Minutes to Midnight by Phaedra Weldon Page B

"Why don't we
accompany the Guardian to his job? Keep an eye out? If there's a
Djin after him, he'd make great bait for me."
    I could tell Mike wasn't that enthusiastic
about the idea. He glanced at her and then at me. "Okay. How long's
the shift?"
    "'Til one."
    "Perfect," Raven said. "Then you can take me
to the cemetery. Hell, we might even crash a dead man's party." She
laughed. It was a pleasant tone and I smiled.
    Mike didn't even smile. I think it was the
day's info-dump and the stress that came from overkill that put
Mike on edge. He turned and stood up tall. I recognized his fight
stance. He was prepared. Waiting. Aggressive without force. And
Raven needed to watch out. "You think this is a joke? Those zombies
have killed four people, two of them children. And six nights ago
they nearly dragged Dags off into the dark. If we go to the
cemetery tonight, we go to kick ass."
    But Raven didn't let his tone or his
demeanor get to her. Her eyes went black and her features shifted
in that oh–so-familiar way of the Revenant. "Mr. Ross, I know more
about the type of creatures you're hunting than you can possibly
imagine. These aren't Hollywood zombies. They aren't human beings
in high quality latex and paint. These things are real. They're
rotting humans running around, killing living humans. They're
Ghoul-made abominations."
    Raven and Mike paused their conversation
when each of went to our designated sex-based bathrooms. I changed
out of my gi and back into my jeans and teeshirt. It was slow going
for me. I was so…so damn tired.
    After Mike finished we stepped back into the
hall and fell in step behind her as she walked across the empty mat
to the front office.
    "Ghoul?" He looked a little confused.
    I knew what a Ghoul was, having met Jason's
Ghoul, Nick Shay. But I had no idea what she was talking about. I'd
never seen Nick make a zombie.
    "What are Ghouls?"
    "Ghouls are made by Revenants, Mr. Ross."
Raven turned to face us once she got to Shi-han Shu's former desk.
"Revenants feed Ghouls blood to keep them alive and immortal. But
if a Ghoul gives their blood to a human, what matures isn't another
Ghoul."
    I felt the hairs on the back of my neck
rise. "That's what makes a zombie?"
    "Zombie might be the modern term for them,
but we once knew them as Lamia." She looked very serious. "The
walking undead."

 
     
    EARTH BANiSHING

     
     
    I took another shower before heading to
work. I was dead tired, with sore joints and a headache. Fresh
coffee waited for me in the carafe when I came downstairs, dressed
in my black jeans, KB T-shirt, and sneakers, but there was no sign
of Mike and Raven. A quick glance outside revealed Mike's Jeep was
gone. The plan was for me to get to work and they'd keep an eye on
me and the bar until my shift was over, then it was off to
Bonaventure. The cemetery would be closed by that time, but Mike
and I knew a way in.
    The evening was nice, a cooling breeze
coming off the river as I walked down to River Street. I took the
closest set of stone stairs down to the street. Tourists were out,
sightseeing and choosing places to eat. I myself had sampled quite
a few of the restaurants along the waterfront. Highlights for me
were Spanky's, Shrimp Factory, and Huey's. I'd also discovered a
weakness for pralines which I bought regularly at River Street
Sweets.
    Kevin Barry's was a two-story pub on the
corner of a building next to the Sheraton Hotel. The front door was
framed by glass windows covered in stickers. The laughter and
conversation coming from inside was always pleasant and inviting.
Tall tables and a large wood-and-brass bar filled the first room.
What drew in crowds was the live music in the adjacent room. My
favorite part of the bar was the balcony and armed services museum
upstairs. A few times after closing, a few of the other bartenders
and servers and I would have a pint and watch the boats move up and
down the Savannah River.
    Tonight the place was packed. April, warm
weather and the