Fighting to Survive (9 page)

2. Shelter From
the Storm

Stacey
held the squirming Jack Russell terrier firmly in her arms as Bill
and Ed helped her over the wall. Eric climbed up behind her and she
could feel him reaching out to steady her with one hand. Pepe was
not happy with being taken over the wall and she didn
’
t
blame him. Despite the new area being cordoned off by high new
walls, she felt vulnerable being outside of the construction site.

A
big black girl reached up to help her with Pepe as she climbed down
the second ladder into the new area. The girl's name was Lenore and
Stacey had met her the day she and Eric had been rescued from the
water tower. Lenore
’
s
best friend and constant companion, Ken, stood near Lenore, clutching
his cat carrier. Inside, his cat, Cher, was mightily ticked off.
Stacey didn
’
t
blame her.

Other
survivors were descending ladders and a special elevator had been
rigged up for the elderly and disabled. The big crane from the
construction site was lifting a pallet over the wall with the elderly
tied securely on to it. Old Man Watson looked befuddled, but he gave
Stacey the thumbs up when he saw her looking at him.

The
Dollar Store was already filling up and Stacey could see people
trying to find a place to camp out during the long wait for the hotel
to be taken. She hoped the terrible combination of zombie and bleach
was gone now.

Peggy,
the city secretary, and her little boy, Cody, reached the street just
as Stacey did. Cody was crying softly and the sound of his
whimpering made Stacey feel even more nervous.

“
It
’
s
going to be fine, honey,
”
Eric assured her as he reached the ground. He pressed a soft kiss to
her cheek. Pushing his glasses up on his nose, he looked around
warily.
“
We
made damn sure this area is secure. We'll be fine.
”

“
You
can't blame me for being nervous,
”
Stacey answered. She slid her arms around his waist and leaned
against him. The love she felt for him pulsed hard inside of her and
she felt a lump in her throat.

His
laid his arm over her shoulders, his fingers stroking her skin.
“
No,
I can't. But we'll be okay. I promise.
”

“
I
cannot wait until this is over,
”
Ken said, and pouted slightly. His cat seemed to yowl in agreement.

Lenore
set Pepe down and held tightly to his leash. Pepe zigzagged back and
forth in front of her.
“
It
’
ll
be done soon enough and we
’
ll
have a nice bed to sleep in tonight.
”

“
We
can be roommates!
”
Ken clapped his hands excitedly.

“
Oh,
no! I am so not putting up with listening to you talk in your sleep
about how hot Daniel Craig is.
”
Lenore gave him a fierce look.
“
Besides,
aren
’
t
you supposed to be back inside the fort helping out Juan? Gimme Cher
and get to work.
”

Ken
handed over his cat, giving her a fake, disdainful look.
“
You
’
re
so mean.
”

“
Move
it,
”
Lenore ordered.

Eric
stepped out of Ken
’
s
way as the younger man made his way back up over the wall.

“
Good
luck, Ken!
”
Eric called out.

Ken
posed cutely on the ladder.
“
I
will stun and amaze all with my mad skills!
”

“
He's
a gopher for Juan,
”
Lenore explained.
“
Like
that's hard.
”

“
Bitch,
”
Ken sniffed and hurried over the wall.

Lenore
grinned.

Stacey
laid her head on Eric's shoulder. Her stomach was in knots.

“
We
’
ll
be okay,
”
Eric repeated, but she could see fear clearly in his eyes. They had
barely survived coming to the fort. They had hoped their days
fearing for their safety were over, but obviously they were not.

“
Zombies
don't got a chance against this crew. We're tough,
”
Lenore said in her usual gruff tone.
“
We're
mean. We're nasty. Plus, Ken could talk them to death.
”

Stacey
laughed and took Pepe's leash when Lenore held it out to her. Pepe
danced around her feet, looking up at her anxious.

Together, they
walked toward the Dollar Store.

Overhead,
the skies opened up.

It
began to rain.

3. Check In Time

Nerit took a deep
breath and strode up onto the platform overlooking the hotel's
designated point of entry. Clad in her old jeans, a button down
shirt, and Ralph's hunting jacket, she was warm, despite the cool,
damp wind gusting through the small fort. With her yellowish-white
hair tied back from her face, her eyes looked keen and intense.

This
was something she was good at. She felt like killing.

In
Israel, things had been rough when the nation had first arisen. She
had fought bravely and with pride. Her almost eerie ability to nail
any target from a great distance had given her an illustrious career.
It had helped that she had the cool detachment needed to do the job
of a sniper. Some had called her one of the most calculating and
aloof women they had ever met. In reality, she was just good at her
job. There were moments when she was haunted and the nightmares came,
but she had always kept herself focused on the greater good.
Defending Israel had been her priority. She had done her job well.

But
now it was much more personal. She could still kill with skill and
cold detachment, but it did not give her nightmares anymore. She was
living in a nightmare. What she killed now were not terrorists or
enemies of her homeland, but the undead citizens of her adopted
country. The country had fallen. The fort was home; the zombies were
the enemy.

If
the bandits ever came to the fort and tried to do there what they had
done to Ralph….

Pressing
away thoughts of Ralph, she lit a cigarette and exhaled slowly. She
was already in that calm cool place where the world was gray and
devoid of anything other than her pulse and breath.

She
was elevated above the construction site so she could see easily into
the brick pen they had built around the old entrance to the hotel. It
was high enough to keep any zombies out, and they had made the old
wrought iron gate the doorway into the tiny courtyard. The pen was,
essentially, as safe as it could be.

The
dark gray clouds continued to sprinkle drops down on their heads, but
the almost-black clouds in the distance spoke of a violent storm.

Slipping
into position, she enjoyed the feel of the cold metal of her sniper
rifle in her hands. Closing one eye, she became one with the gun; the
sight became their mutual eye, harsh and unblinking. She could easily
see everyone gathering to go in. She could see the bricked up
entrance.

She
was ready.

***

Travis
was not ready for this. He was certain of it. His stomach was in
knots and his hands wouldn't stop sweating. Looking around at the
people gathered in small tight groups around him, he felt his panic
building.

They
were finally going into the hotel. The small walled-in courtyard with
the wrought iron gate suddenly seemed so flimsy to him.

What
if hundreds of those things had somehow gotten into the hotel? What
hope would they have of holding them off? Thank God they had created
the new secure area. It now seemed foolish that they had ever
considered going into the hotel without making sure that the
survivors were safely tucked away first.

He
glanced over his shoulder at Nerit. She looked calm, deadly, and
ready. His gaze flicked to Juan, who was talking intently to Jenni.
Travis knew Juan was very worried about Jenni going in to help clear
out the building. He really couldn
’
t
blame him. Jenni was a good shot, but the situation was fraught with
danger. Travis was also worried about the woman he cared about.

He
glanced toward Katie, who was standing nearby. He was worried sick
about her going in. He knew she was a good shot and had more
experience dealing with zombies up close than just about anyone. He
had confidence in her abilities, but still he felt a sense of dread.
Too many times before, he had come close to losing her.

The
last few weeks had been hard. After their surprising kiss, Katie had
drawn far away from him. It stung him, but he could understand to
some degree. Yesterday she had given him hope. Maybe it was
misplaced, but when she had whispered 'please' to him, he took it as
a sign she wanted time to deal with feelings she had for him. He had
seen something in her eyes that had been surprising and encouraging.
He was willing to give her time, but now that they were both going
into a dangerous situation, he craved one last significant moment
with her.

Mike,
the man in charge, moved to the center of his carefully chosen
groups. A former military man, he had grouped people into teams and
trained them to work together for the last few weeks. His dark skin
was beaded with sweat and rain. He looked strong and unafraid.

“
We're
about to go in. Remember to stay with your group. Stick to your
predetermined route. If you meet with a large amount of zombies, do
not return to the fort, but call for backup and fall back to the main
lobby. You are not to return to the fort until the hotel is clear. If
something goes wrong, start climbing and go to a higher floor.
”

His
voice droned on, firm, intent and commanding. Travis watched people
gazing at the tall man with deep respect and fear. There was a sense
of terror building in the fort. It was inevitable. Things had been so
calm, so safe, for weeks now. It had given all of them a false sense
of security. And now it could all end. Yet, they needed to get into
the hotel with summer heat coming. Plus, people were short-tempered
and moody over the lack of privacy and the long lines into the
bathrooms and shower. They had to expand the fort now, not later,
when things were much rougher.

Mike
finished. Everyone stepped back to let two construction workers
through to unlock the wrought iron gate that opened up into the small
courtyard. Travis watched anxiously, feeling sweat starting to
trickle from his brow down his cheeks.

The
two construction workers gave the thumbs up to Mike and entered the
small area. Taking turns with sledgehammers, the two men began to
chip away the brick to form a small hole about shoulder high in the
wall. The sound of the sledgehammers cracking apart the bricks and
the destroyed fragments slamming into the ground filled the hushed
silence of the fort. Swinging one last time, the huge construction
worker named Jimmy punched through the bricks and cement. As the hard
little bits of the wall crumbled away and the dust cleared, the hole
stood stark and black against the red wall.

“
We
’
re
through,
”
Jimmy said with a smile.

His
partner , Roger, cautiously leaned forward attempting to peer in.