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.Ragged clothes hung from its limbs; clothes that used to be white, but were stained forever in the brown and red hues of its past meals, now congealed and pressed into the fabric.A security badge for this facility hung from the creature’s lapel.“Would you like me to introduce you to Doctor Mendez?” said Kopland, gesturing toward the zombie in the room, who hadn’t moved or otherwise evidenced any indication it knew we were here.“He’s quite harmless behind the glass.Rather like a zoo animal; he’s only provoked when I need samples or he is to be fed.” Kopland flicked a switch on a panel close to the desk at the front of the room, and a small hatch opened abruptly on the other side of the small chamber.The thing formerly known as Mendez lunged across the room as if awakened from a deep sleep, shuffling with as much haste as it could manage toward the open hatch, moans filtering through the intercom system, which must have been activated by the hatch control.He reached the hatch, clutching in frustration at empty air, clearing having expected something more.Kopland laughingly flipped the switch once more, bringing the hatch closed with a metallic bang as the creature moaned in hunger and fury.“He must be hungry-I haven’t fed him in days.” He shrugged and looked meaningfully at me.“Maybe later though.”Punctuating the sentiment, Mendez threw himself against the glass as if he knew his tormentor to be present.As if he expected to reach Kopland through sheer force of desire.I must have flinched involuntarily at the creature’s staring eyes and moving hands and Kopland noticed, noting dryly, “Don’t worry about him.He probably doesn’t even appreciate that you’re real.Funny thing about these creatures.If they see you moving behind glass, but don’t see you actually go behind the glass, they don’t recognize you.They’re like dogs.I have a theory that their visual acuity suffers subsequent to the changeover, disallowing them from seeing in three dimensions.Fascinating stuff, really.”Ignoring the presence of the creature, which was now calming itself and resuming an immobile station against the glass, Kopland spoke unconcernedly.“I’m curious to know whether you’re alone,” he said, distance between us giving him the luxury of folding his arms and pointing his weapon away from our heads.“Of course, it doesn’t really matter, but I am somewhat appalled by the effort it would have taken to reach our little slice of heaven.”“We’re it,” I said before Kate could speak.I didn’t know if she was inclined to let him in on the fact that there might be others out there, but I didn’t want to risk it.“Remarkable,” he said, and stared at us for several long seconds before moving to a locked cabinet behind a desk, keying the lock, and removing several vials of a blue liquid.I wanted to ask if he had moved the trashcan from the elevator door, but if he hadn’t, I didn’t want him to know that someone-or something-was down here with us.It might be our only opportunity for a distraction.“I’m guessing you came all this way for this?” he asked, placing the four vials on the counter in front of him.He still held the gun, now pointed to the floor, but he was too far away to reach for it.I couldn’t believe our predicament.We travel a hundred miles over zombie-infested territory as part of what could have very well been a delusion-inspired nightmare, only to wind up the hostages of what appeared to be a mad scientist.Still don’t believe you’re making this up?That voice was starting to make more and more sense.We didn’t reply to his query.He smiled, knowing that he was correct and that no affirmative nod was needed.“A shame, really.A hearty effort.But alas…too late.I’m supposing out of mere conjecture that you believe this to be a cure?” he said, holding up the blue vials.He laughed.Apparently this was funny?Ha fucking ha.“You’re not the first to make this mistake.In fact, Mr.Mcknight, you are, or should I say were, intimately acquainted with the last person to embrace this belief.” He picked up a vial of the liquid, removing the stopper and slowly tilting it’s open end over a sink.I jerked involuntarily as the contents slowly fell into the drain.“What the fuck are you talking about?” Kate’s voice was confused and troubled, as if she couldn’t conceive of the type of personality that would have sanctioned such evil.His smile faded not at all as he unstopped a second vial.“I would think that my previous admission would have answered that last question, so I won’t entertain the inquiry except to say that my presence here was required to ensure that no… complications… interfered with my endeavor.”“Why would you do it?” I asked, hoping in vain that he would stop pouring to speak.“What could you hope to gain from letting this thing out and killing all these people?”His voice rose and his eyes narrowed.“Oh sir, don’t pretend to lecture me on morality.Not considering your acquaintances and their transgressions.Mine was a path divinely inspired; yours is one of degradation and Hollywood trash.Of those who were to suffer under this cataclysm, your kind was to be front and center.” His face was serious as he slowly emptied the second vial.“OK, you need to drop the Dr.Evil act and say what you mean.You’re going to kill us anyway, right?”He tilted his head momentarily and then nodded, the corners of his mouth edging toward another pleased expression.“So what the hell does it matter?”He nodded.“You’re correct, what does it matter.You’re also much more anxious for all the details of this little scenario than I would be, were I so intimately involved.” He tossed the second, now empty vial into a trashcan and looked up at me again, leaning against the lab table in front of him.His face was cruel, his eyes hard.Small hands flexed compulsively on the counter in front of him.“I wonder, Mr.McKnight…how much of your wife’s death do you remember?”The question hit me like a fist to the gut.What did that have to do with anything?But in the back of my head, I suspected something.I just didn’t know what it was.And that was what scared me.“Did she seem different to you that night? A little off? Appetite was a little changed? Maybe she liked her meat rarer than she had ever ordered it before?” He was enjoying drawing this out.“Go to hell,” I said, feeling nauseous.I suddenly hated that he knew things.“Mike?” Kate’s voice filtered through a mist of confusion from somewhere distant.My mind was on fire.Her face was there again, distorted and grotesque.A flash and my hand was grasping hers, flinging her away from me as she pawed for my shoulder.Her arms flung wide as she tumbled backwards and I reached for her instinctively, trying to arrest the fall.A needle-prick of pain in my palm as I reached for her.She stumbled back clumsily onto the floor, but rose slowly again.Implacably, she moved toward me.In her right hand, a metal device of some sort hung uselessly from a stiff finger.She moved slowly, clumsily.Her mouth moved, as if she was trying to speak.But no sound would come.In the corner of the room, behind the door, was my golf club.I had been practicing my putting.I was going to play on Saturday.I was down to a 13 handicap.“Oh, I think not,” he replied, bringing me back, sounding confident.“I think you remember enough, don’t you?”“She was infected.” I stated, not a question but an affirmative declaration.This much I had suspected.He nodded.“But you must wonder,” gesturing around the room, “how that came to be.We took all the precautions, had all the necessary safeguards [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]