Z Day +49

  JAMES

  A few hours later, I woke up in tangled sheets, my brain fuzzy from all the new memories Rhiannon had shared with me. I stared at the ceiling for a minute, trying to remember where I was. I'd slept under so many ceilings you'd think they'd blur together. But they didn't. Even if they were the same texture and color, you might have a water stain in the shape of Abraham Lincoln or a line of thin spiderwebs clinging to a piece of dust it snatched out of the air.

  I'd long ago mastered the art of waking up. For the longest time, I was someone you'd throw something at from across the room because when I woke, I woke instantly like I was in some bad horror movie. Now, I'd taught myself not to move and continue to act as if asleep until I was fully awake. I could still bolt out of bed when needed; being in so many sandboxes made me keep those reflexes in the back of my head.

  Rhiannon wasn't in bed, or the room for that matter. I appeared to be alone. I listened and could hear other people in the house, but I hadn't had enough experience being around her to pick her out of a crowd yet.

  I sat up and swung my legs off the bed before pausing to let the blood flow catch up to my brain. Then I remembered I didn't have to worry about that anymore and stood up, enjoying the newfound freedom. I stretched and went to the bathroom to take care of necessities (I still had human remnants). I was washing my face when cool fingers ran down my back, making me jump.

  *Geesh! Don't do that!* I hollered, grabbing a towel and wiping the water from my face. I turned and found Rhiannon looking at me with a canary-eating grin. Her approach had been silent. She'd not even made noise opening and closing the door to the room.

  *Why so jumpy, Conner?* she said.

  I narrowed my eyes at her. *Not you, too.*

  *Me too?* she asked.

  *Seems like the women around me continue to surprise me with their geekiness lately.*

  *I am not a geek,* she balled a fist at me.

  I held my hands up defensively, *No! Absolutely not,* I shook my head. *How are you so damned quiet?*

  [I tried to find the fourth wall to make a comment about James’s inability to keep up but couldn’t find it. Then I realized this part was being told from James’s perspective and sighed.]

  *You’ve seen my past, James. You know I’ve had secret ninja training. But seeing as you’re an American, now you’ll probably write a book about it that will be turned into a shitty movie followed by an even shittier line of “how to” videos that will end up on the home shopping network as a freebie for buying a set of steak knives. Now I’ll have to swear you to secrecy so I don’t have to kill you,* Rhiannon said.

  *I swear,* I said, holding up three fingers.

  *You were never a Boy Scout,* she said.

  *How would you know?* I asked.

  *What do you think I was doing while you were getting my backstory?*

  *Narrating?* I offered.

  *True, but my other little voice was neatly thumbing through your memories to find all your secrets,* she smiled innocently.

  *You actually hear another voice in your head?* I asked.

  *Yeah, you’ve heard it,* she said. *You know how some people have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other? Well, instead of that, I have an asshole who lives in my head.*

  *Yeah, but it has your voice,* I said.

  *She-is-not-me,* Rhiannon said with finality. *We’re very different.*

  *Right,* I nodded slowly.

  *Shut up and eat,* she said, handing me a ceramic mug. *I figured after yesterday you might be hungry, but if you’re going to be snarky.*

  *No, no,* I said, taking the warm mug. I glanced down at its contents and hesitated.

  *Trust me, it's fresh. I slaughtered the baby myself after making sure it had been ritually purified,* Rhiannon said in that matter-of-fact tone she enjoyed using to disquiet others.

  I frowned at her, *That's not funny.* But then I took a sip and did a double take. It was human blood, it had to be with how good it tasted. It was fresh and it was good. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know where it was from, but as soon as it hit my tongue, I was ravenous and chugged it down.

  It amazed me with how much my body had changed. Only a week ago I’d detested having to touch blood. Now, I held the cup upside down letting the last dregs drip into my mouth while Rhiannon chuckled.

  *We do have more, you know. You don't have to lick the cup,* she said.

  I felt her cool hands on my face, pulling me towards her and pushing the cup aside. I thought she was about to kiss me, but she slipped to the side at the last second, and I felt her tongue sliding across my chin.

  *You missed a bit,* Rhiannon said as she finished cleaning up my dribble. She leaned back and licked her lips, *Waste not, want not.*

  She left me in the bathroom to finish cleaning up, and I watched her go with some trepidation. I brushed my teeth twice, using what I took for her toothbrush, I don’t know who else’s it would be. I'd learned that, while I now liked the taste of blood, old blood in your teeth was disgusting. Not to mention the smell.

  *I hope you don’t mind, I used your toothbrush,* I said.

  *Yes. That's it. That's the line you weren't allowed to cross. You can violate my body in ways that would have you arrested, but using my toothbrush is just beyond the pale.* She was pulling on a fresh set of clothes from a closet.

  Rhiannon put on a simple pair of blue jeans, a black tank top tucked into them, and a matching pair of trainers. She topped it off with a white button-down shirt she left unbuttoned and untucked but rolled the sleeves up halfway. The outfit looked like something you'd see on anyone, except every piece was a designer label only the one-percenters could afford.

  *Get dressed,* she told me.

  *What's up?* I said as I pulled my clothes on.

  *Well, you're the first guest I've ever had. As I don't want people to think I paid you to come here and believe me, the rumors are already going around, I need you to do me a favor and...well...be my...boyfriend for a little bit.*

  *I dunno, me liking you? That might be a bit of a stretch,* I teased.

  She punched me in the chest so fast I didn't see her move. There was enough force behind it to cause me to take a step back to keep from falling over.

  *If this is going to be an abusive relationship, I'm leaving you right now, and I'm taking the kids!* I said, rubbing my chest.

  Rhiannon leveled a finger at me, *You should be able to dodge that by now.* She rolled her eyes when I didn’t respond. *Come on dummy,* she said as she grabbed my arm and lead me out the door.

  *Seriously, what do you want me to do?* I asked.

  *Just relax and act natural,* she said.

  *Natural...in a compound full of vampires,* I replied.

  *Ugh. Fine, pretend I'm her,* she gave me a sideways look.

  *You're not fucking with me again, are you?* I asked suspiciously.

  She stopped and turned to me. *If I were, I wouldn't be THAT cruel. I may be a bitch on occasion, but I'm not an asshole,* she said as she took my arm.

  *Out loud then?* I asked.

  “Yup,” she confirmed.

  “All right then, lead on Macduff.” *What should I talk about?* I asked.

  *Well, not the Scottish play since you screwed that line up royally. Just relax. I'm going to give you a simple tour of the place. Ask normal boring shit,* she nodded.

  She led me through the house's corridors, showing me the various rooms and halls within. Some of the rooms were simplistic, reminiscent of the old monastery style. Others were elegant and fine, like the main hall. It was decked out in dark woods, tapestries, chandeliers and finery reminiscent of a big-budget King Arthur movie.

  *He likes to go overboard on his “throne room.”* She pointed to an actual throne on a raised dais at the head of the room. Pillars lined either side of the room, complete with stained glass windows. *There’s a back entrance to it as well.*

  “Wow, that's beautiful,” I said aloud, followed by *It's hideous.*

  “Yes, sir, sure is,” she agreed.

  We'd passed several people in the halls, all appearing to be household staff. Most of them paid us no attention, at least not openly. I could already hear the whispering going on after we passed by. We made small talk that was completely empty of any real substance to put on appearances while keeping a running conversation going in our heads.

  *Are all the staff here human?* I asked.

  *Yes, Pagoda likes to be able to push and order around anyone he pleases. He knows he can get away with anything when it comes to humans. With vampires, it's a whole different kettle of fish,* she said.

  *Why is it you’re showing me all this again?* I asked.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  *Why? Tired of my company already?* she said.

  *No, it's just that—*

  *You aren’t very good at this, are you?* she said.

  *Good at what?* I said confused.

  *Gathering intel,* she said. *I have no idea how you’re going to pull this off.*

  I shut my mouth, realizing she’d been trying to help me map out the compound. Instead of replying, I opened my eyes and started taking frantic notes.

  She nodded as we moved outside. We wandered off into the woods, and while it felt as if we were alone, I noticed the multiple camera emplacements cleverly disguised on the trees. We did get close to one of the walls, and I saw some sort of TASS system set up. We used something similar on Air Force bases to monitor motion, occasionally thermal, but it was twitchy as hell, and we were always responding to false alarms.

  After twenty minutes, we came across another group of buildings. A large, older building sat amongst several smaller buildings that looked relatively recent. They reminded me of the portables most older schools must set up to handle the ever-growing student populace.

  “What's this?” I asked.

  “Oh, these are the herd quarters,” she said.

  “Herd quarters?” I looked at her.

  “Yes, I call it the corral. Some residents stayed here as full-time tap boys and girls. Once the outbreak happened, Pagoda expanded to ensure a healthy supply in case things went bad,” she said.

  “What do they do? I mean, when they're not “contributing”?” I asked.

  She laughed. “Pretty much whatever they want. They have the run of the grounds but not the main house or the grotto. They have a large entertainment facility that most of them seem to enjoy. Some have started a garden on the far side to help out during...you know.”

  “A victory garden huh?” I looked at the compound, and a few people were wandering around. “And they all know...” I started.

  “About vampires? Oh, sure,” she said. “Although, there are some that don’t really believe it. But they go along for the safety.”

  I shook my head, trying to wrap my head around it. “Can I take a look?”

  She shrugged, “Sure.” She led me inside the main herd building.

  Ever since she said the word “herd,” I'd been expecting holding pens with hay and the smell of manure, but once we walked in, I was taken aback. I felt like I was walking into a health spa. There were rich colors, wood accents and plants everywhere. There was some incense in the air I couldn't identify, and I could hear soft music playing from somewhere. There were large, oversized chairs and couches with people lounging around the place. Some were wearing large white fluffy robes, their hair wrapped up in towels as if they really were at a spa.

  There was a large counter at the entrance with several hallways leading off in various directions. A woman looked up at us and immediately stood as we came in.

  “Ms. Rhiannon Kachou. What can we do for you, ma'am?” She wore a white pantsuit and the expression of a flight attendant addressing passengers as they departed the plane after a 19-hour flight.

  “Nothing,” was all she said. I hadn't noticed that she'd detached herself from me just before we entered. Her relaxed atmosphere was gone now, and her no-nonsense expression was back. “Return to your work.”

  “Of course, ma'am. Please let me know if I can help you, ma'am,” the woman said.

  *Rhiannon, that woman is terrified of you,* I said as we turned and walked down one of the halls.

  *She should be. Remember, I'm the queen bitch of the universe around here. Other people are supposed to be all warm and fuzzy, not me,* she said, then added, *and it’s Rhi, James. I’m pretty sure you qualify as one of my friends now.*

  *I wasn’t sure; I didn’t want to assume anything, your highness.* I rolled slightly with the punch I figured would be coming my way. When it didn’t, I looked and saw Rhi visibly restraining herself. *Doesn't it get old? I imagine it would be tough to keep up this act around the clock.*

  She hesitated a moment before answering, *Yes and yes.* But then she returned to her normal hard expression. *It's why I'm kept around.*

  I didn't touch that one as we started seeing rooms on either side of the hallway. It reminded me of a nursing home kinda, just without the smell of stale piss and dread. I saw medical equipment hidden away in quiet alcoves where no one could see it. All the people I saw seemed to be in good spirits and enjoying themselves.

  *There are children here?!?* I asked incredulously.

  *Of course, we're not monsters. Normally, only adults would have been here. But when Pagoda started “stocking up,” he brought in people's families. You couldn't expect them to leave their kids outside the front gate, could you? These people are here because Pagoda said he would take care of and protect their families.*

  *What a pillar of humanity. But...* I started.

  *We DON'T feed on children, James. As sick as Pagoda can be, he does follow the golden rules.* she seemed to shudder as if the mere thought sickened her.

  *Sorry,* I said honestly.

  We came across a large room with various gaming tables, video games, vending machines, pool tables, you name it. There was even a large bar along one wall. It reminded me of Dave and Buster's, just not as loud.

  “Wow,” I said.

  *Yeah, there's a restaurant as well that's well stocked. Aside from the perishables, it's got enough food to keep all these people fed for quite some time.*

  We passed a computer lab, a well-stocked library, a couple of movie rooms and then came to a gym.

  *The entirety of the floors above are dormitories. We weren't prepared for the families, so that's why they built the temporary buildings outside, trying to give them a little privacy and everyone else some quiet time away from the kids.*

  I couldn't believe how big this place was or how many people were here. The report I'd read on the place from San Antonio didn't have ANY of this information. I was starting to think coming here was a bad idea. This place looked like its own mini-base. But then again, the larger the base, the harder it was to keep tight security.

  Inside the gym were several people playing basketball in the main area. I could see cardio and weight machines behind a glass wall off to one side. Then, there was a break in the game and I saw Pete.

  *Oh shit,* I said.

  *What?* Rhi said, instantly alert.

  *I know that guy. We used to go to school together,* I said.

  *Which one?* she asked.

  *The tall guy.*

  *They're playing basketball; they're all tall, James!* Rhi said.

  A crazy thought hit me then, and I quickly pushed it down and out of my mind.

  “Can I talk to him?” I pointed out Pete.

  “Sure, hang on.”

  I watched as she walked over to the court and right into the game. When they saw who it was, they all froze, the basketball rolling away forgotten. She turned and came back towards me. Pete was in tow with a confused expression on his face.

  “Meet you back up front?” I said as she approached.

  A confused look crossed her face a moment, but then she nodded, “Sure.” She continued past me.

  I stepped between them as she passed, “Hey Pete.”

  Pete stopped, glancing at me, then at Rhi as she left us. Then he did a double take back at me. There was a glint of recognition, but he couldn't place me.

  “It's James Sable from R.J. High, way back in the day.”

  “James Sable...” he tried to remember.

  “We rode the bus together with Megan. We used to eat lunch together. I was two grades below you.”

  “Oh yeah! How you doing, man? You in here, too?” Pete said.

  “Yeah, uh, no. Listen, is there somewhere we can talk?” I asked.

  “Sure, come on back to my room.”

  I followed him down several hallways before he stopped at the door, unlocked it and went inside.

  “Welcome,” he waved me inside.

  The room wasn't spacious, just big enough for: a bed, desk, chair, computer, TV and a small assortment of trinkets. It was still bigger than some of the places I'd lived downrange, when I wasn’t living in a tent, that is.

  “Nice room,” I nodded.

  “Yeah, what can you do, right? Space is at a premium around here. So, what's it been? Like 16 years or something, hadn't it?” Pete said.

  “More or less. Listen, mind if I sit?” I sat down at the computer desk.

  “Yeah, sure.” He closed the door and sat on the bed. “What have you been up to since school, man?”

  “Oh, you know. Trying to survive. Joined the service after school and pretty much been doing that ever since,” I said.

  “Still?” Pete said.

  “Sorta, we're kinda on a break right now,” I smiled.

  He laughed, “I bet.”

  “How about you?” I asked.

  “Oh, I went to UT for a couple of years. Didn't really study anything, just took classes. Then picked up a good job with Dell. I didn't need college after that. Been with Dell ever since. Well, until…you know,” Pete said.

  “Yeah, I know. How'd you end up here?” I asked.

  “Would you believe I was here when this all started?” Pete said.

  “How so?” I asked.

  “They were having problems with their internal servers, network kept crapping out on them. So, I was down here trying to get them back up and running. I had been here three days already and practically had to replace the entire farm when the big outbreak hit. I was up to my neck in cables and didn't even know until late that first night when I tried to leave,” Pete said.

  “I didn't believe them at first. But then I started checking the news. I saw my apartment building on fire and had nowhere to go. They offered me a job running their network maintenance and a place to stay. It wasn't until later that I learned what was happening here,” Pete said.

  “So, you didn't know that they were…” I said.

  “Vampires, yeah. It was bizarre at first, but the humans who already lived here took me under their wing and spun me up. They give a class to newcomers now,” he chuckled.

  “Do you like it here?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I mean, I can't complain. It's not like I'd be better off out there, and the tradeoff isn't bad at all.”

  “What do they make you do?” I asked.

  “About once every six weeks or so, I'm supposed to donate blood. That’s it. Well, that and the IT stuff. I was worse off living in the dorms at UT. There I was eating ramen most of the time and not able to afford to go out anyway,” he grinned.

  “What about your family? You still have your mom?” I asked, remembering he’d lived alone with his mom back in high school.

  His face fell a little. “She was down in Houston visiting my aunt. The last I heard, she was safe in one of the camps. The main guy here said they would be picking up family members and bringing them back here. But, he's been gone a while, so I don't know what’s going on as no one here has any updates.” He shook his head. “But enough on me, what's going on with you? How'd you end up here?”

  “Oh, that's a bit of a story,” I said.

  “Got all the time in the world here, man. Lay it on me,” Pete said.

  Sometime later, I met back up with Rhi in the foyer.

  *What's with the red Power Ranger and the cat picture?* Rhi asked.

  “For now, keep it verbal and don't go upstairs, OK?” I said, tapping my temple.

  She seemed to think that over for a minute before shrugging, “OK.” She led me out of the building. “You'll want to be heading out now, won't you?” she almost sounded sad.

  “Probably for the best,” I said, taking her hand.

  She dropped it immediately. “Best, we shouldn't touch, just in case.”

  “I did say you were the smart one, right?” I said.

  She shook her head, “Not really.”

  We walked back towards the front of the main compound in silence until I got to where the bike was parked. “You could come back with me,” I offered, already knowing the answer.

  “No,” she shook her head, “my place is here.”

  I nodded. “I understand. That doesn't mean I like it.”

  She looked up at me and smiled. “It doesn't mean I like it either. Oh, the other bike is at Drakes, FYI.”

  I embraced her fiercely and kissed her, my thoughts firmly rooted in the previous night and all the things we'd done to one another. She seemed stunned when we broke apart.

  “Holy shit,” she whispered, still reeling from the blast of emotions I had thrown at her during the kiss. “Feel free to visit anytime,” her mind was still swirling with the memories.

  “Oh, I'll be back alright, I promise you that.” I grinned at her. “Just keep up the ice queen act. It's fun thawing you out.”

  “Get the hell out of here.” She went to punch me, but I gunned the bike and was out of range.

  I still wasn't sure what all was going on with Rhi, or with Shae and me and Rhi for that matter. All I knew was that we were coming back here one way or the other.

  ∞?∞

  SHAE

  James was away for the next four days. He’d used the rapport link to tell me he would be working on something and not to contact him unless it was an emergency. I figured he must be working on whatever plan he’d devised for taking Pagoda’s compound. I knew why he had to keep me out of the planning; anything he told me was basically telling Pagoda. It didn’t make it any easier.

  I missed him, and I wanted to talk to him about Rhi. I knew he wasn’t as innocent as he had been back in school, but he still had a kind heart. Sometimes, too kind.

  Rhi was still dangerous. Yes, we’d had a long bloodtouch. I’d seen a lot about her and vice versa. She didn’t appear to mean us harm, but that didn’t mean things couldn’t change.

  Of course, I could be overthinking this, and Rhi was being entirely honest with us. Even Natalie’s affirmation couldn’t completely erase my concerns.

  Then there was James. I was worried he might be letting his hormones make decisions for him. I mean, I couldn’t blame him. Rhi’d won the genetic lottery; she was gorgeous, but so was a Lily of the Valley.

  Being away for four days gave me a lot of time to sort through the memories Natalie had given back to me. I relived some of my early meetings with James, including the first time when I’d been out scouting for a local tap boy due to Pagoda’s harping and Shelby’s dare.

  I wasn’t prepared for memories of my master to ambush me. They hadn’t been taken from me, but they had been suppressed. Having her in my thoughts again reminded me how much I’d loved her before Pagoda murdered her.

  My master had saved me from a truly horrible fate so many years ago. She’d taken years to put me back together as a person before giving me a new purpose in death.

  Meanwhile, life moved on. The Hacienda seemed to be running smoothly. After nearly two months, everyone had fallen into a routine.

  Strangely, everyone had become comfortable handling zombies. No one shied away from going on supply runs anymore. Most actually looked forward to them just to get out of the house.

  While everyone hadn’t entirely accepted our infested world as the new norm, they were coping the best they knew how. At the same time, squabbles popped up here and there but were usually squashed pretty quickly.

  Whatever James was planning, I hoped it would be soon. It was only a matter of time before our good luck ran out.