Fighting to Survive (10 page)

A
hand lashed out of the hole. Roger yelled and fell back.

A
torn, gray, black mottled face appeared, teeth gnashing, as a zombie
tried to push his body through the hole.

People
screamed and the construction workers scrambled back.

Terror
gripped everyone.

The
zombie
’
s
head jerked back as a nice neat hole in the center of its forehead
oozed black blood down over its now limp features.

People
were shocked, then realized what had happened. A few looked up to
where Nerit still was poised for another shot.

The
zombie hung awkwardly in the hole, then a skinless hand appeared
desperately reaching toward the humans. Struggling to get past the
other zombie, the new one grunted and growled until finally the limp
body fell away. It thrust its head through the hole.

Again,
a nice little round hole appeared on its forehead and it dropped out
of sight.

Another
face appeared, this one feminine. blond hair clung to the dried
blood on its face. Someone screamed in horror,
“
Natalie!
”
then the zombie
’
s
head snapped back and she, too, was gone.

They
all waited and watched. Travis could feel sweat and rain trickling
down the sides of his face.

The
hole remained empty.

Bill
entered the tiny courtyard, rifle in hand. He flicked on a
flashlight, shone it into the room beyond the hole, and gingerly
peered in.

“
Check
the floor,
”
someone shouted out.

Bill
nodded and looked down.
“
Clear!
Inside door appears to be locked.
”

Travis
took a breath and started walking toward Katie. She looked toward him
and gripped her gun even more tightly in her hands.

Jenni
glanced at him as he passed, then back at the hole the construction
workers were now widening for them to pass through.

Walking
up to Katie, Travis gazed down at her intently.
“
If
anything happens to me…”

“
I
know,
”
Katie answered.
“
And
you
’
ll
do the same for me.
”

He
nodded and stood there awkwardly.

Katie
stood up on her toes and kissed his rough cheek. Her lips lingered
near his ear.
“
We
’
ll
be okay.
”

He
breathed in the scent of her hair and skin and looked into her eyes.
“
We
will?
”

“
Yeah,
”
she answered, and smiled.

He
almost kissed her, but the moment was shattered when Nerit strode
past them, smoking her cigarette.

“
Let
’
s
go clear it out, children. Time is running out.
”

“
Let
’
s
go zombie killing,
”
Jenni said with a wild grin of delight. Throwing her arm around
Juan
’
s
neck, she drew him down for a long intense kiss. She let go of him
to hug the very surly Jason.

“
Loca,
be careful,
”
Juan said softly. His fingers trailed along the nape of her neck
lovingly.
“
Please,
don
’
t
be too loca.
”

“
No
worries. Seriously, I
’
ll
be fine.
”
She gave him a reassuring smile and turned toward her son.

“
Mom,
”
Jason said, his voice cracking. Juan had enlisted Jason as one of
his helpers for the day. Jack was on guard duty. The dog's rabid
hatred of zombies would come in handy if any got too close to the
courtyard.

“
It
’
s
okay,
”
Jenni assured him with a kiss on his forehead.
“
Just
do your job and we
’
ll
swap war stories later.
”

“
Mom,
just don
’
t
be loca. You know, like Juan said.
”

“
Have
a little faith here,
”
Jenni ordered.
“
I
’
m
good at this.
”

“
Maybe
a little too good,
”
Juan teased her.

She
rolled her eyes. Leaning over, she kissed Jack on top of his head.
“
Be
a good dog. Take care of the boys.
”

Jack
whined a little and pawed at her knee.

Jenni
’
s
smiled grew wider as she felt their love pouring over her. She felt
needed, wanted, desired, and important. All the things she had never
been before. She wouldn
’
t
let them down.

With
a wink, she walked to her two partners in crime. Ashley was a former
waitress. She was a frail little thing, but had a determined look on
her face. Ned was a former school bus driver. He was tall and a
little awkward with his height. Now both were armed to the teeth,
looking nervous as hell. Though everyone had been undergoing
training, it was Jenni who was in charge. She was the best shot and
had the most experience with the zombies. It was hard to know how
good a shot some of these people were considering ammunition was used
very sparingly, but she was hoping the training sessions with Mike
would paid off.

Mike
’
s
group, consisting of Felix and a short man named Charles, was the
first into the room beyond the jagged hole in the wall. Nerit
’
s
group followed. She had two construction workers with her, Jimmy and
Shane. Shane was someone Jenni hated with a passion. He had
attacked Katie when she had shot and killed his brother during one
battle with the zombies. Shane's brother had been bitten, but Shane
had gone wild. Jenni hated that he was going along.

Jenni
’
s
group moved into the small courtyard to wait. She pushed up on her
tip toes to see what was up in the room beyond the hole in the wall.
She could see the first groups moving slowly toward the door that
would let them into the hotel.

Mike
reached out and touched the doorknob. It was covered in dried blood.
Gore, dried and black, was splashed on the walls.

“
They
probably came in here to hide and one of them was bit and turned,
”
Mike decided.

Cautiously,
he swung the door open. Nothing stirred in the hallway beyond. His
group moved slowly out the doorway and disappeared.

Nerit
’
s
group advanced across the room, then they too slipped out into the
hall.

Jenni
lead her group into the small courtyard. The stench from the small
room assailed her senses and she sneezed. Drawing up all the bravery
she could muster, she stepped into broken doorway into the hotel.

“
Shit,
”
Ned whispered, looking at the dead zombies and the remains of their
feeding frenzy weeks ago.

“
Don't
let it get to you,
”
Jenni ordered.

She
moved across the room, her eyes feeling wide and crazed in their
sockets. The gloom was stifling and the stench overwhelming.

The
storm was drawing closer and loud booms of thunder filled the room.
What a perfect development for this day. Lightening, thunder, hard
wind, and rain. It was like a horror movie. She shivered at the
thought.

Jenni
’
s
long hair was tied up on top of her head and under a cap. No one was
allowed to leave their hair down. It would be too easy for a zombie
to snag it. The cap felt itchy and heavy on her head, and she
scratched at it awkwardly. Behind her, Ashley held the high-powered
flashlight high and illuminated their path.

Stepping
into the hallway, Jenni walked slowly, her feet silent on the plush
carpet. With a carpet this thick would they hear anything creeping up
on them? She didn
’
t
want to think about that too much. She had a job to do and she
didn
’
t
need to freak herself out. It was bad enough just knowing that
zombies were in the building. Following the route she had memorized
during the many briefings, she headed around a corner and down the
hall that would lead into main dining room.

Glancing
over her shoulder, she made sure that Ashley and Ned were behind her.
She caught sight of Katie and Travis entering the hallway with Roger.
She liked Roger. He had playfully put on a red T-shirt and dubbed
himself
“
the
red shirt on the away party
”
in homage to the Classic Star Trek show. It had cracked up everyone
at breakfast, but now she was worried. Maybe you shouldn
’
t
joke about death.

“
It
is a good day to die,
”
she heard Roger mutter in his best Worf imitation.

Jenni
suppressed a smile and continued down the hallway. There were no
doors off this hallway. Just pretty gilded mirrors and fancy artwork.
An occasional table or chair rested against the wall. It was a fancy
way to decorate a very boring hall.

Reaching
the dining room, she swung the rifle from side to side, looking all
around. The pretty round tables were decorated with a spray of now
dead flowers. The china and silverware were laid out meticulously
with napkins twisted into the shapes of swans resting on top of the
plate. There was no sign of disturbance here. Jenni was rather
overwhelmed by the old-fashioned opulence of the room. The hotel had
obviously been carefully restored with the hope of luring in high-end
clientèle.

Moving
determinedly toward the kitchen, Jenni took a deep breath and caught
the faint whiff of decay.

“
Shit!
”
Jenni exclaimed.
“
They're
here!
”

Abruptly,
the door to the kitchen was flung open and the wait staff flooded
into the room ready for their breakfast.

1. The Away Party

Katie
took point with her group since she was more experienced with
weapons. It didn
’
t
escape her how ironic it was that she was finally doing what her
father had always hoped for. Being a good solider. She had considered
following his footsteps into the Marines, but had opted for college
and law school instead. Now she was wondering if she should have gone
into the Marines. Maybe if she had she wouldn
’
t
be scared shitless.

Travis
tripped and fell over a chair in the hallway.

They
all froze.

Katie
turned to give him a dark look and whispered,
“
Shhhh
”
at him.