The First Days (As the World Dies #1)

The First Days (As the World Dies #1) Page 25

"He is kicking so much ass," Jason said from behind her.

Even Jack had managed to wedge himself between people to get a view out the window. He let out a series of low growls.

Travis yelled something and all the men backed away. Then that great mechanical arm came swinging over their heads, loaded up with what looked like bags filled with dirt or maybe cement. Travis made several motions with his hand, guiding the driver of the machine to just the perfect spot, then made a downward stroke with his arm. The driver released the load of heavy bags right into the center of the remaining throng. Most of the zombies were effectively crushed.

Out of the original throng of thirty zombies, maybe five staggered about, falling over their dead comrades.

Travis made another motion and the men retreated down their ladders, picked up the ladders, walked to the wall, rested the ladders against the wall, and scrambled up and over into the construction site. Once the ladders were back over the walls and everyone was safe, cheers erupted throughout the complex.

Katie turned to Jenni and saw her face was very flushed and excited.

"He's amazing!" Jenni giggled and hugged Katie.

Katie hugged Jenni to her and said, "Yep, he is."

And Travis, at that very moment, looked up at the window they were in, his gaze meeting Katie's, and smiled.

2. Another Moment

Exhaustion hit Katie like a sledgehammer. She almost felt drunk as she finally lay down on the cot set up for her in a small empty storage room on the fourth floor of city hall. The old building's sloped roof made standing up straight a little difficult unless you were in the center of the room. She had a feeling Travis had pulled some strings to get them a place inside the building and not camping out in portable buildings that were now dorms. Evidently the basement of city hall had long ago been set up as a bomb shelter during the Commie scare and loads of cots and musty blankets were brought up for those taking refuge in "the fort".

Jenni had seemed wired and very awake after the zombie attack. After they had talked to Ralph on the CB and he agreed to provide weapons to the fort if they could figure out how to pick them up, Jenni had slipped out with Travis to follow him around on the complex. He had asked Katie, but she was far too tired and had begged off. Now she sat on her cot watching Jason fix a bed on the floor for Jack using a blanket he had pinched when no one was watching the supplies.

She had managed to take off her boots and socks and now sat in her olive green hunting pants and her black tank top. She desperately wanted a shower, but there was a sign in sheet to use the only shower located in the city hall janitor's office. She had a slot for the early morning.

Jason looked up at her and slid onto the bed under the small narrow window. Jenni's cot was against the slant in the roof, forming an L with Katie's.

Jack, the zombie hating dog, examined his bed, circled three times, fussed at it with his paws, circled again, and lay down with a yawn.

"Uh, Katie?"

"Yeah?"

"Um…are you and Jenni gonna hook up?"

Katie double-blinked and said, "Huh?"

"My Mom, after my Dad divorced her for Jenni, hooked up with this girl for about two weeks. Mom was always going from guy to guy and that was the only girl, but I was just wondering…" Jason trailed off seeing Katie's expression. "Sorry."

"No, it’s cool." Katie sighed and ran her hands over her hair, which fell free to her shoulders in soft curls. "Okay, just because I like girls does not mean I'm going to hook up with the nearest girl. In fact, it is my own personal rule not to get involved with straight women. I value myself too much to be someone's experiment."

Jason considered this and said, "Yeah. I guess that is what my Mom was doing since my Dad was such a jerk to her. She made a big deal out of having a girlfriend then it was over in weeks. Then she just went from boyfriend to boyfriend until she died in a car accident a few years ago."

"Is that when you came to live with Jenni?"

"Yeah. I didn't really want to like her. Mom always called her "that bitch", but she's really sweet. Kinda goofy. She's kinda like an older sister. I'm really glad you saved her," Jason sighed and lay on the cot. "I just thought maybe because you're a lesbian you two would end up together."

Katie laughed and shook her head. "I'm not a lesbian."

Jason looked at her shocked. "Huh? But you said-"

"I'm bisexual. Always have been. I dated both guys and girls all through high school and college. It just happened that the person," Katie's voice caught in her throat and she couldn't talk for a moment. "I fell in love with and wanted to spend my life with was a woman. I always figured it could have gone either way, but it was her: Lydia." She pulled out the camera and dared to waste a little bit of the battery flashing the picture to Jason.

"She's hot," Jason decided. "Where is she?"

Waving her hand distractedly, Katie stared at Lydia's beautiful smile, then snapped the phone shut with her other hand. "Somewhere out there.

One of them."

Jason winced. "Sorry, Katie."

"Me, too…me, too."

"So…uh…you like guys?"

Katie laughed and lay back on the bed. "I've had some boyfriends. I was even engaged to a guy."

"What happened?"

"To my engagement?"

"Yeah."

"I met Lydia. And that was that. Six years of heaven with someone that is-she was just everything I needed."

"I bet your boyfriend was mad."

"Um…yeah. But we were together for all the wrong reasons. We worked together and shared ambitions. I think we took that to be more than it was."

"Oh. So why did you say you were a lesbian?"

"So you'd pee!"

Jason frowned at her. "Yeah. Well…" He blushed.

"I often tell people I'm a lesbian just so they're comfortable."

"I don't get it."

"Well, people like absolutes. And it blows most of their minds to try to think that I could find men and women equally attractive and possible mates.

It just freaks them out. They want me to be one or the other. So, since I was with Lydia, it was just easier to say I was a lesbian." Katie held the cell phone against her chest and tried not to cry.

"So you could end up with a guy or a girl?"

"Honestly, Jason, right now, I can't imagine being with anyone. I just…"

She rolled onto her side and faced the wall. "I just miss her."

Jason was very quiet behind her. The minutes ticked by and hot tears flowed, a few dripping off the tip of her nose. How could she even imagine being with anyone ever again?

Lydia…oh..Lydia…

"I just thought if you and Jenni hooked up you would take good care of her," Jason finally said softly.

Katie rolled over and gave him a soft smile. "That was a very sweet thing for you to say."

"Well, you know, if you change your mind…" Jason faltered. "I mean…"

"I know." Katie tucked the phone under the pillow and reached up and flicked off the light. Faintly, she could hear the few zombies moaning out beyond the perimeter. "But, Jason, honestly, right now I just…I loved her.

The mere thought of being with anyone else just feels wrong."

Jason turned his head to look across the small, darkened room. "I know, Katie. You make me feel safe. I feel like I've known you forever and it's just been hours."

Katie smiled at him fondly. "I know. We'll be okay."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

3. Dead Stars In Her Eyes

Jenni wandered along behind Travis, her hands tucked into her jacket pockets. It was cold now that the sun had settled beyond the horizon to slumber. She had finally let her long hair down to flow in the wind. It was a little bit of a ploy to get Travis to admire her and it seemed to be working. She really liked this tall, handsome rather shy man. He greeted everyone they came across warmly and finally they climbed up on top of a truck and took up watching the zombies who had survived the slaughter. The undead kept trying to maneuver their way closer, but they kept falling over their dead comrades. It was almost comical.

"I could shoot them," she offered to Travis.

He shook his head. "No, they're not much of a threat down there. We need to wait to use guns. We don't need to be drawing more of them to us until we are more secure." Stretching, he held his trowel-spear over his head and that stirred up a zombie woman, who tried to run, fell over the dead bodies and slammed headfirst into the asphalt.

"That had to hurt," Jenni decided.

"I don't think they feel pain," Travis said sadly.

The woman tried to get up, but could not find stable purchase on the bodies around her and kept sliding around in the gore and muck.

"Seriously, I could shoot her," Jenni said again, somewhat hopefully.

Travis just laughed. He rubbed his eyes and sat down in a chair someone had put up on the back of the truck. The bed was full of earth and the chair sank down a little, but it was better than standing. Jenni sat down next to him, Indian-style, recognizing he needed the better view for his job.