This is a remediation, a story created from the original work, White Zombie, a 1932 movie.Charles Beaumont slammed his fists down on the table and pushed away, his chair tipping backwards as he stood to face his butler, Silver. "Why have they not arrived? She is supposed to be married tonight! In a few hours!"
Silver shifted his feet nervously, "Well, you know what the drivers are like, and then there is that funeral, they are probably doing it in the road again."
"In the road! Burying corpses in the road? For what?"
"Well sir, the grave robbers, you know. If they bury them in a well-frequented place, it is harder to secretly steal the corpse."
"I have no time for these superstitions,” Charles said, "Madeline is arriving tonight and I have very little time to tear her away from that idiot fiancé, Neil."
"Sir, the witchdoctor, Legendre, said he will send a carriage for you this evening."
" Legendre waits until now to contact me? He is the only hope I have in making her love me and abandon her plans to marry Neil!"
"Indeed sir."
"Are the flowers and wedding arrangements complete?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then all we can do is wait."
Charles was reviewing the finances of his sugar plantation still, late in the evening, when he heard the carriage arrive. He extinguished the only candle in the room and crossed quietly to the curtains to look down on his driveway and the couple that burst from the carriage below.
"Now see here, why did you drive like that?" Neil asked, as he helped Madeline from the carriage. "We could have been killed!"
"Worse than that monsieur," the driver responded calmly, "We might have been caught."
"Caught? By whom? Those men you spoke to?"
The driver smiled smugly in response, "They are not men, monsieur, they are dead bodies."
"What?"
"Yes, zombies, the living dead. I told you about the corpses being taken from their graves. They are reanimated for work in the sugar mills and fields at night."
"That is ridiculous," Neil responded but the driver drove away without further comment.
Charles considered what he had seen carefully, local superstitions were rife but he hoped that nothing had happened to Madeline on the way in from the port. Before he could step away from the window and go to greet his guests, his saw Dr Bruner walking up the driveway.
"Should I go greet them?" Silver asked from the darkness.
"No," Charles said quietly in return. "Just a moment."
Dr Bruner and the couple had made introductions on the doorstep under his window, and now he heard the Doctor say, "I am here to perform a wedding ceremony, for you two I guess!" They laughed then the Doctor asked, "How do you know Mr Beaumont?"
"Mr Beaumont offered me a job as his agent, Madeline introduced me to him. They met on her recent cruise," Neil responded.
"That is strange," Dr Bruner said. "I've only met Mr Beaumont once in my thirty years here as a missionary but he doesn't seem the type to take an interest in a young couple like yourself." Dr Bruner lowered his voice, "Perhaps he has other motives."
Charles bristled with anger, how dare the Doctor turn Madeline's good opinion against him?
"Go," he said to Silver.
When he joined his guests in the living room Charles could hardly take his eyes off Madeline, just as beautiful as he remembered from the recent cruise. He wanted her to be his more than anything. They exchanged pleasantries and discussed the plans for the wedding that night but Charles wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and away from her fiance.
"Sir, your appointment, the carriage has arrived," Silver said, interrupting his chain of thought. Charles made his excuses to Madeline, Neil and the Doctor and assured them he would be back shortly. He had only a few hours to set his plan in motion.
The carriage was manned by a silent hooded figure, as he climbed up the horses took off. "Hello," he said to the driver, but there was no response. He looked over at the blank look on the man's face, and was reminded of Silver's warning about grave robbers, the hairs stood up on the back of his neck but he sat silently in the carriage, Legendre was his only hope. When they reached the sugar mill Charles leapt quickly from the carriage, not wanting to sit any longer near the hooded and silent driver. He entered the mill and stood in stunned silence as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. The mill was fully functional even so late at night, and the blank stares on the faces of the workers matched those of the carriage driver. Legendre was clearly the grave-robber. Charles considered leaving, the sheer horror and stink of the dead but animate bodies turning grinders and sorting plants in front of his eyes was overwhelming. Then he remembered Madeline, the only woman he loved. He had only met her a few weeks previous, and she already engaged, but he knew with his wealth and influence he only needed some time to persuade her to join him instead. That was where Legendre came in.
"Are you impressed by my men?" Legendre asked, startling Charles from behind.
"Men?" Charles gasped. "These are not men!"
"They work hard and do not complain about the hours," Legendre said in response, smirking. "Perhaps you could use some on the plantation?"
"No!" Charles said in response, "that is not what I want!"
"Then let us talk about the woman that joined you this evening," Legendre offered.
"You've seen her?" Charles said in surprise.
"I saw them on the road," Legendre responded. Charles now knew what had spooked the driver of Madeline's carriage so much.
"They're to be married tonight! You waited too long to contact me. I need her to disappear for a month, so Neil will go away" Charles said, desperate for the help of even this man.
"A month will not cure her of the love she has for her fiance," Legendre responded. "I looked into her eyes and not even a year would be enough. She loves this man and not you."
"There must be something you can do!" Charles begged, "Please help me!"
"There is a way," Legendre responded. "But the cost is heavy."
"Anything," Charles responded. Legendre gave a significant look at the zombie standing by the door.
"No," Charles said, "not turn her into that?"
"Well," Legendre replied. "That is my specialty. Here, take this potion, perhaps you will change your mind. You need only a pinpoint, perhaps in wine or a flower."
"I don't want ... one of them," Charles said.
"Keep it, you may change your mind," was Legendre's only response. Charles backed away, the carriage was waiting for him again.
"I'll find another way," he said as he drove away from Legendre.
"There is no other way. Contact me when you go ahead," was the response as the horses started, taking him back home.
Charles changed into his tuxedo and squeezed his eyes shut tightly in front of the mirror. It was all lost, there was nothing else he could do except appeal to Madeline herself. Ask her to choose him instead. He breathed in deeply, wiped his eyes and went to knock on her door.
"Madeline," Charles said as she let him in happily, still putting on her veil. "I love you Madeline, more than anything in this world. You can raise me to paradise or blast my world into to nothing. I would give my life to make you happy. Listen to me please, before it is too late! We could sail away on the midnight boat and go wherever you desire."
"Oh Charles," she responded. "I should have known, but please, don't ruin this now."
"I see," Charles responded, as his heart turned bitter in his chest. "Well then, take this flower for your bouquet at least." He handed her the flower Silver had prepared, she smelled it and smiled sadly at him, putting it into her bouquet. Now it was done.
An hour later it was all over and they were married, and Charles started to wonder what Legendre's plan was. Silver had been sent to contact Legendre to enact whatever terrible transformation the witchdoctor intended for her, to make her belong to Charles.
"A toast to the bride," Charles said, insincerely, as they began the wedding feast. Madeline took up her glass to toast and gasped.
"What is it?" Neil asked.
"I see death," she responded, before dropping to the floor.
"Madeline!" Neil shouted, running to her aid. "She's not breathing!" Charles could do nothing but stand by and watch in fascinated horror.
The night after Madeline's funeral Charles waited outside her tomb for Legendre as he had been ordered. Neil had done little but drink heavily and cry in the days since Madeline had collapsed during the wedding toast, it had caused Charles great regret and pain. He pulled his coat tighter as he heard a vulture call. Then he saw Legendre, with a shuffling string of zombies from his mill following him.
"What are they here for?" Charles asked, gesturing to the blank faces.
"To carry her coffin back to my castle where I will animate her for you," Legendre replied.
"Is she dead?" Charles asked.
"No, just under my control. The potion is a clever substance, causing comatose behaviour."
As the zombies pulled the coffin out of the tomb, Charles and Legendre started as they heard a long, wailing call of "Madeline!" coming from a distance, but within the burial grounds.
"Oh god it's Neil," Charles cringed, "he was here yesterday also, drunk and raving about images of Madeline in his beer."
"Then we had best hurry away," Legendre responded, clasping his hands together, which made the zombies move faster toward the road.
Charles sat stiffly in Legendre's chair, watching while zombie Madeline sat at the piano, playing. Legendre's castle was cold and drafty, Charles tasted the salt from the sea constantly. The view over the ocean from the cliff side of the castle was beautiful, but he could not enjoy it, not without Madeline. Her piano music was pretty, but he could see that her eyes were cold and hard. She did not watch her hands but played robotically, and with no expression on her face. Charles crossed and sat beside her on the stool, she didn't respond even as he gently chained a diamond necklace around her neck, while she continued to play.
He knelt beside her, "Foolish necklace, it can't bring back the light to your eyes, can it? I was mad to do this. But I loved you from the moment I met you, I would have given you anything. I thought if I could get you here, you would fall in love with me, that I could be satisfied. But I'm such a fool, your soul is gone, I can't bear your empty staring eyes, my darling. Forgive me Madeline, please! I will take you back!"
"Back to the grave, monsieur?" came the deep voice of Legendre from the stairway.
"No! You must put the light back into her eyes, and laughter to her lips again. Please make her happy again!"
"You paint a charming picture, monsieur," Legendre replied, calling the zombie Madeline to him with a gesture. She willingly moved to his side as Charles realised he was not the one in control of her.
"But you forget, Charles, if I freed her, how would her eyes then look upon you? Knowing what you have done to her?"
"I would rather she look at me in hatred, than the empty stare of a zombie," Charles replied.
"Perhaps you are right," Legendre replied, "I would not want to destroy such a beauty. Perhaps there is something I can do. Let us toast to the future, I will pour you some wine."
Legendre poured two small glasses, running his finger over the rim, he handed Charles a glass.
"To the future, monsieur!" the witchdoctor said, as he toasted Charles, and they drank.
"Only a pinpoint, monsieur, a flower or a glass of wine" was the last thing Charles heard before he felt the potion take control of him.
"I have other plans for Madeline, and I am afraid you might not agree. I have a fancy to use you as well, monsieur."
Legendre sat Charles down at a table, as his legs became weak beneath him. "You will lose your voice soon," he said matter-of-factly. "It is a shame because I would like to hear you describe this transformation. Sit and watch, I will carve your likeness in wax. This is the art of voodoo, it allows me to control you."
Charles reached out in appeal to Legendre but found his arm was too weak to do anything but bat lightly at the man's hand. Charles was pushed away easily as the wax fell in tiny pieces from the effigy being created. Suddenly, Legendre dropped the wax figure in surprise and looked upward to the stairway. Neil staggered in, clearly wet from the ocean and his hair crusted with salt and sweat. "Where is my Madeline?" he shouted to Legendre but before he could say anything further he fainted, dead on the floor from exhaustion. Charles could barely move his head to look in the direction of Neil's lifeless body.
"He seems to have followed us all the way here, I told you that the love he and Madeline shared was intense and powerful," Legendre commented to the silent Charles who could only groan in response. Legendre smiled slyly as a new idea came to him.
"Now watch," Legendre continued as he grasped his hands together. He gestured for zombie Madeline to come toward the table. She walked slowly and purposefully, staring blankly ahead. Charles weakly reached for her but her hand avoided his, and picked up a knife from the table, holding it high above her head and started to walk up the stairs towards the lifeless Neil. Charles looked on in horror as she raised the knife high above her head, under the control of Legendre. But at the last moment her hand hesistated, for a moment something deep in the eyes of her cold zombie body fought against Legendre's control. The sight of her beloved Neil, perhaps. Charles tried to shout her name but only a low moan came from his mouth.
Zombie Madeline appeared to be struggling for control over her own arm and the deadly knife, while Legendre concentrated even harder, forcing his will against hers. In confusion zombie Madeline dropped the knife, and ran out the outside door to the cliff. Legendre clasped his hands again and said, "Well if that is what she wants," following her outside. With Legendre's mind elsewhere, Charles felt some strength slowly returning to his limbs.
Neil awoke, staggering after the disappearing Legendre and shouting, "Madeline!" A shuffling line of zombies followed, toward the sea wall and the long drop below.
"Madeline, it is Neil, don't you see me? What have they done to you?" he pushed past Legendre, who took pleasure in Neil's reaction as he saw he was leading Madeline right toward the cliff edge. "Madeline, no!" Neil shouted as he pulled her roughly away from the edge. She was cold and stiff in his hands, still a slave of Legendre.
"What have you done to her?" he shouted at Legendre, who merely smiled and clasped his hands again.
"These creatures will be your death," Legendre smirked. Neil saw the zombies come to their master's aid, shuffling slowly toward him. He took out his gun and shot one in the chest, but it continued its slow movement toward him, unrelenting. He shot again, the bullet lodging in the creature's chest firmly.
With his last ounce of strength, Charles lunged at Legendre as hard as he could, pushing him against the edge of the wall, the seaspray shot up in an arc behind them, as Legendre struggled to regain his footing. It was enough to allow Neil to roll away from the edge, avoiding the outstretched zombie arms. The creatures continued to advance over the cliff, paying no attention to the escaped Neil and, having no new orders, they crashed into the sea below. Charles heaved against Legendre again, all the hatred he felt for the witchdoctor welling up inside him. Legendre fell, a wide eyed look of disbelief on his face as he was eaten by the rocks and sea swell, far below. Charles turned to look at Madeline and Neil. Madeline shook her head slightly and then sank deeply in the arms of her fiance. "Oh Neil, you came to save me! I was stuck in such a terrible dream."
"My darling," he responded, "I love you."
"I was under his spell," Madeline sighed, "but I think it is over now."
Charles looked away as they embraced, then stepped over the wall and off the edge, letting the sea and the rocks take him away, too.
