A Spoiled Rule

Chapter 9

Liam did not have a sleep meant for a king, though no kings receive the sleep they deserve. He woke shortly after he had fallen asleep, and in accordance with his wishes, Stephen was asleep. The night sky above was clouded, and it was very quiet in the kingdom. Liam hardly heard a snarl all night, though he was not listening for them. Instead, he vomited over the ledge of the roof four more times, and when he closed his eyes for sleep, he was woken to searing pain that spread throughout his entire body. He remained silent despite the odd pain coursing through his veins, for the sake of the sleeping others. Perhaps it was revenge inflicted from William's spirit.
Liam closed his eyes. He wondered if his mother would approve of him now. She may have scolded him for allowing his advisors to advise him, in which case she would have scolded her husband. It could be that Liam's father happened to be a murderer, though Liam did not feel that in his heart. Whether the rumors were true or not, he did not feel it in his heart, so they did not mean much. No, what meant much to him was the welfare of the people he had left. He must keep the lies away. He could not lose another friend. A few tears slipped from his eyes. He was not prepared to lose a friend during his rule. He had thought of losing one due to sickness, for that is how his parents both passed, but never to evil.
"It will be over soon."
Liam opened his eyes with a start. The sky was slowly becoming pink with the sunrise. Gresham had spoken alongside a sleeping Prima. Liam sat up, and he did not feel the stares of anyone else, so he figured it was safe to speak to Gresham. He wiped his face quickly. "Pardon?" he asked quietly.
"The pain," said Gresham, half-whispering. "It should be over soon."
Liam was about to question why Gresham thought this, but he was stopped when Prima began to stir. He did not know why he held his tongue, but perhaps it was to prevent others from knowing his true suffering. He must put on a strong face, like that of a king, even if it was now only pretend.
"What... What is... What is this?"
Thorne had just woken, and he was poking at a new bandage on his leg.
"Oh," said Stephen, whose hair had succumbed to the untidiness of sleep. "I have replaced the cloth that was around your leg with a fresh bandage."
"Where did you get a fresh bandage?" asked Thorne, looking around. "We're on a rooftop!"
"Stephen always carries some medical supplies," said Liam. "It remains a mystery to me where he gets his supplies. Even in the palace, he was always with them, though he needn't be."
Stephen smiled. "This is true."
"Do you normally wake up this early?" asked Prima, yawning.
"Kings rarely sleep for this long," said Liam. Talking was making him feel better. He stood, then grabbed onto the ledge. He had not been expecting spots in his vision, though he hoped those watching would assume his actions were due to stiff limbs. At least, those save for Gresham.
The sky was now golden, rooftops of the wealthier citizens glimmering in the morning light. Liam noticed Harvey was still asleep, snoring softly. Perhaps he had been mourning throughout the night, for the sake of his lost hat.
"Boss is a heavy sleeper," said Harvey's crewmate. He had woken with the others and sat on the ledge, drumming his leg with his hands clasped in his lap. "There were stories of Harvey's snoring among the portsfolk. Legend has it that his snores could reach the palace, though I suspect that is not what woke you so early," said the man. "I believe Harvey's snores detect danger nearby, so they soften to protect us all."
"The Sneaky Snores of Sir Harvey," mumbled Thorne.
"I have heard of the legend," said Liam. He was partly joking, though mostly sympathizing. "What is your name?"
"Ryan," the man replied.
"I apologize for not knowing your name sooner," said Liam. "And I am sorry for the loss of your crewmates, Ryan."
Ryan's jaw clenched. "How are we expected to survive?" he said suddenly, throwing his hands into the air. "The diseased are everywhere!"
There came a faint snarl from below.
"Diseased?" said Thorne, as if the word was a bad taste in his mouth.
"What's all the ruckus?" said Harvey drowsily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He then scratched his short black beard and looked from Ryan to Liam. He stood quickly. "I hope we are all treatin' Liam with respect," he said nervously.
"He is being fair," said Liam. "To avoid more confusion and nuisance, we shall use the term 'zombie.' I want no more of kingly honors, though I will not reprimand you. I suspect the war with Dínam will escalate very soon. We will prepare ourselves the best we can so that we may have a comfortable means of living in this ruined kingdom. Stephen, what have you regarding the zombies?"
Stephen cleared his throat. "They can hear us, and I believe they can smell us, though more research is needed. They can also apparently climb, but not swim. They do not appear to have lost any stamina despite being injured and, in some cases, missing limbs. They can run as fast as if they are alive. Judging by their complexion, they do not have a pulse, and I feel they, therefore, are without the need to both eat and drink. I believe the virus is transmitted through bite or scratch, not blood nor saliva transfer. Perhaps one of them bit a fish and let it go, and that fish succumbed to a dormant version of the virus. That fish then possibly bit another and they have the virus dormant in their system, waiting until someone bites them. That is my theory, though I dislike that theory, for it assumes that the virus allows zombies to still have enough wit to be... creative."
"Is that all, doc?" said Thorne grumpily.
Prima scoffed. "He's only helping you, Tholam. This information will help us survive."
Thorne reached into his pocket and pulled out the dazzling necklace found in the Shamaland. "No, this will help us survive."
Prima's eyes flashed with anger. "You are ridiculous! What are you going to do with that?"
"Perhaps zombies like treasure," said Thorne, flashing his crooked teeth.
"At any rate, we will not survive up here," said Liam. The sun was now above the horizon. "We must find food, and a new place with a roof over our heads."
"Might I suggest the underground tunnels?" said Jackson. He had been keeping watch over the ladder.
"An excellent idea," said Liam. His mind wandered to the waste system beneath the kingdom, but he dismissed the thought. There was no need to stoop as low as the waste system, when the underground maintenance tunnels would do. "There is an access panel on every street."
"I feel tunnels would be safe for now, but not for long," said Gresham. "Dínes are good at digging, and since the start of the war, tunnels have been built towards your kingdom. We are very close."
Liam held his breath. How unprepared he would have been for that invasion. "We will only stay underground for a day or so," he said. "It will take us someplace better than here."
Jackson took off his suspensors and armor and let it clatter to the roof. "I will not use these if no one else has them."
"Wait," said Thorne, pointing at the golden armor. "Where can we acquire more of those?"
"We cannot," said Liam regretfully. "They are trapped inside the palace, with the other zombies who overtook it."
"Well, will we all go out, or only a few?" asked Stephen.
Liam already saw the answer in Stephen's eyes. "We shall go out together. If anyone finds any guns, don't use them. Knives are best, and in this kingdom, there is only one place to acquire knives aside from the palace: Chroal."
An uneasy silence followed.
"You heard the man!" said Harvey. "Onward!"
Jackson stepped down to the mass of bodies blocking the ladder. The air was heavy with silence, save for the collective nervous breath of the group. Liam no longer heard any snarls or scuffling of zombies. Perhaps they were listening.
At the bottom of the ladder, Jackson grabbed the body of a zombie and pushed. The zombie slipped backwards a few feet down the hill of corpses. They all were entangled in nets, their movements so constricted that they couldn't even expand their chests. Jackson lodged his foot onto the backside of a body and climbed through the hole he had made. Liam stepped aside and allowed the others to go through first. Gresham slipped through and assisted Prima, Harvey ushered Ryan through, Thorne carelessly stepped on multiple limbs, and Stephen climbed through, though not before stopping to look at Liam. "Only the noblest of kings would find himself in the back of a group." He gave an approving nod and climbed to the other side.
Whether it was the sound of boots slipping on bloody limbs or the dimming pain in his head, Liam wavered slightly. He cleared his throat and made a silent prayer of forgiveness toward those he were about to step on. Then, he climbed through the hole down the pile of corpses.
Back on the ground floor of the bathhouse, Liam noticed the woman's mangled body was no longer floating in the water, though he did not see any zombies near, and he did not want to speak, so he stayed quiet. Jackson began to walk slowly and quietly out of the bathhouse, and the group followed. Out in the sun, Liam got chills. It was not that the air was cold, but that his heart had begun to pound in his chest. The path to Chroal was very littered, and it hurt Liam to see his kingdom laid to waste so quickly. Glass lie everywhere from broken windows of clothing stores and blacksmith houses. No vendors were seen advertising their products. No women were seen gossiping and roaming about in floundering dresses. The kingdom was dead, and it saddened Liam to think that his kingdom had been held together by a string, and it only took one touch for that string to break. He would not have made it through the war with Dínam, though now that his advisors were gone, perhaps he could start making decisions that would better what future he had left.
Liam heard footsteps much faster than those of the group. He turned and noticed a zombie tumbling towards him, wearing ripped clothing and sporting a large gash on its cheek. Not knowing what to do, Liam snapped his fingers, and could feel the stares of the others on him. He looked to Jackson, who tossed his golden blade into the air. Liam caught it and thrust the blade into the zombie's head just as it reached him. He twisted to ensure the zombie's nails did not reach him, and it fell to the ground gurgling. He gestured for Jackson to continue despite his pounding heart, and they continued. Liam kept watch all around. He peered between alleys, down side streets, even back toward the palace, fearing the zombies inside would fly toward them all on suspensors.
Prima snapped her fingers. Liam delicately tossed her the knife, and followed her gaze toward two zombies that weren't running yet slowly nearing. They continued walking, and after a few steps Prima stabbed one in the head, while the other clawed for her ribs. She narrowly avoided the second attack and rid the zombie of its brain, returning to the group with wide eyes.
They were now passing through a street surrounded by ramshackle houses. Most were made of cobblestone, unlike where near the sea they were made of wood. The street of disrepair was interrupted by occasional buildings that were beauties compared to their neighbors. The beauties were intact and sported pillars beside their entrances, windows (though now cracked and shattered), and flowers that were now unfit to be there at all. The beauties were legal businesses supported by Liam. The beauties made him revolted of himself. He had been following what his father had taught; continuing the proclamations his father had begun.
"Do not go down that way!"
Liam stopped, startled at the sudden voice. It had been Ryan who spoke, and Harvey seemed embarrassed at this, dipping his head.
Prima shushed him.
Liam looked ahead. They were on the outskirts of Chroal, which would previously have been identified by a network of vendors and clotheslines and flimsy buildings. Now it could be identified through its burned buildings, sparks that were still floating in the air, plumes of ever-rising smoke, and distant crackling of fire. They were stopped at a place in which the street split into three. Liam did not see any zombies, though he could not tell whether some of the crackling was them nearby or the fire.
"Why did you suggest that?" Liam asked Ryan quietly.
Ryan turned to look at Liam with fear in his eyes. "I have a bad feeling."
Prima scoffed.
"He often gets these feelin's, and he's usually right," said Harvey, looking back at Liam with weariness.
Liam trusted Harvey and Ryan. They were the only remaining trained seafarers, and he had previously trusted Harvey to make up his own crew of good men. The seas were dangerous, and perhaps Harvey had not sunk any ships prior to recently because of Ryan's hesitations. And, Liam trusted that the only reason they had ended up in Dínam was because Mettiam wanted them there. "How about left?"
Ryan gazed at the street to his left, and after a moment, he nodded. They began down their new route, and Liam glanced down the street they bypassed. What he saw made him freeze in his tracks. There stood William, though a far distance away, yet discernible by the stature and clothes of his body. William did not move, his physique leaned to one side, and he stared directly at Liam.
Liam heard a scuffle ahead of him. Thorne had tripped over a poor zombie with only his upper body intact. Thorne kicked at its head with bare feet and stomped on its hands, and then winced and clutched his bandaged leg.
Liam looked back at William. William must have been waiting for his new friends, who suddenly crowded the other street. What seemed like a couple hundred zombies stared at Liam, then one began to run, then all. "Run!" Liam shouted amidst the nearing footsteps. Without question the others ran, and out of panic Liam shouted for the knife, which flew sloppily into the air and clattered to the ground. Liam swiped it up and continued to run until the snarls became too loud in his ears. He turned and was immediately surrounded by a crowd of zombies. He did not recognize William, though his mind was no longer on his once-beloved friend.
Something touched his left shoulder. Liam turned and slashed at a zombie. Blood spurted.
Something touched his leg. He stomped on something below him.
Something grabbed his left leg. He flung the knife into a skull, tore it away. Blood spurted.
Something grabbed his right shoulder. He thrust the knife into a torso. The grip tightened.
Something grabbed his left leg. He tried to stomp. He missed.
Something touched his head. The knife fell from his grip and clattered out of reach. He could no longer see through the spittle and blood in his eyes.
A very strong hand gripped his right wrist. He was yanked to the side and stumbled. Another hand grabbed his wrist. He was shoved with considerable force into a building. Wiping his eyes, he heard a door slam shut and a moment later the pounding and snarling resumed from the other side. Jackson and Prima had pulled him inside a sturdy cobblestone building. It was very dark, though Liam sensed multiple people in the room. The windows were boarded as if the last inhabitant of the place had put up a quick and desperate fight before their death. A lantern was lit, and suddenly Liam could see an unfamiliar man standing amongst them. He was tall and skinny and older, with a mischievous look that unsettled Liam. "Who are you?" Liam asked.
Harvey and Thorne, whom had been standing near the man, looked at the man as if he were a mild surprise.
The man raised his hand awkwardly. "Hello, I'm Lucas, the owner of the shop you all just breached."
Jackson kept firm against the pounding door while Prima stepped next to Liam. "Well, your shop has saved our lives, so we thank you," she said.
Lucas smiled. "Not a problem!"
"I am glad there is someone in Chroal who can help us," said Liam.
Lucas' gaze hardened, and he tilted his head. "Yes, well, luckily this street was spared from the ravaging fires ordered by the king." He began to laugh. "At least... At least the wall isn't up! I'd be a walking corpse!"
Liam pushed away his uncomfortableness and paranoia. This man did not like him at all. "We will be out of your way shortly," he said.
Lucas waved his hands. "Oh, no problem at all! I assume you want weapons?"
"Do you have a way of securing the door?" asked Jackson, who had begun to sweat with the effort of keeping the door shut.
"Of course!" said Lucas loudly. He grabbed a golden pad and slapped it to the door. Immediately two golden wing-like flaps stretched from the pad and latched onto the wall. Jackson leaned away from the door, which proved steady against the zombies outside.
"I understand that you intended this beautiful building to have nobility, but I must admit that I succumbed to the ways of Chroal and have harbored illegal weapons," said Lucas toward Liam. "You must understand, king."
Liam frowned. This man had no doubt that Liam was the king. "I understand," said Liam quietly.
Lucas moved toward a counter in the back of the room, where beneath it he brought out a large black case. He opened it and revealed a series of knives, all varying in length, though some of the slots were empty. "Take what you must," said Lucas, stepping back.
Jackson had managed to retrieve the blade that Liam had dropped, so he declined. Liam himself grabbed a short silver blade and hid it inside his clothes. "How have you managed on your own?" he asked. "Where do you go for food?"
"The building next door," said Lucas. "It's one of Chroal's more decent food vendors. You don't have any guns with you, do you?"
Liam shook his head. "Guns attract zombies."
Lucas tilted his head. "Zombies... I like that word."
"Is there a way to access the store without returning to the street?" asked Liam through the zombies pounding on the door.
Lucas nodded his head. "Follow me." He opened a door that had been hidden amongst the shadows and led them through a very narrow hallway which seemed to have been built by Lucas himself. It was constructed of wooden panels tied and clasped hastily together, with beams of sunlight breaking through splinters in the wood. The beams were often disrupted by a zombie lingering outside, though for an unknown reason they did not pound on the walls of the hall.
Lucas opened the door at the end of the hall and immediately they found themselves standing in the next door food vendor's storage. Bundles of food were stored in bins on the floor and hanging from the ceiling, where beneath sat shelves and tables of various supplies and food. An empty counter lie in the back. Here, too, the windows were boarded.
"I'll allow some privacy," said Lucas, stepping slowly back into the hallway. "Try to be quiet. The only thing keeping this hall together is the golden wire outside of it." He smiled and closed the door.