Zombie Day Care (11 page)

“
This is so they think you took all those drugs we scattered about.”

There was a slapping on his shoulder as they panned him around. A gold plated can of Fountain Dew was on his night stand.
All this, over that!
He was facing his pillowed headboard now. He saw Christie’s frozen stare. A thick batch of blood soaked the sheets behind her back. His arm was raised before him, a gun inside his grasp.
No! Please no! How can you be so cruel! This can’t be real! I didn’t do anything! I saved the world!

“
Be thankful son, you could have died a zombie. Heh. Heh.”

CHAPTER 20

The complex of invincibility had set in. Every devious plan had worked so far. Spinning around in the security desk chair, Jimmy shouted at the top of his lungs.

“
I’m the next Nate McDaniel! I’m the King! The world is mine!” He let out a high pitched
‘WOOOOOO’
like a rock star.

The monitors provided humorous activity as he watched his brother pound on the elevator door inside the garage.
Thinks he’s so smart. We’ll see.
His stepfather Stanley, still in the basement lab, was oblivious to the chaos as he attempted to waltz with Jimmy’s undead mother.
Scratch him mom! Bite him!
He hated Stanley as much as the rest, but mainly because of his brother. His stepfather had always been good to him, as they had good times fishing and playing ball, but he didn’t remember those days anymore.

Jimmy was now consumed with the bankroll he would get when he turned over the XT Serum. But that wouldn’t happen until his secret employers had some proof it worked. That was where Louie came in.

Jimmy started laughing as he watched Weege pulling at the thick mop of black hair on his head, screaming at the monitors

Tsk–Tsk, Weege! You should have paid closer attention.
Instead, the frail little geek from Dubai chose to jam on his smart phone, play games, and come to the aid of his ailing counterpart Ronald. Ronald was a cautious master of many things, except his diet.
The world’s greatest Big Chug fan, down at last.
Squeezing eye drops into Ronald’s drink sent the man running to the toilet and straight for home.

His mind seemed to grasp the entire understanding of the universe as he sucked down another can of light beer. Crushing it in his hands he cut himself.

“
Damn!”

He laughed like a hyena. It had all been so easy. Ronald’s leaving allowed him to shut down the elevator, just long enough to switch Louie into another cell. Weege never suspected he had run a separate loop over his security feed, until it was too late. Meanwhile, the zombie boy was safe in an adjacent cell they figured empty, because of another bogus video feed. Rudy was too lazy to physically go and check, relying on the video cameras instead. Jimmy orchestrated all of this from inside the small security room.

He watched the zombie boy Louie on another screen. The boy was wound up like a kitten, ready to pounce on a ball of yarn. The hefty gray boy circled his cell at alarming speed.
He looks like Frankenstein on crack.
Jimmy giggled to himself. Now there was only one more thing left to do. Let the little monster loose. He checked the screen monitoring the garage.
You ready, brother big shot. How about you, stupid slut and sloppy boy?
He hated them all. He couldn’t wait to see them suffer. Still, he wanted to savor it.

The sound of Metal Maiden’s song, ‘Run from the Hills’, began playing inside his pocket, causing him to lurch. He got out his phone, dropped it, cursed, and then answered it.

“
Hello,” he said, in a voice as dull as a spoon. He sniffed heavy, glassy eyes intent on the words coming from another side.

“
The live feed is down JB 111, we need to see some data. A storm’s hitting your area, so the boss wants it all done now. Execute the plan. Get the data on tapes. Lock it down and get the serum. No one leaves alive but you.”

He felt cold for a moment, shifting in his seat. He swallowed hard as he said, “Uh … yes sir. Uh … did you say no one?”

“
That’s right boy. You want to save the world—you got to make some choices. Can you do it?

The voice on the other end was harsh, unfamiliar, maybe foreign, he couldn’t tell.

“
Yes … Yes sir.”

“
Good son. Execute within the hour.”
Click

He saw all of their faces on the screens again and swallowed. He didn’t want them all to go, just two.

They don’t like me. They judge me. All of them. Screw em’ all. Now it’s my time.

The hard surfaces on the security room closed in on him, and he felt surrounded in darkness. He sniffed heavy again and sniffed in another white line.

I can do this. I’m gonna be the next Nate McDaniel.

He typed away at his computer, and watched as the elevator open in the parking garage. The stunned group stepped inside, but not before Henry looked back at garage camera lens. He could swear his brother could see him.
Screw you Henry!

CHAPTER 21

The trip back through the hallways and sliding steel doors was agonizing.
Red. Green. Red. Green.
A wild zombie was on the loose, and fear festered inside all of their bellies as they passed from room to room. Henry had no idea what to expect. Rudy stepped on the back of his heels again. He shoved the man in front of him. His concerns for his father were heavy, and as far as he understood his friends blathering, Stanley didn’t know. He had a shotgun now, but no ammo.
Jimmy.
Shells were in short supply, but there were always some in the weapons locker.

‘
We Got the Heat’ began ringing on Rudy’s phone as they stood in the secure corridor just outside of the zombie playroom.

“
It’s Weege,” Rudy said, “What’s going on man? Did you find the little zombie turd yet?”

He held the phone up, speaker on. Weege’s foreign dialect was crystal clear and full of excitement.

“
I got him! He’s in another cell!”

They all looked at one another in relief, except Henry.

“
How’d he get in another cell Weege?”

“
I don’t know. My computer froze up, and I noticed I was on a repeating video feed. It had to be Jimmy screwing around again. Just like the last time. He’s — a — bastard!”

That Jimmy was. The last time he forgot to feed the zombies and two people almost died. Jimmy said it was an accident, but Henry knew it wasn’t. Maybe it was drugs, maybe it was intentional, but it was time for Jimmy to go.

“
Weege, its Henry, are you sure that Louie is locked up?”

“
Yes, I can see it on the screen. He’s a busy little monkey, but he isn’t going anywhere.”

He could feel Tori’s nails digging into his side.

“
Have you checked the cages?”

There was a pause. “No — I’m not going down there.”

“
Why not, we have to be sure?”

“
You go, it is not in my job description,” Weege answered in a testy voice.

Rudy butted in and said, “You’re a stand up guy Weege.”

“
I’m alive. I’m staying alive like disco baby. This episode is freaking me out. I can’t believe what happened today!”

The sound in Weege’s voice seemed to allude to something else, but Henry wasn’t sure.

“
What do you mean?” he said, as the others eyed the phone with curiosity.

“
A … just come up here. You need to see for yourself.”

“
Why?” Tori said.

“
It’s better that way.”

Tori scanned her security pass and the door slid open. A zombie was standing nearby and she let out a screech. The small child didn’t notice, as it shuffled back in the rainbow room mumbling ‘num-num’. Henry took a quick head count of all the children, except Louie.
All here, good.
The vivid colors, cartoon screens and classical music were amplified, making him feel like he was inside a carnival’s madhouse. They all crept in, wary of the zombie children whose sunken faces stared on and past them like shadows.

Climbing up the ladder tubes, Rudy had the pleasure of going up last, tongue hanging out like a wild man, behind Tori. She hadn’t noticed.

“
Mother of mercy,” he muttered underneath her high heels.

Traipsing over the catwalks they converged on Weege’s station. The excited man was in his thirties, with big brown eyes, a teenager’s face and build. A thin goatee patch was under his chin. He was sweating and motioning for them to come closer.

“
Look! Look! Look!” he cried, pointing to his computer screen.

Henry expected to see a zombie doing cartwheels, but it wasn’t what he expected at all. It was an internet news site headline. His heart sank as he read it. “Man Who Saved the World Found Dead! Murder! Suicide!” He murmured over the details.

“
Nate McDaniel was found dead inside his D.C. condominium at 1245 EST
today.
Inside sources say, Christy Backwater, from FNN News was found dead inside the penthouse as well. A pistol and casings were found at Mr. McDaniel’s bedside. The two had last been seen leaving together from her television show set. The nature of the relationship was not known, but the evidence of drugs, including sexual enhancing stimulants, suggests an elitist bootie call gone bad.”

Henry finished the rest to himself. He could feel
Tori, hugging and sobbing at his side and Rudy was patting his back. They didn’t know Nate. But he knew this couldn’t have happened like the news said. His old friend was too smart for that. He looked up and saw Weege pointing a smart phone his way. “What are you doing?”

“
I wanted to capture the look on your faces when you saw the news. Very interesting. See — look!”

He held out picture of their frozen expressions, mouths wide, brows high and shock growing in each face.

“
Why don’t you make a poster too moron,” Tori said. “I’m sorry baby,” she said rubbing on his back.

He hadn’t heard from Nate in months, other than the occasional text.
He never understood what Nate McDaniel went through, but he felt worse than he ever would have imagined somehow. All of Nate’s interviews were disingenuous as far as he was concerned. It all had to be scripted. Maybe he had more to say and someone stopped it.

“
Man, Christie Backwater is dead? She was hot! That’s terrible man.” Rudy was sitting down and watching live news casts while munching on Weege’s nacho cheese chips. “Best legs I’d ever seen.”

Tori smacked him in the head.

“
Not better than yours … of course … Tori.”

“
She’s dead idiot — show some respect!”

“
Sorry.”

Henry sat down at another station, and his face was lined with concern and wonder. He hated this place, the zombies and everything. The most popular man in the world was dead. He needed to tell his dad.
Crap.
What about Jimmy and Louie? He’d forgotten all about that.

“
Where’s my phone? Where’s my phone?” He looked at his friends, who were now crammed around Weege’s monitor, fighting for position. Henry headed to his station and there it was, setting on the desks top. A few new text messages were there.
Tori.
Tori. Tori. Nate 1215?
Opening it he saw the following letters: CPWWSZH.

It didn’t make any sense, but he knew it was a warning. Jumbles were something they played in college, each trying to top the other. They also used it for other things. It was their own language they created
for themselves and some others. If it was indeed serious, he knew he might be in danger.

“
What is it lover?” Tori said in his ear.

He looked at her saying, “I got a message from Nate this morning. It might be a warning. It might be why he was killed?” He didn’t know why he was telling her this, but now didn’t seem like a time for secrets. Too many changes in the status quo were abounding around him. His mind raced to lock it down. This couldn’t all be happening on the same day. There had to be a reason.

Her voice was excited, “What does it say?”

He showed her the phone.

“
What does that mean?” she said rubbing her temples.

“
I don’t know yet,“ he said, “but I’ll figure it out.”

“
Let’s ask Weege, he might know — he’s a freak like that,” she said.

His words were firm as he pulled her back saying, “No—keep this between us Tori. I’ll get it. I need them to focus on the next step.”

He could see concern growing on her sweet face. He knew she trusted him and would do anything for him, but her tongue slipped from time to time.

“
What is the next step?” she whispered.

“
It’s time to lock up the zombies. There has been a breach and I need to tell Dad.”