Do not be mistaken, not everyone would get to meet Hamilton at first, but this was still his show. He was sort of a big deal around town, so his people were instructed to keep it that way. Everyone ran everything by the man himself. Hamilton had quite the flare for dramatics it turns out. Although he was not the brightest guy, he did put tremendous thought and reasoning behind even the most simple of decisions. It was up to everyone else to pick up the clues and solve his riddle.

They were brought into the courtyard of the bell tower and held together before it was decided what to do with them. Syd was forced to sit in the same spot in which he led his people into a death trap. He suffered in silence and fed into his regret. He knew his end was soon at hand. Syd thought himself worthy of surviving it all, but after the massacre he was ready to get his card punched for good.

The next day was spent differently by Samuel and his group of survivors. Most of the day Samuel sat in an uncomfortable black box in fear of what was happening to his son and his friends outside. Marcus and Annie were held together in one of the guest rooms of the bell tower. The door was locked and there was always a guard outside. They tried to make the best of it and did not think about the possibility of their imminent demise. Once again the walls went up inside of Annie’s mind and she truly represented the phrase, Ignorance is bliss.

Harold and Malcolm were taken to the hall and interviewed for tower duties as the two newest (forced) inductees of Hamilton’s men. For Malcolm it was clear, he became part of the tower guard, given a better gun, and put at a vantage point along the gates of the bell tower. They thought about Harold’s role for a while. These imbeciles lacked any and all practicality or imagination. Harold’s job was very close to becoming janitor when words came down from on-high. Harold was to be worse than a janitor, somehow. He was given the job of executioner for the latest public beheading, which by no coincidence involved the other captives

Samuel’s son, Warren was made honorary guest at the upcoming beheading, he would spend it right next to the ruler of all Savannah, himself, Hamilton. Karina thought nothing of it, she would stay at the top of the tower. She had long since stopped going to the executions. First she did it for him, then for a while she tried doing it for herself, in the hopes that watching the graphic nature of death would make her toughen up. It did not. Before long, they became so frequent that she stopped going altogether. That was the end of Hamilton’s honorary guests, until now. He had a new toy to play with, the mind of young Warren.

Luckily for Harold and Warren the victim of choice for this sad affair was not one directly involved with their group. They had just met Syd and if it wasn’t for him they wouldn’t be here in the first place. Harold was deep enough in the grief of losing his family now to not give a rat’s ass about some small town wannabe hero making trouble in Savannah. He was ready to slice the poor guy’s head clean from his neck. Or however they did it. Matter not to him, he wanted to be done with this place, done with it all.

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The day had come. Warren was brought before Hamilton in the courtyard; its gates opened to the people of Savannah and free of zombies. Malcolm would be able to attest that Hamilton’s men spent the previous day and most of the night clearing the area. Now they watched the execution from the gates as security detail. Hamilton and Warren both sat on a rudimentary stage protruding from the bell tower. Everyone gathered around below them. Even Marcus and Annie were brought out and to their pleasant surprise mixed in with the general public. Hamilton sat on what looked like the most official and grandest wooden chair in the entire town. It almost looked like a colonial throne. Beside it was a shaggy Lazyboy chair that Warren occupied.

Hamilton was a towering presence even sitting down. Warren didn’t speak, he didn’t really know what to do. Warren looked on in both shock and horror. The world around him was slipping away into obscurity and he was running out of things to hold onto. He didn’t even know if his father was still alive. Who knew what the ramification would be to asking the big man. His reputation had preceded him and there was no other way to look at someone who would butcher his enemy in the street for all those to see. Finally, Hamilton acknowledged the boy’s presence.

“Listen, kiddo, I don’t know what kinda shit you’ve seen so far, but it can’t be all daisies and sun-dances. What we’re about to do is business as usual, get me?”

Hamilton didn’t like being ignored.

“What’s your name, kid?”

“Warren.”

“Would you like a beer, Warren?”

“Sure.” Warren did not hesitate and relished the opportunity.

“Well would you look at that?” Hamilton smiled, “We got ourselves a man.”

Warren smiled back while they were both handed a beer buy a very attractive, scantily clad girl. Hamilton winked at Warren and slapped her ass as she walked away. Warren blushed and called their attention to the gathering masses. Hamilton took two large gulps almost emptying his glass and placed it down before addressing the crowd.

“Last time there was a gathering this size half of my citizens were eaten by the dead. I’m gonna bring out the prick who got them all killed. This is my way of making it up to you, the people of my fair city. Hopefully this useless yutz has enough brain matter for me to spell out, ‘Sorry I didn’t kill this prick when I first had the chance.’

“Love, Hamilton,” the big guy broke his speech and started laughing at his own black humor. He looked back at Warren as if the kid would be enjoying the joke as much as him but once he measured Warren’s face the joke was over. “Anyway, let’s kill this peice of shit, its almost high noon.”