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The terror of what was about to happen made me cringe. I fell across the wire grid, the electricity sparking and burning my skin. I dropped to the floor, jerking about in agony.
A sharp pain like I’d been hit with a nail gun ran through my left hand. The pain reverberated inside me and I could do nothing but squirm in helplessness.
Cowboy zombie pulled away from a red jumper cable clamp that he had pinched to the palm of my hand. Lady tall boots zombie plopped a metal cap on my head and buckled a leather chinstrap. A black jumper cable dangled from the cap.
The reanimator gripped the handle of a large electrical knife switch bolted to a workbench. He closed the switch and…
I thought my head exploded. Everything attached to my brain-skull, medulla oblongata, eyeballs-seemed to blast apart. The tornado of pain fu
The pain receded, like smoke clearing after a bomb blast. The mental noise of anguish rumbled in my brain.
The reanimator came back into focus. He studied me, his hand holding the switch at a half-cocked position.
My kundalini noir flattened, limp as a deflated balloon.
I fought to keep my eyes open. “Who are you?”
His expression slipped into pride. “I am Dr. Leopold He
“Felix Gomez.”
“Where are you from?”
“Denver.”
“A vampire from Denver? I sent one of my zombies to Denver. Barrett Chambers. Would you know what happened to him?”
“Who?”
He
“Barrett was the first zombie I made who could drive. You don’t know how much his loss inconvenienced me,” He
I lie and I get more pain. Better to tell the truth. “I destroyed him.”
“Why?” He
“Because he was a zombie.”
“So?”
“We can’t let humans know about the undead. Your zombie could’ve been discovered and captured.”
He
He
My kundalini noir deflated even more. I had betrayed the Great Secret. How could I undo this?
“As for Barrett Chambers,” He
He
Tall boots girl zombie leaned over me and stared at my naked crotch. Yellow drool oozed from her mouth and splattered on my leg.
“We better get you some pants,” He
Lab coat zombie tossed me a pair of filthy sweatpants.
He
I came to my feet. Kimberly’s greedy eyes followed the angle of my dangle. I pulled the pants over my legs and wondered if out of sight, out of mind applied to zombies.
I stood, my flesh and bones aching, but I was grateful that my body still worked.
Cowboy zombie tipped the wooden table vertical.
He
The doctor started to press the switch handle.
“No, no,” I shouted. No more pain. “I’ll do it.”
He
He
He
“Believe me,” I replied, “fu
He chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong. We can joke around. A sense of humor makes for good conversation.” He
He
He
His reflected gaze swung in my direction. He
I knew what he saw, or rather didn’t see: my reflection.
For a short moment, his brow furrowed in puzzlement. When it smoothed, he smiled. “Let’s you and I come to a deal.”
“Anything you say. Tell me what you want, we’ll shake hands, and I’ll be on my way out of here.”
“You’re being too optimistic,” He
“I don’t want to disappoint you but I’m not very good at this.”
“You’ll do fine, trust me. Just don’t get all macho.”
“Let’s go back to that deal,” I said, convinced that my choices were bad and really bad.
“You decide how comfortable you want to be,” He
CHAPTER 41
He
“You’re a walking freak show, Mr. Gomez. A Wikipedia of the fantastic. How do you transform from animal to human form?”
“It just happens. You might as well ask a duck how it grows feathers.”
“What about not showing a reflection?”
“I’m a vampire.” The scalpel bit into my skin. I tried acting like it didn’t hurt but I’m sure I winced anyway. “I don’t know how any of this works.”
He
“I second the motion.”
“Not that your vote means anything.” He
“What’s this all about?” I lifted my head and motioned with my eyes across the room.
“This”-He
“On whom?”
“Everybody.”
“Why?”
“Do you know what therapeutic misadventures are, Mr. Gomez?”
“It’s when the doctor kills the patient.”