Nerit's voice finally sounded through the static. “We're going to make sure that if anyone is still alive in there that they have a chance.
Kill the ones eating and on the ground dying. Make it fast. ” Nerit continued with her instructions, her voice calm and steady.
Jenni listened to the directions, her finger flicking on and off the safety on her gun. Katie exhaled slowly and gripped the steering wheel even tighter with her hands.
“This really fuckin' sucks,” Jenni said under her breath.
“We do what we can and let the rest of it go. Otherwise, we'll go batshit crazy,” Katie answered.
Jenni nodded.
Nerit's voice gave the word and Katie followed the other vehicles into the parking lot. Using the big metal beasts as weapons, they ran over the zombies devouring the people they had come to rescue. The big bus did a good job of flattening the disgusting creatures that were so greedily consuming the dying. Katie aimed for any it missed.
After four rotations through the parking lot, if anything was still moving, it was doing so feebly. Jenni shoved her door open and jumped out. She pulled her ax out of the truck and headed toward the nearest twitching zombie. Heaving the ax over her head, she brought it down hard on its skull. Katie followed behind, holding a spear and doing the same duties. The squashed and mangled zombies were barely mobile now and basically lay on the ground, their spasm obvious in the glow of the headlights.
Jenni dispatched the still-moving zombies swiftly. She had no time to deal with them and had no desire to see Lloyd try to make an appearance. She felt back to her new, normal self. She wasn't going to let his ghost fuck with her anymore. Of that, she was certain.
Once their grisly task was done, the group from the fort stood stoically among the dead. Jenni tried not to notice the old people and children among the bodies.
“Ed, Felix, Bill and I are going in. Roger, Katarina, Jenni and Katie, you stay out here and keep watch. If we call for you, come quick,” Nerit ordered.
Jenni began to protest, not wanting to be left out of the mission inside, but one look at Katie's expression and she clamped her mouth shut. Jenni could not easily define what she saw in Katie's eyes, but it made her bond to her best friend feel tighter. Maybe Katie needed her.
Katarina stood nearby, her red hair coiled on top of her head, staring toward the town. The grisly remains at her feet were ignored.
Jenni didn't know the quiet woman very well, but in that moment, she reminded her of Nerit. There was a calm coldness to her that Jenni admired. She felt hot and emotional inside in contrast. She couldn't bear to look down and see the twisted remains of the dead and know that they were too late.
The smell was terrible. Jenni's eyes watered as she stepped away from a cluster of bodies. A group of zombies had been greedily eating one of the larger women when they arrived. Jenni had briefly wondered if the woman had been fat or pregnant, but the thought made her feel unbalanced, so she shoved it away.
“I hate this shit,” Roger said in a low voice. “I really, really do. ”
“Something is going on over there,” Katarina said suddenly. “I see headlights. I think a vehicle went down in a ditch over there. ”
“Binoculars are in the bus,” Roger said, and hurried to retrieve them.
Katie stood nearby, watching the road and their surroundings. “Is anyone alive?”
Katarina shrugged. “Can't tell. Something is moving. I can see a shape moving in front of the lights. ”
Jenni strained to see down the road, but from where she stood it wasn't clear what Katarina was looking at.
Roger returned and handed off the binoculars to Katarina.
She immediately raised them and studied the scene.
“Zombies. Trying to get into a truck that is definitely nose down in a ditch. ”
Jenni took a few steps toward the road.
“Jenni! We can't leave,” Katie called out.
Jenni made a face and stomped her foot. “C'mon. Someone is probably alive over there. ”
“We have to provide Nerit and the others backup,” Katarina reminded her.
“Ugh!” Jenni felt frustrated by her inability to act and go rescue whoever was stranded down the road. She stomped her foot again for good measure.
Gunshots sounded from inside. Everyone froze. There was a long silence, then Nerit and the others emerged with a young woman and a small boy. Seeing the carnage in the parking lot, the woman grabbed up the boy and pressed his face against her neck to hide his view.