Siege (As the World Dies #3)(129)

If only he could go back to the old days, sitting at the station house, flipping through the latest catalog detailing the best in prisoner restraints, watching Linda deliver the mail every morning. Those were the days. “Bette,” Kevin’s voice said in his headset once more.



“I’m here,” Bette answered. Curtis could feel the hesitation in Kevin before his voice said, “You have a go.”

“Roger that,” Bette answered.

Curtis looked down to see the Durango that Linda was in began to move down the road, while the other two remained in position. The windows of the departing window rolled down and the two women stuck out their hands to wave and give the thumbs up.



Curtis felt his stomach slowly roll over, but his jaw set. Looking down at his map, he readied his pen. Time to go to work.





*

Bette closed her window as she drove on, a grin on her face, her blond hair sticking up around her head at odd angles. Grabbing Linda’s hand, she kissed it and winked at her. “Let’s do this!”



“Woot!” Linda shouted out the closing window on her side.

“Scared?” “Shitless.”

“Me, too.” Bette donned a very worn dark green cap. “I swear my insides are quivering.”



Linda pushed up the brim of her beat up cowboy hat and exhaled slowly. “I think my stomach exploded.”

Reaching out, Bette snagged her hand and squeezed. “You didn’t have to come,”she said softly.

Linda looked at Bette very intently. “Oh, yes. I did. Where you go, I go.” Tears flashed into Bette’s eyes as she pressed a string of kisses to Linda’s knuckles. I’m lucky to be with you.”

“Let’s hope your luck keeps up,” Linda answered, her voice trembling with emotion.

Bette crossed her fingers on both hands and pushed her foot down on the accelerator. Above them, the helicopter swooped ahead, the wind from its enormous blades buffeting the SUV. Linda swallowed hard next and reached for her water bottle.

“It’s okay, babe,” Bette assured her. “It’s okay.”



“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” Linda answered, then gulped down her water.

“I know. I know.”

“We have a problem,” Greta’s voice cackled through the CB radio tucked into the dashboard.

Linda snagged the mouthpiece. “What do you mean?” “They’re not where they are supposed to be,” Kevin answered, his voice surprisingly calm. “Slow down now.”

Bette immediately began to slow the Durango, her foot pressing down steadily on the brake. The Durango breached the top of the hill they were ascending and both women gasped.



Moving resolutely toward them was a multitude of undead. They filled the road and spilled over into the countryside. They slogged relentlessly forward with mindless determination.

The plan had been simple. Sit at the crossroads of another farm road until the undead came into view. Lure them onto the side road and keep ahead of them, drawing as many away as possible. Diverting the dead to the west seemed the best plan. They would eventually hit the desert where hopefully the elements would destroy them. The first zombies were already to the crossroads. Maybe ten or fifteen, but they were stumbling along the center of the road.

“Babe, take a breath,” Bette said.



Linda gasped, not realizing she had been holding her breath. She felt unable to breathe, blink or even move. “Babe, take a breath,” Bette said again. “We can do this.”



Linda forced air into her lungs, then lifted the mouthpiece to her lips. “Bette says we can do this.” Above them, Curtis and Kevin were talking quickly between each other, looking for an alternate route, looking for another viable option, but this intersection had been a major part of their plan.

After a minute, which seemed more like an hour, Kevin’s voice said, “Okay. Go for it. Be careful.”

“I feel like Thelma and Louise,” Linda whispered.



“We’ll have a happy ending,” Bette assured her. They quickly kissed before Bette shifted gears and floored the Durango. It sped down the hill and toward the intersection at a fast clip. The zombies slowly became aware of the vehicle and almost in unison, they raised their arms and began to moan loudly.

“We’re going to have to slow down as I take the curve,” Bette said in a quivering voice. “Don’t freak.”



“Okay,” Linda answered. She was transfixed by the sight of thousands of mangled creatures reaching toward them. Usually she was in a vehicle racing away from these things, not toward them.

The deer guard caught the first few zombies and flipped them out of the way as they neared the intersection. Bette slowed down only enough to keep control of the vehicle. The wall of gray, mottled creatures seemed to rise up before them like a nightmare. A few of the undead managed to strike out at the Durango, their rotting hands leaving smears of gunk on the windows.

More zombies moved onto the side road to cross it on their trek and the Durango plowed through them as it gained speed. Linda let out a small scream as the Durango slammed through a small knot of undead, sending the creatures flying in all directions. Bette fought the wheel, but kept on the road, her expression grim.