Siege (As the World Dies #3)(21)

“More, huh?” Dale shook his head. “Nobody is getting to rest in peace nowadays.”

“Whole world is full of the dead. Nobody, living or dead, ain’t getting no peace,” Rune answered. A boy in his teens entered the dining room, closely followed by a big German Shepherd. Something about the boy made Rune take notice and he felt a strong premonition hit him. “That boy is special. Real special. People gotta take care of him.”



“You’re weirding me out again,” Dale grinned. He folded his big arms over his wide chest. “All creepy and mysterious. That’s Rune.” “I’m sure he doesn’t have the name Rune for nothing,” Maddie said, laying her delicate hand on Rune’s arm. A huge moonstone glimmered on her finger and Rune covered it gently with his hand. He could feel the energy in it and he smiled.



“My mama nicknamed me that when she found me making my own set when I was three. Got a bunch of rocks from the backyard and was trying to draw on them with a marker. We got old Nordic blood in our veins.” Rune looked around the dining room again, feeling the energy of the living filling it and pushing away the presence of the dead. It felt fantastic.

Maddie peered up at him. “Stay until you need to go, Rune. Everyone deserves a little rest.” Rune nodded and looked at Dale. “Maybe we can rustle up a bike for you somewhere and get you back to riding.”

“You have no idea how happy that would make me, dude.”

A young, black woman and young man with his hair tipped with gold walked by, both clutching trays heaped with steaming food. The young man gave Dale a flirtatious smile and slightly waved with his fingers. Dale waved back.

“That boy is so sweet on you,” Maddie teased.

“Yeah, but I’m sweet on her.” Dale pointed across the room at a grumpy looking woman.



“That’s the city secretary, Peggy,” Maddie told him.

“She’s hot.”

Rune shrugged. “She ain’t much to look at but she’s got that vibe.” “Oh, yeah. She does. That hellcat vibe.” Dale grinned even more.

Maddie shook her head and laughed. “Oh, boys.”



An older, black gentleman stepped into the center of the dining room and loudly cleared his throat. “Before we start tonight’s dinner, I would like to say grace and thank God for the blessings we have received. We have new people among us and a bounty of new supplies in our storeroom. I would also like to commend the soul of our brother, Bob, into the hands of God. He lost his life yesterday and was laid to rest today with the others who died trying to make it to the fort. Let us thank God for our lives and our safe home.”

There was a round of amens, and then the Reverend pitched into a prayer that boomed through the room. Rune lowered his gaze, staring at the tips of his motorcycle boots. They were pretty battered and probably needed new soles. He listened to the prayer in silence, taking peeks around the room as it continued. He saw the pretty woman that had hitched a ride with him hugging the tall teenage boy as the German Shepherd leaned against her legs. Behind her, the tall Mexican in the cowboy hat had his eyes closed, his arm around an older Hispanic woman. The leader of the fort and his pregnant wife were last in line. They were hugging each other, her head on his chest, and they looked so happy it made Rune’s heart twist in his chest. The community around him felt unified and strong. He yearned to be a part of it. But he knew it would only last so long before he would have to move on. It was moments like these that reminded him that he was not a lone survivor and that there was a bit of hope left in the world.



“Amen!” the voices chorused around him, then someone shouted, “Let’s tear this chili up!” Laughter filled the room and Rune slightly smiled. Maybe staying around a bit longer would be a good thing.





Chapter 5





1. Making the New Eden



Travis yawned as he joined the rest of the fort council on top of the hotel for a planning meeting. Another cold front had blown in during the night, dropping temperatures, but not bringing any dreaded ice, rain or snow. It would probably warm up by ten o’clock. He shoved his hands into his leather coat to keep them warm. The wind was fierce and blew his curls into disarray. Behind him, Juan cursed as he held his cowboy hat down on his head.

“Fuckin’ Texas weather,” Juan grumbled.



“Schizophrenic, isn’t it?” Travis grinned.

“I just love how it teases us with the promise of good weather before crushing our enjoyment with a nice cold front,” Eric, the fort’s engineer, said in a disgruntled tone. “Men. You’re so cranky,” Nerit chided them. She slung her sniper rifle over one shoulder and headed over to where Peggy and Bill sat waiting for them.



Katie and Jenni stepped out into the cold air, both bundled up in heavy coats, knit caps, and gloves. Per the usual, Calhoun was taking up the rear, determined to film what he regarded as a secret city council meeting. Jenni and Juan stood nearby, snuggled up to each other.

Travis slid into a patio chair and tried to ignore the cold emanating out of the metal frame. Katie sat next to him and he took her hand in his. “Okay, let’s get this meeting going. It’s freaking cold out here, but I think if we can actually view what we want to alter, we will have a better understanding of the task at hand.”