Day Zero
Chapter 17

Day: 67

Abigail sighed as she sat in the conference room. Strader and Mama Oilida looked much better after their two day recovery period. Although the lightest shade of purple lined Strader’s eyes showing that he hadn’t caught up on sleep or that he wasn’t sleeping properly.

“The mad cow interaction with rabies d-didn’t work” Fabiana said with a sigh as she sat down next to Abigail.

Helen sighed “Damn”

“All of you have met Mama Oilida” Dr. Kennedy said as he motioned to the woman. Abigail smiled and waved politely.

Benjamin got right to business as he walked up to the whiteboard. “In Wade Davis’s book, he mentioned a toxin that will essentially slow down a person’s vitals to give the appearance that they are dead?” he inquired looking over at Mama Oilida

Mama Oilida nodded “ahh...yes de fugu.” she stated.

From the blank look that Abigail and the rest of the group gave her she tried again “de puffer fish”

“What substance did the voodoo man use to bring Clairvius Narcisse back from the influences of the fugu? Benjamin inquired.

“I is not knowing” she replied.

“Do you have it?” Abigail found herself asking.

“I am.” Mama Oilida replied.

“Will you get it so that they can run their test on the thing?” Strader inquired. Mama Oilida nodded and walked out of the room, the beads and other trinkets woven through her hair clinking together as she went out the door. To Abigail’s surprise, Strader stood up and walked to the front of the room. He nodded for Dr. Kennedy to take a seat before he began talking.

“As you know…the other night, Marian was killed by a zombie” Strader said softly.

Abigail found herself nodding and her breath hitching at the thought of the dead woman. Her death is definitely my fault…she died because of me she thought to herself.

“Well it is true that she was killed while we were canoeing…but she wasn’t killed on land. A zombie popped out of the water and flipped over the canoe”

Wait…that means before she could finish her thought, Strader answered it.

“They can survive underwater”

Mama Oilida returned with two vials, each containing a white powder, however one was labeled fuju and the other did not have a label. “Dis is the one that turned him” she said.

“What does she mean by turned him?” Helen inquired.

“He turned into a zombie with dis” she replied producing a small vial containing a white powder.

“Cocaine?” Strader asked looking at the white powder.

Abigail chuckled at his response.

James stood up and took the vial from Mama Oilida “I’ll run some tests” he said as he walked out the door. Abigail glared at the man’s back as he walked out the door. He is still mad at me she thought.

“Well…we might have the substance that turns them. But that doesn’t explain how they can survive under water” Benjamin said simply. Abigail nodded at the man’s response.

“There is no way” Riley stated simply.

“So we are saying that they develop gills now?” Yumi rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air exasperated.

“When you got the head, did you notice gills?” Benjamin asked looking at Strader.

Abigail noticed Strader, Hunter and Riley exchange glances.

“I didn’t notice” Hunter said. Riley and Strader both nodded in agreement.

“Did James notice anything?” Henry inquired.

“I’ll go ask h-him” Fabiana volunteered.

Abigail sighed and leaned back in her chair closing her eyes. And here I was thinking voodoo was a stretch. What could cause humans to be able to breath underwater?

“When Clairvius Narcisse was transformed into a zombie, please explain this to me” Benjamin asked.

“Well I was not dere. But my teacher, she was. She said dat him was buried in a crypt because back den, dey didn’t bury der dead underground. A zombie is a reanimated body wit no soul. It is like I said to you,” she paused and turned to Strader. “Dey is used as slaves to do what de master tells dem to do” Mama Oilida said.

“But what happens?” Riley asked.

“De Bokol, who is the dark voodoo master, will go to de crypt carrying de soul of the person, either in der hand or in a bottle. Dey will then hold it under de nose of the person who is to be reanimated. He is beaten and den handcuffed before they will walk him past his home because if you is walking a zombie past their home they won’t remember who dey was. Later dat night, they is using a colorless liquid, it is made from de powder dat I gave James and den the person won’t remember a thing”

“So they are drugged?” Abigail asked.

Mama Oilida nodded.

“Do you only have to give them the drug once?” she asked again.

Mama Oilida shook her head. She opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by James when he came storming back into the room with Fabiana right on his tail. “This is useless!” James slammed his hand on the table. Beneath it was a piece of paper with the results of the chemical compound that Mama Oilida used. Henry picked up the sheet of paper and read the words out loud. “Datura stramonium.”

“That’s a mere alkaloid.” James explained furiously.

“Dis is used to keep de person a zombie” Mama Oilida said.

“Keep?” Abigail asked.

“Yes. De victim is given de alkaloid once a day to keep dem not remembering” Mama Oilida said.

“Well that crosses voodoo off the list” Benjamin said sitting back in his chair. “Bloody hell I need a drink after this disappointment.”

“So we are back where we started?” Helen demanded.

Riley saw Abigail rest her head in her hands. If she wasn’t blaming herself before for Marian’s death she certainly is now.

As if reading his mind, Hunter placed a comforting hand on Abigail’s shoulder.

“Is there another way to make a zombie?” Henry said looking at Mama Oilida.

The voodoo woman shook her head.

“That doesn’t explain how they are breathing underwater” Dr. Kennedy said.

“What if they aren’t breathing?” Abigail asked.

“If things are functioning then they must be breathing” Helen said.

“They are dead aren’t they?” Abigail countered. “Typically when people die they aren’t breathing.”

“We need a break” Yumi decided standing from the table. The remaining members of the team exchanged glances before they left the conference room and headed to the break room.

Yumi flipped on the television.

“As the disease continues to spread, the number of causalities has raised to three quarters of a million worldwide. There have been reports from the Gulf Coast that the infected have been walking out of the water; some saying that it reminds them of cult classic film ’Night of the Living Dead.’ Scientist have confirmed that this is a form of rabies. However, more and more of the research centers are being closed down due to evacuations and safety precautions. Others have been overrun completely with those infected. The Center for Disease Control center in Puerto Rico and the World Health Organization in D.C. have both been overrun, raising the death toll”

“Three quarters of a million? Bloody hell” Benjamin said.

Abigail let out a gasp as she noticed Henry and Dr. Kennedy’s wide eyes. When they heard that their center was all but destroyed by the creatures that had just killed Marian.

That makes at least ten research centers that have been overrun, and forty more people killed. Abigail thought to herself.

“Shhh” Riley said waving a hand across Abigail towards his mentor.

“With this numbers so high, the United States military has decided to put all members of the military and National Guard on active duty. There are now and international curfew being enforced at 8:00 p.m. Any areas states where the death toll has risen to half of the population will be placed on quarantine. The question on everyone’s mind is how much longer will it take for a cure to be found, or is there even a cure?” a photo of a man wearing a cardboard sign that said The end is near was shown next to the news anchor’s head.

A moment of silence was hear before the news caster spoke again. “We have just received a report from D.C. that the president of the United States is dead. I repeat that President is dead. He was killed by an infected senator who then proceeded to attack the rest of the senate before he was subdued. The pentagon is recommending that people stay in their homes and not to leave unless absolutely necessary. There will be military stationed in every state.”

A silence filled the room as Abigail looked at her companions.

“What now?”