After Siege (As the World Dies 4)

“Okay, we’re in the clear for now,” Nerit said. “Good job everyone.”

Juan clapped Emma on the shoulder and headed to the rear of the bus to check on Belinda. Relieved, Emma took a seat behind Monica. A tired smile flitted across the woman’s lips and she gave Emma thumbs up.

“It could’ve gone better,” Monica said softly. “Sorry about what happened with Belinda. My cousin’s not always this much of an idiot.”

Emma shivered at the memory of her fall into the restroom. The moment when she’d considered running for the bus would haunt her. She would have died. Yet Juan had come through for her in the end.

“Grief and guilt make people do stupid shit. I get it. But he got us out of there, right?”

“Nerit’s gonna rip into his ass and he deserves it.”

“We rescued everyone, and in this world, that’s something to drink to.”

“Damn right, it is.”

While Arnold took a long, winding way home to avoid leading the zombies back to town, Emma sank back in her seat and thanked whatever power had brought her to the Fort. Her body hurt all over and she was shaken, but relief was a sweet remedy. It was nice to be among people who were willing to put themselves at risk to save each other. She was definitely in the right place for a new beginning. When her gaze drifted toward Juan where he sat talking to Belinda and Kurt, she wondered what it would look like.

25

This Is Not A Love Story

Once the bus cleared the gates, Arnold pulled over to where some people holding stretchers waited. Emma didn’t have to be told to stay put. The weak and wounded they had rescued were obviously a priority. The survivors were swiftly taken off, placed on stretchers, and with Nerit leading the way, were quickly transported to the small trailer with a red cross painted on the side that was the Fort’s med center. There were workers already waiting in a line outside to be checked by the medical staff for infection who’d probably returned from duty outside the Fort.

Though Juan watched Belinda’s removal from the bus with concern, he didn’t make an attempt to follow. He remained inside the bus while Arnold drove on to the garage. Emma had detected a change in his mood after he’d spent a few minutes speaking with Belinda and Kurt. Monica appeared to notice too, for she kept glancing back at him.

When the bus rolled up to the loading bay, Greta was waiting for them with two other mechanics. Her jaw dropped when she surveyed the damage.

Arnold braked. “I’m in so much trouble. She’s going to kill me.”

Bounding through the jammed door, Greta said, “What the hell happened?”

“Flying zombies,” Arnold replied while turning off the engine and tossing her the keys.

Greta gazed in confusion at all the deep dents in the roof. “Are you fuckin’ with me?”

“No, seriously. They were coming down like cats and dogs.”

The look Arnold got in response said he’d have a lot of explaining to do.

“Okay, let’s do our check through.” Greta started down the aisle with the two mechanics. Their exclamations of disbelief were amusing.

“Let’s go, Emma,” Monica said, gesturing for her to join her once Greta passed her seat.

Following Monica off the bus, Emma rubbed the back of her neck, trying to get the cricks out. Now that the adrenaline from earlier had worn off, she was feeling every bruise, scratch, and sprain. Plus, she really needed to pee.

“Fuck, I’m tired,” Monica groused while checking her watch. “And it’s not even lunch time.”

“Time flies when you’re fighting zombies. Also, it can be a little painful.” One of her wrists was swollen from when she had slammed into the wall.

“I could definitely use some Advil.” Monica glanced back at where her cousin and Arnold were talking to Greta. “I can’t get the image out of my head of my stupid ass cousin making that crazy leap to rescue Belinda. Not that he’s a bad guy. He’s dealing with shit and it has him a little off center.”

Emma got the impression that Monica didn’t want her to think badly of Juan. Though she wished he had been a little bit more reasonable during the mission, she didn’t blame him for his actions.

“It was like he needed to prove something to himself today.”

“Well, he’s living with a lot of guilt because he couldn’t save Jenni. Plus, he has had an unrequited crush on Belinda since they were kids. You don’t have to be a shrink to figure out that he wanted to save at least one person he loves.”

“If it had been Billy on that roof, I don’t know what the hell I would’ve