The tribe stood and turned slowly to reveal bloody grins and bright, white eyes. The tribe had faced a small army of soldiers. One deputy with a gun did not intimidate them.
“Dear Jesus! The inmates have taken over the asylum. Arms up, I said!”
A couple of child vampires raised their hands. That elicited a chuckle from the gathering, but the adults continued to ignore the human’s commands. Misericordia watched the policeman’s aura turn from red to yellow and sour apple green as the realization hit.
“You have made a tactical error,” Misericordia said. “You understand that now. There are hundreds of us. How many bullets does that pistol have?”
“Enough to take you down.”
“You aren’t used to anyone saying no to you, are you?”
“How about I shoot you first, creepy, naked guy?”
The vampires gave a full-throated laugh. They still sounded human when they laughed. Cognitive dissonance sent a jangling chill up the deputy’s spine.
Full from feeding on the hospital’s inhabitants, they watched the cop with mild amusement. “One bullet is enough!” someone called from the rear of the pack. “Save yourself! I’ve got room for dessert!”
Ax appeared at the bottom of the stairs. His chin dripped fresh blood.
“Chris?” The deputy’s muzzle dropped an inch. He looked at the thing who had been Chris Evans in horror. The new vampire looked back with a bright, white, steady gaze.
“Deputy Hawkins.” Ax smiled. He’d found another fire ax. He strode forward with no trace of a limp. “I’m sorry, Peter.”
“You look…different.”
“You, too, Pete. You smell different to me now. Too much cologne and too much stale food on your breath. You should try the meat. It’s delicious. I never ate meat so rare before.”
Deputy Hawkins pointed his pistol at his old friend but the new vampire did not slow his step. The hip was already fixed. Ax would say he felt young again, but that didn’t describe the feeling. His body had never felt this fantastic.
“We were friends, Chris!”
“I know, Pete. Puckers the ol’ bunghole, doesn’t it?” Ax didn’t break stride until the moment he came alongside the vampire who’d made him. He turned smoothly and swung the ax blade at Misericordia’s neck, hard and fast.
From Job to job, we’ve suffered and fought
Lawrence led the old man and his group to their cars. Dahlia escorted Jack and Anna back to the van. Mrs. Bendham followed, her head down, unsure of her footing as she tottered over the uneven ground in the dark.
“We’re going to need a donation,” Dahlia said.
“What? No stupid rhyme to rob us by?” Anna asked.
“A donation of food is good for your salvation,” Dahlia answered, teeth gritted. “Happy?”
“Is this company policy?” Anna asked.
“X lives up in the clouds.” Dahlia pulled the large silver handgun from her belt. “To make things work, he needs people on the ground like me. People who see the reality. I’m not wandering in the desert for forty years if there’s no manna raining down. X may or may not be talking to God, but I’m what he needs. I’m a smart clown. This smart clown is telling you those guards at the gate aren’t letting you leave without a freely given donation of food. We thank you for your generosity and loving gift.”
“The word is grift,” Anna said.
Jack looked back toward the road. The only exit was guarded by two large men with long guns. “We have some food for you.” She nodded at Anna to open the van’s rear door.
Exhaustion made Jack want to lay in the cool grass and burrow into the mud. “When I was a little girl they said the road to hell is a wide freeway and the road to heaven is a narrow, rocky goat path.”
“Life’s a tightrope,” Dahlia said. “Death, too.”
Jack nodded. “Pay the toll, Anna. Give her Mrs. Bendham’s reserve, the blue cooler.”
The old woman strode forward with surprising energy. “No! You can’t take my food!”
Anna pushed Mrs. Bendham aside and the old woman landed on her bottom in the mud.
“Oh, you little bitch!”
Anna threw the door open and yanked out the big blue cooler. With all the tenting gear atop it, Anna had to plant her feet and haul on the plastic handle at one end. With one heave, it flew out and fell on its side. Its contents spilled out.
Dahlia aimed her flashlight beam on the cooler at their feet. There was yarn and knitting needles. The breeze turned loose sheet music over lazily amid a few boxes of herbal tea. The only food was a jar of peanut butter.
Dahlia bent to pick it up. “Half a jar of peanut butter,” she said. “We’ve got forty-seven hungry kids here. How much peanut butter can I give each one so they all get breakfast?”
Jack looked from the debris to Mrs. Bendham, who still sat in the muck. “This? This is it?”
“This does not cover the cost of the ticket to ride,” Anna said.
“Man, looks like you got problems, too.” Dahlia looked at the peanut butter jar in her hand and shrugged.
“You,” Jack pointed at Mrs. Bendham. “You…you’ve just joined Xavier’s choir. Your ride ends here, Marjorie! You can sing the Om for Xavier until the sun explodes. Go to the Promised Land.”
“Singing for my supper again,” Mrs. Bendham said miserably.
“Keep the peanut butter. I hope you choke,” Anna said.
“Xavier will be relieved he got one convert tonight, after all.” Dahlia sneered at the old woman, then glanced back into the van. “What else you got?”
“More trouble than you know,” a deep voice came from behind the van. Lieutenant Carron held a rifle with a flashlight attached to its barrel. The light shone in Jack’s face.
“I’ve been looking for you.” His thick-lipped smile was a triumphant, ugly thing.
From trees to thee, evolved and sought
If the new vampire had swung for Misericordia’s waist, instead of his neck, he might have had a chance at killing him. However, because he was so new at being a monster, Ax didn’t know all the tricks of heightened perception yet.
The Alpha leader saw his protege’s plan in the way he tightened his grip on the ax handle. The muscles in his jaw rippled as the new vampire braced himself to make his move. Misericordia understood the deception through Ax’s energy from two paces away, shining past the perfect, black figure eight in his aura common to all vampires. It was simple pattern recognition that gave Ax away.
Misericordia was already fast. High on vamp blood, anticipation made his actions appear supernatural, even to the other vampires. To Deputy Hawkins, the naked man became a blur.
The ax blade cut air as Misericordia’s torso slipped parallel to the ground. As soon as he watched the ax blade pass his face by inches, the Alpha leader straightened. To him, the newly made vampire was no more dangerous than a clumsy child.
He broke the left clavicle first and popped the right knee with a single, savage kick. Misericordia took the ax blade and swung it around so the fire ax’s spike came to rest under his victim’s chin. He encircled Ax’s torso with one arm and squeezed so tight, several of Chris Evans’ ribs popped away where they articulated with his spine.
“Your name isn’t Ax, after all. And I will not be killed by an accountant.”
“How about me?” Hawkins screamed. His Beretta shook in his hand, not from fear now, but fury. He fired a warning shot that echoed in the enclosed space. “Let. Him. Go!”
Misericordia whirled behind Evans, hugging him closer. “Deputy Hawkins. Before I became new and improved, I was something else for a long time.”
“Yeah, so?” Hawkins said, taking careful aim.
“I was a soldier. There’s very little left of the poor, weak thing I was, but I always got high marks for tactics.”
Two vampires stepped behind Hawkins without a sound. The first grabbed the pistol and it fired into the tile ceiling. The second pulled
the deputy outside by the neck.
“Bon appetit!” Misericordia called. He whispered in Evans’ ear. “You aren’t feeling much pain, I know, but your parts can still break. Do you know what’s broken?”
“Yes.”
“How does that make you feel?”
“Broken,” Evans gasped. “But…still better than you.”
“A brave answer. Stupid, but brave. How is it you resisted our charms when all these people didn’t?” He relaxed his grip enough to allow Evans’ answer.
“You didn’t really give me a choice. I thought if I became like you, I’d have a chance — ”
Misericordia tightened up. Another rib popped and blood wound down the ax’s spike. “Yes, yes, but how could you choose being like them? You aren’t one of them anymore.”
Evans took a long time to answer. The Alpha leader gripped him so tightly, Evans felt pressure building behind his eyeballs. Finally, “You said it yourself. Freedom.”
“What?”
“Freedom isn’t only doing what you want. It’s having the power to do the right thing. You said you’re beyond human understanding. You aren’t. There’s a ton of people like you in any maximum security prison. You call yourselves vampires. All I see are a bunch of killers high on meth. You aren’t bet — ”
The ax spike ripped through Chris Evans’ throat. Despite the virus, he died a human.
Meaning to our lives amongst empty lines
“Jaimie! Jaimie! Wake up! He’s here!’ Theo hissed in Jaimie’s ear.
Jaimie saw his mother and sister and the woman who liked poetry. They stood in a throbbing circle of yellow fear. The man with the gun was the one he’d been warned about. The boy recognized him from the street, the night his family’s home exploded.
Jaimie stood slowly. The guards at the gate to the field were too far away. The people milling around their cars weren’t paying attention. All the other inhabitants of the tent city seemed to have retreated to their beds.
Theo rose beside his son and pointed toward the police car and its trailer.
* * *
“Who are you?” Dahlia planted her feet and looked remarkably calm in the face of death.
“Lt. Frank Carron. I’ve been hunting these killers all the way east.”
Dahlia burst out laughing. “Killers? I’m sure I’ve killed more people than these two and I’m a missionary for the Lord.”
“They ran over one of my best men and almost hit me when they did it. If it hadn’t been for the old lady, I wouldn’t know where you were headed, Mrs. Spencer.”
Jack and Anna looked to Mrs. Bendham.
“Douglas told me about your father-in-law’s farm in Maine. I told Lt. Carron the night your house blew up.” The old woman didn’t sound sorry. She sounded smug.
“If I hadn’t known you were headed east,” Lieutenant Carron said, “I wouldn’t have found you. I almost lost faith a few times, but with all the roads east blocked, you had to come this way. I’d have gone on, even all the way to Maine if I hadn’t caught up with you. You and Douglas Oliver relieved me of a lot of assets by killing my men.” He looked down at the old woman. “Thank you for telling me about The Corners, Maine, Mrs. Bendham. Thank you so much.”
“Yes,” Anna said. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Bendham.”
If they ran, Carron would cut them down.
“I don’t know what this is about,” Dahlia said, “but you fire that gun and the guards will come running.”
“I’ll be leaving shortly. You. Take that pistol out of your holster with two fingers. Go slow and drop it.”
Dahlia reached for the handle of her revolver. Her eyes flickered for a moment, like she might try a quick draw.
Jack closed her eyes and held her breath for several hard heartbeats. When Jack heard a soft thunk, she knew the weapon was lost to the grass at their feet. The rifle muzzle brushed her breastbone. Jack opened her eyes. The flashlight pointed up under her face.
Carron pushed the muzzle against Jack’s cheek. “You killed Bob.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” Jack said. “He’s the guy in the driveway, isn’t he? The guy in the orange shorts. I drove over him. I’ve been thinking about him. Thinking about the sound his bones made when I ran over him. I’ve been wondering what his name was.”
“I liked Bob.”
“He was trying to kill us at the time,” Anna added.
Carron pushed the muzzle into Jack’s cheek harder. “This bullet in your head is for Bob. Your daughter will be for me.”
Jack squeezed her eyes tight and there was Brandy. Covered in flies, Jack’s best friend lay in the tub, beckoning. More of her skeleton was exposed. Her flesh was bloated with exploring maggots. “Isn’t it time you put down that heavy load, Jack? Drink some champagne with me. As soon as he pulls that trigger, you’re free from all this madness. Just let go. It’ll be okay. You did what you could.”
But Jack hadn’t given everything. Not yet. The obsessed madman with the gun would violate her daughter if she gave up. He wouldn’t stop at that, either. If she could at least try to grab the rifle, maybe Anna would have a small chance at escape. Jack opened her eyes and stared at Carron. The hate made her strong. Jack Spencer was resigned, resolved and ready for her last battle.
The police car’s siren pierced the night and the red, white and blue brights flashed on, strobing the field and the city of tents.
The lieutenant’s jaw dropped open and his attention faltered. Dahlia kicked Carron viciously, missing his groin and kicking his thigh.
Carron pulled back and turned sideways. His grip tightened reflexively and his weapon roared. The bullet shot the moon. If the lights and siren hadn’t moved anyone to investigate, the gunshot brought people on the run.
The guards from the gate abandoned their posts and ran awkwardly. Their rifles held high, they looked like huge, leather-clad runners holding Olympic torches. Men and women poured out of their tents, shouting. Some carried shotguns and rifles.
Carron pointed his rifle at Jack again. “We’ll have to make this quick.”
“Food!” The voice rang out across the camp.
It was Jaimie. He spoke into the police car’s loudspeaker. The amplifier made his voice boom across the tent city. “Food! Food! Food!”
The boy stood tall and pointed toward the trailer that read: Mere Entertainments. The starving mob turned and moved as a swarm, coming at a run.
Awake and drink deep to free your slave minds
“No! Stop!” Carron screamed. He ran to defend his treasure. A woman in long skirts rushed past him with a toddler in her arms. He might have shot Jaimie, but the crowd surged in front of him.
The fastest runner yanked at the trailer’s doors. It was locked, but the two guards arrived and took turns hammering at the padlock with the butts of their rifles. It easily gave way.
Theo walked up slowly and took Jaimie’s hand in his. “Well done!”
Carron waded through the rushing crowd, screaming uselessly. “You don’t have the right! That’s looting!”
He pushed but the mob was an impenetrable, moving wall of bobbing flashlights and anxious cries. He was pushed out from the melee.
A shotgun roared from inside the trailer and one of the bearded men came flying out backward as if sitting in an invisible chair. He flopped in the high grass behind the trailer, a rag carelessly discarded.
The throng pulled back, silent but for gasps and hoarse whispers. Two young women wearing head scarves wailed, running to the man. The high grass swallowed them as well, as if they dove under waves.
Together they resurfaced as three. The women held the gunshot victim between them. Each girl struggled to take his weight.
The man’s bald head lolled to one side. They almost lost their balance but when the girls found their footing, his chin hit his chest. They could have been trying to maneuver a hopeless drunk home, except for the map of blood spreading across the man’s chest.
/> Dead weight…dead man walking…blood red dead, Jaimie thought. Then, Europe! The map looked remarkably like Europe if you forgave the lack of a boot on the stain of Italy stretching toward the man’s belt.
A moan and a clunk came from the interior of the trailer. “Help?”
One of the girls cursed and jerked her head toward the trailer. She said something quickly in French. To Jaimie, her words sounded like rat-a-tat-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat! Several women moved forward to help the girls carry the man away.
Other women and a few men scooped their children up and stepped back. Those with shotguns pumped their actions or cocked hammers, ready to blast whoever was in the trailer.
Before Theo could pull him away, Jaimie watched Carron’s aura boil red. The lieutenant shook with impotent fury.
“Vae soli,” Jaimie told his father. Woe to solitary men.
But it wasn’t a mere observation. It was a curse upon Francis Carron.
* * *
“Help! Help! Help!” Each plea, louder than the last, emanated from the trailer’s dark mouth. There was another clunk and a clatter and this time the trailer lurched left. The suspension complained in a squeak. “Lieutenant!”
Xavier’s bodyguards pushed to the front of the crowd, weapons ready. The crowd parted and Xavier, luminous in his white suit, emerged from the crowd. “Whose trailer is this? Who’s in there?” he demanded.
“It’s mine,” Carron said. As soon as he stepped out of the dark crowd’s anonymity, Dahlia and Larry appeared beside him. Dahlia slipped a long knife under Carron’s throat and Larry did a magic trick with the lieutenant’s rifle, twisting it away smoothly. The rifle disappeared into unseen hands.
Carron’s eyes and mouth became three thin lines as a dozen flashlight beams snapped on him.
Xavier stepped closer and looked Carron over. “Is that your man in there?”
When the lieutenant took too long to answer Dahlia brought the blade to his skin, urging him with the cold metal’s edge. “Speak to the man and behave, or I’ll give you a terrifyingly close shave.”
This Plague of Days (Omnibus): Seasons 1-3 Page 58