Synthetic: Dark Beginning (18 page)

At first Humphrey looked startled. He frowned as if he’d misunderstood her words, and then his face relaxed into an expression of such compassion that Kora felt like a small, gullible child.  She couldn't fool herself much longer, but the idea of admitting what she knew to be true—in her gut—was just too terrifying.  She needed proof.  Only when she looked into the eyes of her former self would she accept it.

“What the hell have I been doing for the last hour?” said Gus, plowing toward them from the kitchen.

Humphrey turned to inspect the variety of bizarre sculptures now covering his counter tops. “From the look of it, you were experiencing a burst of creativity.  I was just telling Kora about the castle catacomb.”

“A catacomb? I haven't heard this story yet,” said Gus.

“I’m going to have to make more effort to prove these places exist,” said Humphrey.

“Then just tell us how to get there so we can check it out,” said Gus.

Humphrey took another long drag off his pipe and his eyes narrowed. “When Ruby stopped working in her lab, there was no reason for Caleb to go down to the catacomb anymore; no more dead to store away in the darkness. I’m afraid the crew may have covered over the entrances as we expanded the castle.”

“That's a bummer. Hey, have you ever heard of anyone named Mud?” asked Gus. He pulled out the crayon picture and held it up. “We found this inside a toy Caleb has that’s called Mud.”

Humphrey darted a confused look at Kora, then fixed his eyes back on the drawing and shook his head.  “No idea.  For a time, many of Ruby’s creatures lived down in the catacomb. There could have been a Mud among them.”

“I thought you said the catacomb was for Ruby’s dead,” said Kora.

Humphrey stared hard at her, as if trying to decide how much he should reveal. “Caleb once told me that out of every forty bodies he carried down to that miserable place, one was still barely alive. Someone down there—an extremely gifted person—saved them.”

A cold numbness poured through Kora and she folded her arms to keep from shivering. “How do you know they existed if you never saw them?”

“I never saw them, but I saw their work.  They were some of the most talented artists and craftsmen the world has ever known. Caleb took down sketches, notes, and raw materials, then months later, marvelous things emerged from that dark realm. Items of the highest quality matched only by pieces made long ago before mass production took over the world like a cancer.”

Gus cracked up.  “There was, like, a Santa-style workshop down there?  Why?”

Humphrey shrugged his huge shoulders.  “Ruby wasn't pleased when she found out there were survivors in her catacomb and refused to allow them above ground.  She demanded that they work for their supper, and what she needed most for her massive house was furniture.  They even built Ruby a replica of a Spanish Galleon that she planned to sail around the world, but no one could figure out how to bring it up to the surface so we never saw that amazing vessel.”

“I suppose if I lived in a catacomb twenty-four-seven, I’d have time to build something that ridiculous,” said Gus.

“You’d just make everyone coffee,” said Kora.

Gus thought about this. “You’re probably right.  I'm no good with a saw.”

“But if someone named Mud worked down there,” Kora asked Humphrey, “how do we know he’s buried there?”

“Every creature Ruby created is put to rest in the castle catacomb. Someday I will rest there and so will—” He stopped himself and quickly looked away from her.

“We need to find this place,” said Gus.

“It’s been a long time since anyone was buried in the catacomb. I believe the last one was that alcoholic hunchback. What was his name?”

“Ogir,” said Gus.

Humphrey crossed the floor to a shelf packed with yellowed scrolls of paper. “Here are old plans for the castle. You can see the catacomb down here and these are the only entrances left.” Humphrey pulled a pencil from his shirt pocket and circled three points on the plans and handed them to Gus.

“I think you made a mistake.” Gus held the plans up and pointed to a circle he'd made that was far beyond the cliffs.

“That means it’s out in the ocean,” replied Humphrey. “I was telling Kora there’s an old drain pipe out there that leads straight into the catacomb.  Be an easy swim as long as you could stay under water for twenty or thirty minutes,” said Humphrey.

“Maybe if you’re half marine mammal. I haven’t noticed any scuba gear lying around.” Gus rolled the paper back up and stuffed it under his arm. “Are you telling me Ruby has no way other than vents and sewer pipes to get down to her own catacomb?”

“Ruby and Caleb both know how to open the stairwell from her lab. I suppose you could ask her,” said Humphrey.

“Or we could ask
him
,” said Gus. “I’ve been on a roll with Caleb today. Let’s try massaging that big brain of his and see what we can get.”

Chapter 21

Vaughn walked on the wet sand, careful not to let the waves touch his bare feet. It was still early when he reached the wooden platform, but a large group of men were already stacking wood for the cooking fires so the coals would be hot when the fresh meat arrived from the canyon. They looked surprised to see him and several offered their wrists, but he politely shook his head and continued up the beach.

Gutted cottages the children used as playhouses lined the beach, several furnished with old wooden furniture they’d hoarded from surrounding patios. After an hour, signs of the Food’s presence thinned to a few fishing boats and long lines of seaweed hung up to dry. He stopped when he reached the first cave of El Matador where he could still see the upper part of a line drawn with bits of shell, old bottle caps, and rocks. He imagined Iris and the children hustling excitedly around the beach to gather these items while Joshua pleaded with the leaders for mercy. Vaughn ducked into the cave and stepped out the other side to find a long, quiet stretch of sand. He ran his eyes over the low cliffs until he saw dirt flying out of a large hole not too far ahead.

“That was a little too easy,” he called out in a loud voice.

Joshua’s feet disappeared to be replaced by his sour, dirty face. “What the hell do
you
want?”

“You should pace your decline. You were only banished yesterday and already you look like a madman who's been out here ten years.”

Joshua jumped down from his hole and slipped on a pair of worn flip-flops. His sarong was caked with mud and he looked thinner.  He folded his arms over his chest and frowned. “It’s you’re damn fault that I’m here. You could have just killed Max and been done with it, but I’m sure you’re happy as hell that I’m banished. What you’ve always wanted. Did you come here to fuck me over some more?”

“No, I came to see if you’d severed off any limbs to roast over the fire yet.”

“I’m doing great, asshole.” Joshua turned, as if to walk back to his den, then swung around to punch Vaughn who easily caught his fist.

“I came to see if I could help.” Vaughn squeezed Joshua’s fist until he heard a bone crack.

Joshua cried out until Vaughn let go, then cradled his hand as he glared at the vampire like a wounded animal. “You’re a goddamn mother Teresa. Now I’ll have to dig one-handed.” He moved his fingers to make sure nothing was broken.

“Why are you digging a hole when there are three empty mansions at the top of these cliffs?”

“If I move up there, no one will ever find me.”

“With the way you look, that might be for the best.”

“Did you come up here to be my fucking mom?” Joshua reached up to touch his matted hair.

Vaughn kicked at the stones around his feet. He wanted to turn around and go home, but then a flash of Kora crossed his vision.  “I've been doing some thinking and maybe I’ve treated you unfairly.”

Joshua’s face tightened with suspicion. “You don’t give a damn about me.”

“Things change.”

“You don’t change. Not a bit. For ten years you’ve treated me like dirt and now you expect me to believe this?” Joshua moved closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied Vaughn. “It has something to do with that blue-haired girl, doesn’t it?” When he caught Vaughn’s surprised expression, he hooted in triumph. “She saw you beating the shit out of me that night and told you off, didn’t she?”

Vaughn tried to think of a sharp answer, but words failed him.  Joshua roared with laughter.  “Good for her. About time someone noticed what a fuckhead you are.” Joshua swaggered in a circle around Vaughn with a crooked smile on his face.

“I owe her a favor. That’s all,” said Vaughn.  He wondered how the idiot had seen through him so easily.

“You have to be nice to me to impress her? I should tell you to go to hell. Be good for you to get your face rubbed in the dirt by a girl. Show you what it’s like for the rest of us who weren’t cooked up out of some goddamn
Twilight
novel.”

Vaughn clenched his jaw. He hadn’t promised Kora anything and in his mind, he’d done enough to make peace with the imbecile. He turned to go.

“You're leaving already?” asked Joshua, his voice almost pleading.

Vaughn walked down the beach, but he could feel Joshua’s eyes on his back and soon heard the thump of feet in the sand behind him.

“Go ahead, then, you whore.” Joshua ran at Vaughn’s back but the vampire easily turned and knocked him backward onto the sand. Joshua wasn’t injured, but he made no effort to get back onto his feet. Instead, he wallowed on the ground with snot pouring from his nose. “I just want my dad dead,” he cried.  “He makes my life hell, day after day. I can’t be a man—not even a fucking human until he’s gone.”

“Why don’t you just take off?” asked Vaughn.

“I stay for Berta, but she’ll never see me with your perfect, goddamn ass in the way.”

Vaughn glanced around at his backside. “You think my ass is that good?”

Joshua wiped his nose, smearing sand, snot, and mud across his face. Then he laughed.

Vaughn reached out a hand. Joshua paused before he grabbed it and pulled himself up. “Fucking vampires.”

“If you move up to one of the mansions on the cliffs, I’ll let everyone know where you are,” said Vaughn. “Maybe I’ll even persuade Berta to come visit you.”

Joshua’s eyes grew round. “There’s a house up there with a natural spring for drinking water.”

“Let's go check it out. You need a bath.”

Joshua scrabbled up the hill and when he was nearly halfway up, Vaughn passed him with an elegant leap. “That’s really annoying,” Joshua said when he reached the top.

The two men walked across an empty parking lot and hacked their way through a forest of dead brush. They climbed over the rubble of collapsed outbuildings until they reached the edge of an oval swimming pool filled with everything from an overturned car to a shattered statue of David, the decapitated head gazing up into the sky. Beside the crumbled patio, water pushed up through a pile of rocks into a wide pool that at one time must have formed a creek through the lush grounds. Old and looted, the mansion still looked in good shape with a solid tile roof and clean stucco walls that had survived years of earthquakes and firestorms. Joshua washed the grime off his hands and face while Vaughn explored the outside of the building.  He stopped at the back door where stacks of broken televisions and computer equipment lay in a vine-infested heap.

In the kitchen, Joshua thrashed through cupboards, thrilled when he found a can of pinto beans.
“You think there’s a can opener around here?” Joshua rifled through the drawers, tossing silverware onto the floor until Vaughn grabbed the can, ripped the top off, and handed it back to him. Joshua stared at the pale beans exposed in a ring of rough, twisted metal.

“Why did you go to Ruby?”
asked Vaughn.

Joshua tipped the can to his mouth, careful not to let the sharp edge touch is lips. “I don’t know. Seemed like a good idea at the time. I was really pissed off.”

“Max was right when he said she’d be back for revenge. It’s just a matter of time.”

Joshua chewed with his mouth open. “I can see now that it was a stupid idea. I wasn’t thinking about what might happen, you know, the larger picture. Just wanted my dad dead.”

Vaughn looked down at his feet. He suddenly felt unsure where to put his hands so he stuffed them into his coat pockets. “I could have told you that he soon will be.”

“Soon will be what?”

“Max will be harmless soon enough.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“He’s dying.”

Joshua’s mouth hung open so Vaughn could see half-chewed beans piled up on his tongue. “How do you know? You a freaking witch in addition to a vampire?”

“As the clan leader, Max offers me his blood at the beginning of every month. I usually pass, but this time I took it.”

“You tasted his death?”

The idea sent a shiver of horror through Vaughn.  “I guess you could put it that way.”

Joshua fell silent and stared out the shattered kitchen window at the sea. “It would have saved me a lot of trouble if I’d known that.”

“You and I don’t chat much.”

Joshua finished his beans and threw the can out the open door.  It bounced on some stones and landed in the empty pool.  “I should be sad about it, but I’m not.” He kicked a pile of silverware near his feet, sending forks spinning across the floor. “Don’t feel a goddamn thing. He’s the only man I’ve ever feared and soon he’ll be gone.”

“You never feared me?” Vaughn was surprised to hear himself teasing his enemy.

“Hell no! You’re a pussy compared to Max. And you’re wrong about him. Just cause he’s dying doesn’t mean he’s harmless. I could hardly sleep last night. Kept expecting him to pop up like some masked guy in a horror movie. Even when Max is rotting in the ground, his flesh will poison the maggots.”

They walked into the living room where a grand piano lay on its back, the keys scattered across the floor like broken teeth. Vaughn picked up a photo of a young girl in a bent frame, her clothing style typical of the two thousand twenties. He dropped it when he heard a loud cry from above. Birds swirled over his head and darted from beam to beam in the ceiling where nests perched in every nook.

“I like it here,” said Joshua, handing Vaughn a can of pickled mushrooms.

Vaughn tore off the top of the can.  “I’ve turned into an appliance.”

“About time you did something around here besides look pretty.” Joshua pushed his fingers through the sharp opening and pulled out a brown, slimy mushroom and downed it in one gulp. “I just have to do a bit of cleanup. I noticed some solar panels on the roof so I’m sure I can at least get some hot water going for a bath.”

Vaughn gazed out at the darkening sky. “I need to head back for dinner.”

Joshua groaned and tossed the empty mushroom can onto the floor. “I took all that for granted—the food, sitting by the fire getting drunk while watching Berta dance.”

“It’s your own fault.”

“I know.” Joshua turned a skeptical eye on Vaughn. “It still doesn’t seem right that you, of all people, hauled your ass up here to visit me. You must really like this blue-haired girl even though she didn’t look like your type.”

“What do you know about my type?”

“I’ve seen all the girls you’ve slept with over the years. None of them are small and skinny like her. What the hell is she doing here, anyway?”

“She’s working on a project for Ruby.”

“I heard a rumor about that. Ruby’s going to become immortal, and then you get to lick her ass for the rest of your life.”

“Not if I can help it.” Vaughn walked back through the kitchen and Joshua stumbled along behind him, tripping over all the stuff he’d dumped onto the floor.

“Maybe you should follow my example and try to kill her before everything goes to hell.”

“I already tried that and it didn’t work.” Vaughn leaned against the doorframe and looked Joshua in the face. His recent wounds had crusted over, but Vaughn saw numerous scars from years of beatings covering nearly every inch of his young skin. “I understand you better than you think. Your plot against Max seemed almost merciful compared to the violence I’ve dreamed of inflicting on Ruby.”

Joshua laughed and poked Vaughn in the shoulder. “I guess I’m the lucky one, then. My dad is about to die while your dear old mum is about to live forever.”