Girl Z: My Life As A Teenage Zombie (5 page)

“School?” Carm's eyes widened. “Are you really thinking of going back? How?”

Plopping into a chair, I invited her to sit with me. “I thought about that. I've been watching the news.”

Her voice dropped. “Me, too. It's scary out there.”

“Yeah. Why I figured there has to be some woman, somebody like me, who figured out what kind of makeup would hide the spots and even out the color.” I motioned to my arms and face. “You know, make me seem more normal.”

“You mean like the stuff they use on burn patients?”

“Something like that. I was going to talk to the nurse about it. Maybe you can check the net. We better make a list. There's a lot of stuff we have to do once I get out of here.”

Her face grew more hopeful as she pulled over a couple of notepads and grabbed two pens. “You think they'll let you go home?”

“Why not? I'm healed up and there's nothing else they can do for me. I have the stuff I need and I met with the dietician.”

Neither of us said one word about my new diet. We couldn't. It was just soooo…
yuck
.

A quick glance in the mirror across the way made me pause. I still couldn't believe the ash--colored girl staring back was actually me. If I could consider myself lucky, at least I'd kept most of my looks. Compared to those other things wandering outside anyway. No gaping sores or scars on my face. No hanging flesh. Oh, gross.

I turned away and took a deep breath. “I'm sick of this place. I want to go home.”

Carm turned and gawked at me. “I hate to burst your bubble, but even if we find the perfect skin cream, even if we make you up so you're almost as good as before, you still have a problem.”

My head tilted, I stared at her in surprise. Okay, so my vision was a bit wonky. Things sometimes seemed crooked or out of whack. I figured it would take a while to correct. “Like what?”

“You must know something's going on. Quit leaning. Look at me straight.”

“You sound like
Tia
now. I am looking straight.”

She reached over and tilted my head to one side, then moved it back. My eyeballs pinged around like the inside of a pinball game.

“Hey, why'd you do that?”

She stared at me. “That's the one thing makeup won't fix.”

I squinted at her. “Huh? What're you talking about? You lost me.”

“Your eyes. Actually, your right eye. It wanders.”

The revelation drew me to the mirror, pronto.

I gazed at myself, tilting my head one way and then the other. I turned back to her with a big sigh. “Wow, I really am a freak. Even more than I thought.”

I glanced again in the mirror and grimaced as she slapped my arm. “
Oww
, what…wait, do that again.”

She did.

“Wow.” I glanced at the mirror and then at her again. “Did you see what happened?”

“Yeah, when I hit you, your eye jumped back in place.”

Not knowing what else to do, I blinked and gave her my best movie star impersonation. “Guess you're my appointed seeing-eye person. If you see my eye staring off to the side, give me a shove. Hopefully, this won't happen a lot or I'll be wearing dark glasses all the time.”

“Except in school,” Carm corrected. “Be hard to get away with it.”

“
Hmm
, write that down. ‘Ask doc for prescription.' Maybe I'll wear tinted glasses and say my eyes are sensitive to light. Anyone questions me, I'll pull out the prescription. Think it'll work?”

Carm shrugged. “Maybe things will be just as messed up there. School might not even open, or half the people will be missing or, you know.”

“Yeah, they'll be like me. But if Principal Thomas didn't get bit or something he'll still want everyone in class. I bet he's already working on some new Z curriculum. He'll want to be the first to do it and get his name out there as this innovative principal. You know how he is.”

“Sounds like him. How're you going to explain what happened to the rest of our friends?'

I snorted, or at least made a weird sound. “If school starts I'll leave it to you to tell everyone what happened. I bet the word's spread already.
Tia
can call the school office so my teachers know.”

The situation was almost more than I could handle. I studied the floor and tried to stay calm.

Carm gave my shoulder a squeeze. “You'll be able to do it, you'll see.”

“I hope so. I really don't have much choice, do I? You know, I don't think we'll be back for long.”

“How come?”

I bit my lip while I thought on it. “If we don't hear from your mom or mine in a few days, we should go find them. We need to look out for each other. And I don't want
Tia
to be in any danger. Because of me. You know?”

“I know, but go where?”

“I'm not sure. I'll talk to mom's friend in Lake Geneva. When I get out of here, we'll have to go get the stuff your brother left.”

“No, we don't.”

“Why not? Of course we do.”

She leaned closer, her long black hair draped across her arm, and lowered her voice.

“I cleaned everything up before
Tia
came back and the ambulance took you. I put all Spence's notes, the medicine, and all the other stuff in his backpack and brought it home. It's in my closet.”

I leaned back and stared at her, a big cheesy grin on my face. “You did? Hey, good going, cuz. Saves us some time. I figured some stuff out while I was half asleep. I think maybe we should share the formula, you know? Take it to the police. Maybe they can use it.”

Carm stopped and gazed at me, confused, then answered, her voice low. “Maybe, but we don't even know that it really works. Spence wasn't, you know, a full Z, like them. But you think anyone will really listen to us with everything going on? You think they'll listen to you?”

I fell silent. “I guess you're right. Who'll believe us, right? Never mind. You still have your paintball guns at home?”

Her nod made me pump my fist and yell. “Yes! Good, I had an idea. I think we were doing it all wrong before.”

“You remember what we were doing?” Carm asked, surprised at the memory. “We started right before—”

“I know, right before I passed out. Good thing I did, too, since now we know I can't touch the stuff.”

Carm got to her feet and tapped a long pink fingernail nervously on the back of her chair. She squinted her dark chocolate-brown eyes and stared at me, her face uneasy. “Bec, I don't think you should go near any of it.”

“Don't worry. I'll be okay.”

“I'm serious.”

I didn't want her to think I was blowing her off, but I thought the idea worth trying. “It's okay, honest. I figured it out. I have some syringes at home from the cat's shots. We'll fill them with the stuff and shoot it into paintballs. All you need is a little. Then it's simple. We seal them with a drop of glue.” I gave a wicked little laugh. “
Heh-heh
. The paint's a bonus.”

“I thought you hated guns.”

“You know I do, but this is paintball. And if it's me or them, those creeps are goin' down and I'm having some fun doing it.” I gave her one of my brightest smiles, such as it was.

“So, you in or out?”

“You know I'm in. Always.”

“Awesome. Once I get home, bring the stuff over so we can start, or maybe I can come by your house.” Her raised eyebrow made me stop. “Oh, right. Okay, you come over after school. Then you can tell me what went on. Another idea. We'll need Spence's air guns. You know, in case…”

She agreed, though her face told me the idea wasn't going over well. Inside I quivered at the idea of shooting anyone, but I fought off the nausea. It was my turn to be cheerleader. I reached over and gave her a hug.

“C'mon, Carm, it'll be all right. Honest. Look what we've been through already. How much worse can it get?”

As if in answer, shouts and the shriek of an alarm drew us to the door. I held my hands over my ears. “What is it? What's going on?”

We watched two security men run to the opposite end of the hall, guns in hand. Several nurses followed pushing carts stacked high with syringes and medicines. “Stay in your room,” one nurse ordered.

Carm and I exchanged worried glances. Our questions went unanswered as the commotion down the hall grew louder. Ignoring Carm's cautions and attempts to pull me back, I stepped out of the room so I could see better.

Keeping close to the wall, I carefully headed toward the noise. The security men struggled and wrestled with someone I couldn't see in the middle of the group. I edged closer. Somehow this affected me. I knew it.

I ignored Carm's tugs at my sleeve. We both gasped and jumped back as a loud roar erupted from the crowd. The group parted for a second revealing a young man a few years older than us, his skin mottled, his hair sticking out like he'd been electrocuted. He gazed in our direction, eyes wild. We stared at one another for a second before the group surged forward and pushed him back. His yells turned to whimpers and then stopped as whatever they gave him took effect.

His limp body loaded on to a gurney and wheeled out of sight bothered me. I shuffled back in the direction of my room, my dejection growing. I didn't even object when Nurse Teapot hurried us away.

She shooed us into the room. “Girls, you shouldn't be out here. We don't want you to get hurt.”

I stopped and grabbed her. I had to know. “He's like me, isn't he? What's wrong with him?”

She gently disengaged my hold on her arm and had me sit on the bed while she read my chart. “Now, honey, don't worry. There's been a problem regulating his medication. He should be fine once we get it adjusted. Sometimes we have to make some changes if it doesn't work the first time around. Nothing to worry about. You're doing quite well. Now, you sit and relax. Doctor will be around soon to do his final exam and then you should be able to go home.”

Her words made me feel a little better, but it didn't erase the sick feeling I had. Carm and I exchanged glances.

She reached out and squeezed my hand. “Don't worry,” Carm urged, trying to make me feel better. “It won't be long, just like she said.”

Everyone's saying don't worry made me even more worried. I wasn't sure why. I was fine, the nurse said so. I'd eaten and I'd had my pills. I'd even gotten used to the protein drinks.

I kept my eyes on her, mesmerized. Carm's face sparkled. Her whole body appeared soft and muted, like an impressionist painting.

Her face disappeared in a soft haze. I reached out and put my finger in the swirl of red and black before me.

“Carm? Where are you? Why are you whispering?”

The last thing I heard was her yelling for the nurse.

My request for Carm to stop yelling came out in a whisper. Around me, voices rose in a cloud of funny sounding phrases over the
whoosh-click-whir
of the machines.

A moan escaped me as the nurse brought my aunt closer to the bed.
Tia!
She whispered and rubbed my forehead. Her fingers fluttered like moth's wings on my skin. My mood stayed dark, even if I could feel her expression of love a tiny bit on my sense-deadened skin. “There, there, girl,” she soothed, her voice low. “Now take it easy. That's it. Deep breath. You had a little setback, all it is. You'll be fine. They've changed your medicine. Now you can rest awhile.”

I downed the drink she handed me (Yum, breakfast pills and liquid protein over easy, hold the bacon) and tried to relax, even though my mind raced.
I'm just like him—like that guy. They're going to knock me out and take me somewhere. I'll never go home!

The panic bubbled inside, but lucky for me, the medication was stronger, and soon I fell into a forgetful doze.

The afternoon and night passed in a blur. I remembered a few things or maybe I'd dreamed them—my aunt kissing my cheek, Carm squeezing my shoulder. Nurses flit in and out of the room like dark shadows. Nurse Teapot whispered about things improving. How come I felt so tired?

My eyes finally sprung open and stayed open. I gazed at the walls and found the clock. Most of the previous hours were a blank. I'd lost another day.

Nurse Teapot came in, her sunny attitude putting a dent in my sour mood. “Well, good morning, then. You're looking much better. How do you feel?”

I sat up straighter and returned her greeting, hoping I'd be going home. “I feel okay. Better. Did I sleep all night? I remember people coming in. Was my aunt here?”

The nurse gave a soft murmur as she studied the monitors and marked the chart. “Your family went home early. Just the staff was here. You were out like a light, which is good. Lets your body recuperate. We've changed your diet and eliminated the pills. You'll need to add more protein. The dietician will explain.”

Her admission got my attention. I thought about the man I'd seen in the hall. “What happened to the guy I saw?”

She pursed her lips. “I shouldn't discuss other patients.”

Her caginess made me nervous. I jumped as the monitor bleeped.

“Take it easy,” she ordered. “Deep breath. Much better. Your condition must remain steady if you want to go home today, understand?”

My soft okay let her know I did.

“Good,” she continued. “Like I told you, not everyone makes the adjustment. Their body breaks down.”

My loud gasp made her pause.
He didn't make it! What would happen to me?

The nurse's sharp tap on my wrist made me wince. “
Oww
, why'd you do that?”

She stared at me and then continued her writing. “I'm testing your reflexes. I wanted to see if you heard me. The young man had some health issues before he contracted the virus. That has a big impact on the outcome. You're strong, young and healthy.”