Gabriel shook his head. “One hundred and fifty years young. There will be a big celebration.”
“You’re working for a vamp?” said Aaron with evident disgust.
“Language please captain,” said Gabriel. “That’s our King you’re talking about.”
Ben thought Aaron was going to shoot him then, perhaps, if he had done, then much of what followed could have been avoided, but he didn’t.
“What do you do?” said Aaron.
Ben wasn’t sure what he meant and they never received an answer for him to try and work it out. “I think you should come with me,” said Gabriel. “Officially you’re AWOL and I should have you shot. Maybe I still will,” he added thoughtfully.
“We’re not going anywhere with you,” said Aaron and Ben realised that he really was ready to pull the trigger. Gabriel didn’t appear to have a weapon so shooting him seemed a little underhand. It was a mistake to think him defenceless, however.
He nodded, the gesture was only just noticeable in the gloom. There was the sense of movement behind them and then Ben felt cold hands on his arms. He turned to see decomposed men in uniforms. Vamps gone wrong. They were holding them tight and he knew from his experience at the petrol station that struggling against them was pointless.
Gabriel smiled and began to walk away, “with me,” he said and they were turned and carried after him.
Outside the clouds had cleared and the bright sunlight hurt his eyes. Gabriel led them across the courtyard and into the white tower that dominated it. It seemed impossible but the smell inside the white tower was even worse than the barracks. He could hear rats squeaking and the patter of their tiny feet on the stone floor. Rats were a fact of life on boats but, until that moment, Ben hadn’t realised that they also lived on land.
The stone walls were cold. Water dripped down from the ceiling and moss had begun to grow in the crevices. The tunnel was lit by lumpy candles that flickered and cast shadows that seemed to move of their own accord.
Gabriel started to whistle. The high pitched noise made Ben’s skin crawl.
He realised they were moving downwards, even before they reached the steps. He couldn’t move his arms, his legs flailed around beneath him like a puppet.
The staircase wound around in a tight spiral that got narrower the further down they went. The walls became rougher until they appeared to have been hacked out of the ground.
At the bottom they stopped and Gabriel turned back to face them. “What do you think? Pretty impressive isn’t it?”
No one spoke and Gabriel seemed to take offence to that. Ben had a terrible idea that he knew what was going to happen next, he only hoped that he was wrong.
The rough ceiling was so low that the vamps gone wrong had to duck to move through the wide open space but the further they went the higher they became. In time they opened up in a large chamber, the walls became smooth and the light from above was cleaner. There was furniture; golden tables and chairs and at the back of it all a throne.
The vamps gone wrong set them down but no one tried to run. There didn’t seem to be much point now.
“As you can see,” said Gabriel, “we have made arrangements so that the King’s condition needn’t impede his work.”
“Condition,” scoffed Aaron. “You’re out of your mind.”
“The King suffers from an extreme form of photo sensitivity but it is a small price to pay for his continued good health.”
Aaron looked away. It was becoming clear that Gabriel was insane, possibly too long in the company of vamps had broken his mind. Of course Ben had never known him before so this might have been an improvement.
“The King leads from below the ground but he enjoys walks in the moonlight,” said Gabriel, continuing even though no one was listening to him now.
“Where is he now?” said Daniel, it was the first time he had spoken since their arrival.
“The King is sleeping,” said Gabriel. “I’m sure you can appreciate that a man who works mostly at night needs to rest during the day.”
“Sure,” said Daniel. “So do we get to meet him?”
Gabriel smiled awkwardly, “I don’t know about that, he’s a very busy man.”
“So what then? You brought us down here to show off?” said Daniel.
“Okay you got me,” said Gabriel.
Ben was itching to pull his gun but he didn’t dare take the lead. Something else was going on here and he didn’t want to get in the way of it by acting rashly. He looked at Aaron and at Daniel, their eyes reflected calm and control. He just hoped that he would work out what was going on before Gabriel did.
“Is there even a King?” said Daniel. He took a step away from the non-vamp, casually keeping his hands in full view of Gabriel.
“What do you mean? Of course there’s a King.”
“I don’t know,” said Aaron, following Daniel’s lead. “Seems to me like something a jumped up little shit like you would make up to impress us.”
“Me? Impress you? Don’t make me laugh.” But he didn’t laugh.
Ben started to get some idea what they were doing but he still wasn’t sure why. Surely they could just start shooting, the non-vamps could be taken down with a single shot and Gabriel wasn’t armed. Yet no one went for their guns. He wondered if this was part of the plan, something he had slept through while thinking about home.
“I don’t know,” said Daniel, “even if there is a King what sort of power can he have locked away in a tower?”
“He’s not locked away anywhere,” said Gabriel. He had developed a tick that brought his shoulder and head together and did little to make him appear more sane.
“Because he doesn’t exist?” said Aaron.
“He does too exist,” said Gabriel, “and he’s very powerful. He has more power than you’ll ever know.”
“Like what?” said Daniel.
“Yeah,” said Aaron, “what’s he ever done.”
Gabriel smiled like he’d pulled the trump card in a poker match. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“So nothing then?” said Aaron.
“Is controlling every evolved being in the country nothing?” said Gabriel. “Is building dams to capture the last hold outs nothing?”
That was what they had come to hear. The Threshers pulled their guns and two shots each dispatched the non-vamps. They crumbled to the floor, a pile of bloody skin and bones. Ben had his own gun out but no one to shoot at. Aaron had grabbed hold of Gabriel, who was screaming, Daniel had his gun at the mans head.
“Where are they?” said Daniel.
Gabriel shook his head, his bottom lip quivered and tears ran down his cheeks.
“Where are they?” repeated Daniel, his voice louder and angrier.
“I can’t…” said Gabriel.
Daniel spun the gun around in his hand and cracked it over his skull. His knees buckled but Aaron kept him upright. “I promise you,” said Daniel, “that anything you think they can do to you is nothing compared to what I will do.”
Gabriel shook his head again, “please…”
Daniel ignored him. “Now tell me, where they are.”
But they didn’t have to wait to be told. From deep within the cavern a low moan began to build. It was laced with pain and anger and seemed to shake the walls around them. Ben spun on the spot but he couldn’t tell which direction they were coming from.
Gabriel started to scream. Daniel raised the gun to his head and without pausing he pulled he trigger and splattered Gabriel’s brains all over Aaron. Ben thought for a moment that they could have used Gabriel for bargaining but he doubted the king vamp would give up a thing for a human life.
As if drawn forwards by the freshly spilled blood the moan continued to build until it became a cry of anger and anguish. A million human emotions caught up in a single animal sound. Ben couldn’t help but notice that no one was running for the stairs.