Nova Nocte (Book 2): Quarantined in Chaos

by Melissa Gibbo

  What special kind of crazy is this?

  “Okay, I’ll bite; why do you want to draw the Dead to you?”

  The humor left Allen and calm settled over him.

  “When you’ve spent months living alone -- if you can call this living -- just joining the winning team sound like a good idea. Who knows, maybe being a zombie is fun.”

  Nurse stepped forward.

  “Were you bitten?”

  “No, I just want one or two to show up and get the infection, not a dozen and get destroyed. Kept having to mow them down or hide.”

  Nurse walked over and put his hand on Allen’s forehead. The inebriated man didn’t resist. He didn’t seem to care enough to resist anything.

  “No fever and no signs of prolonged dehydration. Well, he’s got no physical reason to go this route. He’s just suicidal. I think I’ll get his fire built up; I don’t want to know how this turns out.”

  He left our circle and fanned the embers, setting up a small meal of canned whatnot and pasta noodles.

  “Allen,” I tried to think before speaking. “...if you were a part of a group and had a goal in mind, would you be okay with not attracting fleshies?”

  “Of course.” He tilted his head at me like I’d asked him if fire was hot. “Suicide by dead guy tends to be a last resort kind of thing. You’re not the brains of this outfit are you?”

  I blushed and scratched my chin.

  “Not really. Sunny’s in charge.” I pointed to our leader who was busily shaking her head not to make an offer. “If you pass a quick interview and agree to our terms, I think she’ll let you join us.”

  She threw the Mom Glare at me before donning her pleasant but stern leader face.

  “If you’re interested in being alive and not alone, just sit over here; Cal has some questions to ask you...”

  ###

  Allen turned out to be a former science teacher who had already been estranged from his family, divorced with no children, and he was fired a month before the outbreak due to budget cuts. He was also proving to be adept at problem-solving.

  “When my cheap katana broke, I managed to get into a camp that had a ton of firepower on the grounds that I knew some decent first aid and how to purify water. Then most of the group got rounded up and caged by a couple of vampires to be used as cattle.” Allen shoved another mouthful of noodles into his mouth.

  “I managed to hide in a sewer until dawn and get a couple of them freed. But after that, we just sort of hit too many obstacles: zombies, vampires, some crazy jerks who kidnapped the two women with us, a couple of creepy kids roasting a guy on a fire. Finally, it was just me and Rory.”

  “What happened to Rory?” Chase asked.

  “Rory found a bag of drugs and smoked it all. There was crack, weed, and meth. And then there was Rory twitching and foaming at the mouth. I turned him on his side, he puked, and he died. I took the last of our supplies and never looked back.”

  Our newcomer stopped eating and stared into the ether.

  “I’m sorry you have been lost and alone.” Cal spoke low and kept his gaze on the fire. “You are no longer on your own. And soon, you will be restored to the living world to start anew.”

  “Thanks. Means a lot.”

  He smiled and patted the elder Undead on the back twice. The night was silent except for the creaking of tree limbs as the snow gathered on the thin boughs. I added Allen’s name to my schedule and reviewed my calendar.

  Donations will be simpler but the guard shifts will still be tough; it’s hard to trust a guy who was trying to commit death by zombie.

  Cal rose and packed his belongings. We all followed suit. Allen loaded his arsenal and munchies into the various trailers and took over the Roman’s bike. Cal appeared relieved to be handing the contraption to someone else in exchange for flight.

  “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover; anyone needing a potty break, get it now. No more stops until morning nears.”

  I waited for any response and set off into the sky. Daemon glided beside me effortlessly. I wobbled from time to time as I changed direction or was caught in a strong gust, but my flying was improving. Reggie and Cal flew behind the pack of riders and allowed us to lead.

  Once in a while, I’d dive low and hack off a zombie’s head or punt the skull into the next time zone. The night went smoothly. And then morning came.

  CHAPTER 25 FEBRUARY 19TH - YEAR 2

  We skirted the town of Bowman to avoid the sea of Dead roaming its streets. I noted the slowed movements of the fleshies.

  The cold must be thickening the fluids in them. They only move as fast as dial-up internet in this weather. Thank goodness we’re catching a break.

  As we took cover on an abandoned farm for the day, the familiar pop pop pop of a 22 caliber went off. Everyone stopped moving and listened, half-unloaded gear still in hand. A chorus of bangs and booms thundered in its wake; larger rounds and shotguns. My skin tingled with the instinctual alarm that the sunrise was soon. The gunshots were only a mile or two away and closing.

  “What do we do?” Garret asked Sunny.

  “I don’t know. We can run or defend. But they,” She gestured to us Undead. “...they can’t be outside for much longer.”

  Reggie piled his bags of gold and other items into the nearest trailer.

  “We go. We move as far away as possible and hide in the brush until dusk.”

  A flurry of movement followed his decision. Cal loaded all the heavier bags onto his back and into his arms. Daemon and I copied him, Reggie begrudgingly did the same. I relayed the plan to Sunny and Chase.

  “We’ll carry as much of the heavy stuff as possible. They are coming from the south out of the town; we’ll head north and east across the fields and into that little forest. No fires to draw their attention and set up a strong watch with weapons at the ready. We’ll dig in and come out as soon as the sun sets.”

  They pedaled as fast as they could over the terrain while we ran.

  If we fly, they could see us. We have to run and find a place fast. What about the trail in the frost? How will we cover that?

  We located a little clearing and plopped our cargo on the hard soil. Our team of vampires sprinted back for the rest of our crew, ignoring the desperation in our veins to seek out cover from the lightening sky. Those radiant lavenders and oranges had never been so terrifying.

  Daemon beat us there and scooped up Sunny, placed her in the trailer, and pedaled until his feet were a blur. At one point the uneven ground made them begin to fall and he recovered it by flying them a few feet up and bringing the ride back down level. Reggie, Caelinus, and I did the same with others. Leaving Chase, Bubba, and Nurse with Sunny to set up a camp we returned for Garret, Allen, and Vincent.

  My skin began to burn and itch like a rash gone wrong. The first curve of the sun was cresting the horizon in the field. I noticed the pink hue all of our skins were taking. Our final companions were grabbed and flown low to the ground into the cover of the wood. Cal was behind us leaving a dozen different trails away from our escape in the frosted earth.

  Reaching our destination, the four of us hurriedly jumped into the shallow graves our friends had dug for us. They tossed cold dirt on us just as my skin began to smolder. Reggie and Cal somehow wiggled their way further into the ground and I could hear them stop moving and rest. Daemon and I were in holes a few feet apart. I could feel where he was even though my eyes were closed and sound was muffled.

  I guess I’ll always know where my sire is. I hope he can feel me, too. I hope he knows I’m okay.

  I strained to listen through the foot of hard soil for the sounds off attack during the day, but exhaustion took over and I drifted off to sleep. For the first time, I slept in my unmarked grave. It was peaceful.

  CHAPTER 26 FEBRUARY 20TH - YEAR 2

  A pale hand reached down and pulled me from my bed of earth. I opened my eyes to see the heavens were still light from the day; the sun had set only minutes ago. Wiping the
grime from my face and clothes, I took in the scene.

  The other three vampires had all risen and stood in the center of an empty clearing. Torn clothes, a broken bike and trailer sat tipped over, cans of beans and a jar of grape jam lay on the ground, Sunny’s favorite spear was snapped in two at the edge of the trees, a handful of bullet casings sparkled in the twilight, and the faintest scent of blood hung in the air.

  “Where are they?”

  No one answered me. Daemon put his arm around me and stared at the ground. Our mentors walked around examining the debris and giving each other knowing looks.

  Conversing with their minds probably. They’re searching for clues and it doesn’t look good, otherwise they would tell us. I hope they all made it out of here. Please, God, let our friends be alive.

  “I’m sure they made it, Squirrel.” Daemon hugged me and kissed my temple. “We’ll find everyone. Trust Cal and Reggie. They’ll figure this out.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  We held hands and strolled around gathering the items left behind and setting them in the trailer. Daemon used his strength to slowly bend the damaged bike bar back into working order. I buried the broken spear in my hole; it seemed wrong to leave it exposed to the world. Cal watched me and gave an approving nod.

  They finished their investigation and joined us by the pile of salvaged goods. Reggie frowned but said nothing. Cal ran his fingers through his hair; dust wafted away in a tiny cloud.

  “They were found, but it seems they were found by only one or two people, not an army. There is a little blood over there, but not enough for anyone to die from the wounds.”

  I exhaled in relief. Daemon squeezed my hand and smiled.

  They are alive.

  “So now we just find the others and keep moving, right?”

  “No. It’s not that simple.”

  My hope threw itself off a cliff.

  “Why not, Cal? What are you two not telling us?”

  The pair shifted uneasily. Reggie grimaced and answered me.

  “They left here alive, but they were followed by a half dozen people and about three times that many zombies have passed through here since then. It’s not likely that they are still alive.”

  Daemon dropped my hand and his eyes widened. I felt the tears rising unbidden.

  “You don’t know for sure though. Our people are tough, Reggie. They can handle an even matched force and after that I’m sure they found somewhere to keep the Dead at bay until we get there.”

  Cal put his hand on my shoulder.

  “That may be, but we must accept that we may not find them. We will continue our journey north -- as that is where they would go -- and if we see signs of the others, we will stop to search. Otherwise, we must fly on just the four of us.”

  I clung to him and sobbed. I hit him ineffectually as I cried, angry at him for delivering the bad news. The news I knew in my heart but hadn’t wanted to be true.

  If they are alive, we probably can’t help them. And they probably aren’t alive to be helped. When I buried that spear, Cal understood. I was lying to rest our friends, because we most likely had seen the last of them.

  After several minutes, Cal handed me off to Daemon for comfort while he and Reggie flew up to survey the area for signs of people; we needed to feed if we were going to travel halfway up the country in the next few nights. Travelling with humans had slowed us from a few days to weeks of trekking.

  When they landed, I’d composed myself and put on a change of clothes from the trailer. Daemon wore his dirty clothes but washed his face and hands with baby wipes leftover from having Chaim. Reggie appeared annoyed but Cal wore a thin smile.

  “We’ve found some signs of life just north of here. Some smoke coming out of the yard near a few mobile homes.”

  “So they could be waiting for us there?”

  “Possibly. But at the very least, we will be able to get some sustenance.”

  Daemon hopped on the bike.

  “Let’s get rolling then. We don’t have all night.”

  ###

  The trip was fast and we approached the homes as predators rather than rescuers. Acrid smoke came from the fire; there were more body parts than logs in the pit. We crept closer to the buildings, passing the low flames. Bubba’s face looked back at me from within. I pulled my gaze from the bullet hole through his jaw.

  I’ll kill whoever did this.

  My fangs descended and I focused on our mission. We made it to the window of the first house without seeing anyone. Around the corner I could hear the sentry plodding around. I snuck to the edge of the building. The steps were heavy; it’s a guy.

  I crouched into a pounce position as the steps grew nearer. I listened to his heart beating and pictured tearing it out. The man was mumbling. He took another trepid step towards the front. The other three were checking the other two mobile homes for signs of life. My leg twitched with anticipation. Daemon stayed by the front door to cover me.

  Another step. More mumbling. Something about missing. Reggie and Cal flitted back; the other trailers were dark. The guard was only three feet away. He turned and I caught one word as I launched myself on him, driving my fangs into his neck.

  “...Forrest.”

  I drank from the warm font and ignored the word the man trailed off in a whisper. The blood gushed into my mouth fueling my anger at the murder of my friends. I tore the wound larger and felt strong hands pulling me away. The guard didn’t fight, but someone was. I released him and wheeled around to kill his fellow murderers.

  Cal was holding me and pushing Sunny back. I felt the world crash to a halt as the picture became clearer. I looked down and saw Vincent unconscious and bleeding at my feet.

  “No.” I leaned down and covered the ragged puncture wounds with my hand to staunch the flow. “I didn’t mean to. I thought...” I watched as his color drained. “...I thought he was one of the bad guys. I didn’t know.”

  Nurse ran out the door with a rifle. He looked at Vincent, tossed it aside, and dove into wrapping the injury with his scarf.

  “We need to get him inside.”

  Sunny and Cal helped carry him to the door. Reggie put a hand on the door and held it shut.

  “Reggie move.” Cal barked.

  “You know as well as I do that Vincent is done for. Why waste the blood?”

  Sunny pulled on the door handle, but Reggie kept it firmly closed.

  “Reggie, move now.” The Roman glowered at his ancient buddy.

  “No. Caelinus, this man is as good as dead. Why put up a pretense? We need the blood and nothing this Nurse can do will save him. Let us just glamour him so he feels no pain; we can ease his passing and our hunger at the same time.”

  Sunny coldcocked Reggie.

  “He’s one of us. We are going to try to save him and you are going to move. If you don’t, I swear, I’ll ram a damned tree limb through your heart.”

  Touching his split lip, Reggie stepped aside. Vincent was rushed inside and the room erupted in panic and movement. Outside, Daemon and I watched the shadows thrown on the curtains as the Nurse tried to save our friend. Reggie picked up his bag of treasure and walked over to me.

  “Tell Cal I’ll see you guys when you reach Buffalo. I’ll wait to take you across the border there, but I’m done babysitting mortals. Good luck, I’ll see you all soon.”

  He flew off into the darkness. Daemon waved as our guide deserted us and flew towards the North Star.

  “Well, at least we’re all together again.” Daemon glanced at the silhouettes in the window. The people inside had stopped moving frantically. “Well, almost all of us.”

  We sat outside and looked at the fire. Bubba’s face was unrecognizable now. At least four or five other bodies had been burned on this pyre along with him. Vincent would be joining his boyfriend soon; I’d seen to that. Daemon ran his fingers through my hair and held me while we awaited the news of Vincent’s demise.

  Bubba’s dead, I just k
illed Vincent, and Reggie ditched us. I’m starting to miss my quiet grave.

  ###

  Garret, Allen, and Nurse carried the body outside. He was loosely wrapped in a cream sheet. Sunny and Chase wore stony faces as they followed the pall bearers to the pyre. They lowered my victim onto the bed of flames; Vincent’s remains were burnt in the ashes of his lover. I couldn’t force my eyes away.

  The linen shroud disintegrated under the assault of embers; a thin orange line swayed this way and that, eating away the cloth and setting off the sparks of life left on the man’s corpse. Ignoring the pull from within, I let the images soak into my memory and douse the inside with remorse.

  I’m a horrible person. I killed a good man. He was the love of my friend’s life and I literally swallowed his future. I deserve to be cursed to remember this moment forever in every tiny detail. Forgive me, Vincent; I can’t forgive myself.

  Daemon rubbed my arm as he held me. The hungry flames crackled and threw light into the void surrounding us. Cal peered around and joined us.

  Reggie left. He’s waiting for us in Buffalo.

  The Roman nodded he’d received the message and sat beside us for the uncomfortable funeral. I listened for a reply; he held his thoughts to himself. The smell of burning hair and skin seeped into the atmosphere and the five humans eased themselves further away from the aroma. Cal, Daemon, and I remained seated near the pyre.

  Flickering illumination bounced off the pained faces around me. I wasn’t close to Vincent, but I’d been very fond of Bubba. My mind wandered to chatting with Forrest about hunting, joking about the food, and trading stories of adventures. I remembered the excitement he had when we found his boyfriend in that house.

  The fire collapsed into itself sending sparks into the air like fairies dancing a tango in the night. Sunny wiped tears from her face and sniffled. Her husband let his drip off his chin. A tiny snot bubble was sucked in while he held her left hand. Allen stood awkwardly shuffling his feet in the sand.

  “Shouldn’t we start moving along soon?”

  The newcomer glanced at each of us for an answer. He didn’t get one.