38: Leon City and... Zombies?
Gritting her teeth, Cass sat down on the sofa next to Summer and Ava. In the week since the escape room, her two friends had flooded her phone with hundreds of messages. All of them begging her to come to that damn cabin in the damn forest to be guinea pigs for that damn witch. Cass had, of course, always refused. She had more important things to do. Lance... the man responsible for the worst time of her life... had escaped from prison. Cass had made it her mission to hunt him and his henchmen down. Unfortunately, with mixed success, and she had to admit that her body needed a break.
“Yayyyy! Glad you made it, Cass!” Summer cheered, hugging Cass, who flinched as Summer squeezed her battered body.
“Yeah, yeah. Please, Summer, my ribs.”
“Oh, sorry,” Summer giggled, and Cass rolled her eyes.
“Can we start the movie now, then?” Cass asked, but Ava shook her head.
“We’re still waiting for the neighbors. Do you remember Phaelyn and Ifry? They wanted to come, too. Plus, Rilliana and Trisha aren’t here yet. They went to get popcorn and the movie.”
“Haaaaaaa… and the witch?”
“Still in her lab, trying to find a flaw in one of her inventions,” Summer explained, and her face lit up as the front door opened and the four missing women walked in. The usual greetings among friends followed, while Cass remained seated on the sofa. She didn’t know the others very well, and her body was grateful that she didn’t have to move for once. Instead, she stared at the screen with glazed eyes until the woman named Phaelyn stepped between them. Cass looked up at the shy girl who was holding out her hand.
“He… hey… my name is Phaelyn,” she said, stuttering, and smiled sheepishly.
“Cass,” Cass said curtly, but made no move to shake her hand. Somewhat disappointed, Phaelyn let hers drop. Ifry noticed it immediately and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She wanted to see how her friend handled the situation and learned from it.
“Sooo, you were at the last event too, right? How did you like it?” Phaelyn asked, and Cass took a deep breath. She’d really just wanted to watch a movie, not make new acquaintances.
“It was pretty mediocre, if you ask me.”
“Oh ...” Phaelyn said, looking dejected, before Trisha pulled her over to the other sofa to use her legs as a pillow. Ifry looked at Cass for a moment and then at Phae, who was now putting on a cheerful face again.
The movie Rilliana had picked up was a newly released zombie film. Cass had to admit she regretted not seeing it in the theater back then, but at least she could catch up on it now. The story was gripping, and the characters weren’t just mindless idiots. Even the jump scares weren’t senseless bloodshed or over-the-top. Cass thought the movie was just great. That made it all the more annoying that Phaelyn flinched or screamed at every horror moment. It distracted her from the movie. She couldn’t concentrate on it and eventually found herself just waiting for Phaelyn’s next scream.
“AHHHH!” she screamed as one of the survivors was grabbed.
“Can you just shut up for a second?! I’m trying to enjoy the movie!” Cass yelled, and immediately all eyes were on her. “What? I’m not the only one who feels this way, am I?”
Silence. Phae’s lips began to tremble, and she looked around the room to see if her friends felt the same way. Trisha, Rilliana, and Summer immediately shook their heads. Ava, on the other hand, cleared her throat.
“Maybe you should leave, Cass…”
“You know what? That’s an excellent…” Cass began, but was interrupted by Phaelyn.
“No… I… you’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll be quiet now,” she muttered, lowering her head. Cass looked at her for a moment before turning her attention back to the TV and trying to immerse herself in the world of the movie again. Ifry saw tears welling up in the corners of her friend’s eyes, which she secretly wiped away. She turned her gaze to Cass and gave her a sharp look. She wouldn’t forget that anytime soon.
After the movie, Cass grabbed her jacket and said a brief goodbye to her friends and new acquaintances before Ifry stopped her.
“Can I go?” Cass asked coldly, but Ifry held out her arm so Cass couldn’t move forward.
“No. Apologize to my friend,” Ifry demanded, but Cass laughed contemptuously.
“Why should I? She realized herself that she was the problem.”
Ifry’s eyes narrowed to slits, and she glared at Cass menacingly.
“Apologize, or you’ll regret it.”
“Oh, is that threat supposed to scare me?” Cass asked, looking at Ifry’s thin arms and slight build. “Get out of my way, Tom Boy, before I snap you in half,” she hissed, pushing Ifry’s arm aside before leaving the house, hopping on her motorcycle, and riding off. As she rode back into the city on the highway, she thought about the days ahead—where she could look for Lance or his henchmen. Not a single thought had been wasted on tonight.
When she arrived at her small apartment and collapsed onto her bed, she gave her body a much-needed rest. She closed her eyes and thought about the coming week. Even as she was making further plans, she fell asleep and didn’t wake up again until the sun was shining on her face. Cass didn’t even give herself time to blink and rolled out of bed. As she walked past, she turned on her computer and TV and poured herself a cup of coffee. The news was full of topics that were, at least to her, unimportant.
“International tensions continue to rise. Several governments are reporting drug shortages. The East Coast, however, is said to have sufficient supplies,” said the news anchor as Cass sat down at her computer. She flinched briefly as her ribs made themselves felt.
“Well, if we have sufficient supplies…” Cass muttered, popping a painkiller that was lying next to her left monitor.
“We’re heading into the hottest days of the year. Authorities are warning…”
Cass rolled her eyes and scanned her notes on the computer. Maybe she’d overlooked something. A lead she could follow up on.
“Several people have gone missing in Leon City. The LCPD suspects it might be related to the recent outbreaks.”
Cass pricked up her ears.
“The missing people lived in Falenplaza. The authorities are asking you not to go there unless you absolutely have to.”
“Sure, and what about the people who have to live there?” Cass asked irritably, setting her cup aside to jot down a note.
“The annual charity gala raised enough money for the children’s wing of Leon City Hospital to renovate and expand it. The chief medical officer joked that they might as well just remodel the hospital rooms too, since many patients with fevers would be discharging themselves.”
“I wonder if that joke landed right? Seems like people just don’t want to be in the hospital,” Cass commented.
“And now for some good news. The missing cat, Fluffels, was found after three days at the Fermondo ice cream parlor. Looks like she wanted to stock up on ice cream before it gets too warm.”
The rest of the news wasn’t really any more interesting, so she spent her time planning her upcoming nights instead. However, her ribs threw a wrench in her plans. Cass therefore decided to stay home for the next few days and do some research. What was really on Cass’s mind, though, was something else. The news was reporting on acts of violence with increasing frequency, while kidnappings were fading into the background. There were no apparent connections. On the night of her fourth day at home, she decided to go back on patrol and left the news on while she geared up.
“The LCPD is reporting acts of violence caused by heat-induced delirium. The ongoing heat is cited as the reason. Doctors recommend drinking more fluids and staying in the shade.”
“Oh, really?” Cass muttered, tucking her tonfa into her belt. She reached for her remote to turn off the TV when the picture suddenly went blank and a standby icon appeared.
“Okay?” she said simply and turned it off. She left her apartment via the fire escape and ran down the ladder until she was standing in the familiar dark alley. From there, she ran to her motorcycle, folded down the license plate, and rode toward Falenplaza. Even though the trail was days old, she knew she’d find Leon City’s scum here. Maybe even a clue about Lance. At least she made good time getting through the city. There were no other cars or people out and about. Cass found that a bit unusual, but figured people were just being cautious and seeking shelter from the sweltering heat. Cass couldn’t blame them. Her suit wasn’t exactly designed to protect her body from the heat, either. It was, however, designed to protect her from almost everything else the city could throw at her.
“At least I can spot suspects better when no one else is on the streets,” Cass muttered as she stopped at a traffic light. That’s when she saw them. People hurriedly leaving a house and heading into an alley. Cass almost ignored them, but then she took a closer look. Several men and women. Some of them were masked. Some were carrying weapons, and in their midst were mostly women who looked frightened.
“Bingo,” Cass muttered, waiting a moment before a large van rolled out of the alley. One of the masked figures was behind the wheel. He roared through the intersection, and Cass turned off her headlights and began the chase. The chase was short. From a distance, she saw the people running into a dilapidated building in Falenplaza. She parked her motorcycle just outside and ran the last bit. She drew her tonfa and pressed herself against the wall of the building, moving toward the entrance. She was just about to dart around the corner and kick the door in when she heard footsteps beside her on the street. She spun around immediately, intending either to tell whoever it was to get lost or to alert the police that there were kidnapping victims inside, but she didn’t have time for either. A man lunged at her with his mouth wide open, trying to snap at her. Cass stumbled backward and barely managed to raise one of her tonfas. The man bit down on the weapon and flailed his arms in her direction. His eyes were milky white and no longer seemed to obey his commands.
“What the…!” Cass exclaimed, striking him with her other weapon. The man slumped to the side and lay motionless on the street for a moment. Blood dripped from a wound on his head, and Cass stumbled even further back from him.
“What the hell, why… what?” she asked in horror as the door behind her opened. She was just about to turn toward it when the man on the floor stirred. His arms twitched, and he tried to get up; a long, inhuman rattle came from his mouth. Cass froze solid. Whatever was in front of her wasn’t human. At least not anymore. The next moment, she heard two gunshots. The first one finished off the thing, and the second was aimed at Cass. She felt something large press against her back. A moment later, a huge, tightly woven net stretched across her field of vision and around her body. It wrapped itself tightly around Cass and brought her down.
“Hey! What the…! Let me out of here right now!” Cass hissed, struggling against the mesh, but the more she writhed, the tighter the net seemed to get.
“Shut up!” a woman hissed at her, and Cass felt herself being dragged into the house. As she was pulled, she felt her cheek scrape against the asphalt and flinched.
“You’re lucky we didn’t shoot you right away!”
“Lucky? You killed a human being!” Cass hissed, kicking out at the hands of the people lifting her into the building.
“Human? Didn’t you see what attacked you? This is the apocalypse, you stupid bitch!” said one of the men, gripping Cass by the neck to force her to look at the man who’d been shot.
“That’s a damn zombie. Or do you think a human could have withstood your attack like that?”
Cass fell silent. That would have knocked anyone out of commission for at least a few minutes.
“Take her downstairs and check her for infection.”
“I wasn’t bitten!”
“Sure,” said the woman, rolling her eyes, as two men grabbed her and dragged her deeper into the building. Cass struggled with every step, but they held her with an iron grip.
“I told you, I wasn’t bitten!”
“Ever seen a zombie movie? That’s what they all say. We don’t know if it can be transmitted through scratches either. Besides, you’re bleeding!”
“Because you idiots dragged me across the floor?” Cass asked irritably as she was finally thrown into a small room with a mattress. She landed hard, and the springs sent her crashing into the wall, where she slid to the floor and lay there, breathing heavily with anger.
“Wait here,” one of them said curtly, and the door closed behind them. A key turned noisily in the lock.
“Sure, as if I’d do that now,” Cass muttered, wriggling around in the net to reach her belt, where a hidden blade awaited her.
“Just a little longer,” she muttered, finally drawing the knife. A quick cut freed Cass from the net, and she jumped to her feet. Just as she was about to grab her tonfa and teach the preppers some manners, the door opened and a man and the woman from earlier walked in. They stared at each other for a moment until the woman held out her hand.
“Maybe we caught each other off guard. My name is…” the woman began, but Cass interrupted her as she charged toward her with her weapons raised. The woman just rolled her eyes and stepped aside to make room for her companion. Cass didn’t care. She’d taken on stronger opponents before. She struck out, and unfortunately had to admit she’d never fought such a fast opponent before—he ducked out of the way and, a split second later, rammed his shoulder into her chest. Cass was instantly knocked off her feet and flew back onto the mattress.
“Let’s try that again. Nice to meet you…?” the woman asked, holding out her hand again. Cass just spat in her direction and said, “Fuck… you!”
The woman rolled her eyes and pressed a basket into the man’s hand beside her.
“Let me know when you’re done,” she said, picking up Cass’s weapons from the floor before leaving the room. Groaning, Cass sat up and growled irritably when she saw the ropes the man was pulling out of the basket.
“Don’t you dare put your filthy hands on…” Cass began, but she was cut off as the man stepped toward her and, once again, intercepted her punch with lightning speed. He twisted her hand and forced her to roll onto her stomach.
“You have only yourself to blame. We could have just talked,” the man muttered as he wrapped the rope around one of her hands and tried to catch the other.
“And I said, ‘Go to hell!’” Cass hissed as she flailed her free hand, trying to hit the man. In the end, though, he caught her anyway and tied her hands together.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. “That’s why we’re making this extra secure,” he said, wrapping the rope around her arms several times before finally tying a knot—out of reach of Cass’s fingers.
“Then we’d better take this off you too...” he added, pulling off her tool belt. Her last resort. Cass was seething with rage as she carelessly tossed her belongings toward the door.
“Watch where you’re going!”
“Don’t worry, nothing will happen to your stuff,” he chuckled, looping a rope around her elbows. Cass growled as they touched and the rope cut into her skin. He tied it tightly and ran it around her shoulders and over and under her breasts to secure it. She gritted her teeth at the humiliation and wanted nothing more than to strangle him.
“Oh? Pretty flexible, this young lady. I’d love to move on to your legs right now, but I still have to make sure you’re scratch- and bite-proof.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Cass asked, turning toward the rustling sound the man was now making. Her face went pale. In his hand, he held a thick ball gag and a sort of leather, tapered pouch with several straps.
“What’s that?” she asked, shocked.
“That?” the man asked, lifting the wine-red leather, “is a armbinder. That way, if you transform, you won’t be able to scratch us. Here, I’ll show you.” ”
He slipped the leather over her hands and pulled it up over the ropes and her arms. Her hands were squeezed into a tight pouch with a soft flop. Cass doubted she’d ever be able to get out of this arm restraint on her own, even with her belt. The man fastened it with the leather straps and tightened it with additional straps, so that Cass’s arms were squeezed together.
“Ow! Does it have to be this tight?”
“You tell me. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t hurt you.”
Cass grumbled. He was right, and she’d been hoping to get some sympathy out of him.
“All right, open your mouth,” he demanded, pressing the gag against her closed lips. Of course, she kept them tightly shut.
“Never,” she ground out between her teeth, and the man let out an exasperated sigh.
“Come on, Cass. Open your mouth so I can get on with my work.”
Cass froze in shock. How did he know her name? But before she could ask him that, he shoved the gag into her mouth and secured it tightly at the back of her neck.
“There you go,” he said, giving Cass a hard slap.
“Mmmmpf!”
“There. Now you can safely transform here… or not, and you can become one of us or something,” the man said, standing up and stretching. Cass glared at him from the mattress. If looks could kill, he would have turned into a pile of ashes right then and there. The man grinned as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.
“Well, good luck!” he said and disappeared behind the door with her belt. Cass immediately began to squirm. Her teeth sank into the gag as she tensed her muscles to break free from the arm restraints. There was a agonizing creak, but the leather held her fast, and the straps cut into her skin.
Those damn ropes! If only they weren’t there, Cass thought, shaking her arms. She slid across the mattress and sat up. She had to find something here to get rid of these restraints. At first glance, she saw nothing. She was sitting in a storage room. Lockers lined the walls, and a sink hung in one corner. Cass looked at the door. Even though it was locked, she might be able to use the handle to tear the leather straps. Carefully, she straightened up and walked to the door.
That stupid idiot didn’t tie my legs. What a rookie, Cass thought, rolling her eyes. For a moment, she hated that her teammates were probably better kidnappers than these preppers. She hooked the leather strap onto the doorknob and leaned back. At the same time, she pressed her right leg against the door. It cracked again, but it wasn’t the leather. Cass looked up as all hell broke loose behind the door. Screams, breaking wood, and inhuman growls. She widened her eyes and slipped on the floor in fright. The leather dug roughly into her skin, but the arm restraint held firm. To her amazement, however, the door burst open.
What the—?! The thought shot through Cass’s mind as she toppled backward. The door fell off its hinges, revealing the chaos on the other side. Zombies had broken in and were now hunting the preppers.
Tough luck, Cass thought, and straightened up again. She had to get out of here—and fast. She stepped through the door. Gunshots whizzed through the air, and one zombie after another fell. But there were more and more of them. They were coming through the door from above, like a wave of bodies. Cass turned pale and stumbled backward. But the zombies saw her. They broke away from the group and ran across the hallway toward her. Bullets flew in her direction, but not all of them hit the zombies. Cass ran back into the room. No way out. She couldn’t even hide. The door was kicked open, and there she stood, face to face with one of them. Cass shook her head. She couldn’t believe it; she couldn’t fight back, couldn’t defend herself.
Those damned preppers. Why did they have to tie me up? she thought as she pressed herself against the wall and one of the zombies got closer and closer. But then another thought flashed through her mind. All of this was her fault. If only she’d been a little friendlier. A little more polite.
Then none of this would have happened. She thought, closing her eyes tightly as the zombie lunged at her. She braced herself for the pain, but it didn’t come. Instead, she heard a slow, sarcastic clapping sound. She opened one eye. Squinting, she looked into the warm light of her desk lamp. Sitting in her chair was a woman with black hair and a blonde streak.
“Well? Have you finally gotten the message?” Ifry asked coldly, smiling down at her.
“What… what are you doing in my apartment and...” Cass shouted, trying to grab Ifry and throw her out, but her limbs wouldn’t obey her. She looked over her shoulder. Her arms were secured in a restraint, and her legs were bent backward and tied to it. Ropes secured her to the restraint, preventing any escape.
“I told you… You’ll regret this. Well then, see you later,” said Ifry, waving. Cass looked at her restraints once more and immediately realized she would never be able to free herself from them on her own.
“Hey! You can’t just leave me here like this!” she shouted. Ifry stopped in the doorway, turned to Cass, and leaned against the door.
“Oh, don’t worry. The restraints will disappear… eventually. Buuuut, they’ll come back,” said Ifry, nodding, “tomorrow night… with another nightmare, and then the night after that, and so on.”
Cass stared at Ifry.
“What?”
“That’s right. Until you get it…”
Cass stared at Ifry as if she’d gone crazy.
“Well then, see you later,” Ifry said again and turned to leave once more.
“Wa… wait!”
Ifry stopped and listened.
“I, uh… I’m sorry, okay? I… I’ll apologize to your girlfriend, too…”
“Yeah, I don’t buy that, but it’s a start. But Phae’s asleep now. She’ll be happy to hear your apology tomorrow when she unpacks,” Ifry said, snapping her fingers.
“Wait! You’re not going to let me out now, are you?” Cass asked before she suddenly saw leather straps gliding up the bed like snakes and heading toward her. “Wait! Hey, no! STOP!”
The straps began to wrap themselves around Cass, starting with her mouth, silencing her.
“Good night, good night, and have fun,” said Ifry, vanishing from Cass’s sight just before another strap blocked her view. She could do nothing but let them wrap around her body one by one, transforming her into a black, leather cocoon that just wiggled around on her bed.