The Devil's Beat (The Devil's Mark) (26 page)

Max wasn't planning on going there, but Mike didn't share that plan. He said, “Dude, you've been killed by a vampire twice. Don't you remember? We watched him rip your throat out, and he just told Maxy here that he killed you again last night. What did you think Vlad was, anyway?”

Josh scowled, “I just thought all that was bad trips. I had a lot of those. Besides, I generally don't remember dying or the minutes leading up to it.”

Max said, “It's probably a blessing that you don't.”

Josh snorted in derision.

Mike said, “So, if you're not a vampire, how do you do the whole 'getting better after being dead' shtick?”

Josh looked levelly at Mike. “I cursed Jesus for blocking my customers as he was carrying his cross through the city on his way to be crucified.”

That was harder to swallow. Mike barked out a short laugh and said with a smile, “Right. God rewarded you with immortality for cursing Jesus, instead of just sending you straight to Hell.”

Josh didn't even blink. “What makes you think I'm not in Hell?”

That hit Max pretty hard. He had wondered the same thing himself many times in the last couple of years. It was hard to conceive of a hell that was much worse than what he had been going through. Mike, however, wasn't buying it. He laughed. “I'll grant you that this house would be right at home in Hell, but I can imagine there would be a lot worse things in Hell. Demons, fires, pitchforks up your butt, and such.”

“Oh, I never said you were in Hell, or that this world is Hell for those who spend their four score here, but there is no other way to describe it for me. I assure you that you would feel the same way I do after thirty-six lifetimes.”

Josh's words were bad enough for Max, but the sadness and despair behind his eyes were like a cold wind through his soul. Again, his reaction was quite the contrast with Mike's snort. “Yeah, poor guy, I really feel sorry for you. Let's make a deal. I'll swap my problems for yours.”

Josh looked from Mike to Max and must have seen the empathy in Max's face, because he looked away quickly, as if burned. He said, “Well, dudes, it's been fun, but it's time for me to be on my way. I've got a lot of work to do.”

Max suddenly didn't want him to leave. He asked, “Where are you going? What are you going to do?”

Josh looked back to Max. “It took me forty years to pickle my brain to the point that I lost myself, and now, I've got every moment of that time etched into my memory. Believe me, those are memories best remembered through a drug induced haze—if at all. I don't want to live sober with that one minute more than I have to. I figure I can get to the same oblivious place in less than ten years this time.

Max furrowed his brows. “You make it sound like you can remember everything that happened to you.”

Josh's face got a faraway look. He nodded and said in a matter of fact tone, “Not much point in cursing someone to live forever if they can't remember it, is there?”

“Jesus,” said Max before he could stop himself.

Josh nodded. “Yep, one true rat bastard if there ever was one.” He turned to leave.

Max put out his hand. “Wait! Don't go!”

Josh stopped and looked at him with a curious rancor. “What? Thinking you want to tap the knowledge of the ages? Find out what it was like to live through the Black Death? Sip from the fountain of Solomon's wisdom?”

Max looked down at his hands. “Uh yes, but no. I want you to stay and help me fix up this house.” He looked Josh in the eyes. “I know it won't take any significant fraction of your life, but it is a big job, and I saw the way you worked on it, even when you were a zombie for all other purposes. You are a true artist, and you have a passion for it... and...” Max searched for the words. “And this house deserves the love and attention of someone like you. Like us, she's fallen from grace, and if we can't save ourselves, at least we can save her for a time.”

Josh's look softened a bit. He said, “Wow, dude. You're really lost, too, aren't you?”

Max nodded self consciously as if he was revealing a shameful secret.

“Well, I'll think about it. Right now, I need a serious drink and some disco biscuits.”

Max said, “Disco biscuits?”

“Yeah, you know, 'ludes?” No light turned on in Max's head. “Quaaludes?”

Mike, who had been silently watching the exchange between Josh and Max, jumped in as recognition dawned on Max's face. “Well, we barely got on the outside of that six pack of Jack last night. Come back to my place, we will get you a shower and a shave and drunker than a skunk. What do you say? If nothing else, you need that shower. You smell so bad, you would knock a buzzard off a shit wagon from thirty paces. Hell, you look even worse.”

Josh barked out a short laugh. “You've got a deal. The first rule of my life is never to turn down a free drink.”

Mike laughed back and slapped Josh on the shoulder as they turned to leave. “That is the wisdom of Solomon, my friend.”

Max asked, “Should we see if Vlad wants to come along?”

Josh said, “Ha! That should be a joke. Three men: an ancient Jew, a young redneck, and a rock star, ask a vampire if he wants a drink...”

“Hey, I'm not a redneck!” protested Mike as he followed Max and Josh out to the main hall. When they peeked into the music room, Vlad's attention was still glued to the television.

“You would think that after being without a body for so long, he would find something a little more active,” said Mike under his breath.

“Oh, hush,” said Max. He raised his voice. “Vlad?”

The vampire didn't move. He just hissed. “Shhh!”

Josh laughed, he said, “Dude! You've just been shushed by a vampire! Bet that's a first for you. It certainly is for me, and that's saying something!”

Max noticed something on Vlad's cheek. He approached the engrossed vampire carefully. There were streaks of blood running from Vlad's eyes. Mike turned to the others with raised eyebrows and exaggeratedly mouthed “He's crying!”

At that moment, the sappy closing music for One Life To Love filled the room. Vlad turned the television off with the remote.

Max briefly wondered how Vlad had known how to use the remote, but forgot his question when Vlad turned to face him. Vlad's face was streaked with blood running from his now solidly blood-red eyes. It was hard to get past the eyes, but Max saw that Vlad's face was a mask of misery.

Max swallowed. “Vlad, what's going on?”

Vlad's eyes focused on Max for the first time. It was pretty unnerving. Max got ready to run, but Vlad didn't move. When he spoke, his southern drawl was augmented with a heavy Russian accent. “She has face like Anesha.”

“Who?”

“The woman on the television.”

“Cindy?”

“No, her
gornichnaya
.”

“Her what?”

He waived his hands, “Her serving girl, house woman...”

Max had to think about it for a moment. He hadn't really paid much attention to anyone but Cindy. She was a bitch, but she was a hot, sexy, blonde bitch. Max vaguely remembered her maid— swarthy skin, sturdy build with a thick Russian accent. Of course, Cindy treated her like dirt on the show.

“Oh, I think you mean her maid.”

“Is not important. She is my Anesha returned to me. I must find her!” Vlad's face filled with hope and determination as he hopped out of his chair.

Max had that not-communicating feeling again. He said, “Uh, since she is an actress, we could find her on-line.”

Vlad scowled. “On what line?”

Max carefully asked, “Vlad, when was the last time you were up and walking around?”

“Is no matter! Take me to this line!”

“Have you ever heard of the internet?”

Vlad's senses were exceptionally sharp, and even with the emotional high he was riding, he detected the uncertainty in Max's voice. His red eyes narrowed as he looked at Max more intently. “What makes you so nervous now?”

“Uh, well, it's complicated. I suspect that there have been a lot of changes since you were last around.”

“Is no matter! She is reborn!”

“Calm down, Vlad, I can help you find her, but you have to let me fill you in on what you have been missing.”

It took a while, but with Mike and Josh's help, Max convinced Vlad to hold off on his quest till they had a chance to bring him up to date. They also convinced him that this was best done over drinks. As Vlad calmed down, his English improved, and his southern accent regained its ascendency. After making sure that all parties were talking about the same kind of drink, the four men headed out. In the main hall, Max realized that there might be another problem.

“Uh, Vlad, it's only a little after noon. Can you go outside now?”

“Of course I can go outside.” He paused and looked dangerously at Max. “Unless you forbid it.”

“No, I mean, it's a bright sunny day. Is that going to be a problem?”

Vlad looked at Max strangely. “No. Why?”

“You don't explode or burn up in sunlight?”

Now Vlad looked concerned for Max. “Um, never mind, Vlad, dumb question, I guess.” He turned quickly, glanced at the others. “Okay guys, let’s go.”

Max got as far as opening the front door. When he pulled it open, something brown and red flopped over the threshold onto the floor. Max looked down and screamed. He jumped back, ran into Mike, and they both went down on the floor. Josh and Vlad's reflexes were quick enough to get them out of the way.

From the floor, Mike cursed Max. “What the hell, Max?”

Max had time to sit up and see that the thing in the doorway was not alive. In fact, it was very dead. It was a headless dog. It was lying across the threshold, a small amount of blood pooling from its neck. Max's voice was shaking badly when he said, “Ah holy... fuck! God... heck! What the hell is that?”

Josh and Vlad didn't seem in the least disturbed. They both leaned down to study it, Josh said, “Whoa, dudes, it looks like a headless dog.”

Vlad glared at Josh, but Max was shaking hard. “Wha... why... why is there a headless dog on my porch?”

Vlad grabbed it by the scruff of its back and examined it from all angles. “Its head looks like it was torn off. There are no signs of teeth marks.”

Max supposed that Vlad would know. He flopped back and lay prone on the floor looking at the ceiling, shaking.

Josh turned and saw Max's state. “Whoa dude, you need some of Dr. Mellow's special elixir.”

Mike looked at him. “Jesus, Max. Everything else you've gone through and you react that way to a headless mutt?”

Max's only response was to close his eyes and groan.

Max and company were back in his motel room. Max had finally gotten the shakes under control and several times had verified that no one else knew why someone would toss a headless Rottweiler on his porch. Theories had ranged from cultists to deranged fans. Meanwhile, Mike had poured him and everyone else a big water glass full of hooch, and every single person there tossed it back like it was lemonade. Vlad's patience was just about at its end. After blatantly not exploding in the early afternoon sunshine and getting the miracles of cars sort of explained to him, he had repeatedly asked how they would find his lost love on the way to the motel.

By unanimous consent, Josh was the one to explain the modern world to Vlad. It turned out that Vlad was last out and about around 1850s. He “retired” right before the civil war. When Max heard this, he breathed a prayer of thanks. Having a confederate vampire on his hands could have spelled all kinds of hurt. So, since Josh had lived through the intervening years, he was uniquely qualified to be Vlad's guide.

An indeterminate time later, Vlad was reasonably well caught up. Max marveled at how well Vlad had taken everything in. When he mentioned this, Vlad had said, “Nothing has changed. Men still bleed.” After that, Max drank more and talked less. By the time Josh rounded it all up, with some help from Mike on the details of the '90s, '00s, and '10s, the group had polished off about three bottles of Jack Daniels, and they were all riding high.

Mike spoke up. “So Vlad, if you have been uh, incommunicado, all these years, how do you know this actress chick?”

Vlad's eyes grew distant, and he started to talk in a steady monotone—like he was reciting something. His Russian accent returned as he spoke.

“Anesha was most beautiful woman I knew. Full with life and grace and happiness. When we married, I sang to God my thanks. Nothing in life was so precious to me. She brought out sun in cold Rus winter. She was gornichnaya to Nobleman. It was there that hell-be-damned prince first sees her. George Igorovitch sent for her that night. Took her from my home. I was just merchant, I could not stop them. She screamed and fought as they took her away.

“Next day, they would not let me into castle. I go there every day, but no word of my Anesha, till one day, they say, ‘We bring her to you now.’ I was so happy, but they brought me her dead. She had been... beaten and raped. They said, she scratched Prince, so he gave her to the guards. They used her till she was dead.

“I tore open one guard’s throat and attacked other, but there were too many of them. They beat me. I hoped it was to death, but I woke up in cold cell. I wished I had died, but God laughed at me, and I did not die. Hatred filled me like fire, but nothing could I do.

“Then one time, I wake up to see woman in my cell. She said that she was Lilitu, sorceress emissary of Batu Kahn, here to deliver demand for surrender of Riazan. She told me she could smell my anger and hate, and she would help me to have my revenge. She said that in three nights’ time, I would find my cell open, and that, if I should eat the heart of guard, then for one night, I would be more powerful than all other man. Her word was true, and after I killed the guard and ate every bit of his heart, I roamed throughout castle and killed everyone I found. None could stop me, none could meet my fury. The barbarians could see that I was one of them. We fought and killed side by side. During the night of blood, the castle fell to Batu Kahn and, with the barbarians, I killed everyone in the castle.

“My vengeance was denied because Prince Igorovitch ran to the church to hide with the Priests. There, he was killed by another. In the morning, I round up the nuns and the priests and spit them and burn them alive. Barbarians think this good fun. We tortured, raped and killed the women of the city, and when there was nothing else, we raised the city to the ground. It was said of that day, ‘No eye remained open to weep for the dead.’