And the vision of Jenni, covered in blood, dragging a dying Juan into the winter sunlight.
Jenni would always remember her fear that she was losing the love of her life. But she would also remember how her screams brought others running to help.
And for some reason, until her last day on earth, she remembered the color of the white winter sky and the single bird flying overhead, riding the cold winds.
CHAPTER SEVEN
1.
Haunted Eyes
Travis couldn’t bear to look at Jenni when Katie had helped her into the hotel. He had seen the utter hollowness in Jenni’s eyes and he went cold inside. She had appeared almost as lifeless as Juan.
Nerit and her people were looking for Ray. Bill had Blanche locked away. The bitch was still unconscious.
Travis stood in the hallway outside the fort’s clinic—a series of repurposed conference rooms on the hotel’s main floor. In one room, Charlotte was working feverishly to save Juan. Belinda had once been the town’s librarian, but after long hours of studying medical books, she was now Charlotte’s assistant. Peggy and Stacey were with Brewster in another room, trying to clean up his shattered nose. The reverend was leading a prayer vigil in the chapel at the far end of the hall.
Curtis strode up to Travis, looking very young and anxious. “I hear Juan’s at death’s door.”
“Yeah,” Travis said with a sad nod. How were you supposed to react when your best friend was dying? He wasn’t sure. He felt numb yet furious.
“Seems like the Vigilante might have been Blanche and her goons all along.” Curtis exhaled explosively. “Amazing, huh? It’s kinda obvious now, dontcha think?”
Travis lifted an eyebrow. “Might have been her. But who knows? I don’t think it’s a closed case yet.”
Curtis lifted his shoulders slightly. “I’m inclined to think that a mean viper like that might have done a lot more damage than we know.”
“Maybe.”
The young cop rubbed his hands together nervously. “So, what are we going to do with her and Brewster? And Ray if we find him?”
“I have no fucking clue,” Travis replied.
Nerit came up to them, limping slightly. Her yellowish white hair was in a tight bun on her head, and her expression was severe. She said, “There’s no sign of Ray. I suspect he went over the wall. Dixon swore he heard a car start up in the distance. I have a feeling this little group had some contingency plans.”
“Dammit,” Travis murmured.
“We should send out patrols!” Curtis looked fierce. His hands were clutched tightly at his sides and he kept pivoting back and forth on the balls of his feet with obvious agitation.
“For what purpose?” Nerit’s gaze was cold. “We’d just set his ass back outside the wall again.”
“But we need answers! A confession!”
“We have Blanche and Brewster. I think that is sufficient.”
Travis thought about the reverend and his prayer group. “Nothing is sufficient anymore,” he said bitterly.
“We gotta go after him and find out what was going on!” Curtis insisted.
“Curtis, it’s obvious what was going on. Blanche wanted to leave,” Travis said, “and she was stupid and crazy enough to kill her own husband and try to kill Juan in the process.”
“It was more than that, Travis,” Nerit said in a terse tone. “She was trying to make a point.”
Travis didn’t want to talk anymore. He stalked away from Nerit and Curtis and into the waiting room, where Jenni sat crying and whispering to Rosie in Spanish. Despite Rosie’s pleas to be with Juan, Charlotte had told her to wait with the others. Katie immediately embraced Travis, and he allowed himself a brief moment of comfort in her arms.
Jenni looked up, her lips trembling. “Is Juan … Is he—?”
“No word yet,” Travis said quickly.
Rosie was pale and her mouth was clenched shut. She and Jenni were holding hands, united in fear and grief. “My son is strong. He’ll come through.”
“I have no doubt that Juan is determined to live,” Travis answered.
Jack was under Jenni’s chair, his sad eyes looking at the humans. Jason was on guard duty and Jack had come to be with Jenni, almost as if he knew she needed him. Travis leaned down and petted the dog’s head.
An exhausted-looking Charlotte entered the room, covered in blood. Letting out a desperate, horrified gasp, Rosie grabbed Jenni. Both women looked on the verge of collapse.
Travis and Katie clutched each other’s hands. Travis forced the words out: “How is he?”
Charlotte let out a long sigh. “Stabilized, for now. I managed to stop the bleeding, but the bullet is still in there and it definitely collapsed a lung. I used an empty pen as a tube to get it reinflated, and Belinda is manually pumping air into his lungs. Peggy’s looking for an oxygen tank that she swears she has in storage.
“I don’t know what other damage was done. I do know that he lost a lot of blood. I’ve got Yolanda looking for donors so I can give him transfusions.”
“Is my son going to live?” Rosie whispered.
Charlotte licked her lips, then said, “I did my best. But there’s risk of infection, especially with the bullet still inside him. And he’s in shock, but we’re treating him for that.”
Jenni pulled away from Rosie. “I need to go to him. He needs me.”
For a moment, Travis thought Charlotte would deny Jenni, but then she acquiesced. “He probably does. Just stay calm. Keep it soft. Encourage him to fight. He’s not conscious, but he may hear you.”
Holding hands, Rosie and Jenni went into the room where Juan lay. When the door closed behind them, Travis turned to Charlotte and asked, “What’s up for real?”
“I need surgical tools and resources we don’t have,” Charlotte replied. “I need to get that bullet out. I need equipment to monitor him and keep him alive. I need medications to fight infections.”
“Okay, get me a list. We’ll get it.”
Charlotte blinked. “Travis, you realize the hospitals are death traps.”
“What choice do we have? It’ll be volunteer only. He’ll die if we don’t go.”
Charlotte grudgingly nodded. “All right. There’s a small hospital about fifty miles from here. I used to work there in the ER. I know it very well. I can draw a map for the volunteers after I make my list.”
“Excellent. I’ll need it as soon as possible.”
Bill knocked lightly, then entered the room. “Travis, Blanche is awake. Want to be there when I question her?”
“Yeah. I do.” He kissed Katie and stroked her cheek softly. “Let me know if anything changes.”
Katie nodded, her eyes full of love and desperation. “Of course.”
Travis followed Bill, feeling fear and anxiety still clinging to him.
2.
The Broken World
In the small holding cell in city hall, Blanche sat primly upon a cot as Travis and Bill questioned her from the other side of the bars. The longer they interrogated her, the more insanely confident Blanche seemed in her lies. She barely looked like herself; her face was swollen and bruised and she was missing at least one tooth. Jenni had done a real number on her, and Travis was glad to see it.
“She attacked me and killed my husband! She’s a crazy spic,” Blanche said in a creepily calm tone.
“Blanche, we know that isn’t true. You took Jenni hostage.” Bill’s voice was even.
“I think you’re too stupid to know the truth.” Blanche glared at them. They’d been talking to her for at least a half hour and she’d told them nothing but her warped version of events. “You stupid fucks. You have no freaking clue what is going on. You think you’re so smart, but you’re all just a bunch of dumb rednecks.”
“Is that why you decided to kill off a few of us undesirables before striking out for your own promised land?” Bill asked.
“You think I’m your ‘Vigilante’?” Blanche laughed. “If I was, I woul
da killed a lot more people.”
Travis felt his temper rising.
“You can’t expect us to believe that Jenni attacked you and Steven when she discovered you were leaving, and shot Juan accidentally.” Bill repeated Blanche’s story back to her, staring at her incredulously.
Blanche smirked. “You are all so far beneath me that I shouldn’t even waste my time talking to you. You can’t see how dangerous that stupid spic is. Look what she did to my face!”
“What did you do to Calhoun? He’s been reported missing, and I know you had a problem with him.” Bill glowered at Blanche.
“Really?” She smiled, her bloody, swollen face a terrible parody of a clown. “Well, that’s a bit of good news. Maybe he fell over the wall and got eaten.”
“Is this really all about your Hummer?” Bill tried again. “Is that damn car why you killed two people, including your own husband?”
“Exile me. In my Hummer.” Blanche cocked her head and fluttered her eyelashes; the flirtatious gesture was grotesque, given her battered features.
Travis stormed out of the cell area, Bill trailing behind him.
“What do we do now?” Bill asked.
“Send her home, since that’s what she wants. Let the bitch go rot in her mansion. But not in the Hummer.” Anger boiled in his chest. “Fuck her and that car.”
“I’ll have Curtis and Katarina escort her.”
“Do it soon. We’ve wasted enough time on her.” Travis shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. “We need to get hospital supplies to save Juan’s life.”
Bill arched his eyebrows and adjusted his belt nervously. “Really? A hospital?”
“I know. I know they’re death traps, but … I gotta do something.”
“I’m in. I’ll go.” Bill shrugged, as if to make light of his offer.
“Thanks, Bill. Get the word out that we’re looking for volunteers, okay?”
Bill nodded. “You got it.”
Travis wished to God he could restart the day.
* * *
Katie’s eyes hurt from crying, and she felt a little sick to her stomach. Needing a small break from the clinic’s waiting room, she went in search of her husband. She heard raised voices coming from inside Travis’s office.
She knocked and the room went silent. Then Travis called, “Yes?” and Katie opened the door. Her husband was leaning back against his desk, glaring at Nerit and Peggy, who were seated in chairs near the wall. Bill was standing with his hands on his belt, glowering at Travis. Eric was sitting on the couch, legs crossed, cleaning his glasses and looking pensive.
“What’s going on?”
“Your fool husband wants to go out and get himself killed,” Peggy answered, her voice harsh with frustration. She quickly explained about the volunteer team being put together to find medical supplies for Charlotte.
Katie raised her eyebrows at her husband. “Travis, you can’t go. We need you here.”
“Your most trusted advisers, your friends, and your wife are telling you to stay.” Eric donned his glasses and settled his eyes on Travis. “Don’t you think you should listen to us?”
Picking up the volunteer sheet, Travis shook it. “There are only seven names on this list.”
Nerit asked, “What is your point, Travis?”
“I’m closer to Juan than all of these people except Monica.”
Katie stepped toward her husband. “Travis, we all know you care about Juan. Everyone in the fort knows you’re willing to put your life on the line for him—for anyone.”
“She’s right, Travis. If you’re trying to prove anything to us, you don’t have to.”
“Eric, it’s not about proving anything to anyone. In fact, the Travis Fan Club freaks me the hell out! It’s about—” Travis struggled visibly with his emotions. “—it’s about me. How I feel. I want to help my friend. I want to help save him.”
Katie ran her hand gently over his hair and let it rest on the back of his neck. He looked at her, his expression anguished. It hurt her to see him this way, but she couldn’t let him act foolishly. “We understand more than you realize. I know what it’s like to feel helpless in the face of death. But we need you here. You may not like it, but you make us believe we can survive and even flourish in this world. That may not seem like much to you, but it’s everything to us.”
“I’m the one who fucked up! I’m the one who didn’t let that psycho take that damn Hummer and leave. She shot my friend because of me!”
“So it comes out. You feel guilty,” Nerit said, lifting an eyebrow.
“Dammit, Travis! Blanche is unhinged. You can’t blame yourself!” Peggy looked ready to smack him, and Katie couldn’t blame her.
“So you’re going to go out into the deadlands and risk not coming back to ease your guilt? You should feel guilty for wanting to put yourself at risk.” Katie tried to keep her voice even and not let her own anger and desperation leak into it. “I need you. The baby needs you. We all need you.”
Travis looked down at the volunteer sheet. His fingers were trembling and his jaw was clenched. After a long silence, he nodded and set the paper aside. He leaned forward, hands on his knees, and exhaled long and slow.
“It’s the right thing to do, Travis,” Nerit said reassuringly.
Eric said, “There’s no question that it’s a dangerous run, but it’s being handled.”
“Let us do our job and you do yours,” Bill added with an encouraging smile.
Travis folded his arms over his chest, resigned. “You’re right. But I hate to admit it.”
Relief washed over Katie, and she felt the tension in her shoulders dissipate.
“Time is of the essence,” Nerit insisted.
“Let’s get moving. Charlotte should have the map and the list of equipment ready by now.” Bill headed toward the door.
Katie watched their friends file out, feeling immensely grateful for each one. As the door shut, she tilted her head to gaze up at her solemn husband.
“I’m hardheaded, aren’t I?” Travis granted her a sheepish smile.
“Oh, without a doubt. It took all of us to break through your thick skull.”
“Forgive me?” Travis asked.
Katie kissed him firmly on the lips. “You’re a loyal friend, a good leader, and a man with a huge heart. There is nothing to forgive.”
“Katie, I’m so lucky to have you.”
“Yes, you are. So there’ll be no more talk of running off to do something stupid.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Running her hand lightly over his arm, she reluctantly drew away from her husband. “I’m going to go check on Jenni.”
Travis straightened, rubbing his neck. “Okay. I need to go to the briefing anyway. I love you, Katie.”
“I love you, Travis.”
* * *
It was nearly one thirty by the time the volunteers were finished being briefed on the medical supply run. While Charlotte explained exactly where they had to go, they studied the layout of the hospital she’d drawn for them. She’d also given them photocopies of pictures of the equipment and surgical instruments she wanted, in addition to the list of tools, medications, and other supplies.
Travis lingered in the back of the room, listening, wishing he could take away some of the teams’ anxiety. The volunteers were divided into two groups: Monica, Dale, Ken, and Lenore in one; Roger, Bill, and Felix in the other.
Charlotte finished her briefing with, “Anyone have anything to ask?”
“Yeah,” said a new voice. “When are we leaving?” Everyone turned to look at Jenni’s pale, determined face.
“Shit,” Roger groaned. The former science teacher and die-hard Trekker winced. As usual, he wore jeans and battered sneakers. His T-shirt read I LIKE TO PON FARR, and his thinning brown hair looked like he had slept on it. His plain face skewed into a grimace. “This isn’t going to be good.”
“Shouldn’t you be with Juan?” Travis wondered if the sick feeling he
had in the pit of his stomach was what the others had felt when he’d announced he was going on the mission.
“And do what? Watch him die?” Jenni shook her head. “Fuck that. I’m going. I’m good at this sort of thing. How many rescue teams have I been on?”
“You haven’t done much scavenging,” Roger answered. “Death rates on the scavenging teams are higher than for rescues.”
Everyone eyed him, obviously wishing he hadn’t spoken that particular truth aloud.
“Sorry, but seriously, there are a lot more red shirts on the scavenging teams,” Roger said, a tad defensively.
Travis took hold of Jenni’s arm and gazed down into her face. “You’re a good fighter. But wouldn’t you rather be with Juan?”
Jenni pulled away from Travis, her expression defiant. “I can feel myself going crazy in there. At least this way, I’m trying to do something to save his life.”
“Jenni…”
“Travis, don’t keep me from going out there. I’m begging you.” Jenni lifted her chin. “I’m a big girl with a big ax.”
“She has a point,” Bill said gently, sorrow visible on his face. “Watching the one you love die slowly is a hell unto itself. I would have done anything to save my wife from cancer. I would have climbed Mount Everest to save her.”
Travis knew that everyone in the room was waiting for him to do something. He tried again. “Jenni, if you go and something happens…”
Jenni’s tear-filled eyes flashed with anger. “I won’t be fucking helpless this time!”
“She’s made her choice.” Dale said, “Everyone’s got the right to make a choice.”
“We could use her,” Monica said, nodding. “Juan is my cousin and I love him. Yeah, I’m scared knowing the risks, but he’s always treated me like his little sister. I gotta do what I can to save him. I can tell that Jenni feels the same. Let her go, Travis.”
Lenore and Ken were seated side by side and by their lowered heads and averted gazes, it was obvious they did not want to get involved. Felix just sighed. Charlotte fussed with her printouts, ignoring the ruckus.
As The World Dies Trilogy Box Set [Books 1-3] Page 73
