Siege (53 page)

“There is no way those things are smart, Nerit”

“Cunning. A small child is cunning when it wants a cookie in a jar. It just does what it has to to get to the jar on the counter. It moves on instinct, does what it must.”

Kevin stared at the young woman’s face all the while holding the old woman’s hand. “I see what you are saying.”

“Desperation can create the most deadly of foes,” Nerit said. Letting go of the old woman’s hand he reached out and grasped that of the younger. He could feel the similarity between the hands even though the older woman’s knuckles were thicker. The young version of Nerit stared intently back at him.

“We need you,” Kevin said. “You can’t just leave us.”

“I obey my God. I will do as He says,” Nerit answered.

Kevin had not expected this answer for some reason. Nerit had never come across as especially religious in anyway.

“We’re all praying that you wake up,” Kevin whispered. “We’re lost without you.”

The young woman’s hands encircled his and she leaned toward him. “You are all stronger than you realize. I am just a soldier who has more experience than you. All of you are capable of great things. Today, Bill, Dale and Ken did great things whether they realized it or not.”

“I need you back,” Kevin said, his voice breaking. Tears filled his eyes. “I need you back, Nerit. You make me feel less alone in this world. Less afraid. I stand next to you and I feel strong.”

Nerit’s young face smiled at him softly. “Have faith in yourself, Kevin. You did good things at the mall. You saved so many.”

“So many died...”

“So many lived. Trust yourself. Trust what you have learned. Trust Travis and the others. You are all strong.”

“Please wake up, Nerit. Wake up,” he insisted.

“Are you listening to me?”

“Yes. Yes. I am.”

She reached out and her hand gripped his chin. Leaning very close to him, her eyes seemed to burn with light. “Then you must understand that you must go on and win this battle. The fort must survive and this world must go on. This is Eden and the snake attacks from without. Do not let it in.”

Kevin struggled to speak, then he nodded. “I won’t let it in. I will go on.”

Nerit smiled and dropped her hand. “Do not give into despair now, Kevin. It is not the time nor the place.” She slid to her feet and Kevin rose with her.

“Nerit,” he said, taking her arm.

“Shh,” Nerit answered.

“I just want to say-”

“Shh,” she said again and laid a finger on his lips.

Kevin pulled her close and stared into those brilliant eyes. “Nerit, if only-”

He woke up with a start. The hand resting in his felt too cool to his touch and he panicked. Sleepily, he searched for Nerit’s pulse. Tears filled his eyes as he tried to find it, his fingers trembling.

“Nerit, please, don’t go,” he whispered fervently to the older woman resting on her bed.

Then he found it. That steady, faint little pulse in her wrist.

“Oh, God,” he whispered and fell back in his chair.

Before him, Nerit slept on.

2. The Winds of War

“Bring it in! Keep moving,” Juan called out as the fort gates yawned open to let in more supplies.

For the last two days large trucks with heavily armed contingents had been raiding every supply store within a hundred miles in the opposite direction of the zombie horde. The fort seemed to be bursting at the seams with all the new stacks of wood, cement bags, razor wire and various other building materials.

Outside the walls, small Bobcat construction vehicles were busy clearing away the last of the brush from around the fort. In the distance large bulldozers stacked the remains of houses and trees into high barriers. Volunteer workers toiled endlessly outside the fort on a variety of traps. Large signs were posted all around the fort, directing people as to where not to go.

As one of the trucks rumbled past Juan, his cousin, Linda, leaped down off the back and walked over to him. She had been persistent about going out on the salvaging runs despite the protests of her family.

“How’s it going out there?”

“Couple of zombies. Nothing major,” Linda answered Juan. Juan nodded, his cowboy hat perched far back on his head. “Mom was going nuts with you being out there again. Bette didn’t seem too happy either.”

“Can’t stop working just cause of the other day,” Linda answered crossly.

“Yeah, I know.” Juan sighed, shrugging. “You know Mom. And Grandma ain’t much better.”

“I gotta do what I gotta do. Your Jenni knew that, too.”

“How do I have so many damn bullheaded women around me?”

“Sheer luck,” Linda answered with a wry grin.

A huge military truck rolled in crammed full of more razor wire and other supplies.

“Bette doing better?”

“Her arm is seriously messed up. They aren’t sure how much use she’ll have when it heals.” Linda tucked her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and furrowed her brow. “And things feel weird now with us. I dunno why. I just...”

Juan looked down at her, his arms crossed over his chest. “What do you mean?”

“I dunno” Linda shrugged. “Like I keep feeling I should have died back there and now when I’m around Bette it feels fucked up. I love her. But it’s like...”

Juan reached out and gently rubbed her shoulder. “It’s okay, Linda. It was rough out there.”

“Lenore and I are the only survivors of the run to the hospital, Juan,”

Linda said softly. “Felix, Dale, Ken, Bill, Roger, Jenni...all gone now. Only Lenore and I are still here.”

Juan winced at the mention of the hospital run. It had saved his life, but he had lost Jenni because of it. “Linda, that is just how this fucked up world works. Don’t let it get you down.”

“Hey, I got no regrets about going there. That medicine and stuff is helping a lot of people. It helped you. But it freaks me out. I seriously feel I should have died out there.” Linda’s gaze was intense.

“Is that why you keep going out there?”

“Yeah.” Linda admitted. “Yeah.”

“Zombie in the hold!”

Juan and Linda’s heads both jerked up. The inner gate was still closed. Above them on the walls, two people were trying to aim at something down in the holding area.

Running up the stairs, Juan reached back to grip her hand and despite herself, Linda felt comforted by it. Reaching the top, they looked down to see a woman in a red sweater moving swiftly around the truck, banging on it with slim hands. Long black hair obscured her face, but her growls revealed her true nature.

“She dropped off the back of the truck when it got into the lock,” one of the guards shouted.

“Put her down,” someone shouted.

Juan felt like he couldn’t breathe. Something about the figure reminded him of Jenni. The sweater, the long dark hair, the slim build. Beside him, Linda squeezed his hand.

“It’s not her. Katie put her down. It’s not her,” Linda’s voice whispered. A sniper finally got a good shot and the creature’s head exploded, then it fell back. Despite the shot through its forehead, its face was still reasonably intact. It bore no resemblance to Jenni whatsoever.

“It’s okay,” Linda said once more.

Juan nodded slowly then turned and took his cousin into his arms and held her tight. “We’re both okay. You’re supposed to be here. Don’t think about being dead. You got Bette. Don’t forget that. It’s okay.”

They clung to each other as the all-clear signal was given. The large inner doors opened and the truck rolled on leaving the dead zombie alone in the lock.

3. Family Way

It was sheer chaos in the suite. Three little kids were scampering around screaming and laughing as they were chased around by Juan. Troy was only in his undies while Margie was in her nightgown with her hair soaking wet. Holly was half-way into her pajamas sporting the topless look.

“Okay, now be nice to Daddy One and do what I say,” Juan ordered. Margie managed a feat worthy of an Olympic gymnast to get over the sofa and looked at him. “No!”

Holly and Troy stopped on the other side of the sofa and laughed like little hyenas.

Juan frowned and put on his most authoritative voice. “Get your PJs on or you are all in big trouble.”

The three hellions looked at each other, then took off running again, laughing like the evil little fiends they were.

Clutching Holly’s top in one hand, Juan pursued them, finding it damn hard to catch the little ones. Troy was especially good at evasive maneuvers. Juan couldn’t help but think he’d make a great football player.

Despite his frustration with them, he knew most of this was them craving his attention. He had been gone all day working on the fort defenses and when he had come home, his beleaguered mother and grandmother had quickly dumped the kids off on him.

“They need their father. We’re done,” Rosie had said as she rolled her mother to out of the room. With that he had been on his own with the little terrors.

“Holly! Freeze!”

To his surprise she froze in her tracks, giving him her big-eyed look of surprise. Slowly, he approached her, holding her pajama top in his grip, readying to put it over her head. Just when he got close, she took off again.

“Dammit!”

“You said a bad word!” Troy popped up from behind the recliner. “I’m gonna tell.”

“Yeah? Who are you going to tell?” Juan asked.

“God,” Troy responded.

Well, Juan thought, at least Troy didn’t waste time with the middleman, but went straight to the top.

The door opened behind him and he turned to see Jason walk in. Covered in dirt and grime and reeking of gasoline, the teenager shut the door, then leaned back against it.

“Is there hot water left?” Jason asked eying Margie’s soaking wet hair.

“Hey, kid,” Juan said, ignoring the little scamps rushing around him, trying to egg him into a game of catch again.

“Hi, Dad,” Jason answered. He disengaged from the door and walked over to hug Juan. He was stopped by the trio of terror leaping on him. Clinging to him like monkeys, the three began to talk his head off and Jason slowly smiled from beneath his long hair.

Juan walked slowly toward the kids. “You’re just in time for the nightly roundup.”

“Yeah?” Jason looked down at the little ones yammering away at him, then grabbed all three of them up in his arms.

Massive squeals of delight followed. Juan managed to snag Holly and get her top over her head.

“Ha!” Juan chucked her onto the sofa. “Stay there or no cookies tomorrow.”

Holly immediately froze and sat wide-eyed in false innocence. Grabbing a towel off a stool, he wrapped it around Margie’s hair and knotted it on top of her head. Tossing her onto to the sofa, he muttered the same threat and was rewarded with another frozen child. Troy tried the squirm and kick maneuver but Jason reduced him to giggles by tickling him. Juan somehow managed to get his pajamas on despite all the wrestling. Then Troy was also chucked onto the sofa and joined his sisters.

“Now! In this family, we behave. Or no cookies,” Juan said. Jack looked up from where he was trying to sleep on the recliner with a look of horror in his doggy eyes.

“Understood?” Juan asked.

The little heads nodded, then Holly yawned.

“Okay, now to bed. And no more horsing around,” Juan said firmly. Forming a short line, the kids all came up to kiss and hug him and Jason, then trekked to their bedroom pretending to be the best little kids he’d ever seen.

“And I better not hear any talking in there,” Juan added. Jason giggled and sat down at the bar. Popping open a can of soda, he yawned long and hard.

“Hard work out there today, huh?”

“Yeah. Got the fire traps set though. Had some trouble at first, but we sorted it out. Had a zombie creep up on us and try to bite Calhoun’s arm, but his jacket didn’t let the bite go through. Got a shitty ass bruise though. It must have been in some rubble from a house or something. It was weird.”

Juan sat at the bar and rubbed his brow. “We got a lot of stuff rigged up, too. Not too sure about the tar and cement traps, but we gotta try. I think the tiger traps will do okay until they fill up.”

“It’s all crazy, you know. I keep thinking about Mom coming and saving me from that camp and now I’m here. The world seemed so small then. And now... it’s still small, but it feels bigger. I dunno I have been feeling like we’re not just fighting for us but for the world.” Jason sighed and rested his chin on his hand.

“There is a lot at stake. We can’t pretend there isn’t, ya know. We just gotta buckle down and do what we can. And next time we’ll be better prepared and ready to deal with all of this.” Juan rubbed Jason’s shoulder gently. “You’re doing a good job, Jason. I’m proud of you.”

Jason looked toward him in surprise, then slowly smiled. “Thanks, Dad. That means a lot.”

“All of this has been a lot for a kid your age. But you’re not a kid anymore, Jason, you’re a man and I’m damn proud of you.”

Jason grinned even more. “Yeah, well, I kinda had to grow up fast.” He looked toward the partially open door behind which the three kids were tucked into their beds. “I don’t want them to lose their innocence. They should get to be kids.”

With a sigh, Juan nodded. “Yeah. I know. But we’re all changed now. All of this bullshit with the zombies has changed everyone.”

“What is bullshit?” a small voice said from behind the recliner.

“Holly, get to bed,” Juan ordered without turning around. With a little giggle, the little girl ducked back into her room. Jason and Juan looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

* * * * *

Travis rubbed his face, feeling the stubble scrubbing at his palms. With a sigh, he drank more of lukewarm coffee. Standing outside the hotel, he looked up at the perimeter wall. Catapults, mounted crossbows, and other inventive weapons decorated the top.

Nearby, Curtis and Linda were in a deep conversation. He was trying not to pay attention, but Linda was obviously crying. Curtis looked close to it as well. It was easy to figure out what was going on. The police officer had been sulking ever since Linda and Bette had become a couple.