AfterLife (34 page)

It can’t be, Seth thought, astonished. He had drained
everything from her. He was sure of it. Was she Mortui? That would be the only
reason she was still moving. He hadn’t sensed the possibility as he usually did
when he fed on potential recruits. Was it possible that his mind was still on
Anne Marie? No matter, it was all irrelevant at this point. If the woman was
dead she would soon experience rigor mortis. More importantly, if she was dead,
maybe he could use her.

He leaned over in his seat to get closer to the woman. “You
took quite a dive into your computer. You must be tired. I didn’t want to wake
you in case you needed the sleep.”

“I’m so embarrassed.” The woman was clearly flustered by
what had happened, and she made a faint giggling noise.

“Don’t be.” Seth smiled at her. He quickly synced with her
and confirmed that she was in fact a Mortui. “What do you do that’s so
exhausting that you fall asleep like that?”

“Oh,” the woman closed her laptop and placed it in her bag.
“I work for Senator Howard in Washington. He keeps me pretty busy.” She spoke
to the back of the seat in front of her.

“Looks like you need a vacation.”

“That’s the sad thing,” the woman replied. “I’m coming back
from one now.” She paused and made eye contact with Seth again. “I’m sorry; I’m
usually more of a conversational person than this. I guess I’m still a bit
embarrassed that I made a fool of myself.”

“Again, don’t be. I’m Seth.” Seth extended his hand across
the aisle to shake the woman’s hand. She took it. “I won’t tell anyone else
about it. I promise.” He turned his head in the direction of the conductor who
was moving down the seats. “That conductor on the other hand, I’m sure he’s
already told half the train.”

They both laughed.

“I’m Katherine. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Seth said, gradually moving closer in his seat
toward her. It was time to gain her trust and help her through the Mortui
transition. “Katherine who works for Senator Howard, the pleasure is all mine.”
It was genuinely nice to meet her. It was also a sign that things were again
going his way.

“N
ormally, I
don’t have time for something like this and you would quickly be thrown out of
here,” the senator said as he leaned back in his chair and unbuttoned his suit
jacket. His face held an expression of amusement. “However, you go right ahead
and tell me more of your crazy stories. I happen to have a little extra time
this morning, and I could use a good laugh.”

The stories this stranger was telling him, if true, were far
from humorous. He wanted to have the man thrown out of his office, but he also
wanted – no, needed – to hear more. He kept his face expressionless as his mind
reeled. He was already trying to wrap his head around the idea that there was a
society of people called Mortuis who couldn’t die. According to this man, they
had been around for millennia and were a subsect of the human race that had
resulted from a small genetic evolution during the dawn of mankind. They could
now be found in every civilization and every corner of the globe. He’d said
that Mortuis were born alive, but that a premature death would prevent the soul
from severing from the body.

As a young man, stories of the living dead had always
fascinated him. Would he be feeling as anxious in this man’s presence if he had
said he was a vampire or a werewolf? Probably not. It was easy to dismiss the
current faddish interest in these works of fiction. This story was different.
There was something about this man and his story of Mortuis that made him
uncomfortable. A part of him that felt he might actually be telling the truth.

“I guarantee, Senator, I’m not here to peddle fairy tales.”
The man, named Seth, sat confidently in the chair on the opposite side of the desk.
He showed no signs of the nervousness one would expect from a man of his
apparent age. He looked young but held himself as if he were much older. “I can
also guarantee that you will come to see our time together as time well spent.”

“Okay, Mr. Apep—”

“Please, just call me Seth,” the man said, interrupting the
senator.

Senator Howard lowered his eyes. He was a direct man, and
that accounted for much of his political success, but it was as if something
prevented him from looking this stranger in the eyes. Instead, his eyes
wandered over several documents that were still waiting to be signed. He
fiddled with a paper weight shaped like the statue of Lincoln that held them
firmly in place. There were pens in a cup, an open calendar book, and his
computer. Nothing seemed as important as the discussion he was having.

He had been introduced to Seth earlier that morning by
Katherine, one of his assistants. She was hardworking and ambitious; they’d
worked together for some time now and he trusted her. If she hadn’t suggested
he meet with Seth he wouldn’t have. Now he wished he hadn’t, but that was water
under the bridge. His immediate concern was to determine what truth, if any,
there was in the claims he was making. Furthermore, if it was true, what he
hoped to gain by sharing the information. If Mortuis had been around forever,
there was a reason the rest of mankind didn’t know about them. It worried him
that Seth wanted him to know.

“Fine, Seth. Let’s pretend, for argument’s sake, that
everything you’ve just told me is fact. Let’s say there are dead people who
walk among us. Let me even suspend my disbelief that you yourself are one of
these Mortuis, as you call them. Are you telling me you can prove all this?”

“I can prove it right now, right here, if that’s what you
want, but there’s really no need.” Seth said. “You already know it’s the truth.
You living beings, or antemorts, as we call you, have an instinctual knowledge
of our existence. Why do you think people are afraid to look into the eyes of
strangers, or avoid the gazes of those they pass? It comes from an intuitive
need to protect yourself from us.”

The words startled him. He’d been avoiding Seth’s eyes ever
since he’d entered the office. Senator Howard leaned forward in his chair and
placed his arms on the desk. As he moved forward, a stream of sunlight fell on
his face from the window. He automatically squinted his eyes, then fought it.
He wouldn’t give the illusion of weakness to the man sitting opposite him. He
looked him directly in the eye. “If this is true, I have two questions for you.
How will this information help me, and what do you expect me to do with it?”

 “I have a few ideas.” The man sitting on the other side of
the desk slowly smiled. “Let me demonstrate what a Mortui can do. I need someone
to work with, perhaps someone less valuable to your organization?”

Senator Howard mentally studied the personnel list of those
working in the office, considering who would be willing to participate without
asking too many questions. There was that promising new intern. He made a call
to have the boy sent in, and a few seconds later, the young man entered the
room.

The senator greeted him. “Hi Doug. I’m hoping you can offer
your assistance to me for a little experiment we want to conduct. Are you up
for it?”

“Absolutely, sir,” Doug said, closing the door behind him.
He approached the desk.

“Fantastic.” The senator pointed to Seth. “This is Seth.
Just do whatever he asks you to do.”

Doug looked expectantly at Seth. “Doug,” Seth said in a calm
voice, “we’re having a little discussion about my eyes. Can you tell the
senator what color you think they are?”

“Sure. That’s easy enough,” Doug said, approaching Seth. He
looked into Seth’s eyes and a few seconds later he was lying on the floor next
to Seth’s chair.

Senator Howard jolted back from his desk in shock. “What’s
wrong with him? What did you do to him?”

Seth smiled slowly, but without emotion. “He’s dead. That,
senator, is how Mortuis stay alive – we feed off the life force of the living.
We don’t need to take all your energy, and feeding doesn’t always result in
death. However, today I thought for the purposes of providing the ‘proof’ you
feel you need, this might be a little more convincing.”

The intern’s lifeless body was more than enough proof of the
existence of Mortuis. The senator could no longer hide his emotions. “What do
we do now?” He looked at Seth.

“You’re going to call for help since you have a dead intern
on your floor. The last thing you want is to have people start asking questions
about a boy’s death in your office. Cause of death will probably be determined
as cardiac arrest, a brain aneurism, a blood clot, or any number of other
things they make up when they can’t explain a sudden death. Then, once you’ve
dealt with the body, you and I can get to work.” Seth stopped and looked down
at the body lying next to his chair and then back up at the senator. “I
understand, Senator, you are the Chairman of the Committee that oversees the
Armed Forces?” It wasn’t really a question. “I’m sure you’re in contact with
some very important people. I’m also sure you can see the value of eliminating
enemies as quickly and effortlessly as I’ve just eliminated your intern. Your
connections and influence combined with a new technology I’ve been developing
could result in a working relationship that will suit us both.”

Several seconds passed as the senator processed Doug’s death
and what was now being asked of him. He pulled himself together and forced a
smile. He’d lost control of the situation, he knew that, and regardless of
whether or not he wanted to admit it, Seth had the upper hand. His only option
was to play it off until he knew more about these Mortuis and what they were
capable of doing. He was a politician and this was what he did best; he put on
a show. Feeling as if he were making a pact with the devil, he said, “I can see
where your skills could be extremely valuable, Seth. I know some very important
people who would be interested in what you have to say, and being the generous
man that I am, I’d be more than happy to go into partnership with you.”

“Perfect,” Seth said. “Absolutely perfect."

Thank you for reading
AfterLife.

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About the Author:

S. P. Cloward grew up in Utah
across the street from the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

He currently resides in sunny
Orlando, Florida, a stone’s throw from world famous theme parks.

His imagination occupies a
studio apartment somewhere in-between.

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