“They built stuff to last, back in the day.” Travis circumvented a few of the makeshift tents and headed for the back entrance of city hall. The sun was high in the sky and it was brutally warm despite the clouds in the west.
“I have to ask about the hotel. There’s been talk about whether or not we’re going to ever move into it.” Eric pointed toward the building that was the bane of Travis’s existence. Not too long ago, a zombified maid had taken a header out of one of the windows.
Travis stopped walking and Eric nearly plowed into him. “We’re trying to make sure that when we go in, we keep all of you safe.”
“Some people are saying that taking the side street is a way to avoid going into the hotel, and they’re not happy about that.”
The city hall door, behind them, creaked open, a welcome interruption as far as Travis was concerned. Mike and Peggy emerged; muscles rippled under Mike’s T-shirt as the former army sergeant trotted down the stairs. He was formidable in appearance, but gentle at heart—traits that served Mike well as he trained people to become zombie killers.
Peggy, the city secretary, looked harried as she pulled her brown hair into a short ponytail, securing it with a plain rubber band. Travis suddenly had the feeling he was not going to enjoy whatever she was about to say.
“Hey, Travis. I got that ETA on the new walls you asked for.” Mike took a long drink from the bottle of water he held in one hand. “After Eric checked the buildings, Juan and I worked out a timeline. To get the walls up and secure the backs of the buildings, it’ll take close to twenty-four hours using round-the-clock crews.”
“That’s faster than I thought.” Travis raised his eyebrows, impressed.
Peggy snorted. “Why can’t y’all just construct some new buildings inside the walls?”
“We don’t have enough supplies for that,” Mike answered. “Building a wall is a lot different from building new structures.”
Peggy glowered at Mike, then flicked her gaze toward the high wall that enclosed the construction site. “I just don’t like the idea of going over that wall. I know what’s out there. I don’t feel like tempting fate.”
“I know exactly how you feel,” Eric concurred.
Feeling surrounded, Travis took a few steps toward the door. “No one will head over to the new area until the new walls are up.”
Mike vigorously bobbed his head in agreement. “Yep. And those will be sturdy walls. No zombies are going to get in. Trust my crew. We know what we’re doing.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Peggy reluctantly admitted. “It’s just …”
“We’re afraid of something going wrong,” Eric finished.
“Exactly.” Peggy nodded her head. “What he said.”
“Then you both worry way too much. Trust us. We got it covered!” Mike waved at the group as he headed off across the construction site.
Realizing the conversation was over, Eric turned away. Peggy and Travis went into city hall.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Steven Mann and his bitch of a wife are talking with Mayor Reyes about the hotel.” Peggy folded her arms over her chest. “The mayor asked me to come find you.”
The Manns were newly rescued. They had been holed up at their estate outside the town since the zombie uprising. Shane and Philip had found them during a scavenging run. Travis had met the Manns before, on social occasions in Houston, and it had been Steven Mann who hired him to work on the renovation of downtown Ashley Oaks. Mann’s intent had been to reinvigorate the town and bring in tourism. His model had been Fredericksburg, Texas, which had used its history as the birthplace of Admiral Nimitz to create a tourist mecca in the Hill Country. Mann had hoped that Ashley Oaks’ ties to old Hollywood would be as big a draw.
Travis sighed. “This isn’t going to be pleasant, is it?”
Peggy shrugged. “What is nowadays?”
Walking down the hall, Travis ran his hands over his hair, tucked in his shirt, and adjusted his belt. He was sure he looked grimy and tired. Technically, Steven Mann wasn’t his employer anymore, but the man had once had a lot of clout in town. As Travis neared the office of Mayor Manny Reyes, he could clearly hear Steven Mann’s wife, Blanche, saying, in her thick East Texas accent, “You just have to make them understand, Manny.”
Slipping through the doorway, Travis gave the three people in the room a slight smile. “I heard I was needed?”
“Travis! Good to see you,” Steven declared, smiling broadly. A descendant of the first German settlers in the area, he was tall and blond. His gaze was always a little unsettling because of the vivid robin’s egg blue of his eyes. His jeans, crisp white shirt, cowboy hat, and deep suntan gave him the look of an ordinary local rancher, but most local ranchers weren’t billionaires.
“Nice to see you, Mr. Mann. Nice to see you, Mrs. Mann,” Travis said.
Blanche sat back in her chair, crossed her long, lean legs, flicked a lock of her blond hair away from her immaculately made-up face, and said, “Why the fuck aren’t you doing something about the hotel?”
“Blanche, let’s give the man a moment to catch up with our conversation,” Steven said quickly as the mayor cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable behind his big desk.
Travis took a seat near the mayor’s desk as Blanche rolled her eyes. A former beauty queen who still looked the part in her early thirties, Blanche was dressed in a tight denim skirt, high-heeled, strappy sandals, and a red tank top covered in sparkling stones.
“We were just discussing why we have not yet entered the hotel. I was explaining to the Manns that you, Juan, and Mike have been very careful with the security of our … fort and that we are not going to make any rash moves.” Manny’s fingers played with the pen on his desk as he spoke, his gaze locked on the writing instrument.
Travis was about to speak when Blanche cut in.
“That’s utterly ridiculous! There are hardly any zombies out there right now. Maybe this whole plague or whatever it is, is almost over. How many of those things have y’all seen in the last week? Maybe a dozen? Less? Hell, Steven, we should go back home.”
After clearing his throat, Travis said, “The supply and rescue crews have actually seen quite a few zombies during their runs. Some of the people we have rescued have reported seeing mobs of fifty or more zombies not too far away. It’s not safe out there. We’ll get into the hotel—but we want to do it right.”
“I got the front door key right here.” Steven fumbled with his keychain.
“We considered that, but we need to secure the front of the building so the zombies can’t get in. It would take too much time to transport building materials around front, and the construction crew would be in the open for too long. It’s better to go in through the back. Trust me, we have a plan. Hell, that map you gave us of the interior of the hotel has been a great help. The teams we are training know exactly where to go and what to do once they’re inside.”
“I’m glad I could help, but we’re still suffering in this damn construction site when we could be safe and comfortable in there,” Steven insisted. “My wife and I are sharing one very small room here in city hall. It is not acceptable.”
“We’re sleeping on an air mattress!” Blanche shook her head with disgust. “Manny, you have to do something.”
Mayor Reyes sank back in his chair and sighed as he finally raised his gaze. “I defer to Travis and Juan when it comes to construction. They know what they’re doing. That’s why y’all hired them. As for security, Mike was in the military, and so far, he’s done a great job training our folks and keeping us safe.”
“That he has,” Travis heartily agreed.
Blanche stared at Manny for a tense moment, then poked her husband’s arm with one long nail. “They work for you. Tell them what to do, Steven.”
“Look here, Travis, Manny, I know y’all got your concerns, but we have our own. Lots of people around here aren’t sure y’all are up to the job.” Steven’s tone was low, firm, and f
ull of the power he was used to wielding.
“If we don’t do it, who will?” Travis snapped. The four hours of sleep he had managed the night before were beginning to show. “You? You want to take over construction? Security? Supply-gathering? Rescues? Inventory control?”
Blanche frowned, her brow puckering. “Steven is the man at the top.”
Manny unexpectedly chuckled. He had seemed so cowed before that this surprised Travis. “The man at the top of what? I’m sorry, Blanche, but we’re all a bunch of tired old sods just trying to live another day in a world gone completely mad. Y’all want into the hotel, well, so do I. But I don’t want to push this good man here to do anything he doesn’t feel we’re ready to handle.”
Steven gazed at Manny with a startled expression. “Manny, you know I’m just thinking about all of us.”
“No, no. You’re thinking about Blanche. I don’t blame you. She’s lovely, and I’m sure you love her very much and want her to be comfortable and safe. But safe is more important than comfortable right now,” Manny continued. “So, I say we sit back and let the men and women with the know-how handle all of this.”
Travis folded his arms over his chest. Manny’s confidence in him made him feel uncomfortable. Every day, Travis just tried to do his best. Lately, he was second-guessing himself just a little. Maybe he was putting off going into the hotel out of fear—but these days, fear kept everyone alive.
Standing up, Blanche nudged her husband again. “Let’s go, Steven. Obviously, these two need to get some sense drilled into those thick heads of theirs. Maybe when enough folks complain about them sitting on their asses, they’ll finally do something.”
Unfolding his tall body from his chair, Steven’s expression was grim. “I wish you both would reconsider. I’d really hate to have your leadership qualities become an issue with the fine folks out there.”
Raising an eyebrow, Travis wondered if it was the Manns Eric had been referring to earlier. Maybe the couple was already trying to spread discontent and push the fort leadership into action.
Manny spread out his hands. “Do whatever you like, Steven. Just remember that you are both alive and safe because of him.” He pointed toward Travis. “You should thank Travis, not tear him down.”
Steven didn’t answer. Instead he offered his arm to his wife and they left. As the door closed behind them, Travis let out a long, loud yawn.
Manny grinned. “Yeah. I couldn’t agree more.”
“I’ve never seen her quite like that. She’s usually all peaches and sugar.”
“Well, you haven’t been on her bad side before. Steven and Blanche have very little patience. I’ve known them a very long time. Right when they first arrived, I knew they would be trouble after a while. This is a little sooner than I expected, but …” Manny rolled his shoulders.
“About the hotel, Manny,” Travis started.
“We all want in there, Travis. I won’t lie to you. But we’re all scared shitless that you’ll open up that wall and zombies will come pouring out. I have nightmares about it.”
“So do I. That’s why I’ve been so damn cautious about going in.”
“I respect you for that,” Manny assured Travis. “I do. But at some point, you’re going to have to take the risk.”
Leaning back in his chair, Travis whistled softly. “Damn.”
“Leadership is a bitch, huh?” Manny looked a little cocky, but Travis couldn’t blame him. After all, nowadays Manny mostly helped Peggy organize the community’s inventory and made small decisions about some of the daily aspects of fort life. The big issues weren’t his concern anymore.
“I can’t help but think about the people who have volunteered to go into the hotel. If they die, it’s on my head,” Travis said with a sigh.
“They all volunteered freely, Travis. They made their choice.”
“I volunteered,” Travis said. “I didn’t want them doing anything I wasn’t willing to do myself.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Now, go get some sleep. Your eyes are so damn red, they make me tired.”
Travis slid to his feet and started for the door.
“Hey, Travis,” Manny called. Swiveling about on his boot heel, Travis paused in the doorway. “If you need any advice, I’m here for you,” Manny assured him.
For the first time since he entered the office, Travis smiled.
“That’s good to hear. Now, if I can make it back to my room without being stopped by every single person in the fort …”
“Have Peggy run interference for you. She’s a killer at it,” the mayor advised.
Chuckling, Travis headed out to find Peggy.
3.
No More Time to Wait
Near sunset, Katie pulled laundry from one of the lines strung up in the corner of the construction site. Folding the few pieces of her wardrobe, she tucked them into a banker’s box she had snagged from Peggy. It was a far cry from the walk-in closet she’d had in her old home, but it was big enough to hold her meager possessions.
The sky was a lush purple with great swaths of bright pink illuminating the horizon. It was a beautiful evening. The still air was cool against her skin, a relief after the heat of the day.
Balancing the box on her hip, Katie walked up the steps into city hall. She heard voices upstairs and could tell from the snatches of conversation she could make out that people were sitting down to a dinner of fried Spam sandwiches, barbecue beans, and chips. She had never eaten Spam before coming to the fort and still wasn’t sure what her final verdict on it was, but at least it kept her from feeling hungry. Edging past a few people tromping down the stairs, she returned their smiles of greeting.
She was almost to her room when she saw Travis leaning against the wall, scarfing down a sandwich.
“There are tables in the dining room, you know,” she said.
“Yeah, but they’re all full,” Travis answered around a mouthful of Spam.
“It’s amazing what Rosie can do with the canned goods they bring in, huh?” Katie said, bravely trying to make small talk.
“The best damn sandwich I’ve had since the last sandwich I had,” Travis answered. He mopped up the beans with the bread and shoveled it into his mouth. “Hey, you volunteered to clean the store. Thanks for that. Lots of people are afraid to head over the wall.”
Shrugging, Katie adjusted her hold on her box. “Well, I know that once you give the all clear, it will be safe. I trust you.”
“I appreciate that. I don’t think everyone shares that sentiment right now.”
Katie sighed. “Well, if you mean the Manns, they have been doing a lot of smack talking today. Blanche was really on a roll. She usually doesn’t talk to anyone, but today she was sweet as pie to just about everybody.”
“Let me guess. I’m not a suitable leader.” Travis shook his head and continued to eat.
“Something like that.” Katie wasn’t about to tell Travis about the war of words she’d gotten into with Blanche Mann. He didn’t need to know how passionately she had defended him. It had even shocked her a little.
“I can’t let it bother me,” Travis decided. “Just have to do what is right. Whatever that is.”
“You’re sounding more and more like a leader.”
“I don’t want to be, Katie. I really don’t. Once we’re into the hotel, I am more than happy to turn over the reins.”
“To Steven Mann?”
Travis winced. “Well, maybe not him, but—”
“Hey, Travis, there you are.” Curtis’s voice came up the stairs, followed by the young police officer himself. “Sorry to bug ya, but something’s happened.” His expression was sobering, and Katie felt her stomach knot with fear.
“What is it?” Travis asked warily.
“You know that group of survivors all the way out by San Angelo we’ve been talking to on the ham radio?”
“Yeah,” Travis answered, “Reverend Morton’s group.”
“They’re gone,” Curtis sa
id plainly. “Wiped out.”
“What?” Peggy gasped from behind him. She scrambled up the last few steps to join the others on the landing. “What are you talking about, Curtis?”
“They’re wiped out. Gone.”
“Zombies?” Travis asked, his brows drawing together.
“Nope. Tornado,” said Curtis. “Got a call in around ten minutes ago saying there was a massive storm slamming them and that one of the guards saw a tornado on the ground near their compound. I heard what sounded like a freight train over the CB, then nothing. Dead air.”
Katie winced at his words. It was too horrible to consider.
“Shit,” said Peggy. “Shit! There were twenty people there!”
“Where’s that storm front heading?” Travis asked worriedly.
“Away from us.” Curtis shook his head. “They had a good setup, too. This is sad. Real sad.”
“Good ol’ bad Texas weather,” Peggy grumbled.
“San Angelo is too far away for us to check out, isn’t it?” Katie asked.
“Two-and-a-half-hour drive on a normal day,” Curtis said. “With the zombies out there, it would take a lot longer.”
“Have to bypass a lot of towns. Very risky,” Peggy agreed.
Travis let out a sigh. “What was their compound like?”
“Warehouse with a high fence around it. Used to hold farming equipment before the zombocalypse, but they got it fixed up pretty good,” Curtis said.
“If the fence came down, where did they plan to go?”
Studying Travis’s expression, Katie could see that he was processing everything that was being said. The furrows in his brow were deepening. She wanted to reach out and comfort him. Instead, she held on to her box with an even tighter grip.
“I don’t rightly know, Travis. I never discussed it with them,” Curtis said. “They were settled in for the long haul. But the tornado did them in.”
“Can we be sure?” Peggy asked. “Can we be sure they’re gone?”
“They’re not answering the radio, and from the sounds I heard, I’m sure it hit them. If they don’t get back on the air, I think that pretty much confirms it, right?” Curtis looked to Travis for support.
As The World Dies Trilogy Box Set [Books 1-3] Page 35
