by M. Lorrox
The man in the suit takes a step back and turns away from the bar, and then he sees Charlie. Oh great.
Charlie recognizes Philip Simonsen, an elder on the High Council who had supported some of the old wargames tactics of the Order, the same wargames that nearly cost Charlie his life. Perfect.
Philip stretches out his hand. “Mr. Costanza, it’s my pleasure to see you again.”
Charlie tries to side-step the skinny man to claim the opening at the bar, but the couple that lied in wait collect that prize. Charlie groans and resigns his aspirations for the moment. “Phil.”
Philip purses his lips and lowers his un-shook hand. “It’s so nice to live in a more civilized time now, wouldn’t you say?”
Charlie makes him wait for his response. “Sure is, well, except for the zombies rampaging across the country and eating people alive.”
Philip sighs. “Of course, except for that. I—”
“Let’s hope we find a solution soon.” Charlie brushes past him. He doesn’t have a destination in mind, but anywhere else might be better than in front of a man he hates. After all, he’s thirsty.
He circles the bar, and chance delivers him to an opening at it. “Thank gods.”
A bar attendant with an eyebrow ring delivers a drink to an old vampire in a velvet suit on Charlie’s left. “What can I get for you, sir?”
“Anything strong, and fast.”
The attendant nods and glances up for a second, thinking. “How about a Spiny Weasel?”
Charlie can’t help but laugh—half in amazement, half in annoyance. “Sure, sounds great.”
While he waits for his drink, he notices his reflection in the mirror behind the liquor bottles. He frowns, and then the person to his right nudges him.
“Sorry, excuse me… Oh, I don’t believe it. Do you know who I am?” A short woman with her brown hair in a braid stares at Charlie.
He turns to her, and after a moment, he recognizes her. What are the odds? “Well I’ll be. You’re Qilin, right?”
She nods. “Ara—”
“Please just call me Charlie.”
She tilts her head. “Charlie. Okay, I’ll do my best… Listen, about the American Civil War incident—It’s terrible, and I’m sorry.”
Charlie shakes his head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry it cost you your brother.”
She nods once, then glances away. She takes a breath for courage, then meets Charlie’s eyes again. “I just wanted to tell you that I have no hard feelings toward you. I read your account, and everything you described sounded accurate to the letter. My brother truly was a terrible person. I’m glad you killed him and that it wasn’t the other way around.”
Charlie sighs. “The situation was terrible. And not a minute ago, I bumped into Sorenson.”
She feigns a minor convulsion. “He makes me sick.”
Charlie’s drink slides toward him, and he thanks the bartender with the eyebrow ring. He raises his drink to Qilin. “Is it possible that you and I can just be Knights of the Order, that we can be friendly and talk shop? I heard you were good with a rapier…”
She raises her glass and smiles. “I’d like that very much, sir. But you heard wrong—there’s no one better with a rapier.”
-clink-
Instead of joining the others in the restaurant, Eddy and June show Skip the courtyard, exercise room, and pool. On their way back to the lobby, Eddy notices some vampire kids his age walking out of the restaurant. “Hey, I think I’ll hang out down here for a bit. See you guys later?”
June turns around to face him. “Sure, I’ll probably be up.”
“’Kay.”
As Skip and June walk to the elevator, Eddy strolls over to a group of three teens—a tall Asian guy, a deep-tan skinned girl, and a pudgier, dull looking boy. All wear black clothes accented with red. Maybe sixteen or seventeen years old, not older though.
The girl has short hair that’s shaved on one side. She notices Eddy first and whispers something to the others. The taller boy has short, jet black hair, and he responds to the girl, then steps out of the group, leading the others along the glass windows facing the courtyard. Out of the way of foot-traffic, they lean on the wall and wait for Eddy. When he reaches them, the taller boy stands upright and towers a good five inches over Eddy. “I don’t recognize you. Are you from around here?”
Eddy smiles at them and puts his hands in his pockets. “No, I’m from around Asheville, North Carolina. Just came up today for the meetings.”
“A southern boy, ay?” The girl looks him up and down. “Nice sneakers.”
Everyone looks down at Eddy’s red All Stars.
Does she really mean that? They wear red! “Thanks! Red and black are my favorite colors, too.”
“My name is Madeline. You are?”
“Eddy.”
The tall boy shifts to reposition himself in front of Eddy. “I’m Li Chen.” He gestures over his shoulder. “And that’s Steve.”
Steve is huskier with short, curly hair. When Eddy looks at him, Steve doesn’t blink; he stares straight back into Eddy’s eyes.
Eddy looks up at Li Chen. “Good to meet you. I haven’t really met anybody else yet. Is there anything fun to do up here?”
Madeline laughs. “Hardly!” She leans in closer. “Which is why we make our own.”
Li Chen raises his hand a fraction of an inch, and she withdraws. “Mad, we don’t know if Eddy here likes our kind of fun. We don’t know anything about him, do we?”
Steve slowly shakes his head while not blinking.
Li Chen crosses his arms. “So, why don’t you tell us something?”
Eddy’s heart-rate quickens. He clears his throat. “Where to start...” He bites his bottom lip and sees Steve start to snicker. “You know, I don’t know anything about you three. Wearing coordinating outfits is a little weird, isn’t it?” He smirks at them.
Li Chen half-smiles and runs his tongue along his teeth. He makes a point to lift his upper lip and flashes Eddy a very sharp canine tooth—too sharp. “It seems you aren’t a chicken-shit; that’s a good start.”
Steve nudges past Li Chen. “What are you doing here, kid? We’re not here to make friends.”
His canine teeth have been filed too.
Eddy pulls a hand out of his pocket and waves him down. “Don’t worry, I don’t want to hold your hand.”
Madeline laughs, and Steve starts fuming.
Li Chen chuckles and pulls Steve back by the shoulder. “Take it easy, Steve. I think Eddy might be alright.” He clears his throat. “So, Eddy, why don’t you tell us something about you.” He leans in and whispers, “And you should realize that we’re not chicken-shit either.” He stands back up and waits.
Eddy glances around to see if anyone is watching them, but he doesn’t see anyone lingering. “I had a long weekend.”
Li Chen looks at Madeline, then Steve. They all start to laugh. Li Chen recovers first. “Seriously? You had a long weekend? Who gives a crap?” He uncrosses his arms and tries to shove Eddy away.
Eddy grabs the hand as it reaches his shoulder. He twists it back just enough for it to be uncomfortable, but not nearly enough for it to hurt. “My apologies, I should have said I don’t know where to begin because I had a long weekend.” He lets go of Li Chen’s hand.
Li Chen grits his teeth and breathes hard.
“I don’t know if I should begin with the number of zombies I killed yesterday, or the car accidents, or being shot in the chest by a shotgun.” Eddy shrugs and sighs. “I just don’t know where to begin.”
Madeline leans off the wall. “Okay. I like him.”
Li Chen nods. “Fine. Alright, Eddy, we’re the—”
Steve jabs him in the ribs. “Shhh. Dust over there.” He motions across the lobby to a group of vampires leaving the restaurant. They look like they’re in their forties, but they are certainly much older. They notice the teens looking at them.
The group continues walking
past, ignoring the teens completely. After they’ve walked far enough away, Eddy motions to their backs and whispers, “Dust?”
Steve snorts. “Yeah, dust!”
The group keeps walking.
Li Chen sighs. “I think they heard you Steve, the first time.” He looks at Eddy. “They’re part of the old ways of doing things, the old Order... They’re dust that needs to be blown away for a fresh start.”
Eddy returns his hands to his pockets. They’d call me dust too, if they knew my last name. “Gotcha. So you were saying that you were, umm…”
“Right. We’re the Red Fangs. We’re like a little family, you know, that takes care of each other.”
“Like a gang?”
Madeline leans forward. “Some might call us that, but being in a gang is so...trivial.”
Eddy smiles. “Sounds like you might know how to have fun then, huh?”
Li Chen grins. “Maybe we could show you around a little bit.”
Eddy smiles. “That sounds cool. Are you staying in this hotel?”
“No, but we’ll be here for the meeting tomorrow night—they wouldn’t let us in to their dust party tonight.” He sneers.
Stay cool... “Hmm.” Eddy nods and looks at Madeline.
She leans back against the wall. “Maybe we’ll see you after?”
Eddy nods. “Yeah, I’ll probably be here too.” He looks at Steve, who still looks like he’s constipated. “Later then, I’m hungry.” Eddy turns and walks toward the restaurant.
Li Chen slaps Steve on the shoulder. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. The night’s young.”
When Charlie and Sadie finally return to the room, the babysitter is sitting on the couch petting Rusty.
“Mr. and Mrs. Costanza, Minnie went to bed at eight-thirty. We had a fun time playing together.”
Sadie sets down her hand-bag. “Oh, thank you for your help tonight, uh—”
“It’s Kimmy.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Kimmy, thank you. So, how should I pay you?”
“Actually, let me tell you how the services work here at the hotel.” She gets up from the couch and grabs her bag.
Charlie has his boots off, and he bee-lines for the bedroom.
Rusty bounds off the couch and lands directly in Charlie’s path. He sits down and looks up at him.
“Rusty, what do you want?”
-bark-
“Don’t do that in here, you’ll get us in trouble.”
-Bark!-
“I swear I will kill you... Wait, do you need to be let outside?”
Rusty jumps up and scampers between Charlie’s legs. Charlie follows him with his eyes, and leaves his head hanging low. He turns to put his boots back on.
Kimmy retrieves a sheet of paper from her bag and shows Sadie. “The hotel pays me and bills you. Gratuity isn’t required.”
Sadie smiles at the girl. “If you say so. Well thank you again, Kimmy. I’ll give my compliments to Jules.”
“You’re welcome!”
The girl leaves past Charlie, who seems to struggle with his laces.
Sadie laughs at him. “Oh, you silly man, just take him out already.”
“I’m not a silly man, and I am taking him out already.”
Sadie dismisses him with her hand. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
You don’t even make sense. Those Spiny Weasels were good! I’ll have to post the recipe online before I forget it. Charlie gets his boots back on, checks that he still has a hotel key in his pocket, then turns toward the door. “C’mon Rusty, let’s go.”
Rusty follows him into the hallway.
When they get outside, Charlie is surprised by the pleasant atmosphere. The streets are well lit, and the sidewalks are wide. An island separating the split highway has trees and shrubs in it, and a curved path with a bench leads from one side to the other. The traffic seems light, and the breeze smells surprisingly fresh for being in a dense suburb. They walk along the front of the hotel, past the mall next door, and to a lawn with some trees on the corner of the street.
Others are walking about too, which at first seems odd to Charlie, but then he realizes that he’s in a city. Probably people walk around at all hours of the night, and unlike in the west, they’re not zombies. He smirks at the thought of peace here, so far away from The Line.
Rusty pees on the trunk of a tree, and then he runs toward a policeman, who is walking toward Charlie. “Excuse me, sir?”
Charlie looks at him. Human, 5’10” and 195. “What can I do for you, officer?”
Rusty stops in front of the policeman, who bends down and pets him. The officer scruffs down the hair on Rusty’s neck and pats his back, then tilts and looks up at Charlie, smiling. “Is this your dog?”
“Yeah, his name’s Rusty.” Charlie closes the distance.
“Rusty, eh? That’s a good name for a little roustabout.” He stands up to face Charlie. Where are you from?”
Charlie squints his eyes for a moment. “Asheville. You?”
“You don’t have leash laws in Asheville?”
Charlie looks down at Rusty, then closes his eyes and grimaces. He looks back up at the officer. “I’m sorry, we just got in to the hotel, I didn’t sleep at all last night—we left in kind of a rush. You know how things go down these days near The Line.”
The officer places his thumbs into his belt. “We do have leash laws here in Virginia, and they do in DC as well.”
Charlie nods. “I’m sorry, I’ll be sure to walk him with a leash while we’re here. I’m really sorry.”
“Make sure you do.” The policeman scowls. “You may also need to put a collar on the dog; that’s how leashes work, one end clips onto the collar, and the responsible owner holds the other end.”
Charlie sighs. “Right. I’ll do that.”
“Incidentally, we have laws that require collars here as well, and rabies vaccination tags.”
“I understand.”
“I hope so.” He looks at the ground, then he turns and looks behind him. “Where’s your dog, sir?”
Charlie looks around, but can’t find Rusty anywhere. Figlio d’un cane! “I don’t know. I’m sure he’s just behind a bush or something.”
The officer sighs. “I’m going to have to give you a ticket. Do you have your license on you?”
Charlie pulls out his wallet and gives him his ID. “I’m very sorry about this, sir.”
“Go find your dog, Mr...Costanza. I’ll be a minute.” He points to his police-pickup truck parked alongside the road and turns toward it.
“Yes, sir.”
Charlie walks around the lawn, grumbling to himself, and not finding Rusty. After a couple minutes, he returns to the officer’s truck and waits a few steps away.
The officer says something into his radio, then gets out of the vehicle to speak to Charlie. “Can’t find him?”
“He probably circled behind the building, I’ll find him.”
The officer hands Charlie his license and a ticket. “If I see Rusty without a collar again, I’ll have to call Animal Control, and then you’ll have to deal with them.”
“Understood.”
“I hope so. Good night, Mr. Costanza.”
“Night...sir.”
Charlie walks back toward the front doors of the hotel, then realizes that he’s probably being watched by the policeman. He slides his hand through his hair and jogs to the side of the building, then around the back of the hotel. He hears the officer start his truck and drive off. When Charlie is out of sight from the road, he stops and waits a moment for the policeman to be good and gone, then he turns to head back to the hotel’s entrance. “Seriously Rusty, wherever you are, you’re an asshole.”
When he’s back inside the hotel, Charlie stops at the front desk. “Do you have a gym?”
A young man with glasses nods and points toward the courtyard. “We do. It’s accessible through the courtyard or from the back hallway. It’s near the pool and hot tub.”
Charlie tilts his head and lifts his brow. “Hot tub?”
The attendant smiles. “Yup, they’re all open till eleven.”
“Thanks.”
Charlie walks through the courtyard and finds the gym. When he gets inside, he frowns. There are two treadmills, an elliptical machine, a stationary bike, some yoga mats in the corner, and a bench with a rack of dumbbells. He walks over and picks one up from the largest set. It weighs twenty pounds. He spins it between his fingers. This isn’t going to do.
On his way back through the courtyard, he sees Jules walking out from the restaurant, doing something on her phone. He jogs to catch her in the lobby. “Jules?”
She turns and puts her phone into her pocket. “Yes, Mr. Costanza?”
“I don’t think the hotel’s gym will cut it for me, do you know of a local one that I might be able to use?”
“Yes, there’s a gym a few blocks away, they’re open 24/7 and the branch is owned by friends.”
“Perfect.” Charlie smiles.
Jules doesn’t smile. “I will call the owners and get you set up to use their facilities. Will you be headed there tonight?”
“No, I’m beat. It’ll be in the morning before meetings.”
“Very well. I’ll leave a packet for you at the front desk with instructions.”
“Oh. Thank you very much, Jules.”
“Of course. Good night, Mr. Costanza.”
“Good night.” Charlie walks to the elevator, and before the doors close he hears her talking on the phone. Damn, that woman’s good.
Eddy sits alone at the back of the hotel restaurant. While he plays with his phone, he nurses a blood-tonic he ordered and munches on some veggies he snagged from a hors d’oeuvre tray. He has messages from people back home in Waynesville, but none from Jess, or Joe, or Tomo—three people that twenty-four hours ago were some of his closest friends.
No, wait. Joe’s dead. He can’t send messages.
Eddy takes a slow breath and tries not to think about Joe. Or Sophia. Or Bill. Or their families who will never hear them laugh again, who will weep for them at their funerals. Maybe they were held today. Or they could be tomorrow, but I can’t go. I might not see any of my friends ever again... Do they even know if I’m alive? If I wasn’t a vampire, I’d probably be dead. Should I message them?