-06-

“Drown It In That Hot Stuff, Xander. Give It A Kick!”

Xapper slowly walked to the graduation ceremony. He had no control over his body. It was a memory he was experiencing. A real one and not the lie his dream invented.

The graduation was held outside and there was an overcast of heavy clouds above. He first scanned the collection of students in their graduation gowns. He did not see his daughter amongst them. People were starting to stare at him as he wandered and then the Dean took notice.

The Dean left the stage and approached Xapper. “Please, sir, if you could have a seat—”

Xapper awkwardly saluted the Dean for no reason and said, “Hello, sir. I’m Valiant Shooter’s father. Is she not attending the graduation ceremony?”

The Dean’s mouth went slack jawed and he nodded. “Right. I’m not at all surprised she did not tell you. Brilliant student. Top grads and somehow earned a remarkable amount of credits in a short amount of time.”

A small smile of pride crept on Xapper’s face. “That’s my girl. Always an—”

“But she is only focused on her studies,” said the Dean sadly. “To a point where she is rarely out of the library or in class. I heard rumors that she has had—ahem, some small relationships but they are few and far between.”

“Right. Sorry for interrupting,” said Xapper as he backed away. “I’ll be leaving now—”

“Sir. I gave you a hint to where she likely is right now,” said the Dean.

Xapper thought for a moment and whispered, “The library?”

The Dean nodded and said, “Yes. A shame she is transferring but well, good of her to find a university more suited for her chosen field.”

Xapper had many questions but he let the Dean return to the stage. He then wandered the campus looking for the library. The graduation ceremony was almost over by the time he found it.

🍴🧠

The library was like its own fortress. It was so vast and complex that Xapper got lost. There was no one else present to help him. He had to find his daughter on his own.

And by some dumb luck, Xapper found her at a table littered with papers and old books opened. The papers were covered in Valiant’s personal shorthand. Xapper stood at a distance as he watched his daughter write frantically into a little red notebook.

The notebook was barely the size of a person’s hand. It had a red leather cover and the spine was worn. Valiant glared into the notebook with heavy bags under her eyes. Her dyed red hair was a mess and she wore pink pajamas with an old overcoat.

Valiant had a small bandage on her cheek. Xapper stared at the bandage and sighed. He wishes he was more in her life. He could have given her some fatherly advice on shaving.

Valiant paused in her writing and slowly looked up at Xapper with bloodshot eyes. She stared at him as if he was a ghost. She blinked then fell into a chair.

“The graduation,” she muttered. “I wasn’t attending. And I never told you. I forgot. And I forgot all about the graduation too. Sorry, dad.”

“It’s alright, Val. I see you’re busy,” said Xapper as he sat next to her. He then pointed at her face. “You good?”

“Oh, yes, I cut myself while reading,” said Valiant as she put a hand on the bandage.

“Really? You read while you shave? You’re that focused on your studies?” asked Xapper.

Valiant glared at all the books on the table and the notes she made. “It’s like a bloody addiction. I cannot stop myself. And I will be moving to the States in a few weeks, so time is limited to use the resources here.”

“That Dean said some good things about you,” said Xapper.

Valiant rolled her eyes and grinned sarcastically. “Yes, academically, I’m sure he did. Socially, well, I just didn’t have the time.”

“He said something about small relationships. You have friends?” asked Xapper.

Valiant chuckled and said, “Oh, no. He would be referring to my one-night-stands with a few curious girls. It was less about fun and more about catharsis and getting a proper rest.”

“So you are sleeping, right?” asked Xapper. “We talked about this.”

“Not as much as I would like,” said Valiant. She then rolled her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. “And it’s only going to get worse. I’m going for my Doctorate and that is going to be brutal.”

“I didn’t know you got a Masters,” said Xapper. “You need one of those for a PhD, right?”

“Typically, yes, but I amassed enough credits with a high enough score to be a special case,” said Valiant. Her eyes filled with anger and Xapper braced himself. “It is frustrating that this institution, one of the oldest in the country, had so little for my field.”

“Sounds like a load of ass,” said Xapper.

Valiant smiled, nodded, and said, “Yes. It is. I explained to the faculty that I desire education in the fields of Palaeography and Codicology. And they tell me that they are more elective course material and not offered as a full curriculum here at St. George.”

Valiant then crossed her legs, crossed her arms and continued. “If the tuition was not so astronomical for other universities and the fact Auntie Poppy was an alumni here, I would not have chosen St. George. No, no, no. But here I am, with a bunch of degrees that are useless to my chosen field.”

“It all can’t be useless, Valiant,” said Xapper.

“True, they are not completely useless,” said Valiant, nodding her head irritably. “I could go into any subfield regarding anthropology, archeology, linguistics, theology, and gender studies.”

“That last one is super relevant to you,” pointed out Xapper.

“Very funny, dad,” snapped Valiant. “And I can only study gender studies because I had enough elective credits. Oh but sod math. Sod math to the pits of hell.”

“Ah, you are my daughter,” said Xapper proudly. “Yes. To hell with math!”

Valiant giggled and laughed and Xapper joined her. They laughed and laughed so loud that their voices echoed throughout the library. They simmered down after a few minutes and sat in silence.

Xapper then took his daughter by the hand. “Come on, put these musty old books away and let's have a drink. There’s got to be a watering hole on this campus.”

“Dad, it’s a dry campus,” pointed out Valiant. She then shut one of the books and said, “But there are cafes. I’m fond of one in particular.”

“Yeah? They got something you like there?” asked Xapper.

Valiant smiled and said, “Yes. The waitresses are quite fetching. I think I’ve been with most, if not all of them.”

Xapper applauded his daughter and helped her put away the books on the table. He paid no attention to what was in the books. They just smelled old and felt crusty to the touch.

After they cleaned up, Xapper followed Valiant to her favorite cafe.

🍴🧠

Xapper had black coffee and Valiant had a latte. They drank in silence for a few minutes before Xapper was bold enough to speak. He had questions and he chose his words carefully.

“So, how is Poppy?” asked Xapper.

“Fine. Busy. Being a successful neurosurgeon pretty much takes up all of her time,” said Valiant. “And I know she wanted me to be on stage today for graduation but I was not interested.”

“Would she have come to the ceremony if you were to go on stage?” asked Xapper.

“Likely not. Work pretty much takes up her time now,” said Valiant. “I do owe her a lot. She was there for me when no one else was and provided me with an education that has enriched my life.”

“Sorry I couldn’t be here,” said Xapper.

“Well, you do live in another country, dad,” said Valiant. “And, ugh, that witch insisted you stay out of our lives.”

“How is your mother?” asked Xapper hesitantly.

“Sod her,” said Valiant. “After all she put me through, what she put you through, and the hell Auntie Poppy endured with her crap, that witch is dead to me.”

Xapper nodded and said, “Yeah. Probably for the best we don’t talk about—”

“Auntie Poppy has been more of a mother to me than that woman,” said Valiant. “I do not know where she is. I do not know if she is even alive. And, quite frankly, I don’t give a toss.”

“Let’s move on then,” insisted Xapper. “So, you’re studying abroad then?”

“Auntie Poppy and I agreed that studying abroad will be the right step to take,” said Valiant. “And I will be studying in America.”

“Really? You’re moving to Maine then?” asked Xapper hopefully.

“Not Maine but close to you,” said Valiant. “I will be studying at Miskatonic University. It is in Arkham, Massachusetts.”

“Miskatonic, huh?” said Xapper. “That’s a funny name.”

“The university was named after the river that borders Arkham,” said Valiant. “They have a whole department dedicated to Palaeography and Codicology. Their library is filled with ancient works of literature that are still needing thorough research.”

“You sound super excited about this,” said Xapper.

Valiant leaned forward and her hands shook around her mug. “Well, I will confess, Miskatonic was my first choice of university. But Auntie Poppy insisted I do a few semesters at St. George before studying abroad. And a few semesters led to all those credits I earned.”

“What made you so interested in this Miskatonic place?” asked Xapper.

“Internet research on my fields of interest,” said Valiant. “I emailed their Director of the Library, Professor Waxington, who has been a huge supporter of mine since I enrolled in St. George. She has already recommended me for her hands-on research.”

“Hands-on, huh?” said Xapper with a goofy smile.

Valiant rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Please, dad. You know what I meant. And, well, I will not deny that Professor Waxington is a fetching woman but my business with her will be purely academic.”

“Speaking of academics and all,” said Xapper. “Maybe you should think about taking a break. I mean, you have been studying nonstop for a long time. You’ve been studying every summer and through the holidays. You need time to rest.”

“Like I said, dad, it is an addiction,” said Valiant dismissively.

“All the more reason you should take summer off. And I’ll take some time off too. You’ll be in America, I’ll drive down to you, we can do a cross country trip, and have a blast.”

“We shall see,” said Valiant. “I will think about it.”

The waitress that was serving them brought two plates of treats. She set a plate down in front of Valiant and a one in front of Xapper. “On the house, Val,” said the waitress mildly.

Valiant said nothing as the waitress walked away. She then whispered to Xapper, “Rose was one of my frequent girls until she started dating the captain of the football team. That’s soccer, not American football.”

“Things ended alright though,” said Xapper. “She gave you free pie.”

“Yes but it is pumpkin,” said Valiant. “And I hate pumpkin. Are you not eating any of yours, dad?”

Xapper then looked down at his plate. “Oh, yeah, I—”

There on the plate was a zombie’s head. The face was mangled and the jaw opened in abject horror. It was groaning and squirming in terror. The brain was exposed and a fork was stabbed into it.

Xapper’s trembling hand reached for the fork but he pulled it away.

Valiant then leaned towards him and whispered in a voice that was not her own:

“You need to eat, Xander. Wake up!”

🍴🧠

Xapper woke up in the military truck. His head was throbbing. His stomach screamed.

Xeak spoke again, “Good, you’re awake, Xander. Get up and eat!”

Xapper looked out the windows and saw nothing but trees and rocks.

“Eat what, yarn boy?” asked Xapper. “There isn’t a zombie around.”

Xapper then heard groaning. The sound was coming from the grill of the truck. Xapper stepped out and slowly circled to the front of the truck.

There, stuck against the grill, was the severed head of the giant moose Xapper ran over before leaving Fort Blackwood. It stared at him with wide dead eyes filled with fear. It had the same expression as the zombie head from his dream.

“Like I told you, Xander. Moose is on the menu,” said Xeak. “Now, get it!”

Xapper kicked the head off the truck. The antler caught in the grill snapped off and the head hit the ground with a sickening thud. Xapper went to his rucksack and got a bottle of hot sauce.

“Would be nice to have some eggs with it,” said Xapper as he sat down next to the head.

“Drown it in that hot stuff, Xander. Give it a kick!”

Xapper sat cross legged, placed the moose head in his lap, ripped off the top of the skull, and poured the hot sauce all over the brain. With a fork, he casually feasted on moose brain. The hot sauce made all the difference.

The texture was a touch squishy and some of the pieces without hot sauce were super bland. It was like eating overdone mashed potatoes with all the flavor removed. The moose head groaned for a while then stopped when half its brain was gone.

Even as the moose head went silent, Xapper continued to eat. He then thought of something and made small talk with Xeak.

“The town just ahead is called Redmoose. Odd name, right? But apparently there is an old native legend of a great giant moose covered in the blood of hunters who got lost in the forest. I forget the native name but people called it ‘Mad Marco the Red Moose’ and named this town after it.”

“Mad Marco must have a lot of meat on him, Xander. Find him. Get him.”

“Well, this moose here is bigger than a normal one,” pointed out Xapper. “I could very well be eating Mad Marco right now.”

“This ain’t him, Xander. It’s a mutation.”

“The hell do you mean by mutation, Xeak?”

“If zombies are left alone long enough, they mutate, Xander. Become stronger, faster, bigger, meaner. That’s why you gotta eat and eat them all before they mutate.”

“Mutant zombies? Great! Now I’m on a time limit with this zombie eating bullsh—”

There was a loud crash behind Xapper. It came from the truck. He quickly stood up and put a hand on his peacemaker. Xapper sneered at the truck.

“Hell’s bells, now what?” asked Xapper as he slowly rounded the back.

“I like surprises, Xander,” said Xeak.

“I hate them,” whispered Xapper. “Now keep quiet.”

Xapper then approached the back of the truck. He kept his hand on his revolver. He then lifted the flap and peered inside . . .

To Be Continue . . .