Siege (As the World Dies #3)(147)

With a sad, weary sigh, her dead husband said, “There are points in time that the future hinges on. A moment when it can all go one way or the other. This is one of those times. Some of us have worked hard to see that this swings in a way that will let the living win.”

Slowly, achingly, Nerit sat up. She could feel herself growing stronger in mind, body and spirit and her eyes became more sharply focused. “I see.” “I’ve seen two futures, Nerit. I hope, pray that...” He hesitated and slowly stood up. “I hope that the world lives on beyond tomorrow.”

“Ralph,” she said softly. She looked at him evenly. “Tell me what to do.”

With a short nod of his head, Ralph said, “That’s my girl. This is what you gotta do...”





*

“Curtis,” Travis said in a low, soft voice. “You don’t want to do this.” “No, actually I do.” Curtis took one step forward. His young face was very calm, his eyes hard, and his jaw set. He was more self-assured, cockier than usual. He moved with confidence that made him only seem deadlier.

“What purpose will it serve to kill me?” Travis asked, watching the knife warily. His body was tense, ready to evade any attack. His heart was thundering in his ears.



“I’m not going to kill you, Travis. Just help you along.” Curtis smiled slowly. “You know, originally, I wanted to ditch Katie over the wall. Let you see how it feels to lose the woman you love. But I am okay with this. You dying works fine.”

The cold manner in which Curtis spoke of throwing his wife over the wall had Travis speechless with horror. He took a long breath to calm himself. He needed to think clearly, not emotionally. Stepping back, Travis could feel the catwalk sway slightly. Looking around him, he realized how perfectly isolated they were. Curtis had picked one of the best places in the entire fort for an attack. “Who knows? Maybe your lesbo wife will hook up with Bette and return my girl to me. That could work. Maybe.” Curtis moved forward in a slow relentless pace.

“Curtis, think about what you are saying. You’re speaking about murder,” Travis said in a measured voice. “You don’t want to do this.”



“Why not? I’ve done it before. I got rid of the people you wouldn’t. I took care of the fort when you wouldn’t. Yeah, yeah, you all blamed Blanche, but she was a stupid whore. I took care of this fort when you wouldn’t. I did what was necessary!” “You’re the Vigilante,” Travis said slowly, the shock of his words making him feel a little numb.



“Yeah, Travis, took you long enough. You’re dumber than I thought.” Curtis laughed. “You’re all so busy just trying to be goody goody and make the world great by talking and talking, but I am the doer. I do what needs to be done.” The young man’s face was full of cold, raw anger. “I am the law around here, whether you want to admit it or not. I am the only real cop left standing around here. I took care of our people while you just talked and talked and talked.”

“I’m not the only one making decisions around here,” Travis started.

“No, you’re not. But you got more influence than you deserve to have. You’re an outsider, Travis. You don’t belong here. But ever since you blew into town, everyone has acted like you’re some great wonderful messiah. All the girls were blabbing on about you and all the guys wanting to be your buddy. But you ain’t all that. You’re a city slicker that came out here to play country. And your city slicker ways ain’t doing us no damn good.”

“So you killed all of them, huh? Ritchie, Jimmy, Phil, Shane...” Travis tried to push his shock away and focus on the moment.

“Shane and Phil may have been a mistake. I’ll admit to that. I don’t approve of men raping women. But now that I know she really was a lesbian before she was with you, I see now that I may have gotten the wrong sinner.”

Travis swallowed his anger and took a step back from the young man with the sharp knife. “You’re afraid of what you don’t understand.” “Oh, I understand plenty. Trust me, Travis. I can see very clearly that you have been letting in sinners that will destroy this fort.” Curtis took a firm step toward him.



Trying to furtively examine his surroundings and figure a way past Curtis and out of the dead end the man was pushing him into, Travis decided that to keep Curtis talking was the best route. “Yeah, you seem to hate it that the people from the mall are here.”

“The Baptists got that right. Crime went up when they got here. People got sick with the flu. Got more gay people and wetbacks to deal with. We were moving toward being a solid, Godly community until that happened.”

“I guess you forgot our Reverend is black,” Travis said with a slight smile. “Or is your bigotry arbitrary.”

“Fuck you,” Curtis hissed.

A low moan whispered through the night.

Both men froze. The sound made both of them tense even more. Simultaneously, they looked over the wall to see a zombie staggering into the alley.



“Well, now that is perfect timing. Guess he heard the lunch bell,” Curtis said with a grin.

Then he lunged at Travis.

*

Katie ran down the hallway, her feet pounding the floor in rhythm to her rapidly beating heart. She tried to keep the apparition of Jenni in view as her dead friend ran in front of her. Skidding around the corner, she almost ran into the Reverend as he stepped off the elevator.