“A zombie?” He and I LOVE all things zombie, the good, the bad and the scary; we love it all. Though, I never really like the name zombie. When he mentions this, it shocks me. It does kind of sound like a zombie with the foam the bite and the hankering for humans but that just Sci-Fi, movie things… Right… There was a long silence on the phone.
“Baby did he bite you? Or even a scratch you?” I check my body for marks and I see none. Thank God I wore a hoodie and my cat-in-the-hat gloves. Once I see that they are bloody, I take them off and toss them to the side as I stop at a red light.
“No, he didn’t get me; I had on my gloves and hoodie on”
“Oh great that’s goo- Are you talking about those childish ass cat-in-the-hat ones” I hide my gloves slowly under my hoodie.
“... Noooo…” I drag my word.
“Yes you are, but you need to get rid of them or wash them or something. That blood can be toxic to you and the baby.” i get scared. He’s right but what about my mom too and Da'Marcus? I need to know if they are okay.
“Okay I will. But, baby i need to call you back”
“Wait, why?” I explain to him my worries of my family. He tells me to call him back after. We say our ‘I love you’ and ‘Talk to you later’s’ and hang up. I call my mom as I turned down my street.
“Edith Jackson! Where are you!?” I sighed in relief.
“Mom, it’s a long story I need to tell you when i get in the house in like two minutes. Is Da’Marcus home?”
“Yes, he’s in his like you are suppose to be.” I pull in the driveway.
“Mom please it’s been a long night. I just want to get home and relax. And I really need to talk to you.” I get out my car and my mom still hadn’t responded yet.
“Ma?...” I wait for my mom’s delayed response.
“Yes, darling” I hear my mom sigh as i get knocked back with confusion from her use of the darling.
“Uh, I seen somethings. I don’t know what it was. But it wasn’t dead yet it wasn’t alive.” i walked through the front door.
“Is that you coming through the door?” my mom questions.
“Yes”
“Lock the door and get upstairs! NOW!” she hangs up the phone in a flash. I stood there for a moment, thinking. Then, did as she told me to as fast as I’m allowed to move.
“Ma, why are yo-”
“Go get you brother” I look at her for a second seeing her pace with her hand on her head and see worry and stress in her face. I rush to get my brother.
“Da’Marcus mom wants us and she’s stressed” He quickly gets up off his computer and follows me to our mom’s room.
“Close the door” my mother demands.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” I close the door as my brother speaks to my mom.
“At my job we were working on a project and it all went bad… very bad” My mom is a biochemist working at this top secret organization. I don’t even know where she works. I use to joke with Da'Marcus saying she worked for the umbrella project… Does she?
“We were trying to create a way for people to live forever. It all went downhill when we tested the second prototype of the injection. One of my co-workers, Amanda Lopez, went in to give our second rabbit, Gayle, the second try. When she stepped in, she stayed in the room for too long, looking closely at the rabbit who seemed to have died admiring the bloodshot red and coal black foam coming out the rabbit’s nose and mouth. With in 30 seconds, he ‘woke’ up, attacking her face leaving bite marks all over her face. She ran out and threw the rabbit down, running to her car. She left and I’m guessing you saw her, Edith, because she lives three doors down”
“No, Ma, you explained what happened before. Do you know what you co-worker’s husband look-”
BEEP BEEP
Mom’s medicine reminder goes off telling her to take them; that means it’s 10:30. I step to the side and call Kay. I hear my brother ask my mom what is going on.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes but I have news not good or bad” i hear spanish words fill his side of the phone.
“Turn on the TV my said. The news is on and you might want to see this” I rush to my mom’s TV remote.
“What channel”
“40 she says” I go to 40. We all tune in as the news anchor speaks.
“Over 35 dead but yet they still move. I don’t know how I am supposed to explain it. An unidentified man, who was presumed dead with no heartbeat or brain wave, attacked three doctors, taking huge bites out of them. They were soon helped by other doctors whom was assaulted by the doctors who they were trying to aid back to health.” The anchor takes a deep breath, looking back at the hospital. She turns back quickly.
“The man wasn’t stopped until an unnamed office on duty shot him three times, twice in the chest, which only made him more angry, and finally stopping him with a shot to the head. Witnesses suggest this is something to do with sci-fi fantasy but we can not not be sure. No one truly knows or understands what is going on but it is someone who need to be stopped. I’m Jessica Samson delivering this chilling message, on Channel 40 News.” I turn off the TV in shock
“I caused that” my mom and brother look at me confused.
“I was just trying to help but i basically killed those people.” I explain to my family my side of the story. The looks on their faces was like they just don’t understand yet just want to figure it all out.
“Baby you didn’t know what to do. It’s not your fault.” Kay speaks words of encouragement but it does nothing for me. I sent 35 innocent people to deal with that man… Should i even call him that? He isn’t human anymore than the people in the ground six feet under. It was like his being and body was there but he had no mind of his own controlled only by the taste for human flesh or whatever he wants. It was like he was there but something was missing… like he was soulless.