Fighting to Survive (As the World Dies #2)(77)

“There have been gunshots going off,” Bill said quietly.

Through the static, they could still hear the woman crying and begging for them to come.

“We gotta go get them! Save them!” Curtis looked desperately at Nerit. “We gotta go.”

Travis sighed. It was decisions like this he did not like making. Did they sacrifice resources to save other survivors, or did they stay safe within their walls? His humanity told him one thing, his fear for those he cared about told him another. He felt conflicted, yet he knew what he wanted to do. What he felt was truly right.

“How far away, Peggy?” Travis asked.

“Twenty-one miles going southeast.” Peggy was trying to sound calm for the sake of her son and her own nerves, but her eyes were wide with fright.

“We have to get them,” Eric said. “We have to. If we can, we have to go get the survivors. We have room and food. We can't let them just...die.” His voice shook with emotion. It had not been that long ago that Eric had been trapped outside the fort and under siege by zombies.

Travis rubbed his jaw and looked at Nerit, waiting for her to say something. He wanted to rush out and save the people, but he knew Nerit understood the actual dynamics of the situation better than he did. Nerit finally turned her gaze to Travis. Her expression said it all. Travis was glad for her in that moment. She was quick to decide and quick to action.

“We take two trucks and the bus. We leave immediately. I need you to get Felix, Ed, Jenni, Katie, Roger, and Juan down here, Bill. Have them meet me in the Panama Canal,” Nerit said in a firm, authoritative voice.

“Gotcha, Nerit.”

The older woman patted Travis' arm and headed out the door. He immediately followed.

“What are the chances we'll find survivors?” Travis had to hurry to keep up with her.

“Slim to none. But we need to know for sure if it's the zombies or the bandits attacking them,” Nerit responded.

Travis blinked. He hadn't thought of that. “Which is worse?”

“I haven't figured that out yet,” Nerit answered with a grim look on her face. “Let's get moving.”

Travis took a deep breath, then followed her. He tried to push back his fear, but his stomach kept coiling into a tight knot . As he walked away from the communication center, he heard the woman's screams distorted by the static.





2. Into the Darkness

Jenni and Katie were asleep when Bill called.

“Will this day ever f*ckin' end?” Jenni groused at him.

But once they heard what was up, they had scrambled out the door as fast as they could. Strapping on their holsters and making sure they were fully armed as they went, they were both struggling to shake off sleep and get focused.

“I hate shit like this,” Jenni grumbled.

“You and me both.”

Katie shoved the wrought iron gate door open to let them out into the old construction site. It squealed open and they stepped out into the humid night.

“I'm so ready to stomp some zombie ass. I'm so sick of this shit. So sick of people dying,” Jenni bitched. She braided her hair as she walked.

“We're going to need to try to get all those survivors in here soon,” Katie answered. “Now that we have room and food.”

Jenni shoved pins into her braid to keep it on top of her head. “Fuckin' zombies.” She wanted them all dead. Chopped up, mashed up, dead.

They climbed up the ladder and over to the padlock. Juan stood near the ladder talking to a few of his men as they prepared to let the vehicles out of the fort. The sight of him made Jenni's heart beat a little faster. He glanced over at her from under his cowboy hat and winked. She smiled back at him. Just like that, their fight was forgotten.

“Hey, Loca,” he said, and they shared a soft kiss.

Her arms felt good around his waist and she rested her head against his shoulder. “I'm heading out.”

“Yeah, I heard. My own little zombie killin' loca.” Juan ruffled the fine strands of hair at the base of her neck and kissed her forehead. “Come back.”

“I will. Katie's driving and she's a psycho bitch behind the wheel.”

Katie grinned at this.

“Yeah, but you get all loca, Loca.”

“Only in a good way,” Jenni answered flirtatiously.

Juan laughed and kissed her again.

Jenni felt better now. Everything felt more solid. Lloyd's specter seemed like a bad dream.

Ed drove the small bus out of the newspaper building garage. The bright lights blinded Jenni for a second. She raised her hand to shield her eyes. She could make out Nerit and Felix already tucked inside.

Bill motioned for Katie to grab Nerit's red Ram 1500 truck. Katie looked like a badass. She had her rifle slung over her shoulder, a bowie knife tucked into a sheath at her waist and her pistol in its holster on her hip.

“I better get my ass in gear. We got people to save and zombies to kill,” Jenni said.

Juan touched her cheek and kissed her one last time. “Hurry back.”

Jenni smiled. “If Jason wakes up before I'm back, tell him I love him.” She hurried past Roger and Katarina as they climbed into another truck. Travis was already there, sharing a moment with Katie. Travis would take care of Katie no matter what. That made Jenni feel secure. Her own mortality felt fragile. It made her think about the ones she loved and who would take care of them if she was gone. Katie would be safe with Travis. But Juan...