Dead Man Running (20 page)

"
Elias, first I want to say how pleased Wiley is with how you handled the election.
"

Elias turned his attention from Mookie to Jan.  "
What?  He's a zombie, how would he know what I did?
"

"
He know
s
more than you think.  For example, he knows that you plan to get rid of him tonight.
"

"
Amen
," said Wiley
.

"
And he knows that he doesn't want that to happen.
" 

Wiley grunt
ed
.

"
I hope he speaks fish,
'
cause he'll be talking to them tonight.
"

"
I don't think so.  You see, Mookie has something to show you.
"

Mookie shuffled to his left, revealing the u
pper half of
Chi's head
lying on the thick carpet
. 

Elias leap
ed
back in horror
as he recognized his
best
friend's sleepy eyes
.

"
Chi tried to stop us and this is what happened to him
,
"
said Jan.

Elias' body shook.  "
I, uh, I was just kidding about the fish.  I wouldn't harm a hair on his dead head. 
Y
ou and I can
come to some
arrangement.  I got a
sudden opening for a
job
paying
110Gs on my staff...
"
  Elias attempted a smile but could not part his
dry
lips.

"
I don't think so.  I have a job, Mrs. Ben Wiley.
"

Jan gaze
d
up at Wiley with her most loving
and adoring
look. 
"We'
re
to
be married."

"
You
'
r
e
crazy lady.  He is dead!
"

Mira
stepped in front of Elias.  "We haven't been properly introduced, Mr. Turnbull, Elias.  My name is
Mira
Hidar
. 
Hamid
is my grandfather.  I think you need to listen to Ms. Sugerfoot.
  You have an opportunity to be part of something great – a political revolution led by the undead
Ben Wiley.
 
With your help Ben can become a bigger player in Congress, perhaps leading to
the White House.
"

"I can be First Lady," smiled Jan.

"I see," he said. 
Elias smiled, nodded.  "I'm interested now.  I can see the possibilities.  How do you ladies plan to make this happen?"  He shifted his body slightly farther into the room, away from the door but
now the dead twins were stacked in front of him like dominos.

"
Elias,
we can 'influence'
one congressman at a time
using our magic
. 
Pretty soon Ben, and you, will be the most powerful men on the Hill.
"

Elias looked at the dark haired woman.  "You're a witch?"

Mira
shook her head.  "I don't like that term.  Let's say I
ha
ve magical skills."

"And by influence you mean to make them like Ben."

"
Exactly," Mira replied.

Elias nodded, pretended to be considering their plan.  Of course, it was insane.  How could a zombie become president?
How could they get away with
turning
Congress
into a bunch of zombies
?

Elias tensed his body to make a break for it when Wiley's hands went to his face. 

"Think, think, think….," the zombie chanted.  All eyes went to Wiley and Elias knew this was his chance.

He stiff armed Mookie and
the eager zombie
toppled into the still babbling Wiley.  Elias sprinted around the
two bodies sprawled on the carpet, elbowing Jan in the gut as she reached out for him.

"
Dinner time boys!
"
he heard Jan say as he exited the suite. 

The
former
high school quarterback
headed
for the elevator bank.  He hit both the down and up button
s
. 

Mookie slowly ma
d
e
his
way down the hall toward
him
. 

Elias hit both buttons again.  The up elevator
finally
arrive
d
.  Elias jump
ed
in
to the empty elevator.  He
punched
the close door button
. 

Mira
reached the elevator and attempted to keep the doors open but Elias kicked her in the chest, the blow sending her crashing against the wall opposite the elevator.
  "Magic that bitch," he shouted.
 

T
he door
finally
close
d
just as Mookie
reached
it
. 

The elevator
travelled
only one floor and stop
ped
at the roof
.  Elias
exited
the elevator
onto the
dark, cold roof.  He look
ed
for another way down besides the elevator
and found none
.

While walking the roof, he hear
d
the elevator ping.  It ha
d
returned.

Jan,
Mira
and Mookie
exited
the elevator.
 
"
Come out, Elias.  We've reconsidered.  We'll let you continue as chief of staff.
"

Elias crouched behind
an air compressor
.  "
What, from inside
Wiley's
stomach
?
  No thanks!
"

"
Have it your way!
"
Jan said.

Suddenly, Mookie appear
ed
next to the compressor.

"
Shit!
" 
Elias
quickly got to his feet and ran
toward the center of the roof.  There,
twin
two story flag pole
s
s
a
t
: o
ne, with the American flag, and the other with the
New York
state flag. 

Elias start
ed
to climb
.

"
You can't get away
,
"
said Jan.

"
Hah!  Don't you know zombies can't climb
?
"  Elias smiled grimly as he
scal
ed
the narrow ladder
.  All he had to do was to remain atop the flagpole until help arrived. 

People
sit
on top of flag poles for days, right?

Elias reache
d
the top of the pole.  The wind
wa
s tremendous as
he
scamper
ed
onto a small platform.
  The platform, obvious
ly
used for maintenance purposes, was partially enclosed and featured a safety strap.  Elias buckled the strap around his waist.

"
I win!  You'll have to eat someone else tonight, fellas!
"

Elias looked down and realized for the first time that he had not seen Wiley.  Where was he?

He heard the elevator ping.  Wiley, walking with an ease Elias had not seen the man exhibit in twenty years, sauntered over to the flagpole.  Even from this distance, he noticed the animated face, one lacking the bug eyes.  When Wiley's face turned toward him, Elias saw an intelligence that
was
frighten
ing
.

"Elias, come down here right now."  The zombie smiled.  "I have a victory speech to give."
  He looked at his watch.  "Think of my supporters, our supporters.  You see, you and I are a team.  As Ms.
Hidar
said, we are the vanguard of a revolution."

"You're going to kill me," Elias shouted.  His words seemed to be caught on the wind but somehow the zombie had heard.

Wiley looked at Jan,
Mira
and Mookie in turn.
  He stepped in front of Jan and looked in her eyes.  "My beloved, please tell Elias that we mean him no harm."  Jan attempted to speak, but could not.  She was shocked at the power of the elixir, and couldn't help but wonder if giving Wiley this much 'life' was a good thing after all.

She looked into
those
eyes, no longer dead but alive.  There was something else there, too,
tenderness
toward her, maybe love.  Jan Sugerfoot had never known love but she thought she saw it in Wiley's eyes.  She finally gained her voice: "Of course, darling, I don't want to harm Elias.  We need his political skills to get us to the White House."

Wiley smiled at his fiancée then turned his head upward to the man on the flagpole.

"I was delayed coming up here, Elias.  You can see my transformation
is complete. 
I have to admit I was a bit awkward at first and unable to get
up
quickly
after Mookie toppled me to the floor
.  As I got to my feet I became aware of the phone ringing. 
I had the prescience and good fortune to answer it. 
It was Marine Two, the First Lady's helicopter.  She said that she was en
-
route to our location and that she wanted to speak to me.
  She believes that I can help
her husband,
the president.
"

At that moment, Elias heard the
sound of an approaching helicopter.  From the south, just past the Statue of Liberty, he spied
the
large
aircraft
.

"I believe that's her now, Elias.  Still think the White House is out of reach for us?"

The sound of the helicopter grew louder.  Elias considered what to do.  If this new and improved Wiley was lying, they could have Mookie kill him and toss him off the roof before the First Lady landed.  If he wasn't lying and he truly wanted Elias to continue as his chief of staff…."

Elias could see himself as the marionette of the entire Congress, controlling four hundred and thirty five members as one.  He would
be
more than a king maker, he would be king.  All of a sudden a high salary and lots of bitches didn't seem like much at all.

His foot and the skids of Marine Two hit the roof at the same time.

"You made the right decision, Elias,"
Mira
said.

The First Lady exited the helicopter, her long legs challenging her Secret
Service s
ecurity contingent to keep up.  She smiled as she approached Congressman Wiley and his party.

"Congressman Wiley, so good of you to meet me on the rooftop."  She leaned in and gave the zombie a peck on the cheek.

"I have to admit, Mrs. Obama, it was my chief of staff Elias Turnbull's idea."

"Well done, sir."  She extended her long, strong hand and Elias Turnbull found himself shaking hands with the First Lady of the
United States
.

"Follow me, Mrs. Obama, I'll set you up in our private suite."  He turned to face Wiley – beaming like a proud father.  "The congressman has
the
minor task of making his acceptance speech.  Following that, we'll bring him back up so that you can have your discussion."

"Excellent, Elias," said the First Lady.  "The president and I have a problem and we could use your boss' help."

Wiley approached the podium in the Waldorf ballroom.  The cavernous space was packed with campaign workers, money men, well wishers, boot lickers and ass kissers.  The media was there in volume as well, waiting to capture the by-products of Wiley the PCP drug addict, or so they hoped.  The incoherent ramblings of a drug addicted public servant made better headlines than the boring pronouncements of a long time black politician.