Hysteric

Teric’s heart was shattered upon seeing Zach, not Kira. Her heart sank and the trembling subsided. She felt the familiar sensation of being used, but also relief.

The priest noticed the change to her demeanor. Nic waved at the two of them standing side by side.
“Well well,” the priest spoke, “happy homecoming. Since you’re all here, I might as well make the best of this situation. Nic, Kira, please come in.”

Neither of the two needed to permission to enter but they followed the Priest’s oderes as though he were the figure of power here. There was a definite sign of respect for Father Joseph from the other two Necrolords, even with Kira.

Kira’s found that he was unable to make eye contact with Teric. She glared at him angrily and turned away in an attempt to leave.

“Ah, ah, ah, my dear,” The priest grabbed Teric by the wrists and once again pressed her to the podium preventing her from moving away. His hands gripped each side of the podium stand and his body surrounded her. She was trapped, pressed up against a man she harbored no love for.

“My work here is done, I assume Noia consented to your coming here Nic, Skitz, and Phran in order to receive some sort of report out of me. Well Nic, here is your report. Cutter should be perfectly capable of taking over this facility… or Kira. Whichever murderer she wants can hold this shelter. The humans have been able to train enough zombies that we can operate this place without them. I’ll want a few of these humans moved out to the farm of course, and a few more for research purposes. They can either help Dr. Sado with his studies, or be studied.”

Nic raised an eyebrow, “what game are you playing with such a statement like that? We had predicted the ownership of this facility to take much more time than what you are telling me.”
The priest laughed, “You suspect me?”

Nic growled in response, “this shelter is far from being done with, especially by you. Energy has yet to be delivered to the city, or even the suburban areas of those once human established colonies. The other plants and factories have nothing to get them going again, and you’re telling me that you are done here? Noia would be displeased to hear that you’re willing to hand over an unfinished project to Cutter, who is as equally destructive as the Doctor. This facility would collapse.”

The priest waited patiently for Nic to finish before responding, “Then we’ll leave Kira here. I’m sure his father wants him in charge of something; give the boy something stable to rule.A small project. Something simple where his killing of anything that walks by won’t be held against him.”

“No,” Kira muttered, “I won’t facilitate your stupid power plant. I won’t stand guard and babysit every trained zombie and talker you put in here. I’ve changed over the last few days. I deserve something better than your washed up projects.”

The priest shook his head and clicked his tongue before directing his attention back to Nic, “to be honest I’m bored with this. I’m tired of dealing with these humans… hopeless humans. They have given up on everything and believe in nothing. They are filled with as much life as the undead guarding them. They don’t need me to put fear into their hearts or ambition into their souls. Both of those things have come to pass. Within the day power will be turned back onto the grid. The humans shall reclaim what they believe to be their greatest assets, and hope will be given to them. An envoy or two will certainly begin to head back in this direction in hopes to make contact. Therefore this place must be guarded, against human discovery. They can’t be allowed in. It’s not a job as easily done as you assume it to be.”

“So, it should be you to stay and guard this precious territory,” Kira retorted bitterly.

“No. Like I said I’m bored with this project,” the priest said curtly, “I’m done here. My work is better expended on the human nations about to re-form. The colonies getting ready to sprout back up in the cities. It’s time for me to return to the King, time for plans to be made, and once again time for me to lead a takeover.”

“You presume too much priest,” Nic hissed at him.

Teric tried to budge from the podium, but it seemed as if the priest wanted her to hear the petty bickering between the Necrolords.

Nic continued, “The king does not work like that. He uses you, and one of us to infiltrate these pathetic colonies while Noia and the Doctor prepare the armies that will integrate behind the scenes.”

The father scoffed, “It is time for new plans! A new strategy. Besides I want to spend some… bonding time with my new daughter.”

Finally he released Teric from the podium by stepping away from her back. She breathed a sigh of relief glad to no longer feel him against her. She rushed off to the side of the podium but didn’t leap away. She just stood wondering if the priest was safer than the two beneath her who had also lied to her.

“It’s time to see what she is made of, and it is also time to test Kira’s capability as a ruler. It’s time for me to head back to the king. I can take Kira and Teric with me in order to finalize plans. I believe the few who reside here will be more than happy to accept you as there temporary authority Nic. I suppose it would be a golden age for them… well it will only be golden so long as Skitz and Phran remain asleep. Until Noia can figure out which of the survivors will go to Dr. Sado and who will be going to her farm territories.”

“What makes you think I would go with you!” Teric interrupted loudly, “What is this? You hardly have any respect for the humans, and you sure as hell don’t have any respect for us!”

The priest grinned with an unholy look about him. He grabbed Teric’s thin wrist once again, “get angry at me little girl, go ahead, start laughing. Noia tells me when you laugh you lose your doll like disguise and you turn into the person you truly are. A killer; a killer who laughs alongside of death.”

“YOU DID THIS TO ME!” Teric’s blue eyes began to fade and a flash of red glimmered across. She pulled her arm from his grasp and held it above as if she were preparing to attack back. Teric realized that the anger and the frustration helped her move past her fear. She could replace one emotion with another if she could stay focused. She retracted her hand and balled it up into a fist. Should he make another move she’d slam him, until then she’d just have to wait for the opportunity to present itself.

The priest nodded approvingly, it’s what he was hoping for. He wanted to see the monster he made even if it was just a glimpse.

“I suppose the best way to fight you is to start by not feeding your ego,” Teric hissed.
Nic countered, “Well, I do believe your family bonding shall be most informative. I do agree with you on one aspect, Priest. It’s time you go back to our King. Noia worries when you are gone from her for too long, and it would be better if you gave them a report in person rather than have it come from me. Especially that whole bit about you being ‘bored’ here. I’m sure the King would be most interested in that.”

“I’m sure he would,” the priest agreed, “I have plans to present to him and for many of our dwindling numbers. What I have to say shall certainly intrigue the man, as it always does.”

Nic sneered, “Take the two children. I willingly agree to preside for now. It is me who you wish to watch over the humans? I can’t say I’ll make such a stellar guardian with Skitz or Phran at the helm.”

“Yes, yes, Nic you have inherited my responsibility for the time being.” The Father waved dismissively.

Nic stared up in surprise before grinning devilishly, “good, that kind of order will keep Skitz and Phran from running amuck.”

“Ready a vehicle!” the Father yelled. No one seemed to take the order, at least no one who Teric could see in the room with them carried out the order. Teric could hear the scuttling of the guard outside the hall moving to fulfill the request of the leader.

“This will be interesting…” Kira anxiously whispered under his breath.

The priest and Nic moved to exit the hall together but as they walked to the end Nic lingered long enough to pass a message to the two young Necrolords.

“You will be needed momentarily. Take this time for yourselves; it may be the last bit of time you get alone.” Nic swept out and caught up with Father Joseph to ensure that proper preparations were being made for her to inherit leadership from him.

“Teric… I’m sorry… I should have told you… I was afraid…” Kira began his statement but Teric interrupted before he could finish.

“You were afraid I had changed, become a different person, and with no memory of my past I WAS a different person. You did nothing to bring me back, to save me from the monster inside!”

Kira looked away ashamed of himself and Teric continued, “or perhaps maybe you were never afraid of my change. Perhaps you had wished for me to become more like you. To have another monster to be with, just like yourself so that you could be more comfortable with how you live!!!” Teric screamed in the boys face. “I’m done with you Kira, I don’t want you in my presence. I’d sooner seek out the Priest for comfort than return to you.”

Kira’s red eyes were unable to meet hers.

“I’m done here,” she growled. Teric exited the auditorium leaving Kira alone.

“You’re done for now,” he whispered to himself. “We try to fight it, and then we grovel back desperate for the help, aid, and the comfort of one another. You can’t escape this curse or me, Teric. It’s only a matter of time until you hurt someone and come back to me.” He smiled weakly to himself proud of his foreknowledge and experiences. He knew that with time she would be his; she had to.
Chapter 9:

Teric sat silently on one side of the gate while Kira sat on the other. Father Joseph and Nic had departed to an office somewhere to discuss rules and duties of the power plant. A transfer of authority was underway and Nic would be more than capable of honoring her duties and the people inside.

“What is this?” The priest stepped out from behind the door and glimpsed at the pouting pair within the vehicle, “a lovers’ quarrel? I see how the situation is being handled. Well I suppose it’s better if you two ignore one another. Better than Skitz and Cutter… those two fought horridly after the break up, damn near destroyed our home after.”

Teric looked up at the priest displaying her curiosity. There was a relationship between Skitz and Cutter? She shouldn’t let petty rumors intrigue her nor should she give the priest any attention. He liked attention. She turned away not wanting to look any further into it.

“Calm down children, we go back to the true father tonight.” The priest patted the top of a black HUM-V with tinted windows as though this would be the reliable beast to make it through the next adventure.

Nic stepped out just long enough to give Teric a reassuring hug, “do not fret little one. Remember who you are and not what you are so that you will not become lost.”

Teric shivered with disgust in Nic’s arms. She didn’t know how much of Nic could be trusted, nor did she know if Nic actually believed in what she was saying or if she was pretending to be a hypocrite.
Father Joseph smiled, “Excellent human, you will be driving us back then.”

The man didn’t raise an eyebrow. He only nodded in accordance despite the fact that fear was
Kira and Teric sat on opposite sides of the vehicle in silence. The drive would not be that far in comparison to the run Teric had made to get here. Regardless of how time truly moved it came to a crawling halt in the vehicle.

The Priest was enjoying himself.

“Kira, you’ve been treated like a child for too long,” the Priest continued, “we thought mistakes like this,” he pointed to Teric, “would weaken you… and she is weakening you. I can see that. Perhaps it is because we have been treating you like a child that you make these mistakes. You hold onto human emotion like Nic sometimes does. You once made us proud.”

Kira barred his fangs and let a low growl escape.

The priest then turned his attention to Teric, “but we are not all without mistakes… now I seem to have you in my possession.”

Teric’s response followed Kira’s, her upper lip twitched and her eyes flashed red filled with hatred.
He continued his rant, “you two will talk to the true father. Kira you will help with the plans and my dear little princess, you shall have to opportunity to observe.”

Teric snorted, “Princess!” she exclaimed, “you tried to eat me! Why do you pretend to have changed your opinion of me?”

He replied, “because you are my daughter now. My sister, Noia has treated you like our little princess, and perhaps you shall live up these expectations. So long as Nic has not had her way with you yet. If Noia’s training has any influence on you, then you will be our princess… if Nic’s influence holds on you then you will be no more than what Cutter is, or even Kira. Kira was filled with hope once, weren’t you Kira?”

Again Kira growled.

“Oh, feeling shy are we? Let me tell you about Kira, and how he helped infiltrate your base. Before he warmed up to you, he found us a back door. While you slept in your precious tree it was him who led the trucks. The trucks filled with our zombies. He did everything he was told to do exactly the way we told him to do it, except with you. You were the surprise.”

The priest’s grin was an unwavering feature that looked unnatural to his complexion. Teric grunted with disgust. She didn’t feel surprised in the least to find out how deep Kira’s betrayal went.
“But surely you know, little princess, how far your mistake with him is. You should know that your village certainly was not his first. Our method we have perfected together over time. Kira is the true son of our King. Our King was once in love with a woman, a human woman from when he was human. Our leader became infected and found out that the woman he so dearly loved had left him for another man. Tragic yet predictable story.

“It was Kira who stepped in the way to protect his mother from the King’s jealousy. Did you not see the scars on his chest? Where his own father removed his flesh? Kira woke like the rest of us, aware with memory intact, and of course his mother did not. Kira sought to hunt down and kill his father for the acts of evil. He met me while I was a human, he was seeking help and solace for his mind. At the time I was part of a living colony. Unwittingly he led his father into my colony. The king took me and killed me. When I came to I realized I had the same powers as the other higher undead, I remained sentient and strong. I fell enraptured with our undead king, and sought to repair the bond between him and his son. It was not hard and it did not take long. Kira reconciled, his mother needed to die.”

The priest glimpsed over at Kira, “Had she not caused all of your mortal pain? Oh, you were such a monster then Kira; the lives you took, the anger you unleashed, you were such a monster.”

“You are boring old man,” Teric interrupted, “you are telling stories no one cares about. You are only wanting to hear your own voice ring. I’m tired of hearing you, shut up.”

Kira held silent surprised by Teric’s obstinacies.

“You insolent girl!” the priest bellowed.

He moved across the seats back to Teric with his armed raised, but Kira moved faster. Kira grabbed the raised arm and sent the priest back into his seat, “leave her alone. She is right, you are rambling.”

Kira scooted over next to Teric, he was not sure how she was handling the situation. Her face remained cold, but deep down inside she could feel her very soul battling to come to a rational decision.

The priest eyed the two then focused on Teric, “so, it begins then.”

He nodded and reclined in the seat. “Kira, Kira, it is time you quit playing with this girl. She no longer needs you; it is you who now needs her. Will you be able to go back to the violent appetites you once had? She is about to reach such a point.”

Teric turned and looked out the window. It was terrible timing that he should mentioned violent appetites, she had not eaten properly that day and she was famished. Every now and then she’d have to move her gaze away from the driver. The driver, with soft flesh and a mortal heart beat. She imagined herself tearing into the flesh at his neck, draining the blood from him then moving to his spine. How wonderful the spinal fluid and bone marrow would taste… she gulped. Her body was beginning to sweat.

Kira took notice of her and without question he grabbed her. He put his arms around her and brought her in close to him holding her tight, “I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I never meant for this… none of this…”

“You meant to kill me,” Teric hissed.

“But I didn’t… I couldn’t…” Kira moved a strand of hair behind her ear, “I tried to hide you away from all of this.”

Teric chose to ignore Kira’s heart-felt mutterings. She allowed him to continue to hold her, because she knew his strength would be needed to keep her from the driver as the hunger pains took her.
The Priest’s was a playful and yet unreadable one. He was plotting something sinister, as that was his role. A sinister thinker. Come to think of it Teric began to realize they each filled a role of some sort. Nic… she was the most flexible. She could be used as a front line infantry killing machine or a loving mother figure to tend to the wounded nest. Her immediate changes in appearance made her incredibly dangerous to a human society. She would be completely invisible when among them as she changed her image to varying image.

The priest was the plotter, and the charisma. Noia stood behind the scenes, an organizer slowly bringing the pieces of a bigger plan into a well developed situation. There was their doctor, a leader in their research investigating the Necrolords and the zombie virus. He was the mad scientist desperate for a discovery. Then there were pieces like Cutter, Kira, and Teric herself. The first pawns to be laid out in this strange beginning for a new world order. They were to aid the originals… to aid the original. Cutter was assigned to his doctor, Kira to the king, and Teric…

Her gaze met with the priest again. His attention turned away from the pair and he now focused outside deep in contemplation. Wherever the priest’s mind was now it was far from the confines of the car.

They all serve a single king though… Teric wondered. Each pawn had a role for a King and the king was now the greatest mystery of them all. What would happen next was something only the priest had the vaguest ideas of. Even a man like him took orders from someone else. It was hard to believe that Noia, this priest, or even someone like the vile Dr. Sado, all took orders from one person and didn’t act on their own.

Who was this King and what was his role? Much less his claim to a title as king? Noia had vaguely explained the system only once to Teric about how this King and his queen, Zagura, had been the original emerges for the new race.

She turned her attention back to her creator, truly taking the time to examine. His blonde hair was cropped up but not so short that it could be considered a crew cut. He had blue ravenous eyes that sought both destruction and power, and his body was muscle toned and in peak physical condition. He wore classic priest garments which were long robes that only accentuated his body adding his physic to his charisma. He was surprisingly attractive for a monster, and that worked very much to his advantage. This was someone to be afraid of. He did not look threatening.

Only a few hours ago he had told her that she should be afraid of him. What was going to happen if she was forced to be paired by his side as he wanted? If she had to act as a shadow and aid to a man she feared? How could she survive such a situation?

The car pulled up to the end of the extravagant driveway lined in statuary that would lead back to the mansion. The driver slowed to a stop as he looked out over the sea of zombies swarming the estate. Teric could sense he was nervous.

“A necessary precaution,” spoke the priest, “if the place wasn’t swarming then humans would think this a home. You should be safe to proceed driver; So long as you stay near to us they won’t advance on you.”

The human nodded with sweat on his brow. For him these imbecilic creatures were still a threat and a very frightening one. The car pulled forward and much to the human’s relief three necrolords were able to will the zombies away from the vehicle despite the living consumable within.

As the car rolled up Zach ran out to open the gates. He stayed outside until the car had rolled in then shut the iron barrier that kept the moronic corpses from mindlessly roaming the compound.
Teric glared at Father Joseph. She had been left alone with him in the car even if it was only a few moments. He turned to look directly at her, not allowing her gaze to slip his.

“We’ve arrived my dear, are you prepared to discover the secret Noia hid from you?”

“Then there is more than just my memory that was kept from me? In other words, I have been lied to by another Necrolord? I’m not even surprised by this anymore.” Teric’s voice was bitter and resenting.

The priest turned to open the door and exited from the vehicle. He stepped out at the same time as Noia opened the large mansion doors. A couple undead servants toddled behind her. She walked briskly up to the blonde man with an expression containing contempt.

“Well, what further damage have you caused? I see you’ve left the most unstable creature of our campaign in our safety net for the humans!”

“Correction,” retorted the priest, “I left the second most unstable Necrolord at the power plant. I think Cutter would do far more harm than the schizophrenic to the living humans. And don’t you worry little sister,” the man reached up grabbing Noia just under her chin and giving her head a little shake, “I did leave Nic in charge. When she hears me give an order, she’ll listen to it. All of her listens to me.”

He released his grasp freeing Noia who stepped away from her brother seething with loathing. “Despicable man!”

Noia’s attention turned over to the two younger Necrolords traveling with Father Joseph. Her gaze passed over Zach and it fixed at Teric who still wore the shambled blue coat and dirty garments from a life of humanity.

The priest knew where her attention focused, “You’ll fix her up. We are going to meet are supreme ruler today. All of us.”

Noia hesitated. She didn’t want to admit to the situation. The Father Joseph had made Teric as damaged as the rest of them.

“Teric! Teric my dear, please tell me this man has not riddled your mind with his lies!” Noia sputtered.

Teric moved away from the vehicle giving one last glimpse to the terrified human sitting in the driver's position before turning back to Noia.

“Not at all. Come to think of it, he’s the only one who has been telling me the truth around here. Even if he is long winded and often times irrelevant. No, his lies have not taken purchase, but the truth did.”

Noia stopped at the base of the stair casting a quizzical glance to the child she tried to peacefully introduce to this forsaken world.

“I have my memories back Noia,” Teric stated coldly, “I don’t hate you for what you did, you tried to help me and I know that.”

A shimmer a relief crossed Noia’s countenance before she extended her hand. “Then it is time my dear… time for you to meet our maker, our King.”

Teric reached forward and accepted Noia’s offer. She still felt betrayed, but at least she could understand that Noia’s intentions were not self motivated. It was done for the good of the Necrolords survival. Noia wanted a vampire that had not gone mad from the memories of humanity. That was something Teric could understand, but not agree with.

The priest entered the mansion first. He could be heard from the inside barking orders to the staff and his footsteps echoed through the hall until he was out of range.

Noia turned to Zach, “it is time for you too. I hope that you are finally ready to inherit some of the responsibility from your father. Remember you must control yourself or be locked up again. There will be opportunity if you follow orders.”

With that she gave a tug at Teric’s hand and Teric followed Noia. Noia guided her up the main entrance stairwell and off to the east side of the mansion towards Teric’s room. Teric noted that the room was still ridiculously childlike. It had been designed for someone to imagine themselves as part of a world with faeries and princes, but Teric now saw the room as ghastly and gauche.

Noia stepped over to the closet, “You may not like what I have in mind, but you have little choice in the matter.” She reached in scanning the well tailored garments until she found a long form fitting gown.

“It’s not the usual, but when presented before the King we don’t want you looking like a rag doll. You must look… professional to say the least.”

Teric scanned the item. It wasn’t quite formal, in fact it was rather basic in design. Sophistication was added by the impeccable tailoring making the dress stand out as unique even with a simple cut. The length of it extended down to Teric’s ankles and the fabric moved like water. For once, the garment was not that atrocious light baby blue Teric normally wore, but rather it was a darker midnight blue adding age and taste to the garment. The collar extended up to a high neckline that covered her chest and at the back a large circle was cut out displaying her back. There were no gaudy embellishments, just a simple blue fabric that only spoke to the mastery of its creator.

Noia turned away from Teric signaling to the girl that she was to change. Teric threw off her tattered and damaged clothes then turned to the elegantly simplistic garment set before her.

The garment was easy to put on. Teric found that the simple design did not hold any hidden complications and the seam lines conformed elegantly to her body. She peered at herself through the mirror gazing at the gown. This was a completely illogical garment for the end of the world. She was a part of the zombie apocalypse, and yet here she stood. She was dressed up for an event that was just as likely to be as illogical as the dress. She would be set before a king, and perhaps she would be treated like a noble required to assist the king and his fellow members of self proclaimed royalty. The gown added age to Teric and for once she did not look like a child. Instead she looked like a woman, tinted with a hint of cynicism picked up from an unfulfilling life.

Noia turned and smiled in approval. “I’ll do your hair.”

Noia handed over a pair of simple matching blue heeled shoes. The shoe added the height Teric needed to completely pull off the garment. The height did not distract from the grace of the outfit. Noia got to work with Teric’s hair running a brush through and through again to get rid of all the tangles. She placed the back end of Teric’s hair up leaving her bangs out and a few strands of hair from the side to dangle. Noia was swift with the hair style and only put in a few pins, each tipped at the end with a studded jewel which created the illusion that Teric herself was glimmering.

“I would say that is a success. Your transformation is complete. Now I must change too my dear. One does not wear peasant’s garment before a king… that is the kind of nonsense only the boys would pull. Please proceed to the west hall, you will be guided.”

Noia beckoned in a teetering servant. The zombie’s face remained complacent betraying no emotion behind the husk of a creature. It’s stitched on face was held by the bolts placed around its head that tighten the skin. Teric discovered she was still disturbed by the way the house zombies looked.
“Follow the servant,” Noia spoke, “It knows where to guide you.”

Teric departed from Noia. She followed the heavy breathing creature pondering the purpose of its existence. Such a creature would not know pain, or emotion. The zombie goes about its life entirely mindless without any other meaning than to feed itself, and even that had been taken away. Yet the creature lived on without a morsel to eat or a human to debauch. It was morbid knowing how accepting these zombies could be if placed in the presence of a Necrolord, and nothing short of profound that they could be so tame.

An idea struck Teric as she walked alongside the monster. That with the Necrolords zombies could be controlled and if instead of being used as a force of destruction they could be put to use to further aid human civilization. The harm they once inflicted as well as the spread of death could be minimalized. Necrolords were called such because they had control over the dead, and control was something that seemed effortless to her kind.

So, how do humans fit into this new evolving world? Ultimately humans would feel threatened or scared of the Necrolords; as she was of the priest when he entered her life. But was it possible to get past that fear? Could coexistence be formed between the new races or would more war and violence present itself? She was given a power that could actually aid the humans if they were willing to comply with a few demands. Blood would be needed to sustain in the most minimal format. Necrolords only needed to consume some of the human body and blood would be the cleaner than ripping off chunks of flesh and meat. Blood could also be collected without killing the human. There was a way to re-shape this earth into something less monstrous even if it was being led by monsters.

Her silent thought came to a halt as she noticed a figure waiting for her at the end of the hall. He stood outside a set of the grandest doors she had ever viewed before and he was a person she did not want to see. The priest was an unusual vision to behold when he was dressed in something either than a priest’s gown. He was not wearing a formal tux which would have complemented the gown Teric had on, but rather he wore a black business suit. His hair was slicked back and styled. He still had the priestly collar around his neck poking out from underneath his white collared shirt. He made an effort to dress up too. The suit fit him well, as every garment in this house did for its wearer.

“Glad to see you show up,” Anderton peered at his progeny with delight. Noia had done well in selecting an image for the girl to be presented before the king. Teric no longer resembled a child but a young woman.

“My lady,” he pulled at the door and held it open extending his arm forward beckoning her to take the first step in.

Teric followed as instructed and she nervously entered the room. She had read books about thrown rooms, but never had she experienced one. This room, however, was bare. The walls were white and clean giving a look of a hopeless dystopia to them. The floor had grey marble tiling which was the only splash of color to the room. At the center was a large oak table stained black with maps spread out over it and a large matching oaken chair placed at the end of the table turned away from the entrance.

The room continued up to a platform where two steps had been built to lead up to a separate space, but that portion of the room had been walled off with a steely wall that resembled a vault. From the distance she stood she could only make out a hand at the end of the armrest to the black chair. Teric looked up to the priest unsure of what was expected of her. The priest shook his head and she stood there in silence.

Next Noia entered. She too had dressed herself up in a form fitted gown but hers was by far much more revealing despite the added sleeves. The dress was a soft white with red accents highlighting the curves to Noia’s body. She looked completely regal, professional, attractive, and Teric found her gaze locked onto Noia.

“You’ve out done yourself Noia, however did you find the time?” Father Joseph said.

“A good designer always finds the time. You look positively plain,” Noia replied.

Teric watched as the two older Necrolords battled each other with words.

“Can’t say I’m as vain as you are,” the priest retorted, “but that is all irrelevant. We are missing one…”

No sooner had Father Joseph spoken when Kira stepped into the room. He had made no effort in appearance. He still had on the same gaudy t-shirt and shredded jeans. Both the elders fell into an uneasy quiet as they looked over at their precious lord’s son.

“I take it all who need to be here have arrived?” The voice came from the body seated in the chair facing away from the door, away from the people in the room.

Noia nodded, “Yes… we are all here.”

The hand retracted from the arm rest, “excellent, then we may proceed.”

The speaker had a deep baritone voice that compelled the listener. He spoke with assertion and when he spoke everybody stopped to listen. The stranger in the chair stood up and turned to great his visitors. He too was a well dressed gentleman in appearance. He wore a simple suit similar to Father Joseph’s but without the priestly collar. His gaze was steely and cold as he looked at each of the Necrolords who had entered his domain. Teric held her breathe. There was no denying his relation to Zach. The King looked very much like his son only older.

“I see, so you are the new addition. Joseph did produce a child then; how unsettling. Noia tells me you are called Teric?”

Teric nodded, acknowledging the man who called himself King of the Necrolords. He was even more imposing than the priest was. His presence demanded respect as much as it did attention. He was more muscle built than any of the other boys. There was no fat to his body, just muscle. His eyes had turned a permanent red as Kira’s had done, but where the whites of the eyes should have been it had turned to black. This gave the illusion that his irises were glowing.

“Who would have ever thought such a thing possible,” the priest said responding to his first name, “and now that she’s up to speed with the situation I’d like to run her through a couple of tasks. See if she is truly ready to call herself a ‘lord’.”

The King moved over to the table pointing out a some of the maps and beckoned the group over, “You always have ideas Joseph, what now have you planned?”

The priest grinned with a sort of devilish delight, “I want to leave the factory. It has been set up and is ready to be taken into someone else’s care. At first I thought to give your son Kira some responsibility, but currently Nic has the facility under control. She could assume the responsibility as the doctor did for the hospital or we could hand it over.”

Teric shivered at the mention of the hospital; such a terrible place. The king looked up with suspicion in his gaze, “and why would I let you leave the factory. Our work there has not come to completion.”

“Oh but it grows close. What is left to be done is nothing an inventive supervisor could not achieve. Nic and her alter egos could easily reel in the humans and she’d have them tightly wrapped under thumb. They’d grow to trust her and fear her other selves. In the meantime I would like to see myself and our youngest assigned to a different mission. It’s time to start leading the sheep back into the city. Noia has been keeping track of our ‘farm’. Essentially another deteriorating hospital with captured humans constantly forced into unconsciousness and drained until they die. I think the farm is a poor sustainability option. It is only a matter of time before that option falls apart too. Once we start getting the population back to the city we could start a new infrastructure. Call for mandatory blood testing under the guise that we’d be testing for the virus, but in reality only collecting for ourselves. We could control the humans and lead them as we almost had before.”

The king held his hand up and Anderton fell silent. “Before… before we had another with us. She was key in holding the population stable, she was their hope for a brighter future, and then she broke.”

Noia took it upon herself to interject, “she was becoming a god… it was more pressure than any unprepared person could handle. She was the hope for humanity unaware of her curse. We are all cursed, we know now not to pretend otherwise. I fear I may agree with my brother… perhaps it is time to start leading packs of humans in. We could exhume the city of the unwanted dead, even get the human colonies to help if we supply them with certain necessities. It’s possible to bring this idea to a reality.”

The king replied, “You would have me turn back on the weapons manufacturing facility? Simply to aid the humans in destroying more undead? This is not what I had envisioned with Zagura, this was not how we would claim the humans.”

Noia stood behind her idea, “It could work… we could take a few of the humans at the power plant and re-assign them. They're certainly smart enough to handle the job change. Take a few more of the healthier humans off the farm, maybe rescue a few from the doctor’s research and we’d be able to get the weapons factory up and running. Or if you fear having it become entirely human powered we could simply compel the zombies to do the dirty work. Talkers are generally smart enough, and if the talking bothers you we’ll sew their mouths shut like we did with the ones in the house.”

The king relaxed his posture as he mulled over Noia’s ideas. He replied, “it would need to be the undead in control of that facility. How would we continue to find the resources to feed these humans? We are barely able to keep up with the demands of the skeleton crew we left at that factory! Humans need to eat, zombies simply become unruly when they are hungry.”

The Priest spoke, “But it is time we brought in help. It would be a slow process, but I think we could manage. Once we get the city supplied with human life we could move the remaining factory workers elsewhere. The science team could return to the Doctor Sado to… discuss their research, and the others to the weapons facility until we can decide upon a better use for them.”

“Phran and Cutter… perhaps even my own son would simply rely on the ease of the human packs wandering into our area to sustain ourselves. This has worked for us so far.” The King was amused with the idea.

“Eventually our land will be rumored as cursed. Humans will stop wandering into areas where no life returns,” the father replied, “We’ll be given complete cover this time.”

The king looked up, his deep red eyes, dark black hair, and a facial structure so similar to Zach’s it gave Teric the chills. “My, I almost expected her to resemble Zagura…” the King pointed at Teric, “Zagura was the first of her kind. We all admired her so much before she vanished. This girl… why she looks so disturbingly like you Joseph is an enigma.”

The priest smirked, “she has her own image, but with no reference it seems her body has transformed much like Nic is able to do.”

“Then Kira can inherit the farm from Noia,” the king spoke staring at his son. Kira gave a look of detest but did little to question the man, “Noia… I think it best you stay here. I will need you to keep the missions in order. We need at least one person keeping tabs on the others.”

Noia also looked upset with the final say of the King but did not argue.

Teric took this moment to test her voice, “so that’s it then? I don’t get a say in the matter? I don’t get to voice my fate? I am to be sent off with the man who killed me so that I can aid him in tricking other humans into a death trap?! I refuse! I completely refuse this ridiculous plan! I’d sooner work besides Nic tearing your little make-believe court of royalty apart!”

Noia froze with a look of terror crossing her countenance. Kira took a step back shaking his head and the priest only gave a short scoff. The king was clearly not faced with such bold insolence on a regular basis.

He moved away from the table and raised his arm crossing his gaze with Teric’s.

“You know Teric; we chose the name Necrolords because we can control the dead. Rule over them like lords,” Teric felt her body suddenly compress, as if somehow it was being forced in on itself. Without any will of her own the body began to walk forward towards the angered king.

“They made me king of the lords because I can control them. A true king of the dead.”

Teric tried to fight the movement but found her will was far from strong enough. The King reached out and grabbed her scrawny neck, “should you ever insult me so directly again I shall light you ablaze. Do you understand me unpleasant child?”

Teric’s eyes widened in horror once she realized that this man actually held the power to kill her, or if he was more in the mood for sport, control her against her will. He was a new sort of undead power and now she began to understand why he reigned supreme over the rest. That is why he was king, not because he was the first, but because he had the most power. A power the others did not have and most likely sought for themselves. That desire then makes the king a necessary component.
Teric nodded and he released her continuing his lecture, “it will do my son good to be separated from this ridiculous creature. As for you Joseph, it will be interesting to see if you are able to reign in such a stubborn thing as this. Joseph, I wish you luck. That being said there is only one thing left to clarify.”

The King turned to face all of the lords before him, “if I am ever betrayed I will hunt you down. I will hunt you to the ends of this earth until I find you, and destroy you. There will be no freedom, no escape, just your empty death by my hand. Is that understood?” He finished his statement staring at Teric. The speech was meant for all to hear but it was a direct message to Teric who had tried to refuse the order.

“Perfectly so…” Teric grumbled.

The king shoved her back to the priest, “now leave. Joseph you have your plans. For now I shall play along with these schemes of yours. If anything good should present itself within the next year perhaps I shall let you keep playing your games with the humans, but if no results show you will return to the conquered establishments.”

The priest nodded, “Our king sees two strategies. To fool them to trust us as I hope to achieve, or to simply conquer them as the doctor had advised. He is simply too desperate for test subjects and I hope the king sees my plan as the better option.”

The king waved his hands, “I said out, I’m tired of listening to your prattle.”

With that each lord bowed. Teric was reluctant at first, but her body lowered itself of its own. This king hardly seemed to be paying any attention to the lot but still his power had a hold on her, a terrifying one. They exited and Noia closed the grand oaken doors behind them.