The Last Vampire

by Jon F. Merz

  They were probably being paid well. But what sort of payment would they take? Gold? Free shelter and as much booze as they could drink at Sam’s? Anything was possible in this fucked up world.

  I reached the door of the water treatment shack and opened the door. Darkness greeted me and I hoped Ares didn’t open up with the M4 when she saw some shadowy form in the doorway.

  Luckily, she didn’t.

  I pulled the door shut behind me and took a breath.

  Something in the air was different. I didn’t know what it was at first, but then I sniffed again and knew. Someone else had been here. The scent of Ares - a scent I’d gotten used to smelling - was mixed with someone else’s. Whoever it was, they didn’t believe in bathing that often.

  But who?

  My voice was a harsh whisper. “Ares!”

  I got no answer. Ares and my M4 were gone and with it, I suspected, the element of surprise that I was planning to use to get the upper hand with Warsaw.

  I sighed.

  I was going back to Sam’s bar, apparently. Unfortunately, I had little doubt that Warsaw knew I was coming. And worse, that he wanted me to come.

  I had no doubt that my welcome party was going to be amazing.

  Lucky me.

  22

  I didn’t see much point in hiding my face this time as I walked back to Sam’s bar. I made my way through to the back room where I’d spoken with Sam and then found the staircase leading up. I drew my pistol and flicked the safety off. I knew I had a round in the chamber, so I was good to go as I crested the steps and prepared myself for the coming ordeal.

  There’s no real trick to going into combat; you simply find the best way that works for you by compartmentalizing everything that’s not necessary to what you’re about to do. You stow it away, and then get the focus you need to do your job. I’d been fighting for so long, in so many wars both known and unknown that I didn’t even know when it had all clicked for me. But at one point, it had. And I just went with it instead of questioning it. A lot of people used to make a big deal about telling you how to prepare, but the simple truth of it is this: if you’re prepared and you’ve trained hard, you’ll be successful. If you half-ass it, you won’t. Because the enemy you face will capitalize on your mistakes and you’ll be dead.

  There’s no hoodoo guru new-ager bullshit that makes killing easy. Because it is easy. And it’s not. In the blink of an eye, you have the ability to erase a life. And all it takes is a willingness to carry around that memory for the rest of your lifetime. Possibly longer, but I couldn’t really speak to that since I was still alive.

  If you could call this living.

  I was - at least for the time being.

  I finished cresting the steps and found myself in a long corridor with a door at the end. Talk about dramatic. I took my time walking down it. No sense rushing in and potentially getting myself killed. As I approached, I could hear voices talking. I thought I recognized one of them as Kort. But there were at least three others, which meant I was going in against four known targets. There could always be more in the room. I wouldn’t know until I got in there.

  I stayed close to the wall as I edged down the corridor. The wooden floor boards were less likely to creak at the point where they met the wall than they would if I stayed in the middle. Old habits died hard and I learned this one creeping through farmhouses in Afghanistan way back. I could have been in Kandahar because that’s exactly what it felt like making my way down the hallway. In a second, I could close my eyes and be a million miles away, back in time when things were easier than they were nowadays.

  I blinked.

  Back inside the hall outside of Warsaw’s penthouse. I took a few breaths to make sure I was fully oxygenated and readied myself. I let the pistol come down slightly and stacked outside of the door frame.

  Then I knocked.

  In retrospect, I could have easily kicked the door in, rushed the room, and killed at least two of them before they knew what hit them. But sometimes, less is more. And I didn’t know exactly what I was going to be stepping into. If they had Ares positioned in the center of the room, one of my shots might ricochet and kill her.

  Better to be polite and knock.

  “Enter,” came the voice.

  I turned the knob and pushed the door open, still not framing myself in the doorway where I’d be an easy target. I heard laughter from inside the room. Then the same voice that had told me to enter called out again.

  “You’re not walking into an ambush, Declan. Now come inside here and we can talk like civilized human beings.”

  I frowned; I hated it when people knew more about me than I did about them. Hearing my name spoken like that annoyed me because he clearly enjoyed using it.

  I stepped into the room and immediately moved to the side of the door.

  Ahead of me, I spotted a man who could only be Warsaw seated behind an old desk. Surrounding him fanned out on either side were three of his men, Kort being one of them.

  Ares was nowhere to be seen and that made me frown. “Where’s my bait?”

  “Is that how you introduce yourself?” asked Warsaw. Seated, I couldn’t tell how tall he was, but it was obvious that he kept himself in decent shape. I could see he had a good set of traps by his neck, which meant he used weights a bit. That was somewhat surprising given the state of the world. But then again, what else was there to do when you ruled your own private fiefdom except sling iron?

  He was nearly bald, with a bristling scalp that had tanned to the color of dull leather over the years, no doubt from an abundance of exposure to the sun. It was somewhat amusing to think that before the Event, everyone had been worried about getting skin cancer from too much sun. These days, people flocked outside and didn’t give a shit. Being stalked by suckers at night can put certain things in perspective pretty damned quick.

  “My name is Warsaw,” he said with a grin. I noted the glass of amber liquid in front of him. Probably whiskey from downstairs at Sam’s. Which was really Warsaw’s, but who cared?

  “You know my name,” I said. “And I’m assuming you know what I do.”

  “A Mortal Maker,” said Warsaw. He looked at his men with a grin. “To think this is the second one to grace us with their presence in a short few weeks. Why, it’s almost like we’re something special, isn’t it?”

  Two of the men laughed, but Kort didn’t show any reaction. He just continued to stare at me. His hands were close enough to the gun he wore on his side that I knew he could bring it up quick if he wanted to. Even though mine was already drawn, no one in the room seemed particularly alarmed by its presence.

  “You know why I’m here,” I said. “What I do.”

  “You kill suckers,” said Warsaw. “A noble calling indeed. And frankly, it’s one I always fancied myself as being quite good at.”

  “What would ever give you that idea?” I asked.

  Warsaw sniffed. “Well, surely there’s not a great deal of skill to it. You simply stalk and hunt suckers like any other sort of game. Track them down to their lairs and put a chunk of wood into their chests. Done and done, right?”

  “There’s a bit more to it than that,” I said. “But I won’t bore you with the details.”

  “Kind of you,” said Warsaw. “So here you are.”

  “Here I am.”

  “And what brings you to Diablo?”

  We could have been discussing the weather for all he cared. I leveled my gaze on him. “You’re harboring a sucker in exchange for protection for your people. I cannot let that arrangement continue. It’s a violation and you know it.”

  “A violation of what?” asked Warsaw. “Is it against the law? Oh, I’m sorry, are we once again bound by laws and rules? Because the way I see it, our world is pretty fucked up. And the only rules one needs to follow are those we create for ourselves.”

  “And the one that created an alliance bonding all humanity against the suckers,” I said.

  Warsaw waved h
is hand. “I never agreed to that. And I have my own people to look after. If that happens to coincide with what others choose to follow, well and good. If it does not, however, then I have no problem forging my own path for the benefit of my people.”

  “And your people agree with you?”

  Warsaw sniffed. “We have a semblance of normalcy here, Declan. People can walk the streets of the town at night without fear. As long as they do not venture outside the walls, they are safe from harm. And after so many years of being victims, surely you can understand why they would choose to live here. I keep them safe; I give them hope.”

  “Until the sucker you’re in bed with decides to renegotiate the deal.”

  Warsaw shook his head. “Any other suckers, yes that might be an issue. This one? I highly doubt it. We’ve had a partnership for some time now. And it has worked flawlessly.” His eyes narrowed. “Until you and your comrade decided to come calling. Now, you are jeopardizing everything we’ve worked for. Everything we’ve tried to accomplish here. Surely, you understand why I cannot allow you to continue your work.”

  23

  I snapped my pistol up and leveled it on Warsaw’s chest. “You don’t really have a choice in the matter.”

  He laughed, which wasn’t exactly the reaction I was hoping for. “Declan, you have a lot to learn about me. Do you really think I wouldn’t have taken precautions to protect myself against your baser instincts? You could have come in here firing away and killing everyone you saw.”

  “But I didn’t,” I said.

  Warsaw nodded and his smile shrank. “Because you’re not a moron.” He steepled his fingers and sighed. “So, we have a proposition to discuss.”

  “I’m not interested,” I said. Even though I knew that I wouldn’t have any choice but to listen.

  Warsaw cocked his head to one side. “I don’t believe that. And since you didn’t take my previous suggestion to leave town and not look back, you rather forced me to take steps that I usually dislike taking. Then again, I am beholden to the promises I’ve made to my people.”

  “Just as I’m beholden to the oath I swore when I joined the Mortal Makers.”

  “Yes, I’m sure their membership drive was something to see,” said Warsaw. “In any event, you’re on my ground so whatever silly notion you’re beholden to doesn’t hold the same sway as what I’ve promised to those who look up to me.”

  “Maybe they only look up to you because they don’t have a choice,” I said. “Maybe right now they’re planning a coup. Someone else who can be in power here and ensure the same things you do but without the henchmen and the like.”

  Warsaw eyed me. “You’ve heard something?”

  I shook my head. “No. I just happen to have some experience with dictators. Their hold on power is always a fragile thing. But they never realize it because they’re always so focused on enjoying the domination they’ve obtained. Sooner or later, it starts to crumble and fall apart and they’re left with nothing.”

  “In any event, I don’t foresee such a thing happening in Diablo.”

  “Why not? From what I’ve seen, this place is ripe for it.”

  “Then you haven’t seen nearly enough,” said Warsaw. “There is more to this town that just simply assuming power.” He leaned back in his chair. “Besides, my men would never let harm come to me. Like me, they enjoy several benefits that others would not gift them with.”

  “Such as?”

  “Such as none of your business,” said Warsaw.

  “I’m guessing it has something to do with women, booze, or drugs. Possibly all three. Money’s out because it’s in such a limited supply these days, no one is getting rich anywhere. Wealth comes down to what you hold sway over. Land, people…that’s what counts now.”

  “True enough,” said Warsaw. “And possibly you are correct. But that is neither here nor there. The real bones of our conversation must inevitably turn toward the reason why you haven’t fired that gun yet, and why none of my men have bothered to draw their own weapons even as you stand there aiming one at me.”

  “And that would be?”

  Warsaw looked at Kort. “What did you say her name was?”

  “Ares,” said Kort without breaking eye contact with me. “And she’s a fighter. Tough woman. I kinda like it.”

  I clenched my jaw. “I’d suggest that if you’ve harmed her in any way, that you make plans for the afterlife.”

  Kort grinned but said nothing. Warsaw on the other hand immediately shook his head as if the notion of Kort having his way with Ares was too awful to contemplate.

  “We would never touch her.” He smiled. “I can assure you that neither I nor my men have harmed her in any fashion.”

  Something about his smile led me to think that there was more to that statement than he wanted to let on. And then it hit me. The Source.

  “Where is she?”

  Warsaw checked his watch. “You can probably imagine how upset my guest was when I told her that you and your bait would be walking after dark outside the town limits. That you would be easy pickings for her and that she would not have to tire herself from traveling to find her evening meal. But somehow you managed to elude her. And that made her exceptionally upset.” He looked at me. “Now, I know you know suckers, Declan, so I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you about their characteristics, but believe me when I tell you that this particular creature is not happy when she is made a fool of. I almost thought she would tear me apart last night upon her return. Fortunately, I was able to bring her around to a more sensible course of action.”

  “That being?”

  “Wait until you returned,” said Warsaw. “I had little doubt you would. I’ve known other Mortal Makers, and more importantly, I’ve known other men like you.”

  “Like me.”

  “Driven,” said Warsaw. “By some unspoken code of honor. You all have this misbegotten notion of what it means to be a real man. It’s almost as if you all grew up with heads filled with silly ideals of chivalry and righteousness and fighting evil. It’s quite obnoxious, actually.”

  “Is it now?”

  Warsaw sighed. “The real world isn’t like that, but yet you all cling to it as if it’s something you can’t possibly live without. You’re all incorruptible souls that frankly make my work a lot harder that it should be.”

  “Gee…sorry.” I lowered my gun and holstered it even though I didn’t snap the button over the top.

  “I’ve managed to hire a great many men to do deeds for me. But you all remain forever out of my grasp. You can’t be bribed. And appealing to your higher ideals rarely works to the ends I need it to.”

  “So what’s left?”

  Warsaw shrugged. “Coercion, of course. If I happen to possess something that you value, then I can bend you to my will. It’s not the optimal method, granted. And it does tend to produce a certain animosity on the part of the person I coerce, but the results are there and it’s always hard to argue with those.”

  “Where is Ares?”

  Warsaw ignored me. “When my guest returned last night, as I said, she was rather furious with you for eluding her. Had I not managed to prevail upon her to wait, she might have broken our truce and torn Diablo apart. She restrained herself, however, and for that, she insisted on several condition that had to be met.”

  “Ares.”

  “Is with my guest,” said Warsaw. “That was the first condition. My guest needed to slake her thirst.” He saw the expression on my face and held up a hand. “Now, really, don’t look at me like that. After all, isn’t that more or less exactly what you were going to do with her once you set up shop in these parts? She’s bait, after all. What other use could she possibly have?”

  “I can think of a couple,” said Kort.

  I shot him a look and he smirked at me. I glanced back at Warsaw. “You should probably tell me exactly where she is.”

  “Or,” said Warsaw spreading his arms, “I could not tell you and let
my guest have her way with your bait. You know, payback for you coming in here and threatening to ruin what I’ve worked so hard to achieve.”

  “That would be a bad decision,” I said.

  Warsaw sniffed. “It’s the choices you make in life, Declan. My men gave you the option to walk away and never look back. You chose to come back. And now you have to face to consequences of that decision. It’s just the nature of the universe.”

  “First of all,” I said. “Your men didn’t really give me a choice. They tossed us out knowing full well we were marked targets for your guest.”

  “Semantics,” said Warsaw. “In my mind, we gave you a far better option than if you’d tried to stay.”

  “I’ll bet,” I said. “And second, I happen to agree with you about consequences. Unfortunately for you and your men, you’re probably not going to like the consequences of your actions.”

  That produced peals of laughter and I chuckled along with them. When we’d all had a good laugh, I dropped the smile on my face and leveled my eyes on Warsaw. “Now, where is she?”

  “She’s gone, Declan,” said Warsaw. “And you should probably get used to that idea because she’s not coming back.”

  “If that’s true,” I said, “then why the hell am I still talking to you? I could kill you all be done with it.”

  “Because I happen to know something about you that you yourself don’t even know.”

  24

  “I don’t go a whole bundle on supposedly secret information that someone else knows about me, because frankly, I know everything there is to know about my past. And even if I didn’t, the old government would have found it long before some petty despot in a shitty little town did.”