CHAPTER SIX - A DARK SUMMONING ON THE BEACH
Going for the nearest vehicle, they had found an old army jeep by the barn. It still seemed to be in adequate working order and the trio were on their way. Django was driving with grim resolve and no expense on the burning rubber. Drusilla was beside him in the front, finally getting a respite to examine her cloth wrapped parcel from the old woman. Loretta King was sat in the back, using a rag to staunch her shoulder gash.
"Oh look!" Drusilla unwrapped a twin set of daggers with mystical markings on the blades and handles. "See how they catch the moonlight." She felt something else in the cloth. "And she's given me a nice pearl necklace to wear."
"That should go with your hula skirt, love." Django gently teased, his eyes lingering over his lovely passenger's form for a moment.
"Hey! Try to keep your eyes on the road will you." Loretta admonished from the back.
"We have to stop him, Django." Drusilla urged. "Gone mad with ambition 'e 'as. Wants to do terrible things to all of us. He said before he could make me a zombie bride if he wanted to."
Django's grip tightened on the steering wheel. He squeezed his girl's hand reassuringly. "We're not going to let that happen, Dru." He pushed even harder on the accelerator.
****
Finally they got to the beach. Legendre was in view, standing, gesturing fixedly at the crashing waves. Bit of a loony this one, Django thought bitterly. Some of his zombie slaves were between him and the advancing jeep. At least they weren't the carnivorous variety. Django drove right through them with several shaky bumps that almost threw the jeep in the air. The jeep swerved and Django brought it to a halt. He still had the sword with him and Django grabbed it off the floor as he prepared for whatever else the mad sorcerer had planned. Drusilla had her necklace on now and had a dagger in each hand.
"What's the plan then?" Loretta asked, not really sure what she could do in all this with no bullets left. Why didn't I ask that sooner, she silently cursed.
"How's staying alive for a plan?" Django asked her as he set foot on the beach.
"Well, obviously there's that, smarty pants!" Loretta grunted as she got out the back seat. Her shoulder still ached when she moved a lot. She decided to check the jeep for anything useful.
Murder Legendre was chanting loudly to the sea, when he turned to see Drusilla angrily advancing on his position. "Ah! Once again we meet. You'll be just in time to see my pet obey my every whim, just as you soon shall, when I have more time to spend on you. But first you shall watch your friends die horribly!"
Drusilla turned and saw two groups of more zombie slaves with a mixture of blunt and sharp weapons. Django saw them too and shouted a warning to Loretta. He swung his sword into a defensive stance as he stood to meet the advancing foes. Drusilla was going to be the one with the real fight on her hands of course, Django realised. He was just trying to keep the little players off her back.
"What should I use to hit the zombies with?" Loretta called to Django. "A spanner or a monkey wrench?"
Good job traditional zombies were so slow at charging, Django thought irritably, looking back at his glamorous co-adventurer. "I don't know." he shrugged, never having been one for mechanics. "Which one's the monkey wrench?"
Loretta let her arms fall by her side dejectedly. Hmmm, maybe she could use both and fight with two weapons. She scampered across to join Django in the big showdown.
"Ooooh! Django's going to be fighting and I don't get to watch!" Drusilla grumbled. "Won't be much of a fight anyway, once he gets going of course."
****
As Drusilla got closer to her opponent, Legendre began to glare at the daggers in her hands. "So! This is what the old woman gave you? Curse her meddling! It would be unfortunate if I had to kill you after all to keep you from dangerous toys!" A great rumbling came from the ocean. Murder Legendre didn't even have to look behind him. "Ah! Now you shall see a display of real power, my dear!"
"Not your dear, dearie!" Drusilla growled venomously, before turning her attention to the creature that would soon be rising to the surface. If she could just channel her thoughts and focus on her pet, maybe she could remind it of who it's real friends were.
The great rumbling continued to rise in tremor and waves leapt and danced above the ocean. And from the centre of the maelstrom came a truly gigantic form. "Ooooh! Look at the size of it!" Drusilla gasped with wonder and some delight. Then she scowled with resolve. "Not getting my pet! Nasty Evil Eyes!"
The giant squid bobbed about in the sea, towering way above the foolish mammals on the beach below. It was surely bigger than any other reported sighting. It's large eyes, just ahead of it's gaping mouth, seemed the size of monster trucks. It had ten tentacled arms in total. The front two were the longest of course and waved about several meters ahead of any of the others.
Murder Legendre turned with glee to his would be usurper. "It shall take more than daggers against me, my undead hula girl! Prepare to see your friends mollusced to death!" Always one for drama, the dark sorcerer thrust his arm forward towards his prey. "Destroy the vampire's companions! And then seize her in your grip!"
The squid lurched forward and began to extend it's longest arms across the beach. Drusilla smouldered with annoyance at this pesky pet thief. "Don't listen to this trickster, dearie! You're my pet. I sing to you and tell you of sweet things. Take this silly fool and digest him for me. Slowly!" The pearl necklace around Drusilla's neck glowed with green majesty. The creature from the ocean depths began to waver. Drusilla began to hum to herself contentedly. It was her pet after all.
Legendre glared at this towering brute that dared defy his command. "I ordered you to destroy the vampire's friends! Do as I command, you gargantuan oaf!"
Drusilla growled. "I won't have the disgusting man talking to my pet in such wicked tones!"
Legendre threw his arms up in frustration. Electricity flickered in his eyes as he spied Drusilla's pretty necklace. "So, another present from your village witch woman! I will wrest it from you! You shall interfere with my will no more!" He bolted towards his rival for the beast's subservience.
****
"That thing's enormous!" Loretta shook her head in terror and disbelief. "That's the pet that Drusilla wanted?"
"My Dru can see beauty and honour in things where no one else bothers to look." Django grunted over his shoulder to Loretta. The two were back to back. Weapons at the ready. "That's probably what attracted her to me." the ex demon hunter allowed a moment of reflection.
"Oh you're alright." Loretta reassured. "You'll be fine once you get the zombie juice out of your clothes."
Django was just turning back to Loretta to reply, when he realised the advancing zombies had finally reached them. "Watch out!" he shouted in warning, turning back. Reflexes saving him, Django brought the handle of his ornamental sword round to bash the first zombie on the nose. Knocking it back, he followed up with a few slashes. If only it was a real sword, Django mourned, this would go a lot easier.
Loretta had almost been caught off guard too. She barely dodged her first zombie's clumsy club attack. Getting her balance back, she slapped the brute about the kisser with both her weapons.
****
"Get off me you horrid toad!" Drusilla clawed at Legendre as he tried to snatch away her pretty necklace. They were engaged in an extreme battle of wills and it was wearing on both of them. Why hadn't her lovely giant squid just killed the nasty sorcerer already?
"Argh!" Legendre cursed with frustration as the vampire before him, kept dodging away from his attempts to get the necklace. Without it, he was sure she would not be able to match his power over the beast. "Enough! I command you squid, destroy this vampire girl! I lose all patience with her feeble attempts to defy me!"
The squid's mighty tentacles swept towards the two combatants of wills. "Precious, take this horrid man and drown him for me." Drusilla asked sweetly. The tentacles swayed with indecision and hesitation.
****
Django was in full combat frenzy by now. He was a whirlwind of hacking and slaying against the dead-eyed hordes. He did feel some sorrow of course, for the mindless slaves of his enemy. They'd be better off like this though, than continuing to serve that fiend until they fell apart. Loretta was all ducking and diving, tripping up the undead brutes and clobbering them over the head and destroying what brain functions were left. It was exhausting business, but she couldn't stop now. At least Drusilla seemed to be keeping the giant squid away from them.
****
Legendre unleashed his full force of will on Drusilla, sending crushing mental waves at her, befuddling and searingly stabbing at that pretty little head of hers. "Foolish woman!" Legendre growled as electricity crackled from the fingertips he waved around her form. "I shall crush your puny spirit totally for your constant insolence!"
Drusilla grit her teeth in agony as she was brought painfully to her knees on the sand. Unseen hurricane like forces buffeted her about. She felt herself being consumed by darkness as she tried to focus on her defence. And there was certainly a best type of defence, wasn't there?
Legendre ducked as one of the giant squid's tentacles almost swiped his head off. The accursed vampire had managed one last mental summon to it. He glared down at her once more, renewing his attack. And Drusilla lunged forward, almost in a faint, dagger plunging into the sorcerer's heart. Flames rippled and scorched over Murder Legendre's body, as he stumbled back in horror. The magic blade was doing it's work.
Drusilla shook her head clear and struggled groggily to her feet. Seeing her foe struggle with the forces that now seeped from his wound, Drusilla stuck the other dagger into his shoulder blade. "I'm leaving you standing at the altar dearie." Drusilla growled at the Zombie Master. "On your merry way to hell and torment then." Drusilla patted the silly man's head and stepped back proudly. Legendre eyed his rival wearily one last time and exploded in a burst of green flame that consumed him whole.
Drusilla watched the spectacle and then collapsed to her knees once more. "My child." a voice spoke tenderly as hands gently unclasped Drusilla's necklace from her neck. "You have done well. You have rid my land of the evil one. For now at least." Drusilla looked wearily up and saw the old woman from the inn, standing over her. Dru looked around and saw that some of the patrons of the inn and tavern were also present. Including two of the woman's sons. Drusilla noted with some wariness that the men all had crosses in their hands, although they made no move towards her.
"An old family heirloom." the old Haitian woman explained softly, as she clasped the pearl necklace around her own neck. "Thank you for taking such good care of it, Drusilla." The woman turned and spoke softly to the creature in the ocean. "Return." the woman said. "Return to your ocean home until your protection is needed once more."
The giant squid seemed to bow it's head here and turned and sank softly back into the sea. It's descent was far softer than it's ascension had been. "My pet." Drusilla mourned the creature's leaving. She hadn't even had time to choose a name for it.
"It is not it's time yet, child." the old woman smiled sadly at her ally against the cruel Zombie Master.
Drusilla nodded sadly to herself. She would miss her pet, but it was out of her hands now and she lacked the strength to do anything about it. What would she find to coo to and caress in it's absence? "Django?" Dru whispered looking round. There he was. With Loretta, still fighting the zombie hordes. There weren't many of the smelly things still on their feet of course, but still it had been a long night and the human combatants looked exhausted.
Drusilla rushed to her feet and ran over to the silly zombies. "No!" she growled with authority and sternness. She swatted some of the zombies about the head and waved her arms threateningly. The trick to controlling zombies was to show strength and be in charge. They were quite docile by nature. The old woman motioned to some of her men and they began to herd the zombies away. "Django." Drusilla held her brave knight in her embrace. "You're alright. We can go home then."
Django wearily embraced his girl with relief. "I was worried about you there pet. I'm just glad it's over at last." He remembered Loretta had been part of his group too. "I'm glad you were there to watch my back."
Loretta nodded, exhausted. "And the one who turned my sister into a zombie? Is he finally dead?"
"Not dead, dear. No." the old woman answered. "He's gone for a while. He'll take sometime before he can come back to the mortal coil. However, the jar containing the source of his power is still out there. Without finding that, we can never be sure he's really gone."
"That damn moth." Loretta sighed.
"We thank you for your help in ridding this fair island of the menace that exploited our people." the old woman now addressed all of them. "However, Haiti will still be in turmoil for some time. Legendre's allies still remain and will crave scraps of power from his discarded table now. And some of his heinous experiments no doubt escaped the blaze, that we set back at his plantation." She put a gentle hand on Drusilla's shoulder. "It would be better if you go soon, child. Haiti is not the place for you. Take your lover and find happiness elsewhere."
"She took my pet from me." Drusilla lamented, eying the men with crosses once more.
"Shhh, love." Django began to guide her back to the jeep. "Let's get you home before the sun decides to rise."
****
The next night, everyone was preparing to leave Haiti. Django put Drusilla's travelling luggage in the waiting carriage beside her. Loretta was sitting on her suitcase, waiting for her taxi to come. Django had went with her earlier in the day to retrieve her belongings from her former lodgings. No point taking unnecessary risks with Murder Legendre's allies still around. "What will you do now then?" Django asked her.
"There'll have to be some sort of service for Janet back home." Loretta sighed. "It'll all be very strange explaining it all. After that?" Loretta shrugged. "Maybe I'll return to occult investigation." An idea came into her head. "Maybe we could all set up an agency together. A vampire detective could be-"
Django hurriedly cut her off. "Vampire detective's are a prickly subject around Dru." Django whispered. He smiled. "Still, it was nice working with you. You were a great help to us and I'm really sorry about how things turned out for you sister. Goodbye Loretta."
"Goodbye." Loretta smiled sweetly as Django went to join his vampire love in the carriage. Loretta almost felt sad to see them go off, but she too would be glad to be leaving Haiti as soon as the taxi could take her to the airport.
****
Django sighed as he clambered in to the compartment facing Dru and Miss Edith. "Why's Miss Edith blindfolded love?" he asked bemused.
"She's been a bad little dolly again." Drusilla scowled at her antique companion. Django's poor daisy certainly seemed to be in a bad mood about something. Probably still annoyed about losing her pet giant squid. "Laughing at me during the Voodoo ritual. Jealous of Miss Death, she was!"
Django shivered at the memory of that wicked little thing. "I know she upset you love and that was wrong. But this will be her last chance to see any of Haiti before we leave." He decided to try one last time. "And don't you think she was just hurt because you were giving Miss Death pride of place for the ritual? Maybe she's just afraid of losing the ones she loves, like all of us in the end."
Drusilla frowned at Django. "You're always too soft on her." she grumbled and stared out the window defiantly. She relented grudgingly after a few seconds and untied Miss Edith's blindfold. They sat in silence for a while. Django smiled warmly at his girl, who just looked out of the window, ignoring the other two occupants completely.
"I thought for a moment you were going to run off with Loretta." Drusilla eventually teased after a while, pretending to be cross with her lover.
"Which one of us were you jealous of then?" Django joked, remembering the way Drusilla had first looked at their recent partner in crime, that night in their room.
"Oh, so you noticed that did you?" Drusilla smirked mischievously. She seemed to have brightened up again in the last few minutes. Dru came across the compartment and sat on Django's lap. As they kissed in the carriage, Miss Edith could see a native calypso singer with a guitar on the road. She watched in fascination as the carriage passed the singer by. Could her dolly ears just make out a bit of the song being sung?
"Wherever chaos breeds, Wherever civil unrest leads, Django & Drusilla will be found.
He has the blood, She has fire in her will, She craves the blood of the living, His love for her is a fire consuming all else.
The cowboy demon hunter And his insatiable vampire princess, They once set up in Haiti To cast a spell so sweet.
But the Zombie Master Sent his sightless children to devour, Battle was joined Murder Legendre would be king no more.
Django & Drusilla have gone of course, Seeking fortune on other shores, But look to the sky And see them dance, Their spirit of adventure will never die."
- The Ballad Of Django & Drusilla (Traditional Folk Song)
Going for the nearest vehicle, they had found an old army jeep by the barn. It still seemed to be in adequate working order and the trio were on their way. Django was driving with grim resolve and no expense on the burning rubber. Drusilla was beside him in the front, finally getting a respite to examine her cloth wrapped parcel from the old woman. Loretta King was sat in the back, using a rag to staunch her shoulder gash.
"Oh look!" Drusilla unwrapped a twin set of daggers with mystical markings on the blades and handles. "See how they catch the moonlight." She felt something else in the cloth. "And she's given me a nice pearl necklace to wear."
"That should go with your hula skirt, love." Django gently teased, his eyes lingering over his lovely passenger's form for a moment.
"Hey! Try to keep your eyes on the road will you." Loretta admonished from the back.
"We have to stop him, Django." Drusilla urged. "Gone mad with ambition 'e 'as. Wants to do terrible things to all of us. He said before he could make me a zombie bride if he wanted to."
Django's grip tightened on the steering wheel. He squeezed his girl's hand reassuringly. "We're not going to let that happen, Dru." He pushed even harder on the accelerator.
****
Finally they got to the beach. Legendre was in view, standing, gesturing fixedly at the crashing waves. Bit of a loony this one, Django thought bitterly. Some of his zombie slaves were between him and the advancing jeep. At least they weren't the carnivorous variety. Django drove right through them with several shaky bumps that almost threw the jeep in the air. The jeep swerved and Django brought it to a halt. He still had the sword with him and Django grabbed it off the floor as he prepared for whatever else the mad sorcerer had planned. Drusilla had her necklace on now and had a dagger in each hand.
"What's the plan then?" Loretta asked, not really sure what she could do in all this with no bullets left. Why didn't I ask that sooner, she silently cursed.
"How's staying alive for a plan?" Django asked her as he set foot on the beach.
"Well, obviously there's that, smarty pants!" Loretta grunted as she got out the back seat. Her shoulder still ached when she moved a lot. She decided to check the jeep for anything useful.
Murder Legendre was chanting loudly to the sea, when he turned to see Drusilla angrily advancing on his position. "Ah! Once again we meet. You'll be just in time to see my pet obey my every whim, just as you soon shall, when I have more time to spend on you. But first you shall watch your friends die horribly!"
Drusilla turned and saw two groups of more zombie slaves with a mixture of blunt and sharp weapons. Django saw them too and shouted a warning to Loretta. He swung his sword into a defensive stance as he stood to meet the advancing foes. Drusilla was going to be the one with the real fight on her hands of course, Django realised. He was just trying to keep the little players off her back.
"What should I use to hit the zombies with?" Loretta called to Django. "A spanner or a monkey wrench?"
Good job traditional zombies were so slow at charging, Django thought irritably, looking back at his glamorous co-adventurer. "I don't know." he shrugged, never having been one for mechanics. "Which one's the monkey wrench?"
Loretta let her arms fall by her side dejectedly. Hmmm, maybe she could use both and fight with two weapons. She scampered across to join Django in the big showdown.
"Ooooh! Django's going to be fighting and I don't get to watch!" Drusilla grumbled. "Won't be much of a fight anyway, once he gets going of course."
****
As Drusilla got closer to her opponent, Legendre began to glare at the daggers in her hands. "So! This is what the old woman gave you? Curse her meddling! It would be unfortunate if I had to kill you after all to keep you from dangerous toys!" A great rumbling came from the ocean. Murder Legendre didn't even have to look behind him. "Ah! Now you shall see a display of real power, my dear!"
"Not your dear, dearie!" Drusilla growled venomously, before turning her attention to the creature that would soon be rising to the surface. If she could just channel her thoughts and focus on her pet, maybe she could remind it of who it's real friends were.
The great rumbling continued to rise in tremor and waves leapt and danced above the ocean. And from the centre of the maelstrom came a truly gigantic form. "Ooooh! Look at the size of it!" Drusilla gasped with wonder and some delight. Then she scowled with resolve. "Not getting my pet! Nasty Evil Eyes!"
The giant squid bobbed about in the sea, towering way above the foolish mammals on the beach below. It was surely bigger than any other reported sighting. It's large eyes, just ahead of it's gaping mouth, seemed the size of monster trucks. It had ten tentacled arms in total. The front two were the longest of course and waved about several meters ahead of any of the others.
Murder Legendre turned with glee to his would be usurper. "It shall take more than daggers against me, my undead hula girl! Prepare to see your friends mollusced to death!" Always one for drama, the dark sorcerer thrust his arm forward towards his prey. "Destroy the vampire's companions! And then seize her in your grip!"
The squid lurched forward and began to extend it's longest arms across the beach. Drusilla smouldered with annoyance at this pesky pet thief. "Don't listen to this trickster, dearie! You're my pet. I sing to you and tell you of sweet things. Take this silly fool and digest him for me. Slowly!" The pearl necklace around Drusilla's neck glowed with green majesty. The creature from the ocean depths began to waver. Drusilla began to hum to herself contentedly. It was her pet after all.
Legendre glared at this towering brute that dared defy his command. "I ordered you to destroy the vampire's friends! Do as I command, you gargantuan oaf!"
Drusilla growled. "I won't have the disgusting man talking to my pet in such wicked tones!"
Legendre threw his arms up in frustration. Electricity flickered in his eyes as he spied Drusilla's pretty necklace. "So, another present from your village witch woman! I will wrest it from you! You shall interfere with my will no more!" He bolted towards his rival for the beast's subservience.
****
"That thing's enormous!" Loretta shook her head in terror and disbelief. "That's the pet that Drusilla wanted?"
"My Dru can see beauty and honour in things where no one else bothers to look." Django grunted over his shoulder to Loretta. The two were back to back. Weapons at the ready. "That's probably what attracted her to me." the ex demon hunter allowed a moment of reflection.
"Oh you're alright." Loretta reassured. "You'll be fine once you get the zombie juice out of your clothes."
Django was just turning back to Loretta to reply, when he realised the advancing zombies had finally reached them. "Watch out!" he shouted in warning, turning back. Reflexes saving him, Django brought the handle of his ornamental sword round to bash the first zombie on the nose. Knocking it back, he followed up with a few slashes. If only it was a real sword, Django mourned, this would go a lot easier.
Loretta had almost been caught off guard too. She barely dodged her first zombie's clumsy club attack. Getting her balance back, she slapped the brute about the kisser with both her weapons.
****
"Get off me you horrid toad!" Drusilla clawed at Legendre as he tried to snatch away her pretty necklace. They were engaged in an extreme battle of wills and it was wearing on both of them. Why hadn't her lovely giant squid just killed the nasty sorcerer already?
"Argh!" Legendre cursed with frustration as the vampire before him, kept dodging away from his attempts to get the necklace. Without it, he was sure she would not be able to match his power over the beast. "Enough! I command you squid, destroy this vampire girl! I lose all patience with her feeble attempts to defy me!"
The squid's mighty tentacles swept towards the two combatants of wills. "Precious, take this horrid man and drown him for me." Drusilla asked sweetly. The tentacles swayed with indecision and hesitation.
****
Django was in full combat frenzy by now. He was a whirlwind of hacking and slaying against the dead-eyed hordes. He did feel some sorrow of course, for the mindless slaves of his enemy. They'd be better off like this though, than continuing to serve that fiend until they fell apart. Loretta was all ducking and diving, tripping up the undead brutes and clobbering them over the head and destroying what brain functions were left. It was exhausting business, but she couldn't stop now. At least Drusilla seemed to be keeping the giant squid away from them.
****
Legendre unleashed his full force of will on Drusilla, sending crushing mental waves at her, befuddling and searingly stabbing at that pretty little head of hers. "Foolish woman!" Legendre growled as electricity crackled from the fingertips he waved around her form. "I shall crush your puny spirit totally for your constant insolence!"
Drusilla grit her teeth in agony as she was brought painfully to her knees on the sand. Unseen hurricane like forces buffeted her about. She felt herself being consumed by darkness as she tried to focus on her defence. And there was certainly a best type of defence, wasn't there?
Legendre ducked as one of the giant squid's tentacles almost swiped his head off. The accursed vampire had managed one last mental summon to it. He glared down at her once more, renewing his attack. And Drusilla lunged forward, almost in a faint, dagger plunging into the sorcerer's heart. Flames rippled and scorched over Murder Legendre's body, as he stumbled back in horror. The magic blade was doing it's work.
Drusilla shook her head clear and struggled groggily to her feet. Seeing her foe struggle with the forces that now seeped from his wound, Drusilla stuck the other dagger into his shoulder blade. "I'm leaving you standing at the altar dearie." Drusilla growled at the Zombie Master. "On your merry way to hell and torment then." Drusilla patted the silly man's head and stepped back proudly. Legendre eyed his rival wearily one last time and exploded in a burst of green flame that consumed him whole.
Drusilla watched the spectacle and then collapsed to her knees once more. "My child." a voice spoke tenderly as hands gently unclasped Drusilla's necklace from her neck. "You have done well. You have rid my land of the evil one. For now at least." Drusilla looked wearily up and saw the old woman from the inn, standing over her. Dru looked around and saw that some of the patrons of the inn and tavern were also present. Including two of the woman's sons. Drusilla noted with some wariness that the men all had crosses in their hands, although they made no move towards her.
"An old family heirloom." the old Haitian woman explained softly, as she clasped the pearl necklace around her own neck. "Thank you for taking such good care of it, Drusilla." The woman turned and spoke softly to the creature in the ocean. "Return." the woman said. "Return to your ocean home until your protection is needed once more."
The giant squid seemed to bow it's head here and turned and sank softly back into the sea. It's descent was far softer than it's ascension had been. "My pet." Drusilla mourned the creature's leaving. She hadn't even had time to choose a name for it.
"It is not it's time yet, child." the old woman smiled sadly at her ally against the cruel Zombie Master.
Drusilla nodded sadly to herself. She would miss her pet, but it was out of her hands now and she lacked the strength to do anything about it. What would she find to coo to and caress in it's absence? "Django?" Dru whispered looking round. There he was. With Loretta, still fighting the zombie hordes. There weren't many of the smelly things still on their feet of course, but still it had been a long night and the human combatants looked exhausted.
Drusilla rushed to her feet and ran over to the silly zombies. "No!" she growled with authority and sternness. She swatted some of the zombies about the head and waved her arms threateningly. The trick to controlling zombies was to show strength and be in charge. They were quite docile by nature. The old woman motioned to some of her men and they began to herd the zombies away. "Django." Drusilla held her brave knight in her embrace. "You're alright. We can go home then."
Django wearily embraced his girl with relief. "I was worried about you there pet. I'm just glad it's over at last." He remembered Loretta had been part of his group too. "I'm glad you were there to watch my back."
Loretta nodded, exhausted. "And the one who turned my sister into a zombie? Is he finally dead?"
"Not dead, dear. No." the old woman answered. "He's gone for a while. He'll take sometime before he can come back to the mortal coil. However, the jar containing the source of his power is still out there. Without finding that, we can never be sure he's really gone."
"That damn moth." Loretta sighed.
"We thank you for your help in ridding this fair island of the menace that exploited our people." the old woman now addressed all of them. "However, Haiti will still be in turmoil for some time. Legendre's allies still remain and will crave scraps of power from his discarded table now. And some of his heinous experiments no doubt escaped the blaze, that we set back at his plantation." She put a gentle hand on Drusilla's shoulder. "It would be better if you go soon, child. Haiti is not the place for you. Take your lover and find happiness elsewhere."
"She took my pet from me." Drusilla lamented, eying the men with crosses once more.
"Shhh, love." Django began to guide her back to the jeep. "Let's get you home before the sun decides to rise."
****
The next night, everyone was preparing to leave Haiti. Django put Drusilla's travelling luggage in the waiting carriage beside her. Loretta was sitting on her suitcase, waiting for her taxi to come. Django had went with her earlier in the day to retrieve her belongings from her former lodgings. No point taking unnecessary risks with Murder Legendre's allies still around. "What will you do now then?" Django asked her.
"There'll have to be some sort of service for Janet back home." Loretta sighed. "It'll all be very strange explaining it all. After that?" Loretta shrugged. "Maybe I'll return to occult investigation." An idea came into her head. "Maybe we could all set up an agency together. A vampire detective could be-"
Django hurriedly cut her off. "Vampire detective's are a prickly subject around Dru." Django whispered. He smiled. "Still, it was nice working with you. You were a great help to us and I'm really sorry about how things turned out for you sister. Goodbye Loretta."
"Goodbye." Loretta smiled sweetly as Django went to join his vampire love in the carriage. Loretta almost felt sad to see them go off, but she too would be glad to be leaving Haiti as soon as the taxi could take her to the airport.
****
Django sighed as he clambered in to the compartment facing Dru and Miss Edith. "Why's Miss Edith blindfolded love?" he asked bemused.
"She's been a bad little dolly again." Drusilla scowled at her antique companion. Django's poor daisy certainly seemed to be in a bad mood about something. Probably still annoyed about losing her pet giant squid. "Laughing at me during the Voodoo ritual. Jealous of Miss Death, she was!"
Django shivered at the memory of that wicked little thing. "I know she upset you love and that was wrong. But this will be her last chance to see any of Haiti before we leave." He decided to try one last time. "And don't you think she was just hurt because you were giving Miss Death pride of place for the ritual? Maybe she's just afraid of losing the ones she loves, like all of us in the end."
Drusilla frowned at Django. "You're always too soft on her." she grumbled and stared out the window defiantly. She relented grudgingly after a few seconds and untied Miss Edith's blindfold. They sat in silence for a while. Django smiled warmly at his girl, who just looked out of the window, ignoring the other two occupants completely.
"I thought for a moment you were going to run off with Loretta." Drusilla eventually teased after a while, pretending to be cross with her lover.
"Which one of us were you jealous of then?" Django joked, remembering the way Drusilla had first looked at their recent partner in crime, that night in their room.
"Oh, so you noticed that did you?" Drusilla smirked mischievously. She seemed to have brightened up again in the last few minutes. Dru came across the compartment and sat on Django's lap. As they kissed in the carriage, Miss Edith could see a native calypso singer with a guitar on the road. She watched in fascination as the carriage passed the singer by. Could her dolly ears just make out a bit of the song being sung?
"Wherever chaos breeds, Wherever civil unrest leads, Django & Drusilla will be found.
He has the blood, She has fire in her will, She craves the blood of the living, His love for her is a fire consuming all else.
The cowboy demon hunter And his insatiable vampire princess, They once set up in Haiti To cast a spell so sweet.
But the Zombie Master Sent his sightless children to devour, Battle was joined Murder Legendre would be king no more.
Django & Drusilla have gone of course, Seeking fortune on other shores, But look to the sky And see them dance, Their spirit of adventure will never die."
- The Ballad Of Django & Drusilla (Traditional Folk Song)