Editors' Note: Did you miss Part 1? Read it here.
Four days later, Brinker arrived in Haiti. He was in a holiday mood until he stepped off the plane. Though he’d been in a lot of weird places during his bounty hunting days, none had ever made him feel so creepy. Something about the atmosphere seemed unholy. Ethereal sounds of jungle drums rode on humid breezes, fading in and out. Strange voodoo symbols fes-tered on graffiti-covered walls. He found himself getting the willies.
On the way to the hotel, he asked the cab driver where he could find zombies.
Laughing, the driver said he’d seen too many horror movies.
The hotel clerk said the same thing.
Somebody knocked while Brinker was unpacking his suitcase.
A chambermaid entered, carrying a vase of flowers. “Compliments of the hotel,” she said, putting the vase on a table.
When Brinker handed her a tip, he noticed a small black figurine with red eyes hanging from her cheap looking necklace.
“That’s quite interesting,” he said.
“What is, Sir?”
“The black thing on your necklace. What is it?”
She grabbed the figurine and tucked inside the top of her maid’s uniform.
“It’s nothing, Sir.”
“Then why did you hide it?”
“It is not for the eyes of unbelievers. Please, Sir, I do not wish to anger the gods.”
“Which gods?”
“I must leave now,” she said in a shaky voice.
“See this? It’s five American dollars. It’s yours if you answer my question. What gods will be angry with you?”
“Mazuzu and Azolu. The gods that protect me from zombies. They do the same for anyone who offers sacrifices to them. I must leave now.”
Brinker dropped another five on the table. “I have another question.”
She picked up the money and said, “What is your question?”
“Have you ever you’ve seen a zombie?”
“Many times. Like everyone else in Haiti. You’ll see them too, if you stay here long enough.”
“I have three more five-dollar bills. They’re yours if you sit down for a few minutes and answer a few more questions.”
Realizing how many chickens she could buy with so much money, she took a chair.
“What do you want to know?”
“Let’s start with your name.”
“Bahody.”
“Well, Bahody, here’s the situation. I made a bet with some of my friends back in America. They said zombies don’t exist. I bet them $10,000 that they do. So to win the bet, I must find some zombies and take their pictures as proof. Where can I find them?”
“Zombies prowl everywhere in Haiti. Especially tonight under the full moon.”
“Perhaps you can tell me exactly where to go so I can find some, especially females.”
“You should never have made such a bet,” she said. “Especially about the living dead. It’s bad juju.”
“I’ll take the risk. Tell me where to go.”
“Café Rico. It’s not far from this hotel. It’s an unholy place. They say rats drop dead when they get too close.”
“When I get there, who should I see to get in touch with zombies?”
“Don’t go. You’ll lose your soul.”
“It’s more important that I don’t lose my $10,000 bet. How do I get there?”
“Any cab driver will know the way.”
“It’s such a nice evening, I prefer to walk. Who knows, I may even see a zombie or two along the way.”
Clasping her black figurine, she hoped the gods would forgive her for leading the foolish American to zombies. But she needed the money he offered. "When you leave the hotel, turn left. Go three blocks. Turn right, and go six more.” She grabbed the money and hurried out.
About Michael A. Kechula
Michael A. Kechula's stories have been published by 134 magazines and 41 anthologies. He’s won first place in 12 contests and placed in eight others. He’s authored three books of flash and micro-fiction: The Area 51 Option and 70 More Speculative Fiction Tales; A Full Deck of Zombies--61 Speculative Fiction Tales; I Never Kissed Judy Garland and Other Tales of Romance. eBook versions available at www.BooksForABuck.com and www.fictionwise.com. Paperbacks at www.amazon.com. His latest book, Writing Genre Flash Fiction The Minimalist Way - A Self Study Book, will be released December 2010.
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