City of the Dead Page 6

  Zak was frozen in fear. Evazan's scarred face, his angry sneer, and his

  lightning speed were now even more terrifying. Zak could only stand there as

  Dr. Death reached out for him.

  But instead of grabbing him, Evazan gave a sudden, violent twitch that

  shook his whole body. Then he snarled, shoved Zak out of the way, and bolted

  through the ship's hatchway, carrying something in his free hand. Evazan

  disappeared almost instantly as he ducked behind the landing gear of a nearby

  ship.

  Finally Zak unfroze. He ignored the gangway ramp and leaped out of the

  starship. He hit the ground running and dashed across the dockyard to the

  others, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Evazan! Dr. Death! He's here. He's

  here!"

  His frantic cries stopped Meego in midsentence. The salesman, along with

  Hoole, Tash, and Deevee, turned to look at the out-of-breath boy. "Ev-Evazan!"

  Zak gasped one more time.

  "You are interrupting," Hoole said calmly. "Why?"

  "I saw him. I saw Evazan."

  "The Dr. Evazan?" Deevee asked.

  Zak nodded. "Yes-scarred face and all."

  Hoole looked annoyed. "If I recall correctly, this is the same Dr. Evazan

  who was buried today. In other words, the one who is dead?"

  "He is! I mean he was! I mean..." Zak paused to catch his breath and saw

  the look on Tash's face. He realized that he must sound foolish. He tried to

  think of some way to prove what had happened.

  "Perhaps I should excuse myself for a moment and let you four talk," the

  salesman said.

  "No, wait!" Zak had just remembered something. "I saw Evazan running out

  of that ship back there. He was carrying something! Look over the ship and I'm

  sure you'll find something missing."

  The salesman smiled in sympathy but said, "I'm afraid I can't help. You

  see, the reason that ship is unavailable is that it hasn't been overhauled

  yet. My technicians haven't even been inside, so I have no idea what might

  have been onboard."

  No one spoke until they reached the hostel. They sat in the hostel's

  common room where they had seen Boba Fett the night before. But now the room

  was empty. Zak sat with his back to the wall, staring glumly out one of the

  small windows onto the darkening street.

  The hostel was a cavernous place with high ceilings and stone pillars

  carved into the shape of giants holding up the roof. Their voices echoed so

  loudly that they found themselves whispering.

  "Zak," Uncle Hoole began slowly. "I have tried to be understanding. I

  know that you have been having bad dreams about your parents, and that is

  quite understandable. But I believe your sudden concern about-forgive me for

  being so blunt-about death is becoming an obsession."

  Zak knew arguing with Hoole wouldn't do any good. He tried to keep eye

  contact with his uncle, but the Shi'ido's stare made him nervous. Every now

  and then Zak looked away, out through the window to the dark streets beyond.

  "We have hardly been here a full day and you've already offended a local

  custom by entering a cemetery. You've snuck out of your room with a boy who

  poisoned himself, and you have associated with a known bounty hunter."

  Zak had stopped listening to his uncle. Had he seen something moving

  outside the window? "Furthermore, you've become obsessed with this idea that

  the dead can return. I was fond of your parents, and I miss them, too, but you

  must accept that they are gone now. They cannot come back any more than this

  Dr. Evazan can."

  Zak hardly heard what Hoole was saying. There was definitely something

  out in the shadows. It was a man-size shape. It shuffled one way, then the

  other, as if trying to get a good view of the room through the transparisteel.

  The figure pressed a little closer, and for a moment the light from the room

  spilled onto its face.

  It was Dr. Evazan.

  "There!" Zak shouted, pointing over Uncle Hoole's shoulder.

  Everyone turned to look.

  But Evazan had vanished.

  "What?" Tash asked. "What was it?"

  Zak opened his mouth, then shut it quickly. He wasn't about to make any

  more claims in front of his uncle. "Nothing," he lied. "Just a shadow."

  Zak could tell that Hoole didn't believe him. As he excused himself and

  went to his room, Zak decided that he couldn't blame his uncle or Deevee. But

  he at least hoped that Tash might believe him.

  He told her so as they went to their rooms. "You're the expert on weird

  things," he told her. "Don't you think this really might be happening?"

  "I believe that you believe it, Zak. But not even Jedi Knights can do

  what you're describing."

  "But I know what I saw," Zak insisted. "Maybe Dr. Evazan faked his death

  so Boba Fett would stop tracking him."

  "Maybe," Tash considered. "But it's pretty hard to fake your own burial

  after you're dead. He was put in a grave, remember?"

  Zak nodded. "I know. But I did see him."

  "I'm sure you saw someone, Zak. But it couldn't have been Dr. Evazan."

  Zak knew Tash was right. It was impossible that Evazan could be alive. He

  had taken a blaster shot right in the back. Boba Fett had examined the corpse

  thoroughly, and the Necropolitans had put him in the ground.

  Of course, it was just as impossible that zombies crawled out of their

  graves, but Zak had seen that, too.

  Or had he?

  Could he have imagined it? With all that mist and darkness, he hadn't

  actually gotten a good look at the zombies.

  But what about Evazan? Hadn't he just seen Evazan's face at the window?

  Zak shuddered. The image was still in his mind. To make himself feel better,

  he hit the Lock button on his automatic window. The glass closed and sealed

  itself shut with a snap. The sound made Zak feel safe and secure.

  He stood at his window and looked out on the twisted stone tops of the

  city buildings. Necropolis was a dark place. He had come to this planet

  already bothered by nightmares, and he had heard about nothing but graves and

  witches and cemeteries since the moment he arrived. Then, to make a friend so

  quickly and to have that friend taken away just as fast... maybe it was

  getting to him.

  Someone had definitely been onboard the used starship. Zak didn't think

  he was that crazy. Maybe it was a thief. There were lots of criminals with

  scarred faces. Maybe Zak's fear had triggered something in his brain that made

  him see Evazan's face on someone else.

  Zak lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling, convincing himself that

  his imagination had been running overtime. Anyone would have the jitters after

  going through what he had experienced over the last twenty-four hours.

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  The sudden, sharp raps shook the windowpane, and shook Zak even harder.

  He sat bolt upright.

  In the window, a figure seemed to hang in midair. It was thin and bony,

  almost skeletal. Its jaw hung loosely from its head as it banged on the window

  again.

  I'm dreaming, Zak thought. I jell asleep on the bed while I was thinking,

  and now I'm having another nightmare.

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  The zomb
ie acted just like those from his other dreams, moaning at him

  through the window. Zak didn't cry out. He wondered whether he was awake or

  dreaming.

  The zombie started to pry the window open.

  It must have been incredibly strong. Zak watched as it jammed its fingers

  into the tiny crack where the automatic window touched the stone wall. Somehow

  it found a hold and started to pull.

  The window opened a fraction of a centimeter.

  This must be a dream, Zak thought. Not even a Wookiee could pry open

  those automatic windows.

  The zombie pulled, and the window opened a tiny bit wider.

  Zak felt his heart start to pound.

  The zombie pulled harder, its bony arms trembling under the strain. The

  automatic window started to whine as it tried to return to its closed

  position. The zombie pulled hard, and the window opened another centimeter.

  But that was all. With a demanding screech the automated window broke from the

  zombie's hand and slammed shut. The undead creature grunted and fell away from

  the window.

  Heart still thumping in his chest, Zak waited a moment longer. Nothing

  else happened. He nodded to himself. That was the way to handle a nightmare.

  He woke up the next morning feeling a little better. He was proud of the

  way he'd handled the nightmare. He hadn't given in to his fear; he hadn't

  cried out for help. He didn't know why the dream hadn't included his mom and

  dad, but maybe that was a good sign, too.

  Zak yawned and stretched. His room was stuffy since he'd sealed the

  window shut. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Zak went to the window and

  pressed a button. The glass whooshed open.

  Then Zak saw it.

  Three small strips of pale dead skin clung to the edge of the window.

  CHAPTER 11

  It hadn't been a dream. A zombie had tried to break into his room, and he

  had just lain there!

  Zak shuddered, trying not to think about what might have happened if the

  undead creature had gotten inside. Worse yet, he wondered why the zombie had

  come after him in the first place.

  But he knew the answer.

  He had gone into the cemetery and stood on a grave.

  He had disturbed the dead.

  Zak didn't know what to do. He had already tried to tell Tash. He knew it

  wouldn't do any good to tell Uncle Hoole. Who could he talk to that might

  believe him?

  Zak went to the comm unit built into his room wall.

  Necropolis might have the look of an ancient city, but it possessed all

  the conveniences of modern galactic life. He punched up an information system

  and found Pylum's calling code, which he entered into the unit.

  "Yes?" He heard Pylum's stern voice break through the static, and then a

  small image of the Necropolitan's face appeared on the comm unit's screen.

  "Urn, hello, my name is Zak. I was the one from the cemetery the other

  night..."

  "Of course." Pylum's voice and face hardened. "The offworlder who

  violated our cemetery." He waited.

  "I think... I think I know what you mean about the Curse of Sycorax." Zak

  swallowed. As calmly as he could, he reminded the Master of Cerements of what

  he'd seen in the graveyard. Then he told Pylum about the undead creature at

  his window and, finally, about the visit to the shipyard.

  Pylum raised an eyebrow. "You believe you saw Dr. Evazan? The being that

  bounty hunter killed?"

  "Yes," Zak said. Did Pylum believe him? "I saw him twice. Could he...

  Could he have come back, too?"

  Pylum sounded upset. "The Curse of Sycorax knows no boundaries. Anything

  is possible. But this seems quite serious."

  Zak was relieved. Someone finally believed him! Even if it was Pylum.

  "Can you help me? What should I do?"

  "I will help you," Pylum replied, "but I must prepare. The ancient curse

  is not a thing to be taken lightly. I will send someone to you this evening.

  In the meantime it might be better if you kept this to yourself. Have you told

  anyone?"

  "My sister, but she didn't believe me."

  Pylum nodded. "Unbelievers are the most dangerous, because they cause

  problems without helping to solve them." The Master of Cerements paused. "I'm

  glad you've realized the truth, Zak. I believe I can help you, but it's

  important that you keep what you've seen to yourself. If word spreads it could

  cause a panic in the city. As Master of Cerements, I must know for certain

  what has happened before I make an announcement. Wait there. I will send

  someone." Pylum touched a button, and the screen went dark.

  Zak spent the day on pins and needles. There was nothing to do-the boys

  he had met were all in mourning over Kairn, so there was no one to show him

  around the city. Uncle Hoole had apparently decided to buy the sleek new

  starship the slick dealer had pushed on him, and spent the day arranging the

  data work.

  And Tash seemed preoccupied with Uncle Hoole himself. At first Zak was

  too distracted to pay attention, but by the afternoon, with nothing better to

  do but sit in the hostel and watch old holograms, Zak went to her room and

  listened as she told him about Hoole's meeting with Boba Fett.

  "But Hoole's an anthropologist," Zak replied. "He's a scientist. What

  would he want from a bounty hunter?"

  Tash shook her head. "I don't know. But there's definitely more to our

  uncle than meets the eye. And we're going to find out what it is."

  "How are you going to find out?" Zak asked. "Uncle Hoole won't even tell

  us his first name."

  It was true. But Tash only shrugged. "I'm not going to ask Uncle Hoole. I

  have another plan."

  Boba Fett's ship was not hard to find. The maintenance workers at the

  dockyard had all gotten a glimpse of the intimidating killer, and knew exactly

  where his ship was. It sat on its landing berth like a poisonous dinko ready

  to spring. The ship's engines hummed. When they had first arrived, Tash

  thought the bounty hunter was about to launch, but that had been almost an

  hour ago. She figured that Fett always kept his ship primed for launch, just

  in case he had to make a quick getaway.

  Her plan was simple. Since she couldn't ask Uncle Hoole, and she knew she

  couldn't ask Boba Fett, she would follow the bounty hunter to see what he was

  doing.

  "If he ever comes out of his ship," she muttered to herself.

  She lurked in the shadows of a building near the docking bay, where she

  could see the bounty hunter's ship. Beside her, Zak was growing anxious. Pylum

  had said he would send someone to the hostel, and evening had begun to fall.

  He was beginning to think that either the bounty hunter was not on board, or

  he never planned to leave his ship.

  Zak became impatient. He didn't care about Boba Fett, and he had more

  important things to do than to discover Hoole's personal secrets. He decided

  he had to get back to the hostel so he could meet Pylum. "Tash," he began, "I-

  "

  "Shh! There he is!"

  The hatchway to the ship had opened. For a second no one appeared, as

  though the occupant was scanning for any lurking danger. Finally Boba Fett

  exited from
the ship and strode down one of the numerous alleyways.

  "Come on!" Tash whispered, and took off after the bounty hunter.

  Reluctantly Zak followed.

  The alleyway curved into one of the city's main streets. Turning onto it,

  Boba Fett walked in a straight line down the middle of the avenue. People got

  out of his way.

  Zak and Tash followed as stealthily as they could. Even though it was

  getting late, there were still a few pedestrians on the street, and it was

  easy for Zak and Tash to remain out of sight as they followed their target.

  Boba Fett never looked back. He seemed unaware that he was being followed.

  Still, Tash thought they should take no chances. They dashed from hiding

  places behind pillars to covered doorways set in the sides of buildings,

  trying to remain as invisible as possible as they shadowed the bounty hunter.

  After a few minutes, they reached a quieter section of town. There were

  no pedestrians at all. Zak recognized the neighborhood right away. They were

  getting closer to the cemetery.

  The alleyways became as tight and narrow as a maze, and Zak and Tash soon