Mattli’s best friend, and superior, had just died in his arms. The tragedy of it threatened to crush him. How could they possibly move on from something so horrific?
Before the dark cloud in his mind could consume him, he saw Lehman’s shoulders start to sag with the ramifications of what she’d done. Mattli decided to put her to work before she could put too much thought into her role in the evening’s events. “Elder Lehman. We will need the remaining elders to help prepare for the funeral ceremonies. Saraphina’s will be tonight, but Elder Alkoff’s will be in the morning, allowing us more time to prepare for the funeral of the head elder.”
Glaring at Burton’s sagging body, he said with contempt, “Burton will not receive a funeral. Elder Hawkins and I will dispose of his remains later.”
Lehman bowed and turned to leave, but Mason grabbed her arm. “Thank you, Lehman. Truly. There are men on this island that wouldn’t have had the courage to do what you did tonight. You’ve altered the future of the island in a big way today. You must understand how grateful we both are for that.”
The smallest hint of a smile appeared at the edge of Lehman’s mouth. “Yes well, that isn’t saying much. I know a few women on this island who would’ve been glad for the task.”
Mason chuckled quietly. “Burton never was one to make friends.”
Lehman’s smile faded, and she shook her head and left. Though she was clearly still shaken, she seemed more at peace now that she had a purpose.
After Mason heard the front door close, he went to the couch and retrieved a blanket. He stood between the two bodies with only one blanket, not sure who to cover.
“Saraphina,” Mattli provided, his voice filled with sadness. “Jim would’ve wanted it to be her.”
Gingerly, Mason placed the blanket over Saraphina’s body, wondering where on this God-forsaken Earth they could go from here.
22.
It didn’t take long for Lehman to assemble the last four elders. In a matter of hours, their numbers had shrunk by nearly a third. With only seven of them left, it would be a larger task than usual to properly care for and dispose of the three bodies. Particularly since the men just barely outnumbered the women. They would just have to all take on some heavy lifting and make the best of it.
The elders gathered in the living room, where the three bodies remained untouched. No one spoke as they assessed the situation. Even the dissenters, Branneth and Mueller, were uncharacteristically quiet.
Mattli broke the silence. “Elder Burton was responsible for Elder Meade’s death. It was a direct attempt on my life. Elder Alkoff and I chose not to reveal him as the murderer until we had more proof, a decision that proved fatal for our dear head elder. If Elder Lehman hadn’t come to our aid, it would’ve proved fatal for both of us, and our deaths would have been blamed on Elder Hawkins.
“Obviously, there’s much to do. Since we are two hands short and Elder Hawkins is new, it will take all of us to prepare for the upcoming ceremonies.” Mattli’s tone was flat and unemotional. It was obvious to Mason that Mattli wasn’t himself.
Mason cleared his throat. “Elder Mattli? Should a new head elder be chosen?” He hated to ask the question right in front of Alkoff’s body, but he thought it was crucial for them not to hesitate in this matter. The island needed leadership, particularly at such a pivotal time.
Mattli turned and looked at Alkoff’s lifeless face, but he didn’t respond.
Lehman leaned in and whispered in Mason’s ear. “Until a new head can be elected, the second automatically acts as head.”
“I see,” Mason said. “Now what?”
Mattli never took his eyes off his lost friend. “Elder Branneth, please assist Elder Pearman in taking Burton’s body to the preparation rock. Elders Lehman and Wharwood, please prepare Saraphina’s body, giving her the care that the head elder’s match deserves. Elder Mueller, you have the unhappy task of delivering the news to Burton’s family. Before you do, please stop by my home and inform Gwen of what’s happened. Elder Hawkins and I will begin preparing Elder Alkoff for tomorrow, and then we will take care of Elder Burton.”
The phrase ‘take care of Elder Burton’ gave Mason an uneasy feeling when he thought about what those nanobots had done to Ashley. But Burton was already dead—a mercy he didn’t deserve.
“Elder Mueller,” Mattli said. “Once you are finished with Burton’s family, I need you to spread the word across the island about the upcoming events scheduled for today and tomorrow.”
The elders nodded and started about their business. Pearman and Branneth carried Burton awkwardly out of the room.
“It’s a long way to the preparation stone. Isn’t there a gurney or something they can use to make the task easier?” Mason asked.
“The task is theirs to complete how they see fit,” Mattli answered flatly.
Mason wasn’t sure he liked this unemotional side of Mattli. But he didn’t know what to do about it. He watched as Mattli stared at the two elders working on Saraphina. They were wiping the blood from her face so they could take her upstairs to her room and start making her presentable for her funeral.
Mason watched, wondering just how deep Mattli’s feelings for Alkoff and his match ran. They waited patiently as the two women struggled to carry Saraphina’s body away.
Mattli set to work as soon as they were alone with Alkoff’s body. “Please get some wet cloths and we’ll start cleaning him up.”
Mason chided himself for not thinking of that already. He knew it had to be done; he’d just watched the others clean Saraphina’s body.
When Mason returned, he found Mattli kneeling on the floor facing Alkoff. “I’m sorry, old friend,” he heard him say.
Mason knelt on the other side of the body and started peeling away the bloodied clothes. “You and Elder Alkoff were close?”
“Two peas in a pod they called us when we were kids. Much like you and Ashley, I imagine.”
Mason smiled at the reminder of more carefree times.
“I never wanted to be second in command, let alone head elder. But when Jim was elected over Burton, the cards just sort of fell where they may,” Mattli said, watching Mason work.
“Yes.” Mason said, thinking of how his own cards had fallen. “Cards have a tendency to do that.”
Mattli took a good, long look at Mason. The much-younger man had lost so much, and yet, he was still moving forward, if for no other reason than to survive. He sighed, trying to exhale everything that had happened, and looked down at his lifelong friend.
Alkoff wouldn’t have wanted him to let the island fall into ruin because he was upset about the way things had turned out. Alkoff would’ve expected him to do the right thing, without question or hesitation.
He picked a cloth out of the bowl of water Mason had left on the floor next to him and started cleaning, hoping he was wiping away the stains of the past for them both.
Prior to Saraphina’s funeral that afternoon, Mason and Mattli were faced with the task of disposing of Burton’s body, which meant a second trip into the dead room.
After Alkoff was properly cleaned, dressed in his best robes—which would go to the next head elder after the ceremony—and laid on the couch, Mattli and Mason left for the preparation stone.
They found Burton lain out just as he should be, and they silently moved his body and uncovered the door to the dead room.
“When you brought me here this morning, I didn’t think I’d have to actually put the knowledge to use so quickly. I would’ve taken notes,” Mason half joked.
“Yes, well, it’s shaping up to be a learn-on-your-feet position for you, isn’t it?”
“Mmm,” Mason affirmed as they unceremoniously pitched Burton’s body down into the depths of the dead room.
Mason thought of Ashley’s parents, the only people he’d ever half cared about who’d died on the island. “We’ll be more careful with Saraphina, right? I mean, you don’t just toss them all down here, do you?”
Mattli’s horrified expression gave Mason the answer he needed.
“Good,” he said. He reached down to help carry Burton’s body into the metal room, but he stopped short when a thought occurred to him.
“What?” Mattli asked, clearly noticing Mason’s stiff posture and troubled expression.
“Do you kill those slated for execution before putting them in the dead room?”
Mattli sighed. “Yes. The convicted are usually brought down here and shot before we let the nanobots loose. With only three of them, it would take far too long for the accused to die.”
“I hope whoever does the shooting is a good shot.”
Mattli looked at him with a glint in his eye. “I never miss.”
Grunts escaped them both as they carried Burton’s dead weight into the inner chamber of the dead room. Mattli secured the door and headed for the hidden panel. Mason simply stood back and watched.
It was eerily silent as the nanobots did their work. The echoes of Ashley’s screams made him shudder. Neither of the men spoke while the timer on the wall ticked the seconds away.
Thirty minutes was a long time to sit in silence, almost as long as those moments he’d spent out on the open ocean with only the moon for company. Eventually, the timer silently ended its count. Mason expected a ding, a buzz, something, but it simply went black.
Mattli opened the glass cage over the emergency button. “Wait here while I go check the chamber. Press the button if anything seems out of place.”
Mason nodded, wondering how he would know since this was his first time ‘taking care’ of a body in the dead room.
“All clear,” Mattli called from inside the chamber, and Mason took that as his cue to go inside. Burton’s body was gone. All that was left was a small pile of gray dirt that lay in the center of the room where his body had been. Dirt just like what they’d found on the mainland in the form of enormous, rolling hills. It was creepy to think that some of the dirt they’d walked through had been people at some point—and judging from the size of the pile left by Burton, it had been a lot of people.
Mattli collected a broom and dustpan, sweeping the remains into the pan. “All right, we’re done.” He carried the pan out of the dead room, extinguishing the sconces they’d lit as he went. Once they were topside, he tipped the pan into the wind, and they watched as what remained of Burton was carried off, never to be heard of again.
Rather than assembling the islanders more than once that day, the remaining elders held a brief meeting prior to Saraphina’s funeral.
“As you’ve been told, Saraphina, Elder Alkoff’s match, has been murdered. We assemble here today to honor her. But before we do that, there are some things we need to discuss.” Mattli paused, knowing there was no turning back.
The islanders glanced at each other in confusion, and Mattli forced himself to speak. “Elder Alkoff was also murdered by the man responsible for Elder Meade’s death. I’m afraid Elder Burton…” He paused, searching for the right words. Went crazy? Got greedy? Was an asshole? “Elder Burton was responsible.” A murmur rolled through the crowd. “He was killed by Elder Lehman before any more lives could be lost. In fact, I owe my own life to Elder Lehman.” All eyes went to Lehman, who stood to Mattli’s right. She nodded stiffly in acknowledgement.
“Today, we face the terrible task of selecting a new head elder. I have been named acting head, until you can select a replacement for Elder Alkoff. You will have the opportunity to nominate the elder you support with a show of hands, beginning with the current second in command. If enough of you nominate the same elder, there will be no need for a vote. If it does come to a vote, we will do it before Elder Alkoff’s funeral tomorrow.
“Please choose your nominees carefully. You are in control of your fate at this moment. Do not squander it.” Alkoff would’ve been more eloquent. He would have said something more impactful and moving to sway them to his cause. But he was not Alkoff. He only hoped he was enough. Branneth and Mueller had a handful of supporters, after all, and either of them would make a horrible leader for the island.
“Before we begin, there is another piece of news I must share with you. Elder Hawkins has been selected to replace Elder Meade.” Murmuring spread through the gathered islanders. “I know this may be difficult for you to understand. However, he was promised amnesty for completing his task. Elder Alkoff himself was the one who appointed him, and I mean to see his last appointment through.” The finality in his voice silenced the last of the murmurs. “That leaves two positions open.” He searched the audience for the next two in line. One was only a teenager, and the other wasn’t much older. Still, he himself hadn’t been very old when he was first appointed to the elders.
The teenager’s eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and excitement as he awaited his fate. Mattli couldn’t help but smile at him, knowing exactly how he must feel. “Some deliberation among the elders will need to happen before any final decisions are made that matter. Once the head elder is selected, we will have a better idea of where we stand. Are there any questions?” He always hated asking that, but it had to be done to make the islanders feel at ease, to make them feel like they were a part of the process. But the Pandora’s Box it opened could be a bit of a nightmare.
To his surprise, silence reigned over the islanders for a beat or two. “Very well then, let the nominations begin.”
Lehman started with Mattli. “Those in favor of Elder Mattli?” More than half of the islanders raised their hands. There were so many, Mason struggled to count the ones on his side. He counted almost four hundred by the end, which took several minutes.
“279 on my side. You?” Lehman asked Mason.
“396.”
“That’s it then. That’s more than two-thirds,” she said, though not loudly enough for the islanders to hear. Raising her voice, she announced, “You have chosen Elder Mattli as your new head elder. May the spirit of our savior, Bennett Ashby, guide him through this difficult task.”
“Ashby be with you,” the crowd responded.
Mattli couldn’t believe it. He’d watched the hands go up, of course, and had marveled over the numbers as he stole occasional glances at Branneth and Mueller, who grew more and more agitated the longer the count took. Mattli was lucky there hadn’t been time for them to organize; they may have rounded up more supporters.
Just like that, he’d become the most powerful man on the island. He wasn’t sure if he should be filled with excitement or dread. For the moment, grief fueled the dread building in his mind.
“Thank you for this honor. I assure you, I will do my best to lead the island justly, to help it flourish in the coming years.” He paused, seeing smiles of approval and encouragement on the islander’s faces. He’d never truly understood how they felt about him until this moment. He found Gwen in the front row of the crowd, seated among the other matches, smiling ear to ear. She mouthed, “I’m so proud of you,” to him, and he nodded in acknowledgment.
Clearing his throat of the lump trying to form there, he carried on. “If there are no questions, we will begin Saraphina’s funeral.”
23.
Saraphina’s funeral was difficult for Mattli to get through, and dread of Alkoff’s funeral the following day settled in the pit of his stomach like a boulder. He wasn’t sure he could summon the courage to get through that. He could only hope it would come with the short time that remained.
In the meantime, he, Mason, and Lehman sat in Alkoff’s library, soon to be Mattli’s library, sipping tea while Gwen started to prepare food for the head elder’s funeral reception the following day—a duty shared by all the island’s elite, and those that had food to spare.
Alkoff’s body still lay in the living room, from where he would be carried to the pyre the next day for the funeral ceremonies. If he hadn’t known any better, Mattli would’ve thought the former head elder was simply resting peacefully, not gone completely from their world.
“Elder Hawkins,” Mattli said. “Yo
u need to think about where you would like to live. My home will be available, as I will be moving here. It’s standard procedure for the second in command to live on the other side of the island, so that he can address immediate issues there.” He thought of Meade’s passing and how far he’d had to run to get Alkoff. Mattli shook his head, knowing a shorter distance wouldn’t have saved Meade.
“But my current home is perfectly fine,” Mason said.
Mattli shook his head. “It’s fine for a welder. The elders are strategically located throughout the island to be accessible to the islanders.”
“So, when you said I needed to think about where I would like to live, you didn’t mean I had a choice in the matter, did you?”
Mattli couldn’t help but smile. He’d always liked Mason; he never wasted words or beat around the bush about how he felt. Truth be told, Mattli was looking forward to having him as his second in command. He just wished Alkoff were still around to laugh at their missteps.
“What about Elder Meade’s home? Isn’t he the one Elder Hawkins is replacing?” Lehman asked.
Both men started, having forgotten she was present. “Yes, Elder Meade’s home is available. As is Burton’s. However, my home is better suited for the second in command.”
Second in command? Mason thought. All he’d ever wanted was a quiet life, spent below the scrutiny of others, and suddenly he was second in command of the whole island?
Lehman frowned, clearly disapproving of the decision.
Mason held up his hands. “I don’t want to come between anyone and what they feel they’re owed. We don’t need a repeat of Burton. Lehman, if you want the second in command spot, I’ll abdicate it to you. Anyway, Elder Mattli, I’m sure Lehman here is far more qualified and would be more helpful to you. I have no idea what I’m doing here.”
Lehman’s frown dissolved into an expression of acceptance. “No. It seems you were destined for this, Mason. Who am I to stand in your way?”
The Dead Room Trilogy Page 16