Fighting to Survive (As the World Dies #2)(85)

“You had to,” Bill said, and tried not to think of the girl's face.

“I know,” Katarina whispered. “I know.”

The mini-van roared over the bridge, then sped around a hill. The hotel in all its lighted glory came into view. He sighed with relief.

“Almost home,” Bill assured the people clustered behind him.

Katarina picked up the CB. “We're almost home. We had some issues, so please keep us covered.”

“I copy that and am passing on the word,” Peggy's voice answered, then said more softly, “What kind of issues?”

“Bandits” Katarina answered. “It's the bandits.”





4. Watching the Board

The gates closed behind the mini-van. The newcomers were quickly ushered into the hotel. Just like that, the excitement was over.

Jenni watched through the binoculars as the man who had been watching the fort turned and vanished into the darkness. She never saw the stranger’s vehicle leave town.

She dutifully reported in to Nerit, then settled in to wait.

She waited...and waited.

They all waited.

Everyone in the fort, on pins and needles, waited.

The minutes, full of tension, full of fear, ticked by, right until they turned into hours.

“What do you think is going on” Travis asked Nerit at around four AM in the morning. His eyes were bloodshot. He was gulping coffee.

Nerit was taking slow, luxurious drags off her cigarette. “I have been thinking about it and I have a theory.”

“What is it?” Bill asked.

They stood on a sentry platform near the gate.

“Their plans went awry,” Nerit said simply.

“And?” Travis arched an eyebrow.

“That is all for now,” Nerit answered. “They're done for now.”

Morning came.

The shifts rotated. Travis and Katie fell asleep in their clothes, guns nearby, a tangle of limbs as they held tightly to each other.

Jenni slept fitfully and woke up to prowl the roof again with Katarina.

Still, there was nothing.

And the day slipped away without incident.

Then another.

Followed by another, then another.

“Time to see if my theory is right,” Nerit said after another day passed. “We leave in the morning. Bill, Travis, and Jenni are coming with me.”

The next day, the gates slid open and Nerit's new pride and joy, the Mann's H2, roared out into the town. The Manns had been furious when they were told in no uncertain terms they needed to relinquish the vehicle to assist in the security of the fort. Nerit had fastened her steely gaze on them and said, “Do you really think you can just jump in it and go shopping? Because you can't.” Finally, they had handed over the keys.

Nerit drove, Travis at her side, Bill and Jenni in the back. It was far too luxurious for Nerit's taste, but it drove well and would get them to where they needed to be. If the bandits did arrive, Nerit's crew had a vehicle they could take off the road with relative ease. She was glad that the Mann's had bought the top-of-the-line H2. It would survive off-roading with ease.

“I could so get used to driving something like this.” Jenni grinned. She was happy to be out of the fort and doing something and not just sitting around waiting for something to happen.

“Up ahead is where they went off the road, Nerit,” Bill said solemnly.

Travis sat in the front seat, rubbing his brow. He looked haggard, the stress eating away at him.

“Keep a look out,” Nerit said. “We don't need them sneaking up on us.”

“Who? Zombies or bandits?” Jenni turned and looked out the back window.

“Both,” Nerit answered.

As the Hummer glided over the bridge, Travis looked down into the river to see a zombie, in fishing gear, wading through the water still clutching its fishing pole.

The skid marks on the asphalt told where the truck lost control and gone off the road. Nerit pulled over. They all cautiously disembarked. There was a deep gorge on one side of the road. It appeared the truck had slid right down into it. As they drew near the edge of the road, they saw that both the camper and truck were logged firmly in the trees that grew up out of the deep crevasse in the earth.

“It f*ckin' stinks of the dead,” Jenni moaned.

“Let’s check it out,” Nerit said, and started downward.

Bill was already poised to respond quickly to every threat. He slowly rotated as he walked, taking in all that was around him.

Nerit reached the camper first. She walked slowly, each step carefully measured. Travis was right behind her, looking far more at ease with a gun in his hands than anyone had ever seen him before. He looked alert and ready.

Gazing into the back of the camper, Nerit said, “One dead. Young female. Broken neck.”

Bill sighed sadly behind them. “Probably the best thing for the poor kid.”

Nerit began to slowly descend toward the truck, the roots of the trees providing a natural staircase for her to use. She hesitated, then slowly squatted down where she stood.

“Two male bodies at the bottom of the gorge. Both bound, gagged, appeared to have been raped, then shot execution style in the back of the head,” her voice said with no emotion.

Bill frowned and motioned to Jenni. “Follow me down. I want to get a closer look.”