by Gayle Katz
Soon Owen came back. “Hey! What’s up?” he asked.
“Oh, Dr. Arora will help us get Zan back, but we’re waiting on a delivery,” explained Charlie.
“She will? That’s great!” He hesitantly looked into the jail cell. Dr. Arora didn’t even look at him.
Charlie didn’t say anything else. She didn’t want him to discern the full truth. That was probably why Dr. Arora was looking away too.
“So, when does the show get on the road” he asked.
“We’re waiting for her minions to deliver more candles and herbs,” she said.
“Good. Say, I’ll just wait over here,” he said, heading for the desk at the end of the hallway so he could sit down.
Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. Good, he wasn’t in the know. He’d figure it out later and be royally pissed off at her. For now, she tried to keep her thoughts on Zan and other subjects, and not about how she was going to pick the lock and let Dr. Arora get away.
zzz
Stewart received a text that everyone was fine. They were trying to negotiate with Dr. Arora for more information.
In the meantime, Stewart took a look through his spell book again. Nothing new was showing, so he decided to put the book away for now. He picked up the stolen library book and had another look at it. By now, the illustration of the Founding Fathers of America definitely showed a drawing of a zombie at their table. In the picture, people didn’t look overly distressed. A few of the men were even looking at the zombie, as if waiting for a response or advice.
He wondered if this past zombie situation was related to what they were going through now. This illustration was based on a time when one of the original maps of the United States from the late seventeen hundreds had been laid out. Stewart knew that zombies were only able to travel a certain distance from the center of their homes, or from where they had originally become a zombie. He didn’t know the exact rules, if it were based on miles or not, or on a specific city.
He slammed the book closed. He was getting nowhere.
zzz
“Hey, kids. What’s up?” asked Sergeant Bourne, heading down the stairs to the cells.
“Um. Hi, Sergeant Bourne,” said Owen. He looked nervously back at Charlie, who smiled.
“Hi!” she said.
“What are you doing here? You know that if Zan were here, I’d toss the lot of you out. Remember what happened when Ray Orzola was down here? You can’t just come and go as you please. There are rules, you know?”
“I know,” said Charlie, “but we have a little problem.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Zan is trapped in the ether,” explained Owen.
“The ether? Like where Mr. Warcola’s wife was? The in-between realm, other dimension or plane or whatever you call it?” A concerned look appeared on his face.
“Yes,” said Charlie. “So we’ve made a deal with Dr. Arora. She will help us get Zan back.”
Sergeant Bourne looked at Dr. Arora, who was seated on the stone bench. At the moment, she didn’t appear to be a threat. Perhaps these zombies needed recharging time.
“How will you get her back?” he asked. “I thought everyone could consent which way they went? I don’t like this one bit!” He walked up to the cell.
“Dr. Arora will perform a spell,” explained Charlie. She didn’t tell him that was how they had gotten sent to the ether in the first place, or that was why Zan was trapped there, or by her own choice. “She’ll send me there and I can grab Zan and pull her out.”
“I don’t trust her,” he said, still watching the doctor. She raised her head and looked at him.
“Well, neither do we,” said Owen. “But she will do the spell and we can trust her that far, at least.”
“I’d stick around, but I have a call to investigate. If you have any troubles, just let the guys upstairs know. Oh, and I guess I need to get that window fixed.” He noted the broken window and the glass on the ground.
“Will do. Thanks,” said Charlie.
They waited for the cop to go back up the stairs.
“Whew, I didn’t think he’d leave,” said Charlie.
“Hah! Just goes to show he knows to trust us,” said Owen.
“Yeah, but none of the other cops do. Hey, Dr. Arora,” called out Charlie. “Is the drop happening soon?”
As she spoke, there was a rustling sound stirring outside the window. A small package dropped through the window and onto the floor. Dr. Arora got up to grab it.
“It’s here. I hope you kids are ready for some fun.”
“Seriously, we are no longer kids. We’d be adults, but for some legal baloney,” said Charlie.
“Relax,” said the zombie doctor in her deep voice. “Let’s get this done. I’m anxious to get out of here before Sergeant Bourne’s friends wonder why you kids never went back upstairs.”
“OK, then. Set up the things and let’s make it happen,” said Charlie. Owen lingered beside her, but not too close, as he didn’t want to get drawn into the spell. He finally decided to go back to where the desk was, which would be far out of range of the spell.
Dr. Arora set the tea light candles up on the floor. There was a small bag of dried herbs, which she placed in the center. Then she picked up the lighter and clicked it. Her decayed fingers had trouble pressing the button. “Usually I have a minion to do this for me,” she complained, but she finally got the flame going. She lit the candles in a clockwise fashion.
“OK. Let’s get this going,” she said. “Are you ready, Charlie Warner?”
“It’s just Charlie,” she said. “Let’s do it!”
Dr. Arora mumbled some Latin phrases that Charlie didn’t understand. Stewart would probably ask her about them and she would have no idea what to say. He’d tried to teach the teens some Latin words, but they only knew the basics. If she’d thought in advance, she could have set the record function on her…
Charlie realized that she was now in the ether. She couldn’t see a thing. She felt a hard surface under her. She could breathe air, but just.
“Hello?” she whispered. “How will I find Zan?” she asked herself.
zzz
“It worked!” said Owen, rushing down the hall.
“Yes, but don’t get too excited. In order for me to be released, she needs to come back. So think happy thoughts. That will help, right?” Dr. Arora stared at Owen.
“No, I’m a truthsayer, not a do-gooder.”
“Too bad.”
“So, do you leave the candles burning?” he asked.
She shrugged. “They don’t need to be. But it looks nice, right?”
He turned and walked away. He didn’t want to talk to her at all. And then, he had a thought.
zzz
Stewart was doing some tidying up in his apartment. Every single time the teens came over for a meeting, it somehow ended up in disarray. He was just taking some glasses to the kitchen when he heard a loud thump on the floor. He left the glasses in the sink, and then walked back into the living room.
The history book had fallen onto the floor. He went over to have a look. It was about three quarters of the way open, in a section right after the interesting illustration of the Founding Fathers, who were seated with a zombie.
He carefully lifted the book up and put it back on the table. He looked down at the page and slowly saw some text becoming clearer.
“With the zombie war concluded, all zombie factions agree to each remain in their own zone, unless they should be visiting on a diplomatic mission. Otherwise, no zombie is allowed to cross borders for fear of punishment.”
That was it. There was no more text. Stewart flipped to the next page but nothing. He sat down and reread the passage. He already knew zombies couldn’t move past borders without dying, but why would this information be in a history textbook? And what was a diplomatic mission? Did that mean a zombie could cross a border? And was this even applicable to their current zombie infestation? Yet, the book had revealed this bit o
f information. But what need did he have of it right now?
Chapter 17
________________________________________
Charlie was starting to feel cold in the ether. She hadn’t thought to bring a sweater. “OK. So, does this work the same way? I can consciously think about finding Zan, and then I will find her?”
She took a deep breath. “Zan? Are you there?”
Charlie heard voices in the distance, a lot of them.
“Zan Goldberg, daughter of Joe and Wanda. Are you here?”
Most of the voices went away.
“Hello?” called out Charlie. She was worried about those shredders she’d heard about. They sounded painful. “Zan? Is that you?” She could sense something or someone near her. It didn’t feel like anything dangerous. It felt a bit like Zan, one of her best friends. The friend she would enjoy joking around with, or talking about life. The friend who sometimes was catty and annoyed her, but then she’d ignore her. The friend she was concerned about.
“Zan? Is that you? I know that’s you.” Charlie opened her eyes wide, hoping she could see something in the ether. “Hey, Zan. I’m turning a light on. Follow it to me.” Charlie pressed the button on her cell phone. It wasn’t too bright, but it lit up her body. If there was anyone within a mile of her, it should be enough to guide them to her.
“Go away,” came a warbled voice in the distance. “Leave me alone.”
“Zan! It’s me, Charlie!” she yelled. “Come here! We are concerned about you.”
Then there was silence. It felt like another twenty minutes with Charlie yelling to get Zan to come to her. She extended her arms as far as they could go but felt nothing.
“What to do? What to do?” mumbled Charlie. “Can’t stay out here forever.”
Then she had an idea and smirked.
zzz
Stewart was going through his books again when he got a bad feeling. What were the teens up to? He hadn’t heard from them for a while. He sent a text off to Charlie.
No response, which was odd in itself. Usually, the younger generation kept their phones close. He tried Zan next. And again, there was no response. He tried Owen last.
“It’s a bad sitch here,” he texted back. “Dr. A sent Zan to ether. Charlie went after her.”
“Where is Jay?” Stewart texted back.
“Not here and other cops may find us any minute.”
“On my way,” he said. He took one final look at his book. “What the hell?” he exclaimed. His spell book had fallen open to a page. “The Ether,” it said. “A place where human souls go before moving on, or fading into oblivion. The Shredders keep The Ether from filling up.”
“Damn!” he said, grabbing his keys. Somehow the teens always seemed to get wrapped up in non-zombie-related business.
zzz
“Stewart is on the way,” said Owen to Dr. Arora.
“What do I care? If it works, I’m out of here. If it doesn’t, I’ve gotten rid of two zlayers, permanently.”
“What? Come here and say that,” said Owen in a threatening manner. He pulled out his dagger.
“Man, that can’t kill me.” She didn’t even stand up.
“No, but I can rip your eyes out of your skull.”
She shrugged. “I can still see.”
“Oh right. I’ve heard about that for the more powerful zombies. Say, where are your headquarters? I know you had a lab under the hospital in that tunnel. That was clever. But where are your minions? I mean, your human minions probably still live at home, but where are your zombie minions?”
“Oh, they live under the sewers. Where else can zombies hide?” She shrugged.
“That’s awesome, never thought of that,” said Owen, trying to be impressed. “So, what is your purpose?”
“My purpose is to take over as mayor of Portland and control the state. And to bring in lots of money so I can legally fund my own zombie laboratory.”
“Mayor?” Owen thought to himself. That can only mean her life was in danger.
“Why is it so important to have zombies take over the world?”
She cackled. “Because a long, long time ago, in a country far south from here, the witches created their first zombie. Did you know that zleaders are really witches?”
“I, no,” he said, trying to grasp that concept.
“Yep. The zleaders are chosen. You’re lucky you and your friends are ayers. You’ll never be zleaders, well, maybe for a short while, but then you’d die.”
“So the zombie curse is carried on through the zleaders, right?”
“Right. Without zleaders, there would be no more zombies.”
“So, if we can break that curse, then there would be no more zombies and no more zleaders?”
“That’s right.”
“Interesting. What is the spell to stop any more zleaders from being created?”
“First, you must have the right amount of herbs, body parts, and incantations. Put them all together, and voila! All gone!”
“What do I need to collect together then?”
“Cloves, the hoof of a goat, the heart of a person past the age of one hundred…” Then she started laughing uncontrollably. “Good one, my Owen! Now you know some of it!” She continued to laugh.
“You forget who I am,” he said. He tried to get more out of her, but she seemed to fall into some type of trance.
zzz
A meow was heard in the darkness.
“Meow. Meow. Meow.” Charlie crossed her fingers that this would work. “Meow?”
“Major Tigger? Is that you?” Zan called out in the darkness.
“Myah!” meowed Charlie in what she hoped sounded like a cat.
“I’m coming as fast as I can,” said Zan, trying to walk in the direction of the meow.
Charlie had to stifle a laugh. She shouldn’t laugh. Really. “Meow!” she called out again. “Mmhmh!”
Footsteps came up to Charlie. “Charlie? Is that you trying not to laugh? Really?” Zan tried to run away, but Charlie grabbed onto her arm.
“Oof!” said Zan. “Nice trick! I didn’t think my cat was here.”
“Shh. Be quiet,” said Charlie. “There could be Shredders around. We need to get out of here.”
“What are Shredders?” Zan asked out loud.
“Shh! Lower your voice,” Charlie pleaded. “We talked about them before. We’re not exactly sure what they are, but I guarantee we don’t want to come face to face with them.”
In the distance, a humming sound was heard. It appeared to be getting closer.
“Just hold onto me and be quiet. Imagine us back at the jail.”
“Sure,” whispered Zan, suddenly worried.
The sound came closer. When it hit Zan and Charlie, it changed to a high-pitched humming sound.
Charlie felt something enter her brain. She had a thought but forgot. “Oh, right! Let’s go home!”
The Shredders prepared to fully envelop their bodies, but suddenly, there was empty space. They decided to move onto their next victim.
zzz
“Charlie!” said Owen, rushing up to her and hugging her. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
“Um, thanks!” she said, hugging him back. “Where is Zan?”
Charlie looked around. Where was Zan?
“Over here,” said Zan from the prison cell. The same one that Dr. Arora was in. “Let me out.”
Dr. Arora stood up. “I figured you’d renege on your promise, so I uttered a little spell to get one of you in here. Now you have to open the door.”
“No, we don’t,” said Charlie.
Zan ran up to the bars. “Are you serious? Get me out of here! Before she eats me or something!”
Owen chuckled. “This will keep you out of trouble, for sure.”
Charlie laughed too.
“Wow. What friends you have,” commented Dr. Arora.
Charlie walked up to the cell door. “Fine.”
Dr. Arora came up behind Zan.
&
nbsp; “Say, why don’t we wait for Sergeant Bourne? He’ll help us get her out, but keep the good old doc in there.” Owen tapped her on the shoulder.
But Charlie wasn’t listening. She already had the lock picked. The lock clicked open, along with the door.
Zan slipped through, trying to pull the door after her. But Dr. Arora grabbed it and came out behind her.
The three teens tried to block her from entering the hallway. They tried to push her back into the jail cell, but she was stronger than they expected.
“Just what the hell is going on here?” yelled out a male voice in the distance.
“Dr. Arora is trying to escape!” called out Charlie, trying to make it sound like they hadn’t really opened the cell door. But while the cop distracted the teens, Dr. Arora pushed past Charlie and raced past the cop and up the stairs.
“Damn!” said Charlie, running after her. “Get her!” she yelled at the cop.
He finally figured out what was happening and pulled out his gun and raced after her.
Charlie ran up the stairs and joined the others at the top.
“No luck. She took off through the back,” said Owen. “It’s like she was supercharged or something. We both got pushed down.”
Zan was dusting off her jeans. “I just bought these,” she complained. “But at least the new tear will fit in with the design. I think.”
“Is everyone OK?” asked Charlie.
Zan finished straightening her clothing. “Seriously, you did not have to risk losing Dr. Arora by pulling me out of there.”
“Yeah, well, you’re my friend, so of course I was going to do that. Oh look! Sergeant Bourne is back.”
They turned to look at the cops talking. One was filling in the other. Bourne frowned and stomped up to the teens.
