Pepe’s man frowned as he studied something on the desk. “It’s better to start planning now. We need to think long term.”
Jack walked over to Travis, leaned on his leg, and looked up. I need a cookie, he thought intently.
Travis patted his head and scratched him under the chin. No cookie. Jack sighed and left the room.
Entering the lobby, he saw the human puppies playing. They were running around and screaming, but none of them even smelled like cookies.
Jack sat down and yawned. Katie walked up to him and leaned down to give him kisses. She wasn’t nicely smelly like the old man, but she smelled like a mother. He kinda liked it. She hugged him tight, then wandered off.
No cookie.
Jack flopped down and chewed on one paw, studying his surroundings. The human puppies might not smell like cookies, but maybe one of them would get some before too long. Yes, waiting here was his best bet.
Tucker’s human mother walked up to him, knelt down carefully, and patted his head. “You’re a good boy, Jack.” She smiled and rubbed his ears.
As she reached into her pocket, his ears perked up and he thumped his tail, catching a whiff of cookie. With a smile, she slipped him an Oreo, then rose and walked away.
Jack chewed the cookie, grinning to himself.
Now he could enjoy the day.
He stood up, stretched, and headed into the construction site. Maybe if he was lucky, they’d let him sit next to the guard and bark at the loud, stinky, dead things.
Too bad he couldn’t roll around on them … .
2.
Banishing the Ghosts
Jenni sat up in bed, the covers pooled around her waist, her long hair falling over her bare breasts. Beside her, Juan was sleeping soundly, one arm thrown over his head. She had woken up after a particularly bad nightmare.
She could feel its terrible tendrils still infecting her mind. Staring out the window at the stars, she tried to reclaim her mind and her life from the ghost of her nightmares.
Rubbing her nose, she took a deep breath.
The bandits were beaten. The zombies were held at bay by the walls of the fort. Juan was her lover. Jason was alive and safe. Katie and Travis were happy together. Life as a whole was good … until she slept.
Sliding out of the bed, she walked naked to the window and laid her hands on the warm glass. She looked down and saw, in the street, Lloyd staring up at her. His torn face was twisted into a deadly smile. Jenni took a deep breath. She reached deep inside herself and pulled on her strength and love. Her anger was useless against Lloyd.
“Lloyd,” she whispered.
Come die with us.
“You are not the beginning or the end of me.”
His smile faded.
“I’ll die when I choose. And I know one thing for sure—when that happens, I’m not going where you are.”
His smile disappeared.
“Fuck you, Lloyd. I don’t need you to be afraid of anymore. You’re not the biggest or the baddest monster in my world.” Jenni flipped him off and turned away from the window.
There were worse things in this world to fear than the stupid ghost of her dead, asshole husband. There were wonderful things to enjoy and love. Jenni didn’t have the patience to be afraid anymore, to ruin her new life.
Sliding into the bed, she ran her hand over Juan’s chest. He stirred and drew her into his arms. She settled down against the solid realness of his body.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, more than half-asleep.
Jenni slung her arm over his waist and draped one leg over his. “Nothing,” she answered truthfully. “It just took me a while to figure that out.”
Already fading into slumber, Juan kissed her on the forehead.
Jenni soon fell asleep. For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t afraid to dream. Lloyd’s time was done.
3.
The Time of Beginnings
Katie stared at the little stick, squinting in disbelief. She checked the box again, then sat back on the edge of the bathtub.
Despite all the insanity of their life, despite the dead world and the terror, she and Travis had decided to fully embrace life.
“Travis!” She pulled the rayon robe tighter around her body and held the stick in one hand as she crossed her legs.
The door opened and he peered in at her. Judging by his bleary eyes and mussy hair, he had fallen asleep while she showered. He was clad only in pajama bottoms.
She held up her announcement and he padded into the bathroom to squint at it. It took a few seconds for it to register.
“For real?”
Katie lifted her eyebrows and nodded. “Oh, yeah.”
Travis let out a wild laugh and dragged her to her feet. “Amazing!”
Katie laughed and tossed the stick into the trash. “Yeah! We are! We’ve just made our lives a hell of a lot more complicated.”
“Fine with me!”
Happiness and fear were jumbled up inside her, but Katie embraced those feelings. In a world full of death, life was something to embrace.
Joyously, Travis held her in his arms and kissed her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
1.
The Seasons
Fall lived up to its reputation as a time of harvest as the occupants of the fort loaded up on as many supplies as possible. With the area around the fort pretty much clear of zombies, they worked as hard as they could, preparing their winter stores. The hunters brought back venison, fowl, and beef to fill the hotel freezer. Every bit of food was carefully cataloged by Yolanda and Peggy, and menus were planned to take full advantage of their stores by Rosie.
Halloween came and went. Despite the obvious reality of monsters, the children in the fort had fun dressing up and trick-or-treating through the hotel. Ed knew where there was a pumpkin patch and jack-o’-lanterns were carved and placed on the fort’s walls. To everyone’s surprise, the distorted faces seemed to disturb the few zombies that were hanging around. After the holiday, the teenagers had fun pelting the dead with the rotting gourds.
Thanksgiving was surprisingly joyful. The menu included wild turkey and pumpkin pie, a wonderful delicacy that everyone enjoyed. As December approached, the world seemed remarkably peaceful, despite the occasional zombie.
It felt like the fort was truly secure, that a true victory had been won over the dead.
2.
Silent Night
What had once been dubbed the “zombie corral” was now a nice, walled-in courtyard. It was coated in a thin film of fresh snow that glimmered with the reflections of the Christmas lights strung all over the fort.
Katie leaned against the rail of the guard post, looking down over the wall where children were being hustled back into the hotel after an impromptu snow fight. The snowflakes were still falling, but she knew that by morning the snow would melt away. Snow never lasted long in these parts.
After the bandits had been routed, construction had gone into overdrive in the fort. It had felt like it had been nonstop until December 16. Throughout November and the first two weeks of December, they had worked hard, reclaiming Main Street and the former zombie corral, and moving the trucks out to form a new perimeter with new sentry posts. Their only break had been for Thanksgiving as bit by bit they spread out and made the fort more secure.
Travis had not taken over the mayor’s office in city hall, preferring the manager’s office in the hotel. He and Eric and the others met there frequently and for long hours, but even when he was alone, he always seemed to be deep in thought. Sometimes, when she peeked in on him, Travis looked overwhelmed, and she didn’t blame him—Ashley Oaks was a lot to worry about. But every night, when he held her, she could see that he was happy and at peace.
Katie looked up. More flakes touched her lips and cheeks. The sky was clear and beautiful. She sighed at the wonder of it.
Down in the street, Bill and Katarina were trying to build a snowman with Peggy and her son, Cody. The peaceful scene
made Katie smile. In a few years, Katie and Travis would have a little one to build a snowman with. If things didn’t go to hell …
No, she couldn’t think like that.
Calhoun was running around in the snow, arms outstretched and mouth open to catch the snow. Nearby, Eric and Stacey were playing with their little dog, Pepe. Lenore and Ken slipped out of city hall to join the others. The best friends immediately began pelting each other with snowballs.
Beside Katie, a sniper took aim and fired. Katie didn’t look, knowing that beyond the wall a zombie lay in the snow, truly dead at last.
Travis joined her, wrapping her tight in his embrace. She snuggled into his warmth and smiled.
“Love you,” he whispered, and kissed the top of her head.
“Love you,” she answered.
Behind her, the hotel was illuminated. People were still celebrating the turning of the year. Christmas lights were strung in many of the hotel’s windows and along many balconies. A huge fake Christmas tree, dragged up from the city hall basement, twinkled on the municipal building’s roof.
The all-volunteer Santa Patrol had successfully brought back all the gifts the younger kids had asked for. Calhoun had explained that Santa had to rendezvous with the crew away from the fort due to the messed-up clones and aliens. The kids had bought this hook, line, and sinker. It had been nerve racking to watch the volunteers leaving, knowing that they were going into danger so that the fort’s children could have a good Christmas. The Reverend Earl Thomas had prayed over the group before they left. When all had returned safely, there had been many tears.
Christmas Eve had been lovely, with caroling and a midnight service in the makeshift church set up in one of the old conference halls. Katie and Travis had squeezed in along with everyone else and sung their hearts out. During the service, the reverend announced that Katie and Travis were with child. Then Travis had shown Katie what the Santa Patrol had brought back for her. The ring was silver with a cubic zircon, but she didn’t care. She had sobbed like it was a diamond. Clad in jeans and sweaters, they had said their vows right then and there, in front of everyone, including Baby Jesus and the Holy Family tucked into a manger scene in the corner.
“Couldn’t show it for years in city hall ’cause of the Supreme Court,” Peggy had said as it had been set up in the makeshift church. “I guess all that is done with now.”
Now, snuggled into her husband’s arms, Katie watched the scene in the street with a small smile on her face.
“A new year,” Travis sighed.
“A new year,” Katie echoed.
“Couldn’t be much weirder than last year,” Travis said.
“No, probably not.”
Had it been only nine months since the first day? It felt like a lifetime ago. At times, her serene life with Lydia felt like a dream. She still missed Lydia terribly, but that time was long gone, lost like the rest of the old world.
She tilted her head to look up at Travis’s face. The stress was showing between his eyes. She reached up with her cold red fingers to brush away the wrinkles. He relaxed and smiled at her.
“It’ll be the best year we can make it,” Katie decided, then pulled him down for a kiss.
The snowball caught them smack-dab in the middle of their kiss. Sputtering, they both looked over the wall to see Jenni and Juan wrestling in the snow, shoving the white stuff down each other’s clothes. Then they spotted the guilty party. Nerit was fashioning another snowball with a grin on her face. With unequaled accuracy, she nailed Jenni.
Calhoun ran past, whirling around as he went, laughing hysterically.
Jenni snagged a handful of snow and tossed it at Nerit, who couldn’t duck fast enough. Jack ran around barking as Jason hurled snowballs at his girlfriend, Michelle.
Scooping snow off the rail next to her, Katie tossed it at Travis, then ducked around him, shouting, “Beat you down there!”
Beyond the walls, a lone zombie stood staring at the twinkling Christmas tree in the distance, fixated and confused, just staring … and staring … as the snow fell all around.
EPILOGUE
Lieutenant Kevin Reynolds used binoculars to watch the snow fight from beneath a tree. Clad in army fatigues, he shivered in the cold and wiped snow from his face. Behind him, a woman soldier was sitting behind the steering wheel in the jeep that would carry them back to the waiting helicopter.
“What do you think?” the driver asked.
The lieutenant lowered the binoculars and turned toward his companion. “It’s perfect. Exactly what we need,” he answered.
He slid into the passenger seat and settled in as the private drove the jeep toward the edge of town.
From the darkened sky above, the snow continued to fall.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to George A. Romero, for your movies and all the wonderful nightmares you’ve inspired.
Those nightmares ended up in this trilogy.
Also, thanks to Kelly, Julie, and Kody, for helping me shape the original draft into a coherent story. Y’all are awesome.
Special thanks to Mom, for your constant support of my writing and your dedication to helping me achieve my dreams. You are the greatest!
Very special thanks to my husband, for your encouragement and your patience when I spend long hours writing.
And, as always, thank you to my fans, for your support! You keep me writing!
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Since the original inception of the story online, the section that became Fighting to Survive has always been the most difficult part to write. I wrote about the bandits and their brutality, Shane and his attempted rape, and the haunting of Jenni by her abusive husband’s ghost while the murderer of my cousin was standing trial. Frustrated and angry with real life, it was hard to write about terrible things happening to my favorite characters.
Yet, strangely, some of the scenes and character development in Fighting to Survive are some of my favorites. The friendships, love, and dark humor threaded throughout the story reminded me during a very difficult time that life does go on after a loved one dies. As Katie and Jenni faced some of their worst moments and overcame their difficulties, they taught me that I, too, could move on from deepest despair. My cousin’s murderer was convicted as I finished writing the scenes with the bandits. It was a relief to find justice not only in the pages of my story, but in real life as well.
Revisiting Fighting to Survive for this new edition was extremely cathartic. With the help of my amazing editor, Melissa Singer, I was able to see the story with fresh eyes and polish up all the rough edges from the original.
Without a doubt, this version of Fighting to Survive is the story I originally envisioned, but enriched.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I love it.
Sincerely,
Rhiannon Frater
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
FIGHTING TO SURVIVE: AS THE WORLD DIES
Copyright © 2009, 2011 by Rhiannon Frater
All rights reserved.
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
eISBN 9781429986151
First eBook Edition : September 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Frater, Rhiannon.
Fighting to survive / Rhiannon Frater. —1st ed.
p. cm. —(As the world dies ; bk. 2)
“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
ISBN 978-0-7653-3127-4
1. Zombies—Fiction. 2. Texas—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3606.R4255F54 2011
813’.6—dc22
2011021609
First Tor Edition: November 2011
&
nbsp; Siege
Rhiannon Frater
A TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES BOOK
NEW YORK
To all the fans of this trilogy
FOREWORD
Dr. Pus of the Library of the Living Dead podcast
If you’re reading this, you must be a fan of Rhiannon Frater’s zombie epic that started with the incredible first book, The First Days. When I started reading The First Days, I didn’t get past the opening chapter. It was so shocking, I had to go back immediately and read it again. And when I finished the book, I read it again!
Now, I have been asked to write the foreword to the third and final installment. This is just an incredible honor. Why? Because I know zombie novels. I live for zombie novels. My podcast is specifically for the zombies. My own Library of the Living Dead is jam-packed with almost every zombie novel that has ever seen print. It is overflowing with zombie goodness except for one spot. One area on the top shelf is reserved for one special book … the one you are holding in your hands.
Siege will answer all the questions you’ve been asking since you read The First Days and Fighting to Survive. Rhiannon addresses them all, but you won’t like some of the answers. That’s because she is such a talented writer that her characters are ones you have come to love, care about, have empathy and sympathy for. Her characters are us. And even though we all want them to live, it just isn’t always possible in Rhiannon’s universe.
Start reading Siege now. When you’re finished, your heart will have been touched, and it will be a little bruised, too.
Undead love to you all,
Doc
Somewhere in Texas
As The World Dies Trilogy Box Set [Books 1-3] Page 65
