The Social Worker didn't look like a zombie; not at first glance anyway. Her eyes weren't hollow and she didn't produce a foul stench as most zombies do. Tara Keeper watched the social worker's slow movements as she placed a steaming cup of hot chocolate on the cluttered desk and decided she'd be on her guard - just in case.
The room was empty, save for the video camera that was discreetly hidden behind a mirror attached to the ceiling, and the ventilation blew a cold breeze that made goose bumps appear on Kelly's skin. She'd had been down this road before. First, the Social Worker would try to find some common ground by talking about "girl stuff" in a tone of voice that made Kelly's skin crawl. Then she'd carefully maneuver the discussion to how Tara was feeling about her foster family, as if they weren't zombies either. Eventually the topic of Thomas and Cynthia Keeper's disappearance would reemerge as the Social Worker tried in vain to learn more about the series of events that led to Tara becoming an orphan at age ten.
The Keeper family had always tried to keep one step ahead of Zephyr. They would pack up their belongings and move at faintest appearance of Nightshade; Zephyr's number one lackey and a stone-cold killer. Cynthia Keeper would argue that Tara possessed the ability to subdue Nightshade, but Thomas Goodwin would have none of that. "She's not ready - not until she's thirteen," he'd snap at his wife.
Her parents didn't completely understand the reason for Kelly's gifts; they just knew that their daughter was the only child on Thorncliff Crescent who could throw a half-ton truck a distance of three city blocks, and this was before she became angry. When her emotions took hold, Tara was strong enough to crumble buildings if she stomped her foot on the ground. The shock wave would create a fissure in the earth's crust and shatter the windows of nearby houses. That was three years ago. Nightshade came and took her parents away; at least that's what Tara assumed.
The Social Worker flashed a fake smile at Kelly. The thirteen year-old was smart, there was no doubt about that. If she was going to be successful in convincing Tara to meet with Zephyr, she'd have to convince her that she was alone in the world and that her parent's might be alive. The Social Worker settled on a thinly disguised series of questions implying that Tara had been abandoned, but the thirteen year-old knew better; her parent's had been abducted and zombies were everywhere.
Tara knew these weren't flesh-eating zombies, though she wouldn't put it past any of them if the opportunity arose. Zephyr wanted the public to believe his agents were simply trying to maintain order and that inexplicable phenomenon should be ignored. Some people fought back and were dealt with harshly. Others, like Kelly's parents, simply disappeared.
"If your parents loved you Kelly, why would they leave you alone in the house for a week until Mrs. Zimmerman called the police?" asked the Social Worker in a friendly voice.
Tara took a tentative breath and considered how best to answer the question. Mrs. Zimmerman, her elderly next door neighbor who made killer peanut butter cookies, was only doing what she thought was best when she called the police. She wasn't a zombie either, of this she was certain.
"I don't know," said Tara in a quiet voice. "I think they were abducted, we've been through this a million times."
The Social Worker looked unimpressed as she opened a file and threw a photocopy of the Surrey Examiner on the desk. The headline read "Parents Abandon Ten Year-Old", and the story quoted Mrs. Zimmerman as saying the Keeper household had always been a troublesome home and that she would often be awoken by the sound of a car squealing its tires as it backed out of the Keeper's driveway at 3 A.M.
"The newspaper said they abandoned you Kelly, what I'm interested in learning are the reasons why it happened," said the Social Worker.
Tara ignored the photocopy and leaned toward the Social Worker. "I think that your questions are precisely the same questions I've been asked by three other Social Workers," she said sarcastically."What makes you think you're so special that I would have anything more to offer?"
"Your parents would hit you, is that right Kelly?" the Social Worker said abruptly.
Tara rolled her eyes. "Mom and Dad would never hit me, not even when I did something bad."
"You know, it wouldn't be right for you to protect them after what you've been through. If you have a secret to share with me, I promise that I'll keep it."
"No!" Tara said angrily. "You keep talking like my mom and dad are evil people and they're not. They just disappeared. Why won't anyone believe me?"
The Social worker made notes on a yellow pad and appeared to be half-listening. "Parents just don't vanish into thin air Kelly. It's important for you to remember that this isn't your fault. You can't beat yourself up because your parent's did a bad thing," she said.
"You're not listening to me," said Kelly. "Looks like you're going to have to tell your boss that you blew it."
The Social Worker eyes flashed with anger and she slammed the yellow legal pad on the desk. "You're a nasty bit of business, aren't you?" she asked in a threatening tone. "Maybe you'll be sent to a different foster-family and we'll place you in a special school for uncooperative wards."
"Will they be zombies too?" Tara asked innocently. "You know, that camera hidden in the ceiling isn't just there to record my answers to your stupid questions. It's also recording how you are blowing your big chance."
The Social Worker roared in anger and reached across the desk to grab Tara by the throat, but was blinded by a flash of light as Tara teleported to the other side of the office.
"See, that's the problem with zombies," said Kelly. "They're slower than frozen molasses."
"IMPUTENT WORM!" screeched the Social Worker, as she lunged across the room, "I'll tear your head off!"
There was a loud 'Boom!' as Tara slapped her hands together creating a concussion wave that shook the walls and overturned furniture. The Social Worker wailed as she crashed into a cinder block wall and slid onto the floor in a heap.
"Stupid zombie," said Tara as she blinked her eyes and vaporized the Social Worker, leaving a neat pile of ash on the floor.