“Jenni?”
Jenni frowned a little, and said softly, “He wasn't supposed to die. ”
Katie hugged her tightly. “None of us are. Not like this. ”
Jenni nodded mutely, drew away, and clutched her gun tightly. “I just don’t want it to be the end. ”
“It’s not,” Katie said firmly. “We just have to keep going. Fighting.
For everyone’s sake, Jenni, we gotta get this done. ”
Jenni looked up and her gaze seemed a little more focused. “Yeah, for everyone still alive. ”
Bill looked toward Nerit, who was standing near the doorway watching the hall. “Nerit, we clear?”
“No movement. I think the rooms are what we need to worry about now,” Nerit answered.
“But be cautious anyway,” Bill reminded everyone.
There were nods and people visibly pulled on their inner strength as they prepared to go on.
Bill raised the walkie-talkie to his mouth and pressed the button.
“Juan, we’re continuing on. ”
“We heard gunshots,” Juan’s voice cackled through the receiver.
“Yeah, we lost some people. Mike and Ashley. ”
“Shit,” Juan’s voice answered.
“We’ll be in touch. ” Bill motioned to Nerit.
The older woman started down the hall followed by her new team of Katarina, Shane and Jimmy. The other teams followed as Bill pointed to them. They were back on schedule and heading to their assignments.
Katie looked toward Roger and Travis. They were talking softly.
Roger nodded slightly, but obviously looked ill at ease. As she neared them, Travis sighed and looked toward her.
“I’m sorry, Katie. I won’t fuck up again,” he said.
She shrugged and looked toward Roger. “No one thinks it’s easy killing what used to be your friend, Travis. ” Forcing herself to look at him, she could see the pained expression in his eyes.
Travis said softly, “Just a living nightmare, isn’t it?”
Katie blinked, realizing what had happened. Travis had once confided in her that he had been struggling with his bizarre visions since the first day. He often saw his friends transformed into zombies for quick flashes. Now he was seeing those nightmares become reality.
No wonder he had hesitated shooting Mike.
She reached out and touched his cheek. He nuzzled her fingers, comforting himself, then he straightened.
“Let’s do this. ”
***
Room after room was empty. Offices, closets, bathrooms, empty…
Each time a door swung open, Nerit’s gut clenched and her finger prepared to squeeze the trigger. Nerit rarely flinched in the face of danger. In fact, she rarely felt afraid. Her calmness was something she was used to, but now, she felt fear struggling to gain a hold of her.