by Garth Ono
"If you get me killed, I swear to god I'll hunt you down and kill you," she shouted. "Get back here and cover my back!"
A bunch of zombies started to circle around behind her from the left. Kate backed away, which made the rest surge at her. She turned and ran. A dozen rotters separated from the rest to pursue her.
She ran down a residential street while looking for an escape route the zombies couldn't follow. The slayer was faster, so starting to pull away. The problem was zombies didn't tire. She was already breathing hard, desperate for breath and a little rest. She couldn't last much longer.
A black sedan raced around the corner, turned toward her, and then skidded to a stop just ten feet in front of her. Brody Matthews and Carl Edmunds stepped out and grinned evilly at her. Kate came to a huffing, puffing stop and gawked.
"Hello, Kate. I've waited too long for this moment," Brody sneered.
Chapter 14
"Buggers!"
Kate let the kukri machete hang from the lanyard around her wrist as she pulled the sawed off double-barrel around. She aimed Lupara halfway between the two former smugglers. The problem was, if she killed one or both, they would become vampires.
Unless they were already vampires and able to Call zombies.
"Stay back," Kate warned them, eyes narrow. She could hear zombies getting closer behind her, but didn't dare take her eyes off those two minions. "Wait a minute. Where's Daphne?"
The driver's side back door opened and a beautiful blonde stepped out. She smiled to reveal a set of fangs. Then the other back door opened, and Daphne got out. Her childhood friend's smile was a lot friendlier, even though it also revealed fangs.
"Thank god, Daphne. It's good to see you," Kate said, and took the chance to glance back at the zombies. They were almost upon her. "Bloody hell."
She turned and gave the lead rotters both barrels. Her weapon cracked open, and she quickly ejected the spent rounds and reloaded. Kate leveled the gun on the zombies again, and they all stopped in their tracks before she pulled the trigger.
"What the… Daphne?"
"Hello, Kate. Long time no see," Daphne said.
Kate hesitantly turned back to her friend. Everyone was smiling at her. Very creepy, especially since only Daphne looked happy. The blonde vamp looked hungry, eager to sink her fangs in for a meal. The two minions still looked viciously amused.
Daphne was still dressed like a Goth, only now with fluorescent pink hair. She wore a black lace bustier, a tight black skirt, fishnet hose, and black thigh boots. Her arms were loaded down with black and red bracelets, with a dramatic necklace of blood red rhinestones. The blonde vampire was dressed almost normally in tight white jeans, an even tighter midriff top, and lots of beads and bangles.
The fact Daphne wasn't coming over to hug and greet her spoke volumes. Kate began to worry the zombies weren't the biggest threat to her.
"Hi. I've been trying to contact you," Kate said. The blonde moved up beside Brody. Daphne stepped around Carl, and stopped a few steps in front of the others. "Are you doing okay?"
"Yes, thanks for asking. Undeath isn't all that bad," Daphne said. She indicated the others. "You know Carl and Brody. I'd like you to meet my new friend, Brandy Banks."
"Pleased, I'm sure," Brandy said.
"And this is Katherine Chelsea Brokenshire," Daphne continued. She looked past Kate and frowned. "Kneel."
Kate thought she was speaking to her, until all of the zombies dropped to their knees. She looked back and forth between her friend and the rotters. Daphne was really coming into her powers. She could call all the zombies in the city to one location, make them kneel, and then let the slayers kill them.
"What is your range?" Kate asked.
"I beg your pardon?"
"How far away can you Call a zombie? A mile? Ten miles?"
Daphne blinked at her a moment. She shrugged. Then she ignored the question and moved toward Kate, arms open. Kate hesitated before lowering her weapon and accepting the vampire into her arms.
She was acutely aware of her vulnerable neck during the hug. Daphne hugged her tightly, and then kissed her cheek. Her friend stepped back and smiled. Kate felt a little better for her chances of surviving their reunion.
"Are the zombies your minions?" Kate asked, after a nervous glance back at them.
"No. I am controlling them right now, but I'd have to bite them to gain complete control over them," she said. "You can take their heads if you want."
"Seriously?"
"Why else take control of them?"
Kate shrugged and grinned, "To make them do the Thriller dance."
Daphne just stared at her a second, and then snorted with laughter. Even Brandy gave out a little laugh. Neither Brody nor Carl laughed.
Giving the minions a wary look, she took the machete in hand and turned to the kneeling, absolutely still zombies. It was eerie just how still a zombie could be. At least a mortal would breathe.
"Turn around and face away," Daphne said. They obeyed without hesitation. "Better. I hate it when rotters stare at me. It gives me the heebie-jeebies."
Kate moved up behind the first zombie. The rotter was a teenage girl with fresh blood oozing from her neck. She laid her hand on the zombie's neck and felt just a little warmth left in the body, so she was killed that morning. The ripped out neck and bite marks all over her bare arms and legs said she was killed by zombies.
"Sorry, sweetie," Kate whispered. And whacked off her head. "Sometimes I hate my job."
She went down the line chopping the heads off kneeling zombies. It kind of felt like cheating. At least when they fought back she felt like she won a battle, that she had accomplished something. That slaughter felt all wrong. Yet, it was exactly what she'd been planning. Now she needed to convince Daphne to help her.
The other drac complicated things.
There were more zombies than Kate had realized. She'd initially thought a dozen came after her. She took the heads of twenty-two. Seven of them were fresh, still warm zombies. They were bleeders, so made a terribly bloody mess on the street.
Kate sent a quick text to the police to have the bodies picked up. It wasn't required, but she thought that many bodies on a residential street needed to be picked immediately. Looking around, she spotted an old man and a housewife watching them through their windows. Both looked horrified. It probably looked like a mob-style execution to them. It wouldn't be a surprise if one of the neighbors called the police to report a mass murder.
She looked at the two minions and the blonde vamp. The men's expressions hadn't changed. They made her nervous, but the blonde drac was scarier. She still looked hungry. Eager, came to mind. Kate wondered how much control Daphne had over her fellow vampire. If any.
"Daphne, could I speak with you in private?"
"I have no secrets," she said. "You can speak in front of them."
"I have secrets, so I'd rather speak in private," Kate replied.
Her pink-haired friend paused, eyes glazing. For a moment she was as perfectly still as a corpse. Kate felt a deep sense of sadness. Daphne was always such a vivacious girl, so full of life. Now she was an undead drac.
"We have time for that later," Daphne said. "Come on, everyone help Kate take the heads to her SUV."
That made Kate smile. Daphne always referred to the Defender as a "SUV" or a "truck." She tried to make her understand that a Land Rover was not a SUV. It was so much more. People took Land Rovers to Africa on safari and on expeditions in all of the most remote regions. It was legendary. Her Land Rover Defender wasn't a mere SUV, but it was nice to see dying and rising again hadn't changed everything about her friend. Deep down, she was still the Daphne she grew up with and loved.
Each of the women managed to carry four heads by their hair, two in each hand. Kate found the weight almost too much. It was worse than carrying a big suitcase in each hand. Heads weighed between ten and eleven pounds each. Carl and Brody managed to carry five heads each, yet it was Daphne and Brandy
who seemed to put the least effort into it.
"Are you stronger as a vampire?" Kate asked.
"No. I just don't feel muscle strain or get tired," Daphne said. "But the heads are heavy to me, too."
Kate found her Defender where she left it. Axl and Rocco were gone, as was their pickup. Headless bodies were scattered everywhere she looked. And then she realized what the two slayers had done.
"They took my heads!"
Kate seethed. She had to have killed at least ten before being chased off. That was a lot of money. Carving it out of their butts seemed like the thing to do at the moment.
Kate got out a box of black plastic garbage bags. She held the bags open, while the others dumped two heads per bag in. She sealed the bags, stacked them neatly in the back of the Defender, and then turned back to Daphne.
"Would you like to go somewhere for breakfast and talk?"
"Breakfast? Are you offering your throat?"
Her breath caught. Then Daphne laughed. Was she joking?
"The look on your face was priceless," Daphne said, and hugged her. "Don't worry, Kate. I wouldn't bite you." She paused to look off into space. "Well, maybe…"
And then Daphne and Brandy laughed some more.
"Vampire humor?" Kate asked.
"Sure. Why not?" Daphne said. "Put your guns up. I want to take you to meet someone."
"Who?"
"Don't worry, Kate. I got your back."
The other vamp and the two minions looked too eager. Daphne was too evasive. Her friend even looked guilty. Kate shook her head, but smiled.
"Maybe later. I have to go," she said. "I'll call you and…"
Her voice trailed away when Daphne pulled a small pistol and pressed it to her forehead.
"I could bite you and make you my minion," Daphne said. "But I've noticed with Brody and Carl that making someone a minion kind of takes away some of their gumption, takes away their edge. My master needs you in top form."
"Who is your master?"
Daphne just smiled, and it wasn't a pleasant smile.
"Disarm her," the vamp said. Brody and Carl were all over her in a flash. They ran their hands all over body. Since she didn't have a reason to conceal a weapon, they were just feeling her up. Daphne knew it and didn't stop them. "Carl, you drive her truck. Let's go, Kate, we're going to go for a little ride."
Chapter 15
Brody fetched their car while Carl drove off in Kate's Defender. She watched her beloved vehicle vanish with rising dread. Daphne's warning to stay away from her on the night she was murdered and rose as a vampire came back. Kate worried she'd made a serious mistake.
Kate stood with hands up, while Daphne held her at gunpoint and Brandy unraveled her braid. The blonde drac then fluffed out and arranged Kate's hair.
"Wow. You should never pull your hair back like that, babe," Brandy said. "You have the most gorgeous head of hair I've ever seen." She slanted a mischievous look at Daphne. "No wonder our master is so eager to make her acquaintance. Bow chicka bow wow."
Daphne scowled at the blonde vampire.
Kate had only heard anyone say "bow chicka bow wow" to indicate sex. Was Daphne taking her to be molested, or worse? Was she going to be given to another vampire to be taken as a minion? Was it her fate to be a vampire's minion, plaything, and blood cow?
"Do I know him?" Kate asked.
"Yes. Shut up," Daphne said. "I don't want to spoil the surprise."
A chill rolled up her spine. Kate groaned and squirmed. She only knew a few vampires, and that included Daphne and Brandy. Was it Mordred? He was the only other vampire she knew in St. Louis. Maybe Indigo? Or one of the Zombie Mafia vamps, Valentine or Xavier?
"Is that why you called me the other day?" Kate continued. "To lure me here? For him?"
Daphne's brown eyes narrowed. Her finger tightened on the trigger.
"Yes. It worked."
Brody drove up in the sedan. Brandy went around to the passenger side, while Kate was forced to slide in behind the driver. Then Daphne pushed her to the middle of the back seat. Brandy got in back with them, trapping Kate between the two vamps. Daphne and Brandy both held hands with her. Kate wasn't sure if it was out of affection, to keep her from attacking with her hands, or to just freak her out. It kind of freaked her out.
"You don't have to do this," Kate said.
"I know," Daphne said. "He can't control me like a minion. I choose to be with him and obey his orders."
"He might kill me."
Daphne looked her in the eyes. "I know."
Kate kept an eye on where they were going. Northwestward. Then she realized they were heading straight for Clayton. Worries about Mordred rose again. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life at that Goth fest, especially as a minion.
She didn't know what to think when they drove past the turn off to Mordred's mansion. They passed through a retail district, before entering an upper middleclass neighborhood. The homes were still huge by her standards, just not quite mansion big. Mini-mansions. She spotted her Defender parked on the street in front of a home halfway down the block.
"Brody, help us with Kate. She's cunning and fast," Daphne said. She caught Kate's eyes. "Watch out for her feet. She's a soccer player and can kick like a horse."
"It's called 'football' and thanks for nothing, friend."
Kate saw the first sign of regret on her face. Daphne recovered quickly, and seemed more stiff and mechanical. Brody was more than enthusiastic and jerked her out of the back seat. He shoved her towards the front door. Two black men as big as Brody guarded that door. One of them opened it. Brandy strolled in like she owned it. Daphne stayed to the side, gun aimed at Kate until they entered.
Kate paused after a few steps inside. It was a lot more open than the two competing Masters of the City. Daphne was the only one who was a Goth. Kate wondered if Daphne was even following another vampire. Would a drac willingly submit to and follow a mortal?
Are Daphne and Brandy being magically controlled? Kate wondered.
There were rumors that black magic worked in the Zombie Lands. No one Kate knew had actually met a witch or seen real magic performed, but the rumors persisted. Kate couldn't imagine there not being any magic. After all, walking dead seemed pretty magical to her.
Is a curse of God a form of magic?
As they moved through the house, Kate noted something else strange. Other than the door guards, Brody and Carl, there were no other men. Everyone was a young, beautiful woman. They all had bruised throats, with a few having obvious scabs where they'd been bitten.
"Are we at a sorority house?" Kate asked.
Brandy barked a laugh. Daphne shrugged.
"Feels that way sometimes," Daphne said. "Feels more like a brothel the rest of the time."
Kate slanted a speculative look at her. Daphne definitely wasn't totally committed to her current lord and master. Maybe she could convince her to do the right thing after all. When they turned into a great room, Kate looked across the room and spotted a familiar face. She stopped in her tracks.
"Simon!"
"In the undead flesh," Daphne said. "He's eager to speak with you."
"Move," Brody commanded, and punched her in the back.
"Hey!" Daphne cried, eyes flashing. "Don't hit her until I give you permission. Never. Ever."
Brody nodded sullenly. Kate gave him a sharp look, then turned to Daphne.
"Are you sure he won't hit me for any reason now?"
"Yes."
Kate spun and brought her knee up as hard as she could between his legs. Brody grunted, clutched his crotch, and stumbled back. She turned back to Daphne, who thrust her pistol toward her, and wagged her brows.
"Now we're even," Kate said. "I feel much better now."
Her friend forced Kate to continue toward Simon. Kate studied him as they approached. Simon Williams looked like a successful businessman in a dark gray suit, sans tie. He wore expensive shoes and his hair was styled. Back in Tennyson, he'd
been Mayor Gilbert's ne'er-do-well son-in-law.
"Kate, I'm so pleased to see you again," Simon said. "I want to thank you for murdering me."
"I didn't murder you, pig. It was self-defense."
"You shot me in the face."
That scene flashed before her eyes. Everything happened so fast, she struggled to recall all of the details. But she remembered Simon gloating as he held a gun to her sister's head. Haley distracted him for a second, giving her a chance to finish him. She shot Simon in the forehead. Her only regret was no one thought to chop his head off before he rose as a vampire and escaped.
"If you'll recall, I was escaping after you kidnapped me," Kate said, her anger flaring. "You were going to give me to Alexander Cray, who was going to eat me for lunch. Besides…" Kate waved at all of the signs of wealth around them. "You seem to be more successful undead than you ever were alive."
"I live a charmed life," he said, standing up and walking toward her. "I really like you with your hair down."
He lifted a lock of long brown hair and sniffed it. Kate stepped back, pulling her hair from his hand. Daphne pointed her pistol at Kate, so she lifted her hands and scowled at them.
"You don't know how badly I want a ponytail right now," she replied. "And I'll thank you to keep your hands and your fangs to yourself."
He moved up close. Daphne lowered her weapon and relaxed. Kate looked all around at the countless amused faces. It felt like she was the only one not in on the joke.
"I love your accent," he said, starting to look way too excited. Simon pressed in closer, leaning in. "I could listen to you all night long."
"What a shame the sentiment isn't mutual," Kate replied. "Is there something you want from me, Simon?"
He looked at her lips, and then her boobs. She tensed, hands curling into fists. If he touched her…
"I want you to do me a favor," Simon said. "Kill Mordred Moor. Bring me his head, and I'll give you one hundred thousand dollars cash."
Kate's first thought was where would he get $100,000? He only became a vampire that summer. It took even a vampire more than three months to accumulate that kind of cash. She doubted he paid for the house. Most likely it was abandoned and he just moved in. Simon was more likely an unholy squatter than a newly made millionaire.