Wicked Awake

by Merrill David

  This arena was formerly th e home of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and the NHL’s Dallas Stars. It has long since been replaced by a larger, more modern facility named the American Airlines Center, about one mile north of the old arena.

  Reunion Arena had been the topic of many conversations within the Dallas City Council regarding the plans for its future. Perpetual discussions and debates waged onward over whether the prodigious superstructure should be demolished, modified and attached to the convention center, or converted for other uses.

  However, unbeknownst to the massive general public, the arena had a new occupant already. The NCEAID, the National Center for Emerging and Infectious Diseases, had recently moved into the unoccupied space.

  This was Washington’s answer to combat the looming “Infection Armageddon”. It was practically what Jake had pictured when he mused about an “Area 52.” Still intact and in place were the arena’s multiple rows of chewing -gum-stuck-on-thebottom seats. Electronic scoreboards still hung from the rafters and displayed a long past contest between the Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves, which the Mavs won 107-93.

  In sections where lower courtside floor seats once stood, these areas were now bare of the stadium seating. Makeshift cubicles had since been assembled and erected there. These cubes served as quiet areas for those scientists and pathologists requiring some privacy during their down time. Down time for them meant they were taking a break from experimenting on flesh hankering creatures or infected sickly persons.

  The wooden parquet floor that once served as the home court for the Mavericks was now the new laboratory where teams of lab-coat-wearing scientists worked in shifts. They worked around the clock, attempting to determine the causes of the infection. Some were tasked with obtaining specimen samples for study, while others experimented with various drugs to develop a vaccine which could cure or reverse the effects of the infection.

  Unmarked Ford Crown Victorias and Chevy Suburbans regularly flocked into the underground loading dock area of the domed building. They were delivering countless infected beings to be quarantined, poked and prodded, and experimented on. They would remain at this location until they eventually “switched” and had to be put down.

  Similar vehicles carried out the remains of those who had already been euthanized. Their infected carcasseswere hauled off to a nearby “burn site” or incinerator, to be properly disposed of.

  The NCEAID had been sent to the Dallas Metroplex area to create a base for their operations. This location was chosen for a couple of reasons. First of all, Dallas was a nice central location within the U.S., with close proximity to a major airport. Secondly, this was where one of the first ‘zombie’ type incidents were reported. There had been previous incidents in Florida and California, but those situations were easier to write off as “nervous breakdowns' ' or “bath salt abuse” cases.

  The public was being fed information that the Dallas story w as actually a ‘love triangle murder’, with Jake taking the fall as the bad guy. This was the feds’ attempt to conceal their involvement in the origin of this infection. Meanwhile, behind the scenes and concealed from the public, the NCEAID was fully aware of the truth. They were under the strict orders of the President to make this issue go away before it became leaked and got completely out of control.

  The agency was tasked with researching the infection outbreak, arriving at a solution, and creating a vaccine to destroy this vicious virus. The head of the NCEAID was a pathologist and epidemiologist named Dr. Adil Subramani, an American-born 50-year-old man of Indian descent. His parents immigrated to the United States just months before Adil was born.

  Dr. Subramani was used to working with short timelines and under a great amount of stress. But this assignment was unprecedented. Never had the fate of a nation and perhaps of an entire continent or more rested upon the outcome of the doctor’s and his teams’ work.

  Adil divided his agency into two groups, tasked with diverse but equally consequential studies and duties. Subramani’s goal was for Team A to track the virus and contain it. Meanwhile, Team B worked simultaneously on the development of a vaccine or cure. Adil’s goal was to within one year be informed on how to attack and destroy this plague, and to be prepared and able to do the same.

  Team A wasted no time, aiming their focus upon analyzing various data accumulated from the regions of the country affected and infected. They would gather reports and news stories about incidents and events that could possibly be related to exposures to the infectious strain. They consulted with hospitals and paramedics, reviewed police records. They scoured the web for reports of subjects experiencing sudden onset of fever, chills, headaches, coughing, swollen or enlarged lymph nodes, and a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify.

  They also began studies on the possible variables that could regulate a greater or lesser probability of infection in a region. These factors include altitude, temperature, hydration of the terrain, and vegetative growth.

  Meanwhile, Team B steadily analyzed the infected specimens brought to them to learn as much as possible about the characteristics of this strain. They had high hopes of developing a particularly effective panacea.

  This arena, a one-time entertainment mecca, is now buzzing with activity. It resembled a beehive that was alive and active at the pronouncement of a new spring, with much pollen to be retrieved and harvested.

  Mack’s residence, East Dallas

  It was a Tuesday morning, no different from any other. Officer McElroy found himself lifting Olympic weights in the stuffy garage turned weight room of his east Dallas townhome. Killswitch Engage was blaring away on his portable CD player boom box, so he did not hear his cellphone when it rang. However, he did see it bounce off of the shelf and fall to the rubber matted floor, vibrating and rotating beside his beer-filled mini fridge.

  Mack looked at the caller’s name appearing on his smart phone’s scree n. He recognized that the call was coming from one of his cop co-worker buddies, so he answered.

  “Hey, man. What’s going on? I’m in the garage pumping some iron. What’s that? No, I haven’t heard anything. What happened?”

  The voice on the phone began to speak and was quickly interrupted by Mack’s utterance of shock.

  “Oh, no!! Fuck no!!! This shit isn’t funny, man.”

  Mack paused and intently listening to his coworker on the phone, who was in the middle of describing the news flash he had just heard on the radio.

  “Dude, they reported that ‘convicted murderer’ Jake Hathaway made an escape attempt while being transported from Dallas County Jail to the Death Row housing unit in Huntsville.

  “The plan failed, and Hathaway was shot and killed by the transport guards. Those deputies are being hailed as heroes. They are calling this the second greatest shootout in history between cops and criminals next to the famous Bonnie and Clyde finale.”

  Mack was still devastated by the loss of Holly and had not spoken to Jake since the day of the incident. And although he was angry and hurt by what transpired that day, Mack suddenly became overwhelmed with grief and sadness that he knew would not be leaving him anytime soon.

  He also knew that he should be the one to notify Amanda in person of the devastating news. He should be the one she hears it from rather than to let her hear about it on the radio or the TV. Mack showered and dressed quickly, then drove across town to Amanda’s house. He knocked on the front door seemingly for several minutes. Mack had not seen Amanda since Jake’s sentencing at the courthouse, so he had no idea how she was handling her lifestyle of being alone.

  Amanda opened the door, obviously having just been awakened. She was dressed in flannel red and blue pajamas, her long brown hair up in a ponytail. She looked thin and pale, as if she had not been eating enough or sleeping well. “Oh, hi, Mack. What’s up?”

  Mack’s face was solemn, and it was obvious he was not at Amanda’s for a social call. “There’s something I
need to tell you, and we probably need to go inside and sit down for this.”

  The two sat in the living room as Mack struggled to choose the appropriate words. There would be no easy way to break this horrible news.

  “The prison bus that was transporting Jake and others down to Huntsville crashed. Then apparently some of the prisoners tried to escape and there was a shootout with the deputies. Amanda, I’m so sorry. Jake is dead.”

  Amanda paused and reacted awkwardly, as if she had just been pranked.

  “No, I know you’re just joking. Did Jake put you up to this? This isn’t amusing, Mack. It’s bad enough that he has been locked up and sentenced to death for bogus murder charges. But now you’re gonna tell me he’s dead. That’s not cool, Mack.”

  Mack’s face was unwavering as he clenched his jaws tightly.

  “You are messing with me, right? Mack, tell me you’re just joking. Oh my god, you’re not joking! Mack! NOOOO!!!!!”

  Amanda began sobbing fiercely, tears streaming down her lovely cheeks. “Why would he try to escape? That makes no sense. He just told me the other day that his attorney was going to appeal his conviction because he could prove that the witnesses lied. He said that the feds were trying to cover something up. He promised he was going to get the conviction overturned and all charges would be dropped.”

  Amanda wiped her eyes with a tissue and blew her nose.

  Amanda continued; “then after he was freed and his record was expunged, we would have been together forever. We made plans. Everything from what we were gonna do the first night of his freedom to where we were going to retire. And somewhere in between those two events we were going to get married. We had it all planned out. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.”

  Sobbing, Amanda questioned the powers above. “How could God do this to us? It’s unfair to Jake. He should not have been cheated out ofa long life like that. And it’s not fair to me, because now I am left here to live the rest of my life without him. Without my best friend, soul mate, lover. Gone.”

  Amanda hugged Mack tightly, her clenched fists behind him.

  “Mack, I know you were Jake’s best friend. But the prosecutor said that Jake was having an affair with Holly, and that was why he went over there to her place and did what he did. Please tell me the truth. Was Jake really cheating on me with Holly?”

  Without hesitation, Mack replied, “Absolutely not.”

  “As a matter of fact, I think I need to confess something to you. I have been feeling guilty about this for quite some time now, and I need to come clean.”

  Mack leaned back on the sofa and cleared his throat, preparing to tell a long and difficult tale.

  “It all started back in April of 2007. Jake’s brother, Rich, and his wife, Holly, were in their house arguing and yelling. Rich was being verbally abusive towards Holly.

  “Their next-door neighbor, Gladys Torrence, called 911 to report that a man and woman were fighting next door.

  “I was dispatched to a disturbance call, having no knowledge that Jake’s brother lived there. Upon arrival, I learned that the male, Rich, had already left the location. The woman was still present, and she identified herself as Holly Smith, Smith being her maiden name. She made no mention of being Jake’s sister-in-law, and she told me about her marriage troubles.

  “Holly explained that her husband Rich had physically abused her in the past, but she never called the police or made a report because she didn’t want to get him into trouble. But she was afraid of Rich, especially when he was in his ‘altered state.’ She insisted that sometimes he didn’t seem like himself, like he was a totally different being. He was always a little weird, but she thought it was just because he was from up north” Mack said.

  “Anyways, I got enough information to make an incident report, and I told Holly to call 911 anytime Rich was acting violent. A few days later, Holly called the police station asking for me, saying she had some more information for my report. When I received the message, I responded back over to Holly’s address.

  “I arrived and walked up to the front door, which was wide open. I called out, ‘Mrs. Smith? It’s Officer McElroy, Dallas Police Department… Mrs. Smith?’

  “The sounds of yelling and screaming emerged from the back bedroom. I ran back into the house and pushed open the partially ajar door to see Holly lying on the bed face down. A television on the dresser was blaring full blast with an old rerun episode of ‘Married …With Children.’

  “Al Bundy and his wife Peg were getting after it in regular fashion, yelling at each other, hurling one insult after another, making a total sarcastic mockery of the show’s theme song ‘Love and Marriage’ by Frank Sinatra.

  “I found it peculiar that the TV set was on with the volume up so loud. It seemed like Holly should have been expecting me, listening for a knock at the door or a doorbell ring.

  “Holly was sobbing - her head in hands, loudly bawling - so loudly that I was not sure if she even realized I was there. I found it odd that she was dressed the way she was – in black lingerie - not pajamas, no robes, no fuzzy slippers.

  Mack continued; “she looked my way, and I tried not to let her see that I was looking at her body. I tried to maintain some professionalism and not let the animal magnetism I was feeling distract me from my duty. I was supposed to be making sure she was not injured or in danger.

  “I asked her: ‘you okay? Mrs. Smith? Did Rich go crazy again? Did he do something to you?’

  “Holly rolled over and looked hungrily at me, smiling like a Cheshire cat. I was startled and couldn’t help but to look again at the lingerie; her low-cut lace-decorated brassiere that revealed just enough of her large, supple breasts. Tiny lacy thong panties that color coordinated perfectly with her bronze tan.”

  Mack noticed that Amanda looked quite awkward about all the specifics he had related.

  “Oh, sorry - got a little carried away. The point of the matter is that Holly wasn’t exactly intending on filing a police report.”

  Mack continued.

  “Then Holly replied wrathfully: ‘no, Rich didn’t do anything to me. He never does. That needledick asshole never even looks my way anymore. I don’t even think he’s human. Maybe he’s not attracted to me anymore. Do you find me attractive?’

  “I was relieved that Holly was not really distraught or hurt. And I was about to leave when she grabbed my arm and said ‘officer, I’ve been such a bad girl. I think you need to punish me.’

  “I called my boss and said I was sick and needed to go home. But Istayed right there” Mack said as he continued to fantasize about the events of that sweltering evening.

  He recalled Holly putting both of her hands on him, feeling his arms and biceps first before making her way to his chest and down to his lower abdomen. At that point, Mack became aroused. He felt as if his large rechargeable Streamlight flashlight had suddenly appeared in the front pocket of his uniform pants. He knew that could not be the case, however, because he had left his flashlight inside the patrol car.

  Mack recalled warning Holly about her abuse of the 911 system and he did his best to discipline her in an appropriate manner. Discipline that was dished out repeatedly and with pleasure, into the early morning hours.

  Mack snapped out of his fantastically distracting memories and continued his conversation with Amanda. “So, over the following months, Holly and I continued this relationship, since she and Rich were officially separated.

  “About a month into the relationship, Holly finally revealed to me that she was related to Jake through her marriage into the Hathaway family. She begged me not to tell Jake about us because she didn’t want the family to know that there were problems with the marriage. So neither me nor Holly ever told Jake or anyone else about our relationship.”

  Amanda was relieved to hear that her Jake had not been unfaithful. But she also seemed taken aback by the details of Mack’s story. Amanda acted as if she was fanning her face with her hand and joked, “damn, is it hot
in here or what?”

  She paused and continued. “I’m only kidding. But seriously, why did you say that you feel guilty about this? If Holly and Rich were separated, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Mack confided in Amanda.

  “I just keep replaying it in my mind, like it’s on a never-ending loop. I can’t stop seeing the image of the judge reading aloud the verdict in Jake’s trial. I must wonder what would have happened if I had come forward with my story right then.

  “Maybe I could have disclosed my secret to Jake’s attorney. This revelation could have then been brought before the judge and jury in open trial. The prosecution would have had to manufacture some different motive. Maybe the jury would not have been as easily swayed and Jake might have never been convicted.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up over it too badly, Mack.” Amanda sympathized. “It’s all a moot point now. It seems to me that the feds had it out for Jake and would have found one way or another to frame him with murder. I just don’t understand why.”

  “I don’t get it either, but I sure as hell am gonna find out for you. I promise.”

  Mack got up from the couch and escorted himself to the door. He left Amanda alone to continue crying in her brown leather La-Z-Boy recliner. Although he was still bitter about Holly being taken from him like she was, Mack owed it to his recently departed partner and friend to fully investigate the incident. It was not fair for him to wrongfully convict Jake in his heart without having all the facts first. Mack would do the same for any accused criminal whose case he was assigned, and it would be unjust not to grant his best friend the same courtesy.

  Even though Jake’s explanation for killing Holly and Rich had seeme d impossible back then, similar news stories of the “undead” had been emerging of late and rising to the surface. Mack wondered if maybe there was some unsolved mystery lurking here. Regardless, Mack made a promise to Amanda he would investigate the case, and that was exactly what he planned on doing.