Siege (As the World Dies 3)

She couldn’t tear her gaze away from the food court filled with zombies.

Several groups were feasting on the fallen soldiers while others fought to get to the top of the waterfall only to fall into the waters below.

“Katie,” Kevin said softly. He reached for his weapon. “She’s at peace.

They can’t even reach her. ”

Gulping down her sobs, she looked toward Travis, her eyes filled with tears. “I did the right thing. ”

“Yes, you did,” Travis answered her in a soft, yet firm voice. “And now it’s time to go. ”

Handing Kevin the rifle, she moved through the doorway onto the roof.

The helicopters were trying hard to lure the zombies from the back gate and the sound of engines revving filled the air. People were still panicking as they were herded by the surviving soldiers toward the waiting vehicles.

Sobs of despair, screams of terror, and cries of desperation filled the air.

It was chaos.

Travis and Kevin grabbed Katie’s arms and guided her across the roof to the fire escape. It was rickety and frightening, but she moved as fast as she could. Her body was trembling so hard, her teeth were chattering. She had no idea where Bill or her father was.

And Jenni was dead.

She had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming.

Jenni was dead because she had killed her, but it had been the right thing to do. Lydia had told her the truth. This is what she was supposed to do, but it did not make it any easier.

Bette rushed the children Jenni had saved to the nearby vehicles as Travis ran w

ith Katie across the parking lot. People scrambled to get into trucks or buses that weren’t already filled. Kevin ran to the lead truck as Arnold motioned Katie and Travis to another one.

“We’re almost out of here,” Travis exclaimed. “We’re going to be okay. ”

Nothing could be okay. Jenni was dead. But Katie ran with him, her hand slick with sweat.

The back of the National Guard truck was full of people, so the driver shouted at them to get into the cab. It was so far off the ground, it was hard for Katie to get in. Her stomach felt awkward and heavy as she tried to heave herself up into the cab. Travis grabbed her hips and helped her in, then climbed in next to her. The seat was horribly uncomfortable, but Katie squirmed until it felt better.

Black smoke billowed out of the mall. The helicopters continued to try to corral the zombies away from one of the gates, taking turns gliding over the crowd of zombies as one brave soldier hung out the side waving.

Travis’ hand held Katie’s firmly. Already bruises were showing on her flesh from where he had gripped her so tightly during their escape. He gazed down at her hand. She could see his concern, but the physical pain was nothing compared to her broken heart.

Arnold motioned to the drivers. Slowly, the buses and trucks began to move forward. Soon, they were moving in a huge circle around the parking lot building speed for their departure. The redheaded soldier dove into a big Ford truck just as the gate blew wide open. Immediately, the secondary bombs went off.

Katie realized Arnold must have triggered them.

Fire and smoke filled the street outside the mall as the first truck barreled out of the parking lot at a quick clip. One by one, the trucks, both military and civilian, and several metro buses and one school bus, roared out into the town of Madison.

Overhead the helicopters swooped in an attempt to distract the zombie throng. The mall doors shattered from the heat of the fire within, and burning zombies staggered out into the abandoned parking lot as the last bus rolled out.

Katie held onto the dash for dear life as the truck roared through the town. Zombies rushed them, but the vehicles smashed them or hurled them into the nearby buildings. Their salvation from being overwhelmed was that most of the zombie crowd outside the mall had managed to find its way inside the structure. That meant fewer zombies in the street, therefore, their escape was not as fraught with danger as it could have been.

At last, the convoy broke free of the city limits and climbed into the countryside.

Left behind, the zombies staggered, hands outstretched in desperate hunger, toward the escaping vehicles. Slowly, they began to walk determinedly after them.

The driver of the truck Katie and Travis were in looked very grim. When the radio cackled, he picked it up with a shaking hand.

“We’re clear,” he reported in.