“You on the team?” Katarina asked Juan, skipping over pleasantries.
“Not officially, but yeah,” he answered.
Katarina narrowed her eyes. “You able to keep it together?”
Juan looked insulted. “Keep it together? I’m a bad ass.”
“Hmm.” Katarina didn’t look convinced and focused on Emma. “You ready for this?”
“Yep. Venturing out into the zombie-infested world is pretty routine for me. I’m used to putting zombies down, but I’m up for a rescue.”
“If they’re alive,” Katarina said pointedly.
“They’re alive. They have to be,” Juan said, sounding a tad too desperate.
“We don’t know what Ed was pointing at. It might not be survivors. Maybe he was warning us about something else.”
Definitely not liking this opinion, Juan folded his arms over his chest and scowled. “Ed would want to take care of his people, which is a good reason to be a ghost.”
Approaching footsteps pulled Emma’s focus back to the outside. Nerit was walking briskly toward the garage with Arnold right behind her.
“Ed was also a part of the Fort. He might want to make sure we’re safe,” Katarina replied.
Emma was slightly confused with her logic. “But he didn’t want to be here. Ed and his people left.”
“Which is why this mission is completely voluntary,” Nerit announced, also skipping over the usual conversation starters. “When I talked to Travis last night, he said I could check out what Ed was pointing at and take a few people with me, but only if they wanted to tag along. Also, this excursion is on the down low. Though Travis respects Rune’s abilities, he’s not too keen on a mission ordered by a dead man. He doesn’t want it getting out that we’re chasing ghosts. Despite what some of us experienced in the last few weeks, a lot of the Fort population don’t believe in ghosts.”
“Lots of people saw what went down with Curtis,” Juan grumbled. “Who cares what everyone else thinks?”
“Comments like that are why Travis is mayor and you’re not,” Nerit said with a broad smile, poking Juan in the ribs. “So, to be clear, is everyone here a volunteer?”
There were short nods all around.
“Good. Arnold is our driver.” Nerit gestured toward the lined-up modes of transportation. “Juan, which vehicle is ready to go? I assume you arranged for one.”
“We’re taking the short bus over there. Junior’s already got it gassed up and ready,” Juan answered.
“Good. As soon as Monica arrives, we’re ready to go.” Turning to Emma, Nerit said, “We do five people crews when we go out. We found out that works best. Since you are pretty adept at taking out zombies, I’m confident you’ll do well in our fifth slot.”
“I can handle it,” Emma assured her.
“I’ll say. You took out a town of zombies,” Juan said with a grin.
“So that’s true? It’s not bullshit?” Arnold looked impressed. “Damn. I thought it was just rumors.”
“It did take me over a year.”
“But still... a whole town. That’s Lenore level of badassery.”
Nerit cleared her throat, keeping Arnold’s worship of Lenore to a minimum. She looked relieved when Monica jogged up.
“I’m here! Sorry! Got stuck in line for breakfast.” Monica waved a breakfast taco wrapped in aluminum.
“Let’s proceed now that we’re all here,” Nerit said. “Katarina, thoughts on how to approach this so-called make-out point?
”
Katarina took out a hand drawn map and laid it out on the worktable. “There’s only one road that leads to it and the entrance is on the side of the hill approaching the town. We should head out of the Fort, turn east, take the road that circles the outside of town, and approach from the west so we don’t pull any straggler zombies into town.”