ELEVEN
1967—So—called Night of the Living Dead incident,
Evans City, Pennsylvania—Unintentional release of experimental
compound based on the work of Dr. Johann Konrad (see “Baron von
Frankenstein”) causes recently deceased humans to regain metabolic
function, i.e., “return to life.” Revived humans attacked a
farmhouse where non-affected residents of the area sought safety.
The compound broke down after approximately eight hours, and the
deceased “died” once again. No survivors.
—BRIEFING BOOK: CODENAME: NIGHTMARE PET
The next few hours were strangely dull for
Zach—the usual hurry-up-and-wait of preparing for a trip. They took
the car to Andrews Air Force Base. A man in a suit took the keys
from them after they parked, and drove off fast in the direction of
the runways.
Zach didn’t have time to ask what that was about.
The sky was getting light. He had to hurry to keep up with Cade as
he entered a small hangar marked EVERGREEN AVIATION.
Inside, the space was mostly empty, aside from a
few spare tires for landing gear, and a long, aluminum case.
Cade got inside the case and snapped the lid shut,
without a word to Zach.
Zach didn’t know what to do. He waited.
Everything that had happened in the past
twenty-four hours began to pile up. He tried to assimilate all he’d
learned by holding an imaginary press briefing in his head. He’d
done a few while at the White House, and he found nothing focused
his thoughts like fending off the jackals of the media.
Q: Mr. Barrows, you say you’ve been selected to
assist a vampire? Are you quite sure you haven’t had a psychotic
break with reality?
A: Well, when I see him, my guts turn to water, and
I have to clench everything I have just to keep from screaming in
raw panic. And he’s got fangs. So, yeah, I’m going to go with
vampire.
Q: Does he feed on human beings?
A: He says not.
Q: And you believe that?
A: I’ve got no reason to doubt him. So far. Yes,
Helen?
Q: What other supernatural elements is the U.S.
government employing? Are there werewolves at the State
Department?
A: You’d have to ask them. For all I know, they’ve
got zombies at the IRS. All I can tell you about is the
vampire.
Q: The material you handed out says he’s vulnerable
to sunlight and fire. What about garlic? Or silver?
A: Search me. I haven’t bought him any pizza or
jewelry yet. [Laughter]
Q: This Unmenschsoldat threat—it sounds like
a lot of people could die if you screw up.
A: That’s not a question.
Q: What’s this “Other Side” we keep hearing
about?
A: I’m afraid that’s classified.
Q: You mean you don’t know.
A: And that’s all we have time for.
Q: Mr. Barrows, is this really what you wanted to
do with your life?
A: Thank you all for coming.
Zach thought it over. He was stuck. The president
had made that clear. But maybe there was a way back into a real
power position. If he did the job, went along with this madness . .
. maybe he could get promoted. Or a transfer.
Two maintenance personnel entered wearing
grease-stained coveralls. They picked up the case and walked out
with it. Zach figured he was supposed to follow.
They loaded the case into a jeep and then drove out
to a runway where a C-130 cargo plane was waiting, engines
idling.
Inside the huge mouth of the plane, Zach saw the
sedan parked, with more men in jumpsuits strapping it into
place.
The maintenance men hopped out of the jeep, grabbed
the case, and hustled it on board. Zach jogged after them.
The pilot—who wore coveralls without any insignia
or patches—waited by the car. The plane was as big inside as an
elementary school gym. He yelled something Zach couldn’t hear over
the engines, and turned for the head of the plane.
Up in the cockpit, the copilot was already seated.
He pointed to a free pair of headphones. Zach put them on.
“—welcome to sit here, or in the back with your
luggage,” Zach heard, the words suddenly synching up with the man’s
moving lips.
The pilot flipped levers. Zach heard a bunch of
terms he didn’t understand through the headphones as the men went
through the preflight. Stuff about deltas and niners and headers.
Zach walked back into the cargo hold again.
In the back, the maintenance crew ran off the plane
quickly, both the sedan and the case strapped down.
The plane lurched forward. Zach hurried to a seat
near Cade’s coffin. He felt like that’s where he belonged.
Suddenly, the pilot was talking to Zach again.
“Hey, you like Zep?”
“Uh . . . sure,” Zach said.
He fastened his seat belt as the sounds of Jimmy
Page’s guitar began to wail through his headphones.
Maybe there really are werewolves in the State
Department, he thought.
Then, despite the music and the roar of the
engines, Zach fell asleep.