Authors: Armand Rosamilia
Mitchell walked into the main bar area, looking around. The place was packed with boxes and supplies. Jeff had been hoarding the best stuff for himself, it looked like. Maybe once he was dead Mitchell could step into his place and own all this shit. Another reason to kill Jeff.
Mitchell didn't think Jeff was around. It looked like he lived in the giant bar area. There was a bed and clothes in one corner, and the top of the bar had empty beer bottles and plates and forks piled up.
Something scraped on the floor behind the bar and Mitchell came very close to panicking and running out the door. Was Jeff trying to hide? Did he know he was here?
Mitchell tried to figure out the best angle to see behind the bar but there were too many boxes piled up and things in the way. In a burst of stupid inspiration, he burst around the bar, ready to pull the trigger.
Vee, tied up and mouth covered in duct tape, was lying behind the bar. Her eyes were wide and she was trying to yell something.
"What is going on?" Mitchell asked, putting his fingers on a corner of the tape.
Vee was shaking her head and trying to communicate, body shaking.
Mitchell pulled the tape off as gingerly as he could so he didn't hurt Vee.
"Are you alright?" Mitchell asked. This was worse than he thought. But he could save Vee and then The Lich Lord would take care of Jeff. Mitchell would be the hero who saved the girl. He'd be somebody.
"Jeff is right behind you," Vee said quietly.
Mitchell started to turn and felt the barrel of the gun on the side of his face.
"Hey, buddy," Jeff said.
"Hey, Jeff... I was just, uh, checking in with you. I'm back from the mall."
"I see that. Too bad," Jeff said.
"Please, Jeff, don't do anything crazy. This is getting out of control," Vee said. "There is still plenty of time to fix this."
"Drop the weapon and I won't shoot you in the head," Jeff said.
"We can fix this," Vee said.
Mitchell put the gun gently on the bar. "Seriously, Jeff, I just came looking for you. Red Shirt and the annoying guy fought it out. There's no one left in the mall. We can go back and ransack it. There's a ton of clothes and supplies there."
"Thank you for the info, buddy," Jeff said. "Put your hands slowly behind your back and don't do anything stupid."
"Jeff, I'm begging you..." Vee said. She was crying now.
"Aren't you going to beg for your life?" Jeff asked Mitchell.
Mitchell closed his eyes. "I'd rather not."
Jeff pulled the trigger.
* * * * *
It wouldn't be long before The Lich Lord found out what he'd done. Jeff decided he'd gone too far to stop now. Plus, he was really enjoying the power trip he was on. He relished the next thing to do. For years he'd toiled in obscurity as a lowly prison guard, watching over killers and looking down on them.
Now he knew why they did it: it was the absolute power over another human being. It was the right of life or death by his own hands. Killing was a high, and Jeff never wanted to come down. This fucked up world had shown him the way. If it had never happened, he would have done the same tedious routine in the prison for another ten years before retirement age. Never understanding what the incarcerated knew, never being able to do what he wanted. Lonely nights watching porn and drinking until he passed out on a ratty couch or a weekend a month riding his Harley down to the seedy bars in search of a whore would be all the highlights.
Not now. He had a purpose, but he knew it was all going to end soon. Once The Lich Lord knew what was going on he'd be exiled or worse.
He could easily leave. Pack his bags, slit Vee's throat and ride out of town in search of another safe haven and another victim. But he had one more stop to make on Main Street first. Jeff knew if he got away now but didn't do it, he'd regret it forever. It would keep him from truly getting out of Daytona Beach and probably Florida. He'd always wonder what Taylor would have looked like in her last few moments of life before he used his power to snuff it out.
There weren't too many people on the street, and the ones that were gave Jeff a wide berth. He wasn't the most loved person around, and he smiled when he thought he might be the most hated. Shit, they liked The Lich Lord more and he was a fucking monster.
It would work in his favor. No one would want to mention they saw Jeff on the street for fear of retribution. People would keep it to themselves until he was far away from Main Street. Then the weak bastards, safe in their homes and eating hot meals and showering, would conveniently forget about all the good Jeff had done for them. Who hopped over the walls and risked his own life day in and day out so they could have soap and bottled water? He did. While the women got their knees dirty planting tomatoes and carrots, he was getting shot at by gangs of looters and zombies trying to butt-fuck him. It didn't seem like a fair tradeoff to Jeff, but it wouldn't matter after tonight.
Jeff had no time to be subtle. He needed to do his thing and be gone by the morning, before anyone was the wiser. Especially The Lich Lord.
Luck was on his side.
He saw Taylor and Scotty sitting on the bench outside of The Ocean Center, engaged in a kiss. It was Jeff's plan to grab her first and get her back to the bar, but now he could take them as a pair. He'd need to be careful, though. And he wanted both of them alive. He didn't know why just yet, but he imagined the horrific and fun things he could do with and to them once they were secured.
Jeff made sure the silencer was in place on his weapon. If he needed to shoot Scotty in the leg he would, or Taylor in the arm. Warning shots to get them to see his side of things and come quietly.
The pair didn't hear Jeff coming until it was too late, but the pistol pressed against Taylor's neck gave them all the information they needed.
Taylor and Scotty went quietly to the bar with Jeff.
Chapter Eighteen
Darlene paced the floor near the cage. The Lich Lord had disappeared into the bowels of The Ocean Center again.
"Please, let me out," the man said in a whisper. "Free me."
"I can't just yet," Darlene said. It had been over two hours and the man still wasn't changing into a zombie, which was a great thing. Once The Lich Lord had gone off the first time, Darlene was able to calm the man and dress his wounds.
"Maybe I'm cured? Maybe my arm will heal and I'll survive." The man smiled.
"Maybe," Darlene said. His arm was a sickly yellow and brown, veins outlined under the skin where the disease had run up and into his neck, a faint trace on the side of his head as if small tentacles were reaching for his brain to drive him mad. "What's your name?"
"Shane. I'm from a little town outside of Baltimore."
"I went through Baltimore," Darlene said. She pushed down the thoughts of that part of her trip south. She wanted to forget most of her journey to Florida.
"I got herded like everyone else to head in this direction. We lost many men and women along the way. I'm the only survivor to make it this far, I think." Shane smiled. "I might be a lucky son of a gun, eh? Maybe I can beat this and be the first person who doesn't get infected."
Darlene didn't want to burst his bubble. She'd been bitten and didn't turn. She still had the scar to prove it. But let Shane have his moment. The man was happy and he'd been attacked by a zombie and lived to tell about it. Not many people could say that.
“If this works, you’ll become this new world’s first big celebrity. Everyone will want to know you. Hang out with you. Be cured by your blood,” Darlene said.
He pointed at Darlene. “Our blood. The three of us, mixed together, will cure the world. No more zombies and no more attacks. We can rebuild.”
Darlene nodded. In theory he was correct. But she knew there was so much more to it than simply taking blood samples and injecting everyone with it. At this stage in the game, 99% of the world was now a zombie or dead. What little was left could be cured if this worked, but people were still people. There would still be fighting and trying to control everything they saw. Darlene wasn’t being pessimistic, just realistic. With the threat of zombies gone, mankind would revert to its past glories of war and destruction to own everything.
And the smart zombies would have their say as well. The Lich Lord might want to change the world for the better, but there were too many of his equals who would fight him. They might even rise up and stop the spread of the cure. Why wouldn’t they?
This was their world now and they'd stop at nothing to keep it. Those like The Lich Lord would never be interested in being merely human again. Darlene didn't know if she could blame them, either. She'd seen firsthand the power, and it was growing in leaps and bounds. The Lich Lord was no longer a zombie. He was a vampire of sorts, his only weakness the sunlight. When darkness fell, he could roam freely and do whatever he wanted. He could control and read minds (all except hers, it seemed) and do a myriad of other things.
Darlene didn't know if she trusted him just yet, but he was doing the right things so far. He'd saved her life and she'd never felt stronger. The Lich Lord was trying to make a difference, which was unnatural.
"Where will I stay?" Shane asked.
Darlene was pulled from her dark thoughts. "What do you mean?"
"Will I be living here, in this building, with you and The Lich Lord?"
Darlene shrugged. "I have no idea what his plan is for you. I'm not staying. I need to find my family. I would already be gone if he wasn't attempting all this."
She didn't know if it was true, though. While finding John and the baby was of utmost importance, she was scared. Fearful of what she would find, and of what was waiting for her outside these safe walls. As much as she didn't trust The Lich Lord, she had to admit what little she'd seen and heard about the compound was working. A semblance of order and living. She wasn't going to find it on the outside. The world deteriorated more and more each day, and the few survivors were animalistic to her. No one was safe. The natural order had broken down, and it was every man for himself.
But nothing mattered more than John and the baby. No matter what The Lich Lord tried to say or do, she needed to find them. After they were reunited, she could worry about safe living conditions. She'd lost track of time and didn't know how long she'd been in this building. She knew it had to be at least three days, but how much longer? She'd been unconscious and in and out of it for too many hours to count.
"How is our friend?" The Lich Lord asked as he entered the room.
"I'm awesome. Never felt better." Shane stared at the wound, his skin angry and puffy around the bite area. "I can come out now."
The Lich Lord smiled at Darlene. "What does your gut say?"
Darlene stared at Shane. He looked fine. People generally turned within the first hour, as far as she knew. It had been over twice that now, and he was still breathing. Still talking. But if they let him out too soon and he turned... "This is all on your conscience, pal."
The Lich Lord laughed. "I no longer have a conscience the way you see it. I simply do what is best for my own preservation."
"Then why help the survivors?"
"Because it will lead to my own preservation," The Lich Lord said.
"Seriously, enough is enough. Open the cage," Shane said.
Darlene stared at the man. It was not her call, and if something bad happened while he was roaming free, she couldn't live with herself. There were too many unknown factors. She looked at The Lich Lord, who was staring at her with a blank expression.
And then it came to her.
"You said he had inoperable cancer," Darlene said.
The Lich Lord nodded.
Shane shook the cage. "I need to go to the bathroom."
"Yet, you've alluded to being able to do things... you healed me. You said I was dying, but now I'm better. Much better. Could you have used your powers to rid Shane of the cancer?" Darlene asked.
"A test subject was needed. How else would I know if this worked? Would you have been happier if I'd used someone who was in excellent health to begin with? Someone had to be the guinea pig," the Lich Lord said. He was still staring at Darlene.
Shane kicked at the cage. "I need to get out. I don't feel so good."