by Garth Ono
Joy burst within Kate. She hugged Daphne, and then hugged Ayssa for helping to sway her friend. Then she gave Brody a dirty look. He glared back at her.
"Find a place to hide," Kate said. "I'll call you as soon as I work out all of the details. You've made the right decision." She smiled at her friend. "I think your father will be pleased."
Chapter 29
Kate turned onto Tucker Boulevard. She drove over to City Hall and found a spot in the parking lot. Easier said than done, since there were police everywhere and several stops between I-64 and St. Louis' City Hall. Chief Kennedy was waiting for her at the door, along with Captain Monroe and three other senior officers.
Chief Kennedy was a short, broad man. His uniform fit too well not to be tailored. He exuded a calm demeanor, but his eyes were alert and missed nothing. At first she thought he was mid-thirties, but up closer she could see the decades of public service etched in his face. His handshake was confident and firm, without trying to crush her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss," he said. "Captain Monroe speaks highly of you, and he's not easily impressed."
After Captain Monroe introduced everyone else, Kate was led to a basement meeting room. It was as Spartan as they came. White walls, ceiling, floor tiles, and even the long table was white. Gray folding chairs circled it. Kate was offered a chair in the middle of the table, while the four cops sat opposite her.
"I thought I was here to speak to the mayor?" she asked.
"That would be me, Miss Brokenshire," a tall, distinguished man said as he passed through the open door. She jumped up and they shook hands. "Tim Lawrence. Pleased to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you."
She leaned in and dropped her voice.
"If it was good, then aww shucks," Kate said. "If it was bad, then I have a good excuse."
"This is where I'd usually say, 'There's no excuse for you,'" he said with a wink. "But I don't know you well enough, so I won't."
Kate only knew local Tennyson politicians, so finding one with a sense of humor was amazing. Now if that would just come with a reasonable willingness to go against normal practice.
"Let's be blunt, Miss Brokenshire," Mayor Lawrence said. "What you're asking for is astonishing. A full pardon for a vampire?"
"Please, call me Kate. Mrs. Brokenshire is my mother," she said. "And I understand what I'm asking for is unusual. But, and it's a big but, these are unusual times. My friend didn't choose to be bitten and turned into a minion, much less be murdered by smugglers and turned into a vampire. She is a woman struggling to find her place in the world as a sentient undead citizen."
"Sentient undead citizen?" Mayor Lawrence said, sitting back. "Wow. If that term catches on you'll have every civil rights organization in the country going to court and fighting for equal rights for the undead."
Chief Kennedy and his deputies stirred uncomfortably. Kate eyed them worriedly. The mayor and police had different concerns, though mostly they'd be on the same side of most issues. If the Chief argued against her plan, the mayor might agree with him.
"That may or may not be a bad thing," Kate said. When the Chief opened his mouth to speak, she held up her hand. "Hear me out. First of all, I slay vampires and zombies, so this affects me as well. Secondly, what choice do vampires have but to turn to crime since we immediately shun them? I've not seen any proof they are inherently evil just because they rise from the dead. Maybe society is making them evil?"
"They are cursed by God, so have to be evil," one of the cops said.
"Really? My pastor says it is still unknown if Satan or God cursed the Zombie Lands," she countered. "I hear religious leaders arguing the point all of the time.
"As for Daphne Coleman, my vampire friend, I've known her all of my life. She was a good, caring church going girl all of her life. Also, her father is a sheriff in Illinois. She comes from a long line of cops, including men who served in the St. Louis Police Department," she said. "Daphne has expressed interest in becoming a cop herself, but was struck down at the tender age of eighteen."
That got the cop's attention. Police were all about supporting their own. Mayor Lawrence sat quietly, eyes glazed over as he considered what she'd said.
"Something else to think about," Kate continued, turning her attention to Chief Kennedy. "As a vampire she can Call zombies. They are helpless to deny her anything. She can call every zombie in the city that's not already under the control of a vampire. So in a couple of days, moving around the city, she can call them all in to be killed without a fight.
"Now imagine having her working for you, either as a civilian contractor, or as a member of the force. She would be available at any time of day or night to help capture and kill zombies," Kate said. "And there will always be zombies inside St. Louis until the curse is lifted."
"Is the world ready for an undead cop?" Mayor Lawrence asked. "I'm not sure it is."
"How long will St. Louis survive if you don't take drastic measures to curb and control the killer zombie issue?" Kate asked. "How many large corporations have already moved out of the city? How many more are planning to move due to this latest infestation? Having a real and credible ability to end the current problem quickly, and continue to do so in the future would be helpful in keeping big business in the city."
Mayor Lawrence stared at her for a long moment. They all did.
"What about a package deal?" the mayor asked. "Daphne and you."
"No, I'm a small town kind of girl," she said. "The big city scares me."
He smiled. "I don't think anything scares you, Kate. I'm serious. You're good. You can help her fight zombies, and be the best PR person we could have."
"Thanks, but no thanks. Cop uniforms make me look fat," she said. "Besides, Daphne is pretty competent. I'm sure she'd make a wonderful asset to the city."
"Okay. Good enough," he said. The mayor leaned forward. "What do you want? You can't be doing this out of the goodness of our small town girl heart."
"Wanna bet?" she said. "But you're right. I do expect to be paid, but only for the zombie round up." They looked expectantly at her. "Both Daphne and I want to be paid a mere $10 per head. You can have the slayers in town do the killing after she calls them in, so it would raise the bounty you pay up to $120. A bargain price to pay to end the problem in a matter of days."
Kate was asked to step out of the room while they discussed her offer. After ten minutes she started to worry. They took more than thirty minutes before calling her back in. She was prepared to hear bad news.
"We've discussed much of what you proposed prior to meeting with you," Mayor Lawrence said. "We called the Territorial Governor. Governor Tate has agreed to grant Daphne Coleman a full and unconditional pardon after the completion of the zombie roundup. Chief Kennedy has agreed to accept her as a new recruit, but with the stipulation that she can't retire with pay. She's immortal for all practical purposes, so I'm sure you can understand that."
Kate smiled. "I think that is acceptable."
"As for the financial compensation you requested, I'm afraid we'll have to put a cap of $50,000 dollars, split between you and Ms Coleman," he said. "The Territory does not have unlimited funds."
Kate doubted there were that many zombies inside the perimeter, so she accepted. After that they sat down and worked out the details of when and where. Everyone was excited with the end in sight.
Chapter 30
A thrill shivered through Kate's body as a zombie shuffled into view. Her skin tingled for a moment. It took two days, with the city bombarding the citizens with warnings and demands that they spend that day either locked in their homes or outside of the city. All entries into the city and protected zone were on lockdown.
Z-Day had arrived.
The streets were empty. The sun was rising in the east to a cloudless blue sky, and there was an invigorating nip in the air.
"Is there anything you need?" Kate asked.
"I'm good," Daphne said.
Kate's orig
inal plan to call the zombies into Busch Stadium was rejected by the city, police, and stadium owners. And surprisingly, Daphne rejected it, too. The vampire said access to the field was too complicated for entranced zombies. But they were using the stadium parking lots.
Daphne stood with her on a flatbed trailer. Kate was fully armed to protect Daphne from other slayers even though Captain Monroe had warned everyone that Daphne was off limits, and that she was a police recruit. Ayssa was also there to protect her mistress, while Brody's whereabouts were unknown. Daphne ordered him to leave St. Louis and never return, despite Kate asking her to turn him over to the police. She wouldn't betray her minion.
The police provided Daphne with a police jacket, complete with shiny badge, lest any slayer had any doubts. She wore jeans and a button down shirt under the jacket, and the vampire had even returned to being a brunette. She looked like a normal teenage girl again.
The morning's Calling was as much a test as anything. Daphne had no idea what her range was. The police were out in force patrolling the city streets. Helicopters filled the air, their thump-thump-thump the song of the morning. The slayers were assembled in two groups on either side of the parking lot.
"I hope you didn't eat breakfast," Daphne said.
"Why?" Captain Monroe asked.
"I can feel hundreds, if not thousands of rotters answering my call," Daphne said. "It's going to be a bloodbath. It's going to be quite gruesome and gory."
Kate nodded, grimacing. It wouldn't be as bloody as killing living, breathing people. Zombies didn't bleed much. The older the zombie, the less blood involved, but so many beheaded bodies would be horrific. Disposing of them was going to prove even more difficult, but that was the city's problem.
"Are you Calling them already?" Chief Kennedy asked. "All you did was lift your arms for a few seconds and close your eyes."
"That's all it takes," she said.
Kate cast speculative eyes on her friend. Simon had to put more effort into it. Was Daphne that much more powerful than her former master? Was she exceptionally powerful as a vamp? Or was Simon that weak?
More zombies appeared to claim Kate's attention. As the minutes ticked by, the horde thickened from all directions. Most came from the south, where Simon was letting them in. Kate watched in amazement as the zombies came right up to the tailor and stopped, looking up at Daphne. They stood perfectly still. No sound. No breathing. Just that unnerving enraged stare.
"This is freaking me out," one of the cops guarding Daphne said.
"Turn around," Daphne said softly. As one the zombies turned away. "Kneel." The zombies dropped to their knees. "Chief Kennedy, you can start slaying them whenever you want. The rotters won't offer any resistance."
"Captain Monroe, unleash the slayers," the Chief said.
They watched the slayers converge on the kneeling zombies, and then the machetes, swords, and axes began falling. The sound of that slaughter was disturbing. Grunts of effort, meaty thunks, and the sound of falling bodies. Kate averted her eyes, unable to watch. The thought that each and every one of those zombies had been good people once kept coming back. The curse affected corpses whether you lived a good life or not. It all seemed so unfair.
The rotters were killed quickly, and the slayers waited in line as more and more came in. It took all morning since zombies didn't exactly rush to answer the Calling. Even the slayers were happy when Daphne announced she couldn't "feel" any more answering her Call. Kate thought the slayers looked exhausted.
"Do we know how much of the city she cleared," Kate asked.
The police were still working on it. It took another hour, but the police determined her range was about ten miles. So Daphne called most of the zombies between downtown St. Louis and Mehlville, plus an equal distance in all other directions. Indeed, the police estimated she Called half of the undead in the city. But while Daphne was ready to move to a new location and Call the zombies there, the slayers weren't up to the job.
"We don't have enough slayers to do the job," Chief Kennedy said. "This could take a week."
Kate had to agree. The slayers were so exhausted she wasn't sure they were up to another day like that without a day or two to rest.
"Whatever we have to do," Daphne said.
"What about going back to Kate's plan of Calling rotters into Busch Stadium?" Captain Monroe asked. "We don't even have to use Busch Stadium. We could assemble them inside high school football stadiums. We fill up a few stadiums and let the slayers kill them at will."
"But this is hard to do, despite it not looking like I'm straining," Daphne said. "I can make them go anywhere you want, but as soon as I leave they are no longer entranced and will fight to escape."
"You're a regular pied piper of the Zombie Lands," Chief Kennedy said, shaking his head. "I think you really will prove an invaluable asset to the department and the city, Miss Coleman."
"Pied piper?" Kate asked. "That gives me an idea. If we positioned you in a central location and have you Call in all of the zombies, could you then command them to leave the city? Maybe lead them to a gate out?"
"Sure. Why not?" Daphne said.
The senior officers stared at Kate with something akin to awe for a moment. Then Chief Kennedy shook his head.
"That would just endanger the communities outside the perimeter," he said. "And letting zombies go free would be a PR nightmare."
Kate had to concede that point. It wouldn't be fair to set loose such a large horde upon the land. There were still communities of living people in the Zombie Lands. Their lives were precarious enough without a mega horde. The Territorial Government probably would nix the idea anyway.
"Back to Captain Monroe's idea. Move Daphne around to gather the zombies, then move them all to central location, whether it is football stadiums or warehouses. We lock them in, and then the slayers can take care of them at will. Or the Territorial Guard can come in and take care of them."
"It would have to be warehouses," Daphne said. "I don't think there are any football stadiums secure enough to hold zombies. They can climb fences."
So, using the ten-mile range estimate, they moved Daphne to different positions around the city and suburbs to Call in all of the zombies. Once they were assembled, Daphne led them into large warehouses in the area. The police locked them inside and posted guards.
"We did it," Kate said. "I was afraid we couldn't do it in one day."
"Wore my butt out," Daphne said. "If I wasn't dead, I'd probably have a headache or something."
The city provided Daphne and Ayssa rooms in a nice downtown hotel near City Hall. Daphne was scheduled to be in the next Police Academy class which started a week from Monday. The city lost more than half its remaining force from officers moving out of the Zombie Lands. They were recruiting new officers, but it would take a while to staff the force to previous levels. Ayssa had chosen not to join the police, but would be there for Daphne.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay in St. Louis?" Daphne asked. "The mayor's offer is pretty sweet. You'll never earn that much slaying zombies in Tennyson."
"The big city is not for me," Kate said. "I like knowing everyone. I like a slower pace of life. And I love all of my friends."
"I'm your friend," Daphne said.
"I'll come visit," she said. "Besides, the hours for any job in public service are terrible. I'm kind of lazy. Besides, my new place is to die for. I love it."
Just the thought of going home made her feel warm inside. Kate would not miss St. Louis. Though, she could imagine business as a slayer there would be profitable. Maybe if business dried up in Tennyson.
Chapter 31
Downtown Tennyson was always packed at high noon. Kate saw people coming and going at the diner. Men tried to get a haircut over their lunch, and the people who worked in the shops were taking lunch in shifts. The air was crisp, the sun bright, and everyone looked happy.
Kate sighed with a big smile.
"It's good to be home," she said as s
he cruised through downtown. She went around behind the stores, up her alley. Morgan's Jeep was parked in her allotted spot. "Why am I surprised?"
Kate actually had two parking places, but one was occupied by her '82 Ford pickup. Her backup vehicle. She quickly typed in a note on her phone to check with the storage place to see if she could park it there. Morgan shared the apartment, so should have a parking spot, too.
She drove all of the way up the alley before crossing over to park in front of the sheriff's office. Might as well check in with them.
People stopped and watched her when she got out. It felt like time stopped. They waited for her to take heads out, but Kate didn't have any. Instead, she pulled out a small paper plate covered with cellophane. Some of the people looked relieved, others disappointed.
"Sorry, nothing here but brownies," she called.
The reception room had a new addition. Her friend Sara Chen sat behind the desk. She was a pretty Asian girl that graduated in Kate's class. She was notable for being Captain of the Drill Team, and totally worthless at math. Everyone, especially her parents, was shocked by her failing two math classes, and barely passing the others. But she was really sweet and everyone liked her.
"Hey, Sara, what are you doing here?" Kate asked. "Are you the Desk Sergeant?"
"What's a Desk Sergeant?" she said. "I'm the receptionist. Sheriff Coleman hired me yesterday."
"Quick, what's seven plus five?"
"Eleventy-seven. What's the capital of Wales?"
"Um…"
"Wrong. It's Cardiff," she said, giving Kate a cool look. "Take that t-shirt off. You don't deserve to wear the Union Jack if you can't answer a simple question like that."
They laughed and giggled until Deputy Rumpstead stepped out to see what was going on. Kate smiled at him, and then giggled again.
"Oh, you're good, Sara," Kate said. She peeled back the cellophane. "Have a couple brownies."
Sara eagerly accepted the sweets. Kate gave the deputy one, and then covered the plate again. She slipped past him and entered the sheriff's office. Sheriff Coleman was working on his computer, with Randy looking over his shoulder. She put the plate on his desk.