Fighting to Survive (20 page)

Moving
slowly up the stairs after Nerit, he struggled not to hate her. She
walked in silence, her head up, her gaze sweeping back and forth,
shoulders relaxed, but ready. He resented how she was so hyper-aware
of all around her and how coldly she dealt with situations that made
him feel ready to shit his pants. And he hated how easily she killed
those they called friends once the worst has happened and they were
on their way out of this world.

Yes,
he had offered to kill Jenni when they had all thought she was a
zombie, but that had been to spare Katie. Even now, he wasn't quite
sure he would have pulled the trigger. Well, if she had lurched
toward them to kill Katie, he probably would have. But all this death
and killing was far removed from how he was raised. It did not come
naturally to him like it did to Nerit or the others.

Frustration
ate at him as he looked back toward Katie. She was walking with
Jenni. Both of them were favoring injured limbs and wore bruises on
their faces. He desperately wanted this to be over. This day was made
all the worse because of his feelings for Katie. He not only lived in
terror for his own life, but for hers. Every moment that passed that
they both survived, was nerve-wracking. He felt he could not relax.
Could not enjoy that they had made it this far. If he lost her, it
would devastate him. His was madly in love with her and he knew it
made him a bit crazy, but he couldn't help it.

Stepping
up off the stairs into an enormous foyer, he was startled by the
sunlight pouring through high windows. The storm had moved on and was
now receding over the hills. The marble floors shone beneath a fine
layer of dust and the ornate gold-gilded metal ceiling with all its
fancy designs gleamed overhead. An enormous chandelier sparkled and
threw diamonds of light all around.

“
It's
beautiful,
”
Jenni sighed.

Roman
goddesses were tucked into alcoves and plush red velvet couches
adorned a few walls. Bouquets of dead flowers adorned a few small
tables. The foyer stretched out to French doors that lead out onto a
patio that encircled the entire top floor. To their right were two
doors marked as restrooms.

They did quick,
efficient sweep of the gleaming bathrooms. Empty.

“
When
we are done, I'm so using the ladies room,
”
Jenni said firmly.

Nerit
motioned to the ballroom.

The doors to the
ballroom were open. The old fashioned, short-legged chairs with the
plush velvet seats were neatly stacked against one wall.

Nerit
lead them into the enormous room with its ornate fireplace and high
vaulted ceilings. Chandeliers sparkled overhead. Heavy red curtains
were drawn back from the windows to let the sun pour through gauzy
white organza sheer curtains.

“
Perfect
for a wedding,
”
Jenni sighed.

“
It's
what it was used for in the old days,
”
Curtis said.

Jimmy just grunted
and trailed along behind them.

Travis looked back
at Katie. Even bruised and looking exhausted, she was beautiful.
Standing in this huge room with her, he wondered what it would feel
like to take her in his arms and dance with her.

“
Let's
check the patio,
”
Nerit said.

Travis
looked around at all the opulence of the room and felt slightly
overwhelmed by its elegance. It was almost too much.

Nerit opened the
doors to the patio and stepped out slowly.

A
beautiful Roman gazebo stood over a glittering pool of blue water. An
enormous patio stretched out to the stone railing that surrounded it.
Travis walked slowly over to the rail and looked down to see a
maintenance walkway tucked down out of view with a safety net
extending outward around five feet.

To
stop suicides
,
he decided.

Katie
leaned over the rail to look down, then looked out toward the fading
storm.
“
It's
really beautiful up here.
”

He
smiled.
“
I
was thinking the same thing.
”
He loved the way the sun was glinting off her curls. He wanted to
touch them, but refrained.

“
Keep
alert,
”
Nerit barked.

He
frowned. Katie poked him.
“
She's
just good at her job.
”

“
Yeah,
”
he said, almost resentfully.

They
spread out and looked around. There really wasn't a place to hide up
here.

“
The
elevators will be our last concern once the power is back on,
”
Nerit said as they walked around the building.

“
How
about the roof?
”
Travis asked. He pointed up to the roof of the ballroom.

Nerit
looked up.
“
Good
point.
”

They all started to
look for a way up. Travis began to walk along the side of the
ballroom. He was more in the shadows on this side. The wind was quite
fierce. Katie walked along behind him, followed by Jenni.

“
That
smell,
”
Jenni started.

Travis
immediately began to look around, but saw nothing. He felt panic
rising up within him.

Katie
looked up and whispered,
“
Oh,
shit.
”

Travis
looked up to see a zombie struggling to her feet at the very edge of
the roof. She had been very young. Travis recognized her as a
waitress from the diner. She had always smiled at him when he came in
for breakfast. Brenda had been her name. She must have managed to get
a second job at the hotel.

What
was most heart-breaking about her was that her face was still
tear-stained with dry tears and she seemed to have no injury but a
bite on her arm. After lying on the roof for so long, the zombie was
finding it hard to stand.

“
Oh,
God,
”
Katie whispered.
“
She
must have crawled up there and died.
”

The
zombie snarled in frustration and finally managed to get to her feet.
Then she lurched forward and made a desperate leap.

Travis and the two
women ducked. The zombie sailed over their heads to be caught by the
hard wind and knocked over the edge.

Looking
over the rail, Travis saw her struggling on the anti-suicide net.

“
Sorry,
Brenda,
”
he said. He aimed for the back of her head. For a moment, he saw her
in his mind as she had been, a pretty blond girl with a big smile and
rosy cheeks. Then he fired and the thing she had become fell silent
on the netting.

Katie
touched his arm, but didn't say a word.

“
That
sucked,
”
Jenni decided.

Travis
stood in silence, looking down at the body, then sighed. He had
actually considered asking Brenda out at one point. It was a missed
opportunity never realized; one of many. He looked toward Katie and
felt a pang of regret. How had they grown so distant so fast after
their kiss? Was there truly hope for them? He had to believe there
was, for he could see it in her eyes.

“
Good
job,
”
Nerit said from above.

Travis
looked up to see her standing on the roof.

“
There
is a ladder over on the far side,
”
she said, his unspoken question answered.

Curtis
appeared beside Nerit and looked around.
“
Damn
pretty up here. Almost looks like nothing bad is happening.
”

Travis wondered if
Curtis even saw the girl lying dead on the net.

Jenni
hobbled past Travis, working her way back to an entrance.
“
Almost
done.
”

“
Yeah.
The basement is left,
”
Curtis said.

“
I
hate basements,
”
Jimmy said.

“
Monsters
are always in the basement,
”
Roger decided. He had been eerily quiet and to himself for awhile
now. Travis had a feeling that Roger had stopped thinking this was
fun long ago and now recognized the desperateness of the situation.
Of course, jokingly wearing a red shirt wasn't the best idea.

“
We'll
hold position here and rest until Juan calls for backup,
”
Nerit decided.

Travis
looked over the beauty of the hills.
“
It
almost looks normal.
”

“
Almost,
”
Katie agreed, staring at Brenda's dead body.

The
others drifted away, relaxing now that they had reached their primary
objective.

Travis remained
where he was, staring out over the hills. Katie stayed at his side,
rubbing her wounded arm, and looking very tired. She was beautiful,
not only without, but within. She was strong and smart and he adored
her. In that moment, he made up his mind.

Travis
turned to look at her and she tilted her head quizzically.

“
Tonight,
”
was all he said. He knew she would understand what he meant and from
the look in her eyes, she did.

She
raised her hand to touch his cheek, then nodded.

Turning his head, he
kissed her palm, then held her hand against his face.

Together,
they walked back to join the others.

“
I
fucking hate basements,
”
Juan said for the fifth time.

The
flashlight beams slit the darkness and illuminated the monstrous
machinery that was the internal organs of the hotel. Enormous laundry
machines stood silent along one wall and Juan looked at them warily.
In horror movies washing machines always had bad things in them.

Around him, eight
armed people began to systematically work their way around the
basement, while he moved over to the fuse box. Katarina walked with
him as his guard.

“
I
hate basements,
”
he said again.

Standing before the
biggest fuse box he had ever seen in his life, he exhaled, then began
to check all the fuses.

There
was the sharp bark of a gun. Someone said,
“
Clear.
”

“
I
hate zombies,
”
Katarina sighed.

Juan
looked around nervously then nodded.
“
Yes,
me, too. Basements with zombies...much worse.
”

Flashing
the light around, he caught sight of what he was looking for.
“
Supply
room. I need fuses.
”
He pointed.

Katarina
frowned a little.
“
Great.
Closed doors.
”