Quarantined in Chaos (Nova Nocte) (5 page)

             
Our trek is detoured. Cal is furious and Reggie barely agreed to stay with us. We stopped near a sign for Savannah and Daemon went silent. After we set up a camp for the coming day, the fledgling vampire spoke up.

             
“I need to make a stop tomorrow.”

             
All eyes on the young vampire poking the fire with a stick.

             
“Why the hell do we need to make a stop; we’re stopped now.” Reggie asked.

             
I didn’t know a vampire’s face could lose more color. Daemon stared into the flames.

             
“We don’t; I do. It’s personal. Can we just hang here for one extra day? There should be plenty of goods this close to Savannah; it is... was a big city.”

             
Cal and I locked eyes.

             
What is going on?

             
The Roman walked over and sat next to his protégé.

             
“We need more detail than that, my boy. Why should we delay near an area likely to be overrun with foes?”

             
Tiny embers floated from the pit and added to the starlight. I heard Daemon’s voice breaking when he answered.

             
“I used to live near here. I want to see if my parents are still alive.”

             
“Oh.” I looked away. It felt like hours before anyone looked at Daemon or said anything. “I think we can all wait one day. We can try to replenish our supplies and gas. Does anyone mind?”

             
Chase and Sunny shook their heads and held one another. Looking around there was quiet consent. Until Reggie.

             
“I mind.”

             
“Why? Why do you care if I spend one night looking for my folks? There’s bound to be plenty of loot around for you. Or other survivors for you to kill when you ‘check ahead’ of us.”

             
I whipped my head around.

             
“What! You’ve been hunting people?”

             
Reggie scoffed.

             
“Of course. My mission here is to get you out of quarantine and set up with new lives; not to save everyone I cross. Most would’ve killed your little pack of refugees for a crust of bread.”

             
“That’s not the point; it wasn’t the deal.”

             
Cal rose to put a hand on my shoulder.

             
“Actually, it was. Our agreement was that my old friend could do whatever he felt necessary to get this group out alive. If he wishes to feed primarily off potential enemies, it is his right. He is risking everything to do this favor for us. Let him be.”

             
“So why can’t I go into town?”

             
“Because, kid, you are a vampire. I know you want to check on your parents, but you can’t. They are almost certainly dead and I’m sure they thought you died back when you got turned; that life is over.”

             
“Bullshit! I haven’t been able to see them since prom. Instead I got bit, turned, and forced to leave them behind. I just want to know if they are okay.”

             
“And if they are? What then? Do you intend to take them with us?”

             
“Well, yeah. But we can glamour them when we get to safety. We’re already doing that with everyone else.”

             
Daemon stood an inch from Reggie’s face.

             
“No. It’s not permitted by the laws of our kind. Once you are part of our community, there’s no going back. Trust me it’ll just make things harder. Remember them like they used to be; your folks are probably long dead.”

             
A pale fist hit Reggie in the chest, sending him flying into the side of a SUV. As the vampire recovered we stood back to watch in shock. The steel door was caved in. Reggie glared with glowing green eyes as his fangs descended. Daemon’s burned red. In the darkness I could see a tiny sparks coming from his palms.

             
This is NOT going to end well. What the fuck do I do?

             
Reggie charged Daemon and they exchanged blows so fast they looked like streaks of oil paint against a black canvas. Cal kept shouting at them to stop and trying to pull them apart.

             
And then Reggie burst into flames.

             
“How in Jupiter’s name...?”

             
Daemon simply stood with his eyes and hands focused on the burning vampire. I watched as his broken nose shifted back into place over the frantic screams of the older Undead. Cal managed to get his friend to drop & roll. The blaze extinguished, the vampire slowly rose; he looked like a blackened chicken. His skin made a crunching sound as the he moved. The Roman aided our guide with a gentle arm. Neither took their eyes off Daemon. Their eyes held fear; no anger, just fear.

             
The fledgling relaxed his pose and fell to his knees.

             
That must’ve exhausted him. But how did he do that? Even Cal can barely manage a few sparks after centuries of training.

             
No one spoke while Cal fed Reggie from his own wrist. Weapons were clutched as we witnessed the gradual healing of our immortal counterparts. After Sunny laid her spear down the others joined her on the ground near the Prius. I listened to the crickets, the crackle of the cook fire, and my heart beating.

             
“We will go to town tomorrow. Daemon will have a night to ascertain the condition of his family and I will recuperate.” He looked at his friend. “Caelinus, you have a dangerous protégé. I will remember that in the future; so should you.”

             
I cleared my throat.

             
“Let’s get some sleep. I think we could all use a few hours of rest.  No more weirdness or whatnot until we’ve all had a nap and some dinner. Agreed?”

             
Daemon and the others nodded. As we made our way to our sleeping places or watch locations, the Nurse checked on Sunny. Afterwards, Chase spoke to her protruding belly while the Nurse offered Reggie a painkiller. I curled up in the front seat of the truck.

             
No thinking tonight, brain. There’s too much to deal with right now. Just turn off for a couple of hours.

             
I woke around noon to a chorus of groans and a reek of rot. The familiar clank of weapons being drawn led me to the sentries. I whispered as I leaned in.

             
“What’s up? Why didn’t anyone wake me?”

             
I knelt along the side of a wrecked Durango and peeked at the mass of Dead. Vincent signaled Bubba and Sunny to stay put in the Prius before answering.

             
“This swarm came up pretty quick, no time to raise the alarm.”

             
I chanced a better look at our foes.

             
“What do you mean they came on quick? You mean they move fast or they happened to wander through a blind spot?”

             
His forehead wrinkled as he lifted his silenced pistol.

             
“I mean look at them; they all look recently dead. They haven’t overdone it and torn all the tendons yet. These fleshies are still going full tilt at anything that moves.”

             
A crow landed at the side of the road. Three of the creatures were on it with gnashing teeth before it could flutter its wings. I counted at least ten others rushing to join the meal.

             
Only two seem to be injured; the others move like lightning. Dammit. No advantage until sunset and that’s not for six or seven hours.

             
I tapped Vincent on the shoulder and tilted my head to the dump truck at our left. It was a solid ten yards of open ground, but it was away from the others in our vehicles and it seemed high enough to keep the Dead at bay. Assuming we could get to it and over the back gate.

             
What’s the worst that can happen? Wait, don’t think about that...

             
He looked at me and back at the faces of our friends and lovers. Concern made their eyes appear larger than possible and their breathing fogged the windows. We gave them a wave and pointed at our watches. Chase nodded and crossed himself for us. Taking a big breathe, we counted down with our fingers. And then we RAN. 

             
We fled for the refuge without looking back. Heavy footfalls and death rattles fell in behind us. I pumped my legs faster and forced myself to breathe. Swinging my arms further out I grabbed at the air for assistance; as though the molecules would somehow give me grips to pull my body forward at an accelerated rate. The former soldier outstripped me and reached the truck immediately.

             
Why isn’t he climbing in?

             
Every inhale burned inside my lungs and my ribs were stretched as much as my legs. Vincent clasped his hands together and screamed to me.

             
“Foot in hand an over!”

             
I followed the instruction and used his palms as a springboard. As soon as I reached the top of the truck, I reached down to pull him up. His grip was tight and he flung his body next to mine in one smooth movement. We hopped into the back of the dump truck and tried to catch our breath. The slamming of frantic cadavers into the side of the automobile drowned out the sound of our panting.

             
“Your parents would be proud.”

             
Vincent gave me a bewildered look.

             
“Why?”

             
I laughed, “Even while running for your life from reanimated corpses, you still took the time to be a gentleman.”

             
I attempted a straight face and we both broke into a fit of chuckling. I snorted and wiped away a tear. I stretched my burning calves and stood to survey the situation.

             
The swarm of zombies surrounded the construction vehicle and several others were joining them from the brush along the highway. The others peered out the cracks at the top of the windows. I waved to let them know we were okay. Sunny gave us a thumbs-up while her husband did a little happy dance and threw his arm around Bubba.

             
“Vincent, your sweetie is waiting. Let him see you.”

             
He rose and smiled. We waved over the heads of the ravenous cadavers like we were riding a float in the worst parade ever. After a few minutes, I pointed at the sun and back to the interior of the truck. The others settled in to wait for sunset to release our Undead companions. Vincent and I sat along the steel wall in the sliver of shade.

             
“Got any water, Squirrel?”

             
I pulled my canteen off my belt and shook it; a swish answered. I held it out to him and searched my pockets for the flask I recovered on the last run. He took a couple of sips and passed it back to me. I drank a little before accepting that my new flask was lost forever.

             
“We’ve got three-quarters of a canteen of water to last the day. Think we should try to put down a couple of fleshies from here or conserve energy until nightfall?”

             
I looked at the football sized chunks of concrete surrounding us.

             
“What the hell; let’s give it a try. I think we can do some damage with those.”

             
I grabbed a hefty piece of stone and stood at the top of the mound. With a practice swing, I tossed the ballista at the crowd of recently dead. It crashed into the shoulder of a man who looked like Peter Jackson in a Hawaiian shirt and jeans. The fuzzy carcass fell over but hoisted itself again; this time its arm swung loose in the busted socket.

             
“Not bad. I think we can at least do enough damage to give us a better shot. If not, reinforcements will awaken soon.”

             
My partner flung a block and bowled over two of the Dead, breaking the legs on one.

             
“Nice one. What bugs me, though, is that there are so many zombies who were living people not long ago. That means their either was a group thriving until recently and they got overwhelmed or...”

             
“...that there still is a rival camp nearby and these are just the ones they lost a short time ago. Yeah, I know.”

             
We both threw brick-sized lumps and managed to destroy one of our attackers and completely miss the other. The satisfying crunch of its skull caving in gave me a second wind.

             
“This trip tonight is gonna suck isn’t it?”

             
“Doesn’t it always?”

             
He’s got a point. At least I’ll...we’ll have Daemon, Cal, and Reggie to help. Wonder if Daemon’s folks are alive? I hope this doesn’t end as badly as my family.

             
I pushed aside my thoughts and the ghosts of my former life.

             
“You make a good point, Vincent.”

###

              When the last rays of light faded into the shadows of pine trees and totaled cars, only five Dead remained around our battered hideaway. Pale forms tore the heads apart as another gurgled through its broken maw. Black blood bubbled from the ripped throat of the spectral-eyed woman. Sunny stood a dozen steps from the creature and looked away while Reggie stomped its face into the pavement; only a silent puddle remained of the distorted features.

             
No one spoke about why Sunny was so distraught over the kill; it was obvious. The fleshie had been stumbling with its baby dragging the ground by the umbilical cord. Thankfully, the baby hadn’t turned as well. As we built a low fire to dispose of the other Dead, Chase and I buried the woman and her daughter. Bubba said a prayer over the grave while the rest of us looked on.

             
I wonder what she would’ve named her. Or did she even know if it was going to be a girl?

             
I used my peripheral vision to check on Sunny; stone-faced but her pallor told us how worried she was. She barely appeared to notice her husband placing his surviving hand on her arm. I made a private promise to myself to keep the same fate from reaching my friend.

             
At any cost, she will get out of here with their child.

             
The mourning done, we spoke haltingly about our concerns about enemies in the area. Gear was prepped and loaded for the search for Daemon’s family, but the atmosphere of death and doom permeated the troupe. Daemon twitched and hurried to help everyone with their tasks.

             
“Are we ready yet? I want to have plenty of time to reach home and see them. It’s been a couple of years.”

             
Reggie frowned but held his tongue. The rest of us took our places in the convoy. I tapped the roof of the pickup twice.

             
“We’re off. You three clear a path and we will follow.”

             
Daemon grinned and levitated a foot into the air.

             
“Got it; I’ll lead the way.”

             
“Daemon...” He paused to look at me. “...I hope this works out. But, well, if not remember that we are here for you.”

             
He swallowed and clenched his jaw as he swiped hair from his face.

             
“I know. Thanks, Squirrel. But they’re alive; I’m sure of it.”

             
The fledgling took off and the engines revved up.

             
I sat between Lorcan and Hannah and closed the tailgate.

             
###

             
We reached the little brick house around 9:30PM. The road had been lined with the remains of zombies thanks to our trio of Undead. We tumbled out of the transports like water off a cliff. Daemon stood as a statue staring at the darkened two-story with a wraparound porch. The gardens and grass was overgrown and the screen door hung from the top hinge only. Caelinus put a hand on his shoulder.

             
Daemon shook it off and approached his former residence. I tried to imagine him growing up playing in the yard or climbing the oak trees. The moon cast too little light to see by with the trees so near. Flashlights came out as we followed. Reggie stayed by the cars with a few others. Cal and I were first in after our host.

             
The living room was immaculate except for a layer of dust. A trail of footprints led us into through the hall and into a bedroom. On the bed lay two forms; Daemon sat on the floor next to the female reading a note. Both people had been long gone. An empty bottle of sleeping pills and a thirty year bottle of scotch sat on the table. Their hands were entwined showing the matching gold bands.

             
“They left a note.” Tears began to flow from Daemon’s eyes. A vibrant green emanated from them. “It says they left food and other emergency supplies in the kitchen. They just ask that anyone who finds them buries them at the cemetery two miles away next to their son.” I moved to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders as he recounted the note. “They say... they decided to rejoin him; life hadn’t been the same since he died a few years ago and they feel others would be better off with the supplies. They wish us all the luck and love in the world.”

             
He lowered the paper and sobbed against my chest. Cal and Marley Guy stood quietly while Daemon grieved for his lost family. I hugged him tightly and ran my fingers through his hair like my mom always did to calm me as a child. I cried along with him for the loss of my own loved ones. After some time, a gentle knock at the door shook us from our reverie.

             
Wiping our eyes, we saw Bubba in the doorway. I released my grip on Daemon.

             
“Sorry to interrupt, but we’ve got a little company outside. Could Cal lend a hand?”

             
The Roman moved to leave but was halted by a hand on his elbow.

             
“I’ll go.” His fledgling popped his neck. “I need to destroy something.”

             
Cal nodded and stepped aside.

             
“Very well; I will prepare your parents for burial. I am very sorry, my boy.”

             
“Thanks. I’ll be right back. If it’s alright, I’d like to bury them alone.”

             
He left without waiting for a response. Cal and I wrapped the bodies in sheets.

             
If they were this kind in death, they must’ve been wonderful people in life. I wish I could’ve met them before. I wish I could help Daemon through this somehow.

             
###

             
We stayed at the house only long enough to gather useful items and let Daemon bury his parents by his grave marker. We all took special care not to make a mess or disturb the photographs of the happy family who’d once lived here. I soaked in the images of a young Daemon holding a ribbon for field day, dressed as Slash with a plastic pumpkin full of candy, in a suit with a mullet, and at a table surrounded by family and Christmas presents. As we searched, we found a bedroom with a thicker layer of dust.