by Gayle Katz
“Yeah, but I found Marie there. You remember Marie, right? She’s the woman I love. The woman I was going to marry before all this zombie shit started.”
“I remember her. Lovely girl.”
“She’s not looking so lovely anymore. She’s all drugged up. Joe, they’re using her as a guinea pig. She’s a fucking lab rat. She’s suffering. It would have been kinder to kill her.”
“I’m sorry, Chris. My only guess is that they’re trying to figure out a way to help her and everyone else afflicted with this horrible condition.”
“You guess? Do you hear yourself?”
“I’m sorry, Chris. They should have let you know about Marie.”
“What? Are you serious? She’s been kept from me for years, hidden underground, experimented on and all you can say is that you’re sorry? Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it doesn’t.”
“What do you want me to say? How can I make you feel better about this?”
“You know what’ll make me feel better? Tell me what’s going on so we can try to fix this cluster fuck.”
“I can’t, Chris. I don’t know what’s going on. I’m only responsible for providing security.”
“Only responsible for providing security? You expect me to believe that?”
“It’s true. I’ve asked for more information, but my requests are continuously declined.”
Chris stares at Joe.
“He sounds sincere,” I say.
“You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?” Chris studies his superior.
“Yes,” Joe answers. It doesn’t look to me like he was lying. Nor did it to Chris apparently.
“Geez. What’s going on here?” Chris throws up his hands and looks up at the ceiling.
“If you tell me what you’ve found out, I may be able to help or give you some guidance. No promises though.”
“Fine. Here’s what we know so far. We know the hospital is covertly shipping infected blood samples to the military base lab. And we know the hospital is receiving treatments, concoctions for lack of a better word, that they inject into their zombie patients.”
Chris stares at his boss again.
“You’re telling me you don’t know anything about this? That you’re comfortable just not knowing what’s going on?”
“I’m not saying that. You already know this Chris, but in the military you’re only told what you need to know and I guess someone thinks I don’t need to know. I’m following orders. That’s all.”
“People’s lives are at stake.”
“People’s lives are always at stake or have you conveniently forgotten that too?”
“That’s not acceptable anymore.”
“Why isn’t it acceptable now? Because it’s affecting you personally this time?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. All I can think about is Marie and how they’re torturing her, using her. Hell, I didn’t even know she was alive. We’re treating human beings like animals and it's got to stop.”
“I guess you could look at it like that. Or, you could think about how their research is paving the way to a cure.”
“Did they get her permission to test on her? Why not tell me she was alive when they found her? Why hide everything, especially from their own people?”
“I can’t answer those questions. I don’t know.”
“Well, I’m not satisfied with not knowing. I’m not going to stop until I find the truth,” Chris pauses. The room falls silent. “Are you gonna help me figure this mess out?”
“I can’t. And you shouldn’t either. We’re military officers. We follow the rules and obey our commanding officers. And I’m telling you to go back to work and we’ll see what we can do about reuniting you with Marie.”
“I wish I could, but I can’t do that, Sir. I joined the military to fight for the people of this country and protect them. What I’ve learned in the past twenty-four hours says that we’re not putting our people first anymore. I can’t be a party to that.”
“If you don’t, you’re putting your career, your life, and Marie’s life in jeopardy, son.”
“Can’t you see? They’re already in jeopardy. Sir. Joe. What happened to you? You defend innocent lives, not let others take them.”
“I’m sorry, soldier. If you want to pursue this further, you’re on your own. I can’t help you.”
“How dumb do you think I am? C’mon, Sir. You’re going to help us,” Chris starts walking toward the Deputy Director.
After watching this conversation go nowhere, I blurt out, “Wait. We won’t tell anyone of your involvement. We just want to help the people we love survive this. If you don’t want to help, fine. But can you at least point us in the right direction?”
“I can’t.”
“You can’t or you won’t?” Chris asks, slamming his hands down onto the table. He’s starting to lose it.
I need to interject. “Sir. Do you have someone you love?” I probe.
“Yes, but what does that have to do with it?”
“We have people we love too and they’re suffering horribly, infected with this zombie sickness and all we want to do more than anything is help them get better.”
“Despite what you must be thinking right now, I’m not a monster. However, I am under orders and I’m going to follow them.”
“Good for you,” Chris cracks.
Joe ignores his insubordination to address me directly.
“On the other hand, that doesn’t mean I can’t introduce you to my boss. You’re a go-getter. It only makes sense, right? There’s a place you can find answers, but I have to warn you it’s going to be dangerous. I can only help you so much and then you two are on your own. You’re tinkering with powerful people here.”
“We know,” I agree to the compromise. Who was I kidding? We have no clue.
“And when they find out what you’re doing, they’re not going to like it. They’re gonna try and stop you, whatever the cost.”
I look at Chris. Chris looks at me. I hope this isn’t a trap. Jack and Marie are counting on us.
Chapter 6
________________________________________
The three of us leave the building and hop into the deputy director’s large 4x4 vehicle. He’s in the driver’s seat and Chris is on the passenger side. I’m in the backseat. As we start driving, Chris’s boss offers up some advice.
“The place we’re going is a high security medical research facility funded by the government. Normally, it’s not easy to get in or out. One way to circumvent the normal security protocols is to bring something valuable to the table.”
“Valuable? Like what? Money?”
“No. Believe me. They have a healthy supply of cash. By valuable I mean helping them with a piece of the zombie puzzle.”
“Like a test subject?” I ask.
“Yes. That would most certainly fit the bill.”
“Would this do?” I hold up my arm with the not so old zombie bite mark scar.
“When did that happen?”
“A few months ago. It’s a long story.”
“So you’re still infected?”
“Yeah. I guess so. Thanks to Chris, I’m in remission, at least for the moment.”
For a moment, Chris’s boss stops talking. When he starts again, I don’t like what he says.
“Chris, handcuff her to something in the vehicle. Tape her mouth shut. We might have an easier time getting into the facility if they think we have a live specimen. Everything you need is in the glove box.”
Chris opens the compartment to reveal all sorts of materials: rope, tape, handcuffs. “Why do you have these things in your glove box?” he asks.
“There’s a zombie epidemic happening. Of course I take precautions. Go on,” his boss advises him.
“What? I can’t,” Chris struggles with the request.
“It’s OK, Chris. We’d be lying if we say I don’t have relapses. And if it’ll help Jack and Marie, I’m willing to go along with
it. What other choice do we have?” I reassure him.
“I’m sorry,” Chris retrieves the restraining supplies.
“I understand why we’re doing this. It’s totally OK, Chris,” I tell him as he turns back to face me.
“If it’s any consolation, I think what you’re doing is brave,” Chris smiles.
I return a nervous smile and give him a nod showing I’m still OK with the plan. Don’t get me wrong. Right now I’m scared shitless. After we enter the facility, anything can happen and I’ll be next to useless. Chris handcuffs my wrists together and secures me to the seat. He also puts tape over my mouth. Despite being the only one with my mouth secured shut, we drive the rest of the way in silence.
Twenty minutes later, we arrive at our destination: the military research base. I move my arms the best way I can in order to get a better view. My arms ache from being strung up for so long. Catching a glimpse of our destination, it looks more like a prison than a military base to be honest.
We pull up to the security checkpoint and the deputy director starts schmoozing with one of the guards on duty. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but after a few minutes, he looks and points back at me. I hear the car doors unlock and the security guard opens the door across from mine. One arm hanging onto the car roof, he peeks inside while his colleague stands guard. Chris’s boss points at my bite mark. Startled, he backs away and grabs for his gun. With his gun securely in hand, he takes another look.
“We think she’ll benefit from being here,” Chris’s boss says.
“She seems fine to me,” the guard says, evaluating the situation.
“She has her lucid moments and then she relapses back into her zombie state. We think the researchers will learn a lot from her.”
The guard gets out of the car. He signals to his colleague to hit the release and open the gate.
“You’re free to go,” he says as he waves us in.
We drive inside the base. Guards watch our every move.
“That went well,” Chris’s boss says. “Go ahead and cut her down, but don’t take off the cuffs or the tape just yet. We gotta keep up the act if we’re going to get inside and find the answers you’re looking for.”
Chris cuts me down as we pull around to the front door. “I might be a little rough with you when we get out of the car. It’s just to play the part, OK?”
I nod my head and manage to utter a quick “uh-huh,” still unable to speak with the tape completely covering my mouth.
Chris and his boss exit the vehicle. Moments later the back passenger side door closest to me opens and Chris yanks me out in front of a handful of guards. We enter the building and proceed to walk down a long, sterile hallway. As we make our way deeper into the heart of the building, we run into an older man with gray hair and a full beard.
Seeing the rank insignia on the older man's apparel, Chris instinctively salutes him, “Colonel.” Chris’s boss simply greets him like they’re good friends.
“Victor, how are you?”
“Doing well. You?”
“Pretty good. My top agent Chris here bagged a surprise.” He grabs the chain between the handcuffs, lifts my arms up, and points out my bite mark.
“She looks remarkably well-adjusted for being a zombie. Plus she’s quite attractive. It’s such a shame to waste beauty like that. Except for the bite mark, I wouldn’t have known,” he says as he touches my face. I pull away.
“She’s a recovering zombie. She’s received a couple doses of various inoculants. However, she sometimes relapses so you can see why we’re taking precautions,” Chris’s boss says as he looks at my cuffs and the tape sealing my mouth closed.
A door a couple feet further down the hallway suddenly opens up. Another man in a military uniform waves for the Colonel to come in.
“She’s ready,” the voice says.
“Hell, c’mon in. You can watch us interrogate another recovering zombie. She’s a hopeless case, though. She’s neither willing to cooperate, nor can we predict when she’s going to get out of hand. I have a feeling this might not end well for her.”
We enter a room adjacent to the interrogation room. “Oh and hook this one up over there,” he points Chris to the back of the room. “We don’t need her causing trouble.”
Chris and I walk to the designated area. He looks around to see what the Colonel meant. We spot a metal contraption hanging from the ceiling with hooks, handcuffs, and many other accouterments designed to restrain someone. Chris loops the chain between my cuffs over one of the hooks. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but the hook is so high, my feet barely touch the floor. I feel like my whole body is stretching beyond its capacity. I’m on my tippy-toes.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers in my ear. I close my eyes and try to focus on what’s most important right now, figuring out what’s going on to help Jack and Marie. I inhale deeply through my nose and exhale slowly to regain my composure.
He walks to the center of the room to rejoin his boss and the Colonel. Once inside, we can see a large window in front of us looking onto another room. There’s a bright light above the main table illuminating the people around it. On one side of the table, I see a disheveled young girl. As my eyes focus, I’m surprised to see Laura sitting there. On the other side of the table, I see a man I don’t know—possibly another military lackey doing the Colonel’s dirty work. It’s not until I see Laura try to move and hear a clanging sound that I notice she’s handcuffed to the table.
We watch the unknown man continue questioning Laura.
“I’m going to ask you again, who have you been in contact with?”
“How many times are you going to ask me the same question?” Laura sounds tired, but resolute.
“As many times as it takes until you tell us the truth.”
“I’ve told you. I haven’t been around anyone.”
“We don’t believe you.”
“Well that’s your problem then.”
“What have you told them?”
“Huh? What have I told who?”
“You have a colorful history. We just want to know if you’ve told anyone about it.”
“Dude. I can’t even remember what happened to me yesterday. All I want is for you to leave me alone,” she pounds her fists on the table.
“Just tell us the truth and we’ll leave you alone.”
“You’re lying,” she hisses. “You’re never going to leave me alone. Just admit it. Be honest for once.”
The mood of the room isn’t a pleasant one. The interrogator wants information from Laura that she probably doesn’t have anymore. This infection has a way of scrambling your brains.
Laura gets upset and tries to stand up, but is restricted by the handcuffs. She responds in a contentious manner. “The truth? You want the truth?” She shows her teeth, and then tries to pounce across the table and bite her interrogator. He instinctively leaps back, even though there’s no chance she would make contact with him. “Come closer and I’ll show you the truth!” she exclaims.
“Calm down.”
“You want me to calm down? Then stop asking such stupid questions. What truth? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have any of your answers. All I want to do is live a normal life. Is that so much to ask?” With her head in her hands, she breaks down and starts to cry.
“You’re quick to get upset and lash out. Why is that?”
“Quick to get upset? Are you serious? Look at where I am. You hold me here against my will, then bring me here, and chain me to a table. And this… this infection that’s still brewing, evolving inside of me. I didn’t ask for any of this. I had my whole life ahead of me when some crazed zombie bit me on the leg all those years ago at school.”
“As you can probably guess, life isn’t fair.”
Laura gets angry and tries pulling against her shackles.
“Life isn’t fair? That’s all you can say? Just let me go dammit.”
“So there’s nothing else you want t
o tell us?”
“No. I don’t know anything. Please. Please just let me go.”
“I’m sorry. We can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re a danger to society. You said it yourself.”
“It’s not me. It’s the infection. All I need is the inoculant on a regular basis and I’ll be fine.”
“I guess, but we only give the inoculant to people who help us and you’ve done nothing but the opposite.”
“I would help you, but I don’t know anything.”
“If there’s nothing else to say, I guess we’re done here.”
The unknown questioner looks at us as if he can see through the one-way glass.
“Guards!” the Colonel beckons into his microphone. Immediately the door to the interrogation room flips open and two men, armed and in uniform, walk over to Laura. One stands behind her. The other unlocks the cuffs tethering her to the table. He continues talking into his microphone. “Take her outside and put a couple bullets in her brain.” We see both men touch their ears and nod in compliance. They get Laura to her feet.
“Where are you taking me?” she demands.
No response.
“Listen you bullies, I’m not going anywhere with you unless you tell me where you’re taking me.”
They push her toward the door. She goes to bite one of them. The other guard grabs her from behind.
Meanwhile, inside the cubbyhole behind the interrogation room, I can’t stand here and say nothing. I move my lips and tongue in such a way as to slip the duct tape gag off so I can speak.
“No!” I yell, still dangling from the metal hook above me. Even though I’m still restrained, I make myself heard as best as I can, “You can’t do that! She’s a human being. She just needs medication to keep the infection at bay until we find a cure.”
“Control her please. I thought you had her mouth sealed shut?” he commands as he turns back to continue talking to his military thugs on the other end of the line. “As I was saying, we don’t want her rising from the dead so shoot her in the head a couple of times, just to be sure,” the Colonel continues talking while instructing the guards to take Laura away.
