by Gayle Katz
“Why is that thing even here?” asked Jane.
“When Sebastian did his internship here, he brought it from Portland University.”
“Well, someone from there should come and pick it up.” Jane watched as Marta picked up the mask and dropped it into a plastic bag.
“There. I’ll show you what happens next.” Marta strode over to a trash can by the door. She dropped the mask in. Then she pointed toward the display case. “Keep watching.”
Jane walked closer to the case and stared in. Right before her eyes, the mask suddenly reappeared. “What the?”
Marta walked back to the case. “See? Do you believe me now?”
Jane shook her head. “I do. That’s crazy. It’s like some sort of magic trick. It’s too bad we didn’t see this when it was Halloween. It would have made great entertainment.”
“It sure would have. I even went so far as to toss it into the big garbage bin out back, but to no avail.”
Jane studied the mask. “It’s so creepy. Is it made from leather or something?”
Marta nodded. “Probably. I thought it was wood at first, but it’s too soft to be that.”
“OK. My next suggestion is to burn it.”
“Works for me.” Marta reached into the case and pulled out the mask. Then she turned and headed for the front door.
“Marta! Not out front. Do it out back.” Jane turned and headed for the back door.
“Right, ha-ha! Just imagine what people would say.” Marta followed the mayor out the back door and down the stairs.
“I think we can do it here by the bin. It’s nothing but gravel, so nothing else will catch on fire.”
Marta dropped the mask on the ground, and then pulled a lighter from her pocket. “It’s a good thing I have this handy.” She flicked the lighter until the flame appeared. Then she reached forward and aimed the flame against the side of the mask.
“Look. It’s catching on fire,” said Jane.
“Perfect,” said Marta. “If only the zombies were this easy to get rid of.”
They both watched as flames consumed the entire mask.
zzz
“Can you pick the lock?” asked Zan.
“I can,” said Charlie, pulling a safety pin from her wallet.
“Hey! Who’s that?” asked Zan, looking through the small mesh window. “Someone is here. Hello!” called out Zan, beating on the door. “We’re locked in here. Oh. Oh.”
“What?” asked Charlie, looking up from the lock.
“I think it’s one of the prisoners.”
A scarred face peered through the window. “Hello!”
“Hi,” said Zan waving back. “We’re locked in here.”
The face smirked. “Well, that’s good. Everyone has to be somewhere.”
“Uh, maybe we should just stay in here until Larry comes back,” said Zan. “Isn’t she the one that killed all her husbands?”
“Uh,” replied Charlie. “No, and I’m wondering why that Martha had more than one husband at the same time.”
Zan’s eyes widened. “No way?”
Charlie shrugged. “Hey, there are weirder things than our lives out there.”
There was a tapping on the door. “Hello? We’ve got zombies running around out here!”
“Stay there,” said Zan. “Don’t go back into the hallway!” She tried to look through the window of the door on the other side, but couldn’t see anything.
“The zombies have eaten Martha and that other woman, can’t remember her name,” called out the prisoner.
“Shouldn’t we let her in here?” asked Charlie. “If it’s not safe out there?”
“Hey, why are there zombies out there? I thought Larry led them all in here?”
“Larry is dead. He went to the janitorial closet to clean up some barf, and apparently there were a bunch hiding in there,” she explained.
“Oh, great,” said Charlie, before clicking the lock open with her pin. “There!”
“Wait, how did you get out?” called out Zan in a suspicious manner.
“After the zombies got out, Larry went around and let us all out. He told us to head for the stairs, but unfortunately, the zombies blocked our path. I saw him being eaten, the other woman too.”
Zan heard sounds coming from behind the prisoner. She looked up and saw a zombie peer through the door on the other side. Then there were banging and pounding sounds. She watched as the door bulged inward.
“Um, Charlie,” said Zan. “I think we need to get her in here.” Zan nearly lost her footing as Charlie yanked the door open. “Great. Thanks for the warning,” she said, catching herself.
“Quick! In here!” called out Charlie.
The woman ran through the door. Charlie slammed it after her, just in time. The glass of the second door smashed.
“Whoa. They’re strong,” said Zan. “But the other door is holding.”
“Good,” said Charlie. “What’s your name?”
“It’s Tricia.”
“I’m Charlie, and this is Zan,” said Charlie, holding out her hand.
Tricia smiled uneasily at her hand, and then shook it.
“Do you mind me asking what happened to your face?” Her scars piqued Zan’s curiosity.
“I don’t. One of the other prisoners was mad at me for not sharing a pack of cigarettes. Shit happens, ya know?”
“Oh, sorry,” said Zan, concerned with how this woman had been treated.
“Say, was someone sick?” asked Charlie.
“Oh, right,” said Tricia. “It’s not like the food is that great here. It’s just as well she didn’t make it. Now she’s saved from eating the crap they serve here.”
“Uh, so what are you in for?” asked Charlie.
“Me? I killed this guy who tried to attack me in the park.” She seemed proud of her accomplishment.
“Really?” asked Zan. “Why would you end up down here for self-defense?”
“Well, after he was dead, I hacked him up into tiny little pieces. I was angry.” She shrugged. “My lawyer is trying to get me out early.”
“Great,” said Charlie, feeling a bit uneasy. She looked at Zan.
“Uh, well, we aren’t judgmental. We’ve killed a lot of zombies, and you know, they used to be human.”
“Relax,” said Tricia. “I don’t hurt women. This is why I have a scar on my face, because I didn’t friggin’ defend myself when someone wanted a cigarette.” She sighed.
“Thank you for sharing that story with us,” said Charlie. “But we have more pressing needs, like those zombies out there, for example. So, you stay here, while Zan and I get rid of the rest of them.”
“What? You’re going out there? That’s crazy!” said Tricia. “Those things eat people!”
“Relax,” said Zan. “We do this for a living.”
“Really?” she asked. “That’s cool.” She looked impressed.
“OK, Tricia. You stay here. We’re heading out.” Charlie had her dagger ready.
zzz
Julian had locked himself in the bathroom. He didn’t want his parents to see him like this. His flesh was starting to come off in long strips, from the top of his skull, down his neck, torso, and arms and legs. For the past week, he’d been using crazy glue to mend the tears, and a whole lot of his mother’s makeup.
But at least he felt no pain. He removed his contact lenses. There was no point in disguising the green glow in his eyes anymore.
His parents had known exactly what was happening to him, but they supported him one hundred percent. However, right now they were out shopping. He felt he had little time left.
He paced the bathroom, dragging one foot after the other. Soon he knew he would not be in his right mind. He didn’t want his parents to find him dead, but on the other hand, disappearing into the night wouldn’t be right either, as they’d forever wonder what had happened to him.
Julian touched the handgun sitting on the back of the toilet. Soon it would be time. But first,
he wanted to have one last meal.
zzz
“Hey, Stewart,” said Owen into his smartphone. “Have you heard from Charlie and Zan?”
“No, not yet. I’m sure they’re having plenty of fun at the women’s prison. No, the reason I called is because I have a task for you.”
“Good, that’ll keep me busy, at say, eight o’clock tonight.” He glanced at his watch.
“Yes, sorry for having you do this on a school night. But there is something odd happening at City Hall.”
Owen laughed. “There is always something weird happening there.”
“I know,” said Stewart, laughing with him. “But do you remember how that shrunken head went missing and you couldn’t find it?”
“Oh yeah, how can I forget? I had no luck in tracking that down.” Owen sat down on his bed.
“Well, I have learned where it is.”
“No way,” said Owen. “It’s at City Hall, right?”
“Yes, turns out it was right under our noses all this time.”
“Cool,” said Owen. “So, you want me to retrieve it and bring it to you? For further study?”
“Yes, but that may be difficult. However, since you are a truthsayer, I do think that you’ll be able to figure it out.”
“Err, what do you mean?” asked Owen. “I can just go and get it, right?”
“Yes, and no.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Well, the mayor and her assistant, Marta, have been trying to rid themselves of this mask for some time. But it just keeps coming back.”
“It comes back?” Owen was puzzled.
“Yes. They even went so far as to set it on fire.”
“And?” asked Owen, becoming impatient.
“They set it on fire and it burned. And then, it popped back into the display case in the City Hall lobby.”
“OK,” said Owen. “So what you’re telling me is that this mask is indestructible, and that it doesn’t want to leave City Hall?”
“That’s right. Good luck,” said Stewart.
“Great,” said Owen.
“I’m wondering if there might be more masks out there?” asked Stewart.
Owen shrugged, but then realized that Stewart couldn’t see him. “I don’t believe so.”
“Good,” said Stewart. “I’d hate to think that there would be more of these out there. But you told me you had a bad feeling the last time you came into contact with this mask, right?”
“Um, yeah. When I saw it on the plane that time. I knew it was evil.”
“I believe we’re getting closer to solving this zombie puzzle,” said Stewart.
Owen smiled. “I do believe you are right. OK, I’ll check on this shrunken head mask thingie.”
“Good. I pity that poor soul who lost their head over this.” Stewart hung up.
Chapter 4
________________________________________
Tricia stayed behind in the First-Aid room while Charlie and Zan slowly opened the door to the hallway. Tricia looked around the room in horror, but fortunately all the zombies were already dead. What was even worse was that she recognized many of the corpses from Cell Blocks X to Z. She was puzzled about how the other prisoners from the upper levels had escaped, let alone managed to get down to the bottom floor.
She paced the room, carefully bypassing any blood and gore on the floor. She thought hard. If there were a zombie outbreak in the prison, chances were good that the guards were preoccupied. She turned and looked at the door. If she was going to run, this was the time. She could take the keys from Larry’s belt and get out of the building, and out of the prison. She walked to the door and carefully opened it.
zzz
Zan and Charlie had pulled open the door. They quickly killed the first two zombies in front of them, and then pushed out. Several zombies toppled to the ground.
“Damn! One bit me!”
“You’re getting sloppy,” said Charlie.
“Tell me about it. I feel tired.”
“Will you be OK?” said Charlie, thrusting her dagger into the next zombie’s skull. The dagger stuck, so she yanked it out with extra force. It didn’t want to drop, so she took her dagger and thrust it into its skull much harder the second time.
“I think so. I probably didn’t get enough sleep last night. Stupid phone.”
Charlie winced as some blood hit her face. “You have to put the phone away sometime.”
“I know, right?” replied Zan. She too was having trouble killing the zombies. “Is it me or are these gals extra tough?”
“I don’t know. I’m feeling a bit tired myself.”
Soon, both girls had a large space cleared in front of them. Some of the zombies near the end seemed hesitant to attack. But there were four others hovering nearby, their jaws chomping up and down.
Charlie took a deep breath and ran at one of them. The blade quickly slid through its eye socket and deep into its skull. She yanked her dagger out as it dropped to the ground.
“There! I just needed to warm up,” said Charlie.
“Me too!” said Zan, swiftly taking down the next zombie.
They didn’t notice when Tricia silently closed the door to the First-Aid room, then crept down the hall, carefully avoiding any of the remaining zombies.
“How many are left?” Charlie called out.
“I think about five. Just these two losers and the three down the hall milling about.”
“Make that four,” said Charlie, taking down the next one. Its body dropped to the ground. “I wonder where they came from?”
“Yeah, it’s really weird. Zombies don’t just come out of nowhere,” said Zan, using her dagger to kill the next zombie. “There. Done.” She breathed a long sigh of relief.
Charlie quickly moved. “Zan! Behind you! We’re not done yet.” Charlie was helpless to watch as two zombies jumped on her back. The weight was too much for her so she fell to the ground. One zombie took a big chunk out of her shoulder.
“Ahhhh!” she cried.
“Zan!” cried Charlie, trying to get to her, but the other remaining zombie had grabbed onto her arm and wouldn’t let go.
Zan stuffed her dagger back into her pants pocket, and then used her hands to punch the zombie. But it still wouldn’t let her go.
zzz
Julian needed to eat. He was glad that his parents weren’t home yet. He headed to the fridge and pulled out two raw ribeye steaks. He didn’t even bother removing the plastic wrap or the Styrofoam. He just stuffed it into his mouth and chewed.
After consuming both packages of meat, he felt slightly better. But he gazed down at his hands and the flesh was rapidly dissolving, revealing the skeleton beneath. He had to do it soon. He didn’t want his parents to see him this way.
On the way back to the bathroom, he saw his parent’s liquor cabinet. He walked over and grabbed the knob, then pulled the door open. He reached for the first bottle he saw, and then headed back to where his gun was waiting.
zzz
Owen walked up the steps to City Hall. As soon as he touched the large double doors, he had a bad feeling. He pulled the door open and entered the hall.
Inside, it was subdued and a bit dark, as they still used the older electrical lighting system. Ahead was the office, but Marta had already seen him. She got up from her chair and walked out into the hall.
“Hello! You must be Owen? I’m Marta. Stewart told me you’d be on your way.”
“Hi! Yes, I’m Owen. It’s good to see you again.”
“Again? We’ve met?” she said, searching her memory. “Oh, right! Wait! Were you here for our haunted house? You came with two girls?”
“Yeah, that’s me, and they’re just friends.” Owen beamed at her.
“Now I remember. Sorry about that. So much happened that night.”
They shook hands and smiled at each other. And then his life flashed in front of him. Marta was quite young to be working at City Hall. She couldn’t be more than
a year older than him.
“Are you going to Portland University?”
“Why yes, and you?”
“No, I still have to finish up high school. But in the fall, I join the police academy.”
“That’s great! I’m studying law, but work at City Hall helping out Mayor Cote when I’m not in class.”
Owen laughed. “That must be quite the challenge.”
Marta shrugged. “I try to keep her in line. She’s likes to spend on the wrong things, sometimes.”
“Yeah, but I heard she’s allocated a huge chunk of funds to this zombie business.”
Marta smiled. “Yes, that was necessary. Anyway, I’m sure it’s late for you, so please take a look at our problem.”
“Right.” He walked over to the display case and shivered. “It’s so creepy. Just like when I first saw it.”
“Oh, you’ve seen it before?” Marta stood beside him.
“Yep, on a plane one time.” He got as close to the case as he could.
“But, it won’t go away, so how did it get on a plane?”
“Someone was bringing it from Uganda here to Portland University. But I think it might be destined for South America.”
“Wow,” said Marta. “It’s like it’s indestructible.”
“Yes, I heard about that. Can you open the case for me please?” Owen stepped back while she pulled a set of keys from her pocket.
“We really don’t have to lock the case, but if I didn’t do it, Jane would be on me, fast.”
“Thanks,” said Owen, watching as the lock clicked open. She slid the glass door to the side.
He reached in and pulled out the mask. He felt a deep dark creepy feeling in his heart when he held it in his hands. “So, I don’t think it’s set out to deliberately harm anybody,” he said. “But it does hold some sort of dark magic, or dark witchcraft.”
