by Gayle Katz
“That’s a good idea,” said Stewart.
“Is Charlie joining us anytime soon, or is she getting her beauty rest in?”
He nodded. “She’ll be here soon.” Stewart glanced at his watch.
They heard steps padding up behind them. “Hey! You talking about me?” It was Charlie, looking alert and happy.
“You look much better today than last night,” said Stewart.
“Yep. I feel much better. A bit stiff, but that won’t stop me.”
“OK, I’m going to go check the barrier to the south. I’ll text if there are any zightings,” said Jay.
“Ha-ha, zightings! That’s clever,” said Charlie.
“Well, this is like hunting for a needle in a haystack,” said Stewart. “The zombies could be anywhere by now. Fifty-four spread out over dozens of miles of land.”
“Well, I’m guessing they’d be hanging out where all the noise is.”
“Right. So, where would there be a lot of noise at this hour?” asked Stewart.
She shrugged. “I’m guessing the game at the arena was cancelled so no loudspeakers, and with the curfew no one should be honking their horns in traffic.”
Stewart smiled. “That’s it! We could lure all the zombies into the arena through the use of loudspeakers.”
“Say, wasn’t that done in some movie or something?”
“Yeah, but I think they blew up the arena after all the zombies were inside. There is no way the mayor would let us do that.”
They had a good chuckle, and then Stewart pulled out his phone and texted the rest of the team.
zzz
“Stay safe,” called out Owen’s dad as he left the house.
“I will!” he said, closing the door. He’d just gotten a text from Stewart, asking him to meet at the arena up north. They had a plan.
Owen was glad, as the last few weeks had been boring and the zombie capers seemed to be happening at random. He was tired of not knowing what was going on. Now a great plan was in place to eradicate the latest zombie infestation from the city.
His phone rang. He hesitated in answering, as he didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?” he asked. “Oh. Hi, Mayor Cote. How are you doing?”
“Good, Owen. Stewart just told me of the big plan. I can’t wait! I don’t know why we didn’t think of it before.”
“Thanks, though it wasn’t my idea.”
“I know, but I can’t reach Stewart or Charlie at the moment. The reason I’m calling is because I need you guys to attend our big City Hall meeting later this afternoon at six o’clock. The press will be there, and everyone who is anyone in Portland will be there.”
“Are you sure? Seems like that would be a little too high profile for us,” he said.
“No, not at all. Rumor has it that there might be a commendation or something.”
“Umm. OK, but you know we keep our zlaying under wraps.”
“Yes, I get it,” she said. “It’ll be a generic thing, like keeping Portland safe, or something.”
“OK, sure,” he said hesitantly. “I’ll let the others know. Six o’clock. City Hall. Got it.”
“See you then,” she said, hanging up.
zzz
Stewart was off helping the police do their setup, so Charlie just milled around the entrance of the arena. Once the zombies started arriving, everyone would be hidden. The plan was to kill as many in one go, and then quickly dispatch any stragglers.
“OK,” said Stewart, running up to her, out of breath, “we’re almost set. They’re going to remove the roadblocks and fences, in hopes of getting them all.”
“Good,” she said.
He guided her to inside the arena. “Everyone will wait on the upper levels. They’ll be blocked, until we’re ready to attack.”
“Wow, such a great idea. Too bad they didn’t think of this before.”
He shrugged. “No one admitted we had a zombie problem before. And thanks to the mayor’s new budget, we have plenty of funds to allocate to this project.”
Charlie laughed. Then she heard sounds in the distance.
“That’s the police sounding their horns in hopes of attracting the zombies to the streets.”
“Hey! I’ve blocked the exits now,” called out Sergeant Bourne. “We’re trapped in here, but they can’t get at us, unless they’ve somehow learned to climb several stories.”
Charlie looked down at the arena. A few moments later, the loudspeaker system was turned on. She shook her head. What was that song? She couldn’t remember the name of the song, but it was loud and should do the trick.
Chapter 19
________________________________________
It wasn’t long before the zombie horde made it onto the roads. The police were having a terrible time. Many residents weren’t obeying orders, and they had come out of their houses to see what was happening.
One zombie took off after a small child. The mother went racing after the zombie and pushed it over. Then she stomped on its head with the sharp, pointed heel of her shoe. Seconds later, she looked down in amazement. The zombie was dead.
“Get the hell back inside now!” screamed the police officer. She grabbed her child and raced back indoors.
“Crazy people,” said the police chief. “Let’s keep them moving. No distractions.”
Soon dozens of zombies were headed down Jones Street. Police officers were lined up along the sidewalks, not moving. If they didn’t move, they wouldn’t be seen. The occasional zombie might, but the loud sounds were far too enticing. Perhaps there was a great meal ahead.
The noise on the streets soon dissipated. The only sound was the loudspeaker from the arena ahead, still playing inspiring game music. The zombies marched right up to the arena and through its doors.
zzz
“Oh my god! Ha-ha-ha,” said Charlie. “I hope that someone is getting this on video.”
“Without a doubt,” Stewart said. “Oh, there’s Owen. I was wondering where he was.”
Owen ran up to them. “Hey, guys! I saw you on the other side of the arena, and ran over. I was sorry to hear about Zan. I hope she is going to be OK?”
Charlie ran over and gave him a hug.
“I feel bad about those stupid jokes,” she said.
“Hey, it’s not your fault. She loves those stupid jokes. I hope the sun does her good. Portland is always so dark and gloomy. They even did a study on it.”
“I know,” said Charlie. “Oh shit! Shit! Shit! Shit,” she kept on saying.
“What is it, Charlie?” asked Stewart.
“What happened to that zombie we left in Zan’s basement?”
“Never mind that. What happened to Ray?” asked Owen.
“We forgot about him,” said Charlie.
“I know, right?” said Owen. “Oh, by the way, we’re all expected at City Hall at six o’clock.”
“Yes, I got that invite,” said Stewart, examining his phone. “Something about an award.” There was noise from the cops beside him.
The zombies were walking aimlessly around the arena, kept within the bounds of a metal fencing system, kind of like a maze. Someone pushed the last of the fence together to keep them in the middle.
“OK, folks. Keep your questions for later. The shooting is going to start.” Stewart nodded toward the bottom of the arena.
“Oh crap!” said Owen. “Crap! Crap! Crap!”
Charlie looked at him in dismay.
“I just thought of something else!”
Charlie shrugged. There was nothing they could say out loud as gunshots filled their ears.
zzz
The teens watched in amazement as the guns went off. The cops were pretty good shots. Many of the zombies went down.
“I count only fifty-two, but that’s still pretty good,” said Stewart.
“Oh look! There are two by the doors,” said Owen.
“OK, good. That’s a relief. All the zombies are here.” Stewart stepped back. The gunfire was getting to
him. He went to the back wall to try and relax.
“Wow,” said Charlie. “We need to do this again. It’s like a video game. Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Owen laughed. “Yeah, but we do nothing.”
She shrugged. “We get to go in and make sure they’re all dead.”
“Hey, kids,” called out Sergeant Bourne. “They’re lifting the barriers. It’s your turn.”
The last of the shots rang out, and then stopped.
Charlie and Owen raced down the ramp to the ground, then out onto the field. The once green field was now torn up and wrecked. Blood and guts were everywhere.
“Do your best,” said Sergeant Bourne.
“They didn’t leave much for us,” said Owen.
Charlie went around, kicking a corpse or two. “Hey, over here, Owen. These two are still alive.”
She saw the zombie look up at her, his arms trying to reach for her throat. She used her dagger to stop his brain.
Owen did the same beside her.
They continued checking.
“Hah, we’ll probably see a surge in gun sales after this mess,” said Owen.
“Yeah, great. You have to know what you’re doing and shoot them at the right spot in the head, otherwise they’re still alive, or dead alive.” Her foot caught on something and she tumbled to the ground. “Well, that was stupid.”
“It’s OK. I got him,” said Owen, plunging his dagger into the zombie who had grabbed her foot.
“Thanks,” she said, pushing herself back up into a standing position. “I think I need a break from this too.”
“Yeah, we all do. Let’s hope this got them all.”
She shrugged. “For this week.”
“Hey, kids! Good job!” said Sergeant Bourne. “You can go home now. We’ll do cleanup here.”
They headed off to their vehicles.
“That was fun,” said Charlie.
“OK, folks, go home and get washed up. We have a meeting in only a couple of hours,” said Stewart.
“Oh wait,” said Owen. “I’ve remembered something.”
Charlie and Stewart looked at him.
“Last week, I had this dream.”
“Yes?” Charlie asked.
“It was a bunch of people, or zombies, seated around a table.”
“Well, everyone’s got to eat,” Charlie joked.
“No, they were talking about killing us,” said Owen.
“Killing us? You mean the zlayers?”
“Yes, zlayer, truthsayer, and mentor, I think I recall them saying. I just remembered today. I was going to tell you earlier, but then the ghost zombies showed up in my place and I was concerned about that.”
“I don’t like this,” said Stewart. “I’m going to stand guard outside City Hall today. Also, I want you both in place before the meeting starts. You can be no-shows, but be a part of the crowd.”
“Cool!” said Charlie. “Undercover. I like it!”
But Owen and Stewart looked at her. Their eyes wide open.
zzz
“What do you think the mayor is up to?” Owen asked.
Charlie shook her head. “I’m not certain. Maybe it’s a round table.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“I think it’s from ancient mythology. All the kings and queens gathered with their enemies around a round table and fought it out with words rather than swords.”
“That sounds like fun,” he said in a sarcastic tone.
“Anyway, Stewart thinks you received a warning through your dreams. He believes that we could be targets. Get rid of us and the zleader will be free to release hundreds, if not thousands, of zombies into Portland.”
“Wait a minute. I was talking to my dad the other night. He said if one of us dies that someone else takes our spot, as long as there are zombies on the loose.”
“That could be true.” She chuckled. “I wonder which teen would take my place then?”
“I don’t know, but I pity them if it happens,” he said.
“Oh, come on. This is the best fun we’ll ever have in our lives. As soon as we turn 21, we’ll be stuck at our full-time jobs somewhere, fighting with our colleagues instead of zombies.”
“Well yeah, sometimes I want that.” He smiled wistfully. “Anyway, wasn’t it only a year ago that you were done and wanted to live like a normal person?”
“True. We came to Portland for a new beginning. We should have gone to Denver, Colorado or somewhere else.”
“But what if zombies are created when we come to a city?”
She looked shocked. “What are you saying?”
“What I mean is, what if we are one piece of that missing magical zombie puzzle?”
“That’s crazy.”
“Well, it seems kind of odd that you come to Portland, and then zombies suddenly magically appear.”
“No, remember, the new zleader was infected by the zleader in Dallas, because she was dying.”
“Yeah, but how did the new zleader get from Dallas to Portland?”
She tossed her phone on the table. “You mean the zleader followed me to Portland?”
“Yep.”
Charlie shook her head. “I hope not. If so, it’s all my fault. Maybe I should have stayed in Dallas?”
“No, it’s not your fault. If you had stayed, maybe the new zleader would have moved to another city. There would have been zombies on the loose there. Anyway, you killed her, and that’s done.”
Charlie was silent for a moment. “OK, that makes sense. But what if our presence here is what allowed the second strain of zombies to be created? Like, we’re a piece of the recipe?”
Owen nodded.
“If that’s the case, then after this meeting is done, we know what we have to do.”
Owen smiled. “I’m in on that.”
Chapter 20
________________________________________
Stewart parked his car in the City Hall parking lot. He and the teens hopped out. “Stay safe,” he said. “I’ll be outside, watching.”
“Thanks, Stewart,” said Charlie.
“See you soon, hopefully,” said Owen, following her.
Instead of going around to the main entrance of City Hall, they went around the back.
“Did you bring your brooch?” Owen tried to turn the knob, but it was locked. He peered at the lock on the door.
“Of course.” Charlie removed the snowflake brooch from her blouse and leaned forward. “This is a super old lock. These are much easier to pick. You know what annoys me?” She looked up at him.
“What?”
“Those newer locks with the digital pin codes.”
“Oh, no way to pick those?”
“Not unless you bring a crowbar.”
He laughed and watched as the lock clicked open.
“OK, let’s get in place.” She pulled the door open and looked inside. “All is quiet. It’s not time for the guests to arrive yet.”
“It’s 5:30 already so we’d better get a move on,” said Owen, checking his watch.
The teens walked inside, with Charlie carefully closing the door so it didn’t make a sound.
They padded down the hall of the older building. This section must have been the original City Hall, with the newer part being built over the past decade.
“Wow. Look at this,” she whispered.
“Wowie! That’s some boardroom.” He peered in to see a large rectangular room with painted mint green walls, huge white columns in each corner, and white crown molding and chair rails. On the walls hung paintings of some of the former mayors of the city. The floor had plush shag carpeting in a variety of grays, golds, and turquoise colors. At the center of the room was a huge solid oak table, with matching wood chairs, covered in lush upholstery. Along the nearest wall was a large grouping of foldable chairs. A large door to the left led to another room in back.
“Looks like it’ll be a full house,” whispered Charlie.
“OK, so where do we hang o
ut?”
“Hey look,” said Charlie. Along the far wall were some French doors. They opened onto a patio. The teens moved forward. They pushed aside some long, heavy velvet drapes to glance outside. Beside a red brick patio was a pond and water fountain.
“Wow, fancy,” exclaimed Owen. “I’ll bet this will be the first and last time that we see this place.”
“OK, let’s hang around outside,” she said.
“What if the meeting is outside?”
“Nah,” she replied. “If they had outdoor plans, they would have set up chairs and tables out here. Besides, it’s hot out today. They’d need to keep the doors closed for the air conditioning.”
“OK,” he said. “So we’ll adjust the drapes so we can hide behind them from the outside and still see inside.”
“OK,” Charlie said, “but can we hear?” She peered around the outside of the building. “Look! Tiny windows!”
“Kind of like window vents or something. Let’s open some of them up.”
Charlie went back inside and grabbed a chair.
“OK, hurry,” said Owen. “I hear cars arriving. Soon people will be here.”
“I am hurrying,” she said, quickly reaching up to push the small windows open. She then got down and moved the chair two more times to do the same thing. Finally, she moved the chair back into position, before heading outside.
Owen closed the door after her. They hid behind the drapes so that no one in the room would know that anyone was outside. They occasionally looked around to see what was happening.
Soon the room filled up with people. The city council members took the chairs around the table, with some of the more important guests getting to sit at the end. The press got to sit in the chairs at the other side of the room.
Charlie was glad that the chairs were on the other side of the room, otherwise it would have obstructed their view of the proceedings.
Soon it was time for the meeting to start. Mayor Jane Cote had arrived, wearing her robes and sash. She took a seat at the end of the table.
