Night Of The Zombie Chapter 8- Final Chapter!

Night Of The Zombie

Chapter 8

Uh-oh. What was going on?

The emergency lights came on a second later. I got up and left the room to go and find Dad but stopped when I saw someone standing in the middle of the hallway outside my door.

The person was holding a gun, the emergency light casting a reddish glow on his bald head.

You had no intention of listening to me, did you? Chief Rose sneered. I knew you were investigating this further. I told you to leave the investigating to the police.

You got a phone call from the hospice, I said, suddenly regretting my decision to call. He must have figured it out it was me that called. Dumb move on my part.

He didn’t respond.

Dad! I called out but there was no response. What have you done to my father, I asked seething.

Nothing too serious, Rose wheezed. But don’t bother calling him again. He won’t hear you.

So it was you all along, I said. It wasn’t Zach you were trying to ruin, it was Lee Landers?

Rose just stared at me. He was wheezing again and wiped perspiration off his face as he continued to stare at me.

I’m sorry about your nephew, I said, quietly. You can’t blame Lee for that.

Oh, but I do blame him, Rose mumbled, licking his lips under his massive moustache.

But Simon was in an accident. Lee had nothing to do with that.

My poor nephew blacked out on that mountain road, because of the injury that Lee inflicted, he said. So you see, he did ruin his life, so I’m going to ruin Lee’s career. And in turn his life

I don’t buy it, I said. You can’t blame—

Enough, Rose roared. You are an insolent little pest, he said. I told you to stay out of police business, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you will stay out permanently. You’re such good friends with Lee Landers and any friend of  his is an enemy of mine. So I’m going to eliminate you here and now. No one will suspect it was me—after all I will lead the investigation—poor Justin Macdonald the victim of a robbery at his father’s lab. Ha! Poetic justice finally.

You’re freakin’ crazy, man, I said, hoping to stall for time. This man was deranged. He had gotten a job as police chief solely to exact revenge of Lee Landers. That was just crazy. I told him as much.

You don’t understand, he said, wheezing and now sniffling. I didn’t just want to ruin his career, I wanted him to suffer. Like Simon suffered. I tried before—to kill him or at least make him suffer, but he always squeaked by without a scratch. So I tried another tack—ruin his career. What better way than to ruin another movie. Investors were counting on this one succeeding, if it didn’t then they would drop him and Zach--permanently. They would never work in L.A. again. Goodbye filmmaking career. Whatever career he tried next, I would be there as well, doing my darndest to ruin that as well.

You hoped he would die when you set up that carbon monoxide poisoning stunt, I said, incredulous. We could have all died. Everyone in that room.

That would have been unfortunate. For Mr. Gilman and Mr. Mistry. For the rest of you—not really. I don’t like Mr. Bristow much or his movies for that matter. Zombies are so—I don’t know. Stupid.

You stole the car from the high school, or had it stolen then handled the investigation. Wow! Mysteriously no suspects. What a shame!

Rose just smirked.

You know, I don’t like you very much. I hope you realize that, I hissed, getting sick to my stomach now.

I figured as much, but you see, it will all end here, he said. You—a victim of a robbery and all I will have is another conveniently unsolved case on my hands. I’ll get rid of that pesky Canning—he’s much too friendly to you Macdonald clan. I don’t know what it is you have that people want to help you all the time.

Something you’ll never understand, I muttered. It’s something called compassion and just being a good person. People tend to respond to that, I don’t know, it’s silly really, I added sarcastically.

I was a good person once, he said, wistfully. But look where it got me. A nephew who might as well be dead and people like Lee Landers walk around making stupid zombie movies like nothing else matters.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the security system blink into “on” mode, due to the lights being out for so long. Rose must have unknowingly tripped the security back up. I only hoped since he was the chief he wouldn’t be alerted and cancel it and “deal” with it himself.

It’s time, he said finally. He lifted his gun and aimed at me, but a voice behind him called out. Hold it, Rose.

Canning.

Leave us alone, Officer Canning, Rose hissed. I’m taking care of this.

I don’t think so, Chief, Canning said, coming closer. Put the gun down, sir. You don’t want to do this.

Rose turned suddenly and aimed at Canning, but Canning saw it coming. He dived into the main lab room as Rose fired, putting a bullet into the wall. I took advantage of the momentary distraction to fly back into the computer lab and shut the door. I dialed 911. A bullet hit the door but didn’t penetrate. Another two shots then silence.

Justin, you OK, Canning said, opening the door. Rose lay on the ground, eyes staring at the ceiling, blood seeping from a wound on his chest.

I stepped past Canning. Dad! I blurted, moving along the hallway towards Dad’s office. He was slumped over his desk, still seated in his chair. I pulled him back and he came to. Justin? What happened, he asked rubbing his forehead where a large goose egg was forming.

It was Rose, I blurted. All along. He’s in the hallway. Canning’s got him under control. The police and ambulance are on their way.

Dad smiled. Good work son, he said.

It was nearing midnight. Zach and Lee were in the main police interrogation room, Canning was there as was Dad whose goose egg had gone down after having it looked at by paramedics.

Rose is in the hospital and is expected to survive—I know, Canning said, but he’s a seriously disturbed man. He will get counselling.

So he wanted to ruin my career, Lee said, shaking his head. After what I did to Simon Rose. That’s nuts. Simon and I actually became sort of friends after our ordeal. I got help after I was in jail for a few months. Simon came to see me and we kind of patched things up. I deeply regretted what had happened to him. I didn’t know about the dizzy spells, he added looking down.

Those were from an underlying condition, Canning said. We spoke to the doctors out in B.C. Simon had epilepsy and that’s what brought on the dizzy spell and the crash that fateful night. He should never have been driving a car. Your attack had nothing to do with it.

What a relief, Lee sighed.

But Rose didn’t know about the epilepsy, Canning replied. His brother, Simon’s father, didn’t tell anyone in the family about the epilepsy. He and his wife were distraught after the accident and Rose wanted revenge. I heard that his being a chief of Police in Vancouver, he had some pull with the authorities in L.A. and in some roundabout way tried to mess up some paperwork.

Yeah, it was strange, Lee continued. I had these police hounding me for days but they soon left me alone. I had a few near miss accidents as well. I guess that was Rose’s doing?

He admitted as much, I stated.

And our first movie, Zach said. Was he involved in that movie being a bomb.

Not so sure about that, son, Canning said with a smile. I think it was just a bad movie.

Zach was silent for a moment. Yeah, it was but I thought I could blame someone else.

Told you, Lee said with a smirk. You’re always trying to blame others. He then smiled. I would try to do the same, he added.

Is that what you guys were arguing about earlier, I asked, rembering them yelling at each other in the trailer. And the animosity they seemed to have when I first met Lee the day of the fire.

Yeah, Zach said with a grin. Lee and I butt heads once in a while, but we always come out of it no problem. We understand each other, he said with a wink at Lee.

So, when Rose learned that you making your movie here in Port Salser he immediately asked for a transfer, our chief was retiring so the timing was perfect, Canning remarked. He got the job—probably with some finagling behind the scenes. That way he would be in charge of any investigation that took place and could hide evidence.

The fire at the tent was to delay filming, Canning went on. He used a lighter and gas can which would be virtually untraceable. He wanted everyone to know that the movie was being targeted. He also planned the “zombie invastion” with masks and make up he arranged to have stolen from Mandy’s trunks. He stepped it up when that didn’t really work. He wrote the notes to Zach to throw suspicion off his real target—Lee, I remarked. Then the carbon monoxide was the last straw. Killing you or seriously injuring you would have certainly but a kibosh on the filming.

What about the zombies, Zach said after a moment. The ones that caused the vandalism?

Like I said, he planned that, but I also think that plan was already in place when he stole the masks before the fire, I surmised. He had hired some people on the side and told them to go to town—and not get caught. If they had been caught he would have just released them later on his authority.

The carbon monoxide was, however, a spur of the moment thing, Canning related. When that didn’t work he went ahead with the vandalism anyway.

Very creative mind, Dad said. He had a list of things to thwart the film but one after one we in turn thwarted the attempts. Just like the attacks back in L.A.

Thanks goodness for that, Zach said. And thanks to Justin for not giving up on us.

That’s what friends are for, I said. Hey, isn’t that a song?, I added with a grin.

Soon after Rose came to town he learned of Justin’s involvement in police cases and quickly put a stop to that, Canning said. I’m afraid I told him about you. It was soon after that he wanted to transfer me. I blamed you, he added looking at me. I’m sorry Justin for being a jerk to you. I was upset at you and at Rose, but couldn’t do anything about Rose, his being my boss.

No worries, Paul. I just wish you would have told me. I couldn’t figure out why you were so ticked at me. After all, I’m such a likeable guy, aren’t I?

Paul and the others laughed. Sometimes, he said ominously.

The next day dawned rainy and cool. It was a nice change from the searing heat, and as an extra bonus it was great weather for filming a zombie movie.

Van, Raj and I were in our makeup and masks that had been recovered from Rose’s apartment. We looked much scarier and deader with our masks than just the make-up. The final scenes were to be shot before the team returned to L.A for indoor shooting later in the week.

I heard Lana Somers is going to be in this movie, Van said, scratching at his mask. They were a little itchy. Too bad she didn’t come on the location shoot. I would’ve loved to get her autograph.

I could get your autograph, I said mysteriously.

How—you’re going to L.A.? aren’t you? Lucky butt, he muttered.

Well, all of us are going, if you can come that is.

What! Van and Raj said simultaneously.

Yeah, I asked the guys if we could come watch the shoot in L.A. and they agreed. Only one hitch.

What’s that? Van said skeptically.

We have to work on the crew. Put up some of the equipment be gophers, stuff like that. But we get to stay at Lee’s home in Hollywood. There’s a pool—and a maid I heard.

I don’t mind that, Raj said, scratching at his moustache so that some of the make up came off.

What are you doing?  A voice blurted out. Mandy came over to Raj and pulled him away and into the nearby tent to add more make-up colouring to his moustache.

Another voice piped up from the opposite direction. OK, you zombies there, let’s go. We have one more scene to shoot.

Van and I went off, Raj joining us a minute later. Don’t scratch at it, dude, I said as we made our way to the street where we would be filming our last scene of the day.

But it itches, he complained.

You could just shave it off, Van muttered.

No way, I’m not shaving off my moustache, he said, touching it gently. It makes me look like—.

A butt, Van interjected. Yeah, you’re right about that.

No, Raj said defensively. Like my favourite Bollywood star. Ravi Shankar. He’s cool. And he gets all the chicks.

You would be cool without the moustache, I remarked diplomatically.

Just then a young girl came up to us, pen and paper in hand. She went right to Raj. Can I have your autograph? She asked, eyes twinkling. Raj wrote his name as the girl giggled, her two friends coming up and asking for his autograph as well.

The two girls just ignored us completely!

Raj handed back the notepad. I like your moustache; the girl said. You look so handsome and debonair. Even in your zombie costume. You know you’re my favourite zombie in the whole movie. I can’t wait for this movie to come out.

With that she turned away as Van and I looked at our friend, incredulous, our mouths hanging open

Raj just looked at us with a wicked grin. Eat your heart out fellows, he said, then walked away, whistling.

**the end**

©2015 by  JT Brock