“Go, Mom,” Jason said softly, tears in his eyes.
Jenni activated the hidden dynamite under the dirt and blew the zombies to hell.
As the smoke cleared, nothing moved in the mouth of the alley or beyond.
And Jenni, once more, was gone.
Chapter 32
1. The Time of Choice
The lobby was packed with people as word of what had happened between Curtis, Travis, and Katie spread throughout the fort. Katie found herself huddled on a couch with Travis, sipping water and trying to keep her hands from shaking. She wasn’t sure what had happened to Curtis’ body, but a few people kept commenting they should throw him over the wall to the zombies.
Kevin sat nearby with Nerit. He looked utterly shocked that she was up, let alone looking so good.
“This is bullshit,” a man declared.
Katie tilted her head to see Ed standing nearby.
“Sorry, folks, but I can’t believe no shit about ghosts. Jenni is dead. End of story. Curtis may have been the Vigilante, but we broke fucking protocol opening the loading dock. ”
“Were we supposed to just leave them out there to die?” Peggy exclaimed.
“I’m just saying that this place is going to shit fast,” Ed responded.
“I saw Jenni,” Juan said sharply. “I saw her!”
“So did I,” Peggy exclaimed. She was smoking up a storm and was shaking.
“Ghosts are bullshit and if this is what I can expect when the zombies get here, people busting protocol ‘cause someone is in danger, I’m out of here,” Ed said firmly.
“I saw ghosts, too,” Katarina said from near the elevators. “I saw my Mama until Bill and I got engaged. After Bill died, I saw him. ”
Voices began to rise up, some agreeing with Ed.
“Ghosts? Give me a break. ”
“People are losing it. ”
“How many here saw a ghost tonight?” Nerit’s voice broke through the murmuring.
Silence fell over the lobby, then slowly, nearly a third of the room raised their hands.
“So did I. I saw my dead husband. And he told me what Curtis was trying to do. I saw Jenni, too. Now, I may be an old woman, but that only means I’ve lived longer than most of you and I have seen things I cannot explain.
The ghosts were here. They came to guide us. But they have all passed on now and it’s up to us to deal with what happens next. ” Nerit’s voice was firm and strong. It was a far departure from her frail appearance when she lay in a coma.
“C’mon,” a voice said nearby. “That’s a bunch of bull. You’re sounding as crazed as those Baptists we threw out. ”
“Our leadership seems to be under a lot of stress,” a familiar voice said.
The former Mayor stood nearby. He wasn’t doing very well health-wise and looked strained.
“I saw Jenni, too,” Travis finally spoke up. “I saw her clear as day. I saw her turn back the zombies coming for me and my wife. If we have the dead walking the earth, why are ghosts so hard to believe in?”
“If your ghosts are real, why don’t they just come and save us all?”
Katie couldn’t see who all was talking now. The lobby was packed.