Zombie Diaries: A Zombification Tale; (5)

2/1/2012

Noting the time of entry as: 3:32 AM.

I should note that sleep has been minimal.  I continue to be obsessed with this mounting break through. It took several dozen more dissections later and spending much of my life savings paying off the mortuaries to keep this quiet to find out that all the corpses were in some degree of zombification.

A soft rap at the door brings Dirk out of his revelry of remembering his past.  He wanted to try to figure out where exactly things went wrong.  He needed to make sure all the notes were conclusive and correct.  There was no room for error. If anyone responded or accepted his letters as convincing and factual he needed to review everything.  He wanted everything to be irrefutable.

Again, soft taps on the office door brought him out of his thoughts.  The storm had let up outside and there was a brink of light coming through the office windows.  He went to the door, there stood his head assistant.  He stumbled for words like a 12 year old little boy.  She was beautiful beyond measure with her shoulder length dark brunette hair.  Her bright green eyes gazed at him.  And he stumbled for a meek “hello Janet”. 

She handed Dirk a pile of documents. “These were on the copier, I assume these are yours.  I found some of the material rather discerning.  Don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me.  I need the funding for this project and as much I think you’re a complete waste of lab space, for now I will keep you around.  But, know that soon I will be running this lab and you will have no purpose here.  Use your remaining days wisely.”

She turned to leave, but Dirk, no longer afraid of her gently put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back.  “Janet, do you have a love in your life?” 

Janet, Hrmphed, caught a little off guard by the question responded in haste “Dirk, it’s none of your business, but, taking care of your pathetic ass so that I remain in the University’s good graces, well, doesn’t leave much time.  I’m fine dedicating myself to my research thank you very much.”

A tear streamed down Dirk’s cheek. He responded much kinder than she deserved “I’m sorry Janet.  Thank you for bringing my documents.  Have a good day.”

She stormed away and Dirk shut the office door behind him as he made his way back to the desk. He looked through the documents Janet had given him.  They were some of the originals he had left in the copier of his research and his letters.   She hadn’t skimmed enough to fully understand his question evidently. It’s too bad.  She’s so beautiful.  I wanted to spare her being a zombie.  But, it was too late; too late for everyone.  Dirk ran his hands through his thick head of white hair.  Some of the strands of his hair came out as he did so. Small clumps were in his hands.

He threw the hair in the garbage can under the desk.  He glanced briefly at the office clock.  It was 8:17 AM.  The evening and night had passed so quickly. He thought about it.  He must have fallen asleep in between reading and getting things organized.

He didn’t feel rested, quite the contrary he felt worn out.  He felt at his wits end.  He locked his office door and turned some music up on the PC in front of him. He had no desire to respond to anymore interruptions.  This was his hour, his time, and the final attempt to try to stem the epidemic.  Time was running out. 

He continued to read the journal entry.

The zombification was very apparent. Skin was dried across much of the body indicating a lack of water retention.  Though these are corpses and would in theory lack a certain ability to retain water, the skin was flaky and would fall off like a 100 year old corpse.  The dead ones were severely advanced cases.  Family members claimed that the people were abnormally old in life.  Interviews of family members indicated the families were closed to discussing the deceased.  They would not release any information.  I had to personally investigate public records.  They indicated 100 to 110 years old on average. The strange thing though was the public records on these people showed them all having the very similar birthdates.  It is my conclusion that birthdates and death certificates were manipulated to hide the truth that these people were well aged beyond years.

What’s also precarious is cause of death. There appeared to be no indicative damage to organs that would indicate a cause of death. I must conclude that although these people were in advanced stages of zombification based on the current condition of their bodies, there is no cause for death that I am able to find.

The writing in the journal gets more and more sloppy as the words go on.  Some of the words became illegible.  Dirk rubs his eyes as he attempts to continue reading in his exhausted state of being.

………..  body.   The writing becomes legible again.  I am afraid that the fates of these corpses were merciful fates.  ………..  A coffee wring blots out some of the writing and ruins several of the sentences. ….. I have concluded my research on corpses. It’s time to proceed to understanding the medical records of living beings.  I need a full panel of urine, blood, and other bodily fluid tests, and full body scans to determine if there’s something causing the zombification. I conclude that zombieism is real, though I have to come up with the empirical evidence of true zombification. Which means, finding what is truly causing the process.

I will find the culprit. I will not conclude my research until I do.  I fear what will happen upon my discovery.  I’ll be laughed out of my position and office.  Janet will be the least of my worries. However, I must see this through no matter what…..

The entry ends.   Dirk holds out the page squinting trying to understand the illegible sections, but is unable to read them.  The fatigue catches up to him.  He leans over his desk, puts his head down and falls asleep instantly.