Bill set Jenni down firmly in a seat. “Jenni, it’s not him. It’s not Benji.”
“But …” She couldn’t look away from Benji’s zombified form and his searching fingers. He was reaching for her, wanting her. “He’s coming for me.”
Yes, he is. Get off the bus. Embrace him. Join us, Lloyd urged her.
Nerit grabbed Jenni’s chin and forced her to look away. “It’s not him, Jenni. It’s not him. Look away. Close your eyes. Don’t look, because it’s not him.”
Jenni finally tore her gaze away from the small dead boy and squeezed her eyes shut. The terrible fear that had gripped her gradually eased. She took in a shuddering breath. Finally, she looked back out the window.
The zombie wasn’t Benji. It wasn’t even a little boy. It was a tween girl in a torn nightgown.
Lloyd had tricked her. Anger flashed through her, burning away the last vestiges of her paralysis.
“Sorry,” she murmured.
Ed shifted gears, and the minibus lurched forward.
“It’s okay,” Nerit assured her. She gently rubbed Jenni’s back. “It’s okay. It was just a bad moment.”
“What just happened? ’Cause I’m very confused.”
“Felix, it’s over. That’s all that matters,” Bill said calmly.
The bus rumbled on. Ed would take an indirect route back to the fort to avoid leading the zombies to their safe haven.
Jenni felt reality slipping back into place around her. The morning of the first day receded into her memories. Her children were gone. Maybe their bodies sill roamed the earth, but the spark that had made them human was gone.
Jenni looked up at Nerit, who was still gently rubbing her back, trying to soothe her. “I’m sorry I’m crazy.”
“Honey, we are all crazy,” Nerit assured her.
“That’s the truth,” Felix agreed.
“I ain’t been sane in a long time,” Ed said in a grim tone.
“Y’all speak for yourselves.” Bill grinned. “I’m as sane as they come in a zombie-infested world.”
Nerit smacked him upside the head. “Liar.”
Bill laughed. He was obviously trying to break the somber mood.
Jenni lowered her head into her hands and slowly regained her composure. “I’m so embarrassed,” she said at last.
“It’s all right. We’re all fine. That is what teamwork is for. We take care of each other.” Nerit touched Jenni’s cheek lightly. “Besides, how many times have you saved our lives? We just returned the favor.”
“And no need to tell anyone about this,” Ed said. His tone implied something the others had not even considered.
“The Vigilante?” Jenni queried.
“Shit,” Felix swore. “He killed Jimmy for freaking out.”
“She didn’t get anyone killed or even nearly killed,” Bill pointed out.
“But whoever the Vigilante is has a distorted perception of reality and who deserves to live or die,” Nerit reminded him.
“We keep it quiet,” Ed said firmly as he drove on.
“Agreed,” Bill said.
Felix folded his arms, disgruntled by the situation. “Gotta put up with zombies and crazies.”
Jenni sighed heavily. She hated feeling weak.
“It will be okay,” Nerit assured her.
Jenni wasn’t sure she agreed.
“What did you find out?” Felix asked Nerit.
The older woman directed her gaze at Bill, who shrugged. Nerit sighed, then said, “We learned that the Vigilante is still at work.”
Felix slouched down in his chair with a grunt. “Great. Just great.”
Jenni rested her head against the cool window and gazed out at the dead town. The world still didn’t feel right to her. It wasn’t just the Vigilante. It was Lloyd. She felt him, somewhere nearby, watching her.
She was afraid.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
1.
When Plans Go Awry
By the expressions on the team returning to the fort, it was quickly apparent that something grim had been discovered. Travis was with Katie at her sentry post when the team walked past on their way to report in.
“I better go find out what is going on,” Travis said.
“You better tell me everything later.” He could tell that Katie was annoyed at having to stay at her post while the fate of Shane and Philip was discussed.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Absolutely not.”
Travis kissed her and left, quickly making his way across the old construction site to city hall. He met Juan at the back door.
“It’s not going to be good, is it?” Juan pushed his cowboy hat back on his dark curls.
“Nerit had her poker face, but Jenni’s expression said it all.”
“That’s my girl. Destined to lose every game of strip poker we ever play.” Juan smirked and wagged an eyebrow.
Travis headed for the mayor’s office with Juan only a step behind. Peggy and Manny were already there, along with Curtis and the investigative team. Entering the room, Travis thought Jenni looked pale and a little spacey. He was not surprised when Juan went to her quickly and quietly asked her something in Spanish. What was a surprise was Jenni’s response—she shook her head and turned away, leaving Juan looking bewildered as he stood awkwardly at her side.
“So what happened out there?” Travis sat down in an ancient wooden office chair.
Nerit sighed and looked at Bill, obviously deferring to him as the person of authority.
“To put it simply, the Vigilante,” the cop said.
“What?” Juan’s voice expressed the disbelief Travis felt.
“The ammo boxes we gave them were full of gravel, so once Shane and Philip had used what was in their guns, they were done. To make it worse for them, the fuel line of the car had been cut and patched with cheap tape that gave way pretty quickly. They were dead in the water in no time at all. I actually don’t think the Vigilante meant for them to break down so close to the fort—close enough that they might have made it back here.” Bill shrugged. “The Vigilante couldn’t get them in here, so he or she got them out there.”
“Damn,” Travis said in a stunned voice.
Manny calmly folded his hands on his desk. “We need to find this person and stop whoever it is. This is not acceptable behavior.”
“Manny, don’t you think Curtis and Bill are doing everything they can?” Peggy scowled at the mayor.
Sitting back in his chair, Manny fastened his gaze on Peggy. “I’m aware of what they’re doing, even if you think I’m oblivious.”
Peggy averted her eyes swiftly, surprised at Manny’s retort.
“My point is that this situation has become more urgent. This is three people confirmed dead at the hands of an unknown assailant in what should be a safe haven,” Manny continued.
“We’re doing our best.” Curtis sat on the edge of the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “The Vigilante is not stupid.”
Bill laid a reassuring hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “We’ll find him, son.”
“It’s not like he’s killing innocent people,” Juan said. Travis could tell his temper was getting the best of him again and shot his friend a warning look.
“Maybe not, but how he or she is going about this isn’t right. No one should hold so much power over the lives of others,” Nerit responded.
Curtis looked very tired as he ran his hand over his blond hair. “He’s doing what the rest of us don’t want to do.”
“We’re all in this together!” Peggy slammed her hand down on the desk. “One person can’t decide who lives and who dies. Or who stays and who leaves.”
“Was there any sign of Shane?” Travis asked.
“We looked around a little before some zombies came after us. I’m guessing that when Shane and Philip were attacked, they realized they were in serious trouble. From the footprints around the car and in the nearby field, we think they broke down, encountered zombies, used
up their ammunition, tried and failed to reload, and then ran for it. Shane went across the field while Philip stuck to the road and eventually made it back to the fort,” Bill explained.
“We didn’t find Shane,” Ed added. “We took the scenic route around the town to lose the zombies and look for him.”
Felix bobbed his head, looking somber. “No sign of him.”
“He’s probably already a zombie,” Jenni declared. “And I can’t say I feel sorry about that.”
It was the first thing she had said since the meeting started, and Travis heard a rawness in her voice. Jenni seemed unsettled. That bothered him. Juan placed a hand on Jenni’s shoulder to comfort her, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Who had the opportunity to do this?” Manny asked, briefly glancing at Juan.
“Pretty much anyone in the whole fort.” Bill hooked his thumbs onto his belt and rolled his shoulders. “While everyone was voting, Curtis and I put the survival packs for the guys in the car. That way, if the vote went against Shane and Phil, we could escort them out of the fort immediately. After we did that, we went to help count votes.”
“Anyone could have tampered with the car or the ammunition we put in the packs. There are no guards in the garage.”
“We have a few suspects, but no proof,” Curtis finished.
Juan snorted and Travis gave him a sharp look.
“We need to keep this quiet,” Manny decided. “I don’t want people panicking.”
“We can’t keep this quiet,” Travis protested.
“C’mon, Manny. People need to know what is going on.” Peggy cast an exasperated look toward the mayor.
“People are already figuring it out. People talk more than you realize.” Felix leaned forward in his chair, shaking his finger at Manny. “They’re not stupid, Mr. Mayor. Philip showed up eaten down to the bone.”
“And in pieces,” Jenni pointed out.
“We can’t have people panicking,” Manny repeated. “They’re scared enough as it is.”
“People need to know so they can be on the alert and report anything suspicious.” Bill shifted in his chair and studied his notebook. “The Vigilante isn’t going to stop.”
“How do you know that?” Curtis asked curiously.
“Because people like the Vigilante don’t stop,” Nerit answered.
“They believe they are right and that they alone can deal with what is wrong.”
Travis rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “I think we should have full disclosure. We need to remind people what the real dangers of this world are. Moving into the hotel has already changed things. Rose told me people aren’t showing up for kitchen duty like they were when we were still roughing it in the construction site.”
Nerit nodded. “The same thing is happening with the guards, though it’s not a big problem yet.”
Travis continued, “We’re safer when it comes to the zombies, but we still have food, water, energy, and sanitation concerns. We don’t even have a doctor on hand. People need to understand we are still at risk.”
“Don’t forget about the men who killed Ralph.” Nerit’s voice was tinged with pain.
“Fuckin’ banditos,” Juan muttered.
“We just don’t need folks riled up. You know how people get when they feel the city officials or the authorities can’t do their job.” Manny rubbed his broad forehead, wiping away beads of sweat. He appeared unusually pale today.
“Don’t matter,” Ed said. “They’re gonna be unhappy anyway. Sorry, Mr. Mayor, but the old ways are bullshit now. This ain’t about reelection no more, but ’bout keeping alive.”
“Everyone who voted to eject those two men deserves to know what happened to them.” Travis’s tone was firm.
“Why? They shouldn’t feel guilty for doing the right thing,” Juan said sharply.
“People’s actions—and their votes—have consequences. Now more than ever. We all need to be aware of that.” Travis stood and swept his gaze over the room. “As far as we know, we are the biggest and best-off group of the survivors in this area. Hell, maybe in the whole state.”
“Or country.” Jenni met his gaze with great sadness lurking in the depths of her eyes.
“Maybe the world.” Nerit’s words were chilling, but possibly true.
“So we need to have our shit together. People have got to realize that every choice we make has consequences that affect not only our own lives, but the lives of everyone around us.” Travis shoved his hands into his pockets and swallowed hard. The enormity of their situation once more swept over him. He could feel his hands shaking. “We need to let everyone know what happened. We need them to understand what the trouble is with someone like the Vigilante. And they need to understand that just because we are living in the hotel, we are not necessarily safe. Call a fort meeting and lay it out, Manny.”
“The political fallout from this—,” Manny started to say.
“Fuck politics, Manny.” Travis hated how harsh his voice sounded, but he knew he was right.
Manny put his head down, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s what I know, Travis. I’ll defer to Bill on this, but I still think this is not going to turn out well.”
“This world is messed up,” Jenni grumbled.
“Voting those assholes out was the right thing to do,” Juan declared firmly. “The Vigilante killed them, not the rest of us.”
“We all knew they would probably die out there.” Nerit shrugged. “We made the choice.”
“God help us do the right thing. From now on, we gotta take this kinda shit deadly serious.” Bill flipped his notebook shut. “If this is our new brand of justice, then we all better be damn sure we can live with it.”
“Agreed.” Travis folded his arms across his chest.
“We’re getting close to mob rule,” Manny said in a soft voice. “People need leaders. Order. Law.”
“If we—the people in this room—try to dictate to everyone out there how things should be, we’re going to fail. We can handle the everyday administration, the planning of the fort defenses, things like that, but the big issues need to be in the hands of everyone in the fort.” Travis faced the silent group in the room. “We have to do this together or we’ll fail.”
2.
Turned Upside Down
The first official fort meeting was held in the hotel’s dining room, right after dinner. Everyone was there except for the people on guard duty and patrol. Word had spread quickly about the morning’s events. There was a mixture of reactions to the news of the Vigilante striking again. Some obviously saw him as a person willing to do what the authorities would not. Others were terrified for their safety. No one wanted to end up on the wrong side of the wall.
Yolanda tucked her hair back behind her ears. She and Peggy were sitting side by side, waiting for Mayor Reyes to arrive and start the meeting.
“Do you know where the mayor is?” Eric asked as he dropped into the seat on Peggy’s other side.
“He said he needed to go up to his room to freshen up or something,” Peggy answered. “He’s been a little under the weather.”
Frowning, Eric looked around the crowded dining room, then back at Peggy. “Travis sent me to find him and there was no answer at his room.”
“Are you serious? What the hell is he up to?” Peggy sounded peeved and her brows knotted together. “I swear, that man …”
Yolanda felt a cold chill rush down her back. “Did you go into the room?”
Eric shook his head. “No. He didn’t answer so I came down here. I thought maybe I had missed him.”
Biting her bottom lip, Yolanda pondered breaking a promise she had made to her deceased husband. Finally she said, “Manny told Tobias he has coronary artery disease. He takes nitroglycerin pills. He was keeping it secret because of the upcoming election.”
“Damnit,” Peggy cursed. “Manny and his stupid politics. He never told me!”
“I’m going to go check on him.” Yolanda pu
shed out her chair and stood.
Peggy did the same. “Eric, go tell Travis what is going on. I’m going with Yolanda.”
The two women quickly made their way out of the dining room and down the hall to the elevators.
“I can’t believe that man! How could he not tell me?” Peggy exclaimed.
Yolanda had an opinion, but wasn’t sure she should say anything. She suspected, from things Tobias had told her, that Peggy’s paranoia about possibly losing her job had pushed a big wedge between her and Manny.
Peggy swept her brown hair back from her face and paced while they waited for the elevator. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me. What if he’s lying up there dead?”
“We need to be calm, Peggy.”
The elevator doors dinged open, revealing Lenore and Ken, who were supporting Manny between them. Manny’s skin was a terrible shade of gray and sweat was running down his face.
“Oh, God!” Peggy was clearly dismayed by his appearance.
“We found him wandering around on our floor. He was real out of it and then he fell down,” Ken explained quickly.
Leaning heavily against Lenore, the mayor gasped for breath. “Peggy, don’t yell at me.”
“You stupid man, I’ll yell at you all I want!” Peggy motioned for Ken and Lenore to bring the mayor over to a sofa in the lobby. “Where are your pills?”
“His color looks bad. Like my grandma’s did when she had her episodes,” Lenore said in a worried voice as she lifted his feet onto the sofa.
Yolanda patted Manny’s pockets, looking for a bottle of pills. Leaning over the sick man, Peggy demanded in a scared voice, “Where are your pills, Manny?”
Forcing his eyes open, Manny whispered, “I don’t have any more.”
“That’s why he’s having an episode,” Yolanda said. Feeling helpless, she took a deep breath, trying to steady her thoughts.
“Manny, you stupid man! Why didn’t you tell me?” Peggy looked close to crying and Lenore laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“You’d yell at me. I was going to look in storage for more, but …” He faded out, eyes closing.
“The stock from the pharmacy! Go see if we got any nitroglycerin!” Peggy ordered.
As The World Dies Trilogy Box Set [Books 1-3] Page 54