Fighting to Survive (19 page)

Juan
laughed and ran a hand over his curly hair. He had a vision of Nerit
in a window high above systematically killing the zombies gathered at
the windows.

And
that was exactly what she was doing.

The
moans dissipated and, finally, ceased. The hands disappeared from the
windows and suddenly the room was eerily silent.

“
All
done now,
”
Nerit's voice cackled over the static.

Juan
looked down at the walkie-talkie, then looked at Ken.
“
She's
a tough old lady.
”

Ken
nodded.
“
She
scares me.
”

“
Good
thing she's on our side. Now, let's get this wall done,
”
Juan ordered.

Nerit leaned over
the balcony railing and made sure that there were no zombies moving
below. Bodies littered the street and were bunched up around the
front door. It had taken time to take all of them down, but she felt
a sense of satisfaction at their demise. Only one zombie remained
moving. It was a huge zombie stuck on a lamppost. She was leaving him
alive for a reason.

Turning,
she moved back into the hotel room. Much to her surprise, she saw an
old woman gazing back at her with an intense expression on her face.
Nerit realized she was looking into a mirror. Her hand flew up to her
face as she stared at the image, startled to see her worn
countenance. She had slipped so thoroughly into her role as sniper
she had felt young and powerful again. It was a slap of reality to
not see the young, blond woman she used to be when in the Israeli
army, but instead, the older, stern woman she had become. The eyes
still glinted with the same fierceness, but there were fine wrinkles
around them now.

Well,
enough of vanity. Ralph had found her quite lovely in her old age and
that was all that had mattered.

There
was killing to be done and she was quite efficient at it.

She
dismissed the old woman in the mirror and walked out into the
hallway. This floor was cleared and chalk checkmarks adorned all the
doors. Moving at a quick pace, she felt comfortable in her role. Her
gun was a cold, comforting presence in her arms.

As
a young child growing up in Israel, she had been acutely aware of a
world that was not always kind. Her mother was a survivor of the
concentration camps where most of that side of the family had died.
Her father often said that he felt Nerit had inherited her mother's
finely tuned senses and fighting spirit. At a young age he had taught
her and her brothers to shoot and had been thrilled when his tiny
daughter immediately showed an uncanny ability to hit the bull
’
s-eye
every time. Soon he had her enrolled in competitions and many of the
photos of her childhood were of her and her father standing proudly
beside a shooting trophy.

Ah,
her father...how she missed him. He had raised her to be strong and
confident. Not once did he dissuade her from pursuing her dreams. Her
marksmanship had thrilled him. When she had been awarded a medal for
her valor in the Six Day War, he had crafted a fine little display
case for it.

His
only disappointment had been her decision to marry instead of
pursuing riflery and attempting to make the Israeli Olympic team. She
wondered now how he would feel about her role in this bizarre
afterlife of the once thriving planet. Her medals now were the
shattered heads of the walking dead. Her accolades the thanks of
those she saved. There was no real victory now, just the heavy burden
of doing what must be done.

Thoughtfully,
she turned and headed up the stairs. How vividly her Father
’
s
face came to mind. She knew he would be proud of her and her bitter
responsibility. Had he not raised her to defend her people and do
what was right?

And
the people in this tiny fort were her people. Through a strange
string of events, she had ended up here in her twilight years. Her
first husband had moved them to America in the mid-seventies and then
passed away leaving her a single mother. She had remained in the
country to build a life for her and the children before marrying her
second husband. He had moved them out of New York to Texas where they
had settled in Fort Worth. When he had divorced her for a much
younger woman, she had decided to go on a hunting trip with some good
friends and had ended up meeting the love of her life, Ralph. He had
brought her to that wonderful hunting store in the hills while her
children said their good-byes and returned to their homeland. She had
firmly believed she would live there until she had left this world,
but instead, Ralph had gone on without her. Now she was fighting for
her life and the life of others in a tiny, makeshift fort in the
middle of nowhere.

Sometimes,
she thought wryly, it was if they were playing some terrible game of
cowboys and Indians and hiding in their makeshift fort made of odds
and ends. Of course, in this case, the Indians would eat the cowboys
alive.

Entering
the ninth floor, she began following the blue checkmarks on the
doors. Things were moving more swiftly now that the end was in sight.
She hoped they were not being rash in their actions.

Coming
around a corner, she saw all of them at the end of the hall. They
were clearing another room and Katie and Travis were hanging back
slightly, covering the ominous looking double doors that lead upwards
to the last floor and its opulent ballroom. One of the double doors
was slightly ajar and Nerit could see only darkness beyond it.

“
How
are we doing?
”
she called out.

Katie
turned toward her and smiled slightly.
“
Okay.
Nothing up here. I don't think anyone got this far.
”

Nerit
strode down the hallway, ignoring the pain in her hip and the
numbness in her toes. She hated getting old.
“
We
still need to be careful.
”

“
Room
is clear,
”
Jenni said exiting the hotel room they had been searching.

Jenni
was still hobbling, but trying not to look like she was. The poor
girl was really beat up, but she was a scrappy fighter. Nerit had not
been too sure about her when she had first met her. Jenni had been on
the edge of a breakdown, but had somehow pulled away from it. Yes,
she was still a bit on the edge of crazy at times, but Nerit had a
feeling it was what kept her going.

“
We're
heading upstairs,
”
Curtis said as he drew the checkmark on the door.
“
We're
almost done. I sent Katarina, Felix, and Shane down to help the
others. Juan is heading down into the basement to get the power on.
”

Jimmy
just grunted.

Nerit
gazed at him intently. She did not trust him. He was too afraid
despite his bravado. Fear was normal, but you had to control it.
Jimmy did not have that control.

Katie
headed toward the double doors, her pistol held firmly in one hand.
“
I
just want to get this over with.
”

Travis
walked directly behind her.
“
I
hear you there.
”

Jenni
favored her leg as she began to follow and Curtis took her arm to
help her.

Nerit
raised her rifle as Katie neared the door to open it all the way. The
pricking on the back of her neck had automatically triggered her
reflexes. She trusted her instincts.

Before
Katie could even open the door all the way, the maid fell through the
gap in the doors and right into Katie. Flinging up her arm to protect
herself, Katie fell back. Travis launched into motion to pull the
zombie off of Katie.

It
was all in slow motion to Nerit. Each movement distinct and vivid to
her. She could see the female zombie shaking her head, trying to rend
flesh from Katie's arm as Katie screamed and Travis lurched forward.

Nerit
became one with her rifle as she had so many times before and through
its eagle eye, saw the top of the zombie's head. She fired and
watched a blossom of blood explode into view then dissipate.

Travis
kicked the dead zombie away as Katie stumbled backwards, staring at
her arm.

“
She
bit her! She bit her!
”
Jimmy's voice, near hysteria.

“
No!
”
Jenni rushed forward.

Nerit
swung the rifle toward Katie and Katie's beautiful eyes danced before
her. Like jewels, lovely, sparkling with life.

Then
Travis' back was blocking her. He had stepped between her and Katie.

“
Travis,
back away,
”
Nerit ordered.

Travis
paid her no heed and shouted,
“
You
can't! You can't!
”

Nerit
took a step to one side and Katie came back into view. She was such a
lovely girl. Nerit adored her, but she had a job to do. Katie would
not want to become one of the undead. It would be a great injustice
to such a strong woman.

“
Nerit,
no!
”
Travis shouted at her, blocking Katie once more from view.

Jenni
sobbed uncontrollably, one hand pressed over her mouth.

Nerit
could hear Katie whispering Travis' name softly, a sob in her voice.

“
Travis,
”
Nerit said firmly.
“
Step
aside and do what is right.
”

“
It
didn't go through!
”
Travis whirled around.
“
The
bite! It didn't go through.
”
He was holding Katie's arm out for Nerit to see. The pressure from
the zombie
’
s
mouth and hands had made enormous bruises, but there was no sign of
the skin being broken. The heavy denim jacket Katie had been wearing
had not torn.

“
Thank
God,
”
Jenni exclaimed and flung her arms around Katie.

Katie
looked dazed and held tightly to Jenni.

Nerit
lowered her rifle and walked slowly toward them. She felt hope rising
within her, but she could not give it purchase of her emotions just
yet. At times she hated this coldness within her. That enormous cold
splinter that sliced through her soul. The place she could go when
she needed to not feel and not care. It had always been there. Even
as a child. It was cold and bitter and her burden to carry. She was
the woman who did what must be done.

Taking
Katie's arm in her hand lightly, she turned it this way and that. Her
keen eyes examined the brutal purple and green bruising. No puncture.
No broken skin. No wound.

Stepping
back, she nodded.

For
a second, she let herself feel the pure joy that that came from
knowing that she would not have to release Katie from this nightmare
world, but then she shoved it away.

For
there was work to be done...

“
Let
’
s
move on,
”
Nerit said firmly and turned on her heel and started up the stairs to
the ballroom.

5. The Top of the
World

Travis wasn't sure
he could even breathe anymore. Seeing the zombie lurch out of the
darkness to fasten itself on Katie had been one of the worst moments
of his entire life. In fact, he was pretty sure this day was
responsible for all the worst moments of his life.

From the dining room
massacre to Jenni's appearance on the balcony and everything in
between, he had felt his hold on his emotions slipping. He had not
experienced the sheer horror of the first days as Katie and Jenni had
until today. The zombies had always seemed so far away and
impersonal. But today, there was no denying their absolute power to
terrify and destroy when there were no barriers between the living
and the dead.