Read Online Zombies! (Episode 4): The Sick and the Dead by Ivan Turner - Free Book Online
Authors: Ivan Turner
Tags: Zombies
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investigation into Koplowitz's identity had led Heron and Stemmy to his apartment where his zombie daughter had taken a bite out of Stemmy's calf.
"I'll check it out. Do you have an address?"
Rushing back to the computer, Abby punched in the information for Suzanna DeForest and scribbled it onto a sticky note. Tearing it off of the pad, she handed it to Heron. "Will you call me when you know?"
"Sure," he answered. "It'll be later, though."
She smiled, relieved. So relieved, in fact, that she was able to slide easily back into her work when he was gone.
***
LATER that day, Heron and Culph went to the building where Suzanna DeForest kept an apartment. Though Abby's hunch seemed unlikely, Culph had practically begged to come along. Running simulations is fun for a couple of hours, but a man like Culph needs to see some real action. As they marched through the front doors, Heron was vividly reminded of his last call with Stemmy. The attack of poisonous nostalgia was so strong that he needed to look directly at Culph just to soak in the differences between him and his late partner. Their age. Their attitude. Their look.
"What?" Culph asked him.
"Nothing." It didn't help that Eileen had chosen this particular day to shut him out. Even as that thought flitted through his mind, he realized it wasn't fair. She hadn't chosen the day with an ulterior motive. As they rode the elevator up the seven floors Heron realized and maybe even understood just how hard it must have been for Eileen to have that conversation with him. She and her family were suffering in a way he could not even comprehend and it meant nothing to him. He had been selfish. He wondered what would Alicia say when he told her? Would she be relieved that the Stemmys were completely out of their lives? Relieved like she was when she'd learned of Stemmy's death? Wait. That wasn't fair either.
"Get your head in the game," Culph said, tugging him out of the elevator.
Heron looked at him, blankly, and then offended. "I don't need a babysitter," he snapped.
"Look man, you've been off ever since you picked me up. I don't care if you don't want to talk to me, but if you think we're going to meet a zombie, you'd better snap out of it."
It would have been more than difficult for Heron to admit that Culph was right so he didn't bother. Instead, he marched past him with purpose, striding confidently up to Suzanna's apartment door. He knocked.
There was no answer.
He knocked again.
"Ms. DeForest, are you in there?" he called. "My name is Anthony Heron and I'm a policeman."
Culph rolled his eyes.
Heron knocked again.
Still, there was no answer.
Impatient, Culph reached forward and tried the knob. It turned and the door opened a crack. Even through just that crack, they could smell it. They looked at each other as Culph drew his pistol.
Heron put a hand out. "Go gear up."
"What? That'll take twenty minutes. She lives alone. You said so yourself."
"That doesn't mean she is alone. Go get your gear."
"Come on, man. Let me just check…"
" Hey! " Culph fell silent. "This isn't a video game or some exciting adventure. Go get your gear and then you can check it out."
Culph glowered at him for a moment, then turned and left. Instead of waiting for the elevator, he plowed into the stairwell, the door banging against the wall. Heron reached out to close the door and hesitated. They'd just spent ten seconds shouting at each other and there was no sign of any trouble. To the best of his knowledge, any indication of a living meal should have called the undead from anywhere in the apartment to the door that they had stupidly left open. It was possible, just possible , that there was nothing more than a dead body inside and this was something he'd be able to turn over to the homicide team.
Not likely.
Pulling his gun, Heron pushed the door open. The odor was stronger
"I'll check it out. Do you have an address?"
Rushing back to the computer, Abby punched in the information for Suzanna DeForest and scribbled it onto a sticky note. Tearing it off of the pad, she handed it to Heron. "Will you call me when you know?"
"Sure," he answered. "It'll be later, though."
She smiled, relieved. So relieved, in fact, that she was able to slide easily back into her work when he was gone.
***
LATER that day, Heron and Culph went to the building where Suzanna DeForest kept an apartment. Though Abby's hunch seemed unlikely, Culph had practically begged to come along. Running simulations is fun for a couple of hours, but a man like Culph needs to see some real action. As they marched through the front doors, Heron was vividly reminded of his last call with Stemmy. The attack of poisonous nostalgia was so strong that he needed to look directly at Culph just to soak in the differences between him and his late partner. Their age. Their attitude. Their look.
"What?" Culph asked him.
"Nothing." It didn't help that Eileen had chosen this particular day to shut him out. Even as that thought flitted through his mind, he realized it wasn't fair. She hadn't chosen the day with an ulterior motive. As they rode the elevator up the seven floors Heron realized and maybe even understood just how hard it must have been for Eileen to have that conversation with him. She and her family were suffering in a way he could not even comprehend and it meant nothing to him. He had been selfish. He wondered what would Alicia say when he told her? Would she be relieved that the Stemmys were completely out of their lives? Relieved like she was when she'd learned of Stemmy's death? Wait. That wasn't fair either.
"Get your head in the game," Culph said, tugging him out of the elevator.
Heron looked at him, blankly, and then offended. "I don't need a babysitter," he snapped.
"Look man, you've been off ever since you picked me up. I don't care if you don't want to talk to me, but if you think we're going to meet a zombie, you'd better snap out of it."
It would have been more than difficult for Heron to admit that Culph was right so he didn't bother. Instead, he marched past him with purpose, striding confidently up to Suzanna's apartment door. He knocked.
There was no answer.
He knocked again.
"Ms. DeForest, are you in there?" he called. "My name is Anthony Heron and I'm a policeman."
Culph rolled his eyes.
Heron knocked again.
Still, there was no answer.
Impatient, Culph reached forward and tried the knob. It turned and the door opened a crack. Even through just that crack, they could smell it. They looked at each other as Culph drew his pistol.
Heron put a hand out. "Go gear up."
"What? That'll take twenty minutes. She lives alone. You said so yourself."
"That doesn't mean she is alone. Go get your gear."
"Come on, man. Let me just check…"
" Hey! " Culph fell silent. "This isn't a video game or some exciting adventure. Go get your gear and then you can check it out."
Culph glowered at him for a moment, then turned and left. Instead of waiting for the elevator, he plowed into the stairwell, the door banging against the wall. Heron reached out to close the door and hesitated. They'd just spent ten seconds shouting at each other and there was no sign of any trouble. To the best of his knowledge, any indication of a living meal should have called the undead from anywhere in the apartment to the door that they had stupidly left open. It was possible, just possible , that there was nothing more than a dead body inside and this was something he'd be able to turn over to the homicide team.
Not likely.
Pulling his gun, Heron pushed the door open. The odor was stronger
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