It was a good damn thing that the building in question was built of stone and clay. It was not as flammable as some of the other buildings were. Much of the city was on fire. We had found very little evidence of where our Patient Zero came from, but as we headed for the government building, the statue in my backpack began to glow with a light that felt almost bone melting. We figured that following it might give us our answers.
Jacob updated Amara with our progress, and we each said our hellos. She seemed so far away right then, and it was enough to hurry me along. Jacob, in his wisdom, did not tell his mother about being shot. He was only grazed, and would likely enjoy the honor of wounded status back home. Right now, however, it would only serve to worry Amara.
Lizzie had been bright enough to grab some maps as we passed by the terminal at the airport. How she managed to grab them I was not sure since we didn’t go inside. There must have been maps at the taxi stand outside.
She was an adept navigator. It was as if we were back to being close again, something that had been missing since this shit began. Tara was the quiet one this time. I wondered if I would ever have both of them at the same time again.
As we approached the building, I suggested that I should scout it ahead as it would be easier for me to sneak in and see what is inside than it would be for a group. I expected at least Tara to argue, but apparently, I had made my case well. My idea was accepted immediately. The only one who even hesitated was Shara. Still, I entered the building alone and tried to be as quiet as I possibly could.
The stealth was not necessary. There was no one left alive inside. I was still carrying the statue on me. Entering the building, I found the statue was pulling me along. I had to grip it tightly to keep it from flying away on its own. As I stood there struggling with the statue, a voice nearly deafened me. As my girls and Jacob didn’t come running in, I was fairly sure the voice was contained within the walls.
“Bring my prize through the veil, thief, and I will remove the curse laid upon your kind.” The voice filled in a few holes of information that I had been missing.
“I am no thief but a seeker of information who seeks an end to the curse. Answer me before I do as you ask. What will happen to me should I enter the veil?” I demanded of the unseen.
There was a pause before the answer came, and it was not what I had expected. “Walk through the veil, and if the truth you tell, then a choice you will be given. If you lie, then death will be the result of a dishonest heart.”
I would like to think that there was no hesitation in my step. However, I didn’t really see why I should lie here. I was scared. For the first time in my adult life. Still, I stepped through the fiery veil. Even then I knew that I would never be able to return to my life after that.
The chamber on the other side was something straight out of the twilight zone. I had been in this building before. I knew the general layout. I was not in the same place anymore. Before me was a lush room covered in large square pillows. No windows, just blank stone walls surrounding the lush pillows.
Braziers hung from the ceiling glowing softly perfuming the air with some stinky incense. In the center of the room resting on the pillows was a large demonic creature. He had horns and red skin and gray eyes that were staring a hole right through me. Again, he spoke.
“So it was truth you spoke. Sit, mortal, and we shall speak.” The creature motioned toward the pillows near him. He seemed amused by my hesitation, enough that it pissed me off. I sat quickly, acting as if it was my idea all along.
Smiling, he continued. “The thief who stole that statue cared little for his actions. How they affected others was of no concern, only his own greed and wealth. You also have a streak within you, of wishing only for what benefits you and those who you love. Will you let that rule you, I wonder? I will grant you a wish. I am Djinn, that is within my power. In reward for the return of my statue. Be warned though, all things have consequences...even wishes. Be wary of what the consequence could be.”
I didn’t need his warning. I remembered the old stories. People who made wishes never came out of it as they went in. It was like the universe needed some fucking cost to balance out the awesome they received in their wish.
I thought about all those who were literally depending on me. Of Amara, of the kids. Of Lizzie and her little one yet to be. And I heard Tara in my head, telling me I didn’t need to do everything alone. Oh, how I wanted to just return everything to where it was before. I would have once.
So imagine my surprise to hear myself saying, “The statue has been returned. Lift the curse. I want no other wish.”
The Djinn laughed. “Mortal, the curse is broken. You are the only remaining dead who walks. All who walk through the veil die. Since you were not the thief, you were granted your sentience. Would you wish your life back?”
I realized the trick then. If I did not wish, I would rot. I would become something that would harm my family. However, if I did wish, then I would be putting them all in danger from the consequence of my wish. I had to consider this carefully. I had to be sure I could return home.
In my bravado, I blurted out, “You want a wish? Well, asshole, I gotta wish for you!” And now looking back, I can see that the wording I chose was not the best I could have. I used my bravado instead of my brains to make my wish.
He laughed a deep belly laugh, and I got the short end of the stick. Still, I got to walk back through the veil, and I could go home.
I went back to my junkyard. I helped my hometown rebuild. And the cost? Well, our town don’t have no damn junkyard dog. We have a zombie running our junkyard who ends up an emotional magnet. The cost of not rotting was I ended up feeling the emotions of everyone around me. Tended to make me more inclined to stick to my junkyard.
Shara
Standing in the building on fire, fighting off the dead, imagine our surprise when suddenly the walkers all collapsed! We dead checked them anyway, out of concern for safety. Somehow dad did it. We didn’t find out how until later.
The world would never be the same, but we were no longer going to have to fight the dead. Sometimes you just take the small victories life hands you and you move on.
Tara
Something about Chris when he came back to us was different. I was not sure what, but I could see he was not the same man he had been not ten minutes prior. I started to question him, and found that his normal hesitation to share information was gone. He told us about the statue, the Djinn and the wish. I am still not sure how to feel about all of it. I may never be.
Chris
Lizzie had twins, a boy and a girl. Jimbo would have just bust with pride as she named her son after his da. Tara forgave me, eventually. It was probably because she could see how much I suffered from my choices.
Amara didn’t even flinch when I told her what had happened. She asked if I was contagious, and when I answered that I wasn’t, she merely smiled. “I believe I told you once for better or worse. This definitely qualifies as worse, but I still love you.” I occasionally wondered what I did so right to have her standing beside me.
The dead collapsed, according to Shara, as soon as I crossed the veil. So rebuilding also meant burning or burying bodies. It meant getting to mourn for the first time since everything went sideways. There was much less of humanity then when we started, so it meant we had a chance to start over. I did not really know about the rest of the world, but Jarvin, West Virginia looked to me for guidance. We stuck to our more natural ways, and we had been growing since.
I thought about wishing my best friend back. I really did. I had to stop myself, as I had no idea whether he would come back as a zombie like me or if he would be as I remembered him. I think I chose right, most days.
I was not quite like those around me anymore. Injury could be more problematic. I don’t get sick, not like other people do. Colds, flu, and the like...I seem to be immune. Small injuries heal, although slowly. If I were to get any major injuries, I doubted it would heal pro
perly.
I had become an emotional magnet. I felt the emotions of those around me. I had heard of empathy before, but somehow never expected to have it myself. It was the downside to the wish that I had made. The upside of the emotional magnet state was it made certain activities far more fun for me. I just wished I could share that. It had made me more attentive in how I dealt with those around me.
The wish? Oh, well...I wished that regardless of my status of zombie, I would not rot or suffer any other symptoms of death, nor would I be randomly contagious. If I wanted to pass it on, it would have to be a purposeful act. Immortality is a real bitch. Not something I would inflict on anyone.
We here at the junkyard dealt with whatever came our way...whether it was rust, gore, or death...we got it under control.
THE END
Rust, Gore, and The Junkyard Zombie Page 12
