Siege (21 page)

“I’m not going into the communication center until tomorrow,” Ken decided.

“Let them get naked. As long as they are listening for our people,” Peggy sighed.

“Nothing wrong with comforting each other in our time of need,” Dale said.

“No, not at all,” Maddie agreed. She was seated next to Lenore now, gently stroking her hair.

“You remind me of my grandma,” Lenore said in a low voice.

“Thank you, hon.”

The people at the table lapsed into silence and Peggy began to butter another biscuit. She should get up to check on Cody soon. He was sleeping over with a friend and she wanted to make sure he was okay before his friend’s parents turned in. Maybe it was the manly scent of Dale next to her or the smell of the biscuits, but she was feeling a little more relaxed now.

“I hope they come home okay.” Ken reached out to grab the peach jam. Lenore wiped another tear away.

Peggy had nothing to say that would be productive, so she just ate.
2. The Thoughts of One Man

Kevin Reynolds leaned against the railing of the second floor of the mall watching the newcomers. He could tell the woman was still reeling from the blow to her head. Her companion, Bill, had not left her side all night. They were now settled into what had been a children’s clothing store, both of them lying down on the army issue cots they had slept on during the night. He could barely see the very pretty Latina’s red sweater standing out amidst all the other people in the store.

Rubbing his hand over his head, he felt the prickle of his closely cut hair tickle his palm. He felt bone weary. His brain felt overwhelmed. Without a doubt he was going on pure adrenaline at this point. It was certain sleep would be long in coming.

An army private wandered past him, gun slung casually in his arms, and they both acknowledged each other with half-assed salutes. Kevin wondered if this how Fletcher Christian felt on board the HMS

Bounty. Knotted up inside until he felt like he could barely breathe?

Below him the soft voices of the four hundred people living in the mall murmured. It was past noon now. Rations were passed out. Water bottles, half full, were being dispensed. Work crews would be changing shifts. The few children that had survived the flu were in school.

Everyone looked drawn, tired, and scared.

And after what he had recently discovered, they should be. His fingers traced over the flag on his jacket thoughtfully. America didn’t exist anymore, but the people did. They were gathered down below, struggling to make it through. They were fighting tough. He could see that, but they were getting worn down by the powers that be. He was worn down by the powers that be.

The Senator and her cronies formed a parade as they walked across a bridge nearby. They headed into Foley’s, where they were headquartered. They were the ‘haves;’ below were ‘have nots.’

How the Major General did not see this was beyond him. Ever since the rescue station started up the Major General had been intent on preserving

“the American people,” and yet, he was helping the Senator create a new world where the American people were…

As a black man it made him cringe…

…but they were making slaves.

If the Senator was truly in touch with the President and this was what the government had planned under martial law for the American people, then the world he had known was truly dead.

The very pretty Airman Second Class named Valerie Gomez strode up to him. She always looked impeccable in her uniform despite its lack of washing and her closely cropped hair set off her Native American features beautifully.

“The fort is broadcasting, sir,” she said.

“Right on schedule,” he said with a sigh.

She nodded, her keen eyes reading his expression.

They were, despite their immense differences in background, best friends and sometimes more.

“Then we’re on schedule.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Carry on,” he said, watching her eyes give him a soft, imaginary hug. He looked back down over the people below…

Yes, this must be how Fletcher Christian felt as he considered mutiny…

The knot in his stomach wound tighter…

3. Hell is Other People

The words of Jean-Paul Sartre flitted through Bruce Kiel’s mind as he walked among the survivors living in the Madison Mall.

Hell is other people.

Yes, this was hell and this had been created by other people. The original intent of those who had started the rescue center had been to preserve life and keep the citizens taking shelter safe from the cannibals outside. That was a noble and good cause he could support. But now things were changing. Since they had established contact with the remains of the government, the Senator had new goals that he could not agree with. He still carried his title of Police Chief, but what good did it do him? Only two of his men actually survived the massacre at the police station. The only reason he held any clout at all was because the Senator was an old political ally. Frankly, he didn’t trust her one bit.

A group of twenty children was tucked into a store that now served as a school. A teacher read to them from a children’s book she had found in the bookstore. The sight of the little ones made him sigh. The world had gone to hell very quickly. Nothing had worked right. Nothing had gone right. All the precautions, all the plans had fallen apart. The county bio terrorism expert had called to inform him that he would need security the next day for the distribution of medication that would bring the pandemic under control. There had been, of course, no next day for anyone, but a scant few survivors.

The National Guard had fallen quickly. FEMA held press conferences and announced rescue centers, then went silent. The CDC rattled on about

‘reanimates’ then vanished from the airways.

The only rescue that had ever appeared had been a small convoy of brave Marines who had liberated him and his men from the roof of the police station. Half of them had not survived the throng of the dead overrunning the city.

The mall was protected and manned by what remained of factions of the military stationed in Texas. They were mostly Army and National Guard with a few Airmen and Marines tossed into the mix. The soldiers had barely survived the early engagements against the dead, but they had held the line at the mall for months now. They were tired and overwhelmed, but tough. They were heroes in eyes of the people in the mall. But the Senator now wanted to turn them into something much more. Bruce Kiel paused and looked for the newcomers. They were assigned to an old clothing store and he looked at the store names, trying to remember which one.

He was afraid for everyone in the mall. The threat from outside was persistent and constant, but now there was a threat from within that chilled him almost more. He was an ambitious man by nature. All his life he had pushed himself to do his best and achieve his goals. He had raised his daughter the same way. As a former Marine, he believed in serving his country. A firm believer in the law, he had worked hard to make society safe once he had entered the police force. He understood the concept of service to one’s country and people.

But, there was no real structure left anymore. The old ways were long gone. When the dead rose and attacked the living, the old ways had passed away like leaves on the wind. He recognized and understood this reality. The soldiers standing post did so because they chose to do it. The people in the mall trusted them because of that dedication. It was truly a volunteer force now. He understood that. The Senator did not. Everything had changed once Central had come on the air and begun broadcasting to any surviving military.

What was known was that the Vice President, now the new President, had survived with some of the Cabinet and a few members of Congress. They had all been on a hunting trip in East Texas during the initial outbreak. These people of power had taken refuge with what remained of the army in their area and were now firmly ensconced in a city eight hours east of Madison. The city was heavily fortified and had managed to seize most of the resources in the area.

Once Central was secure, they had began broadcasting via military channels to any surviving rescue centers. It was now known there were also four surviving rescue centers across the state that were still manned by the remnants of the military, the Madison Mall being one of those. The other three were closer to Central and ran supplies to it. Madison was not considered an asset to Central and was informed they were on their own. Because of the large mobs of zombies in the big cities and the risk of cross state travel, it had been deemed unnecessary to open supply lines with the mall on the edge of the Texas Hill Country. Bruce knew, that essentially, they were left on their own to die.

This was not acceptable to the Senator. She originally wanted out of the mall to join her cohorts at Central. It was difficult for her to understand that Central saw them as expendable despite her presence. She had been one of the big movers and shakers just before the zombies rose. As far as she was concerned, her star was still rising. She just had to find a different way to ascend Now, she was working on making her case to Central that her area of the state was a viable resource to them and worth establishing a trade route. Under the guise of “protecting the American people” she had persuaded the Major General to bring in all surviving pockets around the area to the mall. Once her labor force was large enough, the Senator planned to offer them all to Central. Bruce had seen a rough draft of her proposal. It talked of “labor force” and “breeding stock.”

It had been a flimsy case and the Senator knew that. But the fort changed that. Photos taken of the fort showed those inside tilling the earth getting ready for planting season. It showed a good, solid fortified structure with the possibility of expansion. Generators, fuel, and building supplies had been seen secured within the walls. Now the Senator was keen on taking over the fort and offering up its resources to Central as well. She was enthralled with the idea of establishing a major human colony under her control to vie for a position of power within Central’s new government. Always a power player, the Senator was positive that providing both a work force and breeding stock to the new government was just the right ticket.

Bruce thought it was all ridiculous. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about what was going on in East Texas. The world was over. The old governments had fallen. The enclave in East Texas had power only because people allowed it to claim power. His opinion was fuck them, fuck that, and keep fucking moving. If he had his way, they would just move to the fort and be done with the damned mall.

But the Senator and Major General seemed determined to be a part of whatever the Vice President and remains of the government were doing out in East Texas.

Finally, he spotted the correct store and entered. People were getting ready to bunk down for a nap and a few greeted him as he headed toward the newcomers. After a little chitchat, he finally managed to reach the two people sitting on their cots.

“Excuse me,” he said in a soft voice, his nerves almost getting the best of him.

Both the man and the woman looked up. The man was a big guy and the girl was stunning with huge black eyes.

“Can we help you?” The man stood up and stood slightly in front of the woman.

“My name is Bruce Kiel. I want to know if Katie Kiel is at your fort,” he said, trying to keep his hands from shaking.

The man glanced at the woman then back up at Bruce. “Why do you want to know?”

“Because I’m her father,” he answered.

The woman stood up sharply, then grabbed her head, wincing. “The Police Chief?”

“Yes,” he answered. “You know my daughter?”

“I spoke to you that first day! I was in the truck with Katie! We escaped the city together!”

Bruce sat down sharply on the cot nearest him. “She’s alive then? She made it to the fort and she’s still alive?”

The woman grinned. “Yeah! And married and pregnant!”

“My Katie? She was married to Lydia,” he stuttered in shock. It was too much to comprehend. He had allowed himself to hope his daughter was alive, but to hear she was in the motherly way was a shock.

“Yeah, but Lydia died the first day. You knew that, right?” The woman sat next to him, her hand resting on his.

“Yes. Yes. Katie said she didn’t make it.” Bruce nodded. “I told her to run into the hills.”

“And we did! And we made it to this town where they had built a wall. And she met this guy named Travis. It was rough for her at first, but they fell for each other. They got hitched up and pregnant. They’re very happy together. Oh, my God! She’s going to be so happy you’re alive!”

Bruce felt his body trembling and he lowered his head. With a sob of relief, the big man let his tears flow. “My Katie-girl is alive! Dear God, it’s a miracle.”

He had to get out of this gawddamn mall.

1. Choices Made In Haste

It was nearly 5 AM when Travis finally climbed into bed beside Katie. She was curled up on the bed with Jack. The German Shepherd gave him a petulant look as Travis scooted him to the end of the bed. Spooning his wife, Travis kissed her shoulder and sighed into her blond curls.

“Are they back?” Her voice was thick with sleep and emotion.

“No. They’re not. Nerit is taking a team out soon,” Travis answered. Katie rolled over slowly, her green eyes scanning his face. Tears were glimmering along the edges of her lashes. “You think they’re dead, don’t you?”

“No,” Travis answered slowly. “No I don’t. I don’t believe that. I think there is a good chance they’re out there and that they’re okay. We’ll find them.”

“I don’t want her to be gone,” Katie said in a low voice. “I keep thinking about her. How I found her that morning in that ugly pink nightgown and robe, nearly catatonic, and how she changed into someone that was amazing and fierce. That morning, when I saved her, she saved me, too. She gave me a reason to go on. To live.”