After the Fall

by Martinez, A. J.

  The group was quite large. It was actually a small-scale horde. They just kept coming, and we kept taking them down. It took a while to take all of them. At the end, we stood around, breathing like we’d just run a marathon. I walked up to a few of them and started beheading them.

  “What are you doing?” asked Rayna.

  “We have to burn them after this. They’ll come back if we don’t.”

  “What are you talking about?” They all laughed as if I had just told a good joke.

  “The dead—they rise up after you kill them. I killed one three times and it just kept coming back.”

  “Maybe you didn’t do the job right the first time,” said Rayna.

  “I drove an arrow right into his eye and he fell. He was back up and walking a few hours later!

  “You’re out of your mind,” said Jeb. “They can’t come back. Once you destroy the brain, they stay dead.”

  “Okay, that’s enough nonsense. What do you say we go out and do our patrol. We’ll come back over here. If what he says is true, our friends should be up and walking by then.”

  “Fine,” I said. I didn’t really have a choice.

  We went about our patrol, roaming the land for hours. The rest of the night was quite uneventful. We found one feeding on something that looked like an opossum and took it down.

  “Okay, it’s gonna be light out in a couple hours. We better get back.”

  When we walked up to the small copse where we first started, I was hoping that our attackers would be up and walking, ready to redeem me in the eyes of my companions.

  “Looks like you were wrong, Mordy,” said Rayna.

  “Don’t call me that.”

  “Hey, I think I see one twitching,” said Jeb. “Nope, still dead.” They all shared a laugh at my expense.

  “Fine, laugh it up, but I know what I saw.”

  “Okay, whatever,” she said, then grew serious. “I guess you’re not so bad after all. Maybe Euro-boys really can throw down.”

  “I never had any doubt.”

  “All right, let’s get going. We don’t want to be caught out here in daylight.”

  Our job was complete. Another pack of the living dead had met their end at our hands. Much to my surprise, not a single one of them rose. My companions teased me about it while Rayna chewed me out for wasting valuable time. Daylight would be approaching soon, she said. I listened with all the patience a father might give his distressed child. It had been a long time since I had dealt with any young ones. I had forgotten what it felt like to fear sunlight. The sun and I were still not best friends, but getting caught at dawn no longer meant a death sentence for me. Not so much for these three.

  We got back in the car and got back on the road. She drove as fast as she did out there, motivated by fear this time. All of them were tense. I just sat back and waited. My sunglasses were still in my pocket. It would have been nice to have my hat, but there was no use crying over it.

  All the worrying ended up being for naught. We got back with time to spare. It was still a good half hour until the sun made its appearance over the horizon. By then, we had gone back to our respective living places. Good thing it was approaching winter. The middle of summer would have been a different story. Rayna walked through the door and threw the keys in a dish by the door, then cast off her coat to the couch. Seeing the mood she was in, I decided to leave her alone.

  “So you’re just gonna stand there? We almost got caught in daylight and you have nothing to say?”

  Well, I tried.

  “What’s there to say? We got back in time, well before dawn.”

  “If it wasn’t for all your playing around, we would have been back long ago.”

  “I’m telling you that where I come from, they rise.”

  “That’s a bunch of bull. The dead don’t rise after you get them in the head. They stay dead.”

  “Believe what you want. I know what I saw.”

  “Whatever.” She gave me a dismissive wave. “Why do they just walk right by you without trying to bite you?”

  I assumed it had something to do with my being bitten and surviving, but I wasn’t about to show my hand at this card game.

  “I don’t know. They used to and one day they just stopped. I could be slashing at them and they don’t even care.”

  For a moment, she almost looked impressed. And then she just turned around and went upstairs.

  “You probably just got lucky or something. Or maybe they don’t think you’re worth eating.”

  She shut her bedroom door before I could reply. It was getting light in the apartment. Her steel blinds closed and I was left in the dim glow of the electric lights. I decided to wash up and go to sleep. There was no guessing what crazy things would be coming my way tonight. It would be prudent for me to be well rested.

  Nightfall seemed to come far too quickly. The days were getting shorter and that meant longer nights. I groaned my way off the couch and ambled around the house, trying to wake up.

  Rayna got up and got her breakfast. Cold blood again. I knew it was far better than starving, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. It would have been nice to taste fresh, warm blood once again. She took her bags out of the refrigerator and walked back to up to the room without saying another word.

  “Good morning to you, too.”

  There was a knock at the door a little while later. When I answered, I saw Lucretius waiting at the door. His stance was everything I expected it to be: tall, stiff, painfully correct. I could definitely picture him going to boarding school as a young lad, or at the country club as a young nobleman.

  “May I come in?” he asked. I showed him the way in. He seated himself in the armchair across from the couch, crossing his legs while he played with his cane.

  “To what do we owe this visit?”

  “I was just curious to see how you were doing. It was fortunate I happened to be passing by. By the way, how is Rayna doing?”

  I rolled my eyes in the direction of her bedroom. “She’s…being Rayna, I suppose.”

  “Yes, I must say she can be quite willful at times.”

  “She’s a handful, that one.”

  “More than you know. Would you be good enough to call her down for me, if you please?”

  “No need. I’m headed down,” she said. I’m sure she must have been listening up there the whole time. “Is this a social call, or do you want something?”

  Lucretius shot me a look, as if saying, “see what I have to suffer?” Then he turned to her. “It’s a bit of both. I was curious to see how last night went.”

  “It went. We almost got caught in daylight, but we got back safe.” She walked down the stairs as she spoke and sat down on the opposite side of the couch.

  “You had no complications, I trust?”

  She glared at me for an instant. “No, we were good. Ol’ Mordy here can handle himself.” I closed my eyes and let out a sigh.

  “That’s good news. I’m glad you could help us. We sure need it.”

  “We have it handled, Luke. We didn’t need any more help.”

  “Really? Jeb seemed to think you were in a bit of a jam last night.”

  Fire flashed through her eyes. “Nothing we couldn’t handle.”

  “I’m sure of that. You’re one of our best, Rayna. I knew I could count on you.”

  “Could I speak to you for a moment?” she said to Lucretius.

  “Sure. Excuse us for a moment, Mordecai.”

  I nodded and watched them go through the door and into the game room. They spoke quietly at first, but the conversation quickly soured.

  Lucretius walked out of the room and said, “There is no room for discussion. You will do as I say, Rayna.”

  She huffed and rolled her eyes, but Lucretius did not care. He had won. Lucretius looked at me and changed his expression at once.

  “Ah, Mordecai. How would you like to join us for dinner once again?

  “I would like that,” I said with
a smirk as I looked at Rayna.

  “That’s the spirit.” He turned slightly in Rayna’s direction. “At least someone here is reasonable enough. So, we will see you tomorrow night, let’s say an hour after sunset?”

  “That will work for me.”

  “Well, then. I must go now, but I look forward to seeing the both of you tomorrow.”

  Dinner Party

  For all its comforts and security, the spell this place had cast over me was wearing off. My mind kept taking me back to the place where my life had briefly regained its meaning. Existence became something more than surviving day to day. I was shown all the beauty that the world had to offer and it was taken from me just as quickly. Her body rested in a tomb, but her memory lived on in my heart.

  We went through another day of patrolling the perimeter. I wished I could say I was busy from dusk till dawn, but I wasn’t. In fact, we only saw one marauder that night, a wolf we were content to leave alone. I hated nights like this. The quiet lent itself too much to thought, and my thoughts led to Rhiannon. That night, I longed to run, to keep running until I found Jericho again. I did not know whether it had fallen to the dead or if it was still standing, proud and strong as it once had been. In my mind, I saw Alaric kneeling over her tomb, weeping over his loss. My sorrow for him only compounded my own.

  Alaric bent down and kissed the rocks that covered her tomb. He gasped. I saw the blade that ran through his chest. Blood started to flow down the sword. He collapsed to the ground. The blood was pooling up on the floor, and I knew he was dying. He set his hand down and caressed the spot above where her face would be. A smile brightened his face. He was happy for the first time in ages. If there was one way to go, it was this one. He closed his eyes and died right there, next to his beloved.

  “Hey, wake up!” yelled Rayna. “We’re here.”

  I didn’t know where we were, but wherever here was, we had arrived. This was not the house from before, but it was just as opulent. I had mentally traced our route on the way back last time, and this was in a completely different direction. A servant waited for us at the door. I could tell he was human from a distance. He exuded the scent of his kind, the scent of the living human flesh, the smell which kept on drawing hordes across the land in search of a meal. His heart beat in a normal cadence, which told me he was quite used to our kind. My first instinct was to size him up as prey, but I knew better than to give to my instincts and walked into the house.

  The inside looked more like a museum that a dwelling. It was not uncommon for older Vampires to decorate their homes in this way. The house was luxurious and exuded Old World extravagance. I could only guess who owned this place. He or she had to be a very high-ranking member of this council.

  “Bunch of fancy crap. They waste so much time collecting all this stuff and for what? Nothing. It doesn’t do us a bit of good. Should be collecting something you can use, like guns and bows.”

  It was galling to hear her voice. There was an assortment of things here, from Ming vases and katana swords, to ancient Egyptian scrolls. It was like a summary of ancient human history, as told in artifacts. I wished I could educate her on the contents of this room. What did she know, anyway? She was just some hick town Vampire who probably never left her town until the Fall.

  She picked up the Ming vase and examined it carelessly, even twirled it in her hand like it was some kind of plaything. One of the servants saw her and started to say something when she put it down, clearly off the spot where it belonged. The servant came over and reset it before moving on. I stared at her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “That is authentic Ming dynasty. Putting a price tag on something like that would be an insult.”

  “Doesn’t look all that fancy. I could buy one of those at the thrift shop for a buck or two, clean it up real good and put it up for display.” She erected herself upright and mimicked a refined woman. “Look at me, I’m a fancy cultured woman.” Now her accent became a hilarious mix of Oxford and back country. “Good sir, how would like to look at our fine artifacts and join us for a repast?”

  “Will you stop? You’re being obnoxious.” At this time, several of the servants had come into the room and were staring at us, some with contempt and others with plain amusement.

  “Okay, fine. I’ll just go get some grub. Where’s the dinner table? I’m ready to eat!” I let out a groan and smacked my forehead.

  The butler came ready to meet us at the door. He cleared his throat to announce himself. “If Miss Rayna is quite finished, would the two of you be good enough to join me?”

  She straightened up and said, “Yes, all finished.” I was amazed at the change. She went from backwoods princess to young aristocrat in a heartbeat.

  “Right this way.”

  He escorted us through a large set of double doors. I couldn’t help but stare at the ornate white marble archway as we passed under it. It was a detailed carving of skulls crowded together. It reminded me of the catacomb walls in Europe.

  The large hall on the other side was no less impressive. It could have held a small house inside it. Large round columns adorned the walls all around. Between them were several showcases of medieval weapons. Most impressive was the giant statue of an armor-clad knight holding a two-handed broadsword.

  “Oh, this is what I’m talking about right here! Oh, look at this!” She grabbed hold of a great claymore, which she could swing as easily as a stick.

  “Rayna!” I yelled. Now I knew how parents felt at a department store.

  “Okay, Mr. No Fun.” She made a pouty face and strolled off to see the other displays. I stayed closely on her tail to prevent any mishaps. We passed an antique crossbow collection which caught my eye. I paused to admire them for a second and lost track of her.

  “Wow, this is the good stuff! I like this room.” My eyelids opened so wide I felt like my eyeballs would pop out. She had brandished a large mace and was swinging it around the room with childish abandon. I caught the handle and plucked it out of her hand. She reacted with surprise, then anger.

  “Wanna fight?” she said, a smile spreading across her face as she took up a halberd against me.

  “Ahem!” It was the sound of the butler. “If you two are done trying to wage battle, would you be good enough to accompany me to the yard?”

  Caught. I was as guilty as her and all I was trying to do was prevent her from breaking something…or someone.

  “I was just trying to take this stuff from her before she broke it!”

  “No, you were trying to play around,” she replied.

  “Play around? You’re juggling priceless antiques that are centuries old and you say I’m the one playing around?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I said.” She put down the halberd and crossed her arms.

  “That’s immaterial,” said the butler. “There is a courtyard out back where you two may spar, if you like. Would either of you like a drink?”

  “I’ll take some brandy—make that two!” The butler sighed and walked away.

  “Why are you ordering that? We can’t drink that stuff.”

  “Relax. We take all the drinks secondhand.”

  We sat down at a table out in the back courtyard. It was night and all manner of life chirped and buzzed around us. This was the equivalent of a summer day picnic for a human, which was impossible for us for obvious reasons. We had to settle for the next best thing.

  The butler brought us our drinks and hurried back inside. He seemed relieved to have us outside, where he would not have to keep such close tabs on us. Some time and two drinks later, Lucretius came for us.

  “Rayna! Mordecai! What are you two doing out here?”

  “He got us kicked out,” she said, pointing her finger at me.

  “Did he, now?” He scratched his chin for a moment. “I have a hard time believing that. At any rate, are you two ready to come out of exile?”

  “Yes, very much.” I was out of my seat before Rayna could say anything else
.

  Even before I walked back through the glass pane doors, I saw that the room was full. It was a much larger group than before, at least thirty people, all Vampires. Some of them were fairly young, no doubt children that had survived the Fall, but I could also sense the Elders. I felt like I was but a pup in the company of these Old Ones. It was a humbling feeling, but Rayna did not seem to share it. She was walking around and talking to them without any semblance of decorum. This was a good time to distance myself from her and get to know these people. Perhaps I would see some old familiar faces. Then again, after remembering some of the people who had crossed my path, I hoped I wouldn’t.

  Lucretius introduced me to some of the members of polite society. There was the man with the mutton chops, whose name turned out to be Clifford Greaver. Another woman with a marble face and an expression just as hard was introduced to me as Katerina Romanova. There were others, though far less memorable. Teófilo Bustamante, Gustaf Thoresen, Marie-Evangeline Larousse, Fortunato Cavalcanti, and a few others I can’t recall at this time. Maybe I’ll remember later, if they were relevant.

  Rayna seemed to have a good time, but I couldn’t tell if it was the liquor-infused blood speaking. It couldn’t have been the vibrant company. They were as exciting as rock-watching. I had forgotten just how dull the polite aristocracy could be.

  There really wasn’t much else to tell. People talked about the same dead horses they had beaten to a pulp over the past decades. Someone would ask me my opinion, and I would give the most conservative answer I could find. All would nod and continue on with the conversation. Towards the end of the night, I became emboldened and started to give off edgier answers, but the most I would get was a perplexed look followed by “interesting.” It was no use trying to rile this bunch of stiffs. Undead couldn’t get any deader than this.

  The night ran its course and our host mercifully decided to end it. Guests began to issue their standard goodbyes before getting into their glossy black chariots and driving off. As the crowd thinned, I tried to catch a glimpse of Rayna and could not find her. Remembering her mischief from earlier, I set out to find her at once. Left unchecked and under the influence of alcohol, there was no telling what trouble she might cause.