“We take two trucks and the bus. We leave immediately. I need you to get Felix, Ed, Jenni, Katie, Roger, and Juan down here, Bill.
Have them meet me in the Panama Canal,” Nerit said in a firm, authoritative voice.
“Gotcha, Nerit. ”
The older woman patted Travis' arm and headed out the door. He immediately followed.
“What are the chances we'll find survivors?” Travis had to hurry to keep up with her.
“Slim to none. But we need to know for sure if it's the zombies or the bandits attacking them,” Nerit responded.
Travis blinked. He hadn't thought of that. “Which is worse?”
“I haven't figured that out yet,” Nerit answered with a grim look on her face. “Let's get moving. ”
Travis took a deep breath, then followed her. He tried to push back his fear, but his stomach kept coiling into a tight knot. As he walked away from the communication center, he heard the woman's screams distorted by the static.
2. Into the Darkness
Jenni and Katie were asleep when Bill called.
“Will this day ever fuckin' end?” Jenni groused at him.
But once they heard what was up, they had scrambled out the door as fast as they could. Strapping on their holsters and making sure they were fully armed as they went, they were both struggling to shake off sleep and get focused.
“I hate shit like this,” Jenni grumbled.
“You and me both. ”
Katie shoved the wrought iron gate door open to let them out into the old construction site. It squealed open and they stepped out into the humid night.
“I'm so ready to stomp some zombie ass. I'm so sick of this shit.
So sick of people dying,” Jenni bitched. She braided her hair as she walked.
“We're going to need to try to get all those survivors in here soon,”
Katie answered. “Now that we have room and food. ”
Jenni shoved pins into her braid to keep it on top of her head.
“Fuckin' zombies. ” She wanted them all dead. Chopped up, mashed up, dead.
They climbed up the ladder and over to the padlock. Juan stood near the ladder talking to a few of his men as they prepared to let the vehicles out of the fort. The sight of him made Jenni's heart beat a little faster. He glanced over at her from under his cowboy hat and winked. She smiled back at him. Just like that, their fight was forgotten.
“Hey, Loca,” he said, and they shared a soft kiss.
Her arms felt good around his waist and she rested her head against his shoulder. “I'm heading out. ”
“Yeah, I heard. My own little zombie killin' loca. ” Juan ruffled the fine strands of hair at the base of her neck and kissed her forehead.
“Come back. ”
“I will. Katie's driving and she's a psycho bitch behind the wheel. ”
Katie grinned at this.
“Yeah, but you get all loca, Loca. ”