Zombie Rehab

by Craig Halloran

  “That’s fascinating, Jack. They’ll make excellent gardeners,” he said

  “And soldiers.”

  “What?”

  Jack’s voice sounded sinister when he said, “Sit back down, Uncle Don, and I’ll show you.”

  Don reached for his computer and sat back down. He flipped open the cover and blanched.

  The picture was inside another warehouse that was filled with over a dozen figures. They all were adorned in combat boots, dark green and black jump suits. A dark metal glinted on their faces.

  “Are those zombies or men?”

  “Zombies.”

  “What’s on their faces? Are those masks?”

  Jack snickered.

  “This was one of my brain storms. It’s a titanium mask and skull cap I designed. I got the idea from something I saw on Warcraft. Pretty badass, huh.”

  It was horrifying. The zombies looked like metal skulls with snapping mouths, like gladiators raised from the dead. The zombies moved fast as they stumbled and climbed over top of one another. Don pulled his coat tighter over his chest. The chill breeze of the early evening was suddenly cold.

  “Why do they need those helmets?”

  “So if they get shot in the head they won’t die.”

  Don grabbed his nephew and said, “Who’s going to be shooting at them?”

  “The people in the complex.”

  “What complex?”

  “Institute,West Virginia.”

  CHAPTER 16

  Location Unknown

  Another zombie outbreak?

  Nate rubbed his eyes. It was the last thing he remembered Rose saying before he drifted off to sleep as exhaustion took over his weakened body. He didn’t want to wake up, though; he still just wanted to sleep … he felt comfortable. His vision was blurred as he rolled his head to the left and to the right and filled his nose with the musty air. He smacked his lips to keep his tongue from probing the inside of his filmy mouth.

  What is that?

  He heard a crunching sound, and his mouth began to water. The scent of tortilla shells, cooked beef, and taco sauce filled his nose. His eyes snapped open as he lurched up.

  Walker was sitting in the wheel chair, stuffing a hard-shell taco into his mouth. Rose was wiping her mouth with a napkin at his side. His stomach made a sound like a croaking bullfrog. She smiled.

  “I told you if you were good I’d give you a treat.”

  She handed him the Taco Bell box. A new Ferrari couldn’t have replaced the treasure he now held inside his hands. Licking his lips, he looked at her.

  “Go ahead, just don’t eat too fast. And easy on the Dew,” she said, tapping the large cup on his food tray.

  He didn’t hear anything she said. He just ate and ate and ate. If you can die happy, then take me now, Lord. For the first time in what seemed to be forever, he felt like a complete human again. He thought of his condo in DC: his toys, games, and DVD’s. He assumed all of that was gone, but a small apartment in the middle of nowhere would be just fine, if he could just figure out what he had to do to get out of wherever he was.

  Walker wadded up his paper wrappers and tossed them into a metal waste basket. The man sucked the remaining fluid from his cup and it sounded like Nate’s brain was being sucked out.

  “Do you mind? I think it’s empty.”

  Buu-urp! Walker responded as he lit up another cigarette.

  Nate wiped his mouth and asked, “So, when is the doctor coming back? Surely he’ll want to do more mutilations to me.” He rubbed his face. It felt tight, but it didn’t ache as much as before. He sat up on the edge of the bed, fully expecting Rose to push him back down, but was greeted with her supporting arms instead.

  “Feeling spry, I see,” she said, “Go ahead, see what you can do.”

  He looked at the gritty floor.

  “I hope you didn’t do the surgery in here.

  “I’ll get you some slippers,” Rose said.

  Walker let out a wicked snicker. Nate watched the man pull off his glasses and wipe the mirrored lenses. Their eyes locked as Walker turned into his stare. Nate’s impression of Walker took a sudden turn.

  “What’re you staring at?” the man said as he put his glasses back on. “What’s the matter, Big Mouth, cat got yer tongue?”

  Nate’s tongue clove to the roof of his mouth. He shook his head.

  “I just … I just thought you were older.”

  The glimpse Nate just had of the man’s eyes told a different story from the cold-blooded soldier the man appeared to be. The man’s eyes were soft and round, his skin rosy around the cheeks. The grizzled chin, moustache, and sideburns had thrown him off. Walker didn’t look more than thirty years old at the most.

  “Well, I thought you were smarter,” Walker replied.

  “How old are you?”

  “I’m old enough.”

  Nate laughed. He figured that killing zombies for a living and smoking non-filtered cigarettes was bound to age a man a decade or two. Something cold slivered down his spine. He never really got a good look at himself. The floor was cold on his feet as he headed for the mirror.

  “Don’t you need your slippers?”

  “Don’t you need to graduate from high school?”

  Nate was already at the mirror when Rose returned.

  She tossed the slippers on the bed and said, “I see you still haven’t found your patience.”

  “Huh?”

  But he wasn’t really paying any attention. The eyes and hair were the only things that seemed familiar. His nose was smaller, and his chin bigger. His head slowly turned from side to side. He ran his hand along the back of his head. His ears were smaller, and his long earlobes were almost gone. Is it still me? Maybe without the beard.

  “No razors here, Nate. It’s best you kept the beard for now,” Rose said. “I like it though, the new chin, too. Your old chin made you look fat … at least on TV it did.” She patted him on the back. “Don’t worry: you’re still handsome.”

  “I still think Doc should have turned him into a woman. No one’s gonna pay any attention to an ugly girl,” Walker commented.

  Nate grimaced as he stared into the mirror. It was going to take some getting used to, that much was for sure. Yep, it could have been worse. His legs began to tremble, and his head became woozy. Rose rushed to his side and guided him back to the bed.

  “Take it easy,” she said.

  “I’m … I’m okay.” He cleared his throat.

  “Rose, I’m grateful that you guys saved me because you felt obligated, but there has to be more to it than that. Is there?” he said in a pleading voice.

  She placed a cold compress on the back of his neck and said, “There is.”

  “Wow, I wasn’t expecting that. A direct answer on my first try. Okay then, what is the other reason, or reasons rather, I am here?”

  The door opened, and Doctor Z entered with a clipboard in his hands.

  “How are you feeling Mr. McDaniel … er, rather ... Nate?”

  “Better.”

  The doctor made himself comfortable on his bed.

  “Well, your vitals are good. Do you have any questions?”

  “I was just asking why I was really here. I mean, rather than the fact that I’m an awesome hero. I’m of the impression there’s much more behind my reconstruction than that.” His eyes slid over to Rose. “Oh, and the fact that I’m a murderer.”

  Rose gasped when the doctor grabbed her by the collar and jerked her face to his.

  “What did you say, woman?”

  “Hey! Let go of her,” Nate cried.

  “Nothing you didn’t already discuss, Doctor,” she managed to say.

  Nate didn’t notice the smile in her eyes.

  “Hmm. Hmm. Hmm,” the doctor laughed as he let her go. “Oh Rose, how you stir the blood in me. Will you be a dear and get me some coffee?”

  “Certainly, Doctor.”

  He slapped her on the rump with his clipboard.

/>   “She loves me. I can see it in her eyes. Can’t you?” The doctor’s eyes were still following her from the room.

  What? This weirdo reconstructed my face.

  “So, I see you enjoy hitting on women?” Nate said.

  “Hmmm—Oh, now don’t be silly. I could never harm that endearing woman.”

  Nate wasn’t convinced, but he was getting aggravated.

  “Okay, on with it. I’m a hero, I’m a murderer, and I am here because why? The real reason.”

  Walker made his way over to the edge of the bed.

  The doctor spoke matter-of-factly.

  “Nate, you are the man that saved the world. We all know that, don’t we Walker?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Now, what we need to find out is: ‘Who is the man that wants to destroy the world?’”

  Nate was at a loss.

  “Why ask me? I don’t know. If anyone knows I’d figure it would be you guys.”

  The doctor tucked his hands under his arms and said, “The WHS has many layers, like an onion or the earth, so to speak. We’ve only been exposed to the middle, which is deep, but not deep enough. What we haven’t been able to do is penetrate the core. That’s where the answers are. Now, every once in a while something slips out, and if we are lucky, like we were with you, we can learn more about the enemy. But since you disappeared from their radar, the seal around the core has become tighter.” He clenched his fist in front of his face.

  “Well, I don’t think I can help you. I’m pretty sure I know less than you do.”

  “I’m pretty sure that you know more than you think you do. The WHS has been squabbling since you disappeared. One faction is blaming the other. Our little rescue has splintered parts of the operation, and many of their operations have gone deeper. I think that you’ve been exposed to more than you realize, Nate. We think you might even know who is in charge of all of this. You might even be able to point them out.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “So was the thought of Christy Backwater assassinating you. So are zombies. Nate, what can you tell me about a man named Harry?”

  The hairs on the nape of his neck stood up.

  CHAPTER 17

  Institute, WV

  Henry stepped backward and stumbled to the ground. Horror. Terror. Fear. Instinctively, his hand clutched at his chest. His breathing was heavy. His heart pounded. Madness!

  “Henry? Henry! Are you okay?” Weege said. “You look like you’re having a heart attack. They’re all locked up, Henry. They can’t hurt us. They’re cool!”

  The word ‘cool’ wasn’t something he associated with the zombie vocabulary. He sat on the ground, agape. The silent giants behind the thick glass looked like fiends in an aquarium. Their faces were long and terrifying as they meandered with jagged gaits within the small cell. Their heads would have touched the ceiling tiles if they weren’t leaning over. Brain eating monsters on stilts was what Henry saw, and his heart recoiled in his chest.

  “Weege! Where did they come from?”

  “I don’t know. The director got them somehow.”

  Weege’s eyes sparkled like lanterns as he tapped on the glass and waved at them.

  “Are those basketball uniforms?” Henry asked, rising to his feet. His legs were weak, but the initial shock had subsided.

  “Yep.”

  He edged closer to the glass, looking up at the men. He whirled toward Weege and said, “That’s ‘Rifle’ Rick Braxton and Sam ‘The Slam’ Jones!”

  “In person.” Henry tried to rub his eyes, but his glasses got in the way. He loved the NBA, and Rifle and Slam were well known all-stars. He felt compelled to ask them for autographs. His step-dad Stan would have loved that. A few moments passed as he and Weege stared at the roaming zombies with awe. This is absurd.

  “So let me guess: we’re starting a zombie basketball league now? Are we going to set up a match against the Harlem Globetrotters? I can’t imagine what our infamous Director Smoot has in mind Weege, can you?”

  “Take it easy Henry. They just got here, and no one’s mentioned a basketball team … yet.” Weege smiled.

  Henry could see the wheels turning in the little man’s head. Weege and Rudy had become more like pets than men since they’d all been forced into service at the WHS rehab facility. Henry’d previously had control over them, but now he was pretty sure his alliance with them wasn’t as strong as before. He’d learned it was best to bite his tongue when discussing serious matters with them anymore.

  He noticed Weege was texting.

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  “Sending a text.”

  “About what and to who?”

  Weege’s thumbs stopped. He put the phone inside his lab coat pocket.

  “No one, it can wait.”

  Little rat.

  Ring –Ring!

  It was Henry’s cell phone.

  “Hey.”

  Rudy was on the other line.

  “HENRY! Get up here now! I think we have a zombie breach!”

  “What? Where?”

  “Avoid Quadrant 14. Where are you, anyway?”

  “The gym. Hey—”

  “Is Weege showing you Slam and Rifle?”

  “Yes but—”

  “Quit fooling around, Henry, and get up here!”

  “Hey, is Tori with—”

  The line went dead.

  “What is it, Henry?” Weege said.

  “Rudy says we have a zombie breach. Quadrant 14. Let’s get to security.”

  “Ah … I’m sure it’s nothing,” Weege turned off the lights inside the zombie room. “Night fellas. Man, I can’t believe we have NBA all-stars working with us now!”

  Henry was dialing Tori as he rushed back toward security. Weege’s footsteps were echoing from behind. Fear rose up inside of him despite his efforts to reassure himself that there was more than enough security to take care of things. Then he remembered they weren’t fully staffed because of the zombie conference. He had to hurry back to security to make sure all of the protocols had been followed to secure the zombies.

  “Hello Henry,” Tori said on the other line.

  A wave of relief washed over him.

  “Are you with Rudy?”

  “Yes, I’m safe. You need to hurry back, Henry. These jackholes don’t know what they’re doing. Rudy’s going bonkers.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m almost back to the doors. Have you seen any zombies on the screen?

  “No, they won’t let me in there. You need to get back and straighten this out. They’re talking about a total lockdown.”

  Henry scanned his card, made his way into the building, and headed inside the elevator.

  “I’m on my way up.”

  He lost the signal as the doors closed.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing, Henry. Rudy’s probably half in the bag. You know how spooky this place gets at night. It’s like a ghost town.”

  True. The complex was like a graveyard for buildings more than anything else. There was a network of dorms and classrooms, a small hospital, a cafeteria, a church chapel, and even a cemetery. The nearby river was notorious for rolling in fog thicker than soup most of the time, too. It all but negated the security cameras outdoors on some days.

  The elevator chimed on the 3rd floor, and Henry and Weege were greeted by Tori.

  “That fool is freaking me out. Get in there!”

  Henry made his way back to the observation room only to be greeted by two sealed metal doors. He scanned his card. It flared green and the doors parted open.

  “Hey!” Rudy shouted. “Get Tori and Weege out of here. They aren’t authorized, Henry!”

  Rudy’s eyes were bloodshot, and his clothes and hair were a mess. Rod was nodding his head, and another guard, Myrtle, had her eyes intently on the wall of monitors. He pushed past Rudy, noting the heavy scent of alcohol on his breath.

  “Hey Henry, I’m warning you,” Rudy said.

  Henry faced the
man and said, “You’re warning me! I’m warning you, Rudy. You’re drunk. One more word and I’ll have you locked up.”

  “That’s insubordination,” Rudy slurred.

  “Everybody, who thinks Rudy isn’t fit for duty?”

  Everyone raised their hands.

  Rudy sat down, slumped on the desk, and mumbled something unintelligible.

  “Look! Look here, everyone!” Myrtle shouted and pointed at a screen.

  Quadrant 14 was a row of cinder-block warehouses in the WHS lab district. It was a separate operation from their rehab facilities. Top secret times ten. So far as Henry knew, it was just storage. Trucks came in and out every so often, but nothing ever appeared to be out of the ordinary.

  A shadowy figure was moving along those grounds. Tori gasped.

  “Rod, did you dispatch a team?”

  “Yep. A fire team’s going in to check it out. Got them on the head phones now.”

  “Can you put them on speaker?”

  Rod looked over at Rudy, who was snoring.

  “Looks like you’re in charge. A good thing, too. I was about to punch a hole through him.”

  Rod nodded at Myrtle.

  The audio came, and Henry could hear heavy breathing. On one screen he could make out a shadowy figure roaming through incoming fog, and on another he could see three members of a security fire team closing in. Tori was clutching at his back as they all gawped at the screen.

  Henry could hear the fire team leader over the speakers.

  We got him in our sights. What in the world is that?

  The security team had flanked the strange figure in front of one large garage door. Henry could make out all the images on a single screen now. The security lights were doing a good job of cutting through the fog.

  “What is that?” Rod said. “Is that a zombie or a man?”