Yet one was right outside Kenzie’s hotel room window, grunting inaudibly, pacing to and fro with no destination.
And Kenzie’s feet stayed rooted in place, too frightened even to breathe.
At first, Kenzie contemplated the possibility of the earlier drink with Hayden causing her to see things. But this was no illusion. No matter how many times she closed and opened her eyes, the zombie was still there. And Sage’s alertness didn’t quell, either.
The brain-dead creature finally ventured past, oblivious to Kenzie. In fact, as Kenzie continued to watch, she saw that the abomination wasn’t after her at all; this zombie was nothing like those portrayed in movies. It wanted to feast, all right. But not on human flesh.
This zombie was literally a vegetarian, as evidenced by it reaching down to a plot of flowers and stuffing the leaves of one into its mouth. Then moving on to another plant, and then another.
The creature’s destination had taken it to the plants from the beginning. Kenzie heaved a sigh of relief. Still, she didn’t know how safe she truly was.
But who could she call? The police? Who would believe her? But then again, supernatural creatures were out in the open now. Maybe it wouldn’t be out of the realm of the possibility.
It was still early enough, so Kenzie grabbed her cell phone and frantically dialed 911.
The dispatcher almost laughed her off the phone, but promised to send an officer there. Until then, all she could do was wait.
And wait she did. It seemed like hours before there was a knock on her door. She’d already thrown on her robe and fixed her hair by that time.
The officer took her statement, but unfortunately by this time, the zombie had vanished, so nothing more could be done. Kenzie tried to hide her scowl when she saw the beginnings of a snicker across the officer’s mouth.
When he left, Kenzie grabbed her laptop and consulted her friends, since they actually believed her. Thankfully, her supernatural source was online.
WolfKen: All right, you better be ready to provide some information.
BiteMe: Hello to you, too. What are you going on about?
WolfKen: Don’t you dare act like I’m crazy like the cop just did. You’ll never guess what I just saw outside my hotel window.
BiteMe: Uh...if I’ll never guess, I won’t even bother trying.
WolfKen: Isaiah, this is serious. I saw a damn zombie!
BiteMe: Excuse me?
WolfKen: Yes, a zombie. Greenish skin, inability to walk upright or form coherent words/sentences, the works.
BiteMe: Please don’t tell me it bit you.
WolfKen: Thankfully, no. It stayed outside. In fact, I don’t think it was after me at all. It walked right past me and started eating the plants. Of course by the time the speculative cops showed up, it was gone.
BiteMe: And why do you need me?
WolfKen: Isn’t that obvious? You’re a vampire, a supernatural creature. I need to know if you know anything about them.
Kenzie burrowed deeper into her bed as though it would protect her. She’d already double-checked to make sure her door was locked and she had her cell phone next to the bed in the event she’d need it again.
How would she ever be able to sleep tonight?
BiteMe: I’m sorry to disappoint you this time Kenzie, but zombies aren’t something I’ve personally encountered. In fact, I’ve never known of them to actually exist before. The only time I ever see them is when they’re depicted on TV.
WolfKen: So you’re saying this is the very first case of real-life zombies you’ve ever heard of?
BiteMe: Yes, that’s what I’m saying. And I’m also going to say something else that you probably won’t listen to.
WolfKen: I’m not leaving.
BiteMe: Oh, of course not. You’re not there on a case, but an actual vacation. You’re there for a non-mandatory convention for supernatural creatures, despite the fact that you can get all the information you need from me, and there’s a zombie on the loose, but no, there’s no need to leave for your own safety.
WolfKen: Don’t be a smart ass. The damn thing didn’t hurt me.
BiteMe: Then why are you so frightened? Why did you want to know about them from me?
WolfKen: Duh, so I knew how to stop them.
BiteMe: I think you’re in the wrong line of work. As of late, you’ve taken on the task of assassinating supernatural beings, or at least learning how to do so if the time calls for it. In fact, you seem to be doing that more than solving cases anymore.
WolfKen: I have to get my PI permit first. You know that.
BiteMe: Indeed I do, but I’m just pointing out facts.
WolfKen: Well here’s a fact – Cheyenne told Jillian and me earlier that Austin is working with some other scientists to come up with a vampiric sunscreen.
BiteMe: I already know that. Nice ploy at changing the subject, but I won’t take the bait.
WolfKen: Well, aren’t you excited about that?
BiteMe: The prospect, yes. But the reality isn’t existent yet. But I would enjoy spending more time with Jillian at the beach. I know how much she loves that. She doesn’t look bad in a bathing suit, either.
WolfKen: That’s nice to know. But like I said, I’m not leaving. This is the only vacation I’ve taken in like forever that I actually wanted to go on, and I’m going to enjoy it, damn it!
Kenzie laid down and made sure to emphasize her point. It wasn’t as though Isaiah could pick her up and drag her out of Moonlight Falls. She had barely seen it yet!
Still, she had to figure out what was up with that zombie. She just had to.
Luckily for her, she knew of another supernatural creature she could ask. Tomorrow, she’d track down Paige and ask for her opinion.
Kenzie finally said good night to a very dissatisfied Isaiah and settled into bed after discarding her robe on the floor. She hoped she’d be able to sleep with no nightmares, and especially no more zombies gaiting around outside. That was the last thing she needed.
********************
She didn’t know how, but Kenzie awoke the next morning feeling somewhat refreshed after a deep, dreamless sleep. She was so relieved.
Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was nearly ten. She jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes, Sage watching her curiously. She ran a brush through her hair before checking the convention’s brochure on the dresser. Fairies were the highlight of today, but the regular booths would still be open. Kenzie grabbed her keys, called to Sage, and shuffled out the door to her car.
When she arrived at the warehouse at last, Kenzie leaped out and scouted the area fervently. She spotted Paige and hustled toward her.
“Hey, welcome back!” she greeted with her friendly smile.
“Paige, I need to talk to you.”
“Are you okay? You look completely out of breath and like you didn’t sleep well.”
“I thought I slept okay, but maybe I didn’t. I don’t know, but listen. I need some supernatural insight, and the only other source I have didn’t know anything. Do you think you could help me?”
“Of course! Whatever you need.”
Paige left her booth to her coven and then followed Kenzie to a more secluded part of the warehouse. Once they were nestled in a deserted hallway, Kenzie told her everything that had happened last night. Paige’s face turned from cheerful to perplexed in mere moments.
“A zombie? You’re sure?”
“I swear. I don’t know why it went after plants, but...”
“Damn!”
“What?”
“I should have known. It went right by you and went right to plants, you said?”
“Yeah...”
“I think I know exactly what’s going on.”
“Could you maybe enlighten me?”
Paige seemed to ponder this before finally replying, “You’re a detective. If I tell you, you’ll get in the middle of it and try to stop it.”
“And if you don’t tell me, I’ll just figure it out on my own.”
“Good point. Okay, look. You know the whole stereotypical vampires versus werewolves thing?”
“Yes.”
“Witches have that too, only with fairies.”
“Witches and fairies fight like vampires and werewolves?”
“Not as often as they did centuries ago, but I’ve got a feeling fairies are behind this zombie thing. It makes sense to me. The thing didn’t go after you, but it had a huge hankering for plants. Fairies love plants and that probably got programmed into this zombie. But just like the lore, the thing’s brain-dead apart from its desire to feed.”
“But how can a zombie even exist? I mean, how was it created?”
“Fairies have magic too, which is why they’ve been in a feud with witches for centuries. Like I said, it’s mostly died down now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if fairies were responsible for this. What I don’t know is why.”
“Then I guess I better find out.”
Paige shook her head with such velocity that her hair snapped her cheeks. “No, don’t do that. I know you feel obligated to, but this is dangerous. Fairies can be just as dangerous as witches if they want to be. And if one created a zombie, for whatever reason, they’re definitely capable of casting curses on anyone who crosses their path. I’m going to talk to my coven about this. I know what you can do though.”
“Don’t tell me to call the police. I called them last night and they laughed themselves out of the hotel room.”
“I was actually going to tell you to stay inside tonight so you can be safe. As for the police, what a bunch of narrow-minded idiots. Witches, fairies, werewolves, and vampires can exist, but zombies they have a problem with.”
Kenzie managed to crack a smile. Paige said she was going to talk to her coven. She had to trust that hopefully something could be done about it.
She also hoped this experience differed from zombie movies in other aspects – that there was only one rather than hundreds.
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