Travis met Jenni’s gaze. “Jenni, can you keep it together out there?”
She nodded vigorously. “Better than I can here.” Squaring her shoulders, she stood straight, looking strong and sure of herself.
With a sigh, Travis made his decision. It was right that people who loved Juan tried to save him. “Okay, Jenni. You can go.”
“Come here so I can catch you up,” Bill ordered, waving her over to him.
Walking toward Bill and Charlotte, Jenni threw a smile at Travis that was both grateful and terribly sad.
Travis returned her smile uneasily and left the room.
CHAPTER EIGHT
1.
Bless Me Father
Jenni leaned over and gently kissed Juan’s dry lips. Her fingers played over his curls and she took a deep, shuddering breath. Resting her hand lightly on his chest, she could feel the faint thudding of his heart.
“Keep strong, baby. I love you.”
After one last kiss, she straightened and moved away from the bed. Rosie took her hand. They shared a quiet moment; then Jenni kissed the older woman on her cheek and departed.
Her long black hair fell freely around her shoulders as she walked toward the chapel. Her stomach was roiling with nerves, but she didn’t care anymore. She was going to save Juan.
Ken stood near the open door to the chapel. “Bill says we got ten minutes before we roll out. Trucks are almost ready.”
“That should be enough time. I just don’t want to go out there without having God at my back, even if I’m a sucky Catholic most of the time.”
Inside, Jenni found the reverend waiting with a Communion of saltines and red Kool-Aid. She had specifically asked for Communion and he had quickly agreed. Taking a seat, Jenni pulled out her rosary and threaded it between her fingers.
The reverend did his best to improvise a Catholic Communion service, even wearing a white robe made from a tablecloth. His care for her—for everyone in the fort, no matter their religion—touched her.
When it came time to partake of the Communion, she felt her hands shaking. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but she was petrified. Juan’s injury made her feel vulnerable. She hated that.
Taking the piece of stale saltine on her tongue, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on the Risen Christ and the Blessed Virgin. The Kool-Aid was a bit tart, but she downed it. Crossing herself, she uttered fervent prayers.
“Just let him live,” she whispered.
* * *
The stricken, worried expression Jenni saw on Katie’s face as she entered the staging area broke Jenni’s heart. Jenni walked straight to her and embraced Katie lovingly. She felt Katie trembling and she buried her face in Katie’s soft curls.
“If you don’t come back, I’ll be really pissed,” Katie said with a catch in her voice.
“I’ll be back. One way or the other. Nothing can keep me away.”
“I know. I can’t help but worry. You’re my best friend.”
Letting go of Katie, Jenni kissed her friend’s cheek. “And you’re mine.”
Jason ran up to Jenni and flung his arms around her. “Mom,” he cried in her ear, “Mom, don’t go.”
She squeezed him so tight, it hurt. “I have to,” Jenni said. “I have to try to save him.”
Jason swallowed hard; Jenni knew he was trying not to cry. He said, “Be careful, Mom.”
“I will be,” she promised. She kissed him firmly on the forehead. “I love you.”
Jack pawed at her knee. Jenni kissed his furry head. “I love you, too.”
Trying to smile and not look scared shitless, Jenni strode to Nerit’s familiar red truck, where Roger and Bill were waiting for her. She turned to wave to her small family: her best friend, her stepson, and a dog.
She tried not to think of Juan, lying so still in that bed.
Climbing into the truck, she nodded at Bill. “Let’s do this.”
“Just like old times,” he said, gunning the engine.
Jenni sighed. It felt nothing like old times.
2.
Beer and Strawberries
Bill drove in silence down the unfamiliar weed-ridden road. Jenni sat in the back of the truck’s cab, staring out the window. He doubted she was seeing anything other than Juan’s face in her mind’s eye. Felix was asleep beside her, snoring lightly, while Roger was deep into a Star Trek novel in the passenger seat. Looking into the rearview mirror, he saw the second team’s truck keeping pace behind them.
Maybe it was good to be silent for a while. The drive would take more than an hour and they were heading into a highly dangerous situation. They all knew that hospitals were death traps.
He gripped the steering wheel harder and concentrated on driving. He spotted a few zombies moving through the dried brush beside the road. They seemed disoriented and sluggish. Charlotte was right. They were slowing down as the elements got to them. That didn’t keep them from being fiercely terrifying if they got close to you.
In the rearview mirror, he saw Jenni leaning her head against the window, staring blankly.
Bill took a deep breath. He understood Jenni’s distress and why she had to be part of the rescue group. He would have done the same for his wife.
Not for the first time, he admitted to himself that even everyday living had been hard after she died. He had just gone back to work when that dead little boy banged on his patrol car window. Still mourning, he had almost given in and let the zombie take him, but then he had started to worry about Ralph and Nerit and that had been the end of that. His friends had stood by him through the thick and thin of his wife’s illness, and he had to make sure they were okay.
Behind him, Felix snorted in his sleep and Bill smiled. To his surprise, he’d made incredible friends at the fort.
“Check that out,” Roger said, pointing to one side of the road. Bill glanced over and saw a commercial plane rammed into the side of a badly charred barn. There was no sign of life or unlife.
“Bet they were trapped in there,” Roger added. “What a way to go.”
“I heard, right before the TV went black, that planes were going down into neighborhoods all around DFW. Just dropping right out of the sky,” Bill said. “I’m sure that happened all over the world.”
“So many ways to die,” Jenni said with a sigh from the backseat.
“Yeah,” Bill agreed, and they all fell silent again.
They passed an overturned car. Inside, a figure was flailing around. They drove on. Another figure darted out behind them and was flattened by the second truck.
How easy it was to kill them now. So very easy.
He thought of Katarina. He’d seen her right before they’d left, heading out of the hotel as she walked in.
“Good luck,” she’d said.
“Thanks,” he’d responded grimly.
“Come back, okay?”
“Try to,” he’d said, then hesitated. To his own surprise—he still wasn’t sure where he’d gotten the nerve—he’d said, “Hey, Katarina, want to have a drink with me when I get back?”
He was stunned when she’d replied, with a smile, “Yes, that sounds nice.”
He kept thinking of that moment. He wanted to survive, go back to the fort, and have some of Rosie’s home-brewed beer with Katarina. He was ashamed to admit it, but he wondered what her hair smelled like. He hoped he would find out. Maybe someday, if she could ignore his plain looks …
They hit the outskirts of the town that was their destination, passing closed restaurants, gas stations, and a trucking company. Up ahead, Bill saw the modern, two-story hospital.
The fort’s trucks came to a stop.
Jenni leaned forward. “Looks like fun.”
In the lobby, two zombies in wheelchairs clawed at the glass doors.
Bill sighed.
He bet Katarina’s hair smelled like strawberries.
3.
Possibilities
The moving van made its way down the country road, fol
lowing the first team’s truck. In the back, Lenore and Ken were jostled around as they sat side by side on a long bench secured to the interior wall. They tried to stabilize themselves by holding on to straps someone had mounted on the side of the vehicle.
“So why did you volunteer?” Lenore fussed with her hair, wishing her new weave wasn’t jammed under a hat. It had been a relief to get some beautiful lush hair after months of having to deal with her own short hair without any decent products or styling tools.
Ken crossed his legs and gave her his most annoyingly cute look. “Guess.”
“Dale.”
“See, that was easy!”
Lenore scowled at him. “You do realize, twinkle-toes, that we are going into a highly dangerous situation where we will most likely get our asses eaten?”
“He’s really cute, don’t you think? All rugged and strong. Dreamy,” Ken said, smiling widely.
“Eaten. By zombies. Not by a cute guy.”
“You do realize I only heard the words ‘eaten’ and ‘cute guy’ just then.”
“I hate you.” Lenore tried to get comfortable on the bench, cursing herself for volunteering.
“Why are you here?” Ken fussed with the laces of his boots, retying them as he bounced around on the bench. He made it look easy. She would have landed on her ass.
“You volunteered, so I volunteered. Someone has to watch out for you. You’d be staring at Dale and some zombie would bite you. Then I would have to beat you for being stupid and then kill you for being a zombie. Which would be annoying.”
Ken laughed with delight. “Besides, I’m your best friend and your fag.”
“I ain’t your hag.”
“Oh, yes, you are.”
“Do not make me feed you to the zombies!”
“Feed me to Dale,” Ken whispered huskily, winking.
“Don’t make me slap you,” she groused.
“Fine. Anyway, the dish is that Felix volunteered because you volunteered.”
“No, he didn’t. He doesn’t like me like that.”
“He does.”
Lenore frowned. “No, he doesn’t.” Yet the thought of Felix being interested in her made her pulse speed up.
“He likes you. Why else would he sit in our beauty shop for hours, waiting for you to trim his hair?”
“Because he knows that I know how to trim his black hair and that your white ass does not.”
“No, no, he likes you. Which is kind of funny if you think about it. Dale signed up for this mission to be part of the fort. I signed up to impress him with my prowess. You signed up to save my ass. And Felix signed up to watch yours. It’s the circle of life.”
Lenore wasn’t too sure about that, but she didn’t want to think about much more than getting into the hospital, grabbing what they were after, and leaving. Soon Ken dozed off with his head against her shoulder. She loved the idiot, but she hated to admit it. He was the most loyal friend she had ever had, even if he was annoying. Sighing, she checked her crossbow and the bag of bolts.
When the truck came to a stop outside the hospital, she mentally prepared herself for the worst.
The doors opened and Dale peered in at them. “It looks pretty clear except for some dead guys in wheelchairs inside the front doors. Weirdest shit I’ve seen in a while.”
“Thank God for that!” Ken hurried over and leaped down, while Lenore pulled herself to her feet and grabbed her stuff.
“Let’s get this done so we can go home,” Lenore grumbled as she tried to get out of the back of the truck while maintaining some dignity.
Dale grabbed hold and helped her down with surprising ease. She flashed a grin at Ken’s jealous expression and slung the bag of crossbow bolts over her shoulder.
Felix, Bill, Jenni, and Roger approached, their weapons out, looking around cautiously. Lenore swept her gaze over their surroundings, which were mostly zombie free. Monica came around from the front of the truck, tucking her braids under her hat.
“Kinda feels too easy all at once,” Dale said.
“Never say that!” Ken chided him.
“It’s bad luck,” Monica added.
“Oh, sorry.” The big man looked sheepish.
Bill pulled his belt up over his stomach. “We go in. We get the stuff. We come out. Alive.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Felix said as he fell in beside Lenore.
Feeling shy after Ken’s assertion about Felix’s intentions, Lenore cautiously stole a look at him. Felix flashed a big smile, took her hand in his, and gave it a soft squeeze. Startled, she ended up scowling at him, which elicited an even bigger grin.
“So, it’s zombie-killing time,” Dale said, stretching, his huge muscles flexing under his T-shirt.
“Yep. Better zip up your jacket and pull on your gloves.” Bill gestured to Dale’s exposed chest. “T-shirt ain’t enough protection.” The rest of the squad was wearing leather jackets and jeans.
Lenore made sure her thick wool scarf was tight around her neck and yanked on the thick, flexible leather gloves that would protect her hands while allowing her to fire her crossbow.
“We should use motorcycle helmets,” Ken suggested.
“They’d limit our hearing and vision,” Bill pointed out.
“But I’d look cool.”
Lenore smacked him.
Jenni braided up her hair, looking far too pale. Monica cocked her shotgun and looked at Bill, waiting for the word.
“Let’s do it,” Bill said grimly.
4.
Banished
Pain brought Blanche to consciousness. Sitting up sharply, she was first startled, then pleased to see that she was in her bedroom at the mansion. Her face was throbbing and the coppery taste of blood filled her mouth, but she was home.
Those fucking hicks had finally seen the light and sent her home.
The last thing she remembered was Charlotte coming in after Bill and Travis had left. The fat nurse told Blanche that she was going to give her a shot for the pain. It had been a lie, for almost immediately she felt herself falling into darkness.
But now she was home, so she supposed she could overlook the bitch’s deceit.
Blanche rolled off the bed and set her feet down on the velvety softness of her Persian rug. She had to stand very still until she no longer felt nauseated or dizzy. Walking cautiously into the bathroom, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and a fresh surge of fury welled up in her. She had paid good money for her nose job, veneers, and cheek implants, and now they were all ruined. Hopefully there was a good plastic surgeon out there somewhere.
She was sure the rich and famous were somewhere safe. She had told Steven they should try to find an enclave of the wealthy, probably in Austin. But no, her stupid husband had dragged her out to the godforsaken town he had sunk so much money into.
Slipping into a silk robe, she opened her bedroom door and strolled along the hall to the grand staircase.
The house was very quiet. For the first time, Blanche wondered if she was alone. Reaching the main floor, she looked past the open doors into the dining room. The dining table was covered with good-sized cardboard boxes. A piece of paper was taped to one carton.
Relieved at the sight of the boxes of supplies Shane and his men had been stockpiling for her, Blanche grabbed the note.
Thanks for the food, thanks for the liquor, thanks for the sex. If you ever make it back here, I took all the stuff. Good luck, babe. You’re going to need it. Ray.
Blanche growled in anger and grabbed the nearest box. Empty.
All the cartons were empty. The things she had paid Shane good money to collect were gone. She stalked into the kitchen, hoping to find more supplies stashed there, hoping that Ray hadn’t bothered to look around. There was a single can of chili sitting on the counter. Beside it, she saw her gun and another note.
Here’s dinner. Here’s your gun. Hope you enjoy both.
—Curtis.
“Dammit.”
Furious, B
lanche picked up the can of chili and hurled it across the kitchen. It shattered the lead glass of her china cabinet.
Spinning on her heel, she stormed to Steven’s office. She would get money out of the safe and take Steven’s car. It shouldn’t be too hard to find another dumb-ass to do her bidding.
When she opened the office door, she blinked, then swore angrily. The safe was open and empty. Dammit! Shane had said that Ray was once in prison; now she had a good idea why.
Stomping to the back hallway, she headed for the garage. She already suspected that Ray had taken Steven’s Mercedes, but she had to be sure. When she saw the empty garage, she screamed with frustration. The sun would be going down soon.
There were some jewels and money stashed in her closet. She could get the work truck from the stable. There was a gas pump on the grounds and she could fuel up and leave in the morning. She wouldn’t be traveling in luxury, but she’d be on the way to it. Things would be fine.
Comforted by this thought, she began to look for something to eat other than the disgusting canned chili. Finally, she found some chocolates and a bottle of wine. She was halfway through the box of somewhat stale truffles when she heard yelling. Moving closer to the front door, she caught her own name in the shouts.
It was Ray.
“Blanche, open the door! Open the gawd damn door!”
She dashed into the kitchen and grabbed her gun, then peered out into the gloom and spotted Ray running up the driveway. She started to unlock the door, then remembered his note. With a snort, she backed away from the door.
He smashed into it. “Blanche! Open the door! I know you’re in there! I saw Curtis drop you off!”
Blanche’s anger blazed. “Oh, really? And why didn’t you come to save me?”
“The car broke down, okay? I was stuck up the road, but I came back as soon as I could after I saw Curtis leave. Open the door! Blanche, open the door! They’re coming!”
“So, you steal my things and my husband’s car and then you come running back here when it breaks down because they are coming, huh?”
“Blanche! Open the door!” Ray sounded hysterical. He was pounding on the wood. “I’m out of bullets! Open the fucking door, bitch!”
As The World Dies Trilogy Box Set [Books 1-3] Page 74
