Fighting to Survive (2 page)

His
long body pressed up against hers, he could feel the softness of her
black hair against his chest. His body was sore and tired from all
the work he was doing on the
“
fort.
”
The construction site the survivors were living in was quickly
becoming too cramped. As more survivors found their way to the fort,
it was increasingly more difficult to keep things safe and sanitary.
There was one shower and one bathroom in city hall for everyone in
the fort.

The
survivors had to get into the old fashioned hotel that loomed over
the construction site. There was a side entrance to the hotel and a
front entrance, but no way into the hotel from the construction site
without risking being out in the open. And the zombies did tend to
appear out of nowhere.

Juan's
first major task had been to make a secure way into the fort for the
vehicles they were sending out to salvage supplies and find
survivors. Finally, the
“
Panama
Canal
”
was done and it was basically two gated enclosures leading into a
walled off area where they could keep the vehicles in an old
newspaper building delivery truck garage. The old newspaper building
was completely uninhabitable and would take months to clean out and
repair. With the heat of the summer just around the corner as well
as the thunderstorm season, the survivors just didn't have the time
to repair the building. They had to get into the hotel.

Jenni's
grip on his arm lessened as sleep took her completely. He kissed her
shoulder hoping and praying that her dreams would not be ones of
terror. Closing his eyes, he tried to block out the aching of his
body and capture what little sleep he could before tomorrow came and
a whole new day of hard work would consume him.

He
was so tired in both body and mind. Jenni brought him happiness, but
he wanted a rest from the daily terror they all experienced since the
zombie apocalypse had started. He wanted to sleep in a real bed with
Jenni and not feel afraid. Was it wrong to hope for a little peace
for both of them? He hoped not, because that is what he prayed for
every night.

Beyond
the walls of their little fort, the world was still dying and the
dead were walking, but all Juan wanted was a moment when all would
feel alive and good. Maybe it was too much to hope for. Perhaps
this moment, listening to Jenni breathing as she slept peacefully,
was all he could truly wish for.

With
a long sigh, he tightened his deadened arm around her waist and held
onto her tightly.

Katie
sat on top of the city hall roof in a plastic chair with her arms
folded over her breasts and her head tilted back to stare at the
stars. She was done with sleep for the night. One more nightmare
about her dead wife and she would start screaming and never stop.
The ache in her chest hurt so bad; she didn
’
t
want to see her loved one
’
s
mutilated form rushing her with clawed hands anymore.

The
cigarette dangling from her fingers was burning down slowly. Raising
it to her lips, she took another long drag, then exhaled slowly. She
watched the smoke unfurl against the backdrop of the stunning black
sky with pinpricks of stars. She had quit smoking when she had met
Lydia. Lydia had hated smoking with a passion. Her fiancé at
the time had been a chain smoker and she had never even thought about
quitting until she had met Lydia. After one look into Lydia's
amazing eyes, Katie would have done anything for her.

A
tear slipped free from her eye and traced down her temple as she
stared up at the sky. Sniffling loudly, she took another drag on the
cigarette, desperately seeking some sort of satisfaction in the
process.

Lydia
was still out there, one of the many undead hordes. Katie had barely
escaped with her own life while on the way to work. Thankfully, she
had been rescued by a man who had been dragged down by the zombies.
She had raced home in his old battered white truck only to see her
beautiful wife gorging on the body of a fallen postman.

Her
life with Lydia had ended in that terrible, brutal moment. She would
never hold Lydia's soft, delicate hand, kiss her sweet lips, or feel
her gentle caress ever again. It had ended just like that.

Another
tear slipped free and she blinked hard.

How
could she love Lydia so much and yet feel drawn to Travis? How could
she betray Lydia's memory like that?

Nearby,
the guard on the roof coughed and stretched. It was Bill, the cop
from a little town where she and Jenni had taken refuge. He was
watching the street for any sign of the zombies. They had cleared
out a majority of them from the town, but many still lurked out
there. Caught in bushes, trapped in buildings, wandering through the
hills...

Who
would have ever imagined that the dead would walk the earth outside
of a George A. Romero film? She never did. Ever. She had dealt in
a real world. She had worked hard as a prosecutor, doing her best to
bring justice to the world while living a simple life with Lydia.

And
then it had all ended.

This
new world confused her. It was full of the walking hungry dead.
Surviving from one day to the next was everyone's top priority. But
beyond that, there seemed so little time to mourn before making new
connections, new friends, and even new loves. She saw it all around
her. Families torn apart by the first day of the zombie rising were
forever gone, but new families were being born all around her.
Strangers were becoming brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles to each
other. The elderly in the fort were now everyone's grandparents. At
the thought of the elderly, Old Man Watson came to mind, bringing a
smile to her face. Although he could barely hear, he was everyone
’
s
great grandpa now, one who hugged and kissed, who always smiled,
always happy to be part of the survivors.

Jenni
was her new sister. Jenni's stepson Jason felt like a nephew, Juan
was her annoying new brother in law, and Travis...

She
rubbed her nose with irritation and sighed.

Travis
was the man everyone loved. Everyone listened to him. Everyone
believed in him. He was calm strength in the midst of chaos. He was
handsome, but didn't know it. And, sometimes, he was a bit of a nerd.
Despite herself, she smiled at the thought of him.

From
the moment she had met him, she knew he was important to her life.
To the lives of all the survivors. She had believed in him
instantly. And as they grew to know each other, it had become more
than apparent that he had fallen in love with her.

But
as far as Travis knew, it was a lost cause. Katie had a wife in her
old life and he saw her as unattainable. And she had encouraged that
belief. She was afraid if he realized she was actually bisexual, he
would immediately pursue her.

Despite
herself, she knew in her heart that she would not resist him for
long. She hated this new world where everyone seemed to be living at
an accelerated pace. Life seemed so precious and short now that
there was no real time to mourn the world they had lost. They had to
survive and find their own small moments of happiness, or else the
life they had now was meaningless.

“
Oh,
God, Lydia,
”
she whispered, wiping tears away.

“
Huh?
”
Bill looked toward her.

“
Nothing,
Bill. Just talking to myself,
”
she answered with a forced smile and sat up. She put out her
cigarette on the roof and sat with her elbows resting on her knees.

“
Gotcha.
I find myself doing that, too.
”
Bill's big round face grinned at her, then he returned his gaze to
the street.

Katie
stared down at the hunting boots she wore. They had been given to
her by the sweet old man who had run the hunting shop were they had
taken refuge in that first terrible night. Clad in jeans and a tank
top, she felt far away from the tailored and perfectly-coifed
prosecutor persona she had worn for years. But, she had to admit,
the jeans and tank top fit who she really was; a no-fuss girl with
wavy blond hair and big green eyes who liked to wear comfortable
shoes and casual T-shirts.

Standing
up, she pulled the tank top down over her belly and walked toward the
edge of the roof. The hotel loomed over the construction site that
was full of makeshift blue tarp tents. The elderly and the few
surviving women with children were asleep in the city hall, but the
younger people were tucked into tents. The nights were growing
warmer and warmer as the summer unfurled.

“
Got
one down on the far corner, but I can't get a bead on it,
”
Bill said to her.

She
looked to where he pointed and caught sight of a figure swaying back
and forth near an empty building on the far side of the fort walls.
A lamppost and tree partially blocked it from view.

“
I
think it got its foot caught in the sidewalk cracks. It's really
uneven there.
”
Bill sighed and stared at the zombie sadly.

Katie
didn't say anything. There wasn't much to say. A lone zombie was
usually a pretty sad sight from a distance. The mutilated form
always spoke of a terrible ending to a human life. But the second it
saw you, it was the most horrible thing you had ever seen. Its eyes
would flash wide and its mouth would open to reveal terrible teeth as
it reached toward you and let out a horrible shriek.

“
Hey,
”
Travis' voice said from behind them.

She
turned to see him walking from the stairway. He was wearing a dark
T-shirt and jeans. She felt an inward pang of desire that she tried
hard to ignore. She couldn't help herself, but his broad shoulders
and curly hair made her want to touch him. Setting her lips tightly
together, she looked away from him. She couldn't betray Lydia's
memory.

“
Hey,
Travis. What's up?
”
Bill stood up and tugged his shirt down over his beer belly.

“
I
think we're going to go ahead and take the street next to us
tomorrow. It's getting hotter and with June hitting soon, it's only
going to get worse. We need to get into the hotel, but we need our
people safe and out of the way.
”

“
Taking
the Dollar Store over?
”
Bill waved toward the side street that they had yet to claim into
the fort.

“
Yeah.
Can't put it off anymore. 'Sides, with the Panama Canal working, we
can risk closing off that street.
”

Katie
could feel Travis glance toward her. She folded her arms over her
breasts to try to steady herself. She felt so lonely tonight. She
wanted him to hold her, but she feared what that may lead to.

“
I
figure you'll wanna go in, so if you want to go get some sleep, I can
take over,
”
Travis said to Bill.

Bill
thought this over.
“
Did
you get sleep?
”

“
Yeah.
I'm good. We'll head in around nine or ten.
”

Bill
glanced at his watch.
“
I
could use about four hours of sleep.
”
He handed the rifle to Travis.

Travis
took it awkwardly. He wasn't very comfortable with guns, but he was
trying.

“
Catch
you later, Katie,
”
Bill said, patting her arm as he headed off.

“
Sleep
well, Bill!
”
Katie called after him.

Then
she was alone with Travis.

“
Did
you sleep?
”

She
finally looked toward him and nodded.
“
Did
you? Or did you lie?
”