Way of the Barefoot Zombie

by Jasper Bark

  "Sir, the mine is just around the corner. We're ahead of any other troops that they've sent. But my men need assurances if they're going to disobey direct orders and put their lives in danger."

  "You'll get paid, soon as you've got me a Zombie. Don't you worry about that."

  "Sir, we need to get paid now or you can take your chances getting your own damn Zombie."

  Sam logged on to one of his three private banks and brought up his account details. "I'm going to create an account for you. I'll transfer a million into it now and I'll transfer the rest once I'm off the island."

  "Make it a million and a half."

  "Make it suck my dick." Sam handed the laptop back to Donovan. "That's the account I've created for you, all the security and access details are on the screen and you can see the balance."

  "One million dollars," said Donovan. A guard looking over his shoulder whistled. Donovan put his elbow in the guard's ribs. "Shut up Kavanaugh."

  Kavanaugh was as tall as Donovan but not as broad and, judging from his pizza face, a decade younger. He sloped off.

  "Yates stick this back in the truck." Donovan handed the laptop to the guard with the moustache.

  "Now this is what you're going to do," said Sam. "Two of you will stay and guard me in the jeep, the rest of you will break into the that mine and get me the three fittest male Zombies you can find. When I've transferred my soul into the Zombie I want you're going to drive me to the harbour, commandeer a boat to escort me to mainland Haiti. When I'm safe, and I've got hold of my own witchdoctor who can get me back my soul, you can have the rest of the money."

  "Sir, what about Zombies for myself and my men?" said Donovan. "Our souls were in that bank too."

  "There won't be room in the jeep for that many Zombies and there wont be time for all of you to cherry pick your favourite ones. You go straight in, get my Zombies and come straight out. Is that clear?"

  "With respect sir, time is of the essence for all of us. If I send men to Haiti with you they won't get a chance to save their souls. And judging from the rate we're all changing that means they won't be of much use to when you hit Haiti."

  "That's your problem son, not mine. When I pay someone to do a job, I don't expect to have to hold their hand every damn step of the way. That's something you've got to sort out in your own time, not while you're working for me."

  "Thanks Sam," said Donovan. "That makes this a lot easier." He pulled out his pistol.

  "What the fuck? Boy do you want me to take that thing off you and shove it up your ass?"

  "Old man, you're too frail to even shove it up your own ass."

  "Hey Donovan man," said Yates. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

  "I know exactly what I'm doing."

  "You ain't gonna shoot him now are ya?" said Kavanaugh. "Cos if you do, then we won't get paid t'other million."

  "We ain't ever going to get paid the other million," Donovan said. "This wily old cunt'd fuck us six ways to Sunday before he ever paid us that. We've got all we're going to get out of him."

  "Now son, that ain't exactly true," Sam said. "Why I've always been strictly honest and above board in all my dealings. You ask anyone I've done business with. I'm a man of my word and when I give it, by heck I keep it."

  "Like fuck you do," said Donovan. "I'm sorry Sam but I'm just not buying your act."

  Sam felt his heart start to beat faster. He could even feel sweat on his brow. He was wrangling for his life and soul now.

  "Now hold on a moment. You're turning down a lot of money here boys. You could all be set up for life with what I'm offering. Now you guys like to bargain hard, I respect that. I tell you what, as a show of good faith I'll even throw in an extra half million when we get to Haiti. What do you say?"

  "Not interested Sam," said Donovan.

  Yates stepped up to him. "Whoa, whoa hold on Donovan. You didn't consult us about this. What if we want to take him up on his offer?"

  "He's right boys," said Sam. "You ought to listen to this man."

  "Shut your fucking face Sam," said Donovan. "I'm your commanding officer Yates. Since when did I consult you about what I'm going to do?"

  "I'm just saying we could make a lot more money if you don't shoot him now. We might not get a chance at this much money ever again in our lives."

  "I'm with Yates," said Kavanaugh.

  "Another word from you dickwad," said Donovan. "And you're next for a bullet. We can make a lot more money than he's offering, or probably even got. Here's what we're going to do. When I've shot him we're going to go down to that mine and take control of all those Zombies. We're going to hole up with them nice and secure so no-one can get in and then we're going to auction them off, one at time, to those rich bastards. If he's prepared to pay us two million for one of 'em, then they all will. There's at least fifty of them on this island. You do the math."

  "Now that's just plain crazy boy," said Sam. "There's a hundred guards on this island they'll never let you get away with that."

  "If we take the Zombies down into the mine they won't be able to find us. We'll control the one thing on the island everyone wants, including the guards. They'll have to do business with us."

  "Look son, let me give you a piece of business advice. I've been in business a long time and I've learned a thing or two. You stick with the deal you've got in your hand, you don't go endangering it by chasing off after some half-baked, cockamamie scheme. I'm prepared to go higher if the price is an issue. How does three and a half million sound?"

  "Not interested."

  "Why don't we make it four million?"

  "Why don't we make it suck my dick." Donovan said and fired three times.

  Sam felt like he'd been punched three times in the stomach and back. He looked down at the holes the bullet had left in his gut and wondered why it didn't hurt as much as it ought to. Blood began to trickle out but not as fast or as much as he expected. His body was even getting slow at dying now.

  "He's still standing," said Kavanaugh. "Why is he standing?"

  Donovan raised his pistol and aimed at Sam's head.

  Sam cowered and held out his hand to protect his face. The last thing he saw, in the split second before his brains blew out of the back of his head, was the bullet slicing off his middle finger.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  "That's impossible," said Vincenzo.

  Doc Papa looked at the freshly dug soil of the grave and the long empty box at the bottom of it. "Apparently not."

  "But you put her in that box," Vincenzo said. "I saw you nail it shut. I helped you bury her. We did the ceremony, the wards and charms are all still working. How did she get out if they're all still working? They should have warned us."

  "And yet they didn't. It seems we underestimated her. And babbling like an idiot isn't going to help."

  "What is going to help?"

  "Following my orders to the letter. Giving yourself over entirely to my will. I am divinely ordained by the Loas. To follow me is to follow them."

  "Right now I'm following you down the road to ruin."

  Doc Papa drew himself up and glowered at Vincenzo. The sheer force of his stare was enough to make Vincenzo wilt.

  Doc Papa dismissed the two acolytes who had dug up the grave. They went back to wait by the vehicle. The light was dimming, evening was coming on. The clock was ticking and he had much to achieve before the Festival of the Gédé drew to a close.

  "Describing our current situation as 'the road to ruin' only shows how little you understand," said Doc Papa. "This is confirmation that the Loa have blessed my plans. For a start we've settled the little matter of who our rouge Mambo is. I should have recognised her handiwork the minute all this started."

  "You can't seriously be suggesting that Brigitte Laveau is back on St Ignatius? We created a living death for her. How did she escape that? How did she get back on the island without us knowing about it?"

  "My guess is that she never died. She found some way to
circumvent our spell and got off the island without us finding out. Then she either created an entirely new identity, complete with a new body and a new fortune, or she found a way to borrow one. You have to admire her prowess if nothing else."

  "You still have the hots for her," said Vincenzo with a smirk.

  Doc Papa drew a symbol in the air and Vincenzo collapsed in agony. He had been overstepping himself a lot lately and needed to be reminded just how in thrall he was to Doc Papa. With a supreme effort of will Vincenzo held up a hand in surrender. As he was in a good mood Doc Papa only let him suffer a little while longer.

  "Can I get up now?" said Vincenzo.

  "Why don't you try?"

  Vincenzo shook as he got to his feet. He stared down at the empty grave so as not to look Doc Papa in the eye. "You really think Brigitte Laveau is back on the island?"

  "I'm certain of it. Erzulie Zandor is putting all the pieces into place for me just as she promised."

  "By sending this accursed woman back to stop you?"

  "Not to stop me. To help me."

  "Help you?"

  "She's the only one who knows where the Gateway of the Souls is."

  "You really think it exists?" Vincenzo held up his hands in deference. "I don't mean any disrespect but we've looked everywhere in the Invisible World and we never found even a trace of it. The only proof we've found of it's existence are a few rumours and the word of a woman we tried to kill."

  "I know it exists. Don't mistake your ignorance for lack of proof. You know only as much as I allow you to, that's why I'm permanently ahead of you. You can't even see the pattern here. At the very moment when I need the Gateway most Erzulie Zandor sends me the one person who knows its location, just as she said she would."

  "How are you going to get it from her? She wouldn't tell you the last time, even to save herself from a living death. Now we're not even sure where she is, let alone the Gateway of the Souls. All we know is she's down a mine somewhere."

  "I am disappointed that you show so little faith in my abilities Vincenzo. Maybe I was wrong to give you so much responsibility. Perhaps another of my acolytes would assist me better."

  "I wasn't saying I don't have faith in you. I just wanted to know what you were planning so I could assist you in the best possible way."

  "The best way you can assist me is to do exactly as you're told when you're told. I don't need to know her exact physical location. Now I know who she is I can find her through the Invisible World. I can tear the knowledge from her mind. As I'm fairly certain she doesn't know I've discovered who she really is, that gives me the advantage of surprise. An advantage I intend to fully exploit."

  Doc Papa turned his back on Vincenzo and walked back to the jeep. Vincenzo followed at a respectful distance. Doc Papa wasn't buying his fake deference. Vincenzo was asking too many questions. Why was he so keen to know Doc Papa's plans and motives all of a sudden? It smacked of duplicity.

  Doc Papa didn't think Vincenzo had the intelligence or the initiative to challenge him alone. Someone else must have made him a counter offer and Doc Papa knew just who. It stood to reason really. Doc Papa would have done the same thing in their position. It was simply good business sense and he would have been disappointed in his associates if they hadn't attempted something. That's why he hadn't let Vincenzo out of his sight since the shareholders had stormed into his office.

  He was even a little impressed by Vincenzo's treacherousness. Still they had all made the mistake of underestimating him. Doc Papa was more than prepared for them when they made their move.

  He stopped when they reached the jeep and let Vincenzo get in first, smiling innocently to hide his true thoughts. Vincenzo smiled humbly back, hiding his true feelings almost as expertly. He hadn't realised he'd been rumbled yet.

  "To the mansion," Doc Papa instructed the driver. It was time to visit his ceremony room. The most secret and highly guarded room of the mansion, where the endgame would be played out.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Two Years Ago

  Doc stood at the bottom of the stone steps. Above him the burnt out shell of Mangrove Hall caught the crimson twilight of the setting sun. Moss and lichen covered the steps and tufts of grass pushed their way out of the cracks. The terraced lawns were given over to weeds and creepers.

  This was a palace once. Look at what they've done to it. This is why they have to pay, Emil. You have to make them pay and you have to rebuild it. Restore this estate to its former glory Emil.

  Emil, the name didn't feel appropriate anymore. That was the name of another man from another world. A man of wealth and influence. The man he had nearly forgotten he once was.

  Doc was the name of the person who had stood in for that man when he had no memory. Neither name sat comfortably with him anymore. Neither of them represented what he had become. He needed a better mantle. One that befitted a man uniquely placed to re-make the world.

  The name Doc came from his title. He couldn't be a Houngan in spite of his accomplishments, so they'd called him Doctor as was customary. As no-one knew his real name the islanders shortened Doctor to Doc and that's how he became known.

  You're a Papamal Emil, any new name you choose must take that into account.

  Doc shook his head to quiet the voice. It was becoming tiresome now. The spirit knew this and clung to him tighter as a consequence. That was how ghosts were when they got their claws into you.

  He had to admit she'd been useful to him though. She knew where his lost memories lay. She could trace them along the ancestral bloodlines. She re-taught him his whole past and much more besides.

  Doc had known nothing of his past before that. His memories started when he was washed ashore the small beach. He knew now that his charter plane, on its way to Rio, had crashed into the waters off St Ignatius. The engines failed according to the pilot. It was the last thing he said. Doc wondered if there weren't other forces at work.

  Doc had total amnesia when the natives found him and brought him to Brigitte. Brigitte tended his wounds, brought his fever down and nursed him back to health. Every time she touched him she set off a different fever, deep inside him. He saw it burn in her eyes too. As his health returned this fever grew hotter in both of them. Eventually they were forced to succumb and it claimed them.

  It wasn't the only thing to claim Doc. When he was well enough, Doc asked to be taken to a Voodoo ceremony. Brigitte was happy to oblige and introduced him to her congregation at the Ounfó. As the ceremony reached its peak, to everyone's surprise, the Loa Baron Samedi, ruler of the Gédé, chose to mount Doc and ride him.

  As he lurched about in a macabre and obscene manner, Baron Samedi told the congregation that Doc had a special significance to the Loa. Baron Samedi commanded that Doc be initiated into the deepest mysteries of Voodoo.

  So Doc became Brigitte's student as well as her lover. Under her tutelage he rose up through the stages of initiation faster than anyone had ever seen. He was joined with his patron Loa, or Met-tet, Baron Samedi in the ritual of the lave tet. Then he walked through fire in the kanzo rite. Finally he became a houn'ior and took the asson, his mystic rattle and badge of office, after walking the Poun'goueh - the waters of the abyss.

  With no recollections of his former life he was an empty vessel ready to be filled with the knowledge of Voodoo. He went from being a broken castaway to a powerful Vodouisant, second only to Brigitte in the standing of the Ounfó, loved, feared and respected by the inhabitants of the island that had become his home.

  Even still there was an aching hole in his life, like a wound that wouldn't heal. Nothing about his life or personality seemed fixed or permanent until he could anchor it to his past. But that past was missing. Without memories he felt insubstantial and insufficient. So much of him remained a question, so little provided answers.

  It pained Brigitte to see her lover so troubled. To help him she suggested a special rite in which they would invoke his ancestors. As his memories were now like lost f
amily members, the powers they should consult were his ancestors.

  They had watched over him all his life. They knew the man he'd been, was and would be. They held all his memories in trust, so they could return them at the point of death. Your life did indeed flash before your eyes just before you died. Your ancestors saw to that.

  Two weeks ago they'd held the rite inside the Djévo, the private chamber of the Ounfó. It had not gone as planned. Someone had come through, but not who they expected. Brigitte had been visited, not Doc.

  She seemed confused as the spirit of her own ancestor came upon her. She wouldn't tell Doc what the ancestor was saying but it troubled her greatly. She fled the Ounfó without speaking to him and disappeared into the night.

  He hadn't seen her since.

  You're better off without her. You lost her but you gained me, and I can teach you so much more.

  Doc had indeed gained the presence of perhaps his most famous ancestor. As soon as Brigitte left the temple his ancestor came upon him and revealed herself. She'd been waiting for his lover to leave.

  His ancestor brought his lost memories with her and something even more valuable. A new sense of purpose.

  As he experienced the succession of memories once more it was like living his life all over again, only this time as a different person. He had to introduce the person he'd become to the person he used to be. And in spite of the giant gulf between their worlds, he had to integrate them into one working personality.

  His old self was appalled and amused to discover that he'd been living like a peasant on a tiny island near a third world country. The occult power that his new self wielded impressed him though.

  His new self was astounded to find he used to own and control more wealth than he knew existed. The sheer number of material possessions he used to have overwhelmed him. He liked the influence and control this wealth could buy however.