by Rena Marin
“There’s no telling, honestly. I didn’t expect him to be staying here. None of us did.”
“Is this Monique chic like us?”
I whip my head around at Charlie at the question. During the time I’ve been working for her, I haven’t noticed anything that would make me think that, but I also can’t rule it out. It’s not like I’ve been checking her pulse on the regular or anything.
“Zo?” Parker presses. “Is it possible?”
“I guess it could be. I haven’t checked to make sure she’s alive. Until today, I didn’t have any idea she knew Eli. I told you it was her daughter who offered me the job.”
“Maybe the daughter has something to do with all this,” Charlie continued. “It would make sense.”
I didn’t say anything, but his words made me think of the way Zeyda approached me. She suddenly showed up at group. She wasn’t there just a few weeks before she offered up the coffee shop as the perfect place for me to work. Could she have been sent by Eli? Could everything at the shop be fake as hell? What about Dan? He said he and Zeyda were good friends. Could he be in on all this? I hope not. I really like him, but if he is, I’ll chew on his skinny ass like he’s a pork chop.
“There’s a light in the guest house.”
Parker’s words make me freeze in place. I’m afraid to see what’s happening inside there. What if Dick is sitting there with a knife in his noggin? They could be torturing him like they did Parker. I’m sure there’s ways you could torture a zombie head. Hell, they may have cut his damn tongue which, for Dick, would be like a death sentence in itself.
“You two stay here. I’m getting a closer look. I’ll be right back,” Parker instructs as he slowly creeps his way the few yards between us and the guest house. He rounds a corner and is instantly out of our sight.
One of the perks to be a living dead girl is the fact mosquitos seem to leave me alone. I haven’t been bitten by those notorious bastards in quite a while. The gnats though, those bitches are still a pain in the ass. On a warm night in Willow Creek the cloud can be thick. It is tonight. I can feel them swarming all around us, which gives me something to focus on instead of thinking what could happen to Parker while he’s out of our line of sight.
It feels like eons are passing, but in reality, it’s barely been a minute. I look up at the full moon, internally thanking it for the bit of light it’s offering up, then back toward the spot where Parker vanished. When he rounds the corner, no worse for the wear I may add, I jump back in shock, letting the night and the situation get the better of me.
“Did I scare you?” he asks.
“You’re a zombie. Of course, you did.”
He shakes his head then points toward the main house. “I don’t see anything out there, we’ll have to check the big house.”
Parker’s game of cat and mouse is already getting on my nerves. I just want Dick back safe and sound. I also wouldn’t mind kicking the shit out of those whores who came after us earlier today, but that’s not my biggest goal. I’m just not a huge fan of creeping around. I’m a straightforward type of gal.
“Want me to call him?”
Both their heads whip in my direction and the looks their offering tell me they think I should be in a nut house.
“I’m serious. I have his number. I can call it and maybe that will help us tell which part of the house he’s in.”
“It could also tell them where we are,” Charlie scolds me.
“It’s no different than us talking right now.”
He looks over at Parker. They both shake their heads like they can’t believe I’ve come up with something so insane. It makes total sense to me though. It’s not like Eli is tracking my phone. He’s not going to get a ping from my phone call. If he isn’t outside the house, he shouldn’t hear my voice. I’m not that fucking loud.
“Try it,” Parker whispers to Charlie’s shock. “I know it sounds crazy, but for some reason Zo can stir him up. We may catch a glance of him in the house when she calls.”
“You two are bat shit crazy. I just hope you know that.”
I pull out my phone, do a quick scroll, and land on Eli’s number. I have no idea if he’s using the same one, or if he’ll even answer but it’s worth a shot. Anything that keeps us from wandering around in the dark hoping to get a lead on Dick is a good plan in my book.
I press the button to call him then wait. It barely rings for the second time when I get an answer. “Ah, Zoey, are you missing me?”
“Nah, not really. I mean, you’re hot and all, but I like a well-endowed man, not one with a pencil dick.”
He doesn’t respond to my jab, but I can tell by the silence it gets to him. I love it.
“Where’s Dick?”
“I’m sure there’s plenty of it out there in the world. Especially, since mine doesn’t seem to be what you like. Maybe you could call your friend Parker.”
“You know what I’m talking about. Where’s my pain in the ass head, Eli?”
“Oh, that Dick. You mean you’ve called me, to start shit, over a head. Come on, Zoey, surely you have better things to do.”
While I have Eli on the phone, Parker and Charlie move closer to the house to get a better look. I stay back to help keep them from hearing my voice on the call.
“I thought I had better things to do. Turns out you’re in with my new boss, so I’m not sure if my job is really what I think it is. I’m constantly looking over my shoulder thanks to you, and your take over the world bullshit. You even sent some sluts to try and steal my goat. So, nah, honestly, I don’t have anything better to do.”
“I was hoping to get a little revenge on the goat. I mean, it did cause quite a bit of damage that night.”
“If you hadn’t kidnapped Parker then attacked us, nothing would’ve happened. That’s on you, dumbass.”
“Maybe,” he laughs. “But it’s way bigger than me now. Don’t you realize there’s an entire zombie society out there, Zo? Has Parker not explained all that to you? I know the two of you are fuck buddie,s but is he really leaving you in the dark like one of his side chicks? That’s just fucked up. He could have a place in the zombie community. But he doesn’t want it. Apparently, he doesn’t want it for you either or he would’ve told you all about it. I wasn’t the first to approach him. Sure, I went a bad way about it, but that was the old me. I’m more civilized now.”
I shake off what he’s saying. I can deal with that later. “It’s more civilized to send bitches to kill my goat?”
“Zombie animals are a danger, Zoey. I may have had world domination in mind at the beginning but after talking with a certain someone, I see the error of my ways. Domination will come in time. Right now, we need to build up a community that can help protect our kind from humans and those who would want to experiment on us or even worse, kill us.”
“So, you’ve completely flipped your script by kidnapping my Dick head and trying to kill my pet, right? And who exactly is this certain someone who’s changed your entire outlook on life?”
“That would be me, Zoey.”
I freeze, phone still to my ear, at the sound of Monique’s voice behind me. “Listen to her, Zoey. She’ll tell you everything Parker is afraid to. What do you have to lose?” Eli finishes before the line goes dead.
I turn to see her standing there, hands on her hips, and her Ice Queen stare engaged. She looks completely annoyed but not really what I’d call pissed off.
“Seriously?” I ask.
“Yes. That’s why I sent Zeyda to hire you. I wanted to learn a bit about you after speaking with Eli. He told me about you, your friends, and even your goat. He had no idea about Dick, but now, I even understand how that all came about. Dick isn’t one for keeping secrets.”
No shit. “You have Dick?”
“Yes. He’s sitting on my desk. For the past half hour, he’s been helping my husband Bruce up his solitaire skills. He’s quite good at it. If the three of you will come on inside, we can have a civilized co
nversation about all this, and why Eli acted so abruptly.”
I glance back to see Parker and Charlie making their way toward us. Charlie seems slightly interested in what she’s saying, but Parker is showing nothing but anger in his eyes. If I didn’t know better, I would think he was contemplating whether he could take her. She’s a fucking giant though, so my money would be on her.
“Are you willing to speak with me, Parker?” she presses. Somehow, she knows both Charlie and I will follow his lead.
“Are you giving Zoey back her friend?”
“If that’s what he chooses. I wouldn’t hurt him, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I glance at Parker and offer him a slightly pleading look. I know he can see it thanks to the moon’s glow bouncing off all of us. He gets it and casually nods his head in agreement.
“Fine, we’ll listen to what you have to say, but when we’re ready to leave, we’re walking out of there. Even if we have to fight our way out.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The smile she offers is so cold. How could this woman have been the one to convince Eli of changing his anarchist ways? I just don’t get it. My biggest question, though, is about this society Eli mentioned on the phone. He said Parker knew all about it. He said they’d approached him before. Why would Parker keep a zombie community secret? Does he think it’s a bad thing? Does he think they wouldn’t want me as part of them? I’ve trusted him from the time he accidentally bit me to help me navigate the world as a zombie. Why would he hide things that would make life easier for me? It just doesn’t make sense. That is, unless he thinks something about it all is bad. Shit, are we walking into something way worse than Eli’s bullshit?
Chapter Eleven
Bruce, Monique’s husband, is the complete opposite of her. He’s several inches shorter than she, mostly bald, and never loses the smile implanted on his face. His dimples are the cutest things, and his slightly high-pitched voice reminds me of a mouse or something. You just want to squeeze his cheeks or pat him on the head.
“This is my version of coffee,” Monique announces as Bruce sits steaming hot mugs in front of us. “I’ve dabbled a bit with our food source and made it into a brew I think rivals what we serve at the shop.”
Parker ignores the meat coffee and looks at Bruce. “You purposely told me about Eli being here at your place, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did. I didn’t lie. He has been staying in the guest house. We thought it would be best if he wasn’t here tonight though. We knew you would come for Dick.”
“Of course, we would. Eli’s bitches kidnapped him,” I interrupt. “And I still haven’t seen him, so I don’t know if you two are even telling me the truth about him.”
“I’ll get him,” Bruce announces then turns on his heel.
“Are you one of us?” Parker questions again, stopping him from going to get Dick which irritates the hell out of me.
“No, no I’m not. Monique has been quite careful since her accident to ensure I haven’t been turned. I wouldn’t mind it, but she thinks it’s best for me to stay human.”
“Go get Dick, love.” Monique takes a seat in front of Parker and me as Bruce scurries off to do her bidding. At least that’s the way it looks to me. “I’ve become proud of what I am, but I still wouldn’t wish it on someone else. I haven’t hidden it from my family. Both Zeyda and Bruce have come to terms with things, so I’m able to be myself here at home.”
“And you lead this zombie community Eli is talking about?”
“Oh, heavens no, I don’t lead it. I’m what you would call a founding member, but I’m far from the leader. I simply help others who find their way to this life get their footing and set them on the right path. We want to live amongst the humans, not kill them. That’s what I’ve been working so hard to make Eli understand. He’s an angry young man though. It’s taking some time to help him adjust.”
“Who’s the leader of your little group then?” Parker presses. It’s clear he wants better answers.
“We have an elected council. I’m a member, but there’s not one, soul leader. We felt it would be better to function that way. We could discuss issues that arise, set forth rules and things of that sort. Then when violations take place, we’d also discuss possible outcomes and ramifications from them.”
“And punishments,” Parker interjects.
“Yes. Punishments are a part of any society, Parker. However, we know, considering what we are, how easily things can progress. We’ve helped many of our zombie kin clean up accidental messes and get back on the path of living with humans, not eating them.”
“ZOEY!”
I jump to my feet as Dick calls out my name and rush over to him. They have sitting on an extremely fancy plate and have even straightened his hair back out after that cunt dragged him around by it.
“Are you alright?” I ask as I look him over completely.
“Oh yes, I’m fine. The trip here was a bit rough. Those girls were rowdy, but since I’ve been here, I’ve been treated like a king,” he tells me with a smile on his face. “How are you, though? That fight sounded rough.”
“I’m fine. I dusted myself off, and we came to get you back. We thought you were in trouble.”
“I did too, until I met Monique.”
I cut my eyes at her and notice she’s watching the exchange closely. She’s been good to Dick but whether that was done out of the goodness of her non-beating heart or to try and win us over is yet to be determined.
“Thank you for not letting them hurt him.”
“He’s one of us; I’d never allow that here in my home.”
“But you were going to let them kill Clyde?” Her look of confusion tells me Eli hadn’t told her everything. “Clyde is my goat. He’s like us too. I take care of him, so he doesn’t hurt anyone or turn any other animals. He’s what those girls were after. When Eli attacked us, Clyde helped. They wanted to hurt him.”
“Unfortunately, Eli didn’t tell me all that,” she starts then raises her finger in the air when I want to interrupt. “However, in our society, one of our rules is no zombie animals. They are too hard to control. That makes them dangerous in many ways. They can get us discovered, or they could spread the virus in the animal kingdom so deep no one would stand a chance of surviving.”
“Yeah, well, Clyde’s all good. He’s kept away from other animals, and I’m already a zombie so he can’t hurt me.”
“We can discuss him later. What’s more important is that the three of you understand that you have a community of peers who hope to welcome you to the fold. That’s what I want from this sit down tonight.”
“Is Zeyda a zombie?”
The minute I ask, Monique’s face drops. “Why would you ask that?”
“You used her to get me to work for you. Does she just do your bidding, or is she like you?”
The silence in the room is deafening. Even Dick, who never shuts up, is silent. Poor Bruce is twiddling his thumbs and looking as though he’d rather experience electric shock than be in this room right now. Parker is staring at Monique like he’s using a Jedi trick to force her to speak. Charlie, sweet Charlie, is on his third cup of coffee and could give a damn less what’s being talked about.
“She’s like me,” she finally answers. “It was an accident, before I learned to control myself properly. She came home from work at the coffee shop with a bad cut on her hand. She was in the kitchen bandaging it up. Something about the smell, the torn flesh, all of it got to me. I bit her before I realized what I was doing. Luckily, I was in control enough to stop myself. A bite and a change in life is all she suffered. I could’ve killed her that day. It still haunts me.”
“I know how that can be,” Parker tells her, his voice low as he glances my way.
“Yes, turning another is hard to live with. You know you’ve changed their life. They’ll never have children. They’ll never grow old with the one they love. They’ll never experience certain parts of
life. Knowing you’ve condemned someone to that kind of existence is excruciating. It’s the very reason why I work so hard to introduce others like us to our community. We try to be there for one another, so no one feels alone. It also helps those who’ve accidentally turned another find a sense of freedom. They no longer need to feel the burden of caring for those they’ve accidentally invited into their lives permanently. We do that for them, so they can also live a carefree existence.”
Holy shit, is that what I am to Parker? A burden? Is his guilt the only thing that keeps him around? I mean sure, the sex is great and all, but would he be out of my life if I didn’t need him to help me cope with what I am? He’s a great guy, a bit of an asshole, but has so much potential. The last thing I want to do is hold him back from all that.
“Zoey, you should take what she’s saying into consideration. While I’ve been here, they’ve told me quite a bit about the community. You could make new friends and have other girls like you to talk to.”
Hearing Dick, I look up, realizing I’m staring at the ground. I feel Parker’s eyes on me and turn to meet his stare. I want to ask what he thinks, but that wouldn’t be smart here in front of Monique. I also don’t know if I should and leave him with something else to worry about when it comes to me.
“Is this like a commune or something?” Charlie asks.
“Oh, no nothing like that. We have invested in an area where we’re developing housing for our kind. It’s for those with human family members. Children will be able to play and live among their own kind, while also learning how to socialize and live with zombie-kind. The first few homes are already built and ready to go.”
I see Charlie’s eyes light up at the thought of having a place where his wife and kids can be safe while he’s able to be himself. Out of all of us, he is the one with the most to lose if he’s discovered. I can’t blame him for seriously considering things where this community is involved.
“You and your family would be most welcome to join them, Charlie. Several of the families moving there have little ones like you.”
