As The World Dies Trilogy Box Set [Books 1-3]

by Frater, Rhiannon

  Something fell on him from above, smashing into the back of his head. Katie gasped as the added weight knocked the air out of her lungs. Breathless, she tried to stay awake and to hold on to the gun. Her assailant’s eyes rolled up into his head as he slid into unconsciousness.

  Then Jenni was bending over her, smoothing back her hair and whispering, “It’s okay.”

  Travis pulled Jenni away and pushed the limp attacker off Katie. He leaned over Katie and took the gun from her hand. “Katie, try to breathe, okay?”

  Behind Travis, Jenni kicked Shane a few times in the side.

  “Stop it!” Travis ordered as two other men pulled Jenni away.

  “He hurt her!” Jenni protested, pulling free.

  Katie struggled for breath as her hand grasped his arm.

  “He’s not important right now. Katie is,” Travis snapped.

  “Oh, Katie!” Jenni exclaimed, her anger dying in her eyes. She fell to her knees and stroked Katie’s hair gently.

  Finally, Katie managed to say, “sonofabitch.”

  Both Travis and Jenni smiled with relief.

  Travis lifted Katie into his arms and carried her toward the ladder. She could see that the no-man’s-land between the truck barrier and the fence was littered with dead bodies. There were no moving zombies left.

  “We … did … it,” she whispered hoarsely.

  “Yeah,” Travis assured her, and hoisted her up.

  Juan and Mike lifted her over the wall and laid her down on the platform.

  “Dropping from the harness is real loco, Loca,” Juan informed Jenni as she climbed up behind Travis. “What if you had missed and hit the spikes?”

  “Um, you would miss me?”

  Juan snorted. “Yeah, right.”

  Travis leaned down and gingerly touched the side of Katie’s face where the attacker’s punch had landed. It was throbbing and hurt like hell. “Katie, Katie…”

  She passed out cold.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  1.

  Voices

  Katie swam to the surface of consciousness slowly. The darkness was deep and stifling. She clawed at it, trying to break free.

  “… defending all of us…” She recognized Travis’s voice.

  “… shot a man in cold blood…” The mayor.

  “… no cure for a bite…” Juan sounded pissed.

  “… we would have had to shoot him anyway…” Curtis was defending her. Wow.

  She struggled to push up through the thick membrane of the darkness and strained to speak.

  “Don’t be an idiot…,” Peggy, the city secretary.

  “Yeah, this world has all new rules. Katie did that guy a favor.” Jenni, safe and sound.

  “Who is in charge around here?” The mayor again, sounding shrill.

  “Well, I would say Travis,” Juan said.

  There were murmurs of agreement.

  “I’m an elected official!”

  “Well, new elections were just held and you lost,” Juan answered.

  “Take the handcuffs off,” Travis ordered.

  Handcuffs?

  As feeling swept back, Katie abruptly realized the coldness around her wrists was metal. She tried to open her eyes and failed. Something cold and wet was resting on her forehead and eye. An ice pack.

  “Curtis, I am your boss!”

  “Not anymore,” Curtis replied.

  “Give me the keys,” Travis ordered.

  Again, she tried to open her eyes.

  “Hey, you awake?” Travis’s voice, warm and strong. So much like her father.

  Her eyes fluttered, and light broke through the darkness. She felt him fumbling with the handcuffs.

  “Kinky,” she moaned.

  Travis laughed and his features swam before her eyes and slowly solidified. More figures pushed into her vision and she saw Jenni’s large eyes.

  “Not dead…,” she managed.

  “And not arrested,” Juan assured her.

  “You can’t let her go,” the mayor protested.

  “Watch us,” Travis answered, gathering her into his arms.

  The ice pack tumbled off her head and onto the cot.

  Wrapping her arms loosely around Travis’s neck, Katie whispered, “… need … to … stop … playing … romantic hero…”

  “Yeah, I keep telling you that, but you just don’t listen,” Travis chided her playfully.

  “She’s bullheaded that way,” Jenni agreed, following him as he carried Katie out of the room.

  “Head hurts,” Katie said.

  Then she slipped away again.

  2.

  Movement

  In the city council meeting room, Jenni elbowed her way past the many people gathered there. Everyone in the fort—except for those on sentry duty—seemed pressed into the room.

  At the council table sat Travis, Juan, the mayor, Peggy, and Curtis.

  The meeting was already in an uproar.

  “We should have a say…”

  “… who says what we should do…”

  Jenni was relieved to see that Katie seemed alert despite her swollen face and blackened eye. She sat next to Bill in the first row. Her cracked and bloodied lip didn’t take away from the fierce look on her face.

  Jason was saving a seat for his mother near the front of the room. When she sat down, Jack rested his chin on her knee so she could scratch him behind his ears. He gave her a doggy grin of satisfaction.

  Curtis stood up slowly. “Okay, okay, let’s be civil about this. A lot has happened since yesterday. We need to stay calm.”

  The room quieted down a bit.

  Curtis sat down and Travis stood up. “I’m not real good at leadership stuff, but we need to do something to make sure that what happened yesterday doesn’t happen again. Now, my strong point is building, and I can design new fortifications for this … uh … fort. Juan also has a lot of ideas and we are working together to expand the fort and make it safer. Safer to live in. Safer to get in and out of. We’re going to need a lot of volunteers to help with that.

  “Now, the mayor here, he can run a city and he will be dealing with the logistics of food distribution, water consumption, living quarters, all that. Peggy is going to take over the communication center and maintain the inventory of supplies.”

  The mayor slowly raised his head and Jenni could see that he was a defeated man who had grabbed on to whatever was left of his power base.

  “What about the lesbo?” The voice came from the back of the room.

  Travis’s face darkened, but he kept his temper. “Katie, Bill, and Curtis have experience in law enforcement—”

  “She killed Patrick in cold blood!”

  “Patrick was bitten,” Travis said softly. “A bite is deadly in this new world. He was dead already. If you get bit, you are going to be delivered out of this life fast and quick to keep the rest of us safe.”

  “That’s murder!”

  Jenni strained to see who was talking.

  “No, it’s being humane. Now, Bill and Curtis are going to work together to make sure that everyone understands the new rules around here.”

  “Who gave you the right?” An older man now.

  “No one. We’ll need everyone to work hard to keep this place safe.” Travis looked grim. “We need to work together, or we will all die.”

  Katie said in a low voice, “Tell them the plans.”

  Travis took a deep breath, then continued. “First off, we seem to have cleared out the zombies, at least for now. None have been seen since yesterday. Tomorrow, we’ll dispose of all the bodies and remove the corral. …” He next outlined Juan’s plan to devise a new entry point using the street to the east by rigging up what he called the “Panama Canal,” a simple series of walls with gates.

  Anyone entering by vehicle would have to drive through two locks, which would give the guards time to shoot any zombies who slipped in as well. Then the vehicle would enter a walled-off area behind the construction site
and pull into the garage of the building that had once housed the newspaper office and distribution center.

  The survivors would have to go into the hotel and the old newspaper building and clear it out, then brick up every entrance that faced the outside world. Once that was done, everyone could move into the hotel. Other teams would take trucks into the surrounding streets of Ashley Oaks and bring back supplies.

  Still other teams would look for survivors. All the teams would be armed, of course, and Mike would train those volunteers, since he was former army.

  Juan added, “I’m heading to the library. We need books on farming, medicine, weapons, warfare. …”

  “We have a window of opportunity before another batch of those bastards shows up.” Travis said. “We don’t know how long it will be, so we have to do as much as we can as fast as we can.”

  “What about the army coming to rescue us?” Ed called out.

  Curtis shook his head. “There’s no news out there anymore. No one is coming.”

  “We have to rescue ourselves,” Katie declared .

  Jenni looked at the people in the room and saw that they understood. There was seriousness in their features and a firm determination that gave her hope.

  “What about the lesbo bitch? Shane is locked up because of her.” The speaker was a tall man with dark brown hair and a heavy mustache. He was the same man who had spoken up before.

  Curtis stood up slowly. “Philip, if Shane agrees to act like a civilized man, we’ll let him out to help us out. But the rule remains: You get bit, you will be given the gift of a quick death.”

  After a moment of silence, Rosie, Juan’s mother, said, “That is fair. And right. A decent death.”

  There were murmurs of agreement.

  Travis motioned to those at the table. “Come talk to us. Volunteer. We all need to work hard to get this done.”

  Jenni raised her hand as high as she could. Travis acknowledged her.

  “I just want to say that in every zombie movie, internal fighting is what finally lets the zombies in to win,” she said, and gave Travis a big smile.

  Juan nodded. “She’s right. We keep it together or we die.”

  Philip snorted, then shrugged. “Fine.”

  Jenni gave him a long look and leaned over to whisper to Jason. “He’ll be trouble.”

  Jason agreed. “Yeah, I know.”

  The meeting finally broke up. Most of the people actually seemed relieved to know that there was some sort of plan. Katie stood slowly, one hand rising to her battered face. Travis turned to her to make sure she was okay. Jenni hesitated, feeling a little jealous. Katie was her best friend, not Travis’s. She sighed and fought the emotion. It was hard to share at times. Katie gave Travis a little smile, then gave Jenni an even bigger one. Jenni grinned happily.

  As Juan moved away from the table, Jenni said, “Hey, I’m going with you to the library. I want to help.”

  He stared at her for a moment, studying her doubtfully, then shrugged. “Fine, Loca. But you’ll do as I say.”

  Jenni smirked. “Of course I will.”

  Katie looked amused. “I wish I could go along just to enjoy the banter.”

  “We don’t banter,” Juan said with a sniff.

  “We argue,” Jenni agreed.

  “We hate each other,” Juan added.

  “Viciously,” Jenni said with a solemn nod.

  Travis looked at both of them, then at Katie. “I think they’re secretly dating.”

  Juan sputtered and Jenni made a face.

  “Definitely,” Katie agreed playfully as she took a seat.

  Juan and Jenni eyed each other, then shook their heads vehemently.

  “I’d rather date you, Travis,” Juan asserted.

  “Oh, how cute!” Katie laughed and wagged her finger at both the men. “It would be a match made in heaven.”

  Jenni flung her arms lightheartedly around Katie’s neck as she sat on her lap. “And I have a partner.”

  Katie giggled.

  * * *

  Travis and Juan slipped away. Travis thrust his hands into his jean pockets, his expression dour. He wasn’t sure which he felt grumpier about: taking on a leadership role or Jenni and Katie’s affectionate banter.

  “Told you,” Juan said simply.

  “Yeah,” Travis said glumly. “You did. I still don’t believe you.”

  “I recognize the expression of a man going down in flames. I’ve been there many times before. My ex-wife, my childhood sweetheart…”

  “Belinda, right?”

  “Yep. The girl of my dreams since I was a little kid. So I can recognize your desperation as you go sailing headfirst into the abyss, amigo.”

  Travis arched an eyebrow at Juan. “Why are we pals again?”

  “We bonded over broken hearts with a big bottle of tequila.”

  “Two bottles, if I remember correctly. I remember the hangover from hell the next two days.”

  Juan laughed. “I don’t remember much about that night other than you said you wanted a change from Houston and I suggested you come here.”

  “You’re really good at fucking up my life, huh?” Travis folded his arms over his chest as they walked.

  “It’s not my fault you are all Chasing Amy with Katie.”

  Chuckling, Travis stopped near the back door of city hall and shook his head. “I guess I really do suck at the whole dating thing.”

  “Wanna hold my hand?” Juan held out his heavily callused hand and winked.

  Travis snorted. “Ha, ha.”

  “What? I’m a sexy bitch!”

  Travis shoved open the door and headed out onto the construction site. “You’re also a pain in my ass.”

  “It’s a sign of a good friendship,” Juan assured him, and followed.

  3.

  What Have I Become?

  Katie felt trapped within the fort, now that others were venturing out into the town. It was three days since the great battle and she was a walking bruise. Her jaw ached and her eye looked worse than ever. She was healing, but her bruises were still rising to the surface and revealing themselves in all their colorful glory.

  The first group had returned with truckloads of food from the local grocery and survivors from the convenience store where she and Travis had stopped on the way to Nerit and Ralph’s. Unfortunately, they had been too confident, and two zombies had dragged down one of the fort’s men in the grocery store. It was a sobering event that reminded everyone vividly that danger still existed even though zombies were not crowded outside their walls. It was a bitter irony to add ten new people to their company while losing another.

  Travis canceled all outside missions and got Mike to once more go over gun safety and procedure. Curtis helped with the demonstrations. They couldn’t afford to lose anyone else.

  As her body slowly healed, Katie sat in on planning sessions for the new entrance and the assault on the hotel. It quickly became apparent that Juan and Travis were clever and resourceful. If she were well enough, she would be joining the team that was going to clear out the hotel. Jenni had volunteered to go to the library with Juan and to stand guard at night.

  Katie suspected Jenni was interested in night duty because Travis was also taking the late shift. It was pretty clear to her that Jenni had a crush on Travis. Whether the attraction went both ways, she wasn’t sure.

  Unable to sleep with Jack and Jason snoring loudly on the nearby cot, Katie slid off her bed and wandered up to the roof. The soft wind was cool on her skin and she hugged herself to keep warm. Sitting down on a plastic chair, she looked up at the bright stars.

  It was hard to feel at peace when you knew you could kill without remorse. In her mind, she replayed the image of that man, torn and bleeding. He had not even realized her finger was pulling back the trigger. He was so relieved that she had saved him. And then she truly had saved him.

  Rubbing her hands together, she leaned forward and sighed. Staring at the rooftop between her feet, she
took a deep breath of cool, fresh air. With the zombies’ bodies gone, the air was clean once more.

  “We do what we have to do,” Lydia’s voice whispered.

  She looked up to see Lydia sitting in a chair next to her. “Baby?”

  Lydia smiled and reached out to run her fingers lightly down Katie’s cheek. “I’m here, sweetie.”

  Katie lurched out of her seat, fell to her knees, and wrapped her arms around Lydia’s waist, clinging to her. Her cheek pressed to Lydia’s lap, she started to weep. “I’m dreaming.”

  “It’s okay, though, isn’t it?” Lydia’s long cool fingers stroked her hair gently.

  “Yes, oh, yes. I was afraid I wouldn’t dream of you anymore. Not after what I did.”

  Lydia lifted Katie’s chin to gaze down at her. “And what did you do?”

  “I killed that man. I just killed him.”

  “But you killed Jason’s friend and his friend’s father at the camp.”

  “They wanted me to. They knew they were infected!” Katie face was wet with tears.

  Lydia lovingly traced the contours of her face with the tips of her fingers. “And how is this different?”

  “I just … did … it.” Katie’s voice caught and she shivered. “And I don’t … feel bad.”

  “I know, darling. And you shouldn’t. You shouldn’t feel bad. You saved him from my fate. You liberated him from hell. You did what you had to.”

  “I don’t feel bad, Lydia, because I hate them. I want them all to die. I don’t care what they are or once were. And when I knew he would be one of those things, he stopped being human to me and I killed him. And I don’t fucking feel bad!”

  Lydia leaned down and gently kissed Katie’s forehead. “I know, Katie. I know. But there is more, isn’t there?”

  Katie drew back. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Katie, tell me.”

  “I can’t!” Katie stood up and wiped at her face with unsteady fingers.

  Lydia slowly stood up, too, and took Katie’s face between her hands. With infinite tenderness and love, she kissed Katie on the lips. Katie clung to her and kissed her back.

  “I love you, Lydia. I should have…”