The Price of Life

by T. M. Nienaber

  “Well now, there were a lot of people staying with her during the surge.” Several women paused, searching their brains for faces they could remember.

  “With the war going on outside it’s so hard to remember who was with whom. Although I can’t remember anyone who actually went through training with Madame.”

  “Yes, they all just seem to disappear don’t they?”

  Miriel and Lucian exchanged a knowing look.

  “I heard all her girls had to be retrained by someone else. They’ve all probably tried to leave her name out of things.”

  “Well, maybe the Madame is actually a vampire!” The woman who may or may not have been Maggie exclaimed excitedly.

  The women all started to nod as if this was a perfectly logical and plausible explanation. It also marked a sudden silence in the conversation, and Miriel did what she could to capitalize on it.

  “Well, Lucian, I’m sure you must be dying to get outside. Perhaps you could walk some of my dear friends home. I’m sure they’d just love it.”

  “Of course.” Lucian made sure Miriel caught his dark look. “But only if they’re really finished with this wonderful tea. You make things so pleasant I feel like we could just stay for the rest of the day!”

  “Well, aren’t you a charming house guest! Elle, you must bring William’s guest around to dinner with you next time you two are over!”

  “Of course!” Miriel smiled enthusiastically and pushed her guests out the door. They were finally ready to leave, probably ready to talk about Miriel’s poor housekeeping the second the door was locked, but at least they were going.

  “That Perkins sounds like she’s becoming quite the problem isn’t she?” Lucian was still frustrated from the meeting, and having to sit through tea hadn’t done anything to ease his mind.

  “Well, she didn’t kill all the girls who lived with her, I took care of the most annoying ones. She’s starting to get sloppy though. Used to be William’s biggest competition, at least I started to assume it was her. It took me the longest to figure out she was one of the founders than any of the others, and I had to live with her. Whatever else she is now, she wasn’t always one of the worst.”

  “She’s threatened by William I think, at least that’s the impression she gave today. Well not really William, probably more you, but she has no idea you’re involved in all this. I’m not sure how you can handle giving all the credit to him. That husband of yours would be nothing without you.”

  “But there was a time I needed him too, still do really, at least for now.”

  “Why? Mi, why do you need him at all?”

  “Appearances are everything here, Lu. I wouldn’t have been able to survive on my own for long. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to keep working like I have.”

  “Perkins managed to do it.”

  “Not successfully. We’re still winning.”

  Lucian looked away, focusing on some leftover china Miriel hadn’t taken into the kitchen yet.

  “Well.” Miriel coughed and collected the china onto a tray, leaving Lucian to focus on the carpet. “Just how big of a problem do you think Madame is going to be?”

  “Well.” Lucian met her eyes and smiled. “We could take care of it tonight if your husband doesn’t get in the way.”

  “Hmm,” Miriel pretended to mull the suggestion over. “I do need to get out of the house more. It’s like I’ve just been trapped here all day.”

  Miriel was in the kitchen when William came back from the meeting. Lucian sat in the parlor waiting for him, pretending the outcome of the founders meeting actually meant something. William shrugged to Lucian and then ignored him to play with Mira, who began to get upset now that she had to put up with her normally absent father.

  “William,” Miriel called from the kitchen. “Lucian and I are going out tonight. I thought I’d show him what that group of yours really does. Keep an eye on my daughter while we’re gone will you?”

  William looked upset, his lips tensed and the color drained from his face. After looking from Miriel to Lucian he simply nodded and choked back the words. He couldn’t take Miriel on his own, let alone both of them. Miriel gave Mira a kiss before she left, the motherly part of her worried about the child being alone with William. He seemed preoccupied with a book and Mira was already in the process of fighting off sleep. Miriel put the child in her room and hoped the odds were good the two of them would leave each other alone.

  Walking out into the night with Lucian brought Miriel right back to life the way it was before Kristopher interrupted it. Things felt right again, especially as the two of them walked into Madame Perkins’s house. After living there for several months Miriel knew exactly how to get around. The maze of narrow hallways, clutter, tiny rooms to nowhere, and stairs did nothing to deter the pair. Miriel made it to Madame’s room in record time, and Lucian listened carefully outside the door. He wanted to make sure she was still awake.

  The light was on in the bedroom, but there was no noise or shadows from someone walking around. Lucian always said that was the best way to go in for the kill, when your prey was awake but unaware. Miriel went more for the challenge, she liked to stay sharp, but tonight was about solving a problem. Miriel let Lucian open the door.

  “I was hoping to see you tonight. I was getting disappointed thinking I might not be worth your time.” Madame Perkins was up, sitting in a chair by the window and facing the door.

  “Madame.” Lucian bowed as Miriel fell back against the wall. It might work to their advantage if she stayed a surprise. There was nothing wrong with a challenge, but there was no point giving up an advantage.

  “You made it here much quicker than I thought, I guess having the light on in my room made things too easy for you. I’m not used to dealing with such professionalism.”

  “Obviously. That little founders club of yours is severely lacking in skill. You really shouldn’t have taken that out on me though.”

  “I know who you are, Lucian, and what you’re capable of. All I wanted was to make sure I got an audience with you alone. Please, sit.”

  “I’ll stand.” Lucian looked at the chair he was offered, a little too close to the woman and too hard to get out of. It was a painfully obvious trap if things didn’t go her way.

  Madame Perkins nodded, seeing her own mistake and willing to let it go and get on with business. “I want to make a deal with you, Lucian. I agree our little society here is about ready to fall in on itself, we need what you’re offering if we want to stay viable. It’s just good business.”

  “Then what else do you want? I’m offering you the chance to keep life the way it is and play your game without consequence. That’s already a good deal.”

  “Well of course it is, especially with that civil war exploding outside our gates because of you and Kristopher not seeing eye to eye. We need the extra protection. I just don’t want the extra management. I thought finding William a bitch to settle down with would knock him out of the running for our lead founder, but he’s been unbeatable and uncatchable. I don’t know how he does it. If you help me get my numbers up, I’ll withdraw all objections to the deal.”

  Lucian laughed loud and full, head tilted back and eyes sparkling. “You think I give a damn about your game? You think I’d stand here and enter into a partnership with you so you can hold it over my head whenever things aren’t going your way? I have a world to run, and that’s much easier to do when everyone’s scared than when everyone’s trying to get a piece.”

  “So you’re saying no?” Madame Perkins stood up and made sure Lucian could see the gun she’d concealed in the seat cushions.

  “Of course I’m saying no you ignorant bitch. It’s easier to kill you, and after this conversation I’m sorry I’ve already wasted this much time listening to you alive. Besides, William’s had outside help for years.”

  At this point, Miriel was right next to her former mentor. The woman was too distracted by Lucian saying no to notice there was an e
xtra person in the room. That was the problem when working with amateurs, they made everything too easy. Without delay Miriel wrapped twine around the Madame’s neck and pulled. The old woman didn’t bother to try firing the gun. As she fell to her knees Lucian walked over to finish the job, just like old times.

  Standing over the woman’s body Miriel smiled and held out her hand. “To the reinstatement of a wonderful partnership, Lucian.”

  37. Alexander and Kristopher

  “It doesn’t look like your plan is working very well.” Alexander sat on the edge of Kristopher’s desk as he walked back into the office. “Still no news of a dead Lucian and we know the two have met up again. Do you really think you can take on Lucian and Miriel if they decide to team up against you?”

  “Shut up!” Kristopher slammed his hand onto his desk, but Alexander didn’t move. “I’m still one of the two immortal men playing this war. Miriel can take whatever chances she wants but they still won’t be able to kill me. Or did you forget that detail.”

  “Of course I haven’t forgotten, no one’s allowed to forget about it.” Alexander hopped down from the desk to face Kristopher on his feet. “Do you really think that’s going to matter?”

  “Don’t you have a job to do around here?” Kristopher flung open his office door and tried to get Alexander moving towards it. All he wanted was to be alone and work on strategies, even if Lucian wasn’t dead he wasn’t around for the public to see, making this the best time to strike. Instead, he was listening to some kid tell him no matter how hard he tried or how much he planned he couldn’t win because Lucian was Lucian.

  “Sure, sure.” Alexander backed towards the door with a mockingly apologetic smile, hands held out in front of him. “Just remember, Lucian isn’t going to roll over and let you win. He controls your immortality, probably even more than you know. Better make sure that plan of yours is a good one.” Alexander winked as he closed the door and Kristopher started throwing things off his desk.

  Alexander was right, as usual, that’s what made it so frustrating. Every time he thought he had one over on Lucian the bastard pulled something else out of his chamber of horrors and Kristopher was sent right back to square one. It was so hard being second best when you were supposed to be unchallenged and in control. Alexander had been a help, the young necromancer knew enough about Lucian’s religion to anticipate his next moves, but even Alexander had his limits and his problems. The more Kristopher relied on him the more liberties he started to take, and now he was turning into something of a sadist. Kristopher never wanted to establish the kind of martial law Alexander was imposing all over their territories. The undead armies were out of control and citizens were being eaten alive because no one but Alexander could keep things under control. The boy loved it.

  Kristopher was starting to feel in over his head and it was quickly becoming the kind of situation he couldn’t talk his way out of. He needed Lucian back on his side if he wanted to keep Alexander under control. But then he would need some way to keep Lucian under control. Just one more challenge working with Lucian had given him. Kristopher wouldn’t have been surprised if Lucian had planned the whole thing knowing how it would eventually end. His only option was to figure out what was going on with Lucian on the other side of the wall and bring him back.

  Kristopher sat down behind his desk and let his head fall onto his hands. He was allowing himself a few brief seconds of precious self-misery before getting back to work. He should have killed Miriel when he’d had the chance, even as leverage people were hard to control, and if she was out of the picture it was one less thing to go wrong. Now he had to work with what he had. Sighing to himself Kristopher pulled his head back up from his desk and pressed the black intercom button that connected him with the rest of his world.

  “Can someone get Alexander back in here for me?”

  A female voice responded through the static and Kristopher could only assume someone was tracking him down. The boy couldn’t have gotten too far. He was most likely lurking in the hallway somewhere knowing it wouldn’t take long before Kristopher called him back. Alexander would have to go in, behind the wall, and Kristopher couldn’t go until he knew exactly what was waiting for him. Alexander might do a lot of talking, but he’d be reliable for now. He was the only man Kristopher could trust with something like this, the only man who knew both sides of the war from the inside.

  “Couldn’t live without me, huh?” Alexander sauntered back into Kristopher’s office with a smug grin plastered across his face.

  “Sit.” Kristopher did his best to keep from slapping Alexander, an urge he was finding himself trying to suppress more and more often as the boy and his arrogance grew. He was getting more like Lucian every day.

  “Well?” Alexander did manage to sit, but instead of using the chair offered to him he hopped back on Kristopher’s desk.

  “I’ve got a job for you.”

  “What else is new? I’m always doing your dirty work. Who do I have to kill? Someone causing too many problems by blogging about the gaping flaws in your political empire? They write a mean skit about you on Saturday Night Live?”

  Kristopher never considered himself a patient man, but after working with Alexander he was starting to reconsider. When Alexander had first come to him he was young, naïve, flexible, and intelligent. The perfect lackey. Now, the boy had no respect for either of his mentors. At least that wouldn’t put Lucian at any kind of advantage. That was the important thing, and Alexander could be dealt with after Lucian was back on the right team.

  “You’re going behind the wall. I need you to figure out why Lucian isn’t dead yet and if, for some reason, he and Miriel are joining forces again. From what I hear the man in charge’s name is William. Find him, talk to him, be his friend, promise him whatever he wants, just get him solidly on our side.”

  “And what happens when he expects us to deliver on those promises?”

  “You know exactly what happens.”

  “I like hearing you say it. Puts my conscience to rest.” Alexander grinned.

  “Kill him before he sets foot outside his walls.”

  “And Lucian?”

  “Get him back here as quick as you can. And make sure he knows he’ll be answering to me.”

  Alexander nodded and left, finally taking on the professional attitude Kristopher expected. Maybe he was just bored, spending too much time terrorizing without consequence, he needed more focus. Unless he was just looking for a way to get back to Lucian. Once in the folds of Lucian’s inner cult Kristopher wouldn’t be able to touch him. If he couldn’t use Alexander he’d lose control of the few undead troops he still had. Men wouldn’t go up against the undead anymore, the fight was too unfair. People underestimated the power of quantity and that wasn’t even the biggest problem now Lucian’s most talented elders were controlling the armies. In the movies zombies are a good threat, but humanity has a decent chance. They have speed, brains, and the ability to organize. All major advantages over an enemy that just attacks whatever isn’t dead yet. Lucian’s creatures were different; they weren’t a mistaken science experiment, the end result of a nuclear attack, or what happens when you introduce an untested mega-virus in a small town. These were creatures of the spirit world, controlled by men but created by something else, some other nameless horror even darker than they were. They cut through men like weeds. Kristopher’s armies couldn’t even count on the undead troops killing themselves with suicide attacks or weapon malfunctions. Every time a group of them died, their necromantic controller had the power to bring their troops back to their undead state of life almost instantly. A row could fall and be trampled by the remaining rows only to be up and marching by the end of the line. Kristopher hadn’t realized how little time it took to bring a corpse back as a zombie. Bringing humans back to a normal life took skill, time, and energy. Reanimating flesh was child’s play.

  At least the attacks were slowing down now. Lucian might not be dead but he was off the g
rid. The undead attacks had stopped and Lucian’s troops were only being sent out in defense. It was a small victory, but at least it was something. All Kristopher had to do was stay alive. He could do that.

  “Mary, could you come in here please?” Kristopher spoke into the intercom and almost immediately a young girl walked inside.

  Mary was one of the more promising interns from Kristopher’s side. She was a new college graduate with a degree in political science and she was ready to change the world. Even if that meant starting one coffee order at a time. She had worked on several of Kristopher’s other, more traditional, campaigns years back and she had always been a huge help. If there weren’t already so many things out of control to worry about Kristopher would have considered her a major threat.

  “I need you to copy some papers for me, bottom drawer there.” He waved a hand at his desk.

  Mary nodded and walked over, collecting the papers, keeping them neatly organized, and not wasting time asking pointless questions.

  “Wait.” Kristopher called her back before she opened the door. The girl had almost managed to turn completely around before Kristopher stabbed her in the back. She fell lifelessly to the floor, still clutching the papers to her chest which kept them from scattering. Kristopher calmly pulled his knife out and pried the papers from her grasp. He hated killing his own people, but it was too risky for him to go outside without immortal protection and his prison was empty. Besides, interns were easy to replace and people could say she died for the cause.

  “Alexander, before you leave send someone to clean out my office,” Kristopher mumbled into the intercom. He opened his bottom desk drawer and re-filed the papers inside. Making sure everything was back in place he turned off the lights, stepped over the girl’s dead body, and walked out, closing the door behind him.

  ***

  Alexander stood outside the gates and yawned. The once pristine gates were now covered with graffiti, blood, and an assortment of other organic bits and pieces. The armies had moved away from the area months ago, which meant everything on the walls was also dried, flaking, and old. Alexander could remember the crowds of people trying to get inside the compounds before they were permanently shut off. Those massacres had brought thousands of fresh bodies into his hordes, kept Kristopher stocked with fresh meat, and gave him something to do. People rarely tried to get away anymore. They were all so scared they rarely left their houses. Crime was at a record low, almost nonexistent. Alexander smiled to himself. He was responsible for that. Of course, when the punishment for all crimes was death there didn’t seem to be any point taking the risk.