“One of the staples of infection is a degradation of proteins in the eyes, forming the cataracts witnessed within the eyes of every hollow. This leaves their vision stunted, blinding them further to the world beside.”
–Mother, “Notes of HBRS-15.21. 4 Years After.
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What a brave new world.
The last time that Liam had been to Pandemonium, it was less than a day before he was back out the gates. Between the shell shock of encountering rezzers for the first time and the mayhem that was their civilization, he’d wanted nothing more than to find his wife and child again. Their world was not his, nor did he want it to ever be.
Now that he’d spent a week here? This place was bloody paradise! Food, clean sheets, hot water, electricity, television. All manners of necessity long since forgotten could be gained again with a simple call on the radio. What more could they want?
There were risks, to be certain. The men that attacked them were still out there, and a hotel room surrounded by a city of intelligent zombies was hardly a venue to raise a child from infancy to adolescence. But if there ever was a time to give their daughter some peace and comfort, it would be in this pocket of protection. They might never get another chance like this.
If only Liam wasn’t alone in this thought.
The door opened, and Leah marched through. She’d made a habit of checking in on them daily and giving them more food. This time, however, she had nothing in hand.
“Sorry to do this,” she said, “but I’m gonna have to be quick today. I’ve got business outside the city that needs to get handled.”
“You find those Hunters?” Evelyn asked.
She shook her head. “No black-cloaked ‘Inquisitors’ floating around. Hate to say it, but this threat is definitely external, whatever that’ll entail. Good news is that they’re unlikely to find you. Bad news is that it’ll be a bitch for me to get them.”
“Is that why you’re leaving?”
“No, but I’ll see what I can do once out there. Shouldn’t be more than a few days.”
“A lot can happen in a few days,” Evelyn pointed out.
She nodded. “Yep. That’s why I’ve gotten someone I can trust on the case.” On that note, she went to the door and opened it. Another walked in.
This one was dressed in the familiar butler attire of those workers who maintained the Lodge, with the white dress shirt over black trousers. But a prosthetic leg had been bolted into one knee, and one of her arms ended in bone at the elbow, with the other wrapped in a rubber glove. Glossy, black hair flowed from her scalp, revealing smoothed skin and vibrant, red eyes. Even when obscured behind a plastic visor, there was something familiar about her…
She gawked. “These are the humans?”
“Try not to get too close,” Leah said, holding up a hand. “Liam, Evelyn, meet one of the best managers the Lodge has ever seen, Chantelle.”
Liam grinned. “I knew I recognized you!”
Chantelle blinked. “Huh?”
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“Last I was here, you weren’t doing so great. Got a good tussle from Leah, but I see that’s water on the bridge. Good thing too. I always wondered what had happened to you. How have you been? Looks like you’ve moved up in the world, yeah?”
But Chantelle and Leah merely stared back blankly. Liam’s heart sank as the moment dragged. Though their encounter had been brief, it had been memorable, but he supposed that with the curse inflicted on them, he might be the only one who could ever recall such times with accuracy.
“As I was saying,” Leah continued. “Chantelle will act as my liaison until I get back. Anything you need… Food, water, furniture, books, DVDs. You name it, she’ll get it. I’ve even set her up on our encrypted line. Same deal as me.”
Evelyn leaned over to Liam. “She good?” she whispered.
He nodded. “She’s one of the good ones, yeah.”
“Got any questions?” Leah asked.
Everyone shook their heads.
“Good. I still have some prep work, so I’ll leave you to it from here.” She glanced at Chantelle. “Take care of these ones, will you? They mean a lot to me.”
She beamed. “I won’t let you down!”
On that note, Leah made her escape.
The two stared awkwardly at their new servant as she smiled meekly back. A couple seconds went unopposed as she stood in wait.
“Need anything from me?” Chantelle finally asked. “Maybe I can help with the baby?”
Evelyn crossed her arms. “You know how to change a diaper?”
Her eyes lit up. “I could tr–”
“I was kidding. You’re going nowhere near my kid.”
“Oh.” She frowned, deflated.
Liam scoffed. “Relax, Evelyn. She’s got more PPE than a doctor for the CDC.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Now you want a vector for the most infectious disease known to man to come near our daughter?”
“No, but you don’t have to be so rude about it.” He turned to Chantelle. “Don’t mind her. As you can imagine, this is hardly the safest place for our family. So just bear with us, yeah?”
“I understand. Leah gave me a crash course on everything that can go wrong, so I promise to do my best to give you space.”
“No offense, but your best isn’t good enough,” Evelyn said. “A single HBRS pseudo-cell is all it takes. Just one. That’s it.” She took a step forth, her eyes hard as granite. “Don’t you dare forget because we sure as hell won’t.”
Chantelle matched her stare. “Leah demanded perfection, so I will do nothing less. I owe her more than I could ever repay.” She looked to Liam. “Speaking of, is it true what you said before? You were here during the day that she put in me in my place?”
“I suppose that I was. Did the Hollowing rob you of that memory?”
“It’s all a bit of a blur now. I remember being so scared when I tried picking the lock to her personal library. I was afraid of rehollowing back then and thought there was no other way to keep my Rez going than to steal from her. But then, out of nowhere, Leah was towering above, with her gun in my face. I thought I would get purged right then, but she gave me this instead.” She pulled a pic from her pocket. Though the edge was ripped and image worn, one could still make out the iconic San Francisco Bay.
“Have you ever been?” Liam asked.
She blinked. “Oh, no. Seaside is too far past the Styx for me to go anymore, and I’ve got too much to do in the Lodge anyway. But I always keep this pic because it reminds me of the best day of my life. If it wasn’t for Leah’s generosity, I would have never gotten to where I am today.” Her red eyes lit up as she beamed. “You said you were there too though. I hear that living humans never forget anything, right? You have to tell me what else I missed. Every little detail!”
Liam swallowed the lump in his throat. In truth, her recollection was far from accurate. Leah had practically mutilated Chantelle on the spot, with a blow to the floor powerful enough to shatter her ribs through her chest. Choosing to spare Chantelle was an afterthought, and one that Liam always suspected only occurred because he’d happened to have been in the room at the time. The measly handful of pics given was a paltry sum against the damage that Leah callously inflicted, and Chantelle had even been forced to crawl away on her own, the bones in her back shattered from the assault.
But could Liam voice these truths out loud? If Chantelle’s warped memory of that brutal day brought her peace and solace, then whom was he to take that away?
Liam did his best to form a reassuring smile. “It is just as you say, Chantelle. Leah had noticed the intrusion and acted quickly but turned it around the moment she recognized you. She told me afterward how sorry she’d been for hitting you.”
She closed her eyes, and the reddish tears rolled down her cheeks. “Thank you. Thank you so much!”
Some lies were better kept as false truths.