Land of the Undying

by Dave Willmarth

  “You could do that?” Shari’s eyes widened. She’d always thought geeks with hacking skills were sort of bad-boy sexy.

  “From outside, never. Security here is top of the line. But since I’m here in the building? And I’ve been working with the security protocols in order to install Peabody…” He looked thoughtful. “I could probably plug a laptop right into one of the servers and hack my way in from there.”

  Shari looked at him, with puppydog eyes, twirling her hair around one finger. “So… if you wanted, you could drop a chest full of epic loot for me to pick up?” She grinned evilly at him.

  “Ha! I suppose with enough time I could manage that. But what would be the fun in that?”

  Shari laughed. “You’re supposed to want to impress me with shiny things! Win my heart with shameless bribery and acts of chivalry!” She half-pouted.

  Mace’s face went thoughtful again. “Ah, I see. I was sick the day they covered ‘babes 101’ in college. Everything I know I learned from internet porn. I’m afraid the girls in those movies didn’t require a whole lot of convincing.”

  Shari threw her napkin at him. He caught it before it could drop into his pasta, then handed it back to her. “I’m just kidding. I totally sat thru ‘babes 101’. Took notes like crazy. Where do you think I got the idea for the candles?” He looked meaningfully from her to the candles on the table, then back to her. She laughed despite herself.

  She changed the subject, telling him about her fight with the wyvern and the hundreds of bats flying at her face. Mace shuddered at that part. “Bats. Gah! Couldn’t they have made it fuzzy bunny tails instead of bat wings?”

  Shari’s face adopted a shocked look. “What?? You want me, a druid, to kill fuzzy bunnies?”

  Mace looked cautious. “Uhhh… no?” He answered hesitantly. This was a simple yes/no answer situation, but he had a feeling even the right answer might be the wrong answer. He found his mouth opening again before he could stop it. “Maybe uhhh… rabid bunnies? I mean, there are rabid wolves, right? Maybe one of them bit a bunny and spread the rabies…” his voice trailed off as he realized how lame he sounded.

  Shari burst out laughing. “Ahahaha! Dork. Rabid bunnies. Imagine that. Angry bloodshot eyes, ears laid back, back legs launching them at your face!”

  Mace looked squeamish. “Not my face I’m worried about. I read a book where this ogre dude punted a bunny in a noob zone, and pissed off a whole herd of them. They took him down and bit his junk off!”

  Shari smirked at him. “And you think you’re gonna have a special need for your junk sometime soon, is that it?”

  Mace blushed. Taking a deep breath, he raised his eyes to meet hers. “Damn, I hope so!” He winked.

  Finished with dinner, they carried their plates and such into the kitchen to clean up. Shari pushed the cork back into the bottle and set it in the fridge. They did the dishes, and put everything away. On their way back through the dining room, Mace blew out the candles. No point in wasting them.

  They walked together back to their rooms. Shari stopped outside hers and looked up at him. “Babes 101. Dork!” she pulled his head down and kissed him briefly, then retreated into her room and closed the door.

  Smiling happily to himself, Mace retreated to his own bed. Between the fly scare that morning, and the stressful run through the forest in-game, he was more than ready for some sleep.

  *****

  The centaur walked through the gate of Lakeside just before nightfall. He nodded to the guards as he passed, then stopped and turned. “Either of you see a drow named Mace come through here?”

  The same guard who’d taken Mace’s gold earlier replied “Saw a drow. Don’t know his name. Can’t be that many about, though.”

  The centaur’s face turned dark. “Where did he go? He killed my uncle in the forest. I want his head.”

  The guards exchanged a look. “He was headed to the inn. But don’t you go causing trouble there. You want him, you take him once he leaves the village.”

  “I’ll take him where I find him. Unless you want a fight with my whole clan, you’ll not try to interfere!” The centaur growled at the guards.

  “That’d be up to captain Charles. We’ll fetch him. But I warn you, he’ll not like having his dinner interrupted. You just wait right here.” The lead guard motioned for the other to fetch their commander, and he took off at a trot.

  The centaur paced back and forth as the guard watched calmly, hand on his weapon. The centaur’s tail twitched in aggravation. After a few minutes he lost his patience. “I’m going to the inn! You can tell your captain he can find me there.”

  The guard stepped forward. “I’ll have your word you’ll start no trouble, first.”

  The centaur growled again, placing a hand on his bow before pausing to take a deep breath. “I’ll do nothing until I’ve spoken to your captain.”

  Centaurs were known for keeping their word. Honor was important to them. The guard relaxed, moving his hand away from his weapon. “I’ll send the captain along. What is your name?”

  “I am Beron. He will know the name.” the centaur nodded as he strode away.

  The tavern room at the inn was too small for a centaur. But the town grew up on the edge of centaur lands, and traded with them quite a bit. So there was a wide window at the end of the bar, with a sturdy shelf below it. Centaurs could order food and drink and eat them there. Beron approached and knocked on the shutter, which was promptly lifted. The innkeeper greeted him. “Master Beron. Good to see you again. What can I get you?”

  Ale. And information. I’m seeking a drow named Mace. I’m told he was headed here.”

  The innkeeper nodded his head. “Yes, he’s here. Went straight to a room. Very tired. Friend of yours?”

  “No friend of mine. He’s an outworlder. Killed my uncle today. I’m here for his head.” Beron answered gruffly.

  The innkeeper shook his head. “Heard about letter from elves. Didn’t ask drow’s name. Must be same one.”

  “We care not for the wishes of the elves. Any drow crossing our territory will die.” Beron glared at the kobold, who raised his hands in surrender, saying “I get your ale.”

  Beron was just taking his first swallow when captain Charles walked up. An ogre in full armor, the captain was easily a match for the centaur in size and strength. “What is this about you looking to kill someone in my town?” he wasted no time on pleasantries. The two knew each other, and weren’t on particularly friendly terms.

  “There’s a drow in this inn. He killed one of my kind as he passed through our lands. I’ll be taking his head back to put on my uncle’s grave.”

  The captain shrugged. “That’s none of my business. Unless you try to take him inside the walls.”

  Beron bristled, one hoof pawing the ground. “I’ll take him inside, outside, wherever I find him. Do not interfere in this, captain. My clan will collect this blood debt, and anyone who tries to stop it will suffer.”

  The ogre took a step closer to Beron. “Why did this drow kill your uncle?”

  Beron spat on the ground. “I was not there. But his reasons do not matter. Blood debt is owed.”

  Captain Charles replied. “My men tell me he was wounded. Arrow holes in his armor. Any chance he was just defending himself?”

  Beron growled at the ogre. “Any drow in our lands is fair game. Who struck the first blow has no bearing. He has spilled the blood of the clan. He will die.”

  The captain nodded his head. “That may well be. But he will not die inside my walls. He is an outworlder. You know you can not truly kill them. And I will not have our laws ignored for some pointless gesture to satisfy your need for revenge. I will speak to him when he leaves his room. I will hear his story. You can spend the night here in the stable, and be welcome. But in the morning you will go and wait outside the gate. What happens out there is no business of mine.”

  Beron’s face twisted in rage. He shouted “His STORY? What does it matter what he says? I
have warned you once, captain. Interfere, and it will mean war with my clan!”

  The captain’s return shout was a roar that shook the walls of the inn. “This is MY town!” he stepped closer so that his face was inches from Beron’s, his voice a guttural growl. “Your clan will not go to war with Lakeside. You need the supplies we bring across the lake, and the fish we pull from it. Centaurs don’t make good sailors, Beron. Accept my offer, or you and yours will no longer be welcome here!”

  The centaur stood there, face to face with the ogre, his face red and neck muscles straining in fury. His fists clenched so hard the sinews of his forearms bulged. The ogre didn’t blink, didn’t back down an inch. After maybe a minute, Beron took a step back and nodded his head. “It shall be as you say. He is mine the moment he leaves your walls.”

  The captain nodded in acknowledgement, and turned to return to his home, where his half-eaten dinner awaited. Beron tossed a few coins to the innkeeper and took his ale with him to the stables.

  *****

  The next morning at breakfast, Shari presented an idea. “Feel like going to the roof today?”

  Mace looked at her for a moment. When she didn’t elaborate, he asked “To… work on our tans?”

  “To do a little hunting. You mentioned that first day that three of the zombies got in a fight just across the park. The human ones are more territorial, and tend to stay in one area unless lured away. If the big one who won the fight is still around, I might be able to get a headshot from the roof. The building is high enough that they shouldn’t be able to smell us. Or hear us if we’re quiet.”

  Mace was wholeheartedly behind taking out any local zombies. He had regular nightmares about one of them breaking through the lobby glass and waiting for him to step off the elevator. They finished their breakfast and cleaned up, then returned to their rooms to gear up. In addition to his normal guns and weapons, Mace went into a storage closet and grabbed a net attached to a hoop on a stick. It looked like a butterfly net, only more sturdy.

  When Shari met up with him in the corridor, she looked at the net and raised an eyebrow.

  “I’ll be watching your back while you look through the scope. This is for any birds or flying bugs that get too close.” Mace explained. Shari nodded her head, impressed. “Good thinking for a computer geek.”

  Mace stopped in the security room as they made their way out. He went into a cabinet that held several small radio units in chargers. Grabbing two, he handed one to her. Then he handed her an earpiece. “Keep this in. These will allow us to talk to each other at a distance without shouting. No need to push anything, just talk. I’ll hear anything above a whisper. They’ll work anywhere in the building, and for about half mile around it.”

  She tucked the radio in a vest pocket, and inserted the earpiece. Then she stepped around the corner. “Let’s test them.” She said as she exited the door. When she was far enough away that he couldn’t hear her voice normally, she cupped both hands loosely over her mouth. Then she took an exaggerated breath in through her teeth, and made an ‘O’ as she let it out. She did this twice, then said in her deepest voice. “Mace, I am your father!”

  She heard him chuckle in her ear. “That wasn’t creepy at all. Radios work fine. Let’s get going.” He said. They did a check of the monitors, looking for any kind of movement outside. Finding none, they took the elevator up to the lobby and Mace checked the monitor at the reception desk. While he did that, Shari ducked into a restroom and filled a coffee pot to water the trees with. That job done, they went upstairs and watered their little conference-room farm before continuing on up to the roof.

  The elevator didn’t go all the way to the roof. Instead there was a stairwell near the elevators on the fourth floor that went up to the roof access door. It was a solid metal door that somebody, Mace didn’t know who, had sealed with duct tape. When Shari asked about it, he shrugged and said “Must have happened in the first few days. There were a bunch of us then, and everyone was a little paranoid.”

  They took some time to remove the tape as quietly as possible. They had no idea what type of flying creatures might be just hanging out on the roof. When the tape was cleared, Mace opened the door as slowly and quietly as possible. The hinges squealed a bit, but not too loudly. He made a mental note to spray some lubricant on them.

  Mace peered out across the roof as soon as he could see. He opened the door slowly, watching and listening for any sign of creatures. When he was convinced it was clear, he opened the door fully and stepped out. The sky above was cloudy and grey, as if rain were on its way. “That’s good” Shari nodded toward the clouds. “Means we won’t be casting any shadows below.”

  The roof was wide and flat, with a rubbery membrane covering that blanketed the roof and rose up the side parapet walls around the edges. There were several mechanical units up there. Vents for exhaust fans, three big chillers for the HVAC system. There was also a block structure that housed the elevator machine room roughly in the center of the roof. Shari immediately pointed to that. “We clear that first. That’s our go-to shelter if like, a dragon lands or something.” She grinned as he rolled his eyes.

  The two of them made their way to the machine room. The door wasn’t locked, so Mace just pulled it open quickly with his weapon at the ready, as Shari waited to one side. Nothing burst out of the room at them, so Mace stepped around from behind the door and went inside.

  The room was large, as it encompassed the hydraulic motors that lifted each of the four elevators that ran from the lobby up. It smelled mainly of motor lubricant and iron. The floor was surprisingly clean, and the room very neat. There was a table with two chairs against the wall near the doors. A couple of manuals sat open on the table. Shari and Mace spent a couple of minutes checking all the nooks and crannies for any evidence of critters or bugs. When they found nothing, they exited the structure and closed the door.

  Mace asked “Alright, where do you want to start?

  Shari looked around. “Which way is the park?”

  Mace walked toward one side of the building. When they neared the parapet wall, both of them crouched down. The wall was three feet high, so sitting on their knees they could easily see over while keeping most of their bodies hidden. He pointed across the park that stretched out below them to a building across the street. “Fifth floor, left side of the building. See the broken windows?”

  Shari nodded and set her rifle on top of the wall. Looking through the scope, she adjusted it a bit. Mace began to look around them and up into the sky, watching for any potential dangers. After a few minutes, she said “I’ve scanned as much of the building as I can see. Nothing obvious. A lot of broken furniture and damaged walls. But the ground level windows and the door aren’t damaged. I think maybe after it jumped out, it couldn’t get back in?”

  Mace shook his head. “The thing was huge. It could bust through a brick wall if it wanted. But maybe it did just pick a new spot.”

  Shari spent some time scanning other buildings from her vantage point. “I see two with what looks like bomb damage on the ground floor. Big hole in the wall of one, shattered storefront on the other. I guess it could be in one of those.”

  Disappointed, Shari suggested they check out each direction. So for the next hour they moved from one side to the next as she scoped out their surroundings. When she finished the last side, she said “No movement anywhere.”

  Mace grinned at the disappointment in her voice. “That’s a GOOD thing. I mean, I know you’re feeling a little bloodthirsty…”

  “Yeah. Since it all happened, I need to kill something every 2-3 days or I start getting fidgety.” She gave him her best crazed psycho-killer face.

  “Yup. Locking my door tonight for sure.” He countered.

  They made their way back downstairs. On the way down the subterranean elevator, they stopped on level 15 to water the corn. When they reached level 30, Mace said “I’m going to work on Peabody for a while. I’ve almost got him worked out.”
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  “That’s fine.” Shari said. “I’m going to go take over a med lab. I’ve been thinking about the possibility of finding a way to counteract the contamination. Seems like it would be worth investigating.”

  Mace looked at her surprised. “You have those kinds of skills?”

  “Well, I’m not like, a leading world expert or anything. I’m just good at research. And before you ask, remember that this whole thing was over, the entire globe contaminated, in just a few days. Nobody had any time to try and work on it. Or anyway… anybody who has, is locked in a bunker somewhere like the Center for Disease Control or CDC . I will likely never find anything useful. But it’ll give me something to fill the hours.”

  Mace had no objection. “Hey, knock yourself out. This is your home, too. Do your sexy researcher thing!” He cringed when he said it. He really felt like facepalming.

  “Wow.” Shari looked at him. “Sometimes that awkward geek thing just takes right over and let’s loose, huh?” She spun around and walked off before he could come up with a decent reply.

  The two of them did their own thing for a few hours, then got together for a quiet lunch. Each of them was in their own head, mulling over the problems presented by their projects. Finally Shari asked “How’s it going with Peabody?”

  “Good. I might even have him online this afternoon. I’m going to run a few tests. Make sure he doesn’t go Skynet.” He grinned. “How bout your work?”

  Well, I found a few good databases. I’ve been cruising the CDC site to see if they’ve posted anything. No evidence that they’re even alive. Been thinking that I’m going to need to experiment. Which means…” she broke off and looked meaningfully at him.

  He finished for her. “You want to kill a zombie and bring it down here.”

  “Not a whole zombie.” She said quickly. “Just a piece of one. Not even a big piece. Like… a finger. Something with bone in it so I can study the marrow.”