Empire of Blood [Box Set]

by Robert S. Wilson

  It took some clearing away of dust and cobwebs, but the small hatch was still there. It had always been there from before they moved in. The landlord had no idea what the extra key that came with the house was for. And while cleaning out the basement one evening Diana had found this little room. It had been blocked by old furniture and board games. It was a small hatch made of wood, and built into the wall. It had a single keyhole at its center. The paint on the hatch was now scratched up and nearly completely chipped away.

  Hank took the key from his other hand and held it up again, looking at it. Taking a moment to breathe before he opened the hatch and found out some terrible secret or something that would make his life even worse than it had already become. But no. He couldn’t bring himself to truly believe Diana would leave some terrible secret behind for him to find in such a way. She loved him too much to do that to him.

  So, he took the key and inserted it in the keyhole and turned. A thick cloud of dust came up from within the hatch as he pulled it open. When he was finished coughing and able to wave all the dust away and see, the single contents of the hatch stood lonely and inviting. It was some kind of small music box. Shaped and sculpted to look like a treasure chest, complete with gold colored hardware and weathered wood.

  Hank turned the single notch that held it shut and lifted the lid. Inside was a small vial covered in condensation to the point that its contents were completely hidden. Underneath was a small piece of paper. Hank took the paper out from under the vial with shaking hands and unfolded it. Written in Diana’s soft beautiful handwriting was only one word.

  Drink.

  Hank took the vial and opened it. It was the strangest thing, the vial was some how refrigerating itself. He didn’t know such a thing was possible. But then again, after all he’d seen, he wasn’t really all that surprised. When the lid was removed he didn’t even have to look to see what was inside, he could smell it. Blood. A million possibilities swirled through Hank’s mind. But he was done waiting. He put the vial to his lips, tipped back his head and swallowed. And once again reality around him seemed to swim away leaving only someone else’s senses of an entire other time and place.

  It hurt where he was. It hurt all over. It hurt physically in ways Hank had never endured. And he knew immediately between the pain and the blurry white walls that were surrounding him that this was a memory of Diana’s. Eventually the walls came into focus and so did the man’s face who was sitting at her side. It was no one Hank had ever seen in his life.

  “But I have to tell him!”

  “I’m sorry, Diana, but you can’t. Not yet. If he finds out now, the Emperor will know.” The man sighed. “And besides, he won’t be able to deal with it on top of… well, on top of your condition.”

  “On top of the fact that I’ll be dead. I get that, I understand, but I can’t just keep him in the dark.”

  “Don’t worry, It will be fine. Like I said, just concentrate on the memory and when I take your blood, Hank will be able to know.”

  “But I don’t understand. How will my blood—“

  “I know it’s hard to understand, Diana, but haven’t I already proven myself to you?”

  “Yes, but—“

  “Then listen. There’s not much time. Just do as I say and Hank will know when the time is right.”

  The vision seemed to fade in a strange way Hank had never experienced. Then it seemed to turn upside down and shift. And he realized he was seeing things that Diana was remembering at that moment while she was with the mysterious man in the hospital room that she eventually died in.

  Hank saw different moments—places where and when this man had come to Diana before. He frightened her, made her feel weak. But not out of intimidation, simply by the things he could do. He had strength unlike anything remotely human and he could see things. The future. She was at the door, the chain held it from opening any further as he whispered to her from outside.

  “Diana, I’m telling you, it’s cancer. It’s inoperable. There’s nothing they’ll be able to do about it. I need you to trust me on this.”

  “No. Get out, Roger. I’ve had enough of your bullshit. If you don’t stop coming around, I’m going to tell Hank.”

  Another flash and tumble and Diana was in Eagle Creek Park on a chilly autumn day. She was sitting at a small bench when the man she had called Roger came up and sat next to her. She had been weeping, tears rolling down her cheeks and Hank longed to reach up and wipe them for her as he watched the scene through her eyes.

  “You were right. You were goddamn right. You motherfucker, you were right.”

  “I’m sorry, Diana. I didn’t want to have to prove it to you this way. But I had no choice. Hank’s life depends on it. Toby’s life depends on it. Hell, the whole goddamn future depends on it.” The mention of Toby’s life left a stabbing in Hank’s heart.

  “Okay, I’m ready to hear it. All of it. Go ahead and tell me,” Diana said.

  “The Emperor isn’t human. It’s a long story, but the man isn’t one of us, he’s just not. He’s been alive for centuries. I think he’s some kind of vampire. I don’t know. He’s been living lives like pairs of socks. He moves from place to place, century to century, changes his name and moves on. Anyway, about a hundred years ago or so, he got sloppy. He got a human pregnant.”

  “This can’t be real… What the hell does this have to do with Hank? I don’t understand.”

  Roger turned at the bench and looked away. “A bloodline stretched out from that one child.” He paused a for a long moment. “A bloodline… that Hank and I share.”

  “What?” Diana began crying again. “Are you telling me he’s…”

  “Yes, we’re both descendents of Joseph Caesar.”

  The world Hank had known from birth shook and turned upside down. And this time it wasn’t the vision changing, it was merely Hank’s mind shattering, his heart hardening from the wound of something that couldn’t possibly be true.

  “Diana, there’s more. The Emperor knows. He follows this bloodline. Everyone else aside from me and Hank have either been killed outright or sent to Necropolis. And I’ve seen it, Diana. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, I’m next and then Hank will be the last. And if he dies, we might not have any hope of setting things right. Of putting things back the way they used to be.”

  “But why does he want to kill—“

  “I don’t know, Diana. But he is and he does and he will. Whatever it is, it has something to do with the bloodline. A-a-aweakness maybe.”

  “Why can’t you just tell him?”

  “I don’t think that would be wise. It’s dangerous enough me coming to you. If the Emperor finds out I’ve been anywhere near Hank he’ll kill us both immediately. Your life is in danger right now and I hate that. But it’s too important that Hank learn the truth somehow.”

  “And how do you expect to tell him?”

  “I don’t’ know, but I’m working on it. Listen, here’s a number where you can reach me. And of course, I can find you if I need to. Call me if anything happens to Hank or you think something might. But at least for now, I think he might be safe for a while.”

  Hank felt Diana nodding and then her eyes welled up with even more tears. Between experiencing these memories through Diana’s eyes and feeling her feelings and learning the things that he did, Hank’s mind was spinning out of control. And just as quickly as it popped into being, the vision faded and Hank found himself on the floor of the basement staring up at the ceiling of the last place he remembered ever being truly happy.

  Sitting up, he thought about the things he just saw. He thought about the man, Roger. Was this the same Roger that Whindsor had told him about? Roger Tresney? And what about the Emperor? Roger knew that he would die at the hands of the Empire. That Hank would go to Necropolis. The thought of somehow being descended from the Emperor sent a cold wave of nausea through Hank’s stomach. Even worse was the realization that the blood that ran through Toby’s veins was the same blood tha
t ran through that monster’s as well. And then there was the bitterness of the irony this situation had brought about in Hank’s mind. He had lost his son only to gain some long lost ancestor who had reached into Hank’s life and ripped his world away. It had been buried deep in Hank’s mind, but it was there all along.

  No matter how evil and sick Jack Draper had been it wasn’t completely his fault that he had done what he had. He had been sent to do a job. A job he did all too well. But nevertheless he had been sent by Joseph Caesar. And even though he had his other reasons, Hank knew that it was one of the only things that was keeping him from putting a bullet through his skull. Nothing else mattered anymore. Nothing else but finding the man who was truly responsible for Toby’s death.

  A man who sat in a white robe on a throne of gold.

  Hank stayed in the house until sundown and then as the stars began to fill up the sky, he dragged a large can of gasoline up the stairs. He had already soaked the entire basement, now it was time for the rest of the place. With every splash across a wall or floor, another memory came back and he let it wash over him like lava. And when the house was completely soaked, he stepped out onto the front porch and lit a single match and let it fall as he walked out to the car. By the time the house was completely on fire it was in his rearview mirror and the sounds of sirens were rising up from a distance.

  The road stretched out ahead in the darkness as Hank pushed down on the gas and prepared himself for the long drive back to New Orleans. He thought that maybe he no longer hated himself for what had happened to Toby. It’s not like he could have stopped it. Tears welled up in Hank’s eyes obscuring his vision. He wondered if anyone could have stopped it.

  THE RESURRECTION OF TOMMY DERRINGER:

  An Empire of Blood Short Story

  Good Friday

  Las Vegas Boulevard

  Las Vegas, Nevada

  They hit the Strip like a ravenous typhoon. One moment it’s business as usual, the next even the bright neon signs high in the air are shaded in swift blurs of powder-white flesh shrouded in black tattered vestment. The crowd of drunken partygoers implodes. Scantily clad women in tall high heels, well-groomed men in fancy tailored suits, retired couples dressed in matching Hawaiian shirts like they took the wrong fucking plane, and about a dozen other variations of modern Neanderthals scramble in every direction, slamming into each other in panic-stricken desperation.

  Jayden grabs Tommy’s arm and holds on for dear life as the creatures swoop down and then fly away with random pedestrians, clutching them beneath their sweaty armpits. Screams rise and fall and shift in tandem and Jayden can barely manage to process what’s going on around him, let alone figure out what to do.

  "What the—what are those things?" Tommy says, glancing all around at the chaos, leaving Jayden no choice but to drag his brother-in-law a dozen feet or so before the kid finally gets the drift and starts running of his own accord.

  "I don’t know but whatever it is, I don’t wanna find out."

  Jayden pulls Tommy out of the street and onto the sidewalk just barely saving the kid from being hit by a shiny silver Oldsmobile as it jets by on the road rolling over monstrous creatures and pedestrians alike. Jayden turns down a dark alley in bleak contrast to what he would normally do in a strange city on a Friday night—hell, any night—and Tommy comes stomping and gasping for air right behind him. The two back against a brick wall, well hidden in the shadows between the parallel buildings.

  Tommy’s sucking and blowing air out of his mouth like he’s ten centimeters and crowning.

  "Tommy, take a deep breath and shut the fuck up for God-sakes." Tommy nods in between gulps of air and eventually starts to quiet down. Outside the alley, the screams are immeasurable and Jayden feels only slightly less vulnerable and terrified. Just when things seem to be calming down, a new sound comes pouring from Tommy’s mouth in gibberish syllables of dodgy repetition. A few words strike home and Jayden realizes what Tommy is doing. He’s praying. Praying for their safety, praying for the monsters to go away, and Jayden wonders if while he’s at it, he’ll pray for a fucking Ferrari they can speed away into the dry desolate desert with.

  But Jayden knows better than to tell Tommy to shut up now. Besides, his voice is at a whisper at best. It’s not like anyone could possibly—

  Something in the sky darker than the night behind it is growing as it falls in their direction from directly beyond the straight line of the roof above them.

  Tommy’s hyperventilating again, calling out to God with each intake of breath.

  "Our Father."

  —Deep breath—

  "Who art in heaven."

  —Deep breath—

  "Hallowed be thy name."

  —Deep breath—

  "Thy kingdom come."

  —Deep breath—

  "Thy will be done."

  —Deep breath—

  "On earth as in heaven."

  —Really deep breath—

  "Give us this day our daily bread…"

  —Deep breath—

  "Forgive us our trespasses."

  He swallows.

  "As we forgive those who trespass against us…"

  —Deep breath—

  "Lead us not into temptation…"

  —Deep breath—

  "But deliver us from evil…"—Deep breath—"Amen-amen-amen-a—"

  A terrible screech rips through the air from a wide open mouth above them and Tommy’s voice drops out from under him. The thing swoops down, yellow snake-like eyes gleaming in the moonlight and black cloth flapping in the wind. Jayden notices the fangs for the first time.

  "You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me…" The reports had been true. Jayden had thought it was some kind of media stunt. Some pony trick the new Imperial government was using to confuse the masses now that they’d taken the reigns out from the good ol’ US of A.

  Tommy screams out in a voice Jayden hadn’t thought possible, "Get behind thee, Satan."

  The creature doesn’t deviate from its current projected course which is about to come crashing right into Tommy’s face. Jayden dives and pushes Tommy out of the way just as the thing gets within reaching-out-and-grabbing distance. It tumbles and slams into the ground, knocking over trash cans and sending empty beer cans rolling to and fro. The thing lets out a deep crunching growl and gets to its feet. It’s got arms and legs, that much is clear to Jayden now as he fumbles to get Tommy up off the ground.

  The creature—the fucking vampire—is on its feet now and scrambling to gain its balance as it moves in a stumbling frenzy toward them. Something’s wrong with it and Jayden doesn’t have to ask twice for a cue to haul ass. Tommy’s barely on his feet, but he’s running too, Jayden can hear his steps echoing just after his own as they go back out into the open street now filled with blood spray, explosions, and a thick layer of unmoving bodies lying in piles like dirty laundry discarded to the floor.

  A blast as loud as thunder explodes up ahead and the wind of a small projectile blasts alongside Jayden’s face. The vampire screams and Jayden turns in time to see the far wall of the building through a large hole in the creature’s torso.

  "Get down!" a thick voice cries.

  Jayden and Tommy dive for the sidewalk and a resonating boom, somehow deeper than the first tears open the gap further up the monster’s chest and it falls over and begins to twitch.

  Scrambling footsteps approach and a man comes half running, half limping, the tail end of a long black leather trench coat slapping behind his legs, a large pump-action shotgun in his hands. His hair bounces in the wind, a big 80s perm like some apocalyptic Kenny Loggins. Standing over the creature, Kenny pumps the shotgun once, action commando style, points it down at the writhing thing below and it’s Highway to the Danger Zone in the form of a high velocity blast to the face.

  Kenny watches, cringing.

  The thing is still twitching, still moving somehow.

  He pumps the gun again and once more it’s Foo
tloose on what’s left of the fucker’s head and neck. The creature slows its pulsing motion, but doesn’t completely stop. He stands there watching for a long moment. Jayden rises to his feet, also watching. At first it seems like the thing might actually be dead, but then pieces of flesh, bone, and large chunks of limb, chest, face, shoulder, and skull start to slide against the pavement all magnetically creeping toward the center of gravity: the majority of the creature’s mangled body.

  "Oh, fuck that," Jayden says and turns to grab Tommy. But Tommy’s nowhere in sight. Jayden circles around looking for the little shit, but all he sees is more bloody onslaught everywhere he looks. Nothing living that isn’t slicing through the air on its own magic evil fairy dust. Jayden’s breath pulls out from under him and everything goes out of focus. He doubles over and glances back just in time to see the butt of the shotgun swivel toward his head, Kenny’s blurry neck muscles tightening with the exertion of the blow.

  Holy Saturday

  The Stratosphere Hotel and Casino

  Las Vegas, Nevada

  Roger sits at the round black table stirring his Amaretto and Coke with a thin red straw as the lights finally dim in the showroom. He adds his voice to the chorus of hollers while smoke fills the room and red, green, and purple lights stream along the stage. He’d come to Vegas for two things and two things only: to gamble and see some tits and ass. Having done enough gambling for the day, he is primed and ready for the ten o’clock showing of Bite, the Stratosphere’s premiere topless "vampire" show.

  Some nameless classic rock song crackles in the air and a thundering bass drum pulses in a steady, erotic rhythm as gorgeous, sculpted, well-endowed men and women dressed as vampires emerge from the gray misty cloud in quasi-retro-gothic getup and heavy makeup. Their long fake plastic vampire teeth reflect the neon stage lights in garish blue and violet sparkles from between sensuous full red lips.