Frozen Flesh

  Frozen Flesh

  A.J. Donovan

  Copyright Notice

  Copyright © A.J. Donovan 2019

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review. Trademarked names appear throughout this book. Rather than use a trademark symbol with every occurrence of a trademarked name, names are used in an editorial fashion, with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark. The information in this book is distributed on an “as is” basis, without warranty. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the author nor the publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Chapter 1 - House Party

  Jake

  I was at a house party when she bit me.

  It sounds crazy, and even as I sit here with Diana dressing the wound on my arm, I have to remind myself that it actually happened. I didn’t fall and cut myself. I didn’t get attacked by a rabid dog. A normal girl tried to take a chunk out of my arm.

  Diana reaches up and rests a hand on my forehead, looking into my eyes as she takes my temperature. Her smile falters for a split second before she forces it back onto her face. If I couldn't see the concern in her eyes, I might almost believe nothing is wrong.

  "Do I have a fever?"

  Diana hesitates. "Yeah, I think so, but I'm no expert. I'll be right back, I’m going to find Leo and get a second opinion."

  The door closes behind her with a click, leaving me alone in Leo's bedroom. The bite on my forearm is throbbing dully, but that's not what's on my mind.

  Kim is going to kill me. She made me promise not to get into any more trouble this week. My sister’s been taking care of me for as long as I can remember. Once she sees my arm, she’s going to lose her mind.

  I assume Diana will be gone for a few minutes. Leo is still downstairs, probably attempting to clean the destruction left behind by the hundred or so teenagers that were here, and in this massive house it could take ages for her to find him. And that’s assuming he’s downstairs. He could still be moving the last few stragglers out of the house. It's a miracle they managed to get anybody to leave, drunk teenagers are impossible to move.

  Diana, Leo and I have been friends for years, and as soon as they saw my bloodied arm they immediately started telling people to leave so they could take care of me. If it was anyone else’s house, they would have been a lot angrier about being kicked out, but this is Leo’s house. No one talks about it, but everyone knows who his father is.

  The funny part of this whole situation is that I wanted to keep the party going. Even with blood dripping down my arm, I made a valiant attempt to convince Diana and Leo not to stop the party. The girl disappeared right after she attacked me and no one seemed to know who she was or how she got into the house. The danger was gone and the party could have gone on for hours.

  “Wrap a bandage around it and we’ll deal with it tomorrow,” I said. They ignored me.

  Diana still hasn’t come back and I think I’ll go mad if I have to wait much longer. My whole body is sweating and my head is pounding. I won’t mention it to Diana, she will just overreact and rush me off to the nearest hospital. I attempt to stand but the room starts spinning and I sit back down quickly and try not to vomit onto the carpet.

  Slowly, very slowly, I lie back down on the bed and wait for the nausea to pass. After a few moments that seem to last forever, my stomach relaxes and I sigh in relief. I turn my head to look towards the door but my vision is blurry and all I can think about is the blissfully soft pillow against my cheek. I’ll just close my eyes for a few seconds.

  The sound of the door opening pulls me back from sleep and I try to open my eyes.

  "Sorry I took so long - Jake? Leo, I think Jake passed out on your bed again."

  Leo sighs. "I’d flip that mattress without a second thought if he wasn’t injured.”

  He’s telling the truth, he’s done it before. I want to say this out loud but my body isn’t responding to me.

  I grunt and finally manage to open my eyes. I try to speak again but the only thing that comes out is a twisted moan.

  Diana rushes forward and the sudden blur of movement hurts my head. I squeeze my eyes shut.

  “Your eyes are blood red, Jake. Did you hit your head while I was gone?”

  I try to focus through the pain spiking behind my forehead.

  Diana's hands are cold against my burning hot face and I try to find the energy to make a joke about her putting her hands on me.

  I hear nervous laughter from Leo. “It must be bad if Jake isn’t making a joke right now,” he says.

  "I was thinking about it," I manage.

  Diana usually finds the humour in my jokes, because she knows that’s all they are. Right now, she’s worryingly silent.

  “Should we call Kim?” Leo asks Diana. He keeps his voice low, as if I won’t be able to hear him.

  "No!" I shout and sit up. I cry out involuntarily as pain spikes through my head and my stomach turns violently.

  There are hands on me, holding me steady, but I can't muster enough focus to figure out who they belong to. I'm vaguely aware of other people in the room, but the burning dagger in my head is taking most of my attention.

  "Jake!"

  I can hear their voices. They say other things too, but the only thing that stands out is my name. The words are senseless and jumbled and they scatter like mist as soon as I reach for them. I cling to my name and soon I realise that the people are panicked.

  Something’s wrong.

  I know something’s happened but I can’t remember what. Why are they so worried? What happened?

  My heartbeat picks up as the panic reaches me and I force myself back to the surface of the pain. I need to know what’s happening.

  I open my eyes and I see her. Diana. I start to smile but she’s reaching for a phone and something in the back of my mind tells me that she can’t use it. Some kind of guttural noise comes out of the back of my throat before the rest of my strength vanishes and my head flops back onto the pillow and I pass out.

  * * *

  For a long time, I burn. The fire is unimaginable agony and I feel it pushing my mind to the edge. I’m clinging to the edge but I know that the pain would go away if I just let go. Cold darkness is beneath me and all I want to do is fall.

  Somehow, I resist the urge to let go, and eventually I feel something else. There’s something besides the fire in here with me.

  The thing is cold and soothing and it shields me from the flames. I can still feel the hellfire, but now I feel like I can endure it. Like I might survive the fire.

  * * *

  I wake slowly, with the taste of copper in my mouth and stiffness in my arms and legs. I must have been passed out for a while. The room is empty, but the door's open, and I think I can hear the sound of the TV downstairs.

  I sit up slowly and my muscles protest against every movement. There's a sandwich on a plate on the bedside table with a glass of water beside it. I take one look at it and grimace.

  Nope.

  I stand up slowly, wary of dizziness or messed up hand-eye coordination, but I feel fine. Apart from feeling like I overslept, I�
�m completely fine. It’s strange. I couldn’t have recovered that quickly, could I?

  I glance at the sandwich again and surprise myself. I'm not hungry. I'm always hungry and I know it’s been at least a few hours since I passed out, so I should be ravenous.

  I hear voices downstairs. They’re hushed, like they don't want to be overheard. Overheard by who? Me? And if that's the case, why I can hear them? They would have to be talking very loudly for me to hear them at all from this distance - Leo's house is huge. Yet another thing that makes no sense.

  I open the bedroom door and step onto the landing. Immediately, I’m hit by the smell of cooking bacon and suddenly I’m starving. I almost run down the stairs but I force myself to walk. The wide mahogany stairs are polished to a gleam and I could easily slip off one of the steps.

  Bacon, bacon, bacon.

  The voices become clearer as I near the kitchen. They belong to Diana and Leo. They're arguing, as usual. Their opinions on almost everything are different and it’s unusual to see them having a normal conversation without it devolving into an argument. Sometimes I wonder if they disagree for the sake of it because they enjoy arguing so much.

  I wish I cared about anything as much as they do. I’m the laid back, carefree member of our little group. It’s fun but sometimes I wish I felt as strongly about things as Leo and Diana.

  I push open the kitchen door and smile brightly at them, pushing away all my self doubt.

  "Hey guys! Something smells great."

  Diana stares at me in disbelief. Her eyes are wide and I find myself noticing her emerald green eyes. It’s not the first time, and it probably won’t be the last. “Jake, are you okay?”

  I frown and look at Leo for an explanation. “Of course.”

  Leo chuckles nervously and runs a hand through his short hair. "Jake, you've been out cold for two days. Are you sure you’re okay?"

  My frown deepens. "Leo, I can smell bacon cooking, now is not the time for pranks. I'm hungry."

  “That’s not a surprise, Jake. You’ve been unconscious for nearly 48 hours.”

  “Let’s say I believe you,” I say. “What does it matter? I’m awake now and I’m fine.”

  Leo moves across the room to me and puts his hand on my forehead. “We should probably check if your fever broke yet."

  I push his hand away. "I don't have a fever."

  Leo rolls his eyes. "Yeah, and you didn't skip class last week either."

  Diana laughs and I sigh. “I want bacon.”

  Leo shrugs at me and then walks back to the frying pan. “Your forehead wasn’t hot, so I think you’re fine for now. But I’m keeping an eye on you for the next few hours. No running off.”

  I want to argue but I decide to sit down in front of the marble island in the centre of the kitchen and wait for my bacon. Diana sits beside me and for a few moments there’s no noise except for the sizzling coming from the frying pan.

  The silence is comfortable but I know I have to break it. I need to ask a question, and the longer I wait the worse it will be. “How’s Kim?”

  Diana smiles sheepishly. “I didn’t call her. You passed out the first time I tried, remember? I was a bit distracted. After we realised that you were alive but you wouldn’t wake up, Leo convinced me that it would be better not to worry her unless your condition got worse. There was every chance that you would improve. And he was right, wasn’t he? You’re better now. We would have panicked her for no reason.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “So this has nothing to do with how much she scares you.”

  Diana blushes. “Maybe. And Leo wouldn’t call, so... It just never happened.”

  I roll my eyes. “Kim isn’t scary. We’ve talked about this before. She’s just my sister, you shouldn’t be afraid of her.”

  Leo winks at Diana as he comes over with two plates. “She gets very protective of her little brother. And she sees the way you look at Diana, Jake.”

  My protest about being called “little” vanishes when I realise what else he said. I glare at him and he just smiles at me. Jerk.

  Diana clears her throat. “I’ll go find a thermometer. We should make sure your fever is gone.”

  She leaves the room and I open my mouth to tell Leo exactly what I think of him. He pushes the plate of bacon towards me and I stop. “Okay,” I say. “I forgive you, but only because you’re feeding me.”

  Leo laughs and when Diana returns we spend a few minutes trying to figure out how to use the thermometer while we finish the bacon. It’s a complicated device with a bunch of different buttons and three sets of numbers on the screen.

  There’s a noise outside and Leo walks over to the window.

  “Is it your dad?” Diana asks him.

  “I don’t see anyone,” Leo says. “But it probably is. He’s supposed to be home soon.”

  Diana joins him at the window and they start chatting.

  I stay sitting and squint down at the thermometer. I frown and take it out of my mouth. This can’t be right. I can’t be over a hundred degrees. Shouldn’t I be dead? Maybe I’m reading this wrong.

  Leo and Diana leave the room to find out if Leo’s father is home. They call for me to follow them but I wait another few seconds, hoping that the thermometer will change to something more normal. It stays steady at the ridiculous temperature and I leave it on the marble countertop before following my friends out of the room. We must be using it wrong.

  I pass the same window that they were just standing in front of, and I stop walking. There’s a streak of red paint on the garage door. Someone from the party the other night must have thought it would be funny to mess with Leo’s house. I wonder if he saw it yet. I should probably tell him so we can clean it before his father sees it.

  Diana and Leo aren’t in the hallway so I follow the sounds of the TV. Whatever is playing sounds exciting. It must be an action movie or something.

  I step inside and find both of them staring at the TV with wide eyes. “What’s up?”

  “Look,” Diana says quietly.

  I frown and turn to the screen but my expression turns to shock almost immediately. “Oh my god,” I mutter.

  Shaky camera footage of a street, somewhere in the suburbs, shows us people acting... crazy. If they can even be called people. Others are standing nearby, watching the carnage unfold, until the crazy ones notice them and attack. These people are rabid or crazy or on some kind of drugs. They tackle people they don’t seem to know and sink their teeth into any exposed skin.

  Just like the girl that bit me.

  I want to pretend that this is a hyper realistic movie trailer but I know in my gut that this is real. It explains why that girl attacked me but it also means that this hysteria is spreading. Some kind of epidemic. The city is going to be in chaos.

  I grab the remote and switch to another channel. I need to see if this is on other news networks. I need to make sure it’s not fake. It’s all the same. More news, more crazy cannibals. It’s the same thing with different backgrounds. Downtown, suburbs, even some areas outside the city with fewer buildings. Every single channel is showing the carnage.

  “Zombie apocalypse,” I whisper.

  Leo shushes me but Diana agrees.

  He looks at her incredulously.

  “What else could it be?” she demands.

  “We should do something,” I say quietly. “Prepare, somehow. Barricade the doors, maybe.” None of us move. We just stand there, continuing watching the news stories. It’s happening all over the city and when the footage changes to a familiar street I gasp.

  “Kim! Where’s Kim? I need my phone.” I run from the room.

  I catch my shoulder on the doorframe as I pass through it but I ignore it and keep going. It didn’t even hurt. Maybe I’m going into shock.

  I run into the bedroom right as my phone stops ringing.

  ***

  Chapter 2 – Just a Typical Morning

  Kim

  Matt smiles and kisses me quickly before he
starts getting dressed for work. I smile back at him, perfectly content. Morning sunlight streams through the windows and warms the room.

  “I love you.”

  Matt’s smile gets bigger. “I love you too, Kim.” He closes the door softly when he leaves but I know I won’t get back to sleep so I force myself out of the bed. I check my phone for texts or missed calls from Jake. I’m not surprised that there’s nothing new. Jake is bad at keeping in contact at the best of times.

  There is a single missed call from my father. I look at it for a moment and my finger hovers over it. I could call him back. He probably hasn’t started work yet.

  I sigh and toss my phone onto the bed. A shower will wake me up and take my mind off my father and whatever Jake is up to. I pass a window on my way down the hallway and stop abruptly.

  Someone drove their car directly at a streetlight. It must have happened a while ago because I didn’t hear anything. There are a few people standing around it, probably the neighbours. No one looks upset which hopefully means no one was hurt. In any case, there are already several people standing around if the people in the car need help. I turn away and go into the bathroom.

  I take my time in the shower, letting the water wash away my worries and doubts. Eventually, I get out and wrap a towel around myself.

  There are a lot of noises outside but I ignore them as I pass the window. I doubt there has ever been a car accident that doesn’t get ugly when someone asks for insurance details. The shouting match that ensues today will entertain our nosy neighbours for at least a week. Maybe they’ll stop prying into my life for a while.

  I think about what to make for breakfast and hum a song to myself as I walk down the stairs. I hear a car door close outside and then there are footsteps coming up the driveway. I really hope Matt locked the door behind him. I glance at a floor lamp a few feet away. That will be my weapon if someone tries to break in.

  The door handle turns but the door is locked and it just shakes a few times. I breathe a sigh of relief and step closer to the door.