The First Days (As the World Dies #1)(36)

The large scoop of the machine reached the road, encrusted with dirt, its jagged teeth somehow welcoming. They ran for it and heard the screeches of the undead.

"Run!" A man's voice boomed out. "Get into it!"

Katie reached it and whirled around in the direction of the moans and screams of the undead. The zombies were heading around the far corner.

Jenni lost her footing and tumbled forward, but managed to fall into the clawed scoop. Jason jumped in after her. Katie heaved the dog in and Jason and Jenni grabbed him.

The large scoop was pretty much filled and already lifting.

The zombies were close and Katie considered firing, but realized it would waste time. The mechanical arm was lifting with a steady whine of its machinery and she half fell, half jumped into it. She was barely in it, lying on top of everyone else.

Their view was shifted as they were lifted and Katie felt sickeningly vulnerable. She was trembling so violently she was sure she was going to vomit. The moans of the dead surrounded them and a hand, grisly and bloodied, grabbed onto one of the dirt encrusted teeth of the yellow construction beast. The arm was being swept up over the crowd, barely a few feet over the heads of the crazed zombies The hand of the zombie who had grabbed on was trying to get a better hold. Another hand, its other hand, fumbled at her foot. Katie was terrified to move for fear of rolling off Jason, Jenni and poor Jack and into the crowd below. She could only stare at the scrabbling hand in fear.

Jack solved the problem. He grabbed the hand of the zombie, shook his head violently, and it lost its grip and fell. The machinery's arm lifted faster, higher and swung about. Katie felt herself slipping and Jason and Jenni grabbed onto her tighter. And the world tilted and they were being lowered.

Katie lost her balance, slid, and painfully went over the teeth of the contraption. Instead of a plunge into the undead, she landed on soft soil. A man's hand came down and took hers gently and heaved her to her feet.

She stood on the edges of a large construction site. Two enormous buildings flanked its backside and one side. A small, elegant town hall fit into another corner. Only two edges of the site were open to the rest of the town and those were cut off with a hurricane fence. Beyond the fence was a ring of construction trucks that had dirt and bags of cement tucked underneath them and between the cabs and loads, making a secondary wall. But there was a third wall already being constructed within the hurricane fence.

Already it was connecting one building to the city hall. A high wrought iron fence surrounded the city hall and its windows were covered in fancy ironwork.

Katie was staggered by what she saw. The portable office buildings for the site were now residences, that was plain to see, and a lunch wagon was parked in a corner. Construction workers were moving fast to create a small fort the size of a city block for those taking refuge in the site. There were people clustered about to see the newcomers.

"It's not a mall," Jenni sighed with relief as she staggered out of the crane's scoop. She was a bit dirty and rumpled but alive. Jason and Jack followed her, both looking very relieved.

The man holding Katie's hand finally came into view as she stopped looking around. He was taller than she was, sturdy in his build, with curly brown hair and the warmest hazel eyes she'd ever seen. He radiated warmth, power, and kindness and his height and build spoke of a man used to hard work.

"You, okay?" he finally asked.

"Yeah," she nodded and looked at his hand. It was dirty, caked with dirt and bits of cement. "That was scary."

"Only way to get people in right now," he answered in a voice that would lead men into battle, not because they feared him, but loved him. "I'm Travis."

"Katie," she answered and slowly drew her hand away. He was like her father. One of those quietly strong men who inspired people to great things.

Instinctively, she knew Travis was behind the rapid building of this fortress.

Jenni stood next to her staring at the handsome man. "Hi, I'm Jenni and this is my son, Jason."

Travis greeted them both with a gentle hello and a warm handshake. He kneeled down to greet Jack. "I saw what you did. You're a good pup defending your Mama."

Jack grinned in response and licked his hand.

Travis stood up again, tall and imposing, yet his presence was amazingly comforting.

Kate realized, much to her surprise, that she felt safe.

Travis smiled at them and said, "Give me a moment and I'll show you around." He turned to talk to the man who had manned the machine that had brought them over and a few other men who ran over to check in.

"He's not black," Katie joked under her breath to Jenni.

"But I'll kiss him anyway," Jenni said dreamily.

Katie lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Well, you won't!"

Kate just gave her a sly smile and shook her head slightly.

Travis glanced over at them and Kate had to look away. She felt unnerved by his gaze and she had trouble understanding why. Something had happened when she had first looked at him. A knowledge had sprung strong and sure into her mind. This was now home. And Travis, somehow, was going to play a very important role in her life. That knowledge was almost too much to comprehend or sift through. She didn't even want to pick it apart and examine it.

She looked back toward him and again she saw him looking at her.

He knows, too, she thought.