Fighting to Survive (As the World Dies #2)(78)

She looked back toward the tall Mexican-American with the gorgeous green eyes and knew she would never leave him. Even if she died, she would watch over him. She couldn’t imagine their love ending even with death.

“Let's go, children!” Nerit's voice was a hard bark in the night.

Jenni slung herself up into her old seat and strapped herself in. Slamming the door shut, she gave Juan the thumbs up.

Katie shared a few more soft kisses with Travis then slid into the driver's seat.

“Take care, you two,” Travis said, his worry puckering the flesh between his eyebrows.

“We're Wonder Woman and Super Girl,” Jenni chided him. “Sheesh.”

“We'll be back for breakfast,” Katie assured him.

Travis forced a smile and shut the door.

“Men are such worriers,” Jenni grumbled.

Katie laughed. “Yeah. We're just heading out into the deadlands. No reason to worry.” She turned on the truck and it roared to life.

“Piece of freakin' cake,” Jenni declared.

“Of course. Absolutely!” Katie placed her slightly-shaking hands on the steering wheel, guiding the truck out of the garage.

Jenni could feel the adrenaline rush. It had her trembling, but she embraced it. That surge reminded her that she was alive. Heading out into the dead world was always terrifying, but she trusted the people she was with. It would be okay.

Katarina and Ralph were in another big truck, this one black. They were the first into the lock system. The bus followed. Jenni and Katie followed last in Nerit's red truck.

It felt strangely good to be back in the old truck. Anxious to get out there and see who they could save, Jenni drummed her hands on the dashboard. Jenni missed Jack sitting in the back seat like he had during the first days after the outbreak.

“You're so wired,” Katie remarked.

“I just want to get going.” Jenni pouted.

“Obviously.”

The big gates slid open. Katie drove the truck into the first lock. Jenni looked out the window at the tall cement block wall beside her. She craned her head to look up and waved at a sentry standing post.

Nerit's voice cackled over the CB. “Katarina knows the way. She's leading. Watch out for deer and cows. Some of the fences are down now. Don't drive too closely together in case anything happens. The town is heavily infested, so we are keeping to the outskirts and heading straight for the church. We don't stay around any longer than we have to.”

“Gotcha,” Roger's voice said through the static.

Jenni snatched up the mouthpiece. “We're good.”

The final gate opened up. The silent, dark street opened up before them. Only the lights from the fort illuminated the night. The darkened world seemed bleak and forlorn.

“Here we go,” Katie said.

“Yeah. Again.”

The two vehicles were waiting for them. Now that the red truck was clear, Katarina took off at top speed in the black truck. The bus followed. Katie shifted gears. The red truck followed last in line.

The drive through the countryside was strangely exhilarating. The cold stars in the velvet darkness above were brilliant. The waning moon was a glowing a Cheshire Cat smile. In the dark fields, washed with moonlight, cows slumbered and deer wandered. Occasionally, birds took flight from the tall trees as they were startled awake by the passing vehicles.

Jenni glanced over at Katie, studying her friend's features in the glow of the dashboard. “You scared?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Shitless. Not of the zombies though. I'm scared those people are all dead.” Bill's debrief over the phone had been quick, simple and to the point.

“Me, too.” Katie swept her hand over her hair. “There's no rest from this stuff. Just when we start to feel a little comfortable, something goes down again.”

Jenni propped her feet up on the dashboard and glowered at the bus in front of them. “Seriously, zombies should take a vacation from eating us. Let us unwind. Refresh ourselves before we have to shoot their heads off in the next round.”

“If only life were that simple,” Katie commiserated.

“And if it's the bandits, I'm shooting their balls off.”

The CB cackled to life. “We're getting close. Katarina, you and Roger cover the north end of the parking lot. Katie, you and Jenni cover the south. Ed will pull up in the center and we'll see how the situation is going down. Everyone be alert,” Nerit's voice ordered.

Jenni slid her gun out of its holster and rested it on her thigh. She could feel her heartbeat speeding up. She took a deep breath.

“This isn't good,” Katarina's voice said a minute later.

Katie drove the red truck after the others and followed a curve in the road. A building tucked behind an old whitewashed church came into view. It was a rectangular building made with aluminum siding. It had only a few windows set high on the walls. The gravel parking lot was empty except for the walking dead feasting on the freshly dead or dying.

“Dammit!” Jenni slammed her fist into the dashboard.

Katie grabbed up the CB mouthpiece. “Nerit, what do we do?”

Katarina's voice cackled through. “If we start firing, the zombies will come from the town.”

“That's too many to kill by hand,” Jenni whispered. “We have to shoot them.”