The Elect 19, part 4 of 4: Hospital

March 24, 2016March 23, 2016M G Kizzia Leave a comment

“I’ve been demoted,” Emily said to Lisa with a smile and a nod at Amina.

“Demoted?”

Emily’s smile broadened. “I will have to settle for being just a Princess. You have to be the Amazon queen. You’re the eldest.”

“Yes, of course,” Lisa said without a shred of seriousness in her voice. “But don’t get any ideas. I already told you, I get enough of that “Mom” stuff at home.”

“Right, mom,” Emily said, but she said it softly.

Amina came over and plopped down on the couch. “I still cannot believe there are three elect in this one place. That is unheard of.”

“Exactly what I thought when I first arrived.” The voice came from the waiting room door. Heinrich Schultz stopped to remove his heavy coat. “But I am beginning to see why. As Father Martin used to remind me, the Almighty knows why, we just need to do the best we can with what he has called us to do.”

“Lord Heinrich,” Amina dropped her eyes.

“Why Heinrich? I understand it is unusual, but why are three of us here? Might one of us be needed elsewhere?” Lisa had thought about it a lot in the last six months and was seriously curious.

Heinrich took a seat. “Because this insignificant little burg is at the center point of all the big cities on the East coast. I believe it was not by accident that New Jersey chose this place for its capital. All of the human vibrations from Boston to Washington, the mystical energy if you will, flows right through here. Everyone considers the spokes that make the wheel, but in truth they all flow to that little center hole that holds the wheel to the wagon. Without that center hole, which no one thinks of, the wheel will be useless.”

Emily looked up. “Gee, I thought it was just by chance that the Pentagon chose out-of-the-way Jersey State to hold its super soldier contest.”

‘That too,” Heinrich nodded. “If you believe anything is by chance.”

“Detective Schromer?” The nurse came to the waiting room by way of the back door. Lisa stood. “Latasha is going to be fine. She will need to stay for a day or two, but she is in no danger. I have already arranged for her to room with the others as you requested.”

Heinrich stood. “Yes, I must go see the others. I want them to know how proud I am of them all. And also I have to officially convey President Batiste’s wishes for their speedy recovery.”

“President of the University?” Emily asked.

“Yes,” Heinrich said with a smile. “My guess is he doesn’t want to be sued.” He saluted the detective as the closest thing to the law in the room.

Lisa stiffened. It was possible she might never stop reacting that way in this man’s presence. “I was told and always understood that it was best to keep our presence quiet if not secret.”

“Generally, yes.” Heinrich admitted. “For every Joan of Arc, there are ten Joanna of Flanders that make only an historical footnote, and a hundred women not remembered at all. But everyone of them had family and friends. None needed to act alone. Indeed, when one of the elect is too alone and feels isolated, there is the greatest danger to go rogue.”

“But my friends. They could have died,” Emily said. There were tears in the corners of her eyes. The last day was traumatic, and now Latasha was almost more than she could handle.

“And you might have died, had you been there. As I understand it, the walking dead were designed to explode the minute you stabbed the heart or cut the head.”

“Yes,” Lisa said. “Julie has confirmed that.”

Heinrich nodded and looked at Lisa. “But to your point, after four hundred and seventy some years, I like to think I understand this world a little. These young women freely chose Emily’s friendship and everything that entails. They came to me to learn to fight all on their own, in case you or Emily ever needed them. I know these days people move and drift apart, but I believe any one of these women, though not elect, may do something someday for someone and make a positive difference in this world. This is thanks to you, and the good example you set.”

“It is true.” Amina stood, so Emily stood as well. “You are the example for us all.”

“Saint Emily? I don’t think so. Gee, I was with you up until you said I have to set a good example.” Emily spoke to the man. “I get stage fright.”

“As do I,” Heinrich said.

“But it is true,” Amina repeated. “You are the queen and we are your tribe.”

“Yes, Amazons,” Heinrich nodded. “There haven’t been any real Amazons in over two thousand years, but in this case the image may be appropriate. As I understand the history of it, the chief driving force of the Amazon nation was to defend their families and friends from the onslaught of the world.”

“History Professor,” Emily said aside to Lisa.

“You have your partner, Mister Mousad, and many others on the force like Rob Parker and Mitzy, the nice lady at the front desk. Even if they do not know all the details, they understand more than you think and they are there for you. Emily needs no less, and Latasha needs her friends and family as well, though I am not sure about that Darren fellow.” With that said, Heinrich saluted again, grabbed his coat and left to find Maria, Jessica and Mindy to tell them he was proud of them.

“We need to see Latasha,” Lisa immediately changed the subject.

“But wait,” Amina interrupted. “Her mother will be here in a minute.”

“Where?” Lisa looked down the hall, and Emily looked with her. They heard the ding of the elevator bell and stared as the doors opened and Ashish stepped off followed by Latasha’s mother. Lisa looked back, but Amina would not meet her eyes.

“My Sybil,” Emily said.

“I remember,” Lisa nodded, but was quickly interrupted by a woman in tears. Ashish whispered in her ear. “Social services took the two little ones.” Lisa quickly passed Latasha’s mama to Emily’s arms and started for the elevator. Unwilling to wait for it to return, she headed for the stairs. Amina shouted after her.

“The lady you seek plays the organ.”

Lisa heard and mouthed the words, “I knew it!”

The Elect 19, part 3 of 4: The Principal Boom

March 23, 2016March 22, 2016M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Latasha was called to the principal’s office and she knew Principal Wearing was not happy. She sat on the bolted chairs and looked at the hole where a chair had once been. She remembered Detective Lisa ripping it up from the floor with no trouble at all. Latasha knew she was strong as well, but she was not that strong.

Keisha and Janet were left out of it, which was a good thing, but it did make her wonder why she was being singled out. Latasha never told anyone about being one of the elect, a warrior woman. She certainly never told her friends, Keisha the cool and Janet the big mouth. No way they could have kept the secret.

Her family knew a little, but even they did not know all the details. They knew she was unnaturally strong and capable of some things that many girls her age were not, but they might have written that off to her being tall, skinny and athletic. The women who came and protected the house were there at the request of Detective Lisa, and if Latasha was allowed to participate with them, well maybe it was because she was the only grown girl in the house. Oh yeah, and she had her ax. That might have raised some questions, but no one ever asked outright. These days she kept her ax wrapped up hidden and safe in her closet. She did not even get it out to bring to the school to confront the bus-creature. Perhaps she should have. The thing is, she did not know.

Latasha had no idea what she was dealing with because she got impatient. She thought the grown up thing was to handle it herself. She almost got herself and her friends killed as a result. This was something they did not teach in the schools, but she was learning. Next time she would ask for help and try to find out what she was facing before she went in half-cocked.

“Latasha,” Ms Beemer leaned over the front counter. “Who are you here to see again?”

“Principal Wearing,” Latasha answered, curious that Ms Beemer did not know. Latasha looked up at the clock. She had been sitting for a while and wondered what was taking so long; but then the whole day seemed to be taking forever. She wanted it to be over so she could go up to the hospital. She had met Maria, Jessica, and she thought she met Amina once, she was not sure. She was also not sure about Mindy, but they were Emily’s friends and that was good enough for Latasha. Emily was the best. Latasha knew she should not idolize the girl, but she could not help it. She knew being called to defend her home and community, being elect was a dangerous thing to be, but if anything ever happened to Emily, she would be the first in line to confront whatever it was.

Latasha sighed. Emily was all grown up and had a boyfriend who loved her with all his heart. Latasha could tell. And Emily loved Pierce right back, just as hard. Latasha hoped someday she might find someone just as wonderful, and she sighed again.

“Latasha,” Ms Beemer called her again. Latasha looked up, and at Ms Beemer’s wave, she got up. “Principal Wearing will see you now.” Ms Beemer let her behind the counter and walked her across the open office to the principal’s door. She knocked, but it was only a formality before she opened the door and ushered Latasha in.

“Ms LeBaidu,” the principal said without looking up from the papers on his desk. “I am busy. What is it you wanted to see me about?”

“Sir?” Latasha did not understand.

The man looked up from his papers. “Well?” He stood and stepped around to the front of the desk. Thus far, he had not invited her to sit. “Let me just say, I think you are trouble. You found that girl in that locker. You were there when Ms Johnson had her terrible accident. You always seem to be there. Well, Ms LeBaidu, I think you are hiding secrets. But, let me tell you, I am like a dog with a bone. Once I grab on, I don’t let go, and I keep gnawing at it until I discover the meat on the inside. Have a seat.” Latasha sat. “Now what is on your mind?”

Latasha shook her head. “You called me out of class to see me,” she said.

“I did not.” The principal stood up straight and eyed Latasha for a second to make sure she was not lying. “We will get to the bottom of this.” He stepped to the door and opened it. “Ms Beemer,” he called.

Latasha heard the glass break and saw something fly into the room. Latasha knew what it was even without a good look. Maybe it was some sixth sense limited only to the destined few, but in any case, she jumped. She tackled the principal who was in the doorway, shoved him out of the room and took him to the floor with her on top of his back. The principal’s office exploded. Ms Beemer was knocked down from the wind that rushed through the door, but not seriously hurt. Somehow, the cinderblock walls held. Latasha had a back and legs full of doorway splinters, but she did not give into the pain.

Latasha turned on Ms Beemer. “Dial 9-1-1”

The principal got up slowly, checked his nose to be sure it was not broken, and thought up some choice words for this girl while at the same time he thought, “What the Hell was that?” Latasha ignored him. She found her backpack shredded, but her phone was in an inner pocket and miraculously still worked. Lisa picked up, and Latasha only had to say two words.

“I’m bleeding.”

The Elect 19, part 2 of 4: Suspicions

March 22, 2016March 22, 2016M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Lisa and Ashish had to show their identification at the front door just to get into the building. They had to show them again to the receptionist and a third time to the director’s secretary. The last took an especially long time scrutinizing them before she said, “Since you don’t have an appointment, I’ll have to see if he is available.” She was gone a long time.

Fortunately, the director was one who believed a friendly chat was better than a search warrant. He welcomed them into his big office and made the call himself to fetch Ms Montrose.

“She has been here a long time and is one of our best. I hope there isn’t anything wrong,” the man sought to cover himself. He was permitting himself to be surprised and shocked in case there was something wrong. When Elena Montrose came in, however, it was not what Lisa and Ashish expected.

“Have you come about my purse?” the woman said with a warm smile on her wrinkled, old face. This Elena Montrose had gray hair, was short and frumpy and had colorless stubs for nails. They looked like the nails of a woman who bit them regularly.

“Your purse?” Ashish was the one who was able to speak.

“It was stolen, yes. Let me see. That was about a year ago now.”

“Your purse was stolen?” Lisa asked.

“Uh-huh.” The woman nodded.

“Might I ask where?”

“Oh, at church. I sing in the choir every Sunday.” The woman looked at Lisa, but Lisa shook her head.

“Froggy voice. You wouldn’t want to hear.”

“It was Sunday, and funny that mine was the only purse stolen. We used to leave them in the choir room during the service. Now we lock them up.”

“Wise,” Ashish said.

“Why was it funny?” Lisa was curious now.

“Well, because I didn’t have anything with me, no money or credit cards. All the thief got was some old lipstick, some tissues and my driver’s license, oh, and my I. D. for work, but no money.”

“Generally when a thief doesn’t find money or a credit card, they discard the purse some blocks away in the nearest trash bin or dumpster,” Ashish explained. “Odds are slim you will ever see that purse again, unless by chance it fell behind a bookcase or something at the church.”

“Oh, no. The choir, that is, the men tore the room apart, looking. It was definitely stolen.”

“I see,” Lisa said. “So where do you go to church?”

###

Lisa fretted while Ashish drove. “You look worried,” he said.

“I can’t help thinking we should be focused on finding that lab, not tracking down a social worker impersonator.”

“The girls are going to be just fine.”

“I know that, but still. There were a bunch around that dorm and they were all wired to do maximum damage. That seems the real threat. Imagine if they set one off in the mall or at some concert or sporting event.”

“I don’t know. I’m wondering if this fake social worker is taking young children out of their homes, what is she doing with them? She may be selling kids into slavery on the black market. Maybe she is an ogre and eating them.”

Lisa turned her frown on Ashish, but his eyes were on the road.

“Besides,” he continued. “I thought we were doing this for Libby.”

“We are,” she said. “We are.”

Ashish stopped the car in front of a picturesque Tudor home with a white picket fence that looked to go all the way around the property. There was a lovely garden out front. Of course, nothing was growing just yet. It was all still green, but Lisa identified some of the greenery and she could imagine the flowers well enough. She knew it would be spectacular when she saw the woman out front toiling away in anticipation of spring.

Lisa walked up to the gate, but waited while Ashish came around the car. She reached for the latch, but Ashish caught her hand. Two Dobermans came roaring around the corner of the house, barking and growling, and Lisa took an involuntary step back. She did not like big dogs.

The woman in the garden looked, stood, squinted and yelled. “Boys. Boys, in the house. Now.” The Dobermans made a last look, bark and growl before they ran to their mistress, tongues wagging. She held the door and they went straight in, after which she came to the gate. As she walked, she pulled a pair of glasses out of a pocket and Lisa thought that this was the last choir member, the choir director and church organist herself, and if this was not the fake Elena Montrose, they had reached a dead end. She did not remember Latasha’s mother mentioning anything about glasses, but she would see. When the woman arrived, Lisa sighed.

Dorothy Guiness had red hair, what she had of it. When the woman pulled off her hat, it was clear she was going bald. True, she looked to be in her mid-fifties and had the red nails, but the nails were chipped, no doubt from the garden. Besides, the woman’s eyes were blue, and a very light blue at that. After they explained who they were, Dot invited them in. Ashish went first. Lisa followed with her eyes wide open.

“I remember Elena’s purse. It was a little blue number. I felt just awful when it disappeared.”

“All that money,” Lisa said. She said that at every stop. The regular choir members could not remember anything about the contents of the purse.

“No, it only had some lipstick and some tissues with Elena’s identification,” Dot said, and with a look at the detectives, she added, “At least that is what Elena told me. Was there money?”

“Lovely garden,” Lisa changed the subject. “I bet it is spectacular in bloom.”

Dot’s face filled with pride before she whispered her secret. “It’s all in the fertilizer. Only the best and freshest will do.”

“Wonderful. I should try that on my lawn. What do you use?”

“Dear, no. It is my own special blend and a family secret. But it would work wonders on your yard. I grow vegetables out back in the summer, and if I am careful to preserve what I grow, I can eat from my garden all year long.”

“I bet your husband likes that idea,” Ashish suggested.

“Ed?” Dot looked surprised. “No, he had an accident and died years ago. To be honest, he was never much for making money, but his insurance helped. When we were young, I went many a time to the kitchen only to find the cupboard bare, but these days I get along just fine on S. S. I., the church and my garden. Me and my boys.”

“Yes, well I think we better get going.” Lisa did not need to be reminded of the boys. She looked toward the house again and spied a big bone on the porch. Dot saw, but said good-bye first.

As Lisa and Ashish walked back toward the front gate, Dot picked up the bone and yelled. “Boys. What have I told you about your bones?” She opened the front door, and the dogs raced out. Ashish and Lisa had to run. They got to the gate and got it closed before the Dobermans arrived, but it was close. They left to the sound of Dot yelling, “Boys. Boys, get back here.”

“Well, I guess that brings us back to square one. Anyone could have walked off the street and taken that purse,” Ashish complained as he started the car.

“I’m not so sure,” Lisa said, but she said no more because she was honestly not sure what she was feeling.

The Elect 19, Great Pretenders: part 1 of 4

March 21, 2016March 21, 2016M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Latasha tried to focus on school. It was not easy.

“Hey, you’re going to miss the bus,” Janet said.

“Where are you going?” Keisha asked at the same time.

“I gotta see Ms Riley,” Latasha answered honestly. “I have a science question and then Detective Lisa is going to pick me up.”

“I never ask teachers questions. It means extra work,” Janet said.

“Why do you gotta hang out with the bad guys?” Keisha asked at the same time.

“Ms Riley?”

“No, the police,” Keisha said.

The police were the good guys. Latasha knew that much, but she was not about to get into an argument about it right then. “I’ll call you later,” she said and stepped into Ms Riley’s room. She had to wait. Wendy was asking a question and Mini was with her. Latasha kept back. Wendy and Mini had been good friends in middle school. It was Latasha, Wendy, Mini, Janet and Keisha all hanging out together. But since starting high school, Wendy and Mini pulled away. Latasha was not exactly sure why.

Wendy got her answer and let out a big, “Oh, I see.” She and Mini said hi when they left. Latasha said hi, but mostly watched. When the door closed behind them, she turned on her teacher who was waiting patiently.

“Ms Riley. Are you human?”

Ms Riley smiled ever so slightly and said, “What an odd question.”

************************

Things are not always as they seem, as the elect discover in Episode/chapter 19.

The elect ar one in a million warrior women, called from the beginning of time and empowered to defend the weak, the innocent, the informed, the home when the men went off to hunt or to war. How three elect end up in the same little town in New Jersey is anyone’s guess. But thus far, they have all been kept busy. Poor Emily just wants to get through her freshman year at New Jersey State University with some reasonably good grades. Poor Latasha. She is just a freshman at the local high school. And Detective Lisa keeps chalking up the unacceptable number of missing persons in that little city.

Begun in November 2015 (You can get there through the archives button on the blog), The Elect, Freshman Year is posted Mon. Tues. Wed. and Th. to get the whole chapter in, chapter by chapter, like a true serialized novel. It is free to read on the blog. Whatever you do, enjoy. Happy Reading.

The Elect 18, part 4 of 4: Amazons

March 17, 2016March 14, 2016M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Jessica and Maria walked out front. Amina and Mindy followed behind like a couple of shadows. Jessica complained. “I hurt.”

Maria knew what to say. “Did I mention you look great?”

Jessica frowned and then grinned, “I know,” She showed herself a little before she frowned again. “That Schultz is a slave driver.”

“I’m enjoying it,” Mindy said. Of them all, Mindy was the shortest and smallest, like the runt of the litter, but she had the energy one might expect from looking at her fire red hair. Maria was almost five foot four, and Amina was closer to Emily’s height of five-six. Mindy shaded her eyes as she looked up at Jessica. “If I can, you can.” She put on her determined face. “Anyway, I especially like the archery.” They had convinced Professor Schultz to let them have that much of a weapon, and the padded staffs.

“That’s because you are good at it.” Jessica looked down at the girl and was determined to be grumpy.

“But you’re better,” Mindy said. “You are better at everything as far as I can tell. No weak spots.”

Jessica shook her head. “I don’t think I am best at anything. That is probably why Professor Schultz rides me so much.”

“So, what are you suggesting?” Maria poked at Jessica with her elbow. “Do you want a real weapon like Emily’s sword?”

“It wouldn’t hurt,” Jessica responded. “At least to learn how to use a knife, what with the zombies around again.”

Maria stopped, so they all stopped. “But nothing has turned up since the restaurant,” Maria pointed out.

“Jessica,” Mindy looked up. “How tall are you, really?”

“Five-seven and a half,” Jessica said. “I used to model in high school. Back then I was almost five-ten.” Jessica grinned again.

“I think you need something more like a spear,” Mindy suggested. “That would suit your height and long arms.”

“And you know?”

Mindy’s determination turned quickly to a pout. “I read. I know some things. I’ve studied these things, though I must say there is nothing like first-hand experience.”

“Maybe Jessica needs a ten foot pole,” Maria suggested

“Not funny.” Jessica reached for Maria, but Maria slapped her hand away and took a short step back. If it was not for the book bags, the two looked like they might go for a friendly tussle right there. “It’s not right.” Jessica let out her full-fledged, parental approved whiney voice. “You are really kicking with the karate, Mindy hits the bull’s-eye almost always and even Amina has the staff down pat. I bet if they didn’t have those pillows on each end, she could really do some damage. I repeat, I am not best at anything.” The others did not know how to respond because as far as they could tell, Jessica was best at everything, not counting Emily, of course.

“But there is nothing Professor Schultz has shown us so far that you are bad at.” Amina spoke for the first time and tried to be encouraging, but Mindy spoke overtop.

“You are best at the running part.”

“And something else,” Amina stopped. As soon as she stopped, Mindy and the others stopped and turned to listen to what Amina had to say.

“You are very good at everything. We all have weaknesses.”

“That is true,” Maria confirmed, and Mindy nodded. Jessica also knew that was true, but it was not enough. She wanted to be best at something and have no doubts in her mind. She started to walk again so the others started with her. “More important,” Maria was not finished with her thought. “There are side benefits here. I never felt so strong and capable in my life. For the first time I feel like I could actually do something if I had to.”

“Like help somebody in need,” Mindy offered.

“Yes, and maybe not end up a victim in a bad situation.”

Jessica nodded but added another note. “More important, there is so much going on around here that most people don’t know about, like dead bodies of old people showing up everywhere. Emily is probably the only one who can do something about that, but she can’t do it alone. She needs us to back her up. I get that.” They all understood.

“Did I mention I heard from Julie Tam?” Maria changed the subject. They stopped walking again and looked at her, except Amina who appeared content to look at the ground. “She says given the anatomical slices taken with surgical precision from the old bodies, it looks to her like someone may be doing some genetic testing.”

“That was English?” Jessica made it a joke, but no one laughed. Mindy took a look at Amina and spoke her concern.

“Are you alright?” She reached out and touched Amina gently on her arm to get her attention.

Amina looked up and needed a few seconds to bring her eyes into focus. “I see trouble ahead. I see death beyond the great white light. I do not know what that means.”

“Emily?” Maria asked.

“No,” Amina assured her. “It has something to do with us, but I can’t get a clear picture. All I can see is trouble up ahead. I have to work on it.”

“I see trouble ahead.” Jessica pointed to the dorm door. Connie, her friend Lilly, and a half-dozen other women were standing there, waiting.

“Hate men parade,” Mindy said under her breath. No one scolded her for telling the truth.

“Emily’s not here,” Maria said, as they got close.

“I know,” Connie said. “We just came to pick up Mindy and Amina for the meeting.”

“What meeting?’ Maria asked. She closed ranks with Jessica. Mindy and Amina were still behind them.

“I quit your club,” Mindy said.

“I never joined,” Amina added.

“Sorry,” Jessica smiled, but put down her book bag. She did not like the tension in the air.

Maria did the same, but paused. There was someone in the corner, watching. Mindy saw her, too. The woman was twenty-something, so not likely an undergraduate. She stood about five foot, eight, had long light brown hair and deep-set green eyes. She was also intensely beautiful, but the thing that attracted their eyes was the woman’s dress. She was wearing what Mindy called a peplos, a style of Greek dress that was ancient.

Connie returned Jessica’s smile. “Look, you are giving us a bad reputation. I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”

The woman smiled at Maria and Mindy.

“I do,” Lilly said and she took a swing at Jessica, the big one. It was a right hook, but a very sloppy punch. Jessica simply tilted her head back a little and the fist completely missed her face. She pushed the arm to continue Lilly’s movement in that direction. She put a foot on Lilly’s butt and shoved. Lilly sprawled into the other women and took two to the ground with her.

“See?” Maria’s attention was taken by the action, and she spoke to Jessica. “You did that very well.” She finished putting down her book-bag, just in case.

“You bitches!” Rage and frustration poured out of Connie. She shoved Maria out of the way and went straight for her roommate, Mindy. Mindy was the least practiced of them all, being new to the workouts and training offered by Professor Schultz, but she was already convinced that pulling hair and scratching at the face was not a good technique. She also knew that women did not have the upper body strength of a man, but could use their legs to great advantage. She practiced her scissor kick, first on Connie’s knee and then on her hip.

Connie felt it, but her rage moved her forward, her hands still outstretched to grab Mindy’s hair. Mindy, the little one merely ducked, moved forward under the arm and threw whatever upper body strength she had into one punch. It landed in Connie’s side, in the ribs below the arm. Connie fell to her knees, then shouted and fell to the side as she reached for her hurt knee. Mindy simply picked up her backpack and stepped up beside Maria and Jessica who were keeping the other women away with their stares.

“Book bags,” Maria said, and they picked up their bags and entered the dorm talking like they had never been interrupted, but Mindy took a glance to the side. The woman was gone.

“So, I guess that was the trouble you saw?” Maria turned to Amina.

“No, something else.” Amina shook her head and seemed oblivious to what just happened. “I have to think about it. I need a bath.” She ran up the stairs to her room.

###

Jessica’s phone rang shortly after sundown. Emily was still not back to the room and she thought it might be her, but it was Amina.

“Get out,” Amina yelled. “The zombies are coming here.”

“To the dorm? Is that it?”

“That is what I was feeling.”

Jessica hung up and raced to bang on Maria’s door. Maria opened it and hushed her. Mindy was taking a nap.

“Amina,” Jessica held up her phone. “Zombies, coming here.”

“What?” Maria shouted.

“Huh?” Mindy poked her head up from the bed. Jessica and Maria went to drag her from the bed, but there was a noise in the hall and they knew Mindy would never wake in time. They flew to the door even as a zombie appeared in the opening. Maria stuck her foot out and flat-footed the zombie in the chest. She got scratched, but the zombie was knocked to its back and Jessica got the door closed and locked.

“What’s happening?” Mindy asked as she came awake and saw Jessica and Maria with their backs to the door. There was a loud Bang! The door jiggled along with Jessica and Maria, but it held.

“Zombies,” Jessica said as Maria grabbed her chair and shoved it under the door handle. Mindy went straight for the window. They were in the new dorm where the windows were long and skinny and generally not made for escape.

“If we can get the window off here, I think I can get out and get help,” Mindy suggested. She was the only one who might have been small enough.

“The advantages of being little,” Jessica said as she and the door jiggled again to another Bang!

“ I got 9-1-1,” Maria said. She had one hand leaning heavily on the door above the chair, but her phone was in her other hand. Jessica still had her phone in hand, but she had not thought of using it.

“Amina is out there. She will get help,” Jessica said as Mindy screamed. A zombie came up to the window. There was a sudden brilliant flash of light, and a heartbeat later, there came a series of explosions. The door crashed into the room and landed on Jessica. Maria flew back and hit her head on the cement-block wall. Mindy covered her face, but caught plenty of glass from the shattered window. No one said the light and explosions should have come at the same time.

Less than a minute later, Amina showed up with Bernie the campus cop. Another minute later, Emily arrived. She was on her way home when she heard the explosions.

Maria was out cold. Jessica had a broken arm. Mindy was kneeling, shivering and crying from the pain of a thousand cuts.

The Elect 18, part 3 of 4: Social Work

March 16, 2016March 14, 2016M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Lisa sipped her tea and waited for Latasha’s mama to speak. She thought of Libby Carter, how the woman went down fighting, and she vowed to follow through for her sake.

“I haven’t seen Ms Montrose since that day, or heard anything from social services.”

“Have you called them to inquire?” Ashish asked.

Ms Barton looked at Ashish like he was stupid. “I would never call attention to myself like that. Yoo-hoo, remember me? I’m the one with the two young children. I mean really.”

Lisa took it as a joke and smiled. “So, what can you tell me about her? What made you think she was serious?”

Latasha’s mama thought about that before she spoke. “I think she was just so dark.”

Lisa also thought before she spoke. “So dark?”

Latasha’s mama worried her hands and then realized what she said. “No.” She laughed and pointed at her hands. “I don’t mean dark like me. I mean dark. I mean she was very slim and had black hair and black eyes, but I mean she was dark, like serious. Like everything she said was so serious, and she drummed her fingernails on the table when she listened.”

“Black hair, black eyes and nails more like claws than nails?” Ashish asked.

“Painted blood red. Nice nails.” Latasha’s mama looked at the man with a serious expression and then grinned all at once. “Oh, mister Mousad. You’re just funnin’”

“I wish,” Lisa said as she sipped her tea.

“I am glad you came by. While I have the chance I want to say how grateful I am for all the help you are giving my Latasha.”

“Which reminds me, I meant to say how glad I was to hear about James. I am sure he will do fine in the marines.” Lisa sidestepped the thanks. Latasha’s mama beamed with pride before she added her thoughts.

“I will worry about him, though. Especially if he gets called to combat.” She went back to her smile. “But I am proud of him.”

John and Leah chose that moment to interrupt. Leah yelled for her mama. John followed with a plastic light saber in his hands. It seemed he was hitting his sister on the head with it.

“We need to go,” Lisa quickly stood.

Ashish did not have so far to go since he was simply leaning on the kitchen counter. “Yes, thanks for the tea.”

“Now, we have company.” Latasha’s mama scolded and the two young ones settled down immediately, even if it was only temporary.

“It was good to see you,” Lisa paused at the door. “I’m sorry Libby Carter couldn’t be with us.”

“Me, too,” Latasha’s mama said in all sincerity. “That woman was so full of life. I hope I can be even half as active when I’m her age.”

“Don’t we all,” Lisa said and left.

As Ashish got in to drive, he asked a question. “So, where to?”

“Social services. Maybe Elena Montrose can be persuaded to share information about any missing children from her caseload.”

“You know they can’t do that and won’t without a warrant.”

“That depends on how you phrase the questions.”

The Elect 18, part 2 of 4: Spring Break

March 15, 2016March 14, 2016M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Marion picked up Emily when she arrived, and Emily was not surprised. Dad likely had to work. David was deployed again. Mom hated the airport and Tyler could not drive yet, thank God.

“So how is school?” The policewoman got that much out before Emily unloaded. She told her everything about Abby and how frightening it was. She told her about Heinrich, and probably said too much, but she could not help it. She had to unload this stuff because the stress of it all was getting to her. She told her about Latasha’s encounter and the message that there were other such things out there, somewhere, lurking in the dark.

Marion never interrupted. She smiled the whole way, and when they arrived at Emily’s house, Marion only said two things. “Feel better?” Emily nodded. “I won’t be far.” She left after Emily carried her bags inside.

Emily gave her mother a cursory hug, threw Tyler out of her room and slept the rest of the day and all through the night. She dreamt about Pierce, but they were not pleasant, loving dreams. They were full of creatures, zombies, vampires, monstrous men and women. She saw Granger once acting like Abby, drawing people into her spider’s web. Mostly her friends all turned their backs on her. Lisa said she was nothing special, that she just used her to get at the campus mystery and solve the murders. Her friends got a suite, but it was only for four people. Jessica and Maria roomed together while Amina roomed with Mindy and that left Emily on the outside, in a regular dorm with Gloria Sanchez. Even Latasha laughed at her and told her what a dupe she had been. And Pierce died. And since she was nothing special, she could not keep him from dying. And then a mysterious Abby-like witch forced her hand so she stabbed Pierce and killed him. And she had no power to stop herself. Pierce kept dying in her dreams until she woke up at five in the morning in a sweat.

The shower helped, but her mother felt her forehead and took her to the doctor. Some kind of flu, he said to her. He said something else in private to her mother while the nurse took some blood. He sent her home with some antibiotics and with something to help her rest. And Emily tried. She really tried.

###

The nightmares came again on the second night, or Emily assumed they did. She did not remember them, exactly, but she woke up tense everywhere, like she had been fighting a great battle all night long. She had a definite fever now and even the shower did not help. Then she saw a couple of breakouts and wondered as her mother came into her room.

“That was the doctor. You need to stay in bed.”

“Why? What is it?”

“Chicken pox.” Her mother opened the curtain to let in the sun.

“Chicken pox!” Tyler yelled outside her open door. He made his fingers into a cross, which he pointed at her as he walked by the opening and rushed down the stairs.

Emily plopped back on her bed. “Chicken pox.”

“The doctor said you should be fine in a couple of weeks, as soon as the breakouts are gone.”

“A couple of weeks? But I only have a week and have to get back to school,” Emily protested. Her mother made no response. She simply closed the door on her way out. Emily thought at least she could get caught up on her schoolwork. She looked at her Earth Science book, said, “Maynard is a moron,” and picked up her phone to call Jessica.

###

That night her fever got high enough to worry her mother. They were saying things about how it was harder in older people and they were talking hospital. She had breakouts everywhere by then, and she had her hands in gloves to keep herself from scratching, not that it stopped her. She slept in fits, and not the least because her nightmares intensified. She tossed and turned until her phone rang and she woke up suddenly. She caught some movement in the corner of her eye. She turned her head and caught a bit of gray smoke that looked to be seeping into her closet. But no, it was hard to tell in the dark of night and with the fever. She shook her head and answered her phone.

“Emily?” It was Amina.

“What is it?” She looked at her clock. “It’s three in the morning.”

“Two here, in Chicago.” Amina said and paused. Emily had to prompt her.

“Well?”

“Your fever,” Amina spouted. “That is not all. There is something else with the fever. I do not know what. It is a nightmare maker thing. A thing in the dark. I do not know what. I called Mindy and she is looking things up.”

“How would Mindy know?”

“Oh, Mindy knows about all sorts of thing. But I called Detective Lisa too, so she could ask Latasha to ask her friend, Ms Riley. I do not know what.”

Emily’s eyes got big. She remembered her own words about things lurking in the dark and sat up and turned on her light. “Thanks. Thank you. I’ll be careful.”

“My queen,” Amina said and Emily could picture the girl lower her eyes as she hung up. She thought, great! Now she would not sleep at all, and she stole another glance at her closet.

Emily closed her eyes, but only briefly and only a few times before the sun finally came up. She passed out when the sunlight touched her window. Her fever needed the rest. Mother came in the early morning, opened the curtains, turned out the light, touched Emily’s forehead, clicked her tongue a few times and left.

Emily slept most of the day. The better, she thought, to stay awake all night. The few times she woke up, however, she found her muscles just as tight and her stress just as bad as when she slept in the night. She saw no smoky images in the daylight, but she began to think it might be under her bed, waiting. She made Tyler come in and check. He came with his hand over his mouth and nose in imitation of a surgical mask, but he checked carefully. No smoke in the closet or under the bed, but her mother worried that the fever had Emily delirious.

###

By six that evening, just after Mama brought Emily her tray of chicken soup and juice, and Emily did her best to behave normally, the fever spiked. It reached dangerous levels and Emily indeed became delirious. That was when she found a woman sitting at the foot of her bed. Emily studied her for a minute and the woman said nothing, being content to study Emily in return.

This woman was what Emily imagined a warrior woman should look like. She had on a suit of leather—a skirt covered in fine chain mail, with leather boots that came to the knees and fingerless, leather gloves that went up to the elbows. More than that, the woman had a sword slanted across her back and a short sword, or more nearly a long knife, across the small of her back. She had to be five-eight, almost Jessica height, with long light brown hair and eyes that were sharp green. The woman even had the rugged look Emily imagined a warrior woman ought to have, but that did not stop the woman from being beautiful. She was breathtaking.

“It is a mystery,” the woman said at last. It was a voice as beautiful as the woman herself.

“What?” Emily sounded like a frog in her own ears.

“You have a pox your elect immune system should not allow you to have, and a fever that worsens. This is unnatural, as the hunter might say.” Tyler came to the open door and gasped. The woman waved her hand and the door closed by itself. Emily was not sure what else happened as the woman continued to speak.

“You are being haunted by a fever spirit. They benefit the body by feeding off the fever and thus keeping it from getting too high, I am told. But like most things in life, they are a mixed blessing. In the process, while one is asleep, the spirit roots around in the dark corners of the mind. That is why people have fever dreams, and so many of them are nightmares. The thing is, this spirit has gotten tied to you, somehow, and is interfering with your immune system so instead of getting better, your fever is getting worse.”

“I can tell,” Emily said softly. She honestly wondered if she had ever been so sick in her life.

“Don’t do that,” the woman said, kindly. Emily stopped scratching, clenched her teeth and made her gloved hands into fists. “Come here,” the woman said to the closet, and Emily’s eyes got big as she saw a smoke-like ghost with a strange little face come to the woman. She reached out one hand as if to pet it as she spoke. “You are untied now. This one is finished. Down the street, now. Someone needs you.”

Emily watched as the puff of smoke went through her window and vanished into the evening. “But the nightmares,” she wanted to protest.

“Children bounce back from nightmares. Some people need to see what is in their dark corners. Some people deserve nightmares.” The woman shrugged. “It is not our place to decide such things, but it is my place to look after my queen.” She touched Emily on the forehead and Emily relaxed for the first time in days. “How this fever spirit became attached to you I cannot say. It is a mystery. I must think on this.” The woman stood, and vanished, and Emily imagined it was just another fever dream, but all the same, she responded.

“What do you mean, your queen? I’m no queen.”

Tyler burst into the room. Mother came on his heels. Tyler looked all around, but found no woman in armor. Mother admonished Emily to eat her soup and left. After he checked the closet once more, Tyler said nothing because Emily was already asleep, the fever already gone.

Emily’s breakouts took another two days to clear up, but she was feeling better and all well in time to return to school. She scolded herself for not getting more schoolwork done when she had the chance, but she congratulated herself for getting some done, even if Maynard was a moron.

The Elect 18, Misdirection: part 1 of 4

March 14, 2016March 13, 2016M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Emily got on the plane and sat by the window. She ignored everyone and everything apart from the stress she was feeling. The clouds offered no distraction and no comfort as she considered all that had happened to her since coming to school. She thought of the geeks in the frat house, the football players in the sorority house, and the destruction of her ROTC freshman class. She considered Hilde himself, the end result of his own experiments. The suck face murders, as they were called.

Emily tried to think about Pierce, but her mind turned to zombies instead, and the Swensons, both mother and daughter. Emily had learned that Abby’s father and brother were killed in an unexplained accident a few years earlier. If two plus two ever made four, it seemed obvious to one who believed in witchcraft that Abby killed her father and brother in order to gain her mother’s full time attention. No wonder Abby reacted with such anger and hatred when Professor Swenson died. With a little subtlety, Abby might still be around enslaving people to her heart’s content, but Flabby wasn’t that smart. Then again, Professor Swenson was, and Emily imagined the loss of her husband and son was probably what got her working on the whole idea of bringing the dead back to life. The cut up murders, as they were called.

Emily coughed, and the middle aged man who had taken the center seat to be next to the pretty young girl decided to move to the empty aisle seat.

Again, Emily tried to think about Pierce, but that just brought to mind the old people murders. She decided Lisa was probably right. Granted, they had their hands full looking for the zombie lab, but there was probably a third group out there somewhere. No telling what they had in mind since so far they had not tipped their hand.

Emily sneezed, felt a chill and had a forehead full of sweat by the time they landed. She pulled her coat tight and walked to baggage claim, thinking about Latasha and the succubus. She thought of the vampires over Christmas. She remembered what Lisa said early on, that if it was some kind of monster she would have been informed. Emily wondered about this much larger and much stranger universe she had stumbled into, and where it might lead. When she grabbed her bags, she did not see the ghostly, mist-like thing that exited her back. Like a puff of smoke, it wafted down to her bag and sucked itself inside among her things.

************************

Thus far, Emily, her roommate and friends have helped Detective Lisa shut down the super soldier competition being held by the biology department at New Jersey State University where Emily is a freshman. They can’t pin it on the Pentagon. And they can’t seem to stop the incoming zombies, wired to explode when they reach their destination–at least not without finding the zombie lab. And poor Latasha, the third elect in town, is only a freshman in the local high school where the madness from the university has overflowed.

Chapter 18 (or episode 18 if you have more of a television mind) is being posted this week: today, Tues., Wed., and Thurs. If you want to visit the blog, you can click on the archives button and start in November 2015, or you can just read chapter 18 and get the general idea of what is going on. I do urge you, though, to read the whole chapter, like watching the whole television episode…

It is free to read, after all. Do enjoy and Happy Reading

The Elect 17, part 4 of 4: Old Lady

March 10, 2016March 9, 2016M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Emily walked into the dorm in time to see Maria and Jessica circling each other in the cleared lounge area. They slapped at each other’s hands and looked like two wrestlers seeking a takedown. “Hey!” Emily wanted to stop them from whatever they were doing, but Mindy and Amina blocked her way. Jessica and Maria stopped in any case.

“What is going on here?” Emily pushed passed Mindy and stepped into the hall. She had on her ROTC uniform having just returned from taking the sophomores out on a five mile run, with small packs. Actually, it was more of a jog-walk, very easy for her, but about as much as some of the sophomores could take.

“We were practicing,” Jessica admitted.

“Practicing what?” Emily needed an answer.

Maria put a chair back where it belonged and looked at Jessica. She looked at Mindy and last of all at Amina, like she was waiting for objections.

“Self-defense,” Maria said at last.

“We’ve been learning,” Jessica admitted.

“What?” Emily sat down to await the full confession. Jessica and Maria were the last two people she imagined in any sort of physical exercise, and she did not know which one was more surprising. Maria was a geek and Jessica was, well, Jessica.

Amina and Mindy pulled up the couch and sat. Maria sat and let Jessica get her own chair. “Professor Schultz,” Maria began. Emily just listened. “That gym only has five classes all week. That is only fifteen hours of use. We went to him, Jessica and I, just after the zombie battle at the library.

“It was Maria’s idea,” Jessica said.

“We meet with him three days a week for an hour. He agreed that if we are going to hang around you, we need to learn to defend ourselves. So he has been teaching us.”

“He is going to start teaching us weapons next year,” Mindy threw in.

“What?” That got a reaction from Emily.

Maria gave Mindy a look intended to keep her quiet. Jessica spoke up.

“I had my doubts, but I must say the weights and the running has really helped tone and shape my body.” She held her arm up to make something like a muscle to show it off.

“Jessica likes the running part,” Amina said.

“Endorphins,” Maria gave the one word explanation. “It helps me understand why Hilde’s experiments were so powerful.”

“And you two?” Emily turned to the couch.

“I have some catching up to do,” Mindy admitted as Emily looked again at Maria.

“My mother is fat,” Maria said. “I don’t want to get fat.”

There was silence for a moment while Emily thought it through. If they wanted to work out to get in shape, who was she to discourage that. And as for the self-defense part, she wanted to encourage that too, as long as they were content to defend themselves and not wade into a zombie battle. “But weapons?” She glanced at Mindy before she looked again at Maria.

Amina was the one who spoke, and she stood to do so which certainly got everyone’s attention. “We are a sorry lot of women, I know. But we are the only Amazon tribe you have.”

“What do you mean, I have?” Emily did not like the way Amina phrased that.

“You are the queen,” Amina said in a voice that suggested she wondered why she had to explain the obvious. “The elect is always the queen.” To be honest, Emily was still getting used to being one of the elect. She was not sure she liked the idea of being an Amazon queen.

“Anyway,” Mindy interrupted. “You are the only one with stripes.” She pointed to Emily’s uniform.

“We are your friends,” Maria said. “You need someone to watch your back.”

“Yeah, more or less,” Jessica concluded. “Besides, the next time two guys show up with a big, hairy knife, you might not be there.”

“I’m glad you like the running part,” Emily kidded.

“That’s what Professor Schultz says,” Jessica admitted.

Emily’s phone vibrated and she held up her hand to stop further conversation for the moment. She had it turned off during the five-mile run. She turned it back on after the workout, but kept it on vibrate. When she checked it, she saw she had a text message. It took a second to read before she stood beside Amina.

“It’s from Pierce. He found something over by the main engineering building.”

Everyone stood and Emily paused to stare at them. “Alright,” she said. “Amazon squad, let’s go check it out.”

On the way, Emily turned to Mindy. She did not know her all that well yet and wondered what she really thought about all of this. Amina had more or less a single room. At least her roommate was never around. Mindy, though, had practically moved into Maria’s room to avoid Connie. The move was unofficial, of course.

“So I thought Connie was the Amazon queen,” Emily said.

“Please!” Mindy rolled her eyes. Mindy’s cheeks turned a little red. “Besides, I admit I don’t know much about it, but I think I like men.”

“I do too,” Amina butted in. “Don’t tell my family.”

“I’m doing my part.” Jessica turned her head to look back. Her broad grin glistened in the night.

Emily said no more, though the bit about liking boys was more evidence she intended to share with Maria when she had the chance.

They arrived at the engineering building and found Pierce right away. He was standing beside the shallow grave of a person who was very old. “I called Lisa and Julie Tam,” he said. Emily slipped into his arms, kept her eyes on the grave, but said nothing.

The Elect 17, part 3 of 4: Restaurant du Jour

March 9, 2016March 8, 2016M G Kizzia Leave a comment

Jessica and Larry went inside first. Jessica looked around to be sure plenty of eyes turned toward her. Of course, after Pierce and Emily came in and he held Emily’s chair for her, Jessica frowned at Larry. Larry ignored the look and spoke softly.

“This place isn’t cheap.”

“I’m going to the restroom,” Jessica said and stood. “Coming?” She was not asking.

Emily stood, shrugged at Pierce and followed. “What’s up?” Jessica rolled her eyes but said nothing until they were safely behind the closed door and in front of the mirror.

“Why did I ever let you talk me into this double date?” Jessica pouted.

“It was your idea.”

“Well, it was a dumb idea.”

“I don’t know. Larry seems nice.” He was the semester record having been with Jessica almost two weeks.

Jessica started to say something, but changed her mind and pulled out her lip-gloss. Then she spoke. “Do you think so?”

“And he seems bright, too.” Emily encouraged her. After all, Jessica said she broke up with Tom because he was not very bright.

“Double major. Physics and math.” Jessica smiled. She had hooked a genuine geek. “He could use some help with his manners, though.”

Emily looked toward the door in lieu of looking at the table. “I don’t know. You can’t judge by Pierce.”

“Yeah, I know. A graduate student when I’m stuck with Joe College. What is he, twenty-three, twenty-four?”

“No. I mean he seems oddly out of place sometimes, like he is older than he appears. Like the old fashioned way he always holds the door and pulls out my chair and stuff like that. And sometimes he seems younger. I don’t know, like old television shows and common knowledge things from when we grew up. He doesn’t remember them at all.”

“Maybe his parents didn’t let him watch television as a child,” Jessica suggested.

Emily looked again at her friend. “Twenty-four, I think.”

“When is his birthday?”

Emily paused to consider and realized she had no answer. “We never talked about birthdays.”

“Larry’s is September third. He is a junior, twenty-one years old. What do you talk about, anyway?”

Emily shrugged.

“Zombies and stuff I bet.”

This time Emily frowned. “It isn’t like that.”

Jessica smiled in response. “Come on. We better get back before I start getting jealous again.”

They stepped out the door, took two steps and Emily grabbed Jessica to make her stop walking. There was a man standing right behind their table. He was looking up at the ceiling and raising his hands.

“Pierce! Down!” Emily shouted and saw Pierce grab Larry and drag him under the table. Even as Emily dragged Jessica to the ground, the standing man exploded. Flesh and guts and deadly bone fragments shot in every direction. Emily got some green glop on her dress. Jessica had something pink and mushy fall in her lap. She identified it.

“Ew! I hate liver.”

Emily was already up. There were people bleeding all over the room. A couple of them were probably dead, but Emily could not worry about that yet. She arrived at the table when Pierce finished setting it upright again. Somehow, he got himself and Larry under and then tilted the table to act as a barrier. All their plates, utensils and the lovely flowers went to the floor, but the tablecloth remained. Emily ducked under.

“Are you all right?” Pierce and Emily grabbed each other and spoke at the same time.

“What the hell was that?” Larry was getting his bearings. He saw Emily and Pierce were embracing and kissing, so he thought to find Jessica. Jessica had her phone out.