Quarantined in Chaos (Nova Nocte) (13 page)

Our detail of travelers is now completely outfitted with bicycles and trailers. In the last week, we’ve covered a lot of miles. Reggie and I are scouting out a KOA campground a bit off the road while the others wait on the highway with their weapons at the ready. Cal and Daemon are charged with the task of quietly putting down any Dead that near the group.

             
Should we try flying overhead instead of peeking around trees?

             
Reggie shakes his head and points at a lone sentry outside the encircled RVs. The man watches the sky with his crossbow but has a rifle slung over his left shoulder.

             
They know about our kind, Squirrel. And it doesn’t seem that they’re interested in making our acquaintance. We should try to get a decent estimate of what we’re dealing with and report back. Caelinus will help us decide on our tactics.

             
We split up and circle the main building of the site and its barrier of RVs. I count seven adults and two kids. As soon as Reggie sees me he points back towards the road and flits away. I follow taking extra care to tread without a sound.

             
Our return was met with hopeful faces. Sunny looked at us, stopped rocking the slumbering toddler, placed him in his bed/bike trailer, and took Chase’s hand. The stubborn woman rose to her feet, put her spear into the weapons trailer on Vincent’s bike, and took out a sniper rifle.

             
“Can we keep going or do we need to fight?”

             
Reggie glanced in turn at me and Cal.

             
“Up to them. I’d say we need to choose fast though. We can’t fight them in the morning and you are fairly even matched.”

             
“Our total count was sixteen adults and two kids. Kids are around nine or ten. All of the adults are packing the same kind of arms we are; but they are monitoring the sky with their bows and crossbows.”

             
I paused to let the meaning sink in.

             
I’d like to let the group decide, Cal. Hopefully, they will think it out and choose better this time.

             
I received a wink from the Roman as he struck a military pose.

             
“We should have a quick vote: stay or go. Our pact is one of mutual assistance. The four of us are unable to assist during the daylight hours and wish to contribute. The choice is ultimately in your hands, we will do our best to offer protection.”

             
Whispered plans and theories were planted, grew, bloomed, and withered many times over in the span of an hour. Finally, Chase approached the Chevy we sat on at the edge of the darkness. He sat between Daemon and Cal and surveyed the empty road ahead.

             
“They’re having a hard time deciding. Sunny thinks one of you should step in and make the call.”

             
I watched the wind fluttering the needles on the pines into tiny overlapping tsunamis.

             
“No. I’m done taking the lead and making the decisions. When we cross the border, it’s a new life for all of us and everyone will have to make their own choices again. I can’t bear the responsibility of other people’s decisions and they won’t have to bear mine. That time is over.”

             
Daemon interlocked his fingers with mine and kissed my knuckles.

             
“I apologize, but that is the answer you will convey to your wife.” Cal patted Chase on the back. “Whatever the dividing issue, it is for the rest of you to resolve. We will comply, but this time, you will decide.”

             
“The issue is you four.”

             
All eyes on the one-armed man.

             
I released Daemon’s hand, hopped to the ground, and faced Chase.

             
“Why are we the issue?”

             
Despite his cracking skin, Chase appeared sunburned for a moment.

             
“The question is whether to leave now or to have you four try to get a night’s worth of feeding from them first. Some of us want to be sure you are all strong enough to keep flying around wiping out zombies for us and, honestly, a few of us are feeling the effects of so many donations.”

             
The air whipped shifting the nature around us and causing Chase to pull his coat tighter. The sound had all gone though.

             
“Oh.”

             
Always the wordsmith. What do you say to that? Apparently I just say ‘Oh.’

             
“Yeah.” Chase replied with a nod.

             
Okay, mine’s not too bad. We’re on the same page at least.

             
“Reggie and Cal, you guys know how to do the sneaky feeding thing; do you think Daemon and I could manage it too? Or just the two of you? Assuming it’s not too dangerous, of course.”

             
The pair exchanged glances and frowned. Cal pushed his silver-blonde hair from his face.

             
“I think we can all work it out. The two of you will need to learn this soon if you are to survive the civilized world. But in the name of Jupiter, Squirrel do
not
attempt to fly.”

             
Blushingly, I lifted my head to Chase.

             
“You and Sunny get everyone moving, we’ll catch up soon.”

             
“Will do.” He shuffled back towards the illumination of the small cook-fire. The low flames were snuffed out as we stealthily stole into the trees on our hunt.

###

              We split into pairs for the pursuit: Reggie with Daemon and Cal with me. Reggie refused to train with so clumsy a fledgling. As we neared the campground they peeled off to the right and we waited in front of a Winnebago.

             
My instructor whispered so low I knew no human could hear if they stood in the inches between us.

             
“They will pick targets from the back of the camp while we will go for the sentries out front.”

             
“Won’t they see us?”

             
“Not if we do things correctly. Follow me and take care to move like a shadow approaching the flame.”

             
He slipped smoothly amongst the shadows until he was past the guard and hidden along the base of the KOA office.

             
How does he do that?

             
Cal beckoned with his finger for me to join him. My legs twitched as I assumed a runner’s pose and tried to force myself to copy him. He stiffened and held up a hand for me to wait. The breeze slackened. I watched the pudgy Hispanic man pacing around the building, his eyes searching the darkness in front of him before returning his vision to the bespeckled sky. The treetops swayed as the wind began its tides anew. The finger called me to Cal again.

             
Of course! Cal tries to move when the wind is blowing and the guy is looking up.

             
I took the opportunity and concentrated on each step being fast but soundless. The sentry was looking down before I’d completed my venture; I was only halfway across the semicircle. I halted and watched his eyes go wide.

             
On instinct, I leapt upon the man and sank my fangs into him, disarming him as I my arms grappled with his. I dragged the struggling man outside of the wall of RVs. Shaded from the moonlight I drank. Caelinus appeared and forced me to stop before the man lost consciousness.

             
With his hand covering the drained man’s mouth, Cal glamoured him into forgetting us and sent him back to his position to fall asleep on the job. I licked the blood from my lips as he obediently sat on the low brick wall and rested against his rifle.

             
“Good reflex, poor control. You will do better next time. For now, I will hunt and you will do the glamour.”

             
“Fair enough. Thanks, Cal.”

             
“For what?”

             
“Not letting me kill the guy.”

             
“Oh, I just wanted to teach you to cover your tracks. On the way out, feel free to do whatever you must. You will have to kill sometimes, it’s part of being a vampire. You may as well start now when it can be of greatest use.”

             
Cal disappeared around the side of the building while I crouched and stared after him. Inside I could hear people snoring and talking. The muffled sounds of someone making love came from within one of the tents to the side. Life in all its glory.

             
We’re here to kill. Not just take what we need, but to take all that we can and leave these people to bury or burn what we leave behind. What the fuck am I doing here?

             
I hurry to Cal’s side. He is holding shut the mouth of an older woman. Her weapons sit useless on the ground and her neck is streaked with blood. The Roman licks the two streams.

             
“Time to put your glamour practice to the test.”

             
I kneel in front of the frightened woman and hold her hands. Looking into her eyes I try to connect the energy from my thoughts directly to the ones within her. I speak just loud enough for her to hear.

             
“You won’t remember either of us. You saw no one, just the stars and the trees. When we leave, you will forget us and grow very tired. You will sit down and fall asleep.”

             
I sent the same thought to her as I spoke and pictured her brain absorbing the message. She stopped fighting against Cal. He let go of her mouth while I released her hands. Wordlessly, the woman picked up her weapons, returned to her patrol location, and fell into a deep sleep sitting up.

             
“Well done, Squirrel.”

             
Cal grinned at me and his sharp teeth glowed like silver in the moonlight. He embraced the frail woman again, drinking from her until her heart was empty. He hid the woman under the nearest recreational vehicle and took her weapons and canteen.

“Go find your man and remember to hide the body to buy us extra time. Grab whatever our people can use and meet Reggie, Daemon
, and I where we separated earlier.”

             
He flew off and I stood in listening to the sounds of the happy people inside the tents and cabin; they thought they were safe. I traced my steps back to the front. The sentry sat undisturbed.

             
Forgive me, Mom and Dad. Forgive me, but this is the life I live now. I know you taught me not to kill, but this isn’t murder. It’s nature taking its course. All the same, please forgive me.

             
I hugged the man close to me and carried him into the black night while he flailed. I wept as I impaled his neck a second time and sucked the font dry. I cried for the man, for the people inside who cared for him, for the kids who might be his, for the life I was leaving behind, and for the person I thought I was.

             
When I was finished, I wiped my tears and dumped the body in a depression beyond the trees and looted it. I took left only his St. Michael medallion. Tossing a loose armful of needles and leaves over the remains, I took one look back at the happy camp. It would be as somber tomorrow as it was jubilant tonight. I prayed that I’d never see it again and I flitted back to my fellow killers.

             
When I saw Daemon’s face, it was clear he hadn’t expected this either. He slouched and looked away when he saw me. I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek. He put his arm around me and we followed our guides into this new life.

             
Reggie and Cal spoke of the need to begin acting according to the laws of our kind just as the others would need to think and act for themselves. The Nova Nocte we’d begun was over and separate ones were forming. Tonight’s events would be discussed only within our circle of Undead. Our ties to the rest of our people came second; our loyalty from now on was to our own kind.

             
We flew to rejoin our caravan with small talk and little else. Our troop pushed the journey as far as possible, even leapfrogging Sunny when she was tired. At dawn we set up half a mile to the east of the highway so that anyone following wouldn’t find us. I fell asleep in Daemon’s arms thinking of a joke.

             
A friend helps you move; a best friend helps you move a body.

             
“First time I think I’ve ever slept in a Waffle House.” Sunny teased while packing her bike trailer. Her husband gave her a peck on the cheek and moved the heavier bags to his own trailer.

             
“I think you’re forgetting the New Year’s Eve you discovered Amoretto.”

             
“Never happened; you have no evidence, I burned those pictures.”

             
Sunny tossed a faded crimson blanket at Chase with a grin.

             
“Oh look, your face matches the comforter.”

             
Margot walked between the pair and stood by her beach cruiser trike.

             
“Are you two always this nauseatingly cute? Cause if you are, I’m cool with leaving you here.”             

             
Bubba frowned at her and got off his bicycle.

             
“Listen, if you want to be a little brat, you are welcome to wander off with your brothers and stay trapped in the quarantine.”

             
Claude and Victor whispered rebukes in their sister’s ears and prodded her to respond.

             
“No. We’ll stay.” She turned to Sunny and Chase. “Sorry.”

             
Sunny sized the girl up and patted Bubba’s arm.

             
“Thanks, Bubba. We’re good, let’s just get some miles down. Long way to go and it’s going to get colder the longer it takes us to travel north.”

             
I watched the standoff from my seat in the crumbling parking lot. Daemon and I stood and wiped off our pants. Kicking a chunk of stone into a pothole, I wondered if we would ever be able to sleep under the same roof with our people again.

             
Doubt it. Can’t trust them now that they know how to fend off the fleshies on their own. Not sure I trust myself not to harm them either. It’s all over.

             
“Squirrel, are you guys coming?”

             
Chase set Chaim into the trailer and wrapped him in a cartoon-covered fleece. Nurse checked on Sunny and signaled Sindbad to sit in his trailer for the long night. Groans hung in the cool air as the Moon ascended to its throne among the stars. Reggie and Cal took off in its wake. Daemon and I watched the group peddle past us; Margot blew him a kiss.

             
“Ignore her. You know I’m only interested in you.”

             
My sire pulled me close and kissed me before taking up his position to the west of the convoy. I admired his smooth takeoff -- and the view it provided -- threw one last scowl at his other admirer and shakily flew at the rear of the group. Reggie kept the north and Cal the east as we scoured the area around our mobile meals for dangers or supplies. I swerved to avoid the treetops and managed to catch an owl.

             
At least I can give them a decent meal later.

             
I snapped the bird’s neck and put it into a trash bag. As we flew, I witnessed my fellow vampires dive into the darkness and return with prizes of their own. Mostly, their return was marked only by the cessation of a zombie’s moans. I spun mid-air to ensure we weren’t being followed every so often. I was disappointedly left with my own thoughts and nothing much to handle.

             
Have they found the bodies yet? Did they get angry? Fearful? Are they tracking us or running away? When did I become a monster?

             
###

             
A van wove between the glimmering asphalt stream spewing the smell of old french fries and exhaust. I cursed under my breath at the rolling heap of steel.

             
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. How did they get fuel to power that relic?”

             
The silver van held half a dozen beating hearts and was trailed by over twenty bodies lacking heartbeats.

             
Are they chasing us or fleeing from those? Why can’t things just be easy for once?

             
I blew a low whistle to gain the attention of my Undead companions. Three dots in the distance stopped and their pale faces turned. I waved my arm to bring them to me and gestured down at the growing flock of Dead cascading into place behind the 80s automobile.

             
“Well that’s not good.”

             
“Daemon, your powers of perception amaze. Reggie, please go inform our friends of the situation and urge them to stop and get into a defensive position.”

             
Reggie hustled to carry out Cal’s instructions.

             
“Cal, are we really going to attempt to take out all of them?” I asked, my voice not holding as steady as I’d have liked. “There are a lot of Dead down there.”

             
Daemon steadied me as I wobbled in the air. The Roman kept his eyes on the van.

“We only need to stop the van from reaching us; it will suffice as a distraction for the Dead.”

              Without waiting, the under-commander dove for the vehicle. Daemon shrugged.

             
“After you, my lady.”

             
“Always the gentleman. Ladies first into the fray.”

              “Of course.”

             
We shot through the sky and landed beside our mentor in the road. The roar of the engine echoed on the empty interstate. I felt my heart pound as we stood in the road waiting for it to reach us. The eager sounds of fleshies plodding along were broken by their death rattles and the revving of the motor.

             
They are gunning it. Should we be standing here when the van comes around that bend?

             
Twin beams of light shone on the wreckage as the van barreled towards us faster than a frat boy on a beer. My right pinky trembled and I forced myself to breathe. I looked to Cal for directions; he stood stone-faced and calm. Daemon whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

             
“Um, plan please?”

             
We both shifted our gazes from the speeding van to Cal.

             
“Just jump onto the van and stop it. Pull the people out, feed on the driver, break the engine, whatever it takes. What makes you two think I have a detailed plan? Just go!”

             
He flung himself at the driver’s window and punched it in, grabbing for the steering wheel. Daemon latched onto the passenger’s door and was greeted with a rifle butt to the nose.

             
“Daemon!” I shouted as he fell and rolled into the ditch.

             
I soared feet first at the grill of the vehicle.

             
Please let this work. Please let Daemon be okay.

             
My ankle snapped as it went into the radiator. Scalding fluid erupted, blinding me momentarily. Pain like bottled lightning and napalm ran through me. People jumped out of the van and drew guns. As my vision cleared, Cal tore into the throat of one man. A little boy -- no older than ten -- fired a pistol at the Roman. A spurt of his blood burst into the midnight air.

             
I fell on the passenger, ripping her neck open and sucking at the gash. I held the stocky gunman in front of me and his body shielded me from three shots before the fourth shredded my knee. We tumbled to the ground together; I couldn’t stop the frenzy that was coming.

             
Daemon carried off one of the shooters; I could see the smear of blood from his misshapen nose. The only ones left with guns were two children: the boy and a girl a couple of years his junior. I thought of the kids back at Nova Nocte: Ellen, Bobbi, Michael, Jordy, and Liam.

             
So young to live through so much death.

             
The hunger crested within me and I saw warm blood in place of their features. The atmosphere was thick with the scent of fresh death as I exsanguinated the boy who reminded me of my brother. I felt the world slipping away. I sank into the feeding and let the frenzy guide me. When the battle was done I was numb.

             
There was no cold, no hunger, and no remorse. I simply was. I looked up to see Daemon and Cal arguing and the little girl paying the price as the flock of zombies descended on the scene. Daemon scooped me up and flew me away as the fleshies rent apart the screaming child.               The corpses of her people were dismembered by skeletal hands and chipped teeth. I watched from within my mind as Cal led us back to our friends. The people I cared for and protected. People like the ones I’d just murdered.

             
I don’t think I want out this time. It’s cozy in here. I love you Daemon, but I need to rest. Goodbye.

             
“Squirrel, don’t leave me. It will be okay, just stay with me.” He looked panicked as we landed beside the bicycles. “Squirrel, can you hear me.”

             
I watched the stars twinkle and the energy flow from place to place as the wind blew. I closed my eyes and let the memories of my life wash over me. Snippets of the lives I’d just taken flashed like polaroids: family, school, outbreak, camping, orphaned, running, killed. The image of me in all my frenzied glory: covered in scarlet with eyes to match, fangs glistening in the headlights, standing crooked on the broken ankle, burns healing like a film played in reverse, and the aura of death cloaking me.

             
This is what he saw. This is who I have become.