My Zombie Girlfriend

Chapter 20

Tamiko led Zane back to the girls' locker room. "What's the plan?" Zane whispered once they were in the deserted area.

"We need weapons, right? And more than just the bombs we made back in the science lab. Those aren't going to do a whole lot in this situation except get innocent people hurt." Tamiko led Zane back past the showers, to the caged area where the sports equipment was kept. "We've got baseball bats, hockey sticks, and these."

She opened the chain link door and pulled out a handful of archery bows.

"Wow," said Zane. "We didn't have archery at my old school."

"Yeah. There are real arrows, too."

Tamiko strapped on a quiver filled with arrows, and handed one to Zane, then pulled out five more, and several bows. "Can you carry that sack of baseball bats?" she asked.

He hefted it over his shoulder, careful not to crush the arrows. After he took the extra bows from Tamiko, she pulled out as many of the field hockey sticks as she could carry. "Let's go."

They turned to leave the little room and stopped short.

Harmony Gutierrez stood there by the sinks.

She wasn't looking at them. Rather, she was looking at herself in the mirror and using a paper towel to scrub at the red streaks on her face.

Blood stains from eating Mr. Speckles, Zane realized.

He felt a jab in his gut and barely managed not to make a sound. He looked down at Tamiko.

She mouthed, What do we do?

He shrugged, looking back at Harmony. He mouthed, She ate my cat.

What? Tamiko mouthed.

He tried again.  She ate my cat.

Tamiko shook her head. Zane shifted his arm with the bows in it, and froze at the slight clacking sound.

Harmony straightened up and looked behind her in the mirror.

"Uh, hi, Harmony," Zane said brightly. "Funny meeting you here."

"Nice," Tamiko muttered under her breath.

The blonde girl turned around to face them. Her dead eyes bored into Zane's. "Is it funny," she said flatly.

"Shit," Tamiko said, sounding surprised. "I thought for sure you were a zombie. But you're not. You can talk and stuff."

Harmony cocked her head at Tammy. "Do I know you?"

"Nope. You don't know me. Not at all."

Tamiko sounded nervous. Zane cleared his throat. "Um, I thought you were infected. The way you ATE MY CAT." He emphasized the words and glared at Tamiko.

"How was I supposed to know that's what you were saying?" Tamiko hissed.

"I told you I was hungry," Harmony said. She took a few steps toward them. "Didn't I?"

"Yes. Yes, you did. But I figured you wanted food. Not to kill my pet cat and eat it."

Harmony stuck out her lower lip. "I tried to be honest with you."

"Did you? Did you?" As Harmony neared, Zane and Tamiko backed up in the equipment cage. "I don't know, Harmony, I guess I just didn't get what you were trying to tell me. I mean, you never mentioned being a zombie."

"A zombie?" Her voice rose ever so slightly from its monotone. "Is that what you think I am?"

"Uh, yeah," Tamiko said. "Look, Harmony, I'm not sure how you're talking and carrying on a conversation, but if you're going around eating people's cats, there's definitely something wrong with you. And given that there's currently a zombie plague going around, I'd say it's a good guess."

Harmony gave Tammy a blank stare, then looked at Zane. "You look so good, Zane. I just want to eat you all up."

"Harmony, please, whatever is wrong with you, you don't need to eat anybody. Can you just back up and let us out of here?"

Zane's words made Harmony stop. "When I told my last boyfriend I wanted to eat him, he was more than willing."

"He probably thought you meant something else," Tammy suggested.

"Don't you like me?" Harmony asked Zane.

Zane looked at the girl he'd been courting since his first day at Palos Verdes High School. Something about her felt sincere. If there was a way to save her, he wanted to find it.

"I do like you, Harmony. But I won't let you kill anyone. And eating my cat was definitely not cool."

Tamiko coughed. "Understatement of the year."

Zane stepped forward and eased the door to the equipment cage open. "We're bringing weapons out to help the people in the gym," he said. "Once we get this all under control, I'm sure the doctors can help you.  Maybe you could help carry some stuff?"

"Zane..." Tamiko warned, backing further into the equipment cage.

Harmony lunged forward and Zane barely had time to pull the cage shut before Harmony's teeth snapped shut near his arm.

"What is she?" Zane asked, dropping the bows in his hand and reaching for a baseball bat from the bag over his shoulder. He pulled one out as Harmony ripped the cage door open.

"Hungry," she moaned.

Zane was a football player, but over the years he'd done almost every sport. The baseball bat felt comfortable in his grip. It was a solid aluminum, light but solid. He held it over his shoulder in perfect batting stance.

"Harmony, please get out of the way. I don't want to hurt you."

"Just hit her already!" Tamiko screamed.

Harmony stared at him, swaying slightly on her feet. She blinked. "Hungry," she said, and stepped forward.

Zane moved through his back foot into his front foot and hit Harmony in the face with what would have been a grand slam if her face had been a baseball. Harmony went down – hard.

"Go, go, go!" Tamiko pushed at Zane, and he stepped over Harmony's legs, which blocked the door, always keeping his eye on her and the bat over his shoulder. "Let's go!"

"Wait."

Zane edged closer to Harmony. She wasn't moving. She didn't even look like she was breathing. Her smashed-in face was, strangely, almost devoid of blood. Just some red around her nose and teeth.

"Haven't you ever watched a horror movie?" Tamiko asked. "You either make sure they're completely dead or you get the hell out of there. Don't just stand there near her."

But Zane wasn't listening. He grabbed Harmony's ankle with one hand and pulled her into the equipment cage. He picked up the fallen bows. He watched her until he saw her chest rise, and let out a breath himself. With shaking hands he closed the door to the cage.

"Do you have a lock on your locker?" he asked.

Tamiko looked confused for a second, then understood what he was asking. She went to her gym locker, dialed the combination, then took it off and handed it to him. He locked the equipment cage.

"The combo is 4-8-15," Tamiko said.

"Got it."

"Let's go."