章 56: Zenalda the royal
Life could not have been better for Zenalda. She could now feed her dogs twice a day and those annoying volunteers stopped visiting her---- she just had to make sure that her pets are properly trained to solve their barking problem.
Even people at the office noticed her looking more bright and lively--- young even. Maybe because of her healthier lifestyle (as a requirement for her part-time job) or maybe because of the vaccine shots she was getting once a month.
Her part-time job was a piece of cake, she just had to show up once a week at Kathy's private laboratory, sometimes for taking a vaccine shot, or sometimes to take a physical check-up.
Money could not be earned as easier than this, especially when she was being paid five times the salary she was getting as a cleaning lady.
She would laugh whenever she's with her dogs, talking to them. "Maybe I should quit my job." The job that she fought for was suddenly insignificant to her. "And enjoy my days with you babies." She believed she now had the leisure to spend more time with her dogs. "I should give my resignation tomorrow."
But for now---as the day was still to end---she headed to Kathy's lab.
As usual, she was waiting at the lobby waiting for her turn. She was rubbing her hands together. She looked around searching for the air conditioner--- it seemed like it was set to zero degrees. Or maybe, it was because there were fewer people around.
Every week the crowd seemed to get smaller and smaller. Zenalda felt sorry for those who backed out, for wasting such a great opportunity to earn money. 'They're stupid to quit this job.' She thought as she rubbed her hands on her neck for warmth.
But the advantage of it was, the smelly old man was no longer her seatmate, the current crowd was sitting apart from each other--- there were too many seats for the very few people. No wonder the man had no home to live in, a man who cannot keep this job for a month would not be able to keep a normal job.
Just like every week that she had been here, Zenalda was given a form for her to answer--- asking questions about her well-being.
Have you experienced any body pain for the past week? If so, where? No
Are you experiencing severe fatigue or feeling tired in the morning? No
Did you experience any allergic reaction? No
Do you have any inexplicable bruises and/or lumps? No
Was there sudden urge of uncontrollable emotion such as depression and/or aggression? No
Is there any change of pattern in you eating habit? No
Do you crave certain food that was not your preference before? No
She always answered no to everything. The vaccine had no side effect to her--- so far.
"Ms. Zenalda." The nurse called for her for the third time.
"Oh, yes," Zenalda was too occupied with her paper that she heard the nurse belatedly. "in here."
"Dr. Kathy is waiting for you." The nurse opened the door for her.
"Thank you." Zenalda went inside the familiar room.
The room reeked of chemicals and alcohol.
"Zen," Kathy was tapping her fingers on the table. "sit here."
Zenalda sat adjacent to Kathy and lifted her sleeve--- she knew the routine pretty well, it was her eighth time after all.
"I believe we won't see each other as much anymore," Kathy dabbed a cotton with alcohol on her skin. "I'm confident on this one."
"What!" Zenalda jerked to the side, shocked that her favorite job was about to end.
Kathy gripped her shoulder firmly. "You should congratulate me, Zen." Kathy inserted the needle as she administered the vaccine to her. "You should celebrate yourself, for your contribution to a new era."
"We both did a good job then…" she hid her disappointment. "…congratulations to us."
"If you don't mind," Kathy opened her drawer filled with white envelope. "I added a bit more." Kathy grabbed the one with Zenalda's initial and gave it to her.
"Thank you." Zenalda lowered her sleeve and took the envelope and immediately felt the difference, it was indeed thicker than usual.
Done with the injection, Zenalda stood up and turned the knob on the door.
"Zen," Kathy said. "Call me if you feel anything unusual tonight."
"Oh, no." Zenalda declined the offer. "I'm sure I'll be fine just as usual."
***
The blue bus stopped as people lined up for the last ride.
Zenalda walked down the bus, and with a cotton taped on her arm, she began walking towards her home.
Her favorite weatherman on channel eight did say that tonight's weather would be good, but the sky was of deep blue and absent of any stars--- even the moon was nowhere to be found.
But with her full trust to the weatherman, she left her umbrella on her doorstep earlier in this morning.
It was a Friday, and she was expecting more people wandering about, but there was none. The road was deafeningly quiet as a car rush past opposite her.
Zenalda cannot wait to go home, with the tail of her babies waggling, waiting for her to feed them. She passed by the dumpster and stopped in front of it--- as if waiting for a puppy to come out. She suddenly remembered the first day she saw Rainy, on how could someone had the heart to abandon a puppy. To Zenalda, the nights where she cuddled with Rainy were the most peaceful sleep she ever had. But unfortunately, Rainy was too big for her bed now--- Rainy settled on the floor under her bed.
The streetlight suddenly blinked into a dim light and died---- making the street pitch dark.
Thankfully, Zenalda knew her route well, she would not get lost even in the dark.
She might be able to walk blindly to her home, but not without any complications.
Someone bumped into her shoulder--- hard. "Watch where you're going!" she turned around, expecting to see a drunk old man, she squinted her eyes as she began to see in the dark. Zenalda could not tell the age, the only thing she could be sure of was that the person in front of her was a man.
The man's face was hidden under his gray hoodie, his hands was on his pocket. He had black jeans and a converse. But based on his attire, Zenalda concluded that he was a young man.
"Women of my age have weak knees." Zenalda grunted. "Be careful next time." She turned around to leave the young man alone, when an arm choked her on the neck. "What are you doing, let go of me!"
The more Zenalda struggled, the more the young man tightened his hold. "Help!" the young man covered her mouth. "Mmmm!" she mumbled.
"Give me your wallet." The young man shoved something behind her back which might be a gun or a knife. "And no one will get hurt."
'No.' There was no way Zenalda would give her a month worth of part-time work to a lazy young man that would probably just use it to buy some drugs. 'No.' Zenalda shook her head as she embraced her bag on her chest.
"No?" Zenalda could feel the young man's creeping smile. "Too much to lose, huh?" he pressed the weapon closer to her back, Zenalda could feel its sharp edge. "Just give me the money."
The young man's arm loosened a little as he reached for Zenalda's bag. Feeling this, Zenalda bolted away as fast as she could--- she did not dare to look back. She knew he was behind her, and surely, he runs fasted than her.
And just as what her body would naturally feel from forcing it to run, Zenalda's right knee gave up and she knelt on the floor. "Noooooo!" she shouted. "Heeelp!" her home was only two blocks away, surely a neighbor would hear her.
"Now you made me angry, old hag." The young man covered her mouth and pinned her on the floor. "I'm…trying…to be nice… by giving you a choice. But I already decided…" Zenalda could not move away from the young man's weight above her. "I'll take your money, and I'll take your life too." The young man grunted as he lifted the knife towards the dark sky.
The young man stabbed her on the chest, on the stomach, on the ribs---- on the heart. He stabbed her four times until blood spluttered everywhere.
He grabbed her bag and ran away from the scene--- leaving Zenalda laying still on the asphalt.
Up until her last moment, all she could think of was her babies.
Who would take care of them now?
***
Even death would not keep Zenalda away from her babies.
Zenalda's eyes suddenly flew open, she was on the street, with her hands and clothes filled with her own blood. She stood up, but her eyes were blank, empty of any recognition.
It was around three in the morning, and nobody was on the street to help her. But she needed no help, as she felt no pain--- except for a burning pit on her stomach.
She was there, but she wasn't. She was alive, but she's not.
She walked limply, slowly straight ahead--- her body remembers the route towards her home.
She finally reached her home and opened her door.
Her dogs were waiting at the front door, not with waggling tails but with grinding teeth--- warning her not to enter their territory.
It only took one step for her babies to attack her, they bit her everywhere, but no blood oozed from their punctures.
They bit her more as Zenelda stood on her feet with only one thing on her mind--- the burning pit on her stomach.
***
Zenalda woke up on her bed, with blood all over her body, remembering that she was robbed.
She immediately stood up from her bed to call for the police, but something stopped her at her door.
Rainy, lying on the floor--- blood everywhere.
"No!" Zenalda shouted hysterically. "No!"
The young man went into her house too.
Zenalda followed the bloody footmarks towards the kitchen and saw that Rainy was not the only victim.
There was a pile of crimson furs on the kitchen floor--- all of her dogs lying dead.
"Nooooooooo! She ran towards the phone and dialed the emergency number.
"Hurry," Agitated, she pivoted around--- a mirror in front of her. "Hurry," She saw her reflection and the terror on her face. There were blood everywhere, on her shirt, on her pants, on her bare feet--- and on her face. Blood were all around her mouth.
Now aware, she could taste the metallic tang on her tongue, remembering snippets of memory from the night--- memories that could only make sense on a dream.
Zenalda was taking a bite of Rainy, devouring her brain. Rainy whimpers, pleading for her to stop--- but she did not, filling her empty stomach.
"What's you're emergency?" The dispatcher answered.
Zenalda hanged the phone down and dialed a different number.
After three rings, a woman answered. "Hello." Kathy said over the phone.
"You told me to call," Zen said. "I think I'm going crazy!" she howled, but no tears poured out of her eyes.
Zenalda told everything to Kathy--- leaving the part where she suspects that she ate her dogs.
"Calm down, Zen. Don't be hysterical, this calls for a celebration." Kathy said, unperturbed. "You're cured from death."
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