by Gayle Katz
“Good! I’ll get them all!” he said, jabbing his dagger in every direction through the air.
She laughed. “You’re silly.”
Owen ran up to the car. “I think that’s the last of them. You’re all fixed up?”
Zan nodded.
“OK, gu, folks. Let’s head home. It sounds like our friends, the police force, will tackle the rest of the zombies. I think we all need a break.”
Everybody hopped in his car so he could drop them off at home.
zzz
When Zan opened the door, she saw her dad standing there, hands folded up, and his face all scrunched up in anger.
“Hi, Dad! We had a great time tonight.”
“Really? You look messed up. I want to know what’s going on!”
Zan closed the door behind her. “OK. It’s time, I guess.”
Her dad led her to the couch. There were already two cups of tea there, waiting. She grabbed a cup. It was cold, but she drank it anyway.
“So?” her dad asked.
She looked nervously at him. He’d freaked out on her in the past about stuff.
“OK, Dad. I’m a zombie slayer, to tell the truth. Mom must have known.”
His face scrunched up even more, but he was trying to control his anger. “A zombie slayer? Isn’t that just great!”
“So, I’m wondering, do you happen to know who was the zombie slayer in our family, before me?”
He shook his head. “I know my great-grandfather was when he was a kid, I mean teen, but if there has been anyone else, they never told me.”
“Could it have been Mom?” asked Zan. “She tried to stop my experiments. She must have suspected something.”
Her dad’s face smoothed out. “I honestly don’t know. She kept on telling me how much she loved music, but that was a lie. She really wanted to go into politics and earn millions. Because, those two go together.”
Zan laughed. He looked up at her and laughed too.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I would have told you, but things have been tense, for a while.”
“I know, dear.”
“Anyway, why are you so mad?” she asked.
“Because, there is a zombie in the basement.” He nodded in the direction of the basement door.
“No way?” she asked, fascinated. “How’d it get in?”
He shook his head. “Probably one of your friends?”
She nodded. “Probably. Because, we are going to see if it lives when we drive it to another city.”
He grimaced. “Oh. More experiments?”
She shrugged. “Of course. What else?”
He laughed. “It runs in the family.”
She nodded. Then she remembered something. “I saw where Mom died today.”
“You did? Why did you go there? You mean to that clothing factory where she was killed?”
Zan nodded.
“Oh honey, I’m so sorry.” He reached out to pat her back.
She smiled, trying to stay strong. “I’m sorry about the zombie downstairs. I’ll get rid of it ASAP.”
“It’s OK, dear. It’s not going anywhere. What you need is a good rest. And I heard there are many zombies on the loose, so tomorrow, you can head back out and kill them.” He tried to sound as encouraging as he could.
She nodded and got up. “Thanks, Dad. I’m ready to sleep for a century.” She headed up the stairs to her bathroom. But the more she tried to put things out of her mind, the more she thought about her mother and how she had died. She realized she wasn’t OK with her mother’s death, and the anger filled her mind.
Joe was downstairs tidying up the living room when he heard the sound of shattering glass come from upstairs.
zzz
“Did you remember to send the additional invites out?” asked Mayor Jane Cote, fretting and pacing the room.
“Yes,” Clara said. “It’s going to be a packed house.”
“Shouldn’t we have more seating?” asked Jane, looking around the boardroom.
“Oh, it’ll be standing room only. We need plenty of room for everyone,” said Clara.
“OK, great, but just who have you invited?” Jane asked her out of curiosity.
Clara shrugged. “You’ll see.”
As Clara walked away, Jane frowned. She took another look around the room. It was now time for her to finish getting ready.
zzz
“Whoa, calm down,” said Stewart. “She’s what? I suggest you call 911.” He put the phone away.
Owen was still in the car beside him.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“That was Zan’s dad, Joe. It seems like she’s had some sort of nervous breakdown or something.”
“But she was fine, tired but fine, when we left her.”
“It turns out that she told her dad about zlaying,” he explained.
“Oh man,” said Owen. “This was not the time to do it, during a crisis in the city.”
“I suspect that part of it might have been that trip to the clothing factory.” Stewart looked at him.
“Oh, right. So Zan is on the way to the hospital then?”
Stewart nodded.
“But what if she starts talking about zombies and zlaying? They might think she’s crazy!”
Stewart shook his head. “No, hopefully she’ll focus on something else.”
“Yeah. Hope so. Anyway, I’m going to get some rest,” said Owen. “Then we can go visit in the afternoon?”
Stewart nodded. “Yes, we’ll get some rest. Hopefully, Charlie will be full of energy, so she can jump back into the fray and help. I hope Zan gets better, as I have a feeling we’re going to need her later today.”
“OK, then,” said Owen, getting out of the car after they had reached his home. “Night, err, morning.”
“Bye!’ called out Stewart, heading for his apartment.
zzz
Charlie slept until 11 am and then pulled herself out of bed. As she was dressing after her shower, she heard a noise coming from her phone.
It was Paulo. “Hi. I heard about the zombies. Wondering if you’re OK?”
She texted back that she was fine. “Sorry about earlier convo. I get you’re concerned for a friend, but I’m not interested.”
“NP,” he texted back. “Just want to be friends.”
She smiled. “OK by me.”
“R there really zombies?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“I knew it! And I knew you’d know too!”
“Yep.”
“C U at school in September.”
“OK,” she texted, then put her phone away. She finished dressing and headed downstairs.
Gran was making waffles.
“Hi, dear. I hope you had a good sleep after the craziness of last night.”
Charlie took a seat at the breakfast bar. “I did. I’d forgotten how tiring it was to hang upside down from the ceiling.” She stretched her arms and moved her shoulders and winced.
“That’ll do it. It never ceases to amaze me how clever you are!”
Charlie laughed. “Thanks, Gran. It was either that or fight twenty zombies all at once, or however many of them were in that hall.”
Gran placed a plate of waffles in front of her. “Thanks! You know I can make waffles the next time, right?”
Gran nodded. “Oh, something I almost forgot to tell you. I had a call from the vice principal.”
Charlie stopped chewing.
“Mr. Warcola is on leave due to his wife’s errr, second death. The history classes have been cancelled for the rest of the year.”
Charlie looked puzzled. “So, I make it up in September?”
Gran shook her head. “Nope, everyone in class has a passing grade, based on your schoolwork and tests to date. You’ve now been advanced to 12th grade.”
Charlie smiled. “That’s great!” She didn’t mention how they hadn’t even gotten to the point of having a test yet, but whatever. “I’ve got to text Owen to tell him.”
/> “Good news!” he texted back. “Now we have free time.”
“Will I see you out there?” she asked.
“No, I’m crashing now. Bedtime.”
“OK, have a good sleep. I’ll take over zombie fighting now.”
“He must be happy,” said Gran.
She nodded.
There was the sound of trash cans falling over outside.
“OK, looks like something’s up outside. I’ve got to get to work.”
Gran gave her a hug. “Stay safe out there.”
“I will,” she replied, then ran upstairs to brush her teeth and grab her dagger.
zzz
“Zan, how are you feeling?” asked her dad. She was tucked into the hospital bed.
“Just great,” she said. “I can barely think. They doped me up on something.”
“Well, we’ll see if we can get you back home.” He turned when he heard the door open.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Martin,” the woman said. “I’m the staff psychiatrist here.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Zan’s dad, Joe Goldberg.”
They shook hands.
The doctor went over to Zan.
“How are you feeling, Zan?” she asked.
“Just great,” she repeated. “Dizzy. Woozy.”
“That’s part of the medication we gave you. I need to check your vitals. We might be able to send you home today.”
“OK,” she said, holding out her left arm.
After having her blood pressure, temperature, and pulse checked, the doctor put away her equipment.
“Very good. You’re doing well. I think you can go home.”
“But should she be sent home?” asked Joe.
“Yes, she had what we call a panic attack,” explained the doctor. “It’s quite common for people who have panic attacks to smash windows. But it’s important to find the root cause, so she doesn’t do it again and hurt herself.”
“A panic attack? But she went all crazy.”
The doctor nodded. “That’s a panic attack. Usually it’s triggered by feelings of a loss of control. I understand that her mom was killed recently, and the family atmosphere hasn’t been very good lately.”
Joe nodded. “Yes, part of that was my fault, but we’ve resolved that issue.”
“Good. I also understand that she is a zombie slayer.”
“Yes, but I don’t want her to do that.”
“Well, it seems to be what has been keeping her sane for these past couple of years. And she enjoys it.”
Joe unwillingly nodded.
“My recommendation is for you both to go on a nice vacation somewhere. Somewhere warm, like Hawaii, or California, even Mexico. Take it easy for two weeks. Ensure she takes this prescription during that time.” She tore the paper off her pad and handed it to him.
“Don’t talk about anything but fluffy topics. Leave the family biz for when you come home. I’ll also leave you information for a counselor.” She handed him another slip of paper. “I’m sure she’ll be fine in a week or two. Good luck.”
“Thanks, doctor,” Joe said, watching her leave the room.
“I’ll go pack now,” said Zan, sitting up. She tried to keep her eyes open.
“I’ll help you pack,” he said, grabbing her clothes from the cabinet. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter 18
________________________________________
Charlie headed around to the back of the house. Sure enough, there was a zombie back there. It must have been trying to get into her backyard, but there was a line of cans blocking the backyard, much like a fence.
The zombie turned at the sound of her footsteps. She couldn’t reach out far enough to thrust the dagger into his skull. She gently grabbed hold of the plastic handles on the trash can and lifted it out of its slot. She set it aside. This gave the zombie the opportunity to move forward.
She simply stood there, holding her dagger high in the air behind her head. When he came closer, she thrust it into his skull. He went down. She quickly put the garbage can back into position, then dragged and dumped the zombie into it.
She peered up and down the alley, but she couldn’t see any more zombies.
Her phone rang and she nearly jumped out of her skin. “Damn!” she said, answering the phone.
“Hi, Charlie. Sorry, I must be interrupting you at a bad time.”
She laughed. “No, I just disposed of a zombie and was checking the alley when you called. It just made me jump, hah!”
“Oh, good. We have a slight problem.”
She listened.
“Zan’s dad called. She’s had some sort of mental breakdown.”
“What?” she asked. “Is she all right?”
“Yes, she had some treatment at the hospital. Her dad, Joe, says she’ll be fine, but she needs rest. It’s related to the death of her mother.”
Charlie paced back and forth in anger. “I knew it! It was like she was pretending that she hated her mother, especially for what she’d done. I wondered why she wasn’t grieving properly.”
“That’s right. She didn’t receive the care she needed when her mother passed. Apparently, that can delay the grieving process, and then trigger it later. Either way, it’s a natural part of bereavement. There is no way to stop it.”
“Aww, poor Zan. So, you’re telling me she isn’t going to be helping us out today?”
“Nope, don’t expect to see her again until school.”
“Argh,” said Charlie. “We still have sixty zombies running around Portland, and she’s on leave.”
“I’m sorry, but she’s also on medication. There is no way she would be fit for zlaying. Oh, and Joe told me they’re going to Florida to stay at her brother’s house. They’re healing the family. They haven’t seen each other in years. They’ll have the funeral down there too.”
“Well, that is good news. I know Zan wanted to see her brother, but he had a falling out with her parents too. What a screwed up family. It makes me glad that I have Gran…”
“Yes, Charlie,” said Stewart, cutting her off. “I just wanted to let you know. Once Owen has his nap, he’ll join you later.”
“Sure, thanks for keeping me up to date.”
“Yep. Oh, and it’s fifty-four zombies at last count, including the one you just dispatched.”
“Even better,” she said.
“But if someone is deliberately infecting people, it could build up.”
“Yeah, got it. Let me know if you need me somewhere,” said Charlie. “Otherwise, I’ll just do my job.” She headed back to her house.
“Will do,” said Stewart, hanging up.
“Did you get it?” asked Gran.
“Yes, but we’ve lost Zan.”
Gran looked at her in concern.
“I mean, she’ll be OK. She’s just on her way to Florida right now.”
“Oh dear,” said Gran. “So the family is finally getting together?”
Charlie nodded. “It should be good. Zan’s been on edge lately.”
“I hope your friend will be all right,” said Gran, cleaning up the breakfast dishes.
Charlie went to grab the dishcloth, but Gran batted her hands away. “No, go out and hunt down those zombies. Portland must be kept safe.”
“Thanks, Gran,” said Charlie, grabbing her stuff before heading out the front door.
zzz
Since Zan wasn’t able to join them, Stewart decided to head out into the field to see if he was needed.
“Hi, Stewart. What brings you out here on this fine, sunny day?” asked Sergeant Bourne. Overhead it was overcast and damp.
“Zan is sick, so I’m trying to fill the gap.”
“Oh no. Will she be OK?” asked Jay.
“Yes, but she and her family are on their way to Florida. We won’t be seeing her for a couple of weeks.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. She’s a good kid. I hope she’s OK. She seemed a bit sad the last few times I talked to her. It was awful what
happened to her mother.” Jay closed his police car door.
“Yep. Say, good job. I hear you’ve trapped the zombies.”
“Oh this?” said Jay, shrugging nonchalantly. “It’s not too difficult. Lots of fences and buildings. The zombies are pretty dumb. Let’s hope no more are made.”
“Yes, and that’s one thing I wanted to talk to you about. Any luck with figuring out who is in the zombie gang?”
Jay shrugged. “That last guy burned to death. He shouldn’t have messed around.”
“You’d think people would learn by now that it’s a short life in a zombie gang.” Stewart laughed.
Jay laughed with him. “Agreed, but the zleader is promising dreams of everlasting life. I’m sure she’s been telling everyone she is so close. Trouble is, it’s been failed experiments to date.”
“Yep, such a waste,” said Stewart. “I heard that the local tourist economy is being affected.”
Jay laughed. “It is. It’s never been better.”
Stewart looked at him in shock. “Really?”
“Yes, it’s true. It’s like Seattle. People come to the zombie cities in hopes of seeing zombies. Some even hope to take down a few.”
Stewart shook his head. “That is such a bad idea.”
“I know.”
“So, seriously, who do you think is involved?”
“I’d say Jane, but she is more of a zlayer. Obviously, she got some info from that Mars guy who got killed. She keeps on telling me she has no idea at this point.”
“Hmm. Is there anyone new to town? Anyone new at the police station? City Hall?”
Jay shrugged. “I know there is a new vice principal at the high school, but she is one of the teachers too. She has expressed no interest in Charlie or Owen, besides them flunking a course or two.”
“I had that impression too, and checked with Owen. He said she’s clean.”
“OK, my advice is to have Owen do some rounds at City Hall and the police station. Maybe he can sniff out the gang,” suggested Jay.
