Chapter 5

A little Guardian to kid training... Jim and Lotta finally getting to know each other.

          “Ok, the first thing you have to remember is that zombies all have different fighting techniques depending on their type, which are Growlers, Spitters, and Hellraisers.” Officer James explained, pulling out a huge packet from his RS duffle bag.

          “Type? I didn’t know there were different kinds of zombies.” I replied.

          “Isn’t it great?” He said with mock sarcasm and flipped through several pages until he got to a list of zombie types and pictures of each one. It was more than I wanted to know, but I kept listening. “The weakest one is a Growler. All they do is follow you around and growl, and if they could somehow magically catch up to you, they’d probably ask for a hug. If they get close to you though, it’s good to cut their heads off. They don’t need the suffering of being undead. The next in the list are Spitter zombies. They look like Innocents but if you get too close, they throw up some sort of acid from their throat that will melt your skin within contact. Oh and they can track your scent like a dog.”

          “But how can you tell the difference between them?” I asked.

          Officer James smiled. “Once you get more experienced in this field, you’ll be able to tell. It’s like a sixth sense.”

          I snorted. “Way to be corny.”

          He rolled his eyes and continued. “Now, on to the last type. The third and final one is a Hellraiser. Do not ever go near one of these. Once they have you you’re as good as dead.” I nodded but cocked my head in confusion. He took the opportunity to explain further. “Hellraisers aren’t on the top of the list for nothing. They move faster than the blink of an eye, their senses are extremely sharp, and any old gun can’t kill them. Oh and they can also, like Spitters, produce a venomous acid that will not only melt your skin, it will dissolve you completely. It’s easier for them to digest you that way. This liquid can dissolve solid steel.”

          My eyes were the size of saucers. “How am I supposed to protect myself from that?” I gasped. He chuckled.

          “That’s what I’m here for though- to protect you and be your mentor. Now, lets start with the basics.”

          “Sure. As soon as my brain kicks into gear again.” I stared at him blankly and he poured iced tea on my head.

          “Rule number one. Never space out. They take that as a green light and take you down on the spot.” I shuddered and shook my wet head to get it semi-dry.”

          Officer James pulled an old zombie head from his duffel bag and set it down on the ground. Then he pulled two more from it and lined them up with the first one. “Which one is a Growler?” He asked.

          “But you didn’t tell me how to identify them yet!” I protested. He poured more iced tea on me.

          “Focus. Think logically. Which one looks like a Growler to you? Use your instincts.” He commanded, sounding like a real trainer.

          I squinted my eyes and studied each zombie head thoroughly. The first one was missing a few teeth and his skin was barely decayed, so I pointed at him. Once again, I got my soon-to-be least favorite drink dumped on my head. “What did I do now?” I yelled.

          “Rule number two. Never loose your cool. You start thinking irrationally and that will get you dead. Now, that was a Hellraiser. Think again. Focus this time.”

          Studying the heads again, I took more caution this time, since I was already soaked. The second head was a little more decayed, but there was green goo on the side of his mouth so I tagged him as a Spitter. When I checked with Officer James, he patted me on the shoulder and smiled. I continued my search for the Innocent. The third head, being the least appealing, was almost completely rotten inside out. It was missing almost all its teeth and its nose was just a hole now.

          “Are you sure you didn’t go grave digging because these heads look pretty… umm… decomposed.” I said, gripping my nose due to the rancid smell.

          “I thought I told you to focus!” Yet again, I could kiss my semi-dryness goodbye, and say hello to Mr. Arizona green tea.

          This time I was determined to find the right head, so I pointed to the third one. I got a pat on the back

          “Good work, you got it. We’ll continue this tomorrow morning. You can take my keys and run up to the apartment. I’ll meet you there in a minute.” He started packing up the heads and tossed me his house keys. It was convenient that his apartment building was right next to the basketball court because I could just run upstairs after training. As soon as I reached his apartment, I crashed on the couch, like I had the night before. It was a sweet sensation…