Zombie Land

Chapter Six

I really didn't want to do it, but a talking zombie was something we'd never seen before. As we were following behind Aaron, Simmons handed me a needle and gestured to the zombie we were following. I looked at Aaron, then back to her. I knew what she needed me to do. After he had pasted out on the floor, I lowered the stairs to the jet and Simmons and I carried him inside to put him in the containment cage. Usually a place for supplies, but it's the only room that could be looked from the outside. I locked the door with the key while Simmons made preparations for take off. Once I made sure everything was secure and tired down, I joined her in the co-pilot seat.

"So, what's on your mind? What do you think of our new roommate?" I asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Well, my mind at the moment is thinking about Clean and Hill. I'm thinking that we should get a search team out there, look for them. As for that... that... thing that has bunked with us, I'd be every happy to put a bullet in his brain!" She said, yelling near the end. I could see her gripping the wheel tightly and her face was tort and full of anger. I knew how she felt. All I wanted was to go back there and slice its head clean off. But she was right about Clean and Hill. We did need a search party out there, but first we would need a much larger group and plan out a strategical assault on the whole city. I saw Simmons start to breath heavily. At first I thought she might be have a panic attack, but the I realized she was just crying.

"Hey, Simmons. Hey. It's not you fault, you didn't get them killed. It's not your fault." I said, trying to calm her down. Her whole body shuddered as her sobs got larger.

"I know, but I just feel awful, they risked their lives so I could get out safely." She said between sobs. I didn't really know what to say. Comforting people was not one of my things. If she was in my division, I would slap her in the face and tell her to get over it, but that would probably be a bit harsh on her. We traveled the rest of the flight in silence. I did a few checks on Aaron, but he hadn't woken up yet, thankfully. I know he's just a zombie, but I feel bad for what I did. Is that crazy or normal? Crazy, of course they're crazy. No one should feel sorry for knocking a zombie out.

Once we touched down, Simmons and I lowered that stairs to be greeted by other agents. There were about five of them to help us take all our gear back to T.O.D.Z HQ. I could see them looking around for the rest of our crew, but I think Simmons blotchy face and tear socked eyes were enough to tell them what happened. They carried all our weapons our in large bags and cleared everything else from the jet. One kid, he looked only 14 went to open the containment room where Aaron was. I was quick to grab his hand before he could reach the handle.

"Not this one, son. Leave this one to us, we'll deal with it." I said sternly. He looked a bit confused, but he wasn't about to have an argument with me. I have a rep at HQ. Once everyone had cleared out I turned to Simmons," What are we gonna do with Aaron? We can't just leave him here, he could infect us all."

"We need to talk to Ice, he'll know what to do. You stay here and make sure no one tries to open it, I'll go talk to him," before I could object or voice my opinion, she was gone. Well, I guess it's just me and the human zombie.

Five minutes after Simmons left, I stared hearing things move in the containment room. Cans of food were falling by the sound of it. I upholstered my gun and hesitantly creeped towards the door. Once I was in front of it, I slowly reached out with my left hand and quietly put my hand on the handle. In one swift movement, I opened the door. Aaron was on the floor covered in tins. Without moving my gun away from him, I grabbed a torch and shon it in his face. He didn't seem effected by the light, but he looked around confused.

"Where... am I," he asked hesitantly. He looked at me longingly, which was weird for a zombie, but everything about this zombie was weird.

"We're in California. HQ of T.O.D.Z," I said smoothly. Why was I talking to this thing, I should just shoot it in it's stupid face and get it over with. He tried to stand up, but I pushed him back down with the barrel of my gun," Woah woah woah, you're not going anywhere. Not until we hear back from Directer Ice. Move again and I won't be so merciful as to just push you back down."

"But... I helped... you. Kept you... safe," he looked up with what I swore were puppy dog eyes. No, zombies don't have feelings, they couldn't do that.

"I know and I'm sorry. Thank you for keeping us safe, but at the end of the day you're still a zombie and will be dealt with like other zombies," again, why was I telling him this? If this was any other zombie I would tell him to shut up or he would be dead by now. I felt the phone in my pocket buzz. I picked it up to see it was Simmons. Without taking my eyes off Aaron I answered," Hey Simmons, what happening?"

"The Director is coming down now. He wants to see this zombie before he decides what to do with it. Make sure Aaron is secure." I hung up and gave Aaron a crooked smile.

"You hear that? You gonna meet the Director."