“We need to go,” Kurt huffed, limping around the back of the bus to help. “There’s more coming than we thought. A shit-ton of them. And we’re low on ammo.”
“This bastard has a good hold on her,” Juan muttered.
There was a sharp snapping sound as he broke one of the fingers.
“Can you get the boot off?” Kurt asked.
Emma shook her head. “He’s got me good.”
Juan broke two more fingers. “Death grip.”
After a struggle, the vice-like hold released and Emma gasped with relief as she broke free. Juan’s hands settled on her waist and hoisted her up into the short bus. She moved away from the doorway to give Kurt room to enter. While watching Juan climb into the bus, she became aware of a low, chest-vibrating sound hidden in the noise from the engine and the wind. She pivoted around and saw a wall of dead only a hundred feet from the vehicle.
“We’re in!” Juan shouted, slamming the back door shut.
There were too many zombies for their small group to deal with and there wasn’t any hope of backup. Nerit guarded the jammed front doors. Even from where Emma stood, she could see that the blood had drained out of her face. Arnold shifted gears and started to perform a distressingly slow three-point turn. Sweat beaded his face and he muttered curses under his breath as falling zombies made every second even more harrowing. Another clipped the side of the bus, metal groaning under the impact as a deep groove formed in the ceiling.
Emma wiped the perspiration from her face and forced herself to breathe. Her chest was tight with tension. Helpless to do anything other than watch and hope, she ignored Ted’s screams of terror.
“Shut the fuck up!” Monica yelled at him. “Your screaming is going to rile them up more, you idiot!”
“We’re going to die!”
“No, we’re not,” Nerit said as though she had complete authority over the situation.
It was probably the cold look in her eyes that silenced Ted. Trembling, he curled up in his seat, his hands covering his face.
The bus bounced over bodies and clipped the front edge of the herd tromping down the road. Zombies scrabbled at the vehicle, fingers skidding over the metal grates, making an awful racket. Nerit fired at one zombie trying to clamber inside and kicked another away. Monica and Kurt stood a few feet behind her, ready to assist.
Arnold at last aimed the bus toward the bottom of the hill and accelerated. Despite having a souped up engine, the bus took an agonizing amount of time to gain speed. The herd pursued, banging against the rear door, smearing the windows with viscera. Since the jammed front door faced the drop off, Nerit didn’t have to deal with any more zombies attempting to board, but she remained at the entrance.
When the bus had enough distance from the herd so that it was out of sight behind the trees and hillside, Emma’s shoulders started to relax. Staring out the back window at the dappled light sifting through the tree branches to dance over the cracked road, she marveled out how deceptively tranquil it appeared. The curving road would work to their advantage. Zombies often lost interest in prey when it wasn’t visible.
The short bus reached the bottom of the hill and turned off the narrow road, heading back the way they had come earlier. There weren’t any more falling zombies, or another herd on the main country road, but the knowledge that there was a sizable number of zombies lurking on the outskirts of town was important to the Fort.
“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
done. I can’t fault anyone for wanting to save a loved one.”
“I guess you’re right. If it had been Bette, I would’ve done anything to save her.”
“We all do stupid shit, Monica. It’s human nature.”
“Juan can be impetuous and kinda jump before he thinks, but he’s a smart guy. Usually.” Monica pointed to the wall. “He didn’t even hesitate to start building this. The minute the zombies appeared, he pushed everyone into action. It’s just hard seeing him trying to retroactively save Jenni.”
Emma had definitely noticed a change in Juan when he’d realized Belinda was at risk. She suspected he’d considered the rescue mission as some sort of second chance.
“From what I’ve heard, it sounds like Jenni usually did the saving.”
“Which was why I was scared shitless by my cousin today. I saw that same self-sacrificial impulse in him she had.”
The men jogged up to join them on their trek to the med center.
“Is Greta furious with you?” Monica asked, quickly starting a different conversation.
“Nah. She admitted that flying zombies would be hard to avoid,” Arnold answered. “But she cussed a lot.”
Juan looked relieved. “Belinda and the others are already inside, huh?”
“They got bumped to the front of the line since they were pretty messed up from their time up on the roof. Did you see those blisters on Kurt’s face?” Monica shivered. “I will never skip sunscreen again.”
“Thank God we were able to save her,” Juan said.
Emma wondered if Juan realized he’d slipped and not included the two male survivors.
Monica stopped in mid-stride, whirled about, and stopped him with a hand planted firmly against his chest. “Despite you being a dumbass.”
The group stuttered to a halt, standing awkwardly around the cousins.
With a frustrated sigh, Juan stared at Monica with a weary look on his handsome face. “I’m already gonna hear it from Nerit. Are you going to give me shit too?”
Arnold looked as embarrassed as Emma about the confrontation. Emma swiveled slightly to the left, pretending to stare at the sky.
“Yes, but I’m going to say this with love, Juan.”
“Do we have to do this right now?”
“Yeah, we do. Because you pulled some seriously stupid shit.”
Juan cast a desperate look at Emma, but she pretended not to see it. The image of him leaping onto the roof was too fresh in her mind. So was her escape from the zombies in the restroom. He deserved a lecture.
“Fine. Let me have it.”
“Saving your childhood unrequited love is not going to make you feel better about not being able to save Jenni. There isn’t a future for you in the past. You’re not going to save the girl and suddenly find happiness. This is real life. This isn’t a love story.”
Monica’s harsh words apparently registered with her cousin. “Noted.”
“And you owe Emma an apology.”
Emma stood with her arms folded, ill at ease with the entire conversation. It felt too personal to be having right in the middle of the busy entrance area. But she was peeved at Juan. He’d saved her in the end, but it couldn’t be ignored that if he hadn’t acted impetuously, she wouldn’t have needed saving in the first place.
Juan turned toward her with his green eyes cast downward. “I apologize about earlier today. I acted like an asshole. I lost my damn head. Emma, you’re the one who really rescued Belinda, not me.”
“I did what I had to,” Emma replied, embarrassed. It was awkward dealing with his guilt over his actions, but she was glad he recognized he’d fucked up.
“Again, I apologize.”
“Apology accepted,” Emma said, meaning it.
“I won’t let you down again. I promise.”
Emma smiled slightly. “Good.”
“So you’re not going to act like a damn fool anymore?” Monica asked, her voice slightly mocking.
“I can’t promise that.” Juan chuckled. “I am me after all. But I am going to do my damn best.”
“Good luck with that,” Arnold said with a clap on Juan’s shoulder.
Juan let out a slow, fretful sigh. “I just hope she’s gonna be okay. I never should’ve let her leave with Ed that day.”
“Cousin, I love you, but if you actually think you could’ve told Belinda what to do without her telling you to fuck off, you are in for a world of hurt.”
With a defensive shrug, he said, “I’m just worried about her.”
“Sure, cuz. Remember, I know what’s up with you. Unrequited love is a bitch. I know that from personal experience. Hell, I suspect Curtis tried to kill me and Bette because I didn’t love him! Not that I’m saying you’re going to be a complete psychopath,” Monica added quickly, observing his frown.
“I’m not that crazy and it’s not unrequited love. Belinda is my friend. Any romantic feelings I had for her are in the past. I may have had a thought or two about picking things back up with her, but I know that ain’t happening. Also, stop talking about that asshole Curtis. You’re scaring Emma. She’ll think we’re all nuts like him.”
Emma raised an eyebrow. “More like curious.”
“I have stories to tell you. Reality television would’ve loved the shit that goes down around here,” Arnold said.
Juan took off his cowboy hat to run his fingers through his sweaty locks. “I gotta agree with Arnold. A total dramafest. Cram a bunch of people into one building and shit goes down. Especially when you got a psychopath in the bunch.”
Monica’s upper lip curled with disgust. “Curtis was one of my biggest mistakes. I’ll tell you the whole story at some point, Emma, but things are much better since that asshole got a bullet to the brain.”
Arnold nodded. “The apocalypse brings out either the best or the worst in people. Usually the worst if you’re already unhinged.”
“It’s not always easy, but at least we’ve got each other.”
“Aw, cuz. That was sweet.” Monica hugged him, grinned over his shoulder, and pulled away. The joy that lit up her face was for the blonde woman who stepped out of the med center and strode toward them. “Hey, babe, I’m back in one piece.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Bette may have been relieved to see Monica safely returned, but she maintained a professional veneer as she started to thoroughly pat down Monica, searching for bites.
“I guess this is a bad time to flirt with you, huh?”
Bette remained focused on her task, but a small smile tilted the corners of her mouth. “There will be time for that later.”
Monica grinned. “I do like the sound of that.”
Bette finished and made a notation on the clipboard she had hooked to her belt. “You’re good to go.”
“I’ll see you later when your shift is done.”
Monica took a step back, remaining close by while Bette started her examination of Emma. It was strange having someone touching her after being alone for so long, but Emma endured it. Bette vigilantly scrutinized her swollen wrist.
“I smacked it when I fell off a roof and banged into a wall,” Emma explained.
“It sounds like you’ve got a story to tell,” Bette said, her eyes darting toward her partner.
“My cousin did a stupid thing and it got a little hairy out there.”
Juan bristled. “Are you gonna let me live it down?”
“Oh, no! You were acting like you were in a damn Bruce Willis movie. That jump off the bus onto the roof of the building was epic,” Monica teased.
Bette perked up at this description. “I really want to hear this story!”
Juan grimaced. “Later. After some beers.”
Bette finished jotting notes on the clipboard. “Emma, go ahead into the med center. Get some ice on that wrist before gets any worse.”
Emma knew she hadn’t been bitten, but she was relieved to be cleared. With a nod to Juan and the others, she walked to the entrance of the med center. She
wasn’t surprised when Monica followed in her wake.
There was a lot of activity in the back of the portable building where the space was divided into examination nooks. While Ted was complaining loudly to Nerit, which didn’t surprise Emma, Kurt hovered near Belinda, watching Charlotte treat the worst of her burns. Emma looked around, hoping for a restroom, but didn't see a sign. She really, really had to go.
A nurse’s assistant, wearing an armband with a red cross, stopped the two women inside the entrance.
“Bette said to get her wrist iced,” Monica quickly explained.
The older white woman with short cropped graying dark hair and piercing black eyes responded by taking Emma’s wrist and examining it herself. After a few seconds, she bobbed her head as though agreeing with Bette’s assessment. Without a word she walked over to a refrigerator in one corner and fished a blue ice pack out of the freezer.
“That’s Anne,” Monica said, her voice low. “She’s one of our newer people. She doesn’t talk a lot. She came in with a salvage team that was looking for medications in an old folk’s home. Anne was still there with her patients. She’d barricaded them into one section of the building and took care of them after the rising. She was out of food and fuel for the generator when they found her. The last of her patients had died the previous day and she was close to checking out. I think she’s traumatized by the fact that she couldn’t keep them alive one more day to be rescued.”
From across the room, Anne directed Emma to a metal chair pushed up against the wall. Emma took the seat and Anne carefully applied the ice pack to the swelling. Pointing to it, Anne indicated she was to keep it in that spot. Emma nodded. Satisfied, Anne returned to a small desk near the front door to make entries into a binder. Trying to relax, Emma stretched out her legs, and Monica took the seat next to her.
“So much paperwork,” Emma muttered. “I thought paperwork would’ve gone the way of the rest of civilization. Into the shitter.”
Monica laughed. “Nope. We have to keep a good eye on our supplies and keep everyone organized, so…paperwork.”
Emma was struck once more by how different the Fort was from the life she’d lived for the last year.
As The World Dies | Book 4 | After Siege Page 20