The First Days: As the World Dies (28 page)

1. Dead Man’s Party

    

    Jenni changed into a pale green tank top and jeans and ran up the stairs to the roof. To her surprise, there were already quite a few people up there, including her son, who sat in a circle of teenagers.

    There were only five of them, two boys and three girls, but for the first time in awhile, he was smiling. The ever faithful Jack was at his side, smiling a doggy grin, and the kids were drinking warm colas and listening to a CD player someone must have snagged on a supply run.

    "Hey, Mom!" Jason smiled at her and got up to hug her. "Is it cool if I camp up here with the rest of the kids tonight?"

    "Yeah, sure," she answered, and eyed the pretty new brunette she had saved earlier today. The girl's haunted eyes were less red and she seemed comforted by the companionship of other teenagers.

    "We're trying to cheer up Shelley. Her Mom and little sis got killed today before she was rescued," Jason explained.

    "I totally get it," Jenni assured him, smiling. She was slowly starting to panic over Juan arriving with Jason standing there beaming. He looked so happy; she didn't want his smile to disappear.

    But then it abruptly did and Jenni turned around worriedly wondering how to make Juan recognize he needed to be low-key.

    But it was Travis and Katie that were walking onto the roof, both talking softly, not touching, but looking somehow intertwined. Jenni felt a pang of jealousy and frowned a little. She didn't care if Travis was in love with Katie.

    But Katie was close to her, not Travis.

    Katie looked up and smiled at Jenni. Walking up, she hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek and Jenni clung to her and felt better. The world was so cruel right now; she did not want to lose anything dear to her.

    Travis set a huge pack of beer down on the ground as Mike and a few other workers also appeared on the roof. Curtis came up last holding a bag of candles in one arm and some bags of chips in the other.

    "It's turning into a party," Jenni said with a laugh.

    "We need one after this day," Travis answered.

    More people were arriving, including the Mayor and Bill. There was a flurry of activity as folding chairs were brought up and some tables. More people spilled onto the roof, talking animatedly, shaking off the fear of the earlier attack. In the distance, the moans of the zombies still clawing at the gate could be heard, but everyone seemed determined to ignore it.

    Soon, candles were burning in little jars set up along the edges of the roof and people milled around, drinking beer and soda, talking and relaxing.

    There was a sense of relief among the people that could not be easily denied.

    Once more, disaster had been averted.

    Jenni hung out with Katie for a few minutes, her arms around her waist, talking to her softly.

    "You look sad," Jenni said.

    "Overwhelmed, that's all. Tomorrow we're going to start to get ready to go into the hotel."

    Jenni glanced toward Travis. He was busy talking to the teenagers and Jason watched him with the type of scrutiny only a teenager could achieve.

    "What about him?"

    Katie shrugged. "He's my friend."

    "And?"

    "Jenni, you know." Katie looked at her sadly.

    Jenni frowned a little more. "Look, I know you're into chicks, but maybe you could-okay, that was just dumb of me."

    Katie laughed and hugged her tighter. "I just need time. Even if he was the hottest woman in the world, I couldn't. I need to just deal in my own way."

    "You miss her terribly, don't you?"

    Katie nodded and smiled sadly. "More than I can bear at times."

    Juan literally tripped onto the rooftop. His boot had snagged on one of the electric cords being run up to power the stereo. He looked around confused. His gaze settled on Jenni and he wandered toward her trying far too hard to look nonchalant as he held one of the biggest bottles of tequila she had ever seen. In his other hand were two shot glasses.

    Katie looked at Jenni, lifted both eyebrows and said, "I thought you had a thing for Travis?"

    Jenni grinned and looked coy. "A girl can change her mind."

    Katie laughed and shook her head. "Gawd, I've been a fool."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Nothing. Go have fun."

    Jenni grabbed Katie close, kissed her hard on the cheek, grinned, and walked over to Juan. Jenni knew she was turning it on sufficiently when several of the guys turned to watch her strut by. Juan still had a little bit of a dazed look on his face, but he did smile when she drew near.

    There are times in life when pretense is just bullshit and a waste of time.

    Juan and Jenni hung out about ten minutes at the party before they disappeared downstairs as more people showed up on the roof. Holding Juan's roughened hand in her own, Jenni dragged him down to the janitor's room. Grabbing the clipboard, she scribbled, "Out of Order" on it.

    "Loca," Juan said with a laugh.

    "Shut up," she answered and shoved him inside.

    He managed to put the still closed bottle of tequila on the desk before Jenni was on him. She had already made up her mind that he was hers, at least for tonight, and she claimed him with burning kisses as she seductively wrapped herself around him.

    "You're loca, Loca," he said with a satisfied grin as she pulled his clothes from his body.

    "Yeah, you keep saying that. It's about time you experience it," she answered coyly.

    Fire and water, heat and passion, desperation and perhaps something more, fueled their lovemaking. Jenni felt no fear as only the second man she had ever been with willingly in her entire life lifted her into his arms and pressed her naked back against the cool shower tiles and slid himself into her. She tangled her hands in his wet hair and kissed him deeply as the nightmare world they lived in faded to the dim edges of her reality. Only she and Juan existed and it was perfect.

    Later on, in a tangle of limbs, she laughed as he growled into her neck and called her Loca in a way that meant the world to her and it was perfect.

    Katie watched Juan and Jenni disappear off the roof and turned to Travis. They were sitting side by side on the edge of the roof. Travis looked back at her and raised his eyebrows. Katie slightly laughed and ran a hand over her hair.

    "I've been really oblivious to some things, evidently," she said.

    "Well, at least now I won't have to worry about you fixing me up with her," Travis answered with a wink.

    Katie elbowed him lightly and took another swig of her beer. The mood was surprisingly relaxed considering that a small crowd of zombies was gathered outside of the gate. Of course, no one really wanted to deal with them tonight. There was a desperate weariness about their little party. People were tired of the zombies and tired of the siege. In the time period they had been able to go out on scrounging parties to bring back supplies and survivors, there had been almost a sense of normality. And now the zombies were back and people just wanted to forget how trapped they truly were.

    Looking toward Jason, Katie saw he was talking intently with the other teenagers and now a few pre-teens. They were drinking soda and eating chips and once in awhile, Jason would laugh or smile. That was very good to see and Katie was sure he had not seen his stepmother disappear with Juan.

    Travis rubbed the back of her neck with one hand gently and she glanced toward him. He gave her that sad-eyed smile that made her heart ache for him. So she did the only thing she could think of. She crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at him. Laughing, he drew his hand away and leaned toward her.

    "You know, it’s little things like that which make me think there is so much more to you than meets the eye," Travis said.

    "Oh, there is," she answered, feeling slight guilt at her determination to make him think she was an unattainable lesbian. Of course, the painful truth was she was drawn to him and that felt like an utter betrayal of Lydia. "I have all sorts of deep dark secrets."

    "Ah, I see," he said, and squinted his eyes at her. "You know, I don't believe you."

    Katie laughed. "Seriously. I have all sorts of secrets that would tantalize you. But that's okay. My life as a super spy should be kept secret. I made James Bond look like a wussy."

    "I see. Well, then I won't tell you that I'm a space alien," Travis said with a nod of his head.

    Katie smirked and clicked her bottle of beer against his. "You got a deal."

    Curtis wandered over and looked at them uncomfortably. "Did you get an update on our newest addition?"

    "Yeah, the Mayor told us. He wasn't too happy about Ritchie showing up or the story around it," Travis answered.

    "Look, I know I'm not one to say what does or does not happen, but I think we should just put him out of his misery and dump him over the wall.

    Seriously, he's nothing but a piece of white trash." Curtis looked more upset than Katie had ever seen him.

    Travis stood up and said softly, "Curtis, this is something that we all have to discuss together. Seriously, in this world, I feel everyone has a chance. Even the local crack dealer."

    "Meth dealer," Curtis corrected.

    Katie stood up as well and said in a low voice, "But at the same time we need to make sure our safety isn't compromised by people who have no idea of how to work with the community."

    Travis looked at her, startled, and said, "A human being is a human being, Katie."

    "Yes, but at the same time, what will he add to our community? If he honestly sacrificed others to save his own life and those people were his friends, then how do we know he won't do the same to us?" Katie looked at him very intently.

    "That's bullshit, Katie. I'm sorry. They are all strung up on drugs and doing stupid stuff like going into a zombie-infested clinic. They are not in their right mind." Travis put his hands on his hips and returned her gaze.

    Curtis shook his head. "Look, Travis, I have some serious concerns and I'm sure others do as well."

    "Then we handle it as a group," Travis answered immediately.

    "Don't get defensive if we don't agree with your point of view, Travis,"

    Katie said firmly.

    "I just don't understand how you could not see that everyone has a right to life," Travis responded.

    Katie shook her head and looked away from him. She ended up looking across the construction site toward the new area. There were at least four men up on the new wall shouting down at the zombies. Katie noticed one was even peeing on them.

    "Travis, I think we may have other troubles," she said and pointed.

    "Ah, shit."

    Katie watched as another man flung his empty beer bottle down at the zombies. Maybe it was because she was now aware of the situation, but she could swear the zombies were getting louder.

    "I'll get Bill so we can go get them," Curtis said gruffly.

    Travis agreed with this and Curtis walked off. "I'm going to go and get them down before one of them takes a header into the crowd."

    "I'll come with you," Katie answered, setting down her half-empty beer.

    Travis sighed and headed down the stairs. Katie followed, her hands in her jacket pockets. As they passed the closed door to her tiny room she shared with Jenni, she smiled to herself, realizing she probably was going to have to find somewhere else to sleep.

    Out in the courtyard, there was more commotion. Several of the older people and a few parents were talking loudly to Mike, demanding that he shut up the men on the wall. Children were trying to sleep, as were the older people. Mike was nodding, promising to do something, when Travis and Katie walked out of the city hall building with Curtis and Bill behind them.

    A few more men, drunk and rowdy, had climbed onto the wall next to the gate, jostling each other a little, trying to get into position to either throw things down at the zombies or urinate on them. Katie was glad she couldn't see the men's flopping penises from her viewpoint.

    "Let's go," Travis said to Mike as he passed them.

    Curtis and Bill stopped long enough to promise in their best policemen voice that the situation would soon be under control, then also followed.

    "Get down," Travis called out as he climbed up to the platform that served as an entrance to the new area.

    Shane, the redneck who had punched out Katie, turned and laughed.

    "Ah, c'mon, they just stand there with their mouths open."

    Next to him was his best buddy, Phil. "Yeah, Travis, they're just a bunch of dead dumb fucks."

    Travis didn't step out onto the three-foot wide wall, but stood on the platform looking toward the gate. The pounding was frantic.

    "You're stirring them up. Come on down."

    Several of the obviously very drunken men began to laugh. "C'mon, Travis. Stop being pussy-whipped by your lesbo girlfriend and lighten up."

    Shane whipped out his cock and waggled it at Katie before turning, drinking his beer, and urinating over the edge down onto the zombies below.

    Katie turned away, shaking her head.

    "C'mon, boys. Bring it back in," Bill said in a firm, authoritative voice.

    "You ain't a cop no more. Back off," Phil answered.

    "This is going to turn dirty," Katie whispered to Travis.

    "Shut up, lesbo bitch! Who asked you to fucking open your mouth?"

    Phil's voice was full of hate and his gaze was hostile.