CHAPTER 9
Institute, WV
Henry wasn’t in much of a mood to party, but it was hard to ignore all the laughter he could hear roaring down the hall at his expense. If there were a door he would have closed it, but there wasn’t. Instead, he was standing inside an open office layout that was filled with outdated desks and cubicles that were actually made out of wood and plaster. There was a large series of plate windows; something like a press box, overlooking another one of the campus’s many courtyards that had his attention. He gazed below at a chain-link fence that enclosed an area that looked like an unkempt city park gone wild.
“BWAW-HA-HA-HA!”
It was Rod from the security team roaring with laughter down the hall.
“LOOK AT HIS FACE! LOOK AT HIS FACE! HENRY, YOU GOT TO SEE YOUR FACE! BWAW-HA-HA!”
Rod was so loud that it seemed like he was in the room with him, but he was almost over on the other side of the building. Myrtle was cackling like a hyena somewhere nearby, and about two or three others were guffawing among the throng. He blocked it out and focused on the morbid procession in the courtyard down below.
Six zombies were at work. One was pushing a lawnmower, and another was pulling a made-for-man plow as the other four stood and seemed to be watching in slack-jawed fascination. Ridiculous. Two men in black WHS camouflage suits armed with shot guns were in the area, while two other figures, in WHS issue lab-coats similar to his, were watching the zombies. They looked like figurines on a television screen from where Henry was standing. What are they up to now?
Henry headed over to the computer station and looked up into the large monitors. Two small joysticks were pinched in his fingertips as he nimbly panned in and out of the images in the courtyard. What? Weege and Alice?
“What are those two doing down there?” he muttered to himself.
“Dude, we have a skeleton crew. All of the complex big wigs are gone. Some big conference or something.” It was Rudy. Great. Henry could hear him gulping down something, but he didn’t bother to turn. “The director is still here, though, hiding somewhere in the other quadrant …”
Henry was panning in on the zombies now. They didn’t seem as horrifying in their forest green jumpers and white hardhats. If he didn’t know any better, they’d pass for people, from a distance. He zoomed the camera in for a closer look at the zombies that weren’t working at the moment. Each sagging gray face had a harness strapped around its mouth. To Henry, it looked more like a retainer, installed by a mad dentist. He could see that the metal brace was hooked inside the rows of rotting teeth, like a bit for a horse, and that it was tethered to a small battery pack that was strapped over the zombie's shoulders.
“… so, are you still mad? We said we were sorry, Henry. You’re just so sensitive over the zombies. I mean, they aren’t going anywhere, and we have them under control. Come on, have a beer and relax,” Rudy said as he edged closer.
Henry didn’t even realize Rudy was still talking. His mind was somewhere else. It seemed there was always a surprise of some sort, a breakthrough, whenever he returned. The last time, his brother had been back and intent on killing them all. They had also started testing the XT Formula, without his consent, for what reasons he would never understand. Now, he was certain, and he checked every camera from every angle, certain that something had been done. Something they didn’t want to do while he was here, so they sent him away. This time, he was going to figure it out before the big surprise came.
“Hey Henry, quit pouting and get in here and watch this video!” Rod’s hulking frame had entered the room and cast a shadow over the top of Henry and Rudy.
He felt obligated to turn around. The two men were just staring at him as if they were waiting for him to say something. Rudy looked like he hadn’t shaved since the last time he left, and his Quantum Leap T-shirt had tightened around his belly. Rod on the other hand was a figure that would have made the local fans of John Henry proud. The big man was one of the few people that Henry enjoyed talking with, even though he did have a very boisterous standard of behavior.
“Okay, hold on.”
He glanced back over at the screens and almost laughed as he watched the zombie pushing the lawnmower almost run over the little man from India, Weege.
“What’s that fool doing now?” Rod sat as he stepped behind Henry.
He could see Weege screaming and smacking his hand on the remote control box. Alice had a similar one; much like the ones you would see at parks where folks would fly remote control airplanes. She was laughing under a pile of wavy black hair and over-sized glasses.
Rudy stuck his pudgy finger on the screen and said, “That tool is going to get himself mowed over by a zombie. It’ll be the first death of its kind.”
“BWAW-HA-HA-HA!” Rod roared, holding his gut as he did so.
Henry slapped Rudy’s fingers away from the screen, saying, “Quit touching it. When are you ever going to learn?” he said as he walked away.
“Hey, where you going?” Rod asked.
“Down there,” Henry replied.
“Why?” they both asked.
Henry turned around, pulled off his glasses, and said, “Because I’m going to figure out from them what you’re not telling me. Unless you want to tell me now?”
Rod and Rudy looked at each other and then back at him. Something was wrong, but if they actually knew about it, it didn’t show. Maybe he was paranoid, but everything in his body told him something was wrong. Where was everybody? This wasn’t like the day care. This was a full blown operation with racks of shotguns still mounted along the walls. The ammo was in good supply. Even though the complex was run down and not perfectly ideal for their operations, it was still well equipped for any emergency.
“Bawk, we're all good here. It’s not like the daycare, not like last time.”
Rod got a funny look in his eye and said to Rudy, “What are you talking about? What day care?”
Henry glared at Rudy.
Rudy reached up and slapped Rod on his back and said, “Sorry, Dude; it’s classified.”
“Classified my ass. If it’s something I should know, ya’ll better tell me, because if something bad happens and I live to tell about it … I’m coming after you.”
“It’s nothing to do with anything here, Rod.” Henry said. “Just a bunch of crap we had to go through at our last WHS assignment. Audits and paperwork up to my chin—”
“Don’t bullshit me, Henry. I don’t like it. Now, I’m going back to the party,” Rod said, punching Rudy in the arm as he went.
“OW! Geez, my arm’s going numb.”
“Good,” Henry said as he walked away.
Bleep. Bleep. Bleep.
Henry pulled his phone out and checked the text message with a sigh.
COME TO OUR ROOM NOW. WE HAVE TO TALK.
It was from Tori. Henry knew that storm was coming, and it clearly had his name on it. Casting his head down as he pushed his way into the stairwell, he made his way down to their quarters with a dozen unanswered questions roving around in his mind. His interrogation of Weege and Alice would have to wait.