Fighting to Survive (6 page)

“
Got
the empty stores now,
”
Ed said.

Jenni
nodded and hoisted her ax up.
“
Let's
do it.
”

1. Army of One

Nerit climbed down
the ladder slowly. Juan looked down at her with concern as she
lowered herself into the blocked off street.

“
Be
careful, Nerit.
”

“
I'm
not that old.
”
Though her voice was stern, she winked at him. She ignored Bill's
attempt to help her off the ladder, but he still took hold of her
arm as she lowered her booted feet to the redbrick road.

“
Stores
are all clear, but we got one or two dead guys trying to bust in a
back door. Making an awful fuss now that they know we're here,
”
Ed said.

Nerit
nodded. They had called her over when no one could get a clear shot
at the zombie or zombies. They had seen her in action and knew she
was a deadly shot. All the survivors were fascinated by her past as
an Israeli Army sniper. It amused Nerit, but at the same time it
gave her a sense of purpose in her new home.

Nerit
had brought her old Galil sniper rifle with her from the hunting
store she had shared with Ralph. Over the years it had developed a
few issues, but Ralph had carefully restored it. Her ammunition for
the weapon was limited, but she had shunned several hunting rifles
offered to her. It was a good weapon, but also it was a reminder of
her deceased husband's thoughtfulness and appreciation for her
skills.

“
I
can get him,
”
Nerit assured Ed.

“
You
ain't seen him yet,
”
Ed answered.

“
I
can get him or them,
”
she repeated.

Ed
looked at her for a long moment, a thoughtful expression on his
grizzled face then shrugged.
“
We'll
get you up on the roof.
”

Nerit
smiled warmly at Jenni as she passed the much younger woman. The
brunette was holding an ax smeared in foul, congealed zombie blood
and looking at the older woman worriedly. Nerit knew Jenni had
confidence in her abilities and did not doubt her. The look of
concern was because Nerit had lost her husband to the bandits. What
Jenni didn't understand was Nerit had accepted that loss. It was not
easy to let Ralph go, but he was gone. She was part of a new family:
she was determined to help them survive.

“
Good
luck, Nerit,
”
Jenni said.

“
Thank
you, Jenni,
”
she answered with a warm smile.

They
entered a darkened store and Ed lead the way to a staircase near the
back. The store smelled of mold and mildew, the wood floor creaked
as they walked. Motes of dust swirled around in the few shafts of
sunlight that managed to puncture through the grime covering the
large plate glass windows in the front. The stairs moaned as she
ascended them. She was careful with her footing, as it was obvious
that the store had stood empty for nearly a decade. Rat droppings
and dead insects littered the wood floor of the second floor.

“
Got
windows here, but the view is blocked out by the Dollar Store. It's
a newer building and comes out further than the rest of the stores in
the back. Probably built out a bit for storage and loading,
”
Ed explained.

Nerit
glanced out a broken window. A spider had taken great pains to fill
in the gap between the glass and the wood frame with an intricate
web. Nerit could see into the back alley that opened up behind the
Dollar Store into an empty dirt lot. She could hear the zombie or
zombies howling and slamming up against the loading doors of the
Dollar Store, but she could not see the undead.

“
Roof
is this way,
”
Ed said, and guided her up another set of very rickety steps.

Nerit
was rather worried about Bill and his weight, but he followed them,
treading very carefully. Ed pushed open a rickety door and they
stepped out into the sunshine. The roof was not in the best
condition, but seemed sturdier than the stairway.

The
town spread out around them in a panorama. The red brick buildings
of downtown looked quite lovely against the scenic green hills
surrounding the town. The large hotel hovered behind them,
untouched, waiting for them to invade. It actually was quite
beautiful until you took in the cement brick walls closing off the
construction site, the long abandoned storefronts, and a few zombies
wandering around in the distance.

Nerit
walked to the edge of the building as the warm air buffeted her
yellowed silver hair from her face. The zombie was hidden from view
by the side of the building. Only one leg was slightly visible as it
braced itself and shoved hard against the back doors.

“
See?
Can't get to 'em,
”
Ed pointed out.

“
I
can,
”
Nerit assured him, and unslung her sniper rifle from her shoulder.
As usual, the sniper rifle felt good and comforting in her arms. It
was like an extension of her. She closed one eye and focused through
the sight. Her senses narrowed down to just her vision and she
removed herself from the world around her.

She
pulled the trigger.

A
gout of black blood erupted from the shattered ankle of the zombie.
It lost its balance and tumbled. When its body fell into view, Nerit
quickly adjusted her aim and fired. A plume of blood and gore
erupted from its head, then it lay still.

Lowering
her gun, she listened.

The
pounding and growling had ceased.

“
You
got him,
”
Bill said in an awed voice.

“
Yes.
”
Nerit shrugged. She watched the shadows dwelling behind the Dollar
Store.
“
He
was it.
”

Ed
gazed down at the body, then looked toward the small field where a
bike was laying on its side.
“
Looks
like the Ramirez boy. I heard he was in trouble for dating some girl
in town. His Dad worked on my farm.
”

Bill
sighed.
“
Betcha
he is the one who bit the girl and they managed to lock him out.
”

“
And
then it went to hell from there,
”
Ed agreed.

Nerit
looked back toward the fort and the people gathered to watch what
they could of the proceedings.
“
Let's
get some sentries up here to watch for anymore approaching this way.
”

“
Yeah.
And get the Dollar Store stock cleared out.
”
Ed shook his head and headed back toward the stairs.

Bill
looked down at the remains of the young man.
“
I
bet he only wanted to see her and he ended up killing her instead.
”

Nerit
could hear the sorrow in Bill's voice and knew it had nothing to do
with the boy, but everything to do with his own loss.

It
was an emotion they were too well acquainted with in this new world.

2. Packing Up and
Moving On

“
It
still smells like zombie in here,
”
Stacey muttered under her breath. The too-slim younger woman made a
face and rubbed her pert nose.

“
Zombie
and bleach,
”
Katie amended with a wry grin.

“
Sounds
like a drink almost.
”
Stacey laughed and puffed air up at her flyaway bangs. She was busy
packing up the contents of a shelf laden with boxed dinners and cans
of soup.

“
In
some freaky bar down on 6th Street in good ol' Austin, Texas.
”
Katie grinned at the thought and continued clearing the shelf.
Sweat was trickling down her back and beaded her forehead. The store
had been without air conditioning for weeks. At some point the
breaker had been tripped. Now the air conditioner was humming loudly
as it worked hard to cool the store down.

Stacey
smiled ruefully.
“
The
good ol' days.
”

Katie's
smile faded.
“
Yeah.
The days of yore.
”

“
In
the B.Z.
”

“
Before
Zombie?
”
Katie arched an eyebrow.

“
Yeah,
”
Stacey answered. She taped the box shut and scrounged around for the
black marker they were using to mark the contents of the boxes on the
outside flap.

Katie laughed
slightly and shook her head. She was dressed in shorts and a tank
top, trying not to let the heat get to her. Stacey was dressed
similarly and her toothpick legs made Katie wince. Stacey and Eric
had almost starved to death as they took refuge on the water tower.
Though they had been on the edge of town, they had not been able to
brave the zombie hordes to make it to the fort. Jenni, Bill, Felix
and Ed had saved them from certain death.

It
was nearly two in the afternoon and they had been working since the
area had been declared clear. Katie's legs were aching and her arms
felt bruised, but they needed to get the area clear. The faster they
were done, the sooner they could make the area safe. Once it was
secure, they could seriously consider going into the hotel.

“
Sometimes
it doesn't feel real. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday I was a
coach at an elementary school refereeing dodge ball and hoping the
bullies didn't kill the nerds,
”
Stacey said in a soft voice.

“
I
know the feeling,
”
Katie answered as she taped her box closed.
“
It
just...changed so fast. One second the world was normal and the next
it was all wrong.
”

“
And
one second people you loved were alive and the next...
”
Stacey shook her head, as if to shake the bad thoughts from her mind.
“
At
least here we're safe, or at least as safe as it gets.
”

Katie
shoved her box onto the pallet behind her and exhaled slowly. She
felt winded and her face was flushed. Nearby she could hear Eric and
Travis talking in low voices about the security of the back doors.
Already any window to the abandoned buildings were being bricked up.
She understood the fears Travis and Juan had about the small gate
built to enter the hotel holding back any large amount of zombies.
Part of her thought they were overly paranoid, yet she knew in this
world that no one could truly be careful enough.

Stacey
glanced toward Eric and Travis as they walked by them. The men were
talking earnestly and gesturing around them. Stacey looked at Katie
and Katie quirked her eyebrow upward.

“
When
they talk shop, I have no idea what they are saying,
”
Stacey confessed.

“
You
and me both,
”
Katie agreed. She wiped more sweat from her face. She was wearing
gloves to prevent cutting her hands. They felt obscenely warm.