Chapter Twenty
“You must always exercise extraordinary caution around the infected, even after the brain has been destroyed and they are no longer animated. Every cell becomes resurrected, so they’re never truly dead.”
–Dr Ava Sherman. Manchester, New Hampshire. 3 Months After.
* * *
Just a little further, Liam told himself. You’ll be fine.
He wiped the perspiration away. Leah had said that there’d be a car to take soon. If Liam could just make it over this hump, he could convince her to drive them to Aspen. On foot, the trip would take months, but by car, they could be there and back in less than a day, and then off to wherever else Mother wanted them to go.
He shielded himself from the sun and eyed the rising pillar of smoke on the horizon. The damn thing was getting larger by the second, and the smell was horrendous.
“What’s the deal with this ‘Larder’ place, anyway?” he asked. “Why is it so far from everywhere else?”
Leah stared into the horizon. “Even with all that’s been built in Pandemonium, there are some services that can’t be performed in the region, so we established a number of outposts to keep the city going, usually in other cities to make them easier to find, and each with a different purpose. Seaside is based in San Francisco, and combs the bay for fish. The Farm sits outside Fresno, and provides feed for cattle. Oasis was made in Phoenix, and recycles old world trash into usable materials.”
“And the Larder?”
“Exactly as it sounds. Turns meat into food… Among other things.”
“Doesn’t seem all that useful. I could’ve sworn you lot had all the meat you could get your hands on.”
“Not all flesh is edible to us. The Larder rectifies that.”
“What do you mean?”
Her magenta eyes met his. “Have you noticed that the moment we entered Reno, there hasn’t been a single hollow?”
He paused. Now that she mentioned it, it had seemed rather odd that they weren’t forced to sidestep the usual clusters of undead. Why, this part of the city was completely abandoned, and it might have been the first one they’d entered that was so destitute.
The smoke on the horizon rose without remorse, and Liam knew the truth. “You’re cooking the dead? How is that even possible?”
Leah shrugged. “Trust me, once you get near Vaughn, he’ll tell you everything you want to know, and plenty that you won’t. He’s a good guy, but working hundred-hour shifts tends to make rezzers fixate only on their jobs, until it becomes all that defines them. Happens a lot in Asphodel, and doubly so in outposts. There’s a reason why it’s so easy for us Hunters to get the best clothes and weapons. We can always find a guy willing to sink their soul into making high quality gear for us, to the point that they’ll forget about everything else. Vaughn’s like that, so it’s best to just nod along in silence to whatever he has to say. That’s what I do.”
Liam gulped. Whenever he started to get complacent with this new world, it had a habit of giving his sanity a jolt. As he watched the black veil of soot and death, he suspected that he might never fully adapt to this resurrected society.
* * *
The houses and shopping centers became fewer and farther in between, and the sprawling metropolis eroded into an industrial center. Collapsed warehouses and rusted shipping containers became a common sight. The smell of death mingled with an effluvium of chemicals and oils, as all the drums and silos had burst after years of neglect. Ash fell from the blackened sky like grey snow, turning the grease below into an iridescent sludge that clung more to their boots with each step.
Liam no longer felt the urge to fight the heavy clothes and respirator he’d been given. The discomfort of coughing into cloth was a small price to pay compared to the pain in his lungs by breathing these noxious fumes, and the sweat in his goggles paled in comparison to the sting that he felt whenever he took them off. Even his party seemed at odds with the toxicity they were wading through as they took regular detours throughout abandoned facilities to limit exposure.
At least Liam no longer smelled the dung on his clothes to cover his scent. The oppressive force of burnt decay had overwhelmed every other sense.
Finally, they reached the source of pollution. The Larder was not a particularly massive building. The walls were grey and opaque, and stood no taller than two stories at any point, save for a giant tower in the middle that appeared to have been converted into an oversized smokestack. Even through the haze of ash spilling free, Liam could make out a faded, crimson ‘R’ – a reminder of the company that had been there before.
Leah ordered Buttercup and Mastermind to stay nearby, using her hand gestures. Liam had been around them enough to learn their silent code. It was a strange mix of the type used by the military, along with her own private blend, and seemed to account for everything from tactical commands to what type of undead were lying in wait. There. Hide. Keep Watch. She’d said.
The rest made the slow march down the street, past the dead trees and grey grass, and into a maze of chain-link fencing capped with barbed wire. Sections of the yard had been cordoned off into dozens of mass holding cells, with many containing several hundred hollows each. As the group marched by, the dead hissed and scraped vainly against metal grates.
If Auschwitz had been made for zombies… Liam shuddered.
A lone rezzer stood guard at the main gate. His face was hidden beneath a gas mask and helmet, contrasted by the orange hue of a construction costume that gleamed under the fluorescent bulbs of the facility. When the group drew near, he gripped the handle of a pistol strapped to his waist.
“State your business,” he said.
Leah held her hands to the sides, with one holding the silver badge shaped into a wolf’s skull with crossbones. “We have none. We’re just a couple Hunters looking to pass through.”
“What do you think this is? A hotel?”
“I’m thinking you’re a group of friendlies who’ll throw us a bone.” She took a step forward. “Vaughn in?”
“Know the boss?”
“It’s been a while, but we go back. Tell him that his old friend in the red scarf has come knocking. He’ll know who you’re talking about.”
The guard relaxed a beat. “Alright, I’ll go get him. But do me a favor and don’t touch anything. There’s talk of outlaw Hunters in the region. Can’t be too careful.”
She nodded. “I understand.”
The guard wandered off, leaving Leah, Kurt, and Liam alone.
“Sure this is a good idea?” Kurt asked. “We’ve been on the road a while. Wouldn’t be hard for them to set up a trap.”
“I don’t like being exposed either, but Vaughn is solid, and he’s the only one with long-range transport at his disposal.”
“The guard did say there’s outlaws in the area,” Liam pointed out. “Your friend might have already picked the other side.”
“No doubt Hades will have spread his propaganda, but if Mother got here first, then Vaughn will know not to believe it, even if his people don’t.” She turned to Liam. “Be sure to keep your voice low, just to be safe.”
He made his voice more brusque in compliance. “You really trust her on this?” Liam had only had a single conversation with her, and couldn’t help but feel that she never revealed more than half of what was in her mind.
Leah chuckled. “I wouldn’t trust Mother with a dead rat. She’d cut us all to pieces if she could get something out of it. But Vaughn? I used to do runs for him back when he helped set up the solar grid, and he never, ever reneged on a deal. He’s a man of his word. We can trust that he’d keep us in confidence.”
“Why do you hate Mother?” Liam suddenly asked.
Leah paused for a moment, her brow hardened. “Because we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her. And I don’t just mean here.”
Liam opened his mouth to probe further, but the door to the factory opened again, and a few more workers popped out first. Like the guard, all were dressed in construction outfits with reflective lining, but one stood apart from the rest. His helmet was white while theirs were orange, and his toolbelt dragged against the bones of his hips as he strolled forth. Though his skin was as shriveled as a hollow and his cheeks were gaunt, his eyes had a heavy maroon tint, and his lips could still twist into a smile.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said. “And here I thought you’d never come visit.” He opened the gate and turned to the others. “We’re good here. You guys can get back to work.” They wandered off.
Leah nodded. “Good to see you, Vaughn.”
“Likewise, Leah.” He embraced her. “Glad to see you’re keepin’ yourself together, all things considered.”
“What have you been hearing?”
“Nothing good from the big man, but enough from our mutual associate to know better.” He scanned the yard one last time. “Let’s get inside. I’ll give your friends a little tour, and then we can talk shop.”
“Make it quick,” Leah said. “I want to be rolling out within the hour.”
“Afraid it’ll be longer. We just threw the car on the charger. It’ll be a bit until the genny has her back up.” Vaughn winked. “Don’t worry though. You’re gonna love what we’ve done with the place, and will be begging to stay by the time it’s ready.”
The group moved to follow Vaughn inside. Leah flashed the All Clear signal to Buttercup and Mastermind when no one else was looking.
A whirlwind of mechanical noises exploded the moment they stepped through the door. Pistons were firing into engines, and steam was bursting from pipes. A number of drums lined the walls, each with a different colored slurry boiling in between. Some scarlet, others brown, others black.
Vaughn turned to Liam. “Ever see larding done before?”
Liam made the mistake of saying “No” before considering the ramifications. Vaughn’s eyes lit up, and he grabbed Liam by the shoulder, his bony fingers rough against his overcoat.
“It’s a shame that you hadn’t come here a few weeks ago. Herd activity spikes during summer, and slows once fall hits. At peak capacity, this facility can process upto twelve-hundred stock a day.”
He led them through a catwalk and into the factory floor. There were a dozen of his people scattered throughout, each wearing the reflective construction uniforms and hardhats as they monitored the equipment. A series of caged ramps led from the exterior to the drums, with hollows crammed inside. Mannequins dangled above, just out of view for the hollows.
“The trick is to let them do the work for you,” Vaughn explained as they drew near. “Hollow psychology is simple enough that they only care about attacking the closest thing in sight, even if it’ll get them killed. Like this.”
He grabbed a wheel in front of one of the drums and started twisting. Pulleys squeaked and the gate began to rise, but no sooner was it up that the mannequin lowered itself, shrouded in red lights. The hollows roared at the sight of the mannequin and marched forth, each tumbling into the drum before they could reach their targets.
Vaughn grinned. “Pretty cool, huh? Like how they used to cook lobster. Once we get them in the boilers, it’s all a matter of routin’ materials from one drum to another.” He waved them forth. “Come on! I almost forgot about the new distiller we installed. Gotta crack those hydrocarbons somehow!”
The group was led around the Larder, with Vaughn showing off all in sight with glee. Here was where they turned marrow into food. There was the spot where fat got rendered into biofuel. That was the grinder that turned Hollowing pseudo-cells into fertilizer. On and on and on he went, explaining everything from the mechanics to the science behind each aspect of hollow larding.
Back in the good old days, Liam had known his fair share of craftsmen. There was one type of the laborer that he appreciated most: the ones who devoted themselves to a single art. The moment they sunk their teeth into a new inductee, they wouldn’t let go until they had injected every ounce of their fervor into them. Not even Liam had found he could hold a candle to this breed of craftsman, and he was a man who had built his reputation by teaching survivalism to the masses. Whether it was an auto mechanic or a woodworker, there were some artisans who could never contain their zeal, no matter how hard they tried. The passion they felt for their craft was that significant, and was only rivaled by the delight they experienced when explaining all the subtle nuances of their work to anyone willing to listen.
Vaughn was very much one of those, except that his craft involved turning zombies into paste.
And boy, did he love every second of it. As it turned out, most of the trucks in Pandemonium had electric engines that ran off the solar grid, but because of that, they could never travel farther than a hundred kilometers from the city for fear of losing all charge and burning out. That meant that all longer expeditions required vehicles that used combustion engines, and if Vaughn was to be believed, his processed biofuel was a superior alternative to refined crude oil, though Liam suspected this was prideful bluster. That was how Vaughn described all his products, anyway. The grease that the Larder produced could keep a machine lubricated longer than most pre-outbreak brands, their fertilizer grew stock faster than GMOs, and the gum they produced was a viable alternative to living flesh for rezzers, and could be stored for far longer. Vaughn treated hollows as the Navajo did for buffalo, and left no part as waste. Even dregs were filtered out by design, and released back into the wilds where they were given a chance to find their own intelligence. Liam was impressed by their ingenuity, even if it nearly destroyed his throat through the sheer weight of having to shout while also keeping it gruff to maintain his cover.
The tour ended as Vaughn dragged them into his office, out of sight from the rest of his people.
He sat across them and steepled his hands. “As fun as it’s been to see you again Leah, I know that you didn’t come all this way to see a couple new furnaces.”
“I need to smuggle my friend here,” Leah said.
“How far we talking?”
“Far enough to justify taking one of your long-range trucks. Electric won’t cut it. We’re talking more than a thousand miles of distance to cover.”
He stroked his chin. “Figured as much. Mother has had me get her the same deal plenty of times before. I thought that’s what she was thinking last she was here, but she only wanted enough fuel to keep her people’s bikes going, and said I should save the car for you. We’ve got a long-ranger sitting at our forward operating base downtown.”
“You know what she’s up to out there?” Leah asked.
“Not my place to ask. Half my guys owe her for one reason or other. Hell, I’d still have a limp if she hadn’t patched me up herself. Mother is the only doctor willing to make the trip out to see us, and all she’s ever asked in return is our discretion. If I have to turn a blind eye to a group of her soldiers rolling through, that’s a small price to pay compared to what she’s given back.”
“Can we expect similar discretion?”
“Won’t lie to you, Leah. Hades has an axe to grind on this one. His goons pop by every couple days, and the reward for your head is steep. I can keep my guys under control for a while, but it’d go a long way if you could give us somethin’ we can use.”
Leah crossed her legs. “Had a feeling you were going somewhere with this. We’ve been traveling light, and are lacking in ammo and food.”
“That’s fine. We’ve got plenty of both.”
“Then what do you need?”
Vaughn leaned forward. “I need a book. You know how it is in the outposts. Traders know that we can’t access the bank, so they gouge us when it comes time to pay. Most of my stock is instruction manuals and address books, and we can’t do anything with them, other than toss ‘em in storage and hope.
“Gettin’ supplies is the easy part. We have more food and tools than we know what to do with. Giving ourselves meaning is the real challenge, and nothin’ keeps back hollowing like a good book. You give us that, free of charge, and I guarantee that you’ll have not just my loyalty, but everyone else’s.”
“We’re still light on that front. This whole mess started in a flash.”
“I’m sure you have somethin’ we can use.”
Leah sighed. “Kurt always has a bunch of Vonneguts on hand. That’s where he named himself. I’m sure he can spare one.”
Kurt looked like he’d been stabbed. “You can’t be serious!” He clutched his backpack as if it was made of gold.
Vaughn waved a hand. “Relax. Science fiction is too heavy for most of the guys here. We need something lighter.”
“I’ve got a couple guys keeping watch outside,” Leah said. “One has a textbook about some kind of mathematics, and the other has a copy of Ulysses that he’ll never read. I think he might have picked up a spy novel somewhere else too.”
He smiled. “Come on, Leah. You’re not listening to me. I’m looking for a good story. We both know that you wouldn’t wander out without somethin’ of your own. Well? What is it?”
Leah paused, her eyes locked with his. For a moment, the two sat in silence, but then she glanced Liam’s way and begrudgingly fished into her own backpack. Her hands quaked as she handed over the book.
Liam nudged an inch forward. It was difficult to make out anything with the fog on his goggles, but he could almost read the title. Is that what I think it is?
“What’s this about?” Vaughn asked.
“It’s about a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire,” Leah said. “It’s my favorite novel, and I managed to find a signed copy from the author.”
Vaughn sat unconvinced. “Wasn’t this the one that everyone used to make fun of in the old world?”
Liam had learned that rezzers were incapable of blushing. The heart seldom beat and the blood flowed even less, meaning that normal emotions didn’t present themselves as they would for living humans.
So when Leah averted her gaze and twiddled her fingers in silence, her face might as well have gone bright red.
Liam snickered.
Leah furrowed her brow. “It isn’t like that! Humans were idiots. This story transcends the ages. There isn’t mere imagery. Every scene is a tapestry of raw expression that you won’t be able to put down. The love, the hatred, the beauty. It’s a roller-coaster of ineffable experience. I’ve read thousands of books, and I’ve never found any that was half as captivating as this series.” Her voice rose as she slammed her fists on the table. “And I’ll cut out the tongue of anyone who speaks poorly of it!”
Oh, this is too much. Liam slapped his knees as he guffawed, and almost lost track of the forced gruffness of his voice. Beneath the psychopathic killer was a bleeding-heart romantic, and she was doing everything in her power to pretend otherwise.
Vaughn smiled in shared amusement. “Relax, Leah. Now that you mention it, I think I saw the movie last time I was in Pandemonium, and I gotta say, it wasn’t half bad.”
“The book’s better,” she snapped, watching Liam laugh from the corner of her eyes with an acid gaze.
“If you say so.”
“I know so.” She stood up. “But so help me, Vaughn. I’m not fucking around when I say that this is my favorite book. Take good care of it while I’m gone, or I’ll–”
“Yeah, yeah,” Vaughn said with a yawn. “Hack off a limb, take out an eye. I know the routine. I’ll make sure this gets treated like royalty.”
She relaxed. “Thank you.”
Just as the exchange was made and everyone settled down, Buttercup burst through the door, with one of Vaughn’s men chasing after.
“Sorry, sir,” the worker said. “He scaled the fence before we could stop him.”
“Couldn’t wait,” Buttercup said. “This is important.”
Leah nodded to Vaughn, and he waved his worker off, leaving them back alone.
“What is it?” Leah asked.
Buttercup grit his teeth. “Dust on the horizon. Trucks. I’d say six to eight. We’ve got to leave this place, yesterday!”
“How the hell did they get here so fast?” Liam asked.
“Can’t worry about that now,” Leah said. “Is your car charged yet, Vaughn?”
He shook his head. “Can’t be more than halfway full.”
“That’ll have to do. We’ll take it to your forward operating base and get the ranger. Add the repayment to my tab.”
“You don’t get it. Our FOB is a maze and I hid it in one of the garages nearby. You’ll never find it without me.”
“Vaughn, if Hades finds out you helped us…”
“It’s done. I owe you both way more than him. All Hades has ever done is sit on the throne that we built.”
He grabbed car keys. “About time the rest of us stood up.”
