Snow Blind
an excerpt

The thing about the opening was that it was very large and very tall. An iron gate made it impossible to pass. Birds showed up, just as the carriage came to the front gates of the stately manor. What they were doing there was anybody’s guess. Thousands of them colored the sky black, and what little sunshine there was went into the pits. That’s when it started to snow, and the birds not liking any snow on themselves took off, leaving a gray sky left. The man sitting next to Gorlong Amputong was breathing hard, as if he had been for a long run, but he really had something wrong with his lungs, an injury during some war with the long dead zombies of Calcutta. This man’s name was Abdulah Abusetta, and he had an incredible tale which he told to Gorlong during the trip in the carriage from San Francisco to this the Napa Valley. At first, Gorlong just nodded, but the story became more and more interesting.

It appeared to Abdulah on a primitive night. The best laid plans of Abdulah had been to sleep with a young woman from his village. But there was a terrible hubbub while he chatted with young Suxwhetana. Something had come roaring through the village like a tidal wave, a man weaving back and forth. He appeared to be on some kind of drug. But the look in his face was crazy weird. Some of Abdulah’s friends had caught him, and were holding him down, He was screaming the words Anubis, Canaliaph, Bengezeratis, and the words didn’t mean anything to Abdulah or his friends. There was nothing that the zombie could do with three men holding on to him. Abdulah hoped that he would soon be able to go back to his date with Suxwhetana, but he couldn’t leave his friends alone to hold the zombie. This lead him to believe that life in the towns of Calcutta were not fun, and he planned on leaving the city right then and there. It didn’t matter if Suxwhetana wanted to go with him or not.

Abdullah left the zombie ridden capitol of Shrivasana provence, and got a frigate from the shores of the Indian Ocean. He said his goodbyes from the boat dock in the Ganges, with the horrifying thought of the zombie which they had subdued in his home town of Budenasti. He felt like something of a coward not facing the zombie and running out on Suxwhetana the way he did, but it couldn’t be helped. He wanted nothing to do with that old world town, and it’s old world ways. He wanted to live free of zombies, and the problems that they caused in Budenasti. He might have gone on up the River Ganges had he gotten the right boat, but he got the wrong boat and floated down the ancient water way to a place at the edge of the continent where another boat, this one much larger awaited passengers for lands on the new Continent of America. He had heard much talk about the continent, and none of it had mentioned the zombie
It was an interesting story that Gorlong heard from Abdulah. But at last they were at the castle in the Napa Valley. It was a castle bit amongst the vineyards. The gate seemed huge and fantastic with grotesque figures carved into the placements where the giant iron gates were pinned and hinged.

Upon opening the gate some men with pistols greeted the carriage.

“Your father awaits you Gorlong,” said one in black pants and a cowboy hat. The combination of styles seemed very western to Abdullah.

“It will be good to get some rest in a real bed, tonight, ehh Abdullah.”

“Indeed, it will.” Abdullah had been educated in the British system of schools which ran throughout India in the Shrivasana Provence.

They went to the castle in the carriage, got very close indeed, and went up the steps. “It’s very nice of you to invite me to your father’s abode. I wasn’t sure where I was going to stay, but your offer seemed to be right in time. Again, I’m truly sorry about the story of my life, up to now it has been very boring. I know you must have been very bored with my tales of zombies in Shrivasan Provence.”

“Hold that thought will you.”
“We must meet my father for dinner.”

There was a man in a nice suit and tie, without the cowboy hat who met the two men at the door of the castle in Napa.

“I’ll have my butler show you to a room.”

They went up the stairs, Abdulah and the butler, Abdulah had seen such places only in the pictures of castles which had come across the television screen in Shrivasana Provence.

Abdulah laid down for a minute, and then something attacked him, and it made him fight with every ounce of his being for his life, but he was losing the battle, and it was making him endure much pain, an exquisite pain actually. Soon, he lost consciousness, and was under the strange influence of a voice. For some reason, Abdullah chanted the words, which he had heard the zombie say in Budenasti: Anubis, Canalipha, Bengeaeratis. And they seemed to have an effect on his attacker. The attack stopped all of a sudden, and Abdulah was left with a few scratches but nothing more than that. Little did he know that he had survived an attack from a crazed drug fiend who wandered the castle sometimes under the influence of the drug cocaine and sometimes free.

Gorlong opened the door, and the figure rushed to an open window and flung himself outside of the room, and into the blackness of the night.

“Gorlong, who was that?”

“I don’t really know for sure, but I think it was one of my father’s guests. He’s a drug dealer, don’t you know, and well some of his guests overuse the drugs he offers and they turn into that. I’m sorry but I have no better explanation.”

“It seems like a curse, something similar to the zombies of my homeland.”

“Oh. I didn’t have a chance to ask you, but do they use cocaine or something like it in your country. It’s just a thought, but it might explain why there are zombies in Budenasti.”

“It’s a thought, but no. We don’t have cocaine in Budenasti. I fear trying such a drug if it makes men into this type of animal.”

“Was it an animal? Did you notice something about it, a creature more animal than human?”

Abdullah sat on the side of the bed with his head in his hands. “It is hard to say. I didn’t get a good look at the being. It seemed to be trying to bite me on the neck. Trying to kill me.”

Abdullah sat at the dresser, a mirror placed on the top of the dresser showed the back of his full head of black and curly hair.

“Don’t say anything to my father, as that will frighten him and the guests. Some of them are Colombian and they, too have strange customs which might make some of them act in such a strange way.”

A guest passing the open door to the room poked her head inside.

“Are you two having some kind of pow wow? You’re the new arrivals to the castle of Count Amputong.”

“I’m his son, Gorlong and this is my friend Abdullah Abusetta. Abdullah just had a little stomach problem, didn’t you Abdullah?”

“Oh, I’m a doctor, my name is Holly Escobar. May I come in?”

Holly strode into the room and sat beside Abdullah on the bed. She immediately took his pulse by putting her finger on the inside of his wrist.

“You feel cold to the touch, Abdullah. Why, the window is open. Gorlong, would you mind closing the window?”

“Certainly, Holly.”

Gorlong looked out the window as he closed it, He thought he saw a rustling in the bushes, and he heard some howling as if from a wild animal. He thought nothing of it, they were in the distant country of the Napa Valley after all.

But the sound of the roar gave Holly a start, “Gorlong are you going to close that thing?”

“Yes, yes,” he said pulling the windows shut and clasping the handle across them in a motion that was vaguely similar to making the cross.

“Will my friend be alright?”

“That was quite a chill that came over him. Has he been touching some of the Abusetta product?”

“No, not at all.”

“I see there’s some cognac on the table. Let’s give him some.”

“I’ve seen this kind of reaction before. Or rather, heard of it.”

"Where have you heard of it?" Holly asked.

"From him, from Abdullah. During the carriage ride over here, we discussed what brought him from India."

"What was it, what did he discuss that was similar to this state in which he is currently?" Holly asked with vehemence to her voice. She rested her hand on Abdullah's forehead checking that his temperature hadn't changed. If it had he would have made a perfect one hundred and eighty turn around, and Holly would have been very surprised.

"He told me of zombies," Gorlong said.

"Zombies? Why I've never heard of such a thing," Holly said. She got up with a start at the word, and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Gorlong asked.

"You don't need a medical doctor, you need a witch doctor," shesaid.

"I'll make it worth your while, stay and try to help Abdullah," pleaded Gorlong.

"I'll need twenty grams of cocaine," Holly said.

"And what will you need for Abdullah?" asked Gorlong.

"That is for Abdullah, you fool."

"And for you, Miss Escobar?"

"I don't require any cocaine. Just let me get a suck off of that cognac, and I'll be right as rain."

Gorlong left the room for a minute to get the required cocaine, but before leaving he hefted the cognac bottle himself. He left it on the table next to the bed for Holly to use at her convenience. While Gorlong was gone, Holly slapped Abdullah gently on the face trying to revive him. It seemed to be working for a moment: Abdullah's eyes seemed to come into focus and held Holly's eyes in them. She saw her reflection in the brown irises, and felt a quick rush of excitement for the prospects of her new patient. But just as quickly her hopes were dashed by the irises going up into the head of Abdullah.

Meanwhile, Gorlong went ot the main dining area where some bowls of cocaine were laying about, complements of the owner of the house his father. Free samples, were the way his father expressed the existence of the white powder in bowls big enough to hold half kilos. Gorlong opened a door to the pool room where the smoke was thick from the cigars of his father's friends. The scotch was also available, and the ubiquitous bowls of cocaine. Gorlong nodded to his father who with pool cue in hand was making the call on some shot into the corner pocket. He removed the cigar from his mouth and waved Gorlong over, Gorlong came, and put his hand in his father's hand.

"Play with me, Gorlong."

"No, not now. I have a guest who isn't feeling well, and Holly Escobar is helping me. She is a doctor, you know."

"I know, her father is right over there buzzing away with that beautiful lady who isn't his wife. But don't say anything to Holly, she'll be fit to be tied. It's just between you and I for the moment. I'm certain nothing will come of it. He's an old flirt just like your father used to be."

"Yeah, before his wife, my mother left him."

"We won't talk of such things, anymore my son. Go to your guest, and I hope you and Holly hit it off. It would really warm my heart to see you hooked up with a real live doctor. And forget that her father is a very important tradesman in the area of cocaine. Though his an my days in the trade are numbered. Soon, this will all be a memory. I'm afraid the DEA has made some threats against us, and we will just have to start removing ourselves from the trade. Part of what this meeting with Escobar and the others is all about. You understand, son."

"Yes, Papa. I understand. But for now, I too, will be needing some of the white powder."

"You're not using again."

"No, not at all Papa. For my guest, you understand. For my guest."

Gorlong's father took a glass and filled it from one of the bowls along the tables along the wall. He handed it to Gorlong, who nodded his appreciation and left the room.

Returning to the room, Gorlong said, "Here is the cocaine you asked for. Although, I don't see why you aren't doing it instead of he."

"We've had this conversation, Gorlong. You aren't getting me to try this drug even if it has just been recently made legal by the US government. "

"It's harmless really, I'll show you. Gorlong took a pinch between his fingers and put his nose to it. He snuffed. and inhaled the powder through his nose. Nothing seemed to happen. He didn't want to attack Abduallah, as had the attacker who had attacked Abdullah. At least, that was their guess as to what had happened to Abdullah.

"This is what puzzles me, that I can take this drug without any problems of feeling anger or like attacking someone, yet Abdullah felt that he had been attacked by one of the attendees at our party."

"One who had over-imbibed I take it."

"Exactly, like we had an addict at our party who was ready to attack Abdullah for the mere reason that that's what addicts," Gorlong said.

"But correct me if I'm wrong, don't addicts act out when they are craving the drug, and going into withdrawal. It seems to me that with all of the cocaine lying about, any addict would have been flying high. I haven't heard of high addicts acting so violently. What do we have here, Abdullah?" Holly said.

"I'm not sure," Abdullah said. "How is he reacting to the cocaine."

"I haven't given him any, yet," Holly said. "As a doctor, I might get into trouble administering a drug when I don't know the protocol for the state that he's in."

"It can't hurt, I'll give it to him."

"That would be worse than if I gave it to him," HOlly said.

"What do you think it is," asked Abdullah.

"Originally, you heard him talk about zombies. I mean when you first met him, he had come to this country for the explicit reason of avoiding zombies, and here he is lying in a bed in your father's country estate in a state close to that of being zombified."

"You think he's zombified."

"Yes, yes, I do, zombified. Look at the way his eyes are set in the roof of his head, and the motion of the limbs is stiff, when they do move. I know little of the zombie state, but this seems to mimic what I have seen in documentary reels. And I do recall such states being common in India where this man is from. "

"What shall we do with him?" asked Gorlong.

"You met him as a stranger, and a fellow traveler, I imagine the best that can be done for him here is to help him recover. But from where he goes after that who can say. And we don't know who his relatives are. But you, Gorlong were the last to speak with him. What do you want to do with him. Not that it should be your call, it should be up to his wife, or his parents. Someone close to him, a blood relative. But as I said, Gorlong, you're all that we have."

"I can't have a zombie in my father's house. What should I do. I must tell my father that there is a zombie in his house, and ask him what to do."

"I'll wait while you tell him of the problem," Holly said while she put her hands back on the head of the patient. Again, she pulled on his arm and it was stiff and move only at the top joint or rotator cuff.

"I can't tell my father. It would ruin his party."

"But don't forget that we don't have just one zombie we have two. The one which frightened Abdullah here, and seemed to put him in a trance that we can't easily revive him from. And Abdullah himself."

"That's true Holly, and how many others there are is anyone's guess. I'm afraid we might be in a truly outnumbered situation by the end of the evening. If this zombification gets into any of the other houses on the property, we will be put to the test to keep ourselves from being zombified."

"With this new information brought to light, then what should I tell my father, Holly? That we are all about to be turned into zombies."

"You have answered your own question, but you may create a panic, and I wouldn't want to be chicken little saying the sky is falling when the only evidence we have is Abdullah here, who may be suffering from delusions born of his experiences in India."

"We have telephones, we can call to the Province in India where he had his experience, I- I- can't remember the name."

Holly put her hands on Gorlong's lapels, and pulled her toward him as she pulled herself to a standing position, "Try, try and remember the name of the Province."

"I-, I-, can't. But the name of the city, I can remember the name of the city. It's coming back to me."

"Try, try. Snort a little more cocaine. "

"Budenasti. No, that's the language or dialect. The township was Shrivasana, that's it, that's the name of the province. I did it. That cocaine really has some good effects."
________________________________

Gorlong Amputong's father, Albrecht sat at a table while his opponent Mercury Standheim studied his next shot.

"Please, take the shot, Mercury."

Mercury's eyes shot from the table to Albrecht.

"What are you: in a state of suspended animation, Mercury"

"I'm as active and alive as you are, Albrecht. What was up with your son. Have he and the Escobar consumated?"

"Keep it down, Mercury. If you thought about what you say as much as you thought about your shot, the world would be a safer place for you and whoever is with you. Which right now happens to be me. Besides, how would I know?"

Mercury stood his pool cue on end. "They're alone in that room with someone who has probably taken a little too much of our product."

Albrecht gave Mercury a quizzical look.

"Too much cocaine. Ehh?" Mercury said. "A nurturing young lady, who will undoubtedly make a good wife to someone, someday."

"I'm going to call off the meet. There's just too much at stake, I can't have addicts muddying up the waters."

"But Albrecht, why suspend our activities here. I must veto your plan. These people can't be made to come all this way, Escobar in particular. What of your plans for your son and his daughter?"

Just then a very low male voice came over the intercom in the pool room, "intruder alert."

Albrecht walked to the intercom and pushed the voice button. "Orson, why wasn't the alarm sounded?"

"You told me to turn it off, but to call the moment something unusual turned up. Well, something turned up."

"Well, what Orson. Out with it. Our guns were set to silence. We shouted warnings to stop, but he didn't. So, we shot, and killed him, it."

"Did you call security at the front gate?"

"No."

"Well, call and let them know what happened."

Mercury heard everything, the emergency override, and most of all the it which Orson referred to.

"Aren't you going to do something," Mercury said.

Albrecht sat down. He opened a cigar box, and took out a large Havana. "We have to wait and see what or who they bring in, it could be just a wild animal."

Mercury put his cue stick back onto the rack on the wall. "You know it's not an animal. You told us this meeting place was secure. You told us we didn't have to worry about getting hit by the police or the competition. What happened? Your word is no longer good."

Albrecht slammed his fist into the table. "My word is still fucking good. It's just that the meeting has been compromised. Now, I'm certain of it."

"Where else can we meet. We can't wait. The Congress is set to pass this bill, and legalize cocaine. If we don't act now, and form a cartell with the Escobar's we will be out of business. Eli Lilly, and the other big pharmaceuticals will push us out. What are we going to do, put a hit on their boards of directors. I don't think so."

Mercury held a lighter up for Albrecht to ignite his cigar. Albrecht grabbed his hand as if steadying it. "Listen, you don't have to tell me you are sorry for doubting my word. Maybe by the time Escobar gets here we will have this resolved. Let's go into the foyer, and wait for this problem. Maybe together we can figure out what to do next."

______________________________________

Holly noted the pale complexion of Gorlong. "You don't look very good."

"I'll be fine."

"You don't look fine."

"Oh you mean the cocaine. I should do more of it. It looks like it's going to be a long night."

"But you were an addict."

"Was, past tense."

"Once an addict always an addict. The disease of addiction is progressive."

"And life's terminal. But that's not quite true. The Congress has found in favor of cocaine, and it's determined to be no more addictive than cigarettes."

She turned her face away from Gorlong's and looked again at the zombified body of Abdullah. "What if cocaine caused this? Would you still agree that cocaine is harmless."

"You don't know that for certain."

"As a scientist and a doctor, I am not going to say that this is a case of zombification. "

Gorlong went to the other side of the bed from Holly and looked down at the body of Abdullah's. "It has to be, there's no other explanation."

"Open your eyes, Gorlong. You're snow blind."