Jane Zombie Chronicles (Book 6): Running Rampant Page 3

  “Shhh. Relax. I’m one of the good guys. I’m here to help, OK? Do you understand?”

  I respond with a muffled, “uh-huh.”

  “If I take my hand away from your mouth, you won’t scream?”

  I shake my head, “uh-uh.”

  He removes his hand from my mouth. Before he says anything, I blurt out questions. “Who are you? What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

  “My name is the Vulture. Damar told me to find you.”

  I haven’t heard those names in a while. I search my brain. Damar was my only friend in this strange land. When I last saw him, he was leading the resistance against this organization and needed intel. Yeah. Yeah, this must be Damar’s man on the inside. I remember him now. This is the guy Damar spoke about one of the last times I saw him.

  “You work for Damar, right? If memory serves, you’re his eyes and ears in here.”

  “Yes.”

  “If you’re here to break out me, I can’t leave now. I still have to find out what’s going on here. If there’s a new cure, I have to find that out, too. The world needs the cure!”

  “I know. I can help. Here,” he says, extending his hand revealing what looks like an earbud.

  I take it from him and look it over. “What’s this?”

  “Squeeze it and put it in your ear. This way we can communicate. You’ll be able to hear me, but no one else will. And I’ll be able to hear everything happening with you. Just be sure not to talk to me directly when someone else is with you or if you think someone is watching you.”

  “Uhhh. Someone is watching all the time.”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s true. That’s how I found you. Anyway, just do your best to get a feeling for your surroundings before you talk.”

  “OK.”

  “And don’t take it out of your ear, ever. That’s a surefire way to lose it or have it confiscated.”

  “Got it.”

  “Good. I’ve gotta go. Don’t want to get caught, but I’ll be in touch soon,” he says.

  “Hey, how did you get in here anyway? The door is blocked.”

  “There are other ways to travel through the complex besides doors.”

  As he turns away to leave, I grab him by the arm. “Thanks.”

  “Nothing to thank me for, at least not yet. Plus, any friend of Damar’s is a friend of mine.”

  I unhook my hand from his arm and he quietly disappears into the darkness.

  Chapter 5

  ________________________________________

  Years of evading zombies has turned me into a light sleeper, so when I hear the office doorknob jiggle, my eyes pop open and my heart stops. I sit up, listening and looking for hints of what’s to come. Then there’s a light knock on the door. Zombies don’t knock on doors, they bang on them incessantly until they break them down and crash through them. Chill out.

  “Jane? Are you up?” I hear Ben’s low voice on the other side of the door.

  “Yeah,” I reply in my scratchy morning voice.

  “We thought you might like some breakfast.”

  “We?”

  “Yes. Brie is with me. Is that OK? Can we come in?” Ben asks.

  “Sure. I guess so,” I say, getting up to remove the chair barrier.

  “Good. Good,” he says as I open the door. He strolls in with Brie behind him. “We brought you some bacon and eggs. We have a lot of work to do today, so you’ll need to keep your strength up.” He walks over, sets the tray down on the desk, and looks over at me. “You should eat it while it’s still hot.”

  Still standing by the doorway, I reply with a nod and a partial smile, grateful for the sustenance.

  He turns to face me. “Eat and then Brie will show you where you can shower, change your clothes, and brush your teeth.”

  I turn to look at Brie. This Brie has two arms, same as yesterday, and she’s standing by the couch, staring at me. There’s something unusual in her eyes, but I can’t put my finger on it. And I also don’t want to get caught staring.

  He continues talking. “How did you sleep? I know the couch isn’t the most comfortable, but it has to be better than the cells and slabs you’ve been sleeping on lately, yes?”

  “Uh-huh. You’re right about that. It is,” I reply as I walk over to the desk. I sit down behind it and pull the tray close, inspecting the food with the given utensils.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m not taking any chances. How do I know you haven’t tainted my food with something?”

  “We haven’t.”

  “Right. And why exactly should I believe you?”

  Ben turns around, looks at the tray of food, and reaches for the fork. “May I?” he asks. I nod and he takes the fork out of my hand, scoops up some eggs, and puts it into his mouth. He also snags a strip of bacon and munches on it. “Does that help to allay your fears?” Chewing, he replaces the fork on to the tray.

  Waiting for a moment, just in case my paranoia is valid, I watch him finish chewing and swallow the food. “For now,” I say, stabbing a mound of egg, and bringing it to my mouth. At the same time, I pick up a strip of bacon to stuff in my mouth. “I’m starving,” I manage to say with a mouth full of food.

  “I can see that. If you want anything else, let me know. We have a cook on staff who isn’t half bad.”

  “Nah. This should hold me,” I say, shoving more bacon and eggs into my mouth. Even though I haven’t finished chewing the previous breakfast foods still swirling around in my yap, it doesn’t prevent me from putting in more. I don’t get to eat too often anymore, so when I do, I take full advantage. “Tastes pretty good.”

  “I’m glad.”

  As I continue eating, I see Ben smile. He seems genuinely happy. I can only guess it’s a feeling of satisfaction. His efforts to make me comfortable are starting to pay off. The general vibe I get from him now seems so different than when we were at school, but I can’t let my guard down. He looks sincere, but he could just be a good actor lulling me into some false sense of security. I won’t fall for it.

  I turn my head and look at Brie. She’s still staring at me and hasn’t said a word. Does she know what I was doing last night? Does she know I was watching her and Malik together? Do I mention her seemingly nefarious escapade with Malik to Ben? Well, whatever they were doing seems bad, but there’s nothing to report just yet as I couldn’t hear anything, so how would I really know? Do I confront her now or wait until I have concrete proof of her supposed deception? And when is the right moment to make the truth known to help me get the hell out of here?

  The conversation slows and Ben speaks to break the silence. “OK. Well, I’ll leave you to finish your food, and then Brie will show you around the facility so you can clean up a bit. Why don’t you come to the lab when you’re ready?”

  Brie and I nod in agreement as we watch Ben leave.

  Almost finished breakfast, I pick up the hot tea that was also on the tray. It’s still warm, but not steaming anymore so I take a sip, trying not to burn my tongue. It’s not that hot now, so I gulp the rest down and put the empty mug back on the tray.

  “Ready for the tour of the facilities?” Brie finally speaks.

  “You seem nicer this morning. Not as snarky as you were yesterday,” I say, sneaking the knife from the tray into my back pocket and hiding it under my shirt. Despite being in the same room with Brie looking straight at me at times, I was able to tug at my shirt normally to make it look like I was simply adjusting it to lay better.

  “Well, Ben told me to be on my best behavior, so I’m trying. Are you ready?”

  ”Yeah. Lead the way.”

  Brie walks down the corridor, and I follow her, eager to learn as much as I can about this place. She stops in front of a door labeled only ‘Testing.’

  “What’s in here?” I ask.

  “You’ll see.”

  We walk into what looks like a detention area, complete with a padded floor and tall fencing surrounding a small group
of zombies. As soon as they see us, the screeching starts and they quickly approach the border of the fencing trying to reach us. I back away.

  “What is this place?” I ask.

  “It’s our testing area.”

  “Testing what? I don’t understand.”

  “It’s a place where we can demonstrate any new technology we develop. We didn’t know if finding a real cure was even possible, so we developed a device that would make people invisible to zombies. Wanna try it?”

  “Uhhh. Sure. You first, though.”

  “We’ll do it together.” Brie opens a cabinet on the far wall and removes what looks like two keychains with round spheres covered in a grippy, textured rubber. She hands one to me. “Here. You can either clip it to your clothes or hold the end in your hand.” She walks away from me and heads toward the door to the fencing. I hold the keychain-like device in my hand, but decide to put it back in the cabinet, and move toward the exit, just in case she’s lying or mistaken and her device is a dud.

  “You’re going in there without a weapon?”

  “I don’t need one. Just watch.”

  She unlatches the lock, enters the zombie holding area, and closes the door behind her. She walks straight into the zombie crowd, just like she’s mingling at a party, and the zombies don’t even notice her.

  “I’m invisible. At least to them I am.”

  “Then why are they still making so many horrible noises?”

  “Because they still sense a human. Do you still have the device I gave you?”

  “No, I put it back.”

  “Well go get it and come in here to see for yourself.”

  I pick the device back up from the cabinet and hold it in my hand. The zombies quiet down. “How do I know this is gonna work for me? How do I know this isn’t a trick to get me in there?” I ask.

  I hear a noise in my ear and look around. “Shhh. It’s just me, the Vulture. Act natural. Listen, Brie is a liar when it comes to most things, but she’s telling the truth on this one. That device does work to repel zombies. It’s like you’re not even there.”

  “Fine. I’ll prove it to you,” Brie says. “Toss me your device and then I’ll give you this one.”

  We make the switch, and nothing changes. She’s still invisible to them. I approach the door, but my hand shakes.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t do it.”

  “That’s fine if you’re scared.”

  “I’m not scared. I’m just not going to deliberately put myself in harm’s way like it’s a game.”

  “It’s research, not a game. Whatever,” she says, exiting the zombie area, grabbing the device from me, and locking them back up in the cabinet. “We’ve also been manipulating the zombie virus, trying to see if there are aspects of it that we can harness and use to our advantage. Come on,” Brie says, waving me out of the room so she can lock it behind us.

  “Shouldn’t we focus on curing and then destroying the virus instead of playing with it? That’s how this disaster started.”

  “Nothing is all bad,” she says, turning the corner back in the hallway. “If we don’t take the time to learn about and experiment with the virus now, we might not get another chance. For example, if we take individual strands of zombie DNA and implant certain ones into humans, think about the potential. If done correctly, we can create people so strong, nothing can kill them.”

  We stop in front of a room with what looks like a boxing ring inside. Two muscled men are fighting. Each has sections of his body covered in blood and bruises, but they keep going. They’re not even wearing gloves or helmets. After watching them fight for a moment or two thinking they might need a break, the men keep pummeling each other nonstop.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see a strapping woman is sparing with a punching bag. She’s throwing punches so fast, it’s difficult to see her fists flying. At some point, the bag can’t take her punishment anymore. The force of her fist knocks the bag off of the ceiling hook, crashing into the wall, splitting open and pouring its sandy innards onto the floor.

  “See? Isn’t this amazing? The zombie plague started as a genetic mutation. Now, after studying it and experimenting, we’re finally able to harness the good from it.”

  “This is good?”

  “Of course. We’re making inroads in so many fields of study: biology, physiology… The applications are only limited by small minds.” Brie pauses for a moment. “OK, on to the last leg of the tour.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The bathroom, of course. You smell like you need a shower.”

  “Sounds good to me. I’d love to take a shower. I feel so funky.” When was the last time I took a shower? I can’t remember, but I can smell myself. I stink and that makes me feel so uncomfortable. It’s just personal preference, but whenever I have contact with zombies, I have to take a shower immediately afterward or else the putrid stench gets into everything. It gets tangled in my hair, stuck up my nose, and it buries itself into every pore along the surface of my body. It’s like getting sprayed by a skunk, only so much worse.

  “Follow me,” she says. She turns around to get back to the main corridor.

  I jog to catch up with her. Walking side by side down the hallway, I try to make small talk. “How’s the new arm? I guess that’s part of the good you mentioned.”

  “I love it, and yes, as I showed you, our research has really paid off. I can feel everything is finally coming together.”

  “That’s certainly good news. So you and Ben?”

  “Me and Ben? What about it?”

  “Just commenting on how close you two were yesterday.”

  “Oh. Well. Uhhh. Ben is amazing. He’s been through so much, you know? And now that he’s back, we can finally formulate a real cure, come out of hiding, and live the lives we were always meant to live.” She stops partway down the hall. “Here’s the bathroom. Inside you’ll find everything you need: shampoo, towel, toothbrush, and anything else you might require.”

  As I start to push the bathroom door open, I turn back to face her. “Say, that dream of curing the plague and living happily ever after sounds like a good plan to me.”

  I see her smile.

  “So if that’s the plan, what’s up with you and Malik?”

  “Malik? What are you talking about?”

  “Are you two close?”

  “Not particularly. He’s just our lead scientist. Why would you ask that?”

  “I dunno. No reason. Just making small talk.”

  “Well, cut it out,” she says changing topics. “When you’re finished, meet us in the lab. Down the hall and make a left.”

  As I watch her scurry down the hall, I push on the bathroom door. Time for that shower.

  ***

  The bathroom is basic, but clean. Beige paint on the walls. Black and white tiles on the floor. Private toilet and shower stalls with convenient shelving. At the other end of the bathroom is a closet. I walk over, open it, and see lots of fluffy towels. Grabbing two, I head to the middle shower stall, go inside, and close the door behind me. I take the earpiece out, wrap it in one of the towels, and place it on the shelf. The other towel I hang over the shower door.

  Standing there in the shower, I remember what life was like when I was with Jack. For a brief moment, it makes me smile.

  Then I snap back into reality and uncertainty clouds my mind. Professor Carter is alive again, er… well… at least his clone is. Will these people keep their word and let me go? I hope so. Am I ever going to get my old life back again? Probably not. That life is long gone. If I do manage to make my way back to Jack, and that’s a big if, I know things will be different. How could they not?

  As I finish my shower, I unwrap the towel and pick up the earpiece, scrutinizing it. Seeing it in the light, it looks exactly like a regular earbud. “Hello? How does this thing work? I heard you before, but do I just talk into it?” I whisper into the earpiece, put it back into my ear, and then tap on it.

  I hea
r the Vulture’s voice in my ear again. “It just works. No need to do anything special. Get used to it now. If anyone catches you with it… uhhh.”

  “No need to say anything else. It’s pretty obvious I’d be in hot water if I get caught with it.”

  “Don’t get caught. Don’t act weird. Just pretend it’s part of you now.”

  “Got it.”

  “And be careful in here. I know you’re not a typical prisoner anymore, but that doesn’t mean you’re safe. I have eyes on you, but depending on what’s goin’ down, I may or may not be able to help. You’ve gotta watch out for yourself.”

  “So same as always then. Got it.”

  Chapter 6

  ________________________________________

  There’s a warmth to my skin as I walk down the hall. That might have been the best shower I’ve had in a while, or maybe I’ve just come to appreciate the opportunity to take one nowadays. Being clean. It’s something I used to take for granted.

  As I veer around the corner to take the next left as Brie instructed, I walk past another long window that stretches almost the entire length of the corridor. I walk up to the door and I see Ben hit a button. It’s then I hear that familiar hissing sound of these lab door hydraulics opening. I proceed inside.

  I look around and see Malik. A chill goes down my back. He’s the one who strung me up not so long ago in this very lab. I stare at him for a moment and then look away, snubbing him, when Ben addresses me.

  “How are you feeling?” Ben asks me.

  Before I can answer, Malik interjects with his malicious sarcasm. “Yeah, Jane. How are you feeling?” he asks mockingly. His eyes burn into me like hot coals.

  I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he creeps me out. I collect myself to make sure my voice isn’t shaky when I answer. “Better,” I say to Ben, ignoring Malik to the best of my ability. “After getting some sleep and taking a hot shower, I almost feel human again.”