“How do you know it isn’t the blood of the innocent and the living?”
“There’s no such thing as innocent. Those boring people died quickly and went to Heaven or whatever you believe in. We’re the outcasts and the rebels and the scum left on earth. I’m here to make the most of it. You should, too. Stop fighting it. Get in line. Take what is being offered to you.” Jeff pointed a finger. “Out there, we’re meat. You think The Lich Lord is the only one of his kind? Hardly. He’s told me… things. You ever hear the expression the enemy of my enemy is a friend? The Lich Lord may be dangerous but he’s protecting us from his kind. And all he asks is us to fight for him. Find more of the living and enforce his laws and stay alive. I don’t think it’s a bad tradeoff.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Claude asked, eyes darting to the shot glass every few seconds.
“Because he’s questioning your loyalty,” Jeff lied.
Claude shook his head. “No way. I’m doing everything I’ve been told to do. Without question. When you told me last week to round up the family hiding under the Dunlawton Bridge, I did it. I brought them to the Ocean Center and left them. Didn’t I?”
Jeff nodded. “And he sees flashes of brilliance in you. But you need to step up and do a great job with this next assignment. If so much as one infected person walks onto Main Street and attacks someone and spreads the disease, he’ll know it was you who failed. You don’t want that and neither do I. I’d rather you did a great job and added some really strong men and some fertile women to the compound. Do you understand what I’m saying? We need men to build and expand and we need women to keep the human race going.”
“What about old people?”
Jeff shook his head. “They’ll eat the food and need to be cared for. We don’t have time for that. The elders will be led to the rear entrance of the Ocean Center and handed off to whoever I place there. They’ll know what to do.”
Claude nodded his head slowly. His eyes went back to the drink.
“You understand what failure means, right?”
Claude nodded his head.
“You report to the parking garage at first light each morning. Sort through the refugees from the previous night. Clear out the weak and sick first. Then report back to me when you’re done with numbers. I want to know how many people are being added. I want a number for men and a number for women. Add the kids up together, it doesn’t really matter. And a separate number for the ones led to the Ocean Center.”
“You want them separated out, too?” Claude asked.
Jeff laughed. “What do I care about them? They’ll feed our boss and keep him happy. I only care about the people who can help us out. In fact, ask some questions. I want a few names. Anyone who has a skill like carpentry or construction I want sent directly here so I can interview them.” He smiled again. “Any woman with child-bearing hips and is a natural redhead I want to see, too.”
Claude nodded his head.
Jeff stood, glanced at the shot of alcohol, and turned his back. He walked slowly away and grinned again when he heard the shot glass click back to the table, obviously empty.
Chapter Three
Her legs were cramped and her gut felt like it would slide out onto the floor if she moved too fast. She rolled over onto her side and faced the darkness where the cinderblock wall should be, trying not to cry again. It was no use.
“How are you feeling this evening?”
Darlene held her breath. Had the monster been watching in the darkness?
“I brought you food. Eat.”
“I’m not hungry,” she lied. She struggled to sit up and winced when a strong hand gripped her arm and slid her onto the front of the bed.
“I made sure they brought you fish and vegetables. Also a gallon of water.”
Darlene could only see red glowing eyes in the dark.
“Am I supposed to guess where the food is?”
A chuckle was accompanied by a faint glow. An oil lamp was lit and set upon a card table, where the food was. “Forgive me. I forget you aren’t exactly like me.”
“I’m nothing like you,” Darlene said. “And I never will be, fucker.”
“Very well. I’ll leave you to your dinner. The girl will be back in the morning to attend to your needs. I trust everything is fine so far? Do you need anything?”
“You mean besides my freedom or my Desert Eagle and a bullet to shoot you in the fucking head? I think I’m fine for now,” Darlene said. “Actually, I could use some lemon for the fish.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Darlene couldn’t hear him leave but wasn’t surprised. Nothing shocked her anymore. She picked up the fork and began eating the carrots and broccoli on the plate, the steaming fresh veggies dancing in her mouth. She felt like she hadn’t eaten in days, and she probably hadn’t eaten a hot meal in far too long.
What was the game they were playing? She finished her vegetables as the glowing eyes returned and the man stepped back into the lamplight. He held out his hand, which held two halves of a lemon. “Here you go, ma’am.”
“Why are you being so nice to me? Why not just kill me? Or are you going to fatten me up and burst me like a tick?” Darlene asked. She took the lemon and squeezed it on the fish, which looked delicious. She doubted he’d be so lame as to poison her, and dying on a nice piece of fish wasn’t the worst way she could go, she figured.
“You are a unique individual, Zombie Killer,” he said. “You are not only immune to the bite but you have produced an offspring that seems to have the better qualities of the living and the undead.”
Darlene held up the fork. “Where is my baby?” She’d been trying to remain calm through the physical pain the last few days and not dwell on the hurt of her baby being taken from her, but now it resurfaced. She wished she was still in so much pain it would mask the thought of John dead and her baby stolen from her. And now she was a prisoner of this monster.
“Your child grows further away from us each hour. But the child who stole your child won’t get out of Florida.”
“How do you know?”
“Because an enemy even worse than me is in their way. But no harm will come to your child. It will be revered and served in time.”
Darlene shook her head. “Not a good answer. As soon as I feel better, I’m leaving to find my child. If you try to stop me, I will make sure you suffer.”
The Lich Lord chuckled. “Why would I stand in your way? My goal is to help you improve and gather your strength. You need to be strong and have a strong team around you to make the journey.”
“I don’t understand,” Darlene said. Was he messing with her? She heard her stomach growl and stabbed at the fish with her fork. She could eat and talk at the same time.
“I don’t expect you to understand my superior thoughts and motivations. Suffice it to say you are so much better alive than dead. You can help me find your baby and rescue it from the clutches of my brethren. You can unite the humans and get them to fight for you. Darlene, you will rewrite history.”
“History where you still live? I don’t want any part of it. I just want my baby and to find John and run away and hide,” she said. She knew it sounded ridiculous but she didn’t care. She finished everything on her plate and was tempted to suck the juice from the lemon wedges but refrained. She held up her empty plate. “I’m all done. What’s for dessert?”
“How does warm apple pie sound?”
“I’m a fan,” Darlene said. She smiled despite the situation. Shit, you’ve been in much worse, she thought. At least he’s being civil before he attacks or does something to hurt me.
“I need you one hundred percent so we can get married,” he said.
Darlene slid back onto the bed and held up the fork again. Holy shit, she thought. I knew it. He thinks we’re going to be married? He’s insane. Did he think I’d give him a child? It was starting to make sense.
The Lich Lord laughed. “Sorry. Just a joke. Obviously a bad one. I
couldn’t resist. Have you ever seen the movie Flash Gordon? It’s a great 1980’s film. Queen did the soundtrack. Really cheesy and really good. Ming the Merciless tries to marry Dale, who is Flash Gordon’s beau. No real idea why other than to have a cool fighting sequence. Anyway, I have no intention of marrying you. I was making a joke. I promise. In time, you’ll see we’re on the same side in this apocalypse. We both intend to stay alive and get the world back to a manageable place. I’d like to do it together, as partners. But not husband and wife. Where is the father of the child?”
Darlene stared at the two red eyes just out of the range of the lamplight. “Your bastard lackey left him for dead, back in the diner. He’d been shot. I begged him to go back and save him but he thought it was funny.”
“I’m sure he did. He’s not what I would call refined. In fact, the term barbaric comes to mind. But Jeff has his uses. For now. I’m sure you can hold your own against him, right? Tell me more about your baby daddy.”
“Did you just say baby daddy?”
“You act like I’m an alien. I was human, you know. I still retain all of my memories and knowledge. And then some. It hasn’t been so long, since I was mortal, that I don’t remember what it was like to love someone else. I had a wife and a career. Now I have everything,” The Lich Lord said. “What’s his name?”
“John Murphy. I need to find him,” Darlene said. “I will warn you again: you will not get in my way.”
“I understand. I really do,” The Lich Lord said. “I will have the girl bring in two slices of apple pie for you. It’s the least I can do.”
* * * * *
Vee locked her fingers so her hands would stop shaking. She’d wandered around the Ocean Center for the last twenty minutes, trying to get the nerve to enter unannounced. Usually, if she wanted an audience with The Lich Lord, she’d tell Jeff and wait a couple of days. But she knew what she had to say couldn’t wait, even if it meant being punished or killed by their leader. She couldn’t go another day without speaking her mind.
Gathering her courage and wondering if it was stupidity, Vee entered the door to the building and was surprised to see the lights were on in the hallway leading to the arena itself.
She circled the hallway, wasting time, knowing she needed to knock.
“Can I help you?” The Lich Lord’s voice came from the door to the arena, which Vee didn’t think had been open a second ago. “Come in.”
“Um, I’m sorry for not making an appointment,” Vee said.
“Nonsense. You’re one of the leaders of this community. You’re always welcome to see me and voice your concerns.” The Lich Lord’s red eyes moved back into the darkness. “There is a flashlight on the table to your left. Feel free to turn it on but don’t shine it at me. It won’t kill me but it is really annoying to have a light shined in your eyes.”
Vee found the flashlight and turned it on, shining the light on the floor around her feet. She took a few steps and lit up a solitary chair in the center of the arena.
“Please, have a seat. Can I get you anything? A cold beverage, perhaps?”
“I’m fine. I’ll stand,” Vee said.
“I suggest you sit.”
Vee sat down.
“Now, what can I help you with today?”
Vee wondered if The Lich Lord ever slept. If he even needed to. She knew he didn’t eat or drink. Not food, anyway… before she freaked herself out she sighed and then spoke. “I have a few things I’d love to address with you. Important things for the community.”
“Of course. It’s the reason you’re in the position you’re in. I want you to lead these people and protect them with laws and rules, while men like Jeff go outside these walls and fight for that freedom. I think we’re almost ready to go to the next phase of our living arrangements,” The Lich Lord said. He was standing about thirty feet away from Vee in the darkness.
“Speaking of Jeff…” Vee said and sat up in the chair. She figured she might as well get Jeff out of the way. “He is…”
“Barbaric,” The Lich Lord said. “I was just telling a good friend of mine what I thought of Jeff a little while ago. How funny is that? Don’t worry about Jeff. He’s going to be gone more and more as we expand. He’s already been issued new orders. He’s currently sleeping because each night he’ll be needed to venture forth and find new members. I already know how precariously low our numbers are. While quite a few have left, and I allowed them to, too many are being picked off by the zombies and my brethren. We’re surrounded by the enemy.”
“What are we going to do about it?”
“As soon as we find enough help, we’re going to move the walls and fences back one block at a time. We’re going to form a team to begin the construction of a walled city.”
Vee shook her head. “We don’t have nearly enough help as it is, tending the garden and making sure the food and supplies are found and stocked.”
“This is the reason for our nightly excursions. Trust me. We’ll be adding many strong men and women soon enough. Talk to Claude. He’ll be handling the incoming to make sure no one is infected or one of my kin trying to sneak in. Within a couple of weeks, we’ll have most of the area under control. Right to the ocean to the east, so we can fish and monitor the water for an attack. A mile to the north and a mile to the south. Plenty of housing and gardens and storage as well. As we add more and more people we add more and more land. We have the raw materials. We’ll begin pulling down houses and buildings to use the pieces. There are several home improvement sites in the area, with ample supplies, just waiting for us. We have a fleet of buses and trucks at our disposal. It is all just a matter of time… before someone gets wind of what we’re doing and tries to battle me. Which I welcome,” The Lich Lord said. “Anything else?”
Vee nodded her head. “You talk about getting back to normal for us. Yet…”
“What? You have electricity in most buildings and I have a plan to get us back to one hundred percent soon enough. We’ll begin manufacturing our food and collecting water to make safe. The Burger King just outside the parking garage will be rebuilt and open for business soon, too. We’ll have all the comforts of home. Like nothing has changed other than the world around us will want to kill every single person enjoying a Whopper.”
“Religion,” Vee blurted out. She closed her eyes. If he was going to attack her, she didn’t want his face to be the last thing she saw.
“What about it?”
Vee opened one eye. It was still dark; The Lich Lord was still standing away from her with his red eyes glowing, but she didn’t feel like he was going to attack her. “There are some religious members of the community. They want permission to gather and pray.”
“They already are.”
Oh shit. Vee shifted in her seat. “It’s nothing organized. Just a few people who need something to give them hope.” She knew The Lich Lord also knew she was a big part of it, too. She’d always felt a relationship with God and nothing was going to break it.
“I am not a fool. I am also not a megalomaniac with a God Complex, although it might seem it. I’m over myself, to a point. But I will not have religion stand in the way of the good of the people and definitely not my own agenda. Feel free to worship and gather but do it quietly. Do I make myself clear? No priests. No ministers. No leadership in the ranks. Don’t let them know I know. Not yet. Let them think they have a little secret. Once we expand there are options for an actual church in the area. Then I will address it again. Anything else?”
Vee nodded. “There are quite a few things.”
She thought she heard The Lich Lord sigh. “Continue.”
Chapter Four
Lincoln didn’t know what they were supposed to do now. He knew they couldn’t stay in the middle of nowhere in a field and pretend they’d be safe. The people at the diner were well-armed and would be back. He was sure of it. With six of their number dead and Dana running off (good riddance, he thought), they were fractured.
�
��What’s the game plan, boss?” Heath asked.
The two men were standing on top of the van they’d taken from the original group that had attacked their position. Two motorcycles were coming down the road but the riders were waving their arms and Lincoln knew it was part of their group. In the commotion, a few vehicles had been left behind by the attackers.
“We need to find somewhere safe,” Lincoln said. Heath raised an eyebrow and Lincoln put up his hand. “Safer than where we are now. But I have no idea where that would be. Head north and see if the rumors about Jacksonville are true? St. Augustine or Daytona Beach? By the time we get news from a straggler, the city we’re hoping for has been destroyed by a zombie horde. Like Orlando.”
“Orlando was a mess to begin with. No food and too many sick people. It would’ve collapsed soon enough,” Heath said. “I’m just glad we got away when we did and kept away from the main group.”
Lincoln could only nod. Back then, months ago but seeming like years, they’d watched as the refugees streaming from Orlando and heading east on I-4 were picked off, from all sides, one by one, by mindless zombies, until there was nothing left. They’d been lucky to have gotten this far without food and weapons. But it looked like their luck was running out.
“The guy is awake,” Jessica said.
Lincoln nodded at Heath and the two men went to the camp, where everyone was gathered around. The two men pushed through.
He was indeed alive but he looked like hell had run over him.
“How is his gunshot wound?” Lincoln asked.
“The bullet passed through. He was lucky. I’ve fixed it up the best I can with what we have. His thigh is pretty torn up, though. He won’t be able to walk without help for awhile,” Jessica said.
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