A wave of zombies hit the fort two days later. One of the guards explained that she had been leaning over to pick up her thermos when she heard a growl. Looking down, she saw a zombie turn the corner and began to beat on the trucks making up the first perimeter. She had raised her gun to pick him off when suddenly thirty zombies rounded the corner and began to rabidly attack the perimeter.
“Good for sniper practice,” Nerit said when she was informed. She lit a cigarette and walked out to view the newcomers.
Travis and Curtis stood side by side on a guard platform watching the crowd.
“Not from this town,” Curtis told Nerit. “I don't recognize them. ”
“Think they are migrating?” Travis asked.
“Maybe following food,” Nerit said thoughtfully.
Bill yawned as he joined them and looked out. “Well…shit. ”
“Understatement,” Travis said with a smile. Katie slipped up behind him and slid her arm around his waist. Turning, he kissed her forehead.
“Gawd, the reek of them,” Katie murmured.
“Looks like farm workers,” Bill decided. “Clothes are pretty screwed up, but looks like farm workers. ”
“Could be from anywhere,” Curtis added.
Nerit pointed to one of the male zombies. “A WalMart worker.
Where is the nearest WalMart?”
“Lemme think. About an hour south of here,” Curtis answered.
“Migrating,” Travis sighed.
“Maybe someone corralled them toward us,” Nerit said in a thoughtful tone.
“When Jenni and I were on the road, a crowd of zombies chased us and just kept following the road we escaped on. When we came back, they were still pursuing us on that road,” Katie said to Nerit.
“Someone would just have to give them a little lure in the right direction. ”
“In our direction,” Curtis snorted. “Great. ”
“Think the bandits are that smart?” Travis wondered aloud.
Bill shook his head. “Who knows? There are different breeds out in this area. It's remote. Country mentality is strong outside the towns. A lot of hardheaded, old-time mindsets. ”
“Women are property?” Katie was thinking of the girl Katarina and Bill had seen tied up in the back of the truck that had nearly run them down.
“You can beat your wife as long as it’s on the county courthouse steps with a stick no thicker than her thumb,” Curtis said softly. “Old country law that never got erased from the books. ”
Bill nodded. “Assholes live everywhere. Just in the countryside, they got more privacy and more leeway. Makes a lot of stuff easier. ”
“We still have some pockets of survivors to pick up, right?” Katie put her hands on her hips and tilted her head toward Travis.
“At least eight. We've been picking them up in order of proximity or if their supplies are low. We're also trying to send in double teams.
Ones to rescue, others to get supplies from the stores. Winter is still months away, but we have to be ready. ” Travis stared down at the rabid crowd below. “We got a few groups that got bad infestations around them, too. ”
“I think we need to bring them in as soon as we can,”Nerit said.
“Each time out, change tactics. They're watching us. Let them stay confused. ”
“I hate to be the devil's advocate, but maybe we should sit tight,”