by Jon F. Merz
“Death,” said Ares then, her voice still quiet in my ear.
“Yes. Death.” I took a breath. “You smell it as much as I have and you never forget it. You can’t mask it, you can’t pretend it’s not what it is. Nothing else smells quite like it when you know it firsthand like I did.”
Now Ares said nothing. Maybe she thought she knew what was coming next.
“I found the body in the laundry room. It was bloated. All of the fluids had already spilled from the corpse. The flies had found it and they were the first sign of life I’d seen since I’d come back into town. I almost didn’t recognize who it was.”
I paused and took another breath. “But then I finally figured out it was my neighbor. The old guy who lived next door to us and helped Denise with some of the stuff I couldn’t get to because I was deployed. I’d never told him what I was, but he was a sharp old dude and figured it out I think. It used to give me great comfort while I was chasing bad guys that he was back home looking after my family.”
“Your wife and son?”
“Not there,” I said. “I went back into the family room and collapsed on the couch with the M4 still cradled in my hands. The next thing I know, I snap awake. I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep. The flight had caught up with me. The stress of not finding my family. I’d only meant to sit for a moment, but now here it was, dark outside and I was in my home without my family.”
“What did you do?”
“I came awake. Fully awake. It was how they’d trained us. From zero to warp 5 in seconds. Not even. I don’t know. I was awake and ready, though. I sat right up and brought the M4 up in front of me in the darkness. Because somewhere off in the corner of my mind, I’d started hearing sounds. Noises. Outside of the house. And inside.”
I sighed. “I moved to the window and it was just like being back in the shit. I edged the shade back so I could peek outside. At first, I didn’t see a thing it was so dark. Felt like the moon had just been blotted out by all the death that was awash across the world.
“But then I saw something moving. It looked like an animal, flitting from place to place. Until I realized it wasn’t an animal, but something that had once been a human being. A small woman. And as she came closer to my house, I felt my heart thundering harder and harder. I wondered if I’d locked the door behind me when I’d first come in and I knew that I hadn’t. I wanted to run and hide.
“She raced past my house and kept going. I slumped back down under the window and sucked in a breath, leaning my head against the barrel of my gun.
“That was when I heard more noises coming from elsewhere in the house. I got to my feet slowly and moved slowly with the M4 taking point again. I slid the safety off and readied myself for whatever I found. I could barely see, but I could see enough.”
“What was it?” asked Ares.
“I found them in the laundry room. They were kneeling over the body of my neighbor. Feeding.”
I heard the intake of breath from Ares.
My eyes felt hot, but I kept talking. “They must have been in the attic or basement. Sleeping. Or whatever it is they do during the day. But there they were. The two of them.”
I was back there in my mind. Back there in my house with Denise and Cole in front of me, kneeling over the bloated corpse.
“Denise?
“They turned at the same time and I saw that any trace of who they’d once been was gone. Their eyes glowed red. Even in the darkness I could see them, hear them hiss.
“And they came for me immediately, their hunger so readily apparent as they crawled in unison towards me.
“I didn’t even realize I’d fired the M4 until the explosion registered in my ears. Some deep-seated survival instinct in me, no doubt. I kept firing, hearing the brass spill from the ejector port as the shells skittered away.”
“You killed them?”
I laughed now. “You know as well as I do bullets don’t do shit. They fell upon me and I started crying and screaming and clawing trying to get away from them. I could feel how cold they were, how cold their bodies were. They were dead and they wanted to drink every drop of my blood. They weren’t Denise and Cole anymore; they were vampires. Driven by some insatiable hunger.
“I managed to get away from them and stumbled over Cole’s drum set as I ran from them. As soon as I hit the ground they were on me again, their jaws snapping at me, trying to sink their teeth into me. I punched and kicked and grabbed at the floor. And then my hands found the drum sticks and I stabbed with them blindly, trying anything to get away. To live.
“I must have gotten lucky because one of them screeched and fell away with the drum stock jutting out of their chest. It was Denise. Or what had once been her.”
“My god.”
I shook my head but I couldn’t stop it now, not now. “I pivoted, ripping the stick out of her chest and in the next second impaling my son’s chest with it. He screamed. I’ll never forget that scream. It will stay with me…always.”
I was crying now. I didn’t care. “Cole slid away from me, already dying. And even though it was dark, even though anyone would tell me there’s no way I could have seen it, I’d swear that as he lay there dying, part of him came back. The human part. I could see it in his eyes. I could hear it as he whimpered. And I lay there sobbing with him in my arms dying. I’d killed him. I’d killed the last part of my world - the most precious things I’d ever had in my life. Gone.”
And then everything went dark.
14
“Declan.”
My eyes fluttered open and the brightness made me want to shut them again. I heard Ares’ voice and blinked away the darkness until I could see the room before me.
We weren’t alone.
Four men stood in the room around us. Ares was up against the wall with her hands bound. The chain was still around her neck though. My right hand went to my thigh for my pistol but my holster was empty. I noticed one of the goons had my M4 as well. Curiously, they’d disregarded the staff, which was a mistake: it could kill humans just as well as suckers.
“Who the fuck are you guys?”
The lead guy who wore a bushy beard and a shaved head grunted at me. “We’re the welcome committee.”
“Yeah, well this is a private room. I paid for it. You’re not welcome here and I suggest you leave before I get ornery.”
“Ornery.” The lead guy laughed and turned to his comrades. “You hear that guys? He might get ornery. Wouldn’t that be something?”
I sat up and swung my legs out of the bed. Lead guy brandished my pistol.
“Easy there, pal. I wouldn’t want to have to use this on you. Not yet at least.”
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Kort.”
“What sort of name is that?”
“It’s my name.”
I shook my head. “Sounds like someone couldn’t spell ‘Kurt.’ Whatever. Give me my weapons back. They’re not yours to take.”
“We work for Warsaw,” said Kort. “And he rules Diablo, so technically, I have the authority to take your weapons.” He grinned and glanced at Ares. “And anything else we see fit to take.”
“The girl is bait for suckers,” I said. “She’s not a toy. I need her for my work.”
“And why have you come to Diablo? Ain’t no suckers around here.”
I grinned. “I have a hard time believing that. You see, me and my comrades have tracked and killed suckers all over the country. And guess what they all told us right before they died?”
“I don’t have a clue,” said Kort.
“That’s obvious,” I said. “They told us the Source was here. In Diablo. Imagine that.”
“What’s the Source?”
“The first vampire,” I said. “The one responsible for unleashing all of this. The creator of the Event that brought us all to this place. That’s who I mean to kill.”
“Now why would you want to go do a thing like that?”
“Asid
e from the obvious? Because I’d like to see the fucker dead.”
Kort shook his head. “Ain’t no suckers here. You were misinformed.”
“I doubt it,” I said. “You see, the thing about suckers is they don’t lie when they’re dying. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because as they die, a piece of them - the human part - comes back. Just for a moment. Maybe two if you’re lucky. But they come back. And you can ask them questions, tap into their knowledge. Now, you wouldn’t know that because you’re just a hired goon for this guy Warsaw. But trust a professional. I know what I’m talking about.”
“Don’t matter none,” said Kort. “Warsaw won’t let you hunt anyway. Even if there is a sucker living here.”
“Why not?”
“Cuz he don’t like you guys. What do they call you? Mortal Makers?”
“That’s right.”
Kort shifted. “Yeah, Warsaw don’t like you guys.”
“Now, why wouldn’t he like us? We’re all so easy to get along with.” I scanned the rest of the room. The three other guys with Kort looked more or less the same: all undernourished, but capable enough of killing if they needed to. I doubted any of them had any sort of training, judging by the way they stood.
“Someone told me one of you guys killed Warsaw’s mom some time back.”
“Is that so? Was she a sucker?”
Kort shrugged. “I don’t know. Does it matter?”
“If she was a sucker, then whoever killed her did her a favor. There’d be no reason otherwise to kill her, would there?”
“Maybe, maybe not.” Kort waved my pistol again. “Doesn’t matter. We were sent here to tell you to leave town immediately.”
I frowned. “Not sure I can do that. You see, I’ve got a job to do.”
Kort shook his head. “You guys don’t learn very well, do you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kort sighed. “Had another one of you guys here about a week back. Real stubborn fucker. Kinda like you. But different. He wasn’t military. Not like you.”
So Kort had a few brain cells locked away in his skull. How about that? Didn’t really matter. I was going to kill them all for what they did to Rask. “Yeah, well not all of us have a military background.”
“But you do.”
“Yeah.”
Kort leaned back against the wall. “What was you then? Soldier?”
“A frogman,” I said.
His brow furrowed. “Frogman?”
“SEAL,” I said. “Ever hear of us?”
Kort’s eyes went a little wider. “Yeah. Yeah, I heard of you guys before. How’d you become a Mortal Maker?”
“I answered a job posting,” I said. “Does it matter? They needed people who knew how to fight. I answered the call after…after my family was killed by suckers.”
Kort nodded. “Look, it’s real simple. You need to leave town. Take your pretty bait with you and steer clear of Diablo. That’s the only warning you’ll get. You see us again, it’s not going to end well for you. Warsaw doesn’t play around.”
I sat there contemplating things. I wasn’t in the most advantageous position. Sure, I could have killed them all before they knew what hit them, but was that the best move at the moment? If I did the deed, I’d have every other piece of shit raining down on me before we could get clear of Diablo and I could choose my killing ground.
“I agree and you give me my weapons back?”
Kort eyed my pistol. “I dunno. I kinda like this piece.”
“It’s not negotiable,” I said. “And if your boss asks me, I’ll tell him I offered to leave but you insisted on being stubborn about giving me my weapons back. Weapons I’m going to need if you’re kicking us out of the refuge you have here.”
Kort sighed and finally nodded. “You’ll leave?”
“Sure.”
“The weapons will be waiting for you at the main gate. I’ll give you fifteen minutes to collect your gear and settle your bill downstairs. Beyond that, it will be open season on you and your companion there. Understand?”
“Sure.”
Kort sucked his teeth and then motioned for his men to leave. Then he glanced back at me. “Don’t do anything foolish now, you hear? We’re kind folks around these parts: we give anyone a chance to leave. If they do, all is well. If they don’t, then our hospitality ends.”
“I got the message,” I said. “You don’t have to hammer it home repeatedly.”
“Just making sure,” said Kort. “Fifteen minutes starts now.” He backed out of the room and the door closed.
I looked at Ares. “Get your stuff together.”
She frowned, fingering the piece of wood around her neck. “What stuff? Everything I have I’m wearing.”
I tossed a few things into my ruck and then settled it on my back. I grabbed my staff and checked the room. “Let’s get out of here.”
“We’re really leaving?”
“You heard the man. Warsaw doesn’t like my type apparently.”
Ares pointed outside. “It will be dark before long.”
I shook my head. “Nothing we can do about that right now. Not if we want to live to see tomorrow. We’d either die inside Diablo or we leave and take our chances.”
“I never thought you’d back down from a fight.”
I smirked. “This isn’t me backing down. This is me being smart. There will come a time for a fight, for sure. But it will be when I choose the time and place. Understand?” I unlocked the chain and gathered it up.
We walked downstairs. I noticed that Kort had left one of his goons at the bar to make sure we were leaving. As soon as he saw us, he ran out of the door, presumably to let Kort know we were on the move.
Sam had a slip of paper showing me the total. And change for the money I’d paid upfront for the room that was now vacant. I pocketed the money and thanked him.
“Be careful,” he said. “It’ll be dark soon and that’s when she hunts.”
“She?”
But Sam had already turned his back to me and I didn’t press him for any more information. He’d already given me a lot.
I took a final glance around the bar and then nodded to Ares. Together, we headed for the door and stepped back out on to the main drag of Diablo, heading right back to the same gate we’d entered only a few hours earlier.
In the western sky, the sun was beginning its slow descent toward the horizon.
The dark was coming.
15
At the front gate, Kort met us. He’d brought company. To the tune of an additional half dozen guys, all of whom looked as surly as he did. As I walked up, I felt all of their eyes giving me the once over. I’d gotten that look my entire life: guys trying to size you up. Could they take you? Could they kill you if it came down to it? Could they be more of a man than you were?
Most of the time, the answer was a resounding no.
But every once in a while, you came across someone who could. There was always someone out there who was better than you. A wise warrior knows when he’s met a better one. The day you forget that is the day you end up dead.
But none of these guys was that warrior. I could have made the streets of Diablo run red with their spilled blood, but I was still sussing things out. No sense going full-scale slaughter.
Yet.
Kort hefted my M4. “I don’t really like the idea of giving this back to you.”
“You told me you’d give me my weapons if we left. Are you going back on your word now? Is that how you guys do things?”
Kort stared at me for another moment and then grinned. “Here.”
I saw the M4’s magazine was gone. “All of it.”
Kort shook his head. “Consider that the price you pay for coming into town without honorable intentions.”
I cocked an eyebrow at him. “I came here to kill suckers. How much more honorable do you need?”
“You came here looking for trouble,” said Ko
rt. “We both know it. If you’d really been looking for a sucker, you would have done things differently.”
It was growing late and I didn’t have time to argue. I took the M4 back and slung it over my back. “Pistol.”
Kort handed that over as well, with the magazine in it. But I could tell he’d taken the ammunition because it felt a lot lighter than it should have. “You guys running low on bullets now?”
Kort grinned. “I wondered if you’d even notice.”
“Weapons are my business. Killing is what I do.” I held up the pistol. “I noticed.”
He shrugged. “Part of your fine.”
“Whatever.” I turned to leave.
“Declan.”
I glanced over my shoulder at him. “What?”
“You should find some place to hole up.” He pointed to the sky. “It’s getting dark and all. I don’t need to tell you what that means.”
I smiled at him. “Fortunately, I’m as comfortable in the night as I am during the day. Benefits of being a Mortal Maker and not some pussy like you are, hiding here behind your boss.”
“At least I’ll be safe,” said Kort.
I sniffed. “We’ll be fine. Not sure I can say the same for you, though.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Because when I come back, I’m not going to be nearly as nice as I have been so far.”
I turned as Ares drew abreast of me.
“Let’s get going,” she said.
We walked away from the main gate, back down the road that had led us here. As soon as we were out of earshot, Ares turned to me. “What the hell are we going to do now?”
“First things, first,” I said. I crouched down by the withered trunk of an old tree and dropped my ruck. I turned the back upside down and tore open the secret compartment I had sewn into it years back, the velcro tearing open as I did so. Inside, I took out an extra magazine for the M4 and a fresh clip of bullets for the pistol. I slapped the mags home and then racked the slides on both to chamber rounds in them. Then I put the pistol back into my thigh holster and slid the M4 over my back.
“That’s better.”
“You really think they’ll come after us?”