“Ralph!”
“The dividing line is all blurred. Crossing over ain’t hard. Getting easier.
For now. ” Ralph smiled slightly at her. “You look real pretty, Nerit. I like yer hair. ”
“Ralph, why are you here?” she whispered.
With his crooked little smile, he said, “Came to take you home with me. ”
“Ralph, no!” She stood up sharply, the cigarette falling from her hand.
She immediately reached down and grabbed it, her back screaming in pain. “Ralph, I have too much to do here! Please, no! Ralph, no!”
Slowly standing up, Ralph held out one hand. “Honey, I know. You’re a good woman. Good soldier. You have done a good job avoiding death. You were supposed to go when I did, but you’re too damn stubborn. ”
For the first time in her life, Nerit felt afraid of her husband. “Ralph, please, I have so much to do here. Ralph, please. ”
He reached out and took her arms in his hands and he held her gently. He felt like real flesh and blood, but she knew he could not be. “I know, I know. But you’re sicker than you think, Nerit. You got the bone cancer.
That’s why you’re hurting so bad. ”
Nerit held onto her husband, feeling the roughness of his shirt in her hands and his bony arms under it. “Ralph, if you can ask, for me, please…. ”
Kissing her cheek, Ralph held her tight. Nerit felt tears sliding down her cheeks as her dog whined at her feet.
“I miss you, Nerit. Is it so bad to have peace?”
“But I won’t, Ralph. I won’t! Knowing that these people need me. For who I am, for what I am, I won’t have peace unless I help them. Tell Him that for me. ” She drew back to gaze into her dead husband’s warm, loving eyes.
“Please. ”
“I love you, Nerit,” Ralph whispered, kissing her brow softly.
Nerit felt something in her head pop. It was a soft, delicate feeling, as if someone had switched something off. Then she was falling, slipping from Ralph’s hands.
She thought one more time, “No, not now” then the world faded into comforting black.
* * * * * Kevin had just started to open his hotel room door when he had the strong urge to return to Nerit’s room. He couldn’t explain the feeling in that moment nor would he in the future when he looked back on that horrible night. But it was so strong, he ran to her room. When he reached her door, he heard the sound of something being overturned and the mournful wail of her dog.
Without a second thought, Kevin kicked in the door and rushed in. His worst fear was made real at the sight of Nerit lying on the floor, the floor lamp overturned beside her. The old dog was licking her face and whining loudly. A cigarette lay smoldering on the carpet.
Kevin immediately grabbed the cigarette and tossed it into the nearby ashtray then knelt beside Nerit. She looked very frail as she lay on the floor, but also very young. The lines were smoothed from her countenance and her hair looked gold, not silver, in the light. Touching her wrist, he felt for her pulse and couldn’t find one. Tears brimming, he touched her neck. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but he thought he felt a faint pulse.
Picking up her surprisingly heavy form, he rushed toward the door whispering fervent prayers all the way.
4. Faith
Travis walked briskly through the lobby of the hotel. The meeting had gone well enough. People were signing up as volunteers for a variety of tasks, some life threatenin
g, some not and there seemed to be a strong sense of determination to defeat the oncoming undead army.
Of course, in the midst of all the planning, the Baptist Coalition was getting ready to leave.
Bill walked toward him and motioned for him to hold up. Travis stopped in his tracks, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans. Bill drew near, looking a tad breathless.
“Okay, got them set up in the extra short bus. Got extra fuel in the back and just about anything I could think of that they might need short term.
Long term, they are on their own. ”