Free Project Zulu by Fred Waltz

not that I understand what religion
has to do with any of this, I am a Christian, Roman Catholic to be exact.”
    “Religion has everything to do with this. Voodoo is
a religion practiced by over 60 million people.”
    “Listen OhAy, I do not doubt your personal religious
beliefs; I just have a hard time buying into zombies, petrified chicken feet
and corpses walking around.”
    OhAy chuckles, and replies with a bit or sarcasm and
a smirk of her own. “I know, it is hard to believe, that someone that is dead,
oh I don’t know say for three days, could come back to life and walk around. Oh
wait, isn’t that what your religious beliefs are based on. Didn’t Jesus rise
from the dead? Didn’t he bring Lazarus back from the dead? Isn’t the biggest
symbolism of Catholicism eating human flesh, and drinking human blood? It
sounds an awful lot like you worship a zombie to me; you believe that the dead
can rise and walk, based on faith alone. But you don’t believe it when you see
it with your own eyes? You just watched your friend Ross’s corpse reanimate and
kill two people.”
    Jimmy stops walking and makes eye contact with OhAy.
“I am sorry for criticizing your beliefs and doubting the validity of your
religion. I understand the point you are making, but please don’t compare Jesus
Christ to one of these creatures.”
    The smile leaves her face, and the sarcasm is gone
from her voice. “You are right, I apologize for my comments. I truly believe
that all religions can trace their roots back to a common source, and that
everyone believes in some greater force. Good and evil are around everyone,
everywhere, these creatures are not necessarily evil. I think they are just
empty. They did not choose to be what they are; they simply are what they are
because of manipulation.”
    Mike quickly approaches the two of them. “Is
everything alright, it sounded like you two were arguing?”
    They both shake their heads, Jimmy answers. “We were
just discussing how similar religious beliefs are at their roots. We are gonna
go check out the road down there now.”
    “I decided that I want you to take a guy with you
anyway; I do not want you out of radio contact.”
    “That sounded a lot like an order?”
    “It was. Sergeant Sonrox, accompany Mr. Gaston and
Dr. Solaine, report back any findings. Hank Sonrox saluted, “Yes Sir, General.”
    A second soldier approaches the General, “Sir, I
have a call on the satellite phone from Major Chonk, he says it is urgent Sir.”
    Major Chonk is the ranking officer left at the
Syscorp location. Jeb Chonk is a career military man, and he understands protocol,
an urgent call from him is just that, urgent. What was bothering Mike was the
fact that it was coming over the satellite phone, not normal communication
channels.
    Mike lifts the phone to his ear, “Go ahead Major.”
The line is dead. “Get me the Major back, either on the satellite, or radio, I
do not care.” He trots to catch up to the group walking away “Sergeant, cancel
that last order; sorry Jimmy, I am going to need you to stay put.”
    Had Jimmy, OhAy and the sergeant walked ten more
feet they would have discovered the rotting piece of thumb, teeming with
maggots.

Chapter 24
    Amy wishes that she had another cigarette; actually
she wishes that she had a whole pack. It seems to her that she has been walking
down this road just about forever. Not a single car has passed by and she has
not passed a single building. She is about to give up walking and sit down
right in the middle of the road when she sees the approaching headlights. At
first she thinks her eyes are playing tricks on her but then she realizes that
the two far off dimples of light are indeed headlights. She begins to move a
little faster, at first just a slight increase to the briskness of her walking
pace; then she begins to jog. Before she can get up to a full run, the sides of
the road in front of her come to life.
    “Don’t move! Get down on your knees,