General Population (7 page)

Maddix stared at the pictures in the book. The size proportions were off from what he had found on the Statsnys' property. By his best estimates, the wasp they were looking for was at least double the normal size. "Must be something in the water for it to get so big. Have you been doing some illegal experimentation?"

Ephrain laughed. "Wasn't me, I swear. Seriously, though, this isn't my expertise. Maybe ask Herr Doctor about it."

"Oh hell no," said Tara. "That man is sick. Besides, I doubt he would willingly help."

"Maybe," Maddix replied, gobbling the last bite of his muffin, "this would be something he'd have an interest in. After my last talk with him he is probably dying for some scientific work."

The last conversation wasn't pleasant for Maddix. Deryck Himmelreich arrived in Malevolent some decades ago. Everyone knew the story about the resident Nazi war criminal that performed the most diabolical human experiments ever known in recorded history. Never a member of the Nazi party himself, but he aligned himself with the Third Reich just to gain access to their vast resources and no restrictions.

Shortly after being condemned to Malevolent, rumors circulated that he had begun rounding up zombies from the forest and performed experiments on them. This caused a big unrest in the population and it was the first and only time Maddix had to deal with a problem directly. The brief conversation the two men had had been enough for Maddix to understand the real depth to the man's evil. The human race was nothing short of a work in progress and Dr. Deryck Himmelreich considered himself a chief architect. Aside from his brilliantly diabolical mind, there was nothing supernatural about the man at all. How he came to become a resident of Malevolent instead of being executed as a war criminal was a mystery to everyone.

"Zombies," said Maddix.
 

Tara and Ephrain both looked at each other, confused.
 

"You said the wasp turns cockroaches into zombies?"

"Oh yeah, says it right here. Injects venom into the brain."

"Breakfast is over," Maddix stated. "We need to look at those bodies before the constables burn them,"

After the arrival of the zombie population to Malevolent, there also came a new set of guidelines involving possible infection from being bitten. One of the more unpleasant of these guidelines was the burning of all bodies exposed to the infected. It was supposed to be handled on a volunteer basis, but all that meant most of the time was the chief 'volunteered' people for assignments. Larouche did not consider the constables to be a democracy or civilian security force. It was paramilitary from his perspective and he would be the final word on everything.
 

The main strip ran along the southern part of Malevolent and ended just a few miles shy of the eastern edge. Kept in a secluded area out of sight of the town was the makeshift crematorium made out of rock and some rusted metal. It was crude but practical and got the job done. The few constables that were still there from when it was built spoke of how much of a pain in the ass it was to put together. They had tried to get some help from the residents, but the idea of helping their jailers build something to potentially burn their families with was not something they were keen on.

The weather was hot that morning and the flames from the fire didn't help matters much. Rick and Jackson practically begged Larouche to pick someone else, but the chief was not someone who second-guessed or pulled favors. When he gave someone a command, they followed it or faced repercussions, and Javier was really good at coming up with punishments that made you think twice.

"Feels kind of wrong, doesn't it? Just burning his body like this," said Rick

"Maybe, but it's the rules. We don't know if he's contagious still," Jackson replied.

"I just wish there was another way, you know?"

"Yep. But fuck it. At least we get to burn one of those furry fucks."

"Yeah," he laughed. "If this damn fire will start to burn."

When Maddix and company arrived, they could see two bodies were wrapped up in white sheets and laying in a small wagon. They were piled on top of each other and spilling out over either side.
No respect for the dead,
Maddix thought.

"Hey fellas," Maddix called.

"Christ," said Jackson. "What the hell you want, Benbrook? We're busy laying our friend to rest."

"I see that. Larouche spared no expense for the service, did he?"

"Watch it, Overseer."

"We don't have time for this. I need to inspect the bodies before you dispose of them."

Tara and Ephrain were already taking the two bodies from the wagon and laying them next to each other on the ground. Ephrain removed the covering from their faces. It was almost hard to tell the zombie from the bitten constable by now. The infection continued to decay the body even after the brain was destroyed. The dead constable was still dressed in his uniform, sans his protective badge.
 

"Hey now! You can't do that!"
 

"Thanks for your help." Maddix patted the two men on the back and joined his friends by the bodies.
 

The two overseers looked over every inch of the two bodies, occasionally breaking a bone trying to move the limbs where rigor mortis had set in. The smell was strong and got only worse the more they moved the bodies around. Finally, after almost giving up, Maddix found a hole in the back of the zombie's neck underneath his hanging hair and skin.

"I think I found what we're looking for," said Maddix, sticking his fingers into the hole. The sloshing sound of puss and brain made everyone but Ephrain look away.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Tara, covering her face. The smell grew worse.
 

Holding his breath, Maddix slid his whole hand into the small of the zombie's head. He could feel pieces of bone and brain as he continued to dig deeper.
I know you're in here,
Maddix thought. After pushing his hand in up to its wrist, he felt something that should not have been there. It felt hard on the outside but soft overall. Getting a good grip on it, he pulled his hand out of the monster's brain.
 

Maddix's hand was covered in black slime and chunks of rotten brain, with the remains of the strange wasp in his palm. It was similar to a textbook jewel wasp, but its abdomen looked like a deflated balloon, and its stinger was longer than normal with a hooked tip. Clearly whoever got stung by this would have a difficult time getting it off of them.

"I think we have some new guests in the realm," Maddix stated.
 

"You are one sick fuck, Overseer," said Rick. "Now can we get back to work?"

"Yes, absolutely. Where is the werewolf I killed last night?"

"It's still at the station. The dogs want it back so the chief is negotiating a release."

"So," said Ephrain, "what are you going to do with that?"

"Well first, I'm going to borrow one of your mason jars so I don't have to carry it like this. Then I'm going to take your advice and show it to Dr. Himmelreich. Something tells me that he might be interested in this little specimen."

After a few minutes of arguing back and forth, Maddix finally convinced Tara that he should go see Himmelreich alone. The loss of either one of them—tragic as it would be—would not be as bad a loss as if both of them were killed. They both had knowledge that was crucial to the safety of all the humans in Malevolent and the outside world. Besides, Maddix felt responsible for her safety as well, even though he knew she could handle herself. It was just part of his nature.
 

Walking through town felt different from the day before. He was more paranoid and kept glancing over his shoulder or the tops of buildings. Things were so unpredictable now and it was enough to drive Maddix crazy. Where would the next attack come from? Would there be another attack at all? Hopefully, some insight from the local mad scientist would help shed light on things.

The voice of Constable Roberts called out from behind him as he walked past the station. He stopped and turned to face the man as he shuffled quickly to catch up with him. Maddix recalled the sexist comments from the night before and really didn't feel like talking, but he kept his professional wits about him.

"Just the man I was going to see," Roberts remarked.

"Good morning, Sergeant," said Maddix.
 

"The chief wants to talk to back in his office. Now please."

"Tell him I'm following up on a lead, and I'll fill him in on it later."

"I must insist. The chief wants to make evacuation plans and he can't do that till he knows what you plan to do about that werewolf bitch."

"Tell Larouche this," snapped Maddix. "I have reasonable information that suggests these attacks may not be deliberate, so I am going to seek a consultation from Dr. Himmelreich."

"Come on, Benbrook. Why do you care if these things die or not? They're monsters," said Roberts.

Maddix didn't know how to respond.

"Is it because you've made friends with some of them? Don't make me laugh. You let any one of these things back into the real world and they will tear you and the rest of humanity to pieces. Just do what the Founding Father's should have done and end this place now."

"I know," Maddix replied, feeling humbled. "I just need to be sure before I sentence thousands of people to death."

"People?" said Roberts, shaking his head. "You know what your problem is, Benbrook? You don't want to accept the truth. There are no people here. Go talk to the
trustworthy
Nazi scientist, and then go see the chief."

Roberts walked away from Maddix mumbling to himself. He didn't understand it all, but he could hear "stupid kid" as clear as day. Maybe he was stupid for feeling the way he did, but he just couldn't take a chance he made the wrong decision. Especially when there were so many lives at stake. Granted, most of those lives were undead.

Deryck Himmelreich was a man with a lavish history but since being condemned to Malevolent, he lived a rather humble existence. His home was smaller than one would expect. Its walls were made of red and brown bricks with four windows in the front with planters underneath each one. Two modest vegetable gardens lay in front of the house, each with ripe and ready to pick tomatoes dangling in the sun.
 

Toiling away at the soil was the not-so-good doctor. He was dressed in a part of dirty overalls and an eccentric looking hat that was clearly chosen for its practical use rather than any sense of style. As he worked in the heat, Maddix could hear him whistling some familiar but indeterminate tunes. He only assumed that they must be German fight songs or some other European ditty.
 

"Welcome to my home, Err Overseer," said Himmelreich, sensing Maddix' presence behind him.

"Good morning, Doctor."
 

"What brings you to my little piece of paradise? You will have to excuse my attire. I wasn't expecting any guests today. Not that I get many guests at all."

"It's all right, Doctor Himmelreich."

"It's been quite a few years since you've paid me a visit. Is this in regards to the death of that vampire? Statsny is the name, I think?"

"You know about that?"

"People talk, I listen. You suspect I am involved somehow?"

"I'm actually here to get your opinion on something," said Maddix.
 

The old man's eyes lit up like a child being offered candy from a stranger. "Well, that would be a pleasure. How could I help you?"

Maddix reached into his coat and removed a small jar containing the dead wasp before holding it up in plain view. The doctor pulled a tiny pair of glasses from his pocket and put them on to examine the specimen closer.

"Where did you find this? It's quite impressive."
 

"You've seen it before?"

"Not exactly, but it resembles a species of parasitic wasp. This one looks as though it as been mutated somehow. Perhaps it ate something unnatural … there are a great number of scientific peculiarities living here."

"I agree that there are, but let's assume that's not the case. How would something like this get here?"

Himmelreich laughed. "In this place, who knows? We are standing in a marriage of magic, spirituality, and science. Constructed for the sole purpose of keeping humanity's deadliest predators locked away. This could simply be the latest condemned monster."

"You're suggesting the Founding Fathers sent these things in here?"

The doctor placed his hands behind his back and paced. "As I said, who knows? It could be that, or the magic of this place is starting to affect some of the wildlife. Too much of this place is a mystery. What I would give to do some real experimentation here."

"I would have gotten some kind of notification if they were going to imprison something else."

"What is your interest in this insect, anyway?"

"Just concerned about a possible infestation," answered Maddix, putting on his best poker face. "Some of the residents are complaining about ruined crops."
 

Himmelreich looked Maddix right past the eyes and into his soul. "I see."

"So if there is anything else you can add that would help …"

"I don't think you have to worry," said Himmelreich. He snatched the jar from Maddix's hand and held it up in front of his face. "See here, the body is deformed from a typical wasp. It's missing some vital organs; I wouldn't give this species more than a month before it dies out. Insects like this require food sources that aren't available here. It will die of starvation, just as this one appears to have. Note the caved-in stomach area."

He nodded in agreement and took the jar from the doctor.

"Would you mind if I kept that. I would like to study it more."

"I think it would be best if I kept it. If word got out that you were experimenting with some kind of new species of wasp, it might make people a little uncomfortable."

The doctor's face went long and still. Maddix stared into the man's eyes and could not see anything behind them that even suggested the existence of a soul. This was a truly evil man that thrived on the fear of others. Humanity was nothing more than a collection of test subjects just waiting for their turn on the cutting board and he was not used to one of those weak specimens refusing him, ever.