Undead 02 The Undead Haze (2 page)

“Nourishment does not usually speak. It takes much prodding for them to even say their names. They cry in joy that they might serve such divine purpose, but they certainly do not joke,” he said as they tied me.

I kept my hands flexed as they wrapped the ropes. Once I relaxed later I’d have an easier time wiggling out.

“Is that so? I guess I’m a spicy flavor. I’ve got kick.”

He laughed again. It was practiced. I knew because I used to do it.

“Very good, very good.”

“You need anythin’ else, Immortal Son?”

“No, Bear. Thank you, my beloved Great One. You may leave.”

The rednecks left without another word. I was alone with the new crazy. I shifted in the chair and looked around. The tent was sparsely furnished. A cot, and a folding desk with an assortment of books and notebooks. A shining tin container of lighter fluid. I spotted a trunk in my peripheral. Hanging from the middle of the tent was a lantern that cast a yellow glow.

Natural light drifted in around the perimeter of the tent. I followed it until I found a vertical line of light where the walls of the tent met. It was small, two inches at best, but through it I saw forest. If I could get through, I might be able to make it to the forest without anyone noticing me.

“What is your name, friend?”

“What’s it to you?”

“I like to know the name of my nourishment so I might thank Him for sending it.”

“Oh, that makes me feel better. My name is Cyrus. Cyrus V. Sinclair.”

The V was going to stand for victim if I didn’t get myself out of this clusterfuck.

“It is wonderful to meet you, Mr. Sinclair. My name is Kevin, though my followers call me Immortal Son.” He smiled. “As I said before, nourishment does not usually speak.”

“I’ve got a lot to say. I could tell you all about how I was just being crushed under a pile of people that you plan on
eating
. I guess you knew that already.”

“You treat it very lightly. Aren’t you disgusted by being in the nourishment pile, Mr. Sinclair? Most are at first.”

“I’m
disgusted
by how no one tried to get out of it. The people on the top could’ve rolled off. Freed the rest of us. There were only two of your idiot crazies watching us.”

“Fear. Deep rooted fear is what keeps them there,” Kevin said. “When told they would be nourishment for the Son of God, they feared the repercussions of escaping.”

“They feared getting fucking eaten.”

“No. Should you learn the doctrine of the Immortal Son you would understand. Other nourishment is taught their purpose in this world. As they learn their faces show their enlightenment. They become very peaceful.”

Or they were so terrified by how insane Kevin was they completely shut down. I was on the verge of shutting down myself.

“You see, most people are not chosen to serve a high purpose. Some are meant for consumption, their flesh nourishing those of greater stature. In return, as those who are great consume them, their souls are cleansed so they might be saved in their next life.”

How could he be serious? He spoke with raw sincerity. He believed every word. The crème de la crème of crazies who happened to have a taste for redheads. Fantastic.

Kevin paused. Brushed his hand against the top of the cheap folded table. He looked up at me and smiled. “You are quite intelligent, Mr. Sinclair.”

“Sure am.”

“I don’t think you know the most important thing, Mr. Sinclair.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“That I truly am the Immortal Son of God, bringer of the Light in these Dark and Dead days. I have received revelation and—”

The glob of saliva I spit didn’t reach him, but as it splattered onto the dirt floor it shut him up. Then he lost it.

He flung the table, its items scattering on the ground. Kevin crossed the distance between us and grabbed my shoulders. He squeezed. His eyes shone with rage and tears. A turbulent mixture of emotions flashed across his face, but they all added up to one thing.

Crazy. So fucking crazy.

“—and that these messages I am offering you, and the rest of the people outside, is true. You are very lucky I am giving you this personal sermon so that you might have a better chance of understanding.”

I grinned. “No. I think I’m in here because you like to eat redheads.”

Kevin turned away from me, rubbing his hand on the back of his head. He stepped to the edge of the tent and peered through. When was this going to be over? I’d rather be eaten then listen to crazy talk any longer than I had to.

“When the group of people you call ‘crazies’ found me, not long after the dead rose, I had been inside a basement for three days surrounded by dead bodies. My brethren elected me as the vessel that would aid in their ascension from this mortal life. If we died any other way but by gunshot to the head, we would come back. Our souls would be trapped in rotting bodies, wandering this hell forever. Naturally suicide would be a grave sin, so I was given the opportunity to send them to their next life.”

I twisted my wrist while he spoke, using the time his stupid monologue bought me to try and find a weakness in the knots. There was a bit of give. I felt a flare of hope.

“So you shot them?”

Kevin nodded. “I did what I was asked in order to do right by my brethren.”

“Technically they used you to murder them. Don’t you see? They didn’t want to commit suicide since it goes against your ‘faith.’ By having you do it, their hands are clean. But you’re a murderer.”

He paused. His fingers tapped against his side rhythmically.

“You do not see the light now, friend, but you will, just as I did. You see, on the third day I received revelation.” Kevin turned back to me. The smile on his face sent a chill down my spine. “I persevered. The trial of isolation was testing my devotion. I succeeded and an angel came to me and revealed my purpose: to save the children of earth, by force if need be. He told me my brothers died so that I might be provided with nourishment until I was found. After another three days of being in that basement, knowing what my mission was but held back by fear of entering the undead world, my disciples found me. I taught them my mission, gained their trust, and am now here before you offering you the same truth.”

The apocalypse weeded out everything between saintly survivor and jacked up crazies. I was encountering everyone on the bad side of the spectrum. This guy topped the charts.

I shifted my hands. No luck with the knots. No luck getting this guy to shut up. I was low on energy and worried about Pickle. I did what I always did in a situation like this.

“Sounds to me that your friends didn’t care about you, the newcomer, so they had you kill them. Sounds like you ate your dead buddies because you’re
crazy
and you wanted to, then taught the rest of these rednecks to do it, too. And finally, sounds like you came up with a good story to justify the whole thing. Am I right, Kevin?”

His right eye twitched three times. Stopped. “Mr. Sinclair, I am not going to eat you.”

“What a shame. I hear redheads taste super. I bet I taste like sugar, spice, and everything fucking nice.”

“From the short time I’ve spent with you I can tell you are a very smart individual. You are also smothered in sin, and I now know that it is one of my duties to save you. It will be a challenge, but your position should be at the right side of the Immortal Son, and I will do all I can to make it so.”

Great
.
Why can’t he just eat me like a normal cannibal?

Kevin righted the table and cleaned up his mess. “Before I go, I will tell you one last thing. To help you understand why I’m doing this.”

I heaved a sigh, squeezed my eyes shut, and wished it would stop.

“Six months ago I was drawn to a house, and trapped there was the future bearer of the Chosen One. From a city of wickedness, chaos, and death I found a pure light that was destined for me. We cleansed the house with fire, but within were wicked souls. Many of my followers were lost, but the bearer of my future child, my closest disciples, and myself were delivered from the battle unscathed. Later she spoke of a redheaded man who was quite saintly. Brutal, but saintly.” Kevin smiled. “A miracle. You cannot deny it.”

“I can actually,” I said. “I do. If you only eat redheads you were
destined
to find someone who fit the description, weren’t you?”

Someone rapped on the tent door before Kevin could continue. “Immortal Son, they’re ready.”

“I will be there in a moment.” Kevin tightened the rope around his waist and donned a fur cloak over his robe. He stood behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. His fingers were red and blistered. I tried to jerk away but he held firm.

“Mr. Sinclair, I do not yet know what your purpose is. Clearly you will not birth the Chosen One.” He paused to laugh at his own joke. “But I know there is another plan in store for you. The new world I am creating will need men of strength, honor, and intelligence. I have not met anyone who possesses all those requirements until you. I can only pray when He tells me what to do with you, it will be to put you by my side. Until I find that out, you will be under my direct protection. I look forward to speaking with you more when I return.”

He pulled the tent flap aside. Morning sun sliced through the shadowy interior, blinding me for an instant before my eyes adjusted.

“And if you ever betray the protection and trust that I am showing you now, fear not. I know it is merely another personal trial for me and not wickedness on your part. I will not blame you. But I will find you if you try to escape. I will hunt you. There will be punishment, because no misdeed can go unpunished. Now, in the mean time I will mark you with our seal of commitment so you should never forget your connection to me. Bear, please mark Mr. Sinclair.”

Then he was gone.

Chapter 2

Bear had a sick grin on his face as he strode in. Three men trailed behind him. One of them wore heavy gloves and carried a charcoal chimney. A thin metal rod protruded from it. Ashes dusted the ground as they jostled each other while situating around me. The heavy scent of hot metal engulfed me. I could taste it.

How many people had they branded with that exact rod? How much burnt flesh was caked onto it? Nausea swept over me. Fear made it worse.

Bear pulled the rod free from the coals. An insignia of a sword with licks of fire around it glowed red hot. Its light reflected in each of the crazies’ eyes. I turned my head away. I couldn’t look at it or them.

“Where you want it, buddy? Forehead? So everyone can see it?” Bear glanced as the other men for validation. The goons chuckled.

“How about you shove it up your ass where
no one
can see it?” It wasn’t my joke that made them laugh harder. It was the shake in my voice.

“Look at ‘im, boys. Trying to sound tough!”

“What a pussy!” I said.

Beneath his beard, Bear flushed. “Shudda fuck up, bitch. Ain’t nuthin’ you can say to stop me.”

Another one piped up. “Immortal Son said to put it over his heart, so that’s where we put it, ya hear?”

The three converged on me. Two held me down while one unzipped my jacket and lifted my soggy layers of clothes up to reveal my chest. I struggled but I couldn’t move.

“Looks like yer gonna be one of us soon,” one said. “Won’t be able ta eat ya.”

Bear stood in front of me and let the branding rod hover over my chest. “Nah, brothers. We can still eat ‘em. Just have to eat ever last bit, so you don’t know who he is.”

Ambient heat caressed my skin as the rod came closer. My gaze flashed down. The sight of it so close to my flesh made my heart race harder. My breath was labored, my chest tight. This was worse than being shot or stabbed. I could see it coming closer, closer…

He grinned and, without preamble, pressed the emblem into my chest. At first, nothing was real. It wasn’t my chest the smoke wafted up from. It wasn’t my skin and muscle that smelled burnt and bloody. It wasn’t my body that sizzled under the heat of the brand. That loud, continuous scream? Not me.

But it was. And it all hit me at once. My blood pumped so hard I felt it in my chest, my ears, my head. The scent of cooked flesh—
my own fucking cooked flesh, oh fuck oh fuck—
made my stomach rumble. Ragged screams tore up my throat. When I ran out of air, I sucked in more and shrieked again. As pain engulfed me, I never thought I’d stop.

When he pulled the rod away, the pain stayed, as though the rod was still there.

They left, laughing while I gasped for air and tried not to pass out.

—-

I was wriggling out of the ropes as soon as they left. The pain of the burn pulsed with my heartbeat. It took everything I had to steady myself. Every movement took double the effort, but not having any choice was good motivation.

There were three zip ties connecting the two pieces of tent I noticed earlier. I needed something to cut through them and fast.

I went to the trunk first. It was locked. I searched the junk on the floor that had fallen when Kevin flipped the table. Nothing of use.

What if no one is even watching the tent, Cyrus? Did you check?

I peeked through a crack in the front. There were four crazies strolling the camp site, all of which would be attracted to the sight of someone coming out of Kevin’s tent.

Great. I stepped back and scrubbed my palm against the side of my head. All that stood between me and freedom was some plastic. If this was the end of me, my life hadn’t been worth living.

I ground my teeth as I stared at the items on the ground. What would I do with a notebook, pen, map…

Notebook. Spiral notebook. I snatched it up and uncoiled the thin metal wire. It was sturdy enough. It could work.

The papers slipped to the ground as the last loop came free. I took my wire to the zip ties, pinched the connector in my hand, and slid the wire inside. There was a small tab in the tie that only needed to be pressed for the tie to release. The first try didn’t work.

I folded the wires in half and twisted them, creating a stronger poking device. This time the tab pressed in and the thick plastic popped off and hit the ground. I had the second and third ties free in no time.