Chapter Twenty-Six

It had become truth universally acknowledged that Mark had long lost sense of the situation, not since the brain scans had he even had the confidence that he ever deserved the trust of the people of Flake City. 

Mark, however, was never more sure, than when he realized that the government not only could control the brain scans, there was an entire department of people who worked the scans, and yet, only two people could be spared for their operations. 

Mark was livid. 

First, he took to drinking, and then ended up passed out for over half a day. Henry and Martin, feeling bad for their part in the situation, each helped continue running the same reports, but, also noticed that the phone hardly rang much, and it seemed the people of Flake City were just as aware of the situation as mark was, now. 

No one cared about Flake City, except the weird department of military F class officials who were working with other branches of the R & D lab, reporting the results of these scans. 

Adam, Mark’s boyfriend, was eventually notified, and he tried reaching out to Mark, but Mark had drank heavily, and it would take some serious magic intervention to get him to snap out of it anytime soon. Rumor has it they had gotten into a fight because Mark asked Adam to help with his request for a drone, one with a gun mounted so he could help people in the city who were in binds. 

Martin felt bad, and it was this pity that led to him manning the phone line while Henry slept his shift and Mark slept off the bottles he had put away. 

It was this pity that allowed Chloe’s patient plan to work. Chloe had been trying, for a while, to time a call to when Martin, the telepath, would be answering, like he had before. Chloe hadn’t been able to reach him any other way than on accident when dialing. 

The moment Martin answered, Chloe knew she was in luck, and Martin wondered if this girl in Flake City who somehow made him so chatty would get him killed for betraying secrets. 

“Hey Martin, I need to know what is going on, and why these brain scans are making zombies active. I know you know. We have been in communication with the radio station.” 

Martin, hating himself for being unable to stop talking, watched himself in horror in the reflection of a window as the words poured out of his mouth. “It’s classified. They don’t know which scans affect which zombies, and these new types that were created from the scans, those are totally operating under different rules. Mark had no idea, and he is not okay with it. I have no say in it either, I just know about it. Apparently some scans were done at request of people inside Flake, to get the zombies to go inactive. This can make other zombie more active. We are currently trying to see if this special scan made the newest type of zombie.”

“So how do you sleep at night knowing that you all know all about different types of zombies and what affects them, but you can’t tell that reporter, that is here to help us, anything?”

“How do I sleep?” Martin laughed a bitter laugh. “I haven’t slept properly since the night F class paid me a visit.

“When are they planning the next few scans?”

“Over the course of the next few days. The new zombies make them want to scan to identify, that scan seems to only agitate the zombies, and with the snow everyone should be safe.” Martin replied, looking around, hoping no-one was listening in. 

“You people are going to kill us!” Came the voice of an older man. 

“We aren’t trying to.” Martin pleaded. “I promise, the team here, at the hotel, we are trying to keep you all alive…it’s just…this is all above all of us, it goes above our heads…this is all…”

“Don’t you fucking say it.” The old man growled. “Don’t you dare say a part of what is to come.”

‘It is!” Martin said. “Are you telepathic too?” Martin listened, but only heard a door slam. 

“You need to find a way to at least tell us when scans will happen, and what to expect, and you need to tell us, on that stupid news channel, every piece of information you have access to! That is supposed to be your job!” Chloe yelled. 

“I..” Martin listened, and knew someone was coming, nearly able to hear their thoughts. “I have to go!” Martin squeeked out before hanging up.