The First Days (As the World Dies #1)(99)

Juan stared out at the dead bodies and the gore splattered truck. "Wow."

Katie and Jenni headed toward the stairs. They both knew something was horribly wrong.

Juan looked over at Travis. "Wow."

Travis smiled slightly. "Tough women are sexy, huh?"

Juan looked back. "Shit. I think I want to marry her."

Nerit had arrived.





3. Nerit’s Story





Travis ran behind Jenni and Katie. Both of them were hurrying at top speed. Down the stairs, out the back door, across the site, up onto the platform, across the bridge and down the ladder into the new entry: it was a mad dash the whole way.

The red truck slowly slipped through the gates. Armed guards made sure no zombies managed to get in with it, but Nerit had done a good job clearing the street. The truck's deer guard was slathered in blood and gore and the tires left grimy reddish/black tracks behind it.

Travis watched Katie's expression. It was desperate, sad, fearful, and wary. Katie felt fragile to him now and it terrified him. Though he could see her outward strength, he feared her internal strength was failing her. What was happening or not happening between them seemed minor compared to the haunted look in her eyes.

Jenni clung to Katie's hand, looking scared. Her long black hair caught the morning breeze and streamed behind her. She really was lovely and he was glad Juan had found comfort with her. Belinda was just bad news for him. She was his eternal crush all the way back in kindergarten and Travis had watched Juan be lured in only to be spurned.

Where was he in all this though? Travis wasn't sure. He had a job to do.

He planned to get it done.

He had slid out of bed in the middle of the night to work on some modifications to the new gate system and felt satisfied he had worked out the problems. That work had made him feel solid and good inside, but one look at Katie and that feeling slipped away. He was mad for her and he knew it.

Never had he been in love with any woman as he was in love with her. But at the same time, he wanted just to make sure she was okay. He did not want to cause her anymore pain than she was in, but she had given him hope. Given him more hope than he had dared to dream of.

But now, seeing Nerit's expression as she slid out of her truck, clutching her sniper rifle in one hand and the collar of her dog in the other, Travis could see just how devastating love could be.

Nerit looked pale, her eyes red and swollen. She let go of the dog and held out her arms to the young women who rushed immediately to her.

Holding onto both of them, she let out a soft whimper and Travis' heart broke.

Nerit didn't have to say a word for all of them to know Ralph was gone.

"This isn't good, is it," Juan said from behind Travis.

Travis glanced back at him and shook his head. "No, it’s not."

Thirty minutes later Nerit sat in the council room, a hot cup of coffee in one hand and a fresh cigarette lit and smoldering in the other. Juan had gone to get her cigarettes at her request and he had taken a pack from his sacred stash.

Travis sat down across from her while Jenni and Katie flanked her. Both of the women looked stricken. Nerit looked calm, yet her hands were shaking.

"It happened two days ago," she started then took a long drag on her smoke. "I was bored. I read a lot and had read all the books in our house. So I went across the street to the store. I knew that they carried some paperbacks and magazines so I thought I'd grab some." She rubbed her weary eyes and sighed. "So I went into the grocery store and started collecting reading material. Ralph was on the roof working on our new garden. It felt safe, but I still had my rifle, you know?"

Katie nodded. "I know. We can't take chances."

"No, no, we can't. There are worse things than zombies out there." Nerit sighed. She lowered her head for a moment, then tilted her head, concentrating on some point in the past. "So, I'm looking through the paperback rack and I hear a noise outside. I look and I see a van with four men getting out of it in front of the store. Ralph stands up, calls out, and one of the men tells him to open the door. Ralph says not until he knows that none of them has been bitten. So one of these men…" Nerit faltered, her eyes lowering as she took a deep breath, "One of them shot Ralph."

"Shit," Juan said softly.

Jenni lowered her head and Katie reached out to take Nerit's hand gently.

Nerit gripped Katie's hand so tightly Travis could see that her knuckles were white. "So they shot him and started trying to break in. They broke out the windows and tried to figure out how to pull the bars out of the windows.

But that building is old and strong. They couldn't figure it out. I went to the roof of the grocery store while they did their best to get in." Nerit fell silent as she gathered her strength, then looked up once more. "I made it to the roof and took up position. They did not even look up."

Travis shifted in his chair, picturing the scene oh too clearly in his mind.

Nerit, the former Israeli sniper calmly getting into position: the men below oblivious.

"I could see Ralph slumped over and there was so much blood. I…was going to start to shoot…make the bastards pay…when another man came out of the back of the van. He was dragging a woman by her hair. She was bound and gagged. I could see she was struggling and the man was laughing this horrible laugh. Horrible." Taking a long drag on her cigarette, Nerit paused, clearly trying to keep control of her emotions.