The Locked Room Part 3

Evelina picked the perfect time to sneeze. The zombie stopped hollering and the priest quieted his chanting. Evelina and I froze behind the tunnel wall. I heard the rustling of robes approaching and I turned to run back through the tunnel as fast as my scrawny legs would take me. A flashlight caught me mid-stride, Evelina already a step ahead of me. It was the priest. “Stop, Children of Darkness! For you have seen nothing of the horrors of this world. Calmly follow me and you will not be harmed. Run, and you will suffer an unholy fate!” Was this guy for real? Talk about a drama queen. “Uh, why do you have a zombie in an underground tunnel?” I said, shielding my eyes from his holy light. Evelina stood by my side, tense. I knew what she was thinking. She could take him if needed. She was too quick, too athletic for him. And she was ready to pounce. “That is not a zombie, child. That is a man born of sin uncontested. He is condemned.” The balding priest took a step closer. “Nah, I’m pretty sure that’s a zombie, you hack.” Evelina’s voice carried throughout the tunnel with booming control. The priest hesitated and dropped the light just a touch. Evelina lurched forward, smashing into the priest with a high knee to his chest, knocking him back into the room. The priest let out a strangled breath and fell flat onto his back. He lay gasping on the ground, the zombie only a few feet away, arms outstretched, mouth agape and glistening with blood. Evelina was immediately on top of the priest, and then underneath him, her strong legs wrapped around his waist and her arms locked in a chock hold on his neck. “You’re going to tell us what’s going on here or you’ll be that zombie’s next meal.” Evelina squeezed and the man’s face turned shades of red I haven’t seen except in my Aunt Becky’s rose garden. Evelina softened her grip on the man’s neck enough for the man to breath. “We first...noticed...these demons...in the church. We’ve been...trying to exorcise them...for the past two weeks,” he choked out. “Wait,” I said, keeping both eyes on the zombie. “You’ve known about these guys for two weeks and you’ve just been keeping them down here trying to exorcise their demons? Jesus, man, have you ever heard of a doctor? The CDC?” “Answer her question or I’ll break your fucking neck. You scream, I’ll break your fucking neck.” Evelina’s biceps flexed. The girl was ready to kick some ass. “That...is the doctor.” The priest pointed toward the zombie. “He was part of our congregation.” The creature groaned, a sad, old note escaping its mouth. I almost felt sorry for it. Almost. Just then I caught a wisp of smoke coming from the side door, the scent of burning wood mingling with the decaying flesh of zombie. “Where’s that smoke coming from?” I asked, covering my nose with my shirt. The priest’s eyes went wide. He struggled in Evelina’s grasp. She clamped down with her legs. “You must let me go!” the priest shouted. “They’re coming!” “Calm your mojo, clergyman, and let me think,” Evelina shouted at him, her grip firm. And that’s when the howls began.