, but for some reason he was still thankful that he was breathing. He just had a hard time remembering the last thing he was doing.

  He reached and grabbed a bar that was hanging from the ceiling and pulled himself up. A sharp pain stabbed his belly, and his face ached. He tried to remember if he had been in some kind of accident, then he remembered the gauze, the doctor, and the nurse. There were bandages on his face, or something like that. He rubbed his face, his eyes, nose, and head. No medical tape or gauze, just a beard. He didn’t remember ever having a beard. That’s when he noticed a small metal sink in the corner and pulled his legs down onto the floor. There was a mirror hanging cock-eyed over the sink, but the surface was dingy and faded. He managed to push himself up onto his feet and stand. His head swam as the floor began to wobble beneath his shaking feet, and he fell. Every bone in his body shuddered with pain as he lay on the floor trembling, tears streaming from his eyes. He wanted to cry for help, but he was too scared. That doctor was frightening. What was his name, Zhan?

  The floor was cold, and his teeth began to chatter as he fought his way off his back and onto his elbows. His chest was heaving now, and his forehead was beaded with sweat as he shivered. That’s when he saw beneath the door: shadows, silent and mysterious, passing by. He couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if they came in and saw him on the floor. Would he be in trouble? Would they knock him out again and for how long? A hundred thoughts began rushing through his head as he low crawled towards the sink. His ancestral instincts were urging him on. Must escape. Adrenaline was fueling his strenuous effort as he managed to make it to his hands and knees. The hard tiles were painful on his knees as his elbows quaked under the strain to move forward, but he pressed on.By the time he reached the bottom of the sink, he was exhausted and wondering how he would find the energy to pull himself up. His tongue was thick in his dry mouth, and all he wanted more than anything was a drink of something wet. That’s when he noticed the shadows underneath the door had stopped. The sound of muffled voices was coming from the other side. What was he going to say when they came in? Please don’t come in. Please, not yet.

  Curled up on the floor, he let his fear begin to overtake reason. He closed his eyes and waited. The sound of the muffled voices faded, and when he opened his eyes again the shadows were gone from underneath the door. Relief washed through him, but something else did as well. A sense—primitive within— had awakened. A bit of anger was rising, too, as the images of the living and the dead began to surface in his mind. I’m alive. He reached up and grabbed the lip of the sink, gathered his legs underneath him, and pulled himself up. Almost there. Come on, I’ve gotta have more in me than this.

  He gasped and grunted, and the strength in his feeble arms and legs fought the gravity that was holding his big body down.

  “No!” he gasped again as he made it up to his knees and began to slip back down. It seemed like the entire earth was against him, pulling him back down into the abyss, but he had been there before. He wasn’t going back. He hung on to the sink and squatted down on his feet, then summoned everything he had as his shaking body rose to his feet. I made it! He wiped the sweat from his eyes and looked into the blurry mirror. He didn’t recognize the man in the mirror, a greasy head of long brown hair and a scruffy beard that hid most of his face. Nothing was right. All out of place. His fingers brushed over his cheeks, nose, and chin. Tears formed in his eyes. I’ve gone mad. He touched the image in the mirror, then pulled his fingers back. He was changed, different, no longer who he once was. No longer the man he thought he was. But the eyes were the mirror to the soul, and those brown eyes he saw were still his own. There was no doubt in his mind that the man he was looking at was Nate McDaniel, the Man Who Saved the World. He heard footsteps and twirled around. I’ve got to get out of here.

  He licked his hairy lips with his dry tongue. He felt like he could drink a river. The spigot squeaked as he turned it on and let the cold water run over his fingertips. It felt like something from heaven. He grabbed a small cup from the sink’s edge and began to fill it. As he brought the liquid to his lips he smiled. On no! He blacked out and sank back to the floor.

  CHAPTER 5

  Institute, WV

  As Henry and Tori were passing through the gates, he thought about John, the old security guard from the day care. He liked John; the man’s soothing demeanor always gave him a sense of security, and his sense of humor was unprecedented as well. Things were different now. The guards were many and their protocol more severe. The guards were a bunch of overzealous thugs, sort of like the TSA at the airports, but entirely redneck.

  As they made their way through the second gate, one of the men, brandishing a WHS badge on his uniform, stopped beside Tori and motioned for her to roll the window down.

  “I’m gonna need you to step out of the car, Miss.”“I don’t think so,” Tori retorted, pinching her red blouse together at the neckline.

  The young man’s chin jutted out. He leered inside and said, “I’ve got my orders. Now you can get out, or you can sit in the car the rest of the day. Don’t worry, I won’t bite. It’ll just take a second.

  Henry noticed in his mirrors that more of the guards were gathering around the car. A swagger was in every step as they rubbed on the handles of the guns on their hips. There never was much traffic coming in and out of the complex. It was only natural the bored men would overreact at the sight of a pretty girl. Still, Henry wasn’t much for compassion these days. Besides, the look on Tori’s face told him she was about to freak out. Something about the man reminded him of his brother, Jimmy, who he hoped he would never see again. He never heard what happened after that night. The leering man was licking his lips like he was about to be fed a barbeque pork chop, and it was more than Henry could stand.

  Henry pulled out his phone and texted a message.

  “Come on, Lady,” the guard urged. “Don’t make me use any force, but I will if I have to.”

  Tori remained rigid and silent. She’s gonna freak out.

  “Looks like she’s got something to hide, fellas,” the guard said as two other guards began to close in. “Looks like we better pat them both down.” He pulled out his night stick and stuck the nose of it inside the window. “You two better get out … now.”

  “You’re making a mistake … uh,” Henry put on his glasses as he searched for the name tag on the man’s shirt “ … Toby. Yes Toby, you’re making a big mistake. You see, we’ve passed all of your little checks, and if you don’t let us in you’re going to be going home.”

  “Is that so? Well, Mister, let me tell you something. I could use the day off, but I ain’t going anywhere, not until I search you and this pretty little lady right here. Now, you’ll do as I say unless you want me to call my uncle, from the local police department, and have you hauled in.” The men snickered. “And I’ll take her into my personal custody,” He licked his lips. “ …and keep a real close eye on her.”

  “Toby, do you realize how big of an idiot you are?”

  “I suggest you keep your big mouth shut, or I’m gonna take this baton upside your head.”

  Henry sent out another text message.

  “Have it your way, Toby, but I tried to warn you.”

  Toby laughed and said, “Thanks. Now get out of the car—both of you!”

  Henry just shook his head and waited. Come on. What’s going on? Is everyone asleep in there?

  There was a loud clicking sound coming from an outdoor speaker overhead.

  “TOBY. YOU’RE FIRED. PACK YOUR SHIT AND GO! AND IF THE REST OF YOU MAKE ASSES OUT OF YOURSELVES, YOU’LL BE HEADING BACK TO THE UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE AS WELL!”

  CLICK

&nbs
p; Toby looked like someone just shot his dog as the last gate rattled open and Henry drove through.

  “You okay?” Henry said to Tori, rubbing her knee.

  “Yes, I think. But, poor Toby. Who else on earth is going to give that slob a job?”

  “Ha! Ha-Haa! Well, it won’t be long before they have the zombies working the gates.”

  Tori was holding her stomach as she giggled and said, “Oh don’t say that, please don’t say that. WHS Security guards: Better … Faster … Smarter ... than plain ole people.”

  The jokes were just what they needed before the uneasiness settled in. Henry let the car roll to a stop about thirty yards south of the gate they just left. Ahead was the complex, a roughshod campus of cracked pavement, red brick buildings, and long rows of gray warehouses running along the edge of the interior wall as far as the eye could see. Just ahead was a six story office building that towered over the rest of the campus. The parking lot surrounding the building was vacant except for about a dozen cars.

  Henry pushed down on the accelerator and let the car slowly roll over the road towards the back of the complex. He used to come here often, to the complex, back when it was a thriving center for the rehabilitation of many folks in the community. The patients came from all over to be trained by a dutiful staff and refit to function and prosper within society. There was a boarded up entrance to a gymnasium where he used to play basketball games, swim, and even bowl. He remembered the cafeteria, the way it had been, thriving with happy faces and hungry people enjoying a hot meal. They had made the best pizza and homemade biscuits there. Now, the patios where he and his friends used to eat were overgrown with vines creeping up over the walls.

  “What a waste,” he said.

  “What do you mean, Honey?” Tori asked.