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  He slipped sideways on what must have been a piece of the kid; I was just close enough to hear the moist whoopee cushion sound before the thud. The freshman scrambled to get to his feet, and I saw the nearest zombie sink its pearly teeth into David’s flailing arm. The zombie’s mangled braces reflected sunlight between spurts of the teen’s blood.

  I fled back to camp and left David behind. He’d been dead the minute the world changed and seeing that bite made it official. His enraged shouts tapered off before I reached the gateway.

  Chase was at the edge of the wall with some of the others when I barreled up the hill. They made a move to follow the trail, when I waved them off. Everyone understood and the congregation sought out the relative protection of our walls. Slingshots, bows, spears, and machetes materialized in each person’s hands.

  I hurriedly showed I was not infected. Grabbing a bow and quiver on my way to the lookout platform, I joined several other archers at the top. We spent the day — and nearly a hundred arrows — fending off a mob of fleshies. By late afternoon, the carcasses around our steel barrier were burned and all was calm again.

  When Cal arose from wherever he retired during the days, he noticed the smoldering piles and extra guards on the tower. Looking around for a minute, he asked,

  “What transpired today? Who hasn’t returned?”

  “Some Dead attacked a boy down by one of our lines. David and I got there too late. He went after them; I left when he got infected.” I answered.

  All eyes were downcast. The Roman breathed deeply before he spoke again.

  “The lad’s equipment?” he asked.

  “There…there were over a dozen zombies near the water,” I stammered out my explanation. “None of us wanted to venture past the field after they came up to the fort. Dav…he had his axe, knife, and not much else on him.” I suddenly felt like I was ten and was busted by my Dad for not doing my chores.

  Cal looked past me.

  I hate when he looks through me like that; feels like the grim reaper is checking his appointment book.

  “I will be back shortly. I’m going to check if there is anything to salvage of his belongings and clear out any other Dead nearby. Go through the boy’s other possessions in case there is anything the community can use. Tomorrow is another day; we start anew right now.”

  With these muted words, the vampire flew over the wall and we returned to our normal duties. Sunny and a few of others began boiling water and cutting plants for dinner. A handful of bass fried in a pan as the heads went into the water for stew. The scent wafted over, driving away the stench of burnt zombie remains, as Chase and I changed the subject to methods of accurately aiming our blows with different blades.

  The few parents in our bunch were getting their kids ready for bed; deflecting the questions about the day’s events. The children were afraid of monsters in the darkness and no one would be able to tell them monsters weren’t real. The littlest girl cried for David and asked when he would be back to eat us. I was thankful not to be that parent and went to gather the teen’s stuff.

  CHAPTER 5 EARLY MAY YEAR 1

  Over the next few weeks, the camp fell back into a rhythm. More traps were set — as much for food as for protection — and we checked them daily. Our gardens were yielding carrots, tomatoes, and herbs; Sunny even found a small grove of oranges and guava a bit west of the fort. Most of us had become adept at fishing and hunting, supplementing our groceries with raids into the city. For a short time, we even had vitamins and power bars from a Walgreen’s to keep our energy up.

  A handful of other wanderers joined our camp. It didn’t seem that we had any major stresses; it began to feel as though our lives had always been this way. And then it all came crashing down – literally.

  The sounds of treetops cracking and a string of obscenity-laced gibberish interrupted the party for Ellen’s seventh birthday. The stars were just coming out as the cloak of night faded to a deep violet. The fire was kept just large enough to light the festivities. Chase was carving up some of the assorted waterfowl for dinner while Sunny pilfered snatches of egret wing.

  Our entire assemblage was on alert as the pale figure plummeted into an outhouse screaming “Son of a doxy fish-monkey bastard!”

  Instantly, Cal was next to the gaping hole of filth, armed with his fangs and a Terminator glower. Out of the waste, a young man climbed; his leather jacket and jeans thoroughly plastered with rancid muck. The strange vampire grimaced, as he stood upright and looked at himself, arms out in disgust.

  Finally, he noticed Caelinus was only an arm’s reach away and the rest of the camp was staring at him. We all bore a weapon, except for Ellen who still had a present in her hands and a bejeweled princess tiara askew on her forehead. She blinked her azure eyes several times before dropping the gift and latching on to her mother; that particular Mom Glare could have stopped a bullet better than Superman.

  I struggled not to giggle at the look of embarrassment on the poop-covered intruder looking at our birthday royalty as though he expected the girl to yell ‘off with his head’.

  The outsider put his hands in his pockets, sunk his head down and mumbled,

  “Uh, hi everyone. Sorry about the landing, I’m still pretty new to this whole flying biz and an owl kind of startled me. I see you already have a vampire here so, um, cool. I guess he probably already has dibs. Nice crown princess, very sparkly. You guys enjoy your festivities. I’m just going to wander over to that river and tidy up.”

  Is this really happening or has the summer heat knocked me out and I’m in a weird dream?

  I felt my hip for my sword and drew it. I noticed other hands bing wiped on jeans to keep the weapons from slipping in the layer of sweat. The intruder was inching backwards now; we continued to stare at him like a sideshow attraction. Chase looked like a lumberjack with his axe held so resolute in front of his chest and Sunny was standing perkily next to him, grinning like a jack-o-lantern at the sudden entertainment; her spear was nonetheless steady in her stony grip.

  He rambled more rapidly.

  “If it’s cool with the group, I’d like to come back later and maybe join you. I’ll absolutely fix your crap-house, of course. My name is Daemon by the way. So, um…yeah. Nice to meet everyone and sorry about disrupting the fun time. See you soon.” Daemon paused to glance around. “Unless of course I should run, in which case just let me know so I can get a head start and wash the goop off first.”

  I burst into laughter (along with a few others). Daemon resembles a 1980s rocker Lestat but clearly had the grace of Jack Black; his pale, toned flesh is offset by his long black locks and piercing green eyes. He stopped his advance-to-the-rear motion and smiled; Cal even smirked a bit himself.

  Cal spoke first.

  “It will be up to the humans here and you would have to follow the rules we live by, but I am agreeable to discussing the options with you. For now, I will lend you fresh clothing and walk with you to the stream and back.”

  Caelinus led the newcomer away through the large sliding gate, stopping only to sprint into his storage for an outfit. By their stances, they appeared a father and son strolling through a stadium entrance.

  While the vamps were away, the celebration was concluded and an impromptu town meeting took place. Ellen and the other two children were sent to bed with their plates and their parents hurried back out to have their say in the matter set before our group.

  As soon as the two couples returned, Chase began.

  “Alright everyone, we have some things to consider. We’d have a lot to gain by having a second vampire in our community: raids into town, security at night, and even simple chores around camp would be more efficient with Daemon here. That is if we all agree to his presence. Conversely, it would also mean more blood would need to be donated.”

  Sunny piped in, nearly propelled in the air as though the thought stung her,

  “We should consider that he may be less than helpful, too; I mean, if you take his s
tylish entrance into account. On the reverse, Cal seems unconcerned about the guy being a hazard and he’s actually Roman Empire old, so he’s probably accurate in gauging his own kind. I’m willing to trust his judgment on this one.”

  I waited for the next person to speak, only to find all eyes fixed on me. At some point, I must have become a de facto leader; it was both flattering and disconcerting.

  I cleared my throat to stall for time.

  “Well, I think we should consider that this Daemon guy is a stranger and we’ve got no idea how he’ll react if we say he can’t move in; this guy will still need blood to live and if Cal’s off on a raid, we could end up dealing with him ourselves in a nasty way.”

  I popped and rubbed my knuckles to ease the pressure.

  “That being said, fang boy appears to be honest enough. He easily could have waited a day or two until Cal left if he just wanted to drink his fill and bail on us.”

  Brows were furrowed as the rest of the group listened, the gears in their heads whirring. I blathered on, my nerves forcing the words out in an attempt to appear more confident than I felt.

  “I think as long as Daemon agrees to do a couple of things, we should admit him to our little society.”

  I counted off my fingers.

  “He’d have to: follow our pact, fix the outhouse he decimated, and - for the sake of our toilets - get Cal to teach him how to fly. Besides, we could all use some luck and this dude was lucky enough to somehow get out of that collision without impaling himself on any of that wood planking.”

  There were five or six smiles in the mass of bobbing heads. “Granted, he didn’t walk away scot-free, but coated in crap is far from dusted.”

  Chase broke the silence after a few moments. I was so overjoyed to be out of the spotlight, I almost didn’t hear him.

  “Okay, we all know what repercussions we could be facing for any action we choose. We ought to vote for now to see where the majority stands before the vamps return. First, hands up if you opt to let Daemon become a resident.”

  It was a clear decision.

  “Well, all but two hands. Let’s hear your concerns against and any alternatives you might have, but at the moment, if he agrees to our terms, the new guy is in.”

  The woman stepped closer to the fire pit, letting the glow surround her. I recognized the other person as her husband; his stance as timid as hers was unyielding. He stroked his comb-over while his wife spoke for them.

  “There are children here; not just our Lonnie and Amber, but also their Ellen.” She gestured over her shoulder at the rest of the community as she talked, “We’re not comfortable having another blood-drinking demon around these innocent children. To be truthful, I’m still not keen on having that other one here either.”

  Please don’t let her keep talking. We need to keep the peace with Cal. We need the pact to survive.

  “It would be healthier for us to have just our kind living here. We should just kill both of the fiends during the day and be done with it. I’ll not raise my children with even more of these monsters; if you let this Daemon stay, my family will leave.”

  The husband gawked at her, shifting his weight from foot to foot, and surveyed the crowd as though looking for someone to save him from wedded bliss. She didn’t notice.

  Cal and Daemon strolled between Sunny and me, effectively dissolving the standoff. The younger Undead broke the silence,

  “Sorry again about all the trouble I caused. Cal filled me in on how you guys do things and what this pact entails; I’m totally square with the rules you keep at this fort.”

  He raised his hand in a Boy Scout salute.

  “I agree not to feed more than I need and never on anyone under 18. No shooting guns and we avoid staying in areas where the zombies tend to be severe.”

  Daemon dropped his right hand and fidgeted while his babbling persisted over the murmur of chuckles. The elder vampire silently raised an eyebrow and tracked the youth’s gestures with an amused crease to his lips.

  “Cal even said he’d help me develop my powers. I’m going to fix the john I broke, so you don’t have to make like bears and poop in the woods. Also, I’m Kosher with staying in the woods during the day like he does, if it makes the group more comfy with my presence.

  That’s assuming I get the go ahead to call this home. If not, I would ask for a few days to get the hunger down and learn a bit from Cal; I only learned a little from my sire due to an extreme dusting by Molotov cocktails.”

  Cal gave his new protégé an approving look and stepped forward. The quiet laughter broke off. He took his time before speaking, each word felt deliberate, yet unrehearsed.

  “I have spoken with Daemon during our brief jaunt to the stream and back. It is my opinion that he will make a fine addition to our populace. I acknowledge personally feeling a certain responsibility to guide the young man in the ways of our species, in light of his sire’s untimely demise.”

  He halted and looked into everyone’s eyes directly.

  “Ultimately, the decision of his acceptance is endowed upon the majority; nonetheless, I have given Daemon my word to act as his mentor until he is adept with his new abilities. I am honor bound to remain with him, wherever that may be, until that level is realized. We will leave you all to discuss the matter further. Please inform us once a decision is reached; we will be disposing of the shattered latrine and it’s... contents.”

  With a gentle hand upon the shoulder, Cal led the fledgling vampire out of the fire’s illumination. The rest of our assembly remained in silent reflection, the glow flickering across our faces, thoughts flashing in our minds. The only sound was the stacking of fragmented wood and a bullfrog in the distance.

  Sunny drew a slow, deep breath before taking the floor.

  “It’s time we tally up where we all stand. We know all of the pros and cons we are facing with either arrangement. We either trust in Cal’s judgment and have two vampires in our society or we lose both and are human only. Hand’s up if you choose to bring in Daemon.”

  There was no reason to feign counting; the only hands not raised were crossed in front of her chest. We all knew that our deal with Caelinus greatly helped our odds of long-term survival. Chase announced quietly

  “Only one against.”

  The defiant wife snatched her husband’s arm from the air so swiftly she was a ninja. I glanced at Sunny and Chase; they held hands as they urged me to make the declaration.

  “It’s resolved then,” I proclaimed, hoping it sounded official. “Daemon is the newest member of our community.”

  I locked eyes with our sole dissenter,

  “It’s your call whether your family stay and accept his presence or leave to fend for yourselves. I think I speak for everyone here when I say, we’d prefer for you to remain here; we have the numbers and defenses to protect one another. It’s your right to do either, but no one would think any less of you if you chose to stick around.”

  I surveyed the crowd, I checked my watch, and excused myself to sit my turn as sentry.

  From my perch on the tower in the center of the fort, I saw the bunch disband after a few minutes of chatter. Sunny and Chase immediately welcomed our new resident as I waved my greeting.

  Guy looks pretty good without the layer of crap.

  They were accompanied by some of the other denizens for a few moments, before the community tapered off to rest for the coming day.

  I continued to scan the tree line, intermittently checking inside the wall as well. An hour before dawn flooded our hamlet with its radiance they left.

  The family wore their rucksacks. I could make out Lonnie’s Sponge Bob backpack covered in stickers from my vantage point. The father took a spear from the weapons shed, in addition to the katana on his left hip. The other guard at the gate took off his canteen and gave it to Lonnie. He then knelt down to give something small to Amber.

  I suppose it was a nice trinket because she gave him a hug, her stained sock monkey presse
d against his shoulder. The kids shuffled sleepily out of this haven, Amber reminding me of Cindy Lou Who as she held her doll close. I always try to remember them that way…

  ***

  The following day the tension in camp was palpable; every person was unsure how the night would pan out. Little things like misbuttoned shirts and burnt meals signaled how restless the sleep had been. It was already too late to change what happened the previous night; we could only hope for the best and mentally prepare for the worst. As I went into the cabin for a short rest, I secretly wished we would see that family again.

  It was lunchtime when Sunny popped in to rouse me. Someone made a lunch of roasted fish, squirrels, frogs, and assorted plants. I launched into my supper with a vengeance. As I was chomping on a squirrel, Sunny looked over.

  “Cannibal” she teased while Chase grinned wide enough for a Buick to drive through. The laughter made me sputter and my eyes water; the strain lessened, but continued.

  Although we went about our regular rituals, the pressure was building as twilight approached. Eventually, the sun bowed out and the full moon took the stage. Time to see what havoc we had unleashed.

  CHAPTER 6 MID MAY YEAR 1

  Daemon arrived before Cal. He stood outside the gate. I chuckled slightly at seeing the powerful immortal humming and stretching – while clad in a Hawaiian shirt and camo pants — to pass the time. The nervous energy poured off the guy like Niagara Falls. He exercised for nearly twenty minutes before the elder Undead arrived.

  Through the open gate, I heard Cal mock his protégé.

  “You are aware that calisthenics are quite unnecessary once you have been turned, aren’t you?”

  The Roman smiled as Daemon laughed and they ambled through the open wall together. You could see relief wash over him. Cal waved me over to them as they entered. I brought two papers out of my pocket.