Zombies! (Episode 6): Barriers Collapse

by Ivan Turner

  Zombies! Episode 6 - Barriers Collapse

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2010 by Ivan Turner

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  ***

  What has come before…

  Investigating an alleged murder on streets of Brooklyn, Detectives Johan Stemmy and Anthony Heron encounter zombies. Detective Stemmy is bitten and dies from the resulting illness. As a last request, he charges Heron with making sure he himself doesn’t become a zombie. After his death, Heron shoots him in the head.

  Shawn Rudd, accused of the murder, is released from jail. He goes quickly to meet with his secret boyfriend, Marcus.

  A week later, Abby Benjamin, a clerk at a local gym, takes a sick customer to Sisters of Charity Hospital. The customer dies and becomes a zombie infecting several others. Peter Ventura, a young ER doctor, locks down the room, trapping himself, Abby, and several others in with the zombies. After a harrowing experience, they are freed and cleared of infection. The events, however, create a panic which empties every major city. Peter Ventura locks himself in his apartment for a week, dealing with the trauma.

  Suzanna DeForest, a customer at Push Ups Gym where Abby works, also contracts the infection. She convinces her boyfriend, John Arrick, to sit with her while she is ill. She dies in the middle of the night and attacks him, biting him on the thigh. Arrick comes down with the plague but miraculously survives.

  Dr. Denise Luco, who is in charge of trying to find a cure for the infection, receives a call several weeks after the first cases from a geneticist overseas. He claims to have created the bacterium which causes the infection.

  At the same time, Detective Heron, now in charge of the NYPD’s Zombie Task Force deploys several squads to a church in queens where numerous zombies have been sighted. His deputy, Francis Culph, already teetering on the edge, is sent over when he shoots an infected child that has not yet died. Later that evening, Culph is picked up by a woman in a bar and ends up strangling her in an irrational rage.

  Discovering that Marcus has been running zombie fights, Shawn goes to confront him. They argue and Shawn tries to shoot Marcus. Marcus, however, is a much better shot.

  ***

  "LIEUTENANT Heron, Justin Mullen with the News. Just how many zombies were there inside Saint Francis' church on Saturday morning?"

  "It's hard to say. We estimate there were close to forty zombies there before anyone showed up that morning. When you add the victims to that list, well…"

  "And how many of them did you arrest?"

  "I'm sorry. Arrest?"

  "Yes, surely you didn't just go in there and slaughter them?"

  "I take exception at the use of the word, slaughter. Zombies are already deceased people. They can't be cured or helped in any way. Attempting to arrest them would present an unnecessary danger to both the officers involved and the public."

  "Dr. Luco, Brittany DeWitt with the Times. What do you have to say about this?"

  "Lieutenant Heron is one hundred percent correct. We've been studying zombies now for almost three months and there's never been any indication of life, let alone intellect."

  "How do you respond to the allegations by the Zombie Rights Association that you're fabricating your results?"

  "Of course, I deny it. There's no motivation for me to lie."

  "Dr. Luco, Colin Jones with the Voice. What about funding? Money is often the strongest motivation for researchers to lie."

  "Mr. Jones, I am well funded already. Let's not forget that the goal of my research is stopping a deadly disease. In fact, if I felt there was a way to bring back the people who've turned, I'd probably receive even more money."

  "But, still, how do you answer to rumors that a zombie, while undergoing a surgical procedure at your facility, started screaming as your surgeons cut into him."

  "Ahem. That story is the product of sensationalist nonsense."

  "Lieutenant Heron, Joshua Hu from the Herald. What's your take on the events in Africa?"

  "That's a little out of my jurisdiction."

  "Ha, ha. Yes, sir, but I was wondering how the police force uses an event like that to better protect the city."

  "I see. We, of course, run many different types of scenarios both computer simulated and live. I've coordinated with law enforcement all over the country and we've exchanged viable strategies for dealing with outbreaks. Saturday's event at St. Francis was the largest such outbreak we've had here in the city and we're hoping it's unique. To answer your question, the outbreak in Africa happened under much the same circumstances as the outbreak in Bucksburg, West Virginia. Secrecy, attempting to hide the outbreak, is very dangerous. Since the very beginning, the authorities here in the city have been very intent on educating the public."

  "Lieutenant Heron, Sally Maxwell with the Daily. Is there any hope that Saturday's incident was unique and not just the beginning of something much worse?"

  "Three members of the church have come forward to help us with the investigation. It seems that Father Ohara, who ran the church, had collected the zombies in a room in a subbasement and was holding them until their souls could be saved. While I don't question the Father's intentions, his actions cost the lives, and souls, of many of his parishioners. Again, I would strongly urge the public to report any such collecting of zombies in one area. Of all of the threats posed to society since the introduction of the zombie infection, the gathering of large numbers of zombies in secret is by far the most dangerous."

  "Dr. Luco, Wayne Britton of the City Life. How close are you to finding an effective treatment for the infection?"

  "As many of you have heard, we've brought in some help from overseas. Most of our antibiotic treatments have been ineffective but we've had some success with radiation and even chemotherapy."

  "Chemotherapy? Is it a cancer?"

  "Not as such, no. But chemotherapy does seem to slow it down."

  "And when will there be a cure?"

  "I wish I knew, Mr. Britton. I wish I knew."

  ***

  THE press conference was held in the lobby of Arthur Conroy Memorial Hospital the Monday morning after raiding the infested church in Queens. Dr. Luco had insisted on it so that she could get quickly back to work after what she deemed an exercise in frivolity. Heron didn't care where the press conference was. He was just happy to have been able to stall it two days. Since the episode at St. Francis, everyone with a pen or camera had been on his back.

  As they left the podium, Luco tried to avoid him, making a bee line for the back of the room. She was heading toward her lab, but he caught up to her and followed her into the stairwell. She looked up at him, worried by the look on his face. She wasn't sure what she'd said during the conference that had upset him.

  "I saw you hesitate when they asked you about the scream."

  "I didn't hesitate," she said.

  "Yes, you did. I saw it and I bet they saw it as well."

  She turned away and went down two steps, saying, "You're mistaken," as she did so. But he grabbed her arm and pulled her back, almost tripping her up.

  Snatching her arm away from him, she yelled, "Keep your hands to yourself, Lieutenant. I don't answer to you."

  "Is it true?" he asked. "Did one of them scream?"

  "No."

  "You're lying. Oh, my God. Y
ou're lying to me!"

  Luco breathed in and breathed out. She was trying to calm herself. "I wasn't there."

  "But it happened?"

  "Yes. The surgeon said he cut into the zombie's belly and it let out a scream."

  "Don't you knock them out, first?"

  She threw her arms in the air. "Why would we think to anesthetize a corpse?"

  "So what does it mean?" Heron pressed. "If a zombie can feel pain, what does that mean?"

  "It doesn't mean anything. The bacteria reactivate certain portions of the brain. In this particular case, they reactivated the pain centers."

  "And what about the one from Saturday? The one who opened fire on my men?"

  Luco shrugged. "He was probably holding the gun when he died. Maybe he held some sort of biological memory or had a muscle spasm. The tests on his body showed no difference between him and the other victims. Lieutenant, you're going to see all sorts of zombie anomalies as this thing spreads. Each and every one will seem like they're more than what they are, which is just dead flesh."

  "You're sure?" he said, a bit more calmly.

  "Of course I'm sure," she answered him. "What are you so worried about?"

  He shook his head back and forth, turned, and took two steps back up the stairs. He hesitated, not turning back but just standing still.

  She looked at his back. "What is it?"

  "It's Stemmy," he answered. "I shot him and now I wonder if I could have saved him."

  She began to answer, but he took several quick steps and went through the outer door. Naughton was coming in as he was going out. Heron barely noticed him. When he was gone, Naughton looked reprovingly at Luco.

  "Don't blame me," she said.

  He came down to her level and kissed her quickly on the lips. "So what happened?"

  She started back down the stairs and Naughton followed. "He's worried that the zombies can be saved."

  "Can they?"

  "Don't you start with me, too."

  They went straight to the lab, saying hello to a few people on the way. Naughton's face was becoming a familiar one down there. Nobody even questioned the officer's presence.

  Waiting for them inside the lab was Rudolph Ludlow.

  Ludlow was fiendishly handsome. He was a middle aged man, perhaps in his upper forties, with brown hair that showed just a hint of grey. The lines on his face were few and distinguished. He was tall. He was not thin but he was in fantastic shape, as if the best thing he could ever find to do was take care of his body. He would have put the best of the best at Push Ups gym to shame. Over the phone he had sounded pompous, though not arrogant. He was too enthusiastic to seem arrogant. After his bold confession, Denise Luco decided that she had to have him where she could pick his brain. And he wanted nothing more himself. So he and she had managed to get him on a restricted flight from London to the New York where she had met him in an official vehicle. It had taken two weeks. Ten minutes after his arrival, he had confirmed that the bacterium that caused the zombie infection was, in fact, his invention.

  But even after that revelation, there were many unanswered questions. Ludlow had received a grant from the British government two years before so that he could conduct his research. The focus of the project was on developing a bacterium that would work in concert with the human immune system, giving people the natural ability to fight off viruses and infections that were otherwise incurable. It would have made the common cold a thing of the past.

  Of course, the tests on animals produced the zombie result. For six months, Ludlow had worked hard to counteract the effect but to no avail. Every month, he reported to his government, but hid the fact that he had produced undead. Though his superiors had never given him a reason to believe that they would take his creation and use it as a weapon, he was naturally paranoid. After the half year was up, he worked up a detailed report, excluding large pieces of information, and declared the project a failure. He destroyed all of the samples personally, accounting for each one, and closed up shop with no one any the wiser.

  So how had it gotten out?

  And why had it started in the United States as opposed to the United Kingdom?

  It didn't take them long to find out the answers to both of those questions. The day after Ludlow arrived, Luco took him on a tour of the facility, including the Zoo. She introduced him to their most famous zombies, including Zoe Koplowitz. It struck Ludlow a blow as he stared in at the little zombie girl, huddled under the bed.

  Is there any relation to Lucy Koplowitz?

  That was her mother. Larry, the father, was first zombie encountered. He was killed on the street.

  Larry was not the first. Lucy was. Over the summer, Ludlow had met and had an affair with Lucy Koplowitz. He'd known she was married but she'd told him that her husband was cheating on her and their marriage was dead. He and she had gotten on very well very quickly and spent a week together. Then she'd gone back to the States and he hadn't heard from her again. Luco had tested Ludlow's blood immediately after that and discovered small traces of the bacterium. It seemed to be dormant. Daily tests showed the same thing. Three weeks later they still didn't know why.

  Naughton and Ludlow shook hands and exchanged greetings. Luco was amazed at how at ease Naughton was with Ludlow, knowing that the two of them spent hours alone together in the lab. Sometimes over night. Silly things like that didn't seem to faze the police captain. He was just too good for something as petty as jealousy. And that was exactly one of the qualities that insured Luco's fidelity. His confidence in both himself and her was one of the things she loved about him.

  "Anything?" Naughton asked Ludlow.

  Ludlow shook his head. Normally a very enthusiastic and cheerful person, the weeks of testing and seeing the results of his work had taken their toll on the English doctor. He tried not to visit the Zoo. Now that he knew that Zoe and Lucy were related, he couldn't stand to look at her. He saw the mother in the child and it brought him a sadness with which he couldn't yet cope.

  "What about Anthony?" he asked Luco.

  "I told you not to start," she said.

  "What is it?" Ludlow asked.

  Naughton said, "Anthony Heron is the officer in charge of the zombie task force. Based on some recent events, he's worried that the zombie effect might be…reversible."

  "Recent events?" Ludlow asked. "Like the scream?"

  Naughton nodded. "He's out there every day and he's personally responsible for the destruction of every zombie we find. That'd be too much for him to bear if he suddenly found out they could be saved."

  Luco threw her hands in the air. "No offense, Lance, but you and Heron are cops. Do your jobs and not ours. The zombies don't feel pain and they don't know how to shoot a gun."

  Ludlow was nodding. "I must concur. My original research supports it."

  "You'd better be right," Naughton said, then brightened. "Now who wants to go for lunch?"

  ***

  THE day went from bad to worse when Heron arrived at the office. He went first to Gregory Smith to see if there were any developments on his end. It had been Saturday evening when they'd responded to a text from Shawn Rudd informing him about a zombie hunt. He had found several zombies dead at the site as well as Shawn's cell phone. Shawn himself was missing. Heron had spoken to Shawn's parents that evening. That had gone badly. He had told them all that he knew, which was that Shawn had sent him an urgent text and he had responded as quickly as possible, dispatching units to the scene as well. Upon arrival, he'd found the scene of a battle with zombies. The only sign of Shawn had been his cell phone, left behind.