The Memoirs of a Living Dead Girl

By Brenda Bailey

Life for beautiful Zoey Tann was a simple one, filled with hard work and contentment working at the sanitarium owned by her wealthy grandfather.
Unfortunately life as she knew it came to an abrupt halt when she died a sudden death, drowning in the massive river that surrounded the mysterious hospital in the woods.
Only at the hands of the brilliant Dr. Joshua Graham is Zoe’s heart able to beat once again, creating the world’s first living dead girl.
But awakening in a world meant only for the living isn’t all sunshine and roses for Zoe. Constantly pursed by Dr. Ivan Drake, a vile man that has only lust and money on his mind, she must also cope with the fact that her body has changed in ways that are now bizarre and frightening.
After a night of heated ecstasy together, Dr. Graham vowed to unlock the secrets that kept Zoe a prisoner in her own body, but falling in love with her was never a part of his carefully laid plan.
Now they share a love and romance greater than death itself...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brenda Bailey
• Release date: Mar 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458112880

Brenda Bailey

I live in Rural Indiana. I read and write erotic horror novels! Visit my official website to browse my novels in print. "Leave behind the ordinary and join me in the horrific." -Brenda Bailey

Book preview

The Memoirs of a Living Dead Girl

Brenda Bailey

Published by Horrorotica at Smashwords.com. Copyright 2010 Brenda Bailey.

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. The e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author

With much love I dedicate this book to a special man that is gone but not forgotten. He lives on in the hearts of all who remember him. Garfield Jake Poland, but to me he was simply, Grandpa.

Chapter 1

Zoe tucked the sheets under the mattress to the bed she was making and then after fluffing the pillow and laying it neatly across the top, she picked up the soiled sheets and carried them in the crook of one arm as she left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

One bed made five more to go, but she didn’t complain. Actually Zoe was used to it, living life in the huge sanitarium and mental hospital and research laboratory owned by her grandfather, Jake Tann.

Each morning her day started with coffee brewing for the staff, her father and grandfather, breakfast and then she cleaned the kitchen afterwards.

When the doctors and head nurse went on to the main sanction of the sanitarium through the glass cat-walk, Zoe busied herself making their beds and doing their laundry.

The work stretched out between herself and caring for her widowed father, Zachary and her beloved grandfather, Jake. Then came care for the staff of three doctors and one charge nurse. They were the only live-in staff. The rest of the staff clocked in and out during their shifts.

Since the sanitarium was four stories tall and housed over four hundred patients, Zoe was glad her work only revolved around her family and the main live-in staff. Her grandfather had money from the state and private pay to pay for the nurses and orderlies that cared for the mentally insane, as well as cooks that took care of the patient meals, guards and groundskeepers.

The Tann Sanitarium sat alone among the trees, the land itself sitting on three hundred acres. The hospital was carefully guarded by twenty foot iron gates and the acres behind it were lush with a deep forest and a winding river. It was very secluded and very private.

Tann Sanitarium was deemed one of the very best, but Zoe wasn’t surprised. Her grandfather was one of the wealthiest men in the country and he only paid for the very best for his patients.

The living quarters for the staff at the head of the hospital also stood four stories. The main floor housed the lobby, a huge, library, various sitting rooms, commercial laundry room and greenhouse. The second floor had a main kitchen area for the patients and one smaller kitchen that Zoe used, recreation room with an indoor swimming pool and hot tub and the third floor carried twelve bedrooms, one for herself, her family and then the staff.

The fourth floor was the bar and game room, a place where Zoe knew her father spent a lot of time playing cards. Her grandfather also liked to spend his evenings up there smoking cigars and drinking beer with the medical director, his best friend from childhood days, Dr. Benjamin Horton.

Yes, with these four floors to take care of, Zoe was thankful she didn’t have to manage the care of the patients on the other side of the massive building. She juggled enough on her shoulders.

With the laundry at hand, Zoe twisted open the doorknob leading to the last bedroom, poking her head in first.

She frowned seeing her father completely covered up in his sheets, his blankets mussed, his bedspread lying in a heap on the floor.

The blinds pulled shut made the room appear dark and closed in and then smell of whiskey and burning powder hung heavy in the air.

Wrinkling her nose to that all too familiar and dreaded tang, Zoe marched over to the side of the bed and slapped her father on the rump.

Dad, I can’t believe you’re still in bed. She scolded, shaking her head. What’s Grandpa going to say?

Nothing, he grumbled beneath the blankets. Just tell him I’m out.

Tell him you’re out where?

Tell him I’m doing community work for the church.

That’s real funny. She muttered sarcastically. Get up.

Just get out of here, Zoey.

Holding her jaw firm, Zoe yanked the blankets from her father’s bed, leaving him lying flat on his back in nothing but his boxer shorts.

He groaned and rubbed his eyes with his hands.

Zoe stared back at him in disbelief. Though they shared the same green eyes and the same brown hair, they were two personalities that were as different as night and day.

Zach kept his hair unkempt and tangled, Zoe kept her long hair neatly combed, usually tied behind her back. Her smile glistened white, her father had several missing teeth and his beard was shaggy and he seldom trimmed it.

Drawing closer still, she could smell the distinct odor of marijuana in his clothing. Obviously he had been out partying all night. Zoe sighed; she didn’t want her grandfather to know her father had been on one of his binges again.

Come on, Dad. She said, throwing the blanket on the floor. Get into the shower and sober up. I’ll run down stairs and make you a cup of black coffee, extra strong.

Why, I ain’t high or nothing. He grinned, shading his eyes with the side of his hand.

Dad, I’m nineteen years old, not two. She replied, pointing to the bathroom that adjoined his bedroom. I know what you’ve been doing and so will Grandpa if you don’t get in there and shower up.

You’re getting a might too bossy for your own good, missy. He teased, sitting up and running a hand through his hair and then leaning to one side he farted. Oh, that was nice.

You’re gross. She retorted, wrinkling her nose. I’m going now. Promise me that you’ll be in the shower when I get back.

Yeah, yeah, I will, whatever you say.

I mean it, Dad.

I will.

She closed the door with a huff and left for the kitchen.

Swinging the kitchen door open with her shoulder, Zoe jumped with a start when she nearly collided with her grandfather.

Oh, you scared me. She laughed, clutching her throat.

Same here, you need to be more careful. He said, following her to the counter. Have you seen your dad anywhere? It’s almost ten thirty in the morning, he better not still be sleeping like some sort of lazy-ass.

Zoe pulled down a mug from the cupboard and poured some coffee into it, her eyes wavering. No, he’s in the shower. I told him I’d get him a cup of coffee.

Jake eyed Zoe suspiciously. He knew that son of his better than Zoe, better than anyone. He wondered if there was ever going to be a day when he could get Zachary out of the darkness and on the right path. Was he hung over?

No, of course he wasn’t.

Really, I know he came home awfully late last night.

Nope, he’s okay.

You’re sure?

Well, yes I’m sure. She chuckled awkwardly; lying didn’t come as easy to her as it did her father.

Zoey Elizabeth, you be truthful with Grandpa. He said sternly. Was he hung over?

Zoe sighed, lowering her eyes under the tight scrutiny of her grandfather’s questioning. His inquiry was simple, yes or no and when he called Zoe by her first and middle name, she knew that he did not believe her. I think he was.

You think he was what?

I think he was hung over. She shrugged helplessly. He smelled like pot and stuff.

Jake shook his head. Going to a window that over looked the side court yard; he rested his forehead on the cold pane.

Zoe swallowed hard. She hadn’t meant to upset her grandfather, but she didn’t want to start the day with him and her father already at odds with each other.

I’m sorry if I angered you.

Jake turned around. You didn’t do anything to upset me. It’s Zach that’s got me hot around the collar. When is that boy going to grow up?

I’m sure things haven’t been easy for him since Mom died, you know. She made excuse.

That’s not it, Zoe. He replied, going to the counter and pouring himself some coffee. That was twelve years ago, life goes on. He’s not a helpless child. He’s a full grown man with a daughter, for Pete’s sake.

But I’m an adult.

That’s not the point.

Zoe sighed, staring down at the coffee mug in her hands. Grandpa was right, it had been twelve long years ago that her beloved mother, Michelle was killed in tragic car accident. Her father could not keep using that as an excuse to drink and smoke his life away. Her biggest fear was that she would one day lose him, should he die from liver and kidney failure from all the drugs, or worse…overdose.

I should pour this coffee out and make him come down for a cup himself. She mentioned, feeling foolish for having tried to hide her father’s fore comings.

Jake smiled, proud that his only grandchild could understand his concern. It shamed him that at nineteen she was more responsible and mature than her own father was.

Smoothing a hand over his thinning hairline, Jake plucked the newspaper from the table and seated himself. You can take him the coffee, but tell him I said to get his ass down here right now.

Okay.

Shaking open the newspaper, Jake began combing over the headlines.

Good morning.

Folding down the edge of the newspaper, he spied his long-time friend of forty years, Dr. Ben Horton pulling out a chair and taking a seat.

Good morning to you, Benny. Jake greeted, re-folding the newspaper and laying it aside. I thought you’d be making your rounds on the third floor ward by now.

I left Joshua to that task this morning. He said, slipping out of his lab coat and laying it across the back of his chair. He’s trustworthy enough.

That he is, he’s a good egg. Jake nodded, recalling the youngest doctor in his employ. Dr. Joshua Graham was thirty-one, a quiet shy man with an impeccable reputation.

I wanted to speak with you about something more important, a new project that we’ve been working on in the lab. He said, folding his hands on the table. And since you’re the owner and the administrator of this vast place, well, you know.

You need approval for financial backing?

Yes.

Tell me what’s on your mind.

Do you recall that patient in ward three hundred and eight, the one with schizophrenia?

Yes, Mason Jennings, I believe.

Do you recall the night he died?

I think so?

His heart, we actually got it beating again after he had been dead for a few hours.

Jake kneaded his chin, remembering the night in question and his astonishment when the doctors had filed their report. Yes, I do remember. What an accomplishment. It’s too bad he still died.

Yes, his heart began beating again for approximately three to four minutes and then it ceased beating.

Still, that’s quite a feat.

I think we are on the path of discovering a way to bring the dead back to life and that’s why I’m here. We will need more money to fund the continued research needed for this project.

The dead to life, I don’t know. He paused, thinking. I mean what’s the point? Isn’t the world over populated as it is?

If we accomplish such a deed think of the lives we could save. Ben said, tapping the table top with his fingertips. Children with cancer, people dying way before their time, just think of the possibilities! It’s not about making everyone live longer, only a few selected.

I fund a lot of research for your laboratory, Ben, but even I have limits. Besides, if I did provide more money, who would you experiment on? We were just lucky to have power of attorney over Mr. Jennings; we don’t have any dying relatives.

We could ask for volunteers. We’ve done that before with drug research.

I suppose, but won’t it be hard to find terminal patients that would be willing to sign up?

Not if they’re afraid to die.

I hadn’t thought of that.

You do have a lot of patients on the third floor that are terminal. Ben hinted. We could use patients here after they’ve passed on.

You know I have to get proper authority to grant such a request, even for the wards of the state.

I’m aware and the project is years in the making and testing phases, no need to start pouring out a truck load of cadavers tonight, old friend. Ben chortled, his smile framed by his neatly trimmed beard.

I’ll see what I can do. He said. I’ll go over the books this afternoon and see what funds can be distributed right now.

Wonderful and I’ll see you this evening at supper. Ben replied happily, rising to his feet, scooting the chair under the table.

Zoe’s cooking roast chicken and seasoned gold potatoes, I believe.

I know I’ll be there.

Sliding the newspaper to the other side of the table, Jake took another drink of his coffee. Bringing the dead back to life, can you imagine? he murmured under his breath, but then stilled his words when Zoe came bounding in dragging her father behind her.

Zach stumbled forward, his long hair damp and combed back from his face. His beard was brushed; his clothing consisted of a nice pair of jeans, sneakers and a crisp white tee-shirt. He yanked out a chair and sat down, his elbows resting on the table.

It’s about time you got out of that bed, Zach. Jake scolded. It’s nearly lunch time and here you come prancing in after snorting cocaine all night.

I don’t snort cocaine, Pop, I smoke it. He smirked with a crooked grin. But that’s not it, I was…uh…tired and shit.

Tired from what? You’re not working, you don’t help around here and your daughter does all the cooking and cleaning. My goodness, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Oh, lay off. He retorted, scooting away from the table and going to the counter, eyeing Zoe as she began readying a tray of sausages and bratwurst for lunch. Where’s my coffee, Zoe?

There in the coffeemaker. She huffed, giving him a warning glare in the corner of one eye. Don’t tell me you can’t pour yourself a cup, Dad.

But you said you were going to pour it.

Zoe rolled her eyes.

Fine, I see you’re both on me today. He joked, though he could sense their agitation and was beginning to feel it too. I’ll get my own coffee.

What have you got planned today?

Nothing, He said simply, spooning sugar into his coffee.

Good, then you can volunteer down in the lab. Jake hurriedly replied, standing up and following Zach to the doorjamb. Benny wants to start some sort of study and he could use a hand. You can fetch him things and clean up for him.

Holy shit, what do I look like, a housekeeper? Zach grumbled and then looking down the corridor to the line of waiting elevators, he cringed, shuddering uncontrollably. Besides, I don’t like it in the crazy bin, it gives me the creeps.

Not crazy bin, it’s a sanitarium and you’ll be in the lab, not mingling with the patients. Jake corrected, directing him out into the hallway. It’ll occupy your mind on something other than drinking and doing drugs.

What about lunch?

Zoe can handle lunch, she always does.

No, I mean when can I stop and eat lunch?

Jake rolled his eyes. Zoe will set a plate back for you.

Zach slurped down any remaining coffee and then scurried out of the room. His head ached and his throat was parched, but with his father and daughter breathing down his neck, he didn’t dare complain.

Riding the elevator to the third floor, Zach reluctantly stepped out into the hallway and slowly headed for the laboratory. The smell of rubbing alcohol and dried urine hung heavy in the air and the walls seemed to close in all around him.

Drawing in a deep breath and pulling back the neckline of his shirt with a forefinger, he steadied himself and then opened the door to the lab, going inside.

The group of doctors and laboratory technicians busily working all stopped abruptly and looked up at him.

May I help you, Mr. Tann? Nurse Jaclyn Hemming quickly interceded, her stance stiff, her idiom cold and impersonal.

Mr. Tann is my father’s name, just call me Zach. He said, brushing by her and going to a table lined with colorful bottles and beakers.

I’m just here to help Ben.

Help him with what, if I may ask? she pried, following him as he picked up a notebook and began flipping through it.

Beats me, He shrugged, tossing the journal aside. Dad wants me to help him with some kind of project or something.

I seriously doubt Mr. Tann would have asked such a thing of the good doctor. She said her lips rigid and her eyes grey and beady as she trailed him to another table. Dr. Horton is quite busy, you know.

Zach looked at the nurse from over his shoulder. Jaclyn Hemming, a registered nurse that worked for his father for the past twenty five years and was in tight with Dr. Ivan Drake.

She stood watching him suspiciously. Though she was fifty-eight, Zach thought she looked much older than that with her crisp white nurse’s dress, white hose and matching shoes and her black hair done up into a taut bun under a tight nurse’s cap, her bangs peppered with speckles of grey. She wore no make-up and rarely smiled. However, her rude comment was just the out he was looking for.

Well, if you really don’t want me here. He grinned.

Never mind, I’m glad that Jake sent you. Ben quickly intervened, grasping Zach by the arm and pulling him aside. Ivan and I could use an extra set of hands. Come on over here and see what it is that we are working on.

They moved over to a table where a body lay covered with a draw sheet.

Zach lifted an eyebrow quizzically. What’s that? he asked, plucking a pack of gum from his pants pocket and cramming a piece into his mouth, chewing.

This man is our latest study project. Ben said proudly, folding back the sheet and revealing a dead man, his skin grey-blue, his eyes fixed.

Awww shit, you guys have a dead body lying there! he cried, jumping back, startled.

Do you know what happened to this patient a few weeks ago?

He died?

Besides that, I mean.

I don’t know.

Would you believe that a few hours after he had passed, we managed to get his heart beating again?

No fucking way.

Yes, we did. Ben said, squaring his shoulders proudly as he draped the sheet over the cadaver again. Do you know what that means?

He was alive?

Yes, he was alive again.

But then why is he laying here dead? He sure doesn’t look alive now.

I know, unfortunately he only lived for approximately four minutes. Ben said with a sigh, plucking a notebook from the edge of the table and combing the pages, stopping at one in particular. I charted my own theories. I also looked over Josh and Ivan’s work and we compared notes. Do you know what we came up with?

That he died?

That we could possibly mimic the electrical impulses of the heart and force an already dead heart to start beating again.

I’ll be damned.

Your father graciously approved financial backing for this project. Ben replied handing the notepad to Zach. Would you like to see what we’re up against?

No, not really, just give me a couple of tasks to do so that I can get Dad off my back.

Ben nodded, dropping the notepad back onto the table. He couldn’t understand how a man as hardworking as Jake Tann could have any blood ties to a son like Zachary Gerald Tann. The man was so unprincipled and so lax by the way he held life. Still, he was the son of the administrator and owner of this institution, and his best friend’s son.

Could you run to the outer wards on the third floor and see how much longer Dr. Graham is going to be? I know he’s handling the rounds alone today, but I really need him to help me get started in the lab this afternoon.

Zach swallowed hard. That means running to the loony bin, so I’ll have to pass.

Fine, then you can help me bundle up this cadaver and wheel him downstairs to the morgue. Ben grumbled, giving him a harried, frustrated look.

Zach looked at Dr. Horton and then his eyes fell on the eerie lifeless body lying flat and emotionless on the table. He shuddered with dread, turning away.

Okay, okay, I’ll run to the crazy house and get Dr. Graham.

Thank you.

Slapping the buttons furiously on the doors to the cat-walk, Zach waited to be buzzed inside.

The walls stared back at him, the dark grey textile made him feel as if he was standing at the beginning of a long tunnel with possibly the Grimm Reaper waiting for him at the end. He shivered with dismay.

Passing each door, he forced his eyes to look ahead, though the huge glass walls revealed patients that sat alone rocking back and forth, some pacing endlessly, while others knocked and banged on the glass, crying out to be heard.

Nervously running his fingers through his beard, he opened the door to the main hall and peered inside.

Several orderlies were seen picking up breakfast trays, while a few others directed patients to their rooms. The walls echoed of laughter, nonsensical chatter and an occasional shriek.

Feeling ill at ease, he slipped quietly through the door, looking at the different rooms trying to avoid eye contact with the patients.

A sigh of relief bubbled from his lips when he spied Dr. Joshua Graham standing behind the desk going over a medication order on a newly admitted patient.

Hey man, Dr. Horton’s looking you. Zach said once he reached the front of the nurse’s station. He wants to know how much longer you’re going to be.

Joshua looked up. Is there a problem?

Yeah, Ben’s working on some dead guy and he wants you to help him.

How much further does he expect us to get without proper funding? he asked, signing a chart and then handing it to a waiting nurse.

If you’re talking about the doe my dad is supposed to hand out, he already agreed to it.

Joshua lifted an eyebrow. How much money is he funding for the project?

I don’t know. He just mentioned paying for it, he didn’t tell me how much.

Wonderful news, he replied with pen in hand. Tell Dr. Horton that I’ll be right up. I have a couple of progress reports to review and then I’ll be finished with the morning rounds.

If you’re going to be another few minutes, then I’ll just hang out and walk with you, if that’s okay.

Sure, I won’t be long.

Zach nodded and then walked away, following a young and curvy nurse into the lounge.

Dr. Joshua Graham’s heart raced, he smoothed a hand through his short, light-brown hair, his mood lightened with eager anticipation.

He envisioned the night that patient Jennings’ heart actually began beating again. It was nothing short of a miracle.

The theory that he had researched and the right chemicals that were mixed into place and just the right amount of electricity, his studies did seem like something right out of an old horror movie, but it worked.

He still recalled the numbness that wore over him when he put his theory to the test and the frightfully excited feeling that overwhelmed him when Mason’s heart suddenly twitched and then jumped and then began beating!

Quickly reviewing the rest of the progress reports, Joshua finished his rounds and then beckoned Zach with a wave of his hand after he found him in the lounge beating on the front of a vending machine.

I’m ready to go now, come on.

Wait a minute. Zach held up a finger. You got any loose change? I am totally dying for a candy bar right now.

Certainly, he said, reaching into his pants pocket and then holding out a handful of dimes, nickels and quarters. Hurry up, though, I’m anxious to get back to the lab.

Oh yeah, I can’t wait either. Zach murmured sarcastically, flipping the coins into the slot and then picking out a Nutty Choco-Bar.

Side by side, they walked together.

What do you have planned for tonight? Zach asked, hoping someone would be able to give him a ride into town. Dr. Joshua Graham was the only one that actually left the building from time to time, having friends.

I don’t know; probably spend the rest of the evening in the lab. He said his expression monotone.

You ain’t got no where to go, nothing to do?

I might see Blake or Lee; they’re both doing another show at the King’s Inn tonight. But that’s only if I’m caught up on my work.

Yeah, I’ve seen their band, Lightning Strikes, right?

Yes, that would be them.

"I like the way Lee plays bass, nice.

He always had a talent for music.

I’ve always wanted to take Zoe over there to watch them play, but she ain’t twenty-one yet, so you know.

Yes.

Hey, I got an idea. Zach blurted, pretending that a thought had suddenly came to him. Why don’t you give me a ride out there to the King’s Inn since you’re thinking of going anyway? I’ll give you some gas money, man."

Sure, I suppose, if I decide to go. I have a lot of work to do.

Cool, just let me know.

All right, I will.

Zach grinned at the doctor that was only ten years younger then he. If only he had gone to college, he could have been a doctor. Now he was forty-one, much too old to even ponder the idea. Tearing open the packaging on the candy bar, Zach bit into it hungrily.

How long do you guys have to go to school to be doctors and shit? he asked, bits of chocolate flying from his mouth as he spoke.

It depends, Joshua half shrugged as the buzzer sounded, doors opening. I personally went to school for almost nine years.

Whoa, that’s a long time, dude.

Indeed, it is.

Why didn’t you just go to college for something more normal, like an accountant or a lawyer?

Since when have I ever been satisfied doing anything normal?

I hear you.

Joshua chuckled.

Oh, one more thing, Zach replied, grasping Joshua by the elbow and leaning into his ear. "If anyone asks,