“Don’t underestimate us, Travis. We’re country born and bred. Give us supplies, weapons, and our vehicle, and we’ll be fine.”
“Blanche won’t even clean her own damn room. Who’s going to cook?”
“That brings me to my next request. I would like to hire guards and other staff. We have jewelry and other valuables to pay them with. If you return our resources, we can maintain our own home safely.”
The tone of Steven’s voice told Travis Steven was growing impatient. He was used to being able to push local officials around and did not like being rebuffed. “Those ‘valuables’ are worthless, now that the zombies have risen.” Travis shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re letting Blanche talk you into this.”
“Why won’t you let us leave?” Steven glowered at Travis.
“You can leave whenever you want to, but you’re going to have to take the deal we offer everyone who wants to go.”
“We are not to be trifled with, Travis. We own this town.”
Travis gripped Steven’s arm tightly with one hand. “Steven, you’re just a human being, like everyone else. Who you were before the zombies is over. I wish to God that you two would settle down and adapt.
“Look, I get that you are used to having a lot of clout in this town, but those days are gone. All of us need to carry our own damn weight and help each other. Do you get that? Do you understand that? We can’t afford to be selfish anymore.”
Steven wrenched his arm away and stood in silence.
“Steven, the old world is gone.” Travis tried again.
“You know, everyone keeps talking about the old world being gone. But it’s not,” Steven said shortly. “It’s just waiting for us to push back the dead. Then everything will go back to the way it was before. You’ll go back to being the foreman of a construction site. You’ll be working for me, not strutting around being the mayor of a bunch of scared folk.” His voice was cold. “All these people you want us to be friends with will go back to their pathetic lives. You think everyone is equal, but people with power, like me, have that power because we worked hard to get it.”
“Steven, your great-grandpa was smart enough to take advantage of the railroad when it came through these parts way back in the day. He put this town on the map. Hell, this town is named after your great-grandma. So maybe you should follow his example and join us in making this fort a success. Let that be your legacy.”
“You don’t get it, Travis. I love my wife. I want her to be happy and she is not happy. She wants our supplies and our Hummer. She wants an armed escort and some people to work the estate. I think she deserves those things. Being here is hard on her. And being a good, decent husband, I plan to do what she needs to make her safe and happy.” Steven clearly was not about to back down from the argument.
Travis shook his head, frustrated at not being able to get through to the man. “I can’t let you leave with any of the fort’s resources, Steven, and that’s all there is to it.”
“You may think this is over, Travis, but it’s not.” Steven stared at Travis for a long, piercing second, then stomped off without another word.
Travis rubbed his very tired eyes. When he lowered his hand, he saw Bill lingering near the archway to the lobby. “What’s up?”
“You can’t make Steven be what he doesn’t want to be.”
“You heard that, huh?”
Bill nodded, his hands resting on his belt, which was cinched tighter than it had been when he and Travis had first met. Like most people in the fort, Bill had lost weight. He had been a very big man to start and was still far from skinny, but he looked healthier. “They ain’t never been easy people. I’ve lived in this county all my life and they’ve always acted like gentry. They don’t wanna be here, Travis, because this is what they’ve tried to avoid all their lives—being common folk.”
Travis inclined his head, acknowledging this was probably true. “Do you want to give them a bunch of supplies, the Hummer, an armed escort, and maids?”
“Nope. But if they really want to go, we should let them. Give them a decent car. A week’s-worth of supplies. Weapons and ammo.” Bill lifted his shoulders. “Either they’ll get their asses eaten or show up in a week or two, begging to come back.” Bill’s expression was somewhere between amusement and anger.
“That’s pretty much what I told him, but…”
“Let him simmer down, then tell him again.”
“Never gets easier, does it?”
“It will. One day.”
“As long as that’s not when we’re all dead,” Travis said with a weary grin.
“I was lookin’ for ya to let ya know Calhoun’s got some specs for some kinda flamethrower weapons for the walls. I can’t make heads or tails of his scribbling, but I figured you, Eric, and Juan could let him know if it’s doable.”
“Mind rounding up the others?”
“Can do.”
“Thanks.” Travis headed for his office, which had once been the hotel manager’s office. He was not surprised to see Peggy at the front desk, as she often was, trying to contact the outside world on what was left of the Internet. Travis noticed that she had a cute new hairdo. “Looking good, Peggy.”
She smiled and handed him a bottle of Febreze. “Calhoun is looking for you. I think he was rolling in dog shit.”
“This day just keeps getting better.”
3.
Tangled Webs
Calhoun skirted around the lobby and ducked down one of the lesser-used hallways, dimly aware of two people holding a whispered conversation behind a large potted plant a few feet away. The voices in the lobby were echoing and mingling with the ones in his head, making his brain hurt. Clutching his head, he envisioned the thoughts moving through his mind as long, colorful threads, twisting and looping. Sometimes they made a beautiful weave; other times they became a jumbled mess. When that happened, his head throbbed and the threads sang in wild voices, demanding his attention. Gripping the wall with one dirty, gnarled hand, he tried to find the strongest thread and grab on to it.
His eyes snapped open and he realized that the blond bitch and Ray, one of the salvage crew guys, were staring at him with disgust.
“Blanche Mann, you’re the Whore of Babylon!” He saw it so clearly. Her twisted soul was a black miasma of goo around her neck, and evil was vivid in her red eyes. With a cry of despair, he twirled around and ran from her.
He barely heard Blanche tell Ray, “Get the old fucker.”
There was evil in the halls of the fort, and Calhoun had to rectify the situation. He raced through the lobby, wailing, his battered boots beating on the marble floor. Out of the fuzzy world around him, a face came sharply into focus and he skittered to a standstill.
“What’s up, Calhoun?” Travis asked. “You’re looking for me?”
Calhoun felt his mind slip off the thread he was clutching and swirl into the maze of brightly colored thoughts. It took him a few seconds to latch on to a new thread.
“Flamethrowers!” Calhoun snapped his fingers. “Flamethrowers to protect the gate! That’s it!”
“You seemed a little upset there.”
Calhoun tapped his chin as he tried to remember what had terrified him. “Don’t rightly know why.”
“Okay … are you ready to talk about the flamethrowers?” Travis regarded him worriedly.
Fumbling with his jacket, Calhoun managed to find the pocket he had made by sewing a kerchief into the lining. After tugging out his notebook, he waved it in front of Travis. “Got it right here! Let’s go!”
The big red thread in his mind—full of fire and the destruction of messed-up clones—throbbed, pouring out all the information he needed to guide the young ones to prepare proper defenses.
For thirty minutes, he was vividly sane.
4.
The Scales
It was nearly dinnertime when Travis finally made it up to the room he shared with his wife. He, Bill, and Juan had been walking the walls, compil
ing a list of supplies the fort would need to expand. Now Travis felt half-frozen and was dying for a hot shower. When he pushed open the door, he saw Katie sitting in a chair near the window, holding a baby blanket and staring wistfully toward the hills.
“Katie?”
“Do you ever wonder when it happened? When the tide turned against us?” Her voice was soft, thoughtful, and melodic.
“What do you mean?” He tugged off his heavy jacket, glad that the heater in the room was working.
“There had to be a moment when the future of the world was balanced between the living and the dead. And then the scales tipped in favor of the dead.”
“I guess there was,” Travis answered, unsure where the conversation was heading.
“I was just sitting here, wondering about our baby, and then it hit me. What if our baby never knows what it’s like to live freely, outside these walls? And then it occurred to me that there must have been one deciding moment in all of this.”
Travis knelt beside her chair and took her hand in his, rubbing her fingers lightly. “Maybe, but we’ll never know what it was or when it happened. This insanity had to have started before what we call the first day. Jenni’s no-good husband was bitten the day before. And there was that weird plane crash in Chicago and riots all over the place.”
“Why didn’t the government tell us?” Katie’s green eyes were so big and beautiful with tears sparkling in them.
“Maybe they thought it was under control. Or maybe they didn’t understand how fast it was spreading.”
“Do you think they wanted it to happen?”
Travis pondered this, then shrugged. “I may sound like Calhoun, but maybe they wanted something to happen so they could seize full control of the people, but whatever it was went too far. I don’t know. But if there was a moment when the scales tipped, then maybe that will happen again, and next time, those scales will tip in our favor.”
Katie leaned her forehead against his and stroked his cheek lightly. “I want to believe you.”
“Then do,” Travis whispered, and kissed her gently.
“I’m sorry I’m being so hormonal,” Katie said.
“Nah. You’re just saying what everyone else is thinking. We’re all in a weird funk. We need to focus on more positive things. Like the fact we’re alive. We’re inside fortified walls. We have food and supplies. We have each other.” Travis felt better as he spoke. It was so easy to forget the good things when the days were cold, gray, and full of unexpected dangers.
“You’re right,” Katie said after a beat. “And maybe we will have a chance to reclaim the world. For our sake … and our children’s.”
Travis was in awe that his baby was growing inside her. It seemed like magic. His little family meant the world to him, and he would never have had it if not for the zombies.
“I’m going to take a hot shower, then take my favorite girl out to dinner.”
“Oh, that sounds good! Where are we going?” Her bright smile washed away the shadows that had been haunting her expression.
“Well, there is this quaint little place downstairs that has some of the best food around.”
“Sounds amazing! I can’t wait!” Katie wiped the last of her tears away with the baby blanket.
“And then maybe we’ll get crazy and go watch a movie. I hear there’s a Burt Reynolds double feature tonight.”
“Oh, wow! I don’t think I can stand the excitement!”
Travis grinned, stood, and pulled her out of the chair. Holding her close, he kissed her tenderly on the lips. “You know you want to hear Curtis heckling the Bandit for his lawbreaking ways.”
Katie snuggled up against him. “We’re just one big crazy family, aren’t we?”
Laying his cheek on her blond hair, Travis smiled. “Yeah. We are. And it will be okay.”
Katie sighed. Her body relaxed against his, and Travis was glad that she trusted him so completely. He vowed that he would never let her down.
5.
No Peace for the Living or Dead
Rune sauntered into the dining room and peered around cautiously. To his eyes, the hotel was full of shimmering patches of light and shadow. He was relieved to see that the dining room was full of living people lining up at the buffet. Rune smelled chili and his stomach rumbled.
The soft whisper of a ghost glided past him. He didn’t acknowledge it.
“Hey, Rune!” Maddie and Dale waved at him from the food line. He nodded his head in greeting and joined the end of the line. He wasn’t too surprised when Maddie and Dale dropped back to stand with him. Maddie’s long hair was braided down her back and she’d found a flowing skirt and comfortable sweater to wear. Rune wasn’t sure how old she was, but he thought she was pretty, wrinkles and all. Dale’s curly hair was pulled back in a ponytail and his sideburns were razor sharp.
“How are you, Rune?”
“Good, Maddie. Slept all day. I was tuckered out.”
“Figured you were taking the time to rest up. I volunteered to help with the garden.”
“Good for you!”
“They actually got a beauty salon here. Can you imagine?” Dale stroked his smooth chin, appearing floored by the idea. “I was pretty fuckin’ amazed.”
An old man in a creaky manual wheelchair glided past them to the front of the line. His arms were covered in tattoos and he looked older than God.
“Maybe I’ll drop by and get my hair properly done. Wind is hell on it after a while.” Rune folded his arms over his chest.
“You could stay here, you know. It’s so dangerous out there.” Maddie shook her head sadly.
“Can’t. Once they figure out I can see them, they won’t stop badgering me,” Rune said in a low tone.
“Oh, right!” Maddie’s eyes widened. “Are they here now?”
“A few. Over by the bar,” Rune said, not looking in that direction.
“Has to be a bitch having what you got with this shit going down,” Dale growled. “Damn, man. Glad I ain’t you.”
“We all got our crosses to bear.” Rune shifted on his feet, uncomfortable with the topic.
A tall, homely redhead walked into the dining room. Right behind her was the perfectly formed ghost of an old, angry woman. Rune caught himself before he shivered.
“More, huh?” Dale wondered.
“Whole world is full of the dead. Nobody, living or dead, ain’t getting no peace,” Rune answered.
A boy in his teens entered the dining room, closely followed by a big German shepherd. Rune felt a strong premonition hit him and spoke almost without thinking. “That boy is special. Real special. People gotta take care of him.”
“You’re weirding me out again.” Dale winked. “All creepy and mysterious. That’s Rune.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t have the name Rune for nothing,” Maddie said, laying her delicate hand on Rune’s arm. A huge moonstone glimmered on her finger, and Rune covered it gently with his hand. He smiled, feeling the energy in the gem.
“My mama nicknamed me that. When I was three, I got a bunch of rocks from the backyard and tried to draw on them with a marker. My mom caught me at it and started calling me Rune. We got old Nordic blood in our veins.”
The dining room was filling with the energy of the living.
A black woman and a young man whose hair was tipped with gold walked by, both carrying trays heaped with steaming food. The man gave Dale a flirtatious smile and waved with his fingers. Dale waved back.
“That boy is sweet on you,” Maddie teased.
“Yeah, but I’m sweet on her.” Dale pointed across the room at a grumpy-looking woman.
“That’s the city secretary, Peggy,” Maddie told him.
“She’s hot.”
Rune nodded his head approvingly. “She ain’t much to look at, but she’s got that vibe.”
“That hellcat vibe.” Dale grinned.
An older black man stepped into the center of the dining room and loudly cleared his throat. He was
impressively tall, with a lean face and gentle, dark eyes. “Before we start dinner, I would like to say grace and thank God for the blessings we have received. We have new people among us and a bounty of new supplies in our storeroom. I would also like to commend the soul of our brother Bob into the hands of God. Let us thank God for our lives and our safe home.”
There was a round of amens. The man, obviously some kind of reverend, launched into a prayer that boomed through the room. Rune lowered his gaze, staring at the tips of his motorcycle boots. They were pretty battered and probably needed new soles. As the prayer continued, he began to glance around the room. He saw the pretty woman who had hitched a ride with him hugging the tall teenager while the German shepherd leaned against her legs. Behind her stood the tall Mexican in the cowboy hat. His eyes were closed and he had one arm around the shoulders of an older Hispanic woman. The leader of the fort and his pregnant wife were last in line. They were hugging each other. Her head rested on his shoulder and they looked so happy, it made Rune’s heart twist in his chest.
The community around him felt unified and strong. He yearned to be a part of it. Moments like these reminded him that he was not alone and that there was a bit of hope left in the world.
The reverend finished, and people shouted “Amen!”
Then someone said, “Let’s tear this chili up!”
Laughter filled the room and Rune smiled to himself. Maybe staying around a bit longer would be a good thing.
CHAPTER FIVE
1.
Rebuilding the World
“Stupid freakin’ Texas weather,” Jenni huffed. In just a few days, the ice and snow had disappeared. It was eighty degrees outside.
She tossed a bag of garbage out the second-floor window of the old movie theater into the Dumpster below. She was clad in jeans and a tank top; sweat was pouring down her face.
Katie swept more debris into a dustpan, then dumped that into another garbage bag. Her hair was pinned on top of her head; blond tendrils poked out at odd angles. Her face was flushed and she was breathing hard.
Leaning out the window, Jenni craned her neck to look over the new wall that cut off the street just after the theater and stretched across to a clothing store on the other side. They’d reclaimed an additional block in every direction, and their world suddenly seemed much larger.
As The World Dies Trilogy Box Set [Books 1-3] Page 70
