The Tale of Two Kingdoms

Chapter 3

At the edge of town, they load the body in a vehicle courtesy of fairytale owns King Stefan’s council. The vehicle proceeds to the south of town where the gateway that crosses between the two kingdoms is.

King Stefan’s men help the humans to the edge of the cross through. A big stone arch with a tall pitch wood and stone peak sets above it. An arch doorway made of thick wood and iron double door sets under the covered entry. A glowing amber flame flickers in the lights mounted on both sides.

The general pulls up his hood and pulls down his face covering. “If there’s anything else let us know we will be glad to assist you.” He covers his face back up and pulls his hood back down. The human reaches out his hand to shake the generals.

The detective pushes the button on the left side of the doorway. As the general walks, away the sound of metal locks unlatching behind the door as it slowly opens. Air blasts from the inside with a white mist showering down. This is to decontaminate anyone that comes through.

Parasites in fairytale land seem to love the taste of the human’s blood and they are clever at disguising themselves by becoming invisible. They attached to the humans and they wouldn’t even know it till they got through to their kingdom where the air would cause them to become visible and they could become a serious problem by multiplying rapidly. They are many parasites in the fairytale kingdom but the one that is attracted to them look like a large tick with fur like a spider and fangs of a tarantula.

The detectives wheel the body through the long tunnels till they reach the second door under the ground. A metal door is monitored with cameras.

Detective Hubert holds up his badge for the camera and a beeping sounds the door opening. The stand back and wait as the thick metal door lifts upward into the stone allowing them to enter.

On the other side, they’re greeted by the undertaker for the local government in the kingdom.

“Take him and do a thorough autopsy on him I want to know what happened in your full report.

The undertaker signs the report for detective Hubert and nods his head as he wheels the body away.

Once in the lab with the body Dr. Phillip cuts the clothing off the body. He grabs the leg and notices something strange it isn’t stone cold as a dead body usually is. He grabs the other leg and notices the same thing. Puzzled he walks around and presses on the abdomen than rolling the body to its side.

“Hmm, this is odd no pooling of blood on the back. There are only two things that can do this. One something sucked all the blood out of the body, two this person is still alive, but he doesn’t look like it.”

With his penlight, he forces the eyelids open using the light he passes it back and forth over the eye waiting for a reaction in the pupil.

He leans in closer to the eye looking at it and moving the light slower with each pass. Dr. Phillip looks up for a second then back down waving the light over the eye again.

Suddenly he fumbles for his stethoscope putting it on and pressing the end to the chest of the man on the table. For a few minutes moving it around Dr. Phillip takes the stethoscope off and calls for his assistant.

“Henry? Henry? Come here.” Yelling out.

Henry Dr. Phillip’s assistant comes rushing in.

“What Dr. Phillips?”

“I need you to help me get some blankets on that table and move him on it.”

Henry looks at Dr. Phillip strangely. “What? Why?” “Just do it Henry!”

Henry grabs several blankets from the cabinets and layers them on the other table. “Now help me pick him up and place him on the blankets.” They lift the body. “Gently Henry, gently.”

“Dr. Phillips what are you doing?”

“Henry this man isn’t dead.”

“What? Yeah, he is look at him he’s white as a ghost, the veins are showing under his skin he is so white I mean he’s dead white doc.”

“Looks can be deceiving boy. I haven’t seen this in years, but this man isn’t dead he is under a powerful spell that is use in voodoo. One breath of the voodoo powder and you look dead, the heartbeat is so slow it is almost absent in detecting so they bury them without knowing they aren’t dead and once they wake up, they are six foot under in a wooden box trying to claw their way out and die.”

“I need to get a hold of Detective Hubert right away.” He rushes out to use the phone.

“Hey, Dr. Phillips here the body you brought in isn’t a dead guy! He is alive. Yes, that is what I just said alive, I think you should get here as soon as possible.”

Dr. Phillips walks back over to Henry and the guy laying on the table. “You don’t know how lucky you are my friend I almost cut into you and you would have never known what happened.”

“Help me wheel him into one the back office Henry till detective Phillip comes.” They move him into an office down the hallway. “Henry stay here with him and keep an eye on him.” Dr. Phillip instructs him as he walks out.

Now there is an herb that will reverse this heavy spell from him I need to remember what it is. Dr. Phillip goes back to the lab and on the shelf, is a bunch of books he reads through the titles looking for something that rings a bell.

“Ah, this I believe is it.” He grabs an old book with a tan fabric cover worn spots in the fabric exposing the burgundy and tan hard cover under. It is dirty and old. He puts it on the table and mumbles as he reads through the index looking for.

“Yes, Tetrodotoxin also known as Devil’s Breath or Zombie powder. TTX is a potent neurotoxin used in voodoo preparations and other magic spells made from the pufferfish. Once a person inhales the powder they fall into a suspended coma or a deep sleep no known drug to reverse the effects. Blah, blah, oh here it is. Feeding a zombie person salt reverses the effects of the drug. Hmm so saline water to flush it out of his system? I would have to use a stronger saline than the normal 0.9% I would have to use 5-23% this might do it, known for reversing brain injuries in coma patients. Yep, this would be it now to get some over here.”

Detective Hubert walks in to the lab. “What the hell is going on Doc?” “Your dead guy is under a heavy spell one made from Tetrodotoxin few have heard of it they call it Devil’s Breath or zombie powder it was used long ago in voodoo I never seen it, but as an old man like myself I have been around enough to have read about it and heard of its powers once ingested.”

“So, is he going to die? Or walk around like a zombie?” “Oh, no he will not wake up for a long time, but this old man has the answer to reverse it! Right here in this old herbal book. I believe if we can get saline solution in him at 5-23% sodium Chloride we might have him wake up sooner. But I have none here.”

“Why don’t we take him to the hospital and let them do it?” “Sure thing we can do that as well. I will have to call and have him picked up.”

“Yes, do that I will stay here and follow them back to the hospital.”

Dr. Phillip makes the call and they come and pick up the guy. Detective Hubert follows as he said back to the hospital. The doctor on duty comes down to see the patient they wheel into a room.

“Dr. Phillips said saline solution can reverse this?” “It might he told me what saline to use we will get him hooked up in a few minutes.”

“Great, I need to keep this man from leaving when and if he wakes up. They brought him from fairytale kingdom as a dead body until Dr. Phillips found he was in a deep coma. I need to know what happened so we can inform the King Stefan the findings and let him take the case and find the person responsible. I have a feeling we might end up with more people like this guy. Hopefully, he will remember who he is and what happened when he wakes up.”

“No problem, we will have security watch the room.”