As The World Dies Trilogy Box Set [Books 1-3]

by Frater, Rhiannon

  Tears ran down her cheeks. It was time to finally let go of the past. She could no longer be haunted by the choice she had made that dreadful morning. She had conquered the ghost of her dead husband, and now it was time to release the ghosts of her dead children.

  Sniffling, she lowered her head and whispered, “Good-bye, boys. I will always love you.”

  She felt the ugly tendrils of guilt slowly dissolving inside her until nothing was left but peace. She wiped away her tears and stood up, ready to face whatever came next.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  1.

  Tales of the Madison Mall

  Jenni poked at the lumpish gray stuff in her bowl. It smelled like oatmeal—a little—but sure didn’t look like it.

  “Army food,” a woman said, sitting down across from her.

  Jenni was surprised that someone was talking to her. The day before, everyone seemed to watch her with suspicion. But she was grateful for the company. “It’s not all that great, is it?”

  “Makes me really appreciate the army,” the woman said with a wry smile. Her pale blue eyes flicked to a soldier strolling by in full battle fatigues. “I’m Amy, by the way.”

  “Jenni.”

  “Pleased to meet you. Where did they rescue you from?”

  “I wasn’t rescued. They kidnapped me,” Jenni said with a frown, looking at her table mate for the first time. Amy was probably only a few years older than Jenni, but those had been hard years. Her dark blond hair was in a messy bun and she was clad in gray sweats under a quilted blue coat.

  Amy regarded Jenni with confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “We were returning to our fort after gathering supplies when a helicopter swooped down on us. We had an accident and woke up here. To me, that’s kidnapping.” Jenni shrugged.

  “A fort? Do you mean a real fort?”

  “Well, more like four walled-in blocks of a small town,” Jenni explained.

  Amy gasped. “Are there lots of people there?”

  “Maybe two hundred and fifty? I’m not sure of the exact number. We’re mostly living in a big hotel.”

  Amy exhaled slowly. “Wow. We really thought we were the only ones still alive out this way. But why would the army take ya if you weren’t in trouble?”

  “I think whoever runs this place wants the fort. That’s what my friend Bill says.” Jenni shoved her bowl away and instead tried to eat something that looked like toast. “How long have you been here?”

  “Since the first day. When it started, I didn’t pay much attention to the crazy talk on the TV, but then this man started trying to get in our back door. Troy, my husband, he shouted at the man to get lost, but the guy kept hitting the door. Hitting it so hard, he busted his hands open. We saw him through the window. My kids started screaming. Troy got the shotgun and threatened to shoot the guy, but he just kept banging and making these noises.”

  “Oh, God, what did you do?”

  “Troy opened the door and waved the gun around, but the guy just lunged into the house. And then I saw that his guts were falling out. So me, Troy, and the kids ran out the front door.”

  Jenni shivered.

  “We get into the truck and we see Mabel, our neighbor, running to us with some nasty folks after her. Troy reaches out to her. And she bites his hand!”

  “Oh, gawd! That’s awful!”

  “I know. Only I didn’t know he was bit, right then.” Sadness stilled Amy’s tongue for a few seconds; then she continued, “So he coldcocks her and we see her back is all tore up. Troy gets into the truck and we haul ass to the Civic Center. That’s where FEMA told us to go on the radio.”

  “So how’d you end up here?” Jenni was enraptured by the story and reached for another piece of stale toast.

  “Soldiers came and got us after FEMA took off.”

  “FEMA took off?”

  “Yeah. They gave us milk and cookies and told us to sit down in the auditorium. They took the worst of the injured people into another room, where there were volunteer doctors and nurses. Troy showed them the bite, but they said he wasn’t hurt enough to go back there.” Amy fastened her blue eyes on Jenni, sadness filling them.

  “It was real scary. Nobody in charge was telling us anything, but there was plenty of gossip. I heard someone was gonna come and give us all shots so we wouldn’t get rabid. Troy got a fever and the kids were all antsy and so was I. Then the damn FEMA people started packing up their stuff and told us that we needed to sit tight and wait for the army to come get us and take us to another place. And then they bailed.”

  A few other people moved closer to listen. One older black woman, who was vigorously nodding, said, “Oh, yeah. I remember that!”

  “So Troy and some other people get sicker. Finally the army does show up, but it’s just a few guys, and one of them comes in saying that the doors to that other room are locked and there are those things in there.”

  “FEMA just up and left us with a whole bunch of those zombies in that back room. All those doctors and nurses got ate up,” the black woman cut in.

  Remembering Katie’s decision not to go to the rescue center in Madison, Jenni was grateful once again for her friend’s intuition.

  “More soldiers show up, in little groups, looking for a place to be safe, and it’s clear to us that none of them know what’s going on. When that handsome one finds out about the back room, he says that we’re all going to the mall.

  “The soldiers start asking people if they are bit or not, and all the bit people are put in another room. Including my Troy.” Amy took a gasping breath, as if she was about to start weeping. “The kids cried so hard. …”

  “It was real bad,” the other woman said.

  “We got into lines and filed outside. The trucks started taking people to the mall, old folks first. It was only like two blocks away, but they wanted us to be safe. You got a ride on a truck, didn’t you, Ethel?”

  “Thank you, Jesus, yes, or I wouldn’t be here today,” the black woman answered, sitting down next to Amy.

  “My kids kept crying for their daddy. We were in the last group, and just as the trucks drove away with the people before us, the doors of the Civic Center started shaking. We looked back, and the place was full of zombies. The soldiers shouted, ‘Run!’ And, girl, we ran.

  “We were running like crazy down the street, us and some soldiers. Then the doors got knocked down and those things came after us. Everyone was screaming and crying. People were tripping. The soldiers were trying to shoot—” Amy’s voice rose, on the brink of hysteria.

  Ethel took her hand. “Take a breath, Amy, take a breath,” she said softly. The table was now packed with people, and others had drawn near. Most were clearly remembering the horrors of the first day.

  Amy visibly steadied herself. “My little boy said, ‘Look, Mommy, Daddy is coming, too,’ and I looked back, but he wasn’t my Troy anymore. He was all messed up and screaming. One of the soldiers grabbed my kids and ran. I was running so hard, I could barely breathe. And people … started … to fall back … and we could hear them getting … ripped up—” She turned and sobbed into Ethel’s shoulder.

  A big black man leaned forward, taking over the story. “When we made it to the mall, the soldiers were already closing the gates. The city council had ordered the gates built to keep vandals from doing graffiti on the mall.”

  “Probably the only thing they ever did right,” someone huffed.

  “Other soldiers were shooting at the zombies, and once we got in, they shut the gates and shoved cars up against them to keep them closed and those things out. And later, the helicopters came,” the big man added.

  “Those soldiers didn’t know what they were doing at first,” Ethel said. “They almost ran out of ammunition, shooting the zombies. Later, they fed us and started making things safer. Kevin started figuring things out.”

  “So this wasn’t the rescue center?” Jenni asked. “They just brought you here and made do?”

 
“Exactly,” Ethel said.

  A middle-aged white man said, “Every time new people showed up, there was lots of shooting. I heard the helicopters brought in more ammunition and more soldiers. Then the National Guard base got taken by the dead things, and they had to shoot the people who got bitten.”

  Amy nodded sadly. “They had to. ’Cause they’d die and just get right back up.”

  Hearing what these people had been through brought back Jenni’s memories of the first day. When someone touched her back, she jumped, then almost sighed with relief when she saw that it was Bill. He slid onto the bench next to her, looking very solemn.

  “So you folks have been here all this time with the soldiers taking care of you?” Bill asked.

  “Yes,” Amy responded. “After a week, Senator Brightman and Major General Knox came with their troops. They made Kevin step down, even though he’d been doing such a good job.” She lowered her voice. “They brought a lot more zombies with them, too, just dragged them down on us.”

  “So you don’t like the senator?”

  Everyone glanced around warily. A Mexican woman who looked like she was about a hundred years old said, “ Tonta! Pendeja! Stupid. She makes the Mexicans do the … the … work of the gutter. She don’t like us ’cause she says we’re wetbacks. My family has been in Texas since it was Mexico!”

  “I agree, Guadalupe. A total bitch,” a woman who was probably in her early fifties said briskly. Unlike many of the other people, who were just clad in jeans and sweaters, she was wearing makeup, jewelry, and high heels. “She makes us all do menial chores, like mopping, dusting, and that sort of thing to keep us busy. She doesn’t talk to any of us, just stays up on the second floor. We all had to fill out this weird questionnaire about our skill sets, health, and education. I know she was behind it, because her campaign manager, Raleigh, told me later that I would have to learn how to be something other than a real estate agent. How could he know my profession if he hadn’t read my questionnaire?”

  “Yeah. That was kinda weird and scary,” Amy agreed.

  “Esta tonta! Pendeja! Tocha,” Guadalupe grumbled. Jenni giggled, reminded of her own late Mexican grandmother.

  “Things are not good here,” Amy stated. “We’re all hungry. We’re all scared.”

  Bill folded his hands and regarded the people gathered around the table. “The fort has room for everyone, but I don’t think the senator will just let y’all go there. I think she’s gonna try to take it over.”

  Murmurs of discontent spread through the group.

  “Is it really better there? Really?” Amy’s expression was hopeful.

  Jenni smiled at the tired, smelly, desperate people. “Yeah. It is.”

  Guadalupe hit the top of the table with her cane. “Then we go with you. The puta stays here.”

  Everyone laughed until the senator appeared on a walkway above them. Silence fell and a few people scurried away.

  “I’m not sure what’s going on,” Bill said once the senator had moved on. “But I’m sure that if we can get you good people to the fort, you will be more than welcome there.”

  Hope appeared on the faces around them and Jenni looked at Bill nervously. She leaned toward him and whispered, “Bill, how are we going to get all these people to the fort?”

  “Dunno … but damn … they gotta have hope,” Bill answered.

  At his words, Jenni realized that that was what was missing in the mall: a sense of hope. Now it was spreading like wildfire and she felt warmth growing in her belly.

  “Gotta have hope, Jenni,” Bill repeated.

  2.

  Preparing the Way

  Travis could always tell when his wife was on edge. She’d stand with her legs slightly apart, arms crossed, hip shifted to the side, chin set firmly. Walking into the lobby of the hotel, he saw her in that pose and thought, Crap. Moving up behind her, he looked over her shoulder to see at least fifteen people sitting on the sofas and love seats, surrounded by backpacks, suitcases, and even bulging pillowcases.

  “Do I want to know?” He spoke softly, for her ears only.

  “They’re waiting for the army,” Katie answered tersely. “Ingrates.”

  “Katie,” Travis said in a chiding tone.

  “We risked our asses to rescue them, and this is the thanks we get? They’ve ditched their chores to sit around and wait for the army.” Her eyes flashed with indignation.

  “You know,” Travis said with a slow smile, “you’re kinda sexy when you’re angry.”

  Katie frowned, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

  “Hormones,” Nerit whispered, walking by.

  “I am not hormonal!” Katie protested vehemently.

  Travis chuckled. “Right.”

  Katie pointed at him with one long finger. “You’re just lucky I love you.” She stomped away.

  “Pregnant lady coming through! Step aside!” Calhoun shouted as Katie walked toward the dining room. “She’s loaded and dangerous.”

  Katie flung up her hands before vanishing down the hall.

  “She’s really cute pregnant,” Travis stated to no one in particular.

  “I can’t believe they’re pulling this shit,” Curtis said, walking over. “There are more on the way, all excited that the army is coming.”

  “I’m a little peeved, too, but I figure they hope things are better somewhere else.”

  “But it’s bullshit. After everything we’ve done for them!” Curtis’s young face was red with anger. “Rescuing them, giving them shelter, giving them food—”

  “I expect some of the latecomers don’t realize how much the original group did to build the fort.” Travis tucked his hands into his jacket pockets and watched the little crowd grow larger. He noticed some dark looks among those walking by.

  “They’re not country folk. They’re not used to working together to beat the odds,” Curtis grumbled.

  Studying the gathering, Travis realized it consisted mostly of people from either larger towns or the cities. He spotted only a few locals in the mix. “Well, I’m from the city and so are Katie and Jenni and a few others.”

  “Exceptions. City folk are just lazy,” Curtis scoffed.

  “Curtis, you’re too young to be so bitter,” Travis said, shaking his head.

  Looking flushed and anxious, Yolanda emerged from the hallway that led to the offices. “Travis! Travis! The military is calling!”

  “Told you!” Calhoun whooped. “I told you!”

  Travis ran across the lobby as the waiting people applauded. Curtis threw a nasty look at them, then followed Travis to the communication center.

  3.

  The Dead World

  First Lieutenant Kevin Reynolds felt dread as he soared above the streets of Madison. Staggering figures grasped hungrily at the helicopter. The lightweight UH-72 Lakota swooped over the besieged mall. His handpicked team fit comfortably in the spacious chopper. Private Tom Franks was trying to sleep, stretched out across from Kevin.

  “It never gets easier to see,” Valerie Rodriguez said into her helmet mic.

  Kevin silently agreed. He and Valerie had spent a good chunk of the night curled up together, comforting each other. Kevin tried not to think of his wife and kids, and he knew that Valerie struggled with memories of her boyfriend, a mechanic at the base in San Antonio. It was difficult to think of a future when the past haunted them both.

  Months earlier, right after they had secured the mall and managed to feed all the people they saved from the Civic Center deathtrap, Kevin had found himself alone for the first time since he had woken next to his wife early that horrible first morning. Overcome, he had collapsed in a service hallway. Valerie had been nothing more than a fellow soldier until she’d stumbled across him and sat with him until his tears subsided. Since then, she had been his main source of comfort—and he had done his best to be hers.

  They flew over a highway. Kevin spotted a semi-truck flipped onto its side and a few cars scattere
d haphazardly on the road. One or two zombies stared up at the helicopter. Kevin shuddered, remembering his escape from the city along clogged highways. This scene was a relief compared to that horror.

  The Texas sun was muted by dark clouds moving into the area. The weather was definitely wetter in February. The helicopter began to make a long turn, preparing to head for the fort.

  “Do you think the fort’s leaders will listen to what you have to say?”

  Kevin rolled his shoulders. “I hope so. We can’t hold the mall much longer. Supplies are low and we’re running out of ammunition.”

  Valerie ran a hand over her skimmed-back hair. “I just don’t know how easy this is going to be.”

  Kevin didn’t want to make a promise he wasn’t sure he could keep, but he had to say something reassuring. He settled for, “It’ll be okay.”

  They lapsed into silence as the helicopter flew over the dead world.

  Twenty minutes later, they crested a hill and the hotel appeared, standing tall and imposing over ranches and farms. As the chopper drew nearer, Ashley Oaks slowly emerged from the trees.

  “Make a pass,” Kevin said into his headset. “I want to see the fort.”

  The pilot made a slow turn over the mostly abandoned town. Kevin saw zombies plodding toward the fort. With the trees stripped of foliage, it was easy to spot old-fashioned houses nestled in weed-ridden yards. The downtown area was encircled by a high wall. In the middle of the fort, Kevin was startled to see a small herd of cows munching on hay. Children were running around and riding bikes. As the helicopter roared overhead, the kids looked up and waved.

  “We’ve been instructed to land in front of the hotel,” the pilot’s voice said in his ear. The block between the hotel and the wall was nothing more than an empty lot.

  Kevin chuckled. “We won’t be able to make a hasty escape, will we?”

  “Or snatch their leader,” Valerie added. “Nice move.”

  As the chopper swooped around the hotel and started to land, Kevin automatically said, “Watch out for zombies,” though he knew it was an unnecessary reminder.