Siege (As the World Dies #3)(70)

“Yep. Madison Mall. They’re all holed up in there and some Amazonian overlord is running the whole shabang. She wants the fort so she can buy her way into paradise. Talks all high and mighty to some nitwit out in some place called Central. They keep telling her that they want her to stay put.” “Why doesn’t she take a helicopter to Central?”

“Cause they’d shoot her ass down. BAM BAM BAM!” Calhoun made a great show of this happening, complete with a demonstration of how the helicopter would fall to earth. “Zombies would have barbecue. Anyway, she’s all sweet talking them, telling them how important she is, trying to do her voodoo. They told that old bitch that the clones follow any kinda vehicle. Car, truck, motorcycle, plane, helicopter and they don’t want her dragging stinkbags down on them. I think they got alien spaceships patrolling.”

“This Central place?”

“Yeah. Because between the overlord and Central are butt loads of what they call zombies. Messed up clones is what they are.”

Travis frowned and said, “Okay, so this Amazonian overload is at this Madison Mall place and she has the military working for her?”



“Something like that. I don’t listen too much to her. She’s just begging to get out. I just listen so I know where they are gonna be. I don’t want them near my stuff. Bad enough dealing with the aliens and the zombie-clones. Don’t need to be dealing with the Amazonian overlord’s helicopters. I seriously think she has mental powers to control people.” Calhoun pointed to his hat made out of foil. “She ain’t gonna get me.” “Do they have Jenni?”



“Yep. And Bill. Heard that this morning,” Calhoun began to milk with earnest now.

“Bill?” Travis felt a sense of relief, but he knew what that meant for Roger and Felix. His stomach did a slow roll. “Okay. And what are they gonna do with them?” “Use em as pawns, Travis. What else? Yer kinda slow sometimes. Lucky yer woman is smart. Okay, gotta fix the kiddies chocolate milk now,” Calhoun said standing up and snatching up the bucket.

“Anything else to tell me? We’ve been trying to contact them, but there hasn’t been an answer.”

“Yep. They are a coming to visit. That’s why I brought the animals in. Figure if we’re gonna pull an Alamo might as well have fresh eggs and milk.” With a grin, the old codger was off toward the hotel, a trail of kids, dogs and cats behind him. “Y’all should have listened to me when I first told you all this. Now we’re gonna have to fight down to the last man.”



Travis walked slowly, turning over Calhoun’s words in his mind, trying to make sense of them. Katie and Nerit came down from the guard post to walk with him.

“Well?”

“He’s plum nuts, Nerit.”

“Yes, Travis, but did he say anything enlightening?”

“He says the military is at the Madison Mall like we suspected. He’s been monitoring the military channels.” Travis hesitated and took Katie’s hand gently. “He says it’s Bill and Jenni at the mall.”

Katie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Nerit merely nodded her head.

“He says they are going to use them as pawns. He said something about a woman being in charge of the military and the mall and that this woman is trying to get to a place called Central. I’m not sure how much to believe. He sees the world in a really warped way. He’s convinced we’re about to do another Alamo.”

Nerit shrugged. “Maybe. I have a feeling that a lot of what he is telling you is important, just twisted to fit his theory of how the world runs.” Katie shook her head. “Okay, what do we do?”

“I guess get ready for the military to come knocking,” Travis decided. “Calhoun says he overhead them talking about coming to see us today. Maybe they’re gonna finally answer us.”



“And I get to be John Wayne,” Nerit decided with a gleam in her eye, but a stoic expression

“Oh, no, no, no, Nerit. I want to be John Wayne,” Travis protested.

Nerit considered this. She shook her head. “No. I’m John Wayne.”

Katie looked back toward the people gathered to pet the cows. She knew in these moments of ridiculous brevity there was serious concern. They were going to have to take to heart something she had read somewhere that John Wayne had said, “Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway.” They were going to have to saddle up.



Sweeping her hair back from her face, she could only wonder what Bill and Jenni were experiencing in this very moment. What were their thoughts? Were they saddling up?





Chapter 15





1. Tales of the Madison Mall





Jenni poked at the lumpish gray stuff in her bowl that she was certain was supposed to be oatmeal. It looked nothing like oatmeal, though the smell was similar. “Army food,” a woman said sitting down across from her.



Jenni was surprised that someone was talking to her. Everyone the day before seemed to regard her with suspicion. But she was grateful for the company. “Not all that great.”

“Makes me really appreciate the army,” the lady said with a wry smile. Her eyes flicked to a soldier strolling by in full battle fatigues. “Where did they rescue you from?” “I wasn’t rescued. They kidnapped me,” Jenni said with a frown.