by Matt Ryan
“Keep on this road until we get to the strip and then make a right,” Harris said. “And make sure you’re quiet, one loud noise and . . . well, let’s just not find out. I can drive if—”
“I got this.” Poly slowed down and put her hands at the ten and two position. She leaned closer to the wheel and moved her head from side to side. The path appeared narrow for a regular car but for a behemoth Hummer, it seemed impassible.
Joey leaned forward as she approached the first choke point. If she scraped anything, the screech might awaken the terrible things he knew lurked about. Joey held his breath as Poly closed in on it. He winced as the front bumper came within inches of hitting an overturned car. She avoided the crushed, upside-down cars jutting into the cleared path. A tractor must have come through and pushed through the cars like a snowplow.
With each car Poly passed with ease, Joey relaxed more. He gazed at her and shook his head. She surprised him at every turn. They made the next few miles without a scratch. The cars lessened as they got closer to the strip and Poly gained some speed.
Harris spoke up, “Take a right on the strip.”
Sand covered much of the strip’s wide asphalt road. Weeds dominated the medians, with a few palm trees hanging on for their lives.
“Where to now?” Poly asked after a few blocks.
“Just up here, on the right—Venice Hotel. The Alius stone is inside.”
To the right, another hotel lay in a heap of ash, with parts of its steel structure sticking out of the remains. Hotel Venice, though, remained intact. Its dusty glass could not stop the beauty forcing its way out. The marble pillars lined the entry to the driveway. Statues of angels and pipers spread with vigor. A gold valet sign welcomed them as Poly pulled into the covered entry.
“Same rules apply in here as they did in the town. Stay close. Don’t make a sound,” Harris said.
“You okay to walk, Julie?” Lucas asked.
“I think I can put some weight on it.” Julie tested it out by pushing her foot on the floor.
Joey opened the door and pulled out one of his guns. Even in the shade of the hotel, the heat hit him and he instantly felt the sweat glistening on his face. He ignored the heat and stared at the broken glass from the front doors lying in front of them. At any second, a wave of zombies could crash through those doors and block them in.
“Lead the way, Joey,” Harris said.
Joey winced at the words, but nodded and gripped his gun. He wanted to be first. If a zombie attacked, he would have the best chance to stop it.
Joey stepped through the broken front door. The grand entry hallway looked like something he had only seen on shows about Italy—scenes of people picking grapes or gathering water, all displayed on large tapestries. Stained-glass windows let in an array of colors that shone off the marble floors. The dust and weeds had not infiltrated the foyer yet. A reception desk across the hallway sat unattended.
“It’s beautiful,” Poly admired. “I’ve dreamed about coming to Vegas.”
“Incredible,” Lucas echoed her sentiments and ran down the marble walkway, sliding on his feet to the reception desk. “Excuse me, Garçon. I would like to request your best suite for me and my friends,” he said in his mock-British accent. “Oh, a comped room? Why, thank you.”
“Lucas, cut it out,” Joey yelled in a forced whisper.
“Dude, we’ve got the place to ourselves,” Lucas said. “Look, a mall.” Lucas pointed up. At the end of the entrance hall, there was a large marble staircase with escalators and a sign at the top read Venice Shops.
Joey didn’t think about shopping, but Lucas, Poly, and Julie laughed as they stepped on the bottom marble stair. Lucas bounded to the top and jumped in a circle with his arms raised in his best Rocky impersonation. Poly shook her head and kept an arm around Julie to help her.
“I don’t like this.” Hank walked sideways to the stairs, eyeing the dark casino.
Joey smiled. He didn’t like it either, but he couldn’t stop his friends from having a little fun. They needed a distraction, even if for a few minutes. Joey ran up the stairs to help Poly with Julie. He took Julie’s right arm and walked with her the rest of the way up.
At the top, he released her arm, amazed at the mall in front of him. It looked untouched with windows still displaying clothes and jewelry. Crombie & Mitch, Gianni’s, Coco’s & Louis Malletier, and many more stores filled the sides. A canal carved into the middle of the mall drew his eye. With the water gone, the canal had a brown, dirty substance on the sides and bottom.
“Oh my god, look at that dress!” Poly said, running into the Gianni’s store. A black, sleek dress was on display on the storefront mannequin.
Joey wanted to tell Poly not to go into the store, but the door had already swung behind her. He grimaced at the noise his friends made. He scanned the mall, searching for any movement.
“She likes dresses.” Julie shrugged. “Ooh, look at that.” Her shaking finger pointed at the cellphone store displaying a human-sized cellphone in the window. Julie hobbled toward the store.
“What are the chances they have a gun store?” Joey asked.
“About zero, I’d imagine,” Harris answered.
“Dude, look at that store.” Lucas ran to its window display.
The store’s sign said, Hooper’s Top Hats. Behind the storefront glass stood a mannequin holding a cane, dressed in a black tuxedo with, of course, a top hat.
“I’m so getting that.” Lucas disappeared into the store.
Julie, holding a white box, hobbled up to him. “Guys, this phone has a charge!” she said and dropped the white box. She held the phone so they saw the display lit, then took it back and slid her thumbs across the screen. “Boo. No coverage.” She frowned.
Joey watched her fumble with the new phone. He thought of the time he spent playing with the menus and features preloaded into his own phone. It was the first time he had seen Julie happy since leaving Earth. Her eyes lit up under its dim light. Her fingers flew around the screen.
“Whoa, this has totally different games preloaded.”
Joey caught movement from his side and spun, drawing his gun. He lowered his aim and exhaled as he saw it was just Poly exiting Gianni’s. The mannequin stood naked in the window. Poly twirled when she saw him watching. The black, sleek dress with embroidered designs at the fringe, formed tightly around her body. He gawked at her for an inappropriate amount of time, jerked his head away, and looked at the empty canal that once carried romantic couples in fake Venetian boats. He snuck another glance at her as she sauntered to him.
“What do you think? Isn’t it amazing?” Poly said with her hands on her hips. “And look.” She lifted her dress up, revealing her bare thigh and the knives strapped to her leg. “You can barely see my knives through the dress, right?” She caught his lingering eyes and smiled as smoothed her dress out.
Joey cleared his throat. With heat in his face, he said, “Yeah, barely notice them.”
“Top o’ the morning, chaps,” Lucas announced as he promenaded from Hooper’s Top Hats, decked out in a black tuxedo and a white shirt with no tie. A black top hat, kicked to one side, sat on his head and he clasped a black cane with a crystal ball on top with his right hand. The only thing throwing the outfit off was the bow and quiver strung across his back.
Poly laughed and ran over to Lucas.
“Well ’ello, m’lady.” He tipped his hat and held out an arm. She looped her arm through his and they skipped in a circle around Joey, Harris and Hank.
Joey chuckled as Lucas paraded around with Poly in tow. The smug expression he imitated made the whole thing hysterical. Harris cracked a smile as well. Lucas slapped his cane on the marble floor and began to tap dance around it. Poly danced around Lucas, laughing.
The sound of a chair falling behind them made everyone stop their antics and turn to face the dark casino.
BEYOND THE MARBLE STAIRS AND the first row of empty chairs and blackjack tables, darkness fil
led the casino. Joey stepped to the edge of the stairs and squinted into the blackness. Please, let the sound be a bird, a dog, or anything but the black-mouthed dead.
A chair scratched against the floor, past the edge of their vision. Another chair moved and made the scratching sound mixed with a slap, like some patron slapping a bar top for another drink. A chair next to the roulette table shifted. Something on the ground moved the chair.
He gripped his gun.
“Harris, where’s the stone?” Julie asked.
“Down in the service basement, well below the casino.” Harris pointed to the casino floor.
“What is it?” Lucas used his cane to point into the casino.
“I don’t know, but it’s coming our way,” Joey replied, as another chair shifted and fell over, only a few rows back from the edge of the casino floor.
Lucas pulled an arrow from his quiver and adjusted his top hat. He cocked the arrow and held it there. Poly held a throwing knife in each hand.
A chair in the last row fell over and a hand reached out beyond the chair. It slapped the marble floor and pulled its body into the sun-lit entry. Then it repeated the movement and pulled out further, showing its legs dragging behind. A paraplegic zombie out to kill them—great.
Joey watched the thing, hoping it didn’t spot them.
Using the one arm to lift its body, it made eye contact with Joey. The disfigured remnants of a human let out a loud hiss and began flailing and screaming, making its way to the bottom of the stairs. The sounds echoed off the marble floors and bounced around into the recesses of the casino.
“Lucas.” Joey nodded his head toward the slapping zombie.
Lucas nodded, never blinking as he drew back an arrow. He fired into the creature’s head and its hand fell for the last time on the bottom step.
“That’s disgusting.” Julie turned her back from the scene.
They heard another sound from deep into the dark casino, more chairs moving—a lot more—and it grew in volume.
Joey’s eyes went wide and he took a few steps back. “Oh crap.”
Hisses, hundreds of them from the sound of it, spilled out of the casino at them.
“Come on!” Lucas fired an arrow into the darkness. “Let’s put down a few of these things.”
“No we need to run, now,” Joey searched the mall for an escape path.
“There are stairs at the far end of the mall,” Hank pointed out.
“Okay . . . let’s go.”
They ran sideways away from the casino. Chairs fell and pushed across the floor. The blackjack table came into the light and crashed down, knocking over a row chairs. Zombies pushed their way through the chairs and into the light coming through the massive windows. Some stumbled over the fallen chairs, but most filled the spaces in between the last row of blackjack chairs and into the light.
Julie limped, trying to keep up, but fell to the ground. Joey slid on the marble floor as he stopped and ran back, but Lucas got to her first.
“Grab my shoulder,” Lucas said, leaning over her.
She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and he helped her to her feet.
“Don’t leave me behind,” Julie begged as she glanced back at the zombies running to the top of the stairs.
“Never,” Lucas said.
Joey grabbed Julie’s other arm and they picked her up and ran down the mall.
She slipped on his shoulder and Joey slowed down to adjust her, but Lucas had not, and they fell in a tumble. Glancing back, he spotted a couple rotting bodies nearing. He looked ahead and saw Harris standing at the doorway of the stairs.
“Go, Lucas. Get Julie to the stairs,” Joey said. He had to give them a chance to make it.
Lucas helped Julie to her feet and they moved as quickly as Julie’s ankle would allow. Joey spun to his feet with his gun in his hand and stumbled backward as a zombie reached for him. Jogging backward, he shot the thing in the head. It fell to the ground and another stomped over its body and staggered toward him. He glanced ahead to see Lucas and Julie reach the stairwell. He stowed the gun and made a run for the door.
Harris held the door for him and Joey ran in, knocking into Hank. The door slammed shut behind him, the sound vibrating through the stairwell. He stopped to give his eyes time to adjust, and something began thumping on the door behind him. A crack of light escaped through the top of the door with each blow.
The stairwell lit up as Harris held up his glowing Panavice.
“Now what? The stairs only go up,” Julie said, sitting on the bottom stair and rubbing her ankle.
“We go up,” Harris said.
“How do we know more of those things aren’t up there? They could be everywhere.” She glanced around as if expecting them to come through the walls.
“We don’t, but I’ll stay in front as added security.”
Julie seemed half convinced and took a small hop toward the stairs on her good ankle. “Anything is better than being right here.”
“Julie, I’ll help you.” Lucas took off his hat, bowed and held out his hand. “Oh here, you can use my cane.” He pulled a cane out of his quiver.
She took the cane and stood. Leaning on it, she found she was able to climb the first few stairs. “Thanks,” she replied with a small smile.
The zombies continued their assault on the door. With each thump Joey jerked back, as if the door would come crashing in. “I’ll take lead,” he said, bounding up the stairs until he reached the first door labeled Floor 4.
“If we can get to the top floor, there’s a service elevator that can take us to the basement,” Harris said, looking at his Panavice.
Joey nodded and walked up more stairs until he stood in front of the Floor 8 sign. Past the door, in the middle of the stairs, a steel plate stood like a monolith, blocking the path. He breathed hard, waiting for the others to see the block. Poly arrived next to Harris.
“Great . . . is there another way?” Poly asked.
“No, but I think I can get through this.” Harris moved next to the plate with his Panavice. He held it up and a red light shot from the end of the Panavice, striking the steel, sending sparks to the ground.
“Oh, come on. That thing can cut through steel?” Julie gawked at Harris’s device.
“Mine can.”
Julie crossed her arms. “Someone put that there. What if they were keeping something in?”
“Maybe they were.” Harris continued cutting the steel. He made a hole large enough for them to crawl through.
Joey climbed through first. A jagged edge jabbed him in the rib and he winced. He slowed down and made sure the edges of steel didn’t scratch him. The smell of urine was the first thing that assaulted his senses. He jerked his arm against his nose and tried to breathe through his jacket sleeve. Searching around the dark stairwell, he noticed boxes and chairs pushed on each side of a walk path.
He turned back to the steel opening and helped the rest. Harris picked up the steel he cut, put it back in the hole and spot-welded in a few places.
“Dear God, what a horrible smell,” Lucas said.
Poly covered her mouth and nose while holding a knife in her other hand. Julie seemed to ignore the smell, but Joey saw her eyes watering.
Joey jogged up the next flight, trying to escape the smell. Light from a partially open door on floor nine spilled into the stairwell. He pushed the door, and it opened a few more inches. He shoved it until a mattress moved and knocked over a dresser. He climbed over, then stepped off the dresser and landed on the carpeted floor of the hallway. The hall smelled of old, musty laundry and burnt carpet but anything was better than the smell of the staircase. A window at the end of the hallway glowed with sunlight.
Hotel mattresses and chairs filled the hallway, leaning on the walls. Trash and furniture piled up on each side, creating a path of sorts.
The others climbed through and piled into the hallway.
“You think someone’s still here?” Poly asked.
�
��Well, someone did this.” Julie stepped off the dresser onto the carpet and avoided a nearby mattress.
“I doubt they’re still here,” Joey said. The hall felt stagnant, stuffy. The furniture hosted a thick layer of dust. He thought it would take years to collect dust like that in here.
The defined path led to a closed door marked 932. Poly moved passed him and he nodded as she took a stance on the opposite side of the door. They did this type of entry several times in Ferrell’s town. He put his back on the wall next to the door. Joey held his fingers up. Three, two, one. He pushed the door open, gun drawn.
Two decomposed bodies laid on the floor near a bed. The largest, wore jeans and a button-up shirt, while the smaller figure, had a dress on, bones sticking out from the clothes. The one with a dress on would have been the size of a young girl. Joey kept his guns on the two long dead corpses, unsure if they were going to rise from their stupor.
“Oh my god,” Poly said, pointing to a pile of bones.
Human skulls and assorted bones lay in a mound in the corner of the room. Next to the bones, a large skillet with a black smoke stain streaking up the wall.
“You don’t think they. . .?” Poly looked sick.
“I think when things get bad, they can get real bad,” Joey said.
Poly backed out of the room, holding her mouth. He stared at the bone pile and the two bodies. He wished he had stayed in the foul-smelling stairway. He could forget a smell. Lucas and the others peeked into the room, but left quickly. Joey’s stomach felt sick and he pulled his eyes away from the horrors in the room.
“I hate this planet.” Poly had her back turned to them.
“You can’t blame them.” Julie pointed to room 932. “This world, this reality, was delivered to them from Isaac, Marcus, and MM. They did that to these people.”
Harris rubbed his chin and nodded. “Julie’s right, but we have a saying on Vanar. ‘You are truly judged when the world stops looking.’ This man thought the world had stopped looking. He felt free to break the rules that kept this world civilized. Beware of men like this.”
“‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.’ – Martin Luther King,” she replied.
