Deliverance of the Damned

by Jean Marie Bauhaus

  Julia waved a flippant hand. “You betrayed me. What else did you expect?”

  Alek got to his feet. “Celine’s right, though. Why should we trust you?”

  She turned her gaze on him. “If we may have a word in private, you will see why.”

  “Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of my friends.”

  Julia pursed her lips. “Not this. Please, Doctor.”

  Hannah detected a note of humility in Julia’s plea, but she wasn’t about to trust it. She put a hand on Alek’s arm. “You’re not going anywhere with her.”

  He nodded. “We can step out into the hall.”

  Julia came into the office, the better to see the desperate look on her face. “I think the infirmary would be a better place.”

  Understanding seemed to dawn. Hannah could see him giving in. “Alek—”

  “It’s okay.” He looked at Hannah, his expression telling her he’d already made up his mind. “You can come, but I’ll need you to wait outside.”

  She sighed, giving Julia a look of distrust, but nodded. “Okay, then. Let’s go.”

  TWENTY- SEVEN

  THEY WALKED TO THE infirmary in silence, with Julia leading the way. Once they arrived, she turned to Hannah. “You wait outside, as we agreed.”

  “My wife is a nurse, and my assistant,” said Alek. “Whatever this is, she’ll—”

  “I prefer to keep this between the two of us.” She glanced back at Hannah. “For now.”

  Alek turned to Hannah. She didn’t need to say anything. He knew how much she didn’t like leaving him and Julia alone. “This shouldn’t take long.”

  “If it does, I’m coming in.” She drew her gun for emphasis. “And if I hear anything I don’t like, I’m coming in.”

  “Fair enough.” Julia entered the infirmary. Alek followed, closing the door behind them.

  Julia walked over to a cot, removing her jacket as she went. She dropped it on the bed and then unbuttoned her shirt. She took it off and turned toward Alek, who kept his gaze above her neck.

  “If this is why you wanted my wife to wait outside—”

  Before he could finish, she came toward him and took his hand, placing it on her breast. He tried to pull away, but she held on too tightly. “Julia, this is—”

  “Feel.” Her eyes were full of fear and desperation, a far cry from seduction. Alek stopped struggling and gently began palpating her left breast. Immediately he felt a large lump. He sucked in a breath as he drew his hand away.

  “You see?”

  He nodded. “I’m sorry.”

  She barked out a laugh and turned to snatch up her blouse. “You are sorry.”

  “I am. How bad was it? Before you were turned?”

  She shook her head as she buttoned up. “It was so long ago. We didn’t even have a word for cancer. There was no way to know how far it had spread.” She picked up her jacket and looked at him. “But it was bad.”

  He folded his hands as if in prayer, holding them in front of his mouth as paced, the better to think. “It might be fine. It’s too early to know the long-term effects of the serum, either on humans or former vampires. We still have enhanced healing. We don’t heal as quickly as vampires, but it might be enough to keep the cancer cells dormant.”

  “Might be.” Julia seemed to chew on those words as she shrugged back into her jacket. “And if it’s not?”

  “If it’s not, this is still the twenty-first century. I’m no oncologist, but we can get to a hospital, perform scans to see just how far it’s spread.”

  “Assuming we find one that still has power and working equipment. And then what?”

  “And then we’ll figure something out.”

  Julia gave him a look somewhere between disdain and amusement. “I always did like you, Doctor. I’ve always found your unbridled optimism refreshing. But I am a realist. Even at the peak of human achievement, people still died from cancer every day.”

  “This doesn’t need to be a death sentence.”

  “Being human is a death sentence!” The fury in her voice seemed to surprise her as much as it did him. She took a deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice was calm, controlled. “Perhaps, if civilization still stood, I would have more hope.”

  “Then help us restore it.”

  Julia laughed. There was that expression of amused disdain again. “Do you not see what an impossible task that is?”

  “What I see is that if the vampire Council rules this earth, they’ll bring it to utter ruin. But there’s still time to prevent them from destroying everything. If we can bring down the Council—”

  “A council in which you’ve ensured I no longer have any place.”

  He nodded. “But they don’t know that. Not yet. And we’ll do all we can to keep them from finding out.” He moved closer to Julia and looked in her eyes. “This is our chance to make things equal. To create one race that’s impervious to the zombie virus, that still possesses not only the skill and ingenuity, but the desire to rebuild civilization. This doesn’t have to be the end of the world. It can simply be a phase in its evolution.”

  Julia tilted her regal chin, gazing down her nose at him. “You honestly believe that’s possible?”

  “With help. The right help. Yes, I do.”

  She looked away. “And what do you suppose are my chances of living long enough to see it happen?”

  “Again, I can’t know for certain how the tumor will react to your altered genes. But I’m guessing you’ll have plenty of time.”

  She strode to a monitor mounted high in one corner of the room and turned it on. The security feed showed a swarm of shamblers stacked up outside the prison walls, a more effective deterrent against trying to escape than the walls themselves.

  After a long moment, she turned it off. “Very well. Consider yourself in charge of this prison. You can count on my help for as long as I’m able to provide it.” She turned back to him. “So what do you propose we do next?”

  “Talk to the remaining vampires. Determine who wants the cure, and more importantly, who’s loyal to the council, and deal with them accordingly. Then we deal with that.” He jerked his chin toward the monitor. “We take a team with body armor and guns on a clean-up mission to make it easier for us to come and go.”

  “For what purpose?”

  “Because I refuse to run a prison camp. Barring those who remain here as prisoners of war, everyone else is free to stay or go, but it’s their choice, not ours.”

  Julia lifted a delicate eyebrow. “Prisoners of war, Doctor?”

  “You know as well as I do the Council will consider what happened here today a declaration of war.”

  “I do know. I wasn’t certain you did.”

  “Besides,” he continued, “it doesn’t end here. We’ll make more serum. Find a way to get it to the other camps—”

  Julia’s laughter cut him off.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You are. I can’t decide whether you’re brilliant or insane.”

  “Don’t mistake hope for insanity.”

  “Not even when that hope is delusional?”

  “You believe my goals are delusional?”

  She gazed past him, her eyes focused on something beyond the walls, staring into a distance only she could see. Then she shook her head slightly, seeming to come back to the present. “I don’t know what to believe. I only hope I haven’t backed the wrong horse.” She looked down and smoothed her outfit, checking all the buttons. She frowned down at her feet and wiggled her bare toes. “I should locate my shoes before I parlay with the vampire encampment.”

  “You’re going alone?”

  “I think that’s best. You see to your people, Doctor, and I’ll see to mine.” With that, she went to the door and opened it. Hannah still stood guard outside, her gun at the ready, her posture ready to leap into action. She relaxed when Alek came up behind Julia. “He’s still in one piece,” Julia told her as she moved past. “He’
s all yours.”

  Hannah watched her go before turning to Alek. “Everything okay?”

  He nodded. “How much did you hear?”

  “All of it. This door’s crap at shutting out sound.”

  He was glad. He didn’t want to keep secrets from her. But his dismay over Julia’s illness outweighed his relief at not having to worry about betraying doctor-patient confidentiality. He turned and walked back into the infirmary, raking a hand through his hair in frustration.

  “Hey.” Hannah came in behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up. You couldn’t have known.”

  “No. But I didn’t even think. The possibility never even occurred to me.” He turned back to face her. “How many more lives have I inadvertently cut short?” He shook his head. “You were right. What we did, the way we did it... it wasn’t right.”

  “It’s not like she left us much choice.”

  “There’s always a choice. We should have been more patient. Tried harder to find another way.” He squeezed his eyes shut. He rubbed them with his palms, which came away wet.

  Eyes still closed, he felt Hannah’s warmth press against him as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned her head on his shoulder, nestling her face against his neck. He put his arms around her and held her, burying his nose in her hair.

  “It’s war,” she said, her breath tickling his skin. “Just like you said. We used the only weapon we had. This isn’t some hypothetical exercise in ethics. I understand that now. Maybe I was right on paper, but—”

  Alek pulled back and angled his head down to look at her. “If it’s wrong on paper, Hannah, it’s wrong in real life.”

  She looked up at him. “I know that. And I’m glad to hear that you know that. But I also know sometimes you have to make a choice between what’s ethical and what’s necessary.” She shook her head. “You know more about it than I do, but do you think everything the Allies did to end the war was strictly ethical? How about that atomic bomb?”

  “What we’re doing with this serum may prove just as destructive.”

  “Maybe. And it might save just as many lives.” She reached up and cupped his cheek, stroking it with her thumb. “We’re deep in this now. The only way out is through.”

  “Taking the consequences as they come.”

  She said nothing, but gazed up at him with eyes full of sympathy and understanding. He wanted to kiss her, but before he could her eyes drifted up to his hairline. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. “Your roots are showing, Mr. Johnson.”

  In spite of everything, Alek smiled. “I think it’s time to lay Al Johnson to rest.”

  “Thank God. The blond was fun for a while, but I miss the real you. Does this mean we don’t have to wear these contacts anymore?”

  “I believe it does.”

  Disentangling herself from him, Hannah marched over to the nearest trash can, popped out her lenses and dropped them in. “Good riddance.” She turned back to Alek and smiled brightly.

  He couldn’t help but smile in kind as he held out his hand. “Next stop, prison barber shop.”

  HE STRIPPED OFF HIS shirt before taking a seat in the barber’s chair. Hannah took a moment to enjoy the view before draping a towel over his shoulders. His tan had faded during their weeks trapped indoors, but his lean, muscular frame still stood out beneath a thin layer of curls the same rich dark brown as the roots she was about to set free.

  “Hey,” he said, dragging her away from her shameless ogling. “I’m up here.”

  He pointed to his face. She met his gaze and caught the playful glint there. She straddled his legs and lowered herself to his lap as she secured the towel in front with a hair clip. “Good thing that part’s just as pretty.”

  He snorted, but his hands settled on her hips, inviting her to stay. She leaned in for a kiss. He welcomed it, returned it with enthusiasm, but then cut it short.

  “Mind on the mission, Mrs. Konstantin.” He patted her on the rear

  With a dramatic sigh, she got up and went to retrieve the clippers. Moving behind him, she ran a comb through his hair before placing the clippers against his scalp. She set them to half an inch, about the same length as his dark roots. The bleached tips fell, gathering on the towel, in his lap and on the floor below.

  Within minutes, all the blond was gone. She set down the clippers and spun him around, pleased to see that Al Johnson was no more, but her Alek, his new buzz cut short but dark, his eyes as bright and pale blue as the day she’d met him, was restored.

  “Mission accomplished.” She leaned in for another kiss, resting a hand against his face. It rasped beneath her fingers as she stroked his cheek and jaw. “You could use a shave, though.”

  He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Later. We’ve got work to do.”

  She nodded and reluctantly pulled away, going to retrieve his shirt. She tossed it to him and watched wistfully as he pulled it on. Glancing in the large mirror over the counter, he ran a hand over his bristle of hair. “Nice work.”

  “The clippers did the heavy lifting. How does it feel?”

  “Short.”

  Hannah found a broom and started to clean up, but he took it from her. “I’ll do that.”

  “What’s next?” she asked while he swept.

  “Julia should have delivered our terms by now. Let’s go see how that went. We should have an assembly to keep everyone in the loop. And we’ll need to produce more serum.” With his fallen locks swept into a neat pile, he retrieved the dust pan. He glanced up at her as he bent to sweep the hair into it. “What about Noah? Do you want to go let Paula know it’s safe to leave solitary?”

  “Not till we’re sure there won’t be any more fighting.”

  He nodded and tossed his hair in the bin. “Then let’s go see if that’s the case.”

  TWENTY- EIGHT

  OF THOSE VAMPIRES WHO hadn’t already sided with Celine, slightly less than half elected to take the cure. The maximum security wing now housed the stubborn majority who would stay put unless and until they had a change of heart.

  As for those who’d received the cure without their knowledge or consent, the reactions were mixed. Some were happy to have their humanity restored. Some were downright angry about it. Most weren’t yet sure what to think.

  They all sat together on one side of the dining hall as Doctor Konstantin and Julia addressed the assembly from the overhead walkway. Celine was no longer in charge, which was fine by her. She’d accomplished her mission. What’s more, she’d never go back to being seen as just a secretary.

  She and her team stood at the back of the hall, keeping an eye on the reluctant new hybrids and their vampire colleagues. The humans assembled across the room, along with their own hybridized members, glancing warily at the other side.

  Celine spotted Chris sitting on the front row among the humans, next to his mother, who held the baby. Hannah was up on the walkway, next to the Doctor, who called everyone to order.

  Once all eyes were on him, he nodded to Julia. She stepped up to the rail and looked out over the crowd. “Well. Aren’t we a pretty picture? All one big, happy, human family.” Her gaze flicked to Celine before adding, “More or less.”

  Celine refused to look away. She had no regrets about curing the ancient vampire. It had been her only defense.

  Julia turned her gaze on the newly cured. “I’ve promised the good Doctor our full cooperation. If any of you think to make me a liar, first consider two things: one, that the Council will deem us a liability, an inconvenient wrench in their plans. They will not suffer us to live. No matter how loyal any of us might have been, no matter how high our position. They will not reward you for revealing us. They will destroy you.”

  She paused, allowing her words time to sink in. Then she gripped the bars and leaned closer. “And two: I may no longer be a vampire, but I am still not one to cross.” Again her gaze went to Celine, who resisted the urge to wince. Instea
d, she lifted her chin in defiance. If Julia hadn’t managed to kill her with all of her ancient vampire strength, she had little chance of doing so now.

  Julia frowned and drummed her fingers on the rail, apparently noting Celine’s lack of fear. She still hadn’t fully healed from the beating Julia had given her, which was already the stuff of legend. But whatever Julia meant to achieve by singling her out, her attempt backfired.

  No doubt, there would be reprisals. Julia didn’t seem like the sort to let things go. But Celine didn’t care.

  Releasing the rail and stepping back, Julia waved the doctor forward. He addressed the remaining vampires. “We should have enough serum for each of you within the next day or two. After that, we’ll have to think about food. With so many more of you, the provisions we have here won’t go as far.”

  He paused and looked over at his own people. “We’ll need to make supply runs into the nearby towns. But first we’ve got to deal with the closest threat. In a few days we’ll take a team of volunteers out to clear the shamblers from the surrounding grounds. You’ll have body armor and weapons for protection, but even so, only sign up if you’re immune to the virus.”

  He looked back at Hannah, and she stepped forward. “If you’d like to volunteer, come and see me or Captain Burell. We’ll get you fitted up.” She looked over to the vampires, both current and former. “In the meantime, if you suddenly find yourself out of a job, see Louise. She can find something productive for you to do.”

  She stepped back, and the doctor took over. “Any questions?”

  “What about us?”

  The question came from the back. Celine turned to see Reynolds stepping forward. She glanced over at Celine with an apologetic look before addressing Konstantin. “We,” she said, emphasizing the word while indicating the other vampires on their team, “have been waiting to take the cure until we’re no longer needed as we are. Do we need to keep waiting?”

  Konstantin looked over at the other remaining group of vampires, those who had said they want the cure. There were about eight of them, far too outnumbered by the hybrids to be much of a threat.