Detective O’Brian came walking down the cell block hall and stops at my cell. He leaned on the door and said, “Well Mr. Owens looks like you did well in here. What do you say we talk in my office?”
I nodded and waited until he opened the door before I started walking towards it. I walked out, shaking my head laughingly. The detective raised his eyebrow as if wondering what I was laughing about.
When I walked into his office, I didn’t wait around for courtesies. I plopped down into one of his chairs, and put man hand to my lips. As soon as he sat down, I said “So tell me detective. What was the point of Code Black? I mean leaving all those people in there to defend for themselves?”
“Listen, the only reason you’re in here is because we can’t hold you for more than 48 hours, you’ll be released in a few hours. However, how you spend those few hours is up to you. I need some answers, and you’re going to answer them. What happened with the older man in your cell, where is Mike and Trav, and what the fuck happened in there?”
I sat silently for a few minutes, and started from the top. When I finished up he sat there shaking his head. “How is it that Mike and Trav have all but disappeared, yet you sat there in your cell while people were EATING EACH OTHER?!” he yelled slamming his fists on his desk.
Without flinching, I stood up and said “I think I’ll go back to my cell now.” and opened the door nodding to the officers outside of his office.
“TAKE HIM TO D BLOCK!” he yelled after me. The officers paled.
“I don’t know what you did Mac, but you really pissed him off. D Block is only for the worst of the worst.” one of them said.
I kept quiet and walked along with them, not knowing what I was going to do when I got put in Cell Block D. When we went down a different hall way, I began to get nervous.
“HOLD IT! That man never got his phone call!” a man yelled running down the hall.
“Who are you buddy?” one of the officers said.
“I am Mr. Owen’s lawyer, and I have an affidavit from Judge Monroe that states this man was already mistreated, never was given his phone call when asked, and placed in harm’s way while only in for holding.” the lawyer said handing the papers to the officers.
The officers read them over, shrugged and got the handcuffs off my wrists. I rubbed my wrists and the lawyer put his hand on my shoulder, leading me away from the officers. Leaving the office, we stopped to get my stuff from the front clerk. I asked the lawyer how he came to know I was there, and who hired him; he just shrugged and as soon as we walked out, he shook my hand and left opposite of my car. I watched him get in to his car and drive off. I turned around and walked to my car. I got in the car and put the keys in the ignition. I was tired, and my apartment was only a few miles away, but I needed to eat before I went to bed. My phone ringed as I was pulling out of the parking lot, and I answered saying, “This better be more important than me starving right now.”
“Listen up; we want to thank you for not ratting on us, to thank you I sent over that lawyer. I know you’re a zombie, but from what we can tell, you make damned sure you’re not going to hurt anyone, and that’s okay to us. Just remember, first time we catch wind you bit anyone you’re going to be something your kind can’t eat. A vegetable. CLICK” the voice said.
I recognized the voice, it was Mike from jail. Though I wasn’t sure how he got my cell phone number I knew he must have had some contacts in high places. I looked at the caller id and found it saying RESTRICTED. “Well, hope I don’t need their help in the future.” I said out loud.
I dialed Jasmine’s number and prayed she was home and had some food. She answered on the first ring and sounded hysterical, “OH MY GOD JACOB, WE THOUGHT YOU WERE ONE OF THE ONES THE COPS PUT DOWN!” she said sobbing. “We thought you were dead, and when we called they wouldn’t give us any information on why you were even locked up.” she continued.
“Listen, I need to eat….like now, you have any food over there?” I said quickly.
“Yeah…I’ll get it prepped.” she said.
“Good, I’ll be there in about 30 minutes; I’ll explain everything when I get there.” I replied, and hung up the phone.
I stopped by my apartment and took a quick shower and changed my clothes. I packed all my clothes in a duffle, and added some odd and end things, locked the apartment and walked out to the car. It was time I moved. If Mike knew my cell phone number, he’d also know where I lived, and if I had an accident….I wouldn’t be around very long after.
Driving to Jasmine’s I called a moving company and a storage unit company arranging moving everything into storage. I then called Jasmine and she said everything was set, asking me if she should call the others. I said I wanted to get some rest before I told everything that happened, but still needed to eat first.
I pulled into her driveway and walked up with my duffel bag in my hand. She opened the door right before I raised my hand to knock, and she looked down at my duffel bag. She cocked her eyebrows and said, “Staying a while?”
“That’s what I need to talk to you all about, but I’m famished. Can we eat first, and then let me get some sleep? I haven’t slept in over 24 hours.” I said.
She nodded, and I went straight to the dining room, my nose filled with the smell of the human meat. I sat down and devoured everything on the plate, not even stopping to talk to Jasmine. She got up and went to the other room, and when she came back in, I was leaning back in my chair, food gone.
“Follow me, and I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.” she said. As I walked into the bedroom I could overhear the television in the living room. I laid down in bed when Jasmine shut the door, when I distinctly heard “Reports are coming in from around the state that there are mad men biting people, and causing them massive harm, sometimes to the point of death. They are saying these mad men are zombies…That’s right folks, you heard me right, zombies! City officials are saying we’re having a zombie outbreak, and for everyone to let the police force take care of it. We’re saying stay inside, and if you see someone coming at you without slowing down run for safety!”
My last thoughts, as I drifted off to sleep, were “A zombie outbreak…”