by Gayle Katz
“Great, thanks,” said Julian, standing up. “I have to go now. You have my number.”
“Bye! Good luck! Stay healthy!” called out Owen, watching him head out the door.
Owen was extra careful as he left the cafe, but no one was watching him. Julian seemed to be honest. Unfortunately, he had somehow gotten wrapped up in this Dr. Arora crap. But was it really true that she had been trying to help him and not deliberately changing people into zombies?
He had a lot to discuss with his team.
zzz
“Do you really need me there?” asked Stewart. “I’ve been kind of busy lately.”
“Yes, it’s important. I’ve learned some valuable info about Dr. Arora,” said Owen over the telephone. “And some questions. Oh, and I have a zombie contact.”
“A contact? Who?”
“Can’t say just yet. I have to talk to the three of you first.”
“OK, Owen. Let me check my schedule. I’ll text you a time and date.”
“Thanks,” he said.
zzz
“Sorry, you can’t stay,” said Stewart, trying to coax his visitor out of his home. He looked apologetic.
“No problem,” she said. “You need to catch up on your grading. I got it.”
Stewart closed the door, and then nervously looked at the clock. It was nearly time. Soon the intercom buzzer sounded. It was his team. He buzzed them in.
“Hi!” said Charlie, coming through the door first. Owen and Zan were right behind her.
“Have a seat! It seems like forever,” said Stewart.
Owen frowned at him as he walked past. Something was up. He could sense it.
“OK, team, here are your soft drinks.” He handed out the soda, ensuring that Charlie got the diet one, as she was always working out at the gym as much as she could.
“Thanks!”
“So, what’s up?” asked Zan.
“Oh, I’ve been pretty busy,” he explained.
“Doing what?” asked Owen.
Stewart smiled and put his coffee mug on the table. “Well, you’re going to laugh, but I’ve actually been dating someone.”
The teens looked at each other in amusement.
“Really?” asked Charlie. “Is she cute?”
“Yes, she is. And younger than me.”
“Oh,” said Owen. “Why is she dating you then?”
Stewart shrugged.
“Wait a frickin’ minute,” said Zan from the end of the couch. “I thought you were too busy to date?”
Stewart shrugged again. “I really like this lady. It’s like she’s my soulmate. We really get along.”
“Well, that’s great,” said Charlie.
“I mean, we could just be friends in the end, but still, it’s nice to have someone to chat to and hang out with. I mean, besides you folks.”
“Um, OK,” said Charlie. “But I hope you’re not talking about zombies or how we’re zlayers to her?”
Stewart laughed. “Of course not. Those are confidential topics. Seriously, I won’t mention any of that.”
“Uh, but you’re not being honest with her then,” said Owen, speaking up.
“Yeah, I knew this would be a problem,” said Stewart. “Like, if she’s a truthsayer, she’s going to eventually figure it out. And then, yes, at that point, if we are married say, then I will tell her everything.”
“Wow,” said Zan. “That’s really speeding things up.”
Stewart smirked. “Well, I’m just saying, that’s when I would tell her the truth.”
“Oh, maybe you should tell her before she marries you? Won’t that freak her out? I mean, if some guy told me he was this weird thing, I may get scared, because, this isn’t the safest thing to be.” Zan frowned at her soda.
Stewart picked up his mug. “I get what you’re saying. But it’s either me stay my lonesome little self, or I get out for movie and dinner dates.”
“Well, a man’s got to eat,” said Charlie. Everyone laughed with her.
“OK, so that’s my news. I think Owen has some news too?” Stewart looked at him.
Owen nodded. “Yes, it’s the strangest thing. Not something I’ve experienced before. But remember, we’ve been talking about whether there are good zombies out there?” He looked around the room. Everyone was hanging on his every word. “Well, I have one for you all to meet.”
zzz
Dr. Arora looked around at her surroundings. She was in a dark place, covered with brick walls that had once been red, which were now thick with green moss. At her feet ran a small stream of water. She was thankful that at least it was only water runoff and not sewer drainage.
One of her minions was blocking off one end, so their new HQ could at least be dry. He put down sandbag after sandbag.
“Good! When you’re done, get the end of the other tunnel. We’ll turn this place into something yet. Those damn kids are too smart.”
She started pacing up and down the tunnels. “Finally!” she called out to two guys who were walking toward her. They each carried large boxes in their arms. “Put the stash over there, not in the water.” She didn’t bother saying thank you. “Careful!” she cried out when one dropped his boxes a little too heavily. “I don’t want to lose yet another microscope.”
She went over to the first box and opened it. She was pleased with what she saw.
zzz
“Who is it?” asked Stewart.
Owen shook his head. “I won’t tell you his name. What we’ll do is meet at this cafe a few blocks away. We’ll be in public so he’s safe.”
Zan and Charlie looked at each other.
“How will he get inside?” asked Stewart.
“Well, he’s not in the advanced stages of zombiosis,” explained Owen. “He looks normal. I mean, he takes supplements and does skin treatments to look normal. But his brain seems to be healthy and well.”
“Is he under some sort of medical care?” asked Charlie.
“Yes, he is,” said Owen. “He may be able to direct us to his contact, who is a doctor, probably at the same hospital that Dr. Arora worked at.”
“Wow, that’s hard to process,” said Zan. “He must be a rarity.”
Owen placed his empty can on the table. “Yes, he is. And guess what? We’re going to meet him in fifteen minutes. Are you all ready to go?”
Everyone scrambled to gather their things.
“Owen, it would have been nice to have advance notice,” complained Stewart.
“Oh right, that’s another thing,” said Owen. “You have to promise me that you won’t kill him. Not before the meeting. Not during the meeting. Not after the meeting. Not in the future.”
“But what if he tries to eat me?” asked Zan.
“He eats raw steaks. He won’t.”
Owen blocked the door. “I need an answer!” He was proud of himself for speaking up.
“Yes, Owen, I promise not to harm your zombie contact.”
“Yes, me too.”
“Me three.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
The team of four left Stewart’s apartment. Everyone crammed into his small car while Zan turned her nose up at the interior.
“This is adorable,” said Charlie.
“I just traded in my old car for this one. It’s not new, but it does the job.”
“Cool,” said Owen, who smiled at Zan. She said nothing.
Chapter 20
________________________________________
“Hey, Julian! Thanks for waiting,” said Owen, extending his hand for shaking.
“Thanks!” He shook his hand back. “Are these all your friends?”
Owen sat down at the table, along with Zan, Charlie, and Stewart. “Yep.” He introduced everyone.
“You don’t look like a zombie,” said Charlie, peering closely at him.
Zan looked uncomfortable. She could still tell he was a zombie and was anxious to stab him in the eye socket. But she controlled herself. It wasn’t like when she
had first become a zlayer and had little control over her actions when she was around zombies.
“Yeah, it’s strange. My skin and body do heal. I had a bruise back in June and it’s just healed up now. I had a scratch from a broken glass a couple weeks ago and it’s now almost gone.”
Stewart looked in his direction. “So you do possess both zombie and human traits?”
He nodded.
“Would I be allowed to take a blood sample from you?”
Julian looked worried. “I guess so. If it will help people, then sure.”
“By helping people, you mean the living?” asked Owen.
“Yep.”
“Do you live with your family?” asked Charlie.
He nodded. “They know I’m sick but are happy that I’m supposedly in remission.”
“Oh, sorry to hear that,” said Charlie.
“Well, that was why I got this supposed zombie cure, because of my cancer.”
“Say what?” Stewart kept on eyeing the menu, but he really didn’t want to miss any of this conversation.
“It was Dr. Arora who gave me the injection. She said that it would stop the cancer and help me to heal, but it would only extend my life by a couple of years.” Julian paused. “She asked me if I wanted it done, so I said yes. She told me it was super-experimental and that she couldn’t guarantee results. I said that I didn’t care, that I was in so much pain and discomfort that if it killed me, then good. She asked me like ten times, but I said yes each time.”
Owen pulled his chair closer. “Tell them when this all happened,” he said.
“This happened last spring.”
Everyone said “What?” in unison.
“Yep, I’ve been walking around like this for almost seven months.”
Everyone was quiet. They tried to take in what he had said.
“So why are you telling this to us?” asked Stewart. “I assume you’re in Dr. Arora’s zombie gang?”
He laughed. “I am, but only to help people, not hurt people. And seriously, that’s how most of it plays out. She wants to help people. She only hurts people if they get in her way. However, her minions do kill people and do her dirty work. So don’t get fooled into thinking that Dr. Arora is all good.”
“Um, yeah, I was shocked to hear that from you when we met earlier in the week,” said Owen.
“Most are. However, she has no problem killing her zombie minions or zinions, as she likes to call them. She is becoming more unstable by the day. I don’t know all she’s up to. But if you have questions, I can answer them.”
Everyone sat and thought about what to ask.
“OK. What is her purpose?” asked Owen.
“That’s simple,” replied Julian. “She wants to be mayor of Portland. She wants power, fame, and money.”
“So pretty much the same as any megalomaniac,” said Zan.
“Where is her headquarters now that her lab under the factory-to-hospital tunnel has been destroyed?”
“In the sewers,” he replied. “I can take you there.”
“What do you want us to do?” asked Owen. “I mean, what is your main purpose? Besides helping people? How can we help people?”
“I can help you to find a cure for zombiosis strain two. And, I can take you to Dr. Arora so you can kill her.”
“Wait a minute,” said Charlie. “I thought you were a good zombie?”
He shrugged. “I don’t need to cross any borders. And I’m tired of seeing people suffer. Sure, the so-called treatment seemed great at first. But it’s more of a curse now. I’m beginning to see her for who she really is. So don’t get caught up in her excuses or reasons.”
“Cool!” said Zan. “So you’re now a bad zombie?”
Julian laughed. “Look, I’ll take you to her now. She is planning on giving the remaining injectables to her zinions and they will take to the streets, jabbing people. The best time to act is now, rather than waiting.”
“That’s great,” said Zan, standing up. “I do get to stab someone tonight.” She patted her jacket pocket.
“All right, let’s go. We’ll follow Julian in my car. I’ll notify the police. Oh, and we need to pick up a can of gas along the way.” He patted his pockets. “But I forgot my wallet in all the rush.”
“Don’t look at me,” said Charlie. “I left my purse on your table.”
“This one’s on me.” Zan got up and headed to the door first.
zzz
Dr. Arora was directing her minions on where to place the furniture in the sewers when she heard a noise. “Shut up! I can’t hear!” Suddenly, her minions froze in place and all activity surrounding her ceased. “You! Go and find out what’s up.”
The zombie quickly took off in the direction she pointed.
zzz
“This is so gross,” said Zan, scowling down into the depths of the sewer.
“OK, wait for Stewart, and then help him get the gas can down here,” said Charlie, hopping in.
A light thud was heard from down below.
“Me next,” called out Owen. Even four months ago, he would have been hesitant to jump down six feet, but now he could do it without fear. His feet landed in water. “Yuck. I’m going to need new shoes after this.”
“Let’s go,” said Charlie, shining her flashlight down the tunnel. “Left or right? What do you think?”
“Well, from what Julian said, it’s under the northern part of the hospital. Let’s go right then.”
The pair headed down the tunnel.
“There!” Charlie pointed against the wall. There were two zombies trudging through the muck. The zombies were slow to act.
Owen and Charlie were on them in an instant. Both bodies quickly dropped to the ground.
“Next!” Owen strode confidently down the tunnel.
“Shh,” said Charlie. “There are more ahead.”
They quietly moved forward. Every few feet was another zombie, supposedly asleep against the wall.
“Hey, even zombies need sleep,” said Owen, laughing.
“Quiet!” said Charlie, but it was too late. Suddenly, about twenty zombies on either side of the sewer tunnel awakened.
zzz
“Finally!” said Zan, helping Stewart carry the gas can over to the sewer hole. “Did you buy matches?”
“Of course. I expect that by now, Charlie and Owen will have cleared out some of the zombies below. Let’s go.” Stewart dropped the can in. It made a loud splash as it hit the bottom. Then he jumped in after it.
“Hey. You stay up here,” said Stewart. “Direct Bourne to us, if he ever shows.”
“Right,” said Zan, extremely glad that she didn’t have to go in.
zzz
There were a ton of zombies. Owen and Charlie had a great time striking them down. Charlie pushed at one that came at her. It toppled to the ground. She leaned over and jammed her dagger deep into its skull. This one seemed to have a larger head than normal, so she had a bit of difficulty pulling out her dagger again.
Owen had three zombies come at him, so he quickly ducked down. This managed to trip all three. They fell over him before toppling to the ground. He quickly rolled over to the first one and jammed his dagger into its eye socket. He pulled it out and did the second one. By now, the third zombie had managed to stand back up and was trying to gnaw on his arm.
Owen punched it in the face with his other hand. The zombie stumbled away. He looked quickly at his arm. It was just a scratch, and he would be fine. He then did a sharp back and forth motion, greatly annoyed that he was injured. The zombie would have been dead on the first jab, but Owen took out his frustrations on his second and third motions.
“Wow! That’s great,” someone said, cackling in the distance.
Owen and Charlie turned.
“Dr. Arora, so nice to see you again,” Charlie said.
“Hey there,” said Owen.
“Kiddies, good to see you again. Have you decided to join my cause?”
The t
eens looked at each other, perplexed by her question.
“Cause?” asked Charlie.
“Why yes. My new movement is called “Dr. Arora is Good.”
Charlie shrugged. “Don’t know what that means.”
“No, I expect you’ve killed about a thousand zombies by now. You are definitely not a good person.”
Charlie frowned.
“What is your new club about?” asked Owen.
“Well, I still want to be mayor of Portland, and be rich and famous, but I think we can do that together?”
Charlie heard a sound in the distance. “Ah,” she started to say, before realizing it was Stewart. She kept on talking to keep the doctor from noticing that Stewart was lugging a large gas can down the sewers. He had managed to get the cap off and was letting a small amount of gas spill out as he walked.
“Well, this sounds good,” said Charlie. “If you can’t beat them, join them.” She turned and looked at Owen, who was glaring at her, but then suddenly, he understood.
“We’re tired of all the killing. Right, Owen?”
Owen looked at Dr. Arora. “Uh-huh. Yeah!”
Then Charlie looked back at Stewart. “Run!” she cried. Stewart had lit a match. He was running back the way he came, with Charlie fast behind. Owen raced after her.
“Kids? Where are you going?”
Not only was the water seeping below Dr. Arora’s feet, but it also carried a large amount of the gasoline that Stewart had managed to pour out. Right behind it were the flames, rapidly catching the entire tunnel on fire.
“I’m going to kill you all!” screamed Dr. Arora, as the flames reached her pants and climbed up them. She had been so intent on keeping dry in the tunnel that the flames quickly enveloped her dry clothes.
Her remaining zombies came out of the room she had created in the tunnels. They were confused. The flames, smoke, and noise quickly attracted them. Instead of fleeing, they raced up to her.
