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zombie was hidden from view
by the side of the building. Only one leg was slightly visible as it
braced itself and shoved hard against the back doors.
    “ See?
Can't get to 'em, ” Ed pointed out.
    “ I
can, ” Nerit assured him, and unslung her sniper rifle from her shoulder.
As usual, the sniper rifle felt good and comforting in her arms. It
was like an extension of her. She closed one eye and focused through
the sight. Her senses narrowed down to just her vision and she
removed herself from the world around her.
    She
pulled the trigger.
    A
gout of black blood erupted from the shattered ankle of the zombie.
It lost its balance and tumbled. When its body fell into view, Nerit
quickly adjusted her aim and fired. A plume of blood and gore
erupted from its head, then it lay still.
    Lowering
her gun, she listened.
    The
pounding and growling had ceased.
    “ You
got him, ” Bill said in an awed voice.
    “ Yes. ” Nerit shrugged. She watched the shadows dwelling behind the Dollar
Store. “ He
was it. ”
    Ed
gazed down at the body, then looked toward the small field where a
bike was laying on its side. “ Looks
like the Ramirez boy. I heard he was in trouble for dating some girl
in town. His Dad worked on my farm. ”
    Bill
sighed. “ Betcha
he is the one who bit the girl and they managed to lock him out. ”
    “ And
then it went to hell from there, ” Ed agreed.
    Nerit
looked back toward the fort and the people gathered to watch what
they could of the proceedings. “ Let's
get some sentries up here to watch for anymore approaching this way. ”
    “ Yeah.
And get the Dollar Store stock cleared out. ” Ed shook his head and headed back toward the stairs.
    Bill
looked down at the remains of the young man. “ I
bet he only wanted to see her and he ended up killing her instead. ”
    Nerit
could hear the sorrow in Bill's voice and knew it had nothing to do
with the boy, but everything to do with his own loss.
    It
was an emotion they were too well acquainted with in this new world.

    2. Packing Up and
Moving On
    “ It
still smells like zombie in here, ” Stacey muttered under her breath. The too-slim younger woman made a
face and rubbed her pert nose.
    “ Zombie
and bleach, ” Katie amended with a wry grin.
    “ Sounds
like a drink almost. ” Stacey laughed and puffed air up at her flyaway bangs. She was busy
packing up the contents of a shelf laden with boxed dinners and cans
of soup.
    “ In
some freaky bar down on 6th Street in good ol' Austin, Texas. ” Katie grinned at the thought and continued clearing the shelf.
Sweat was trickling down her back and beaded her forehead. The store
had been without air conditioning for weeks. At some point the
breaker had been tripped. Now the air conditioner was humming loudly
as it worked hard to cool the store down.
    Stacey
smiled ruefully. “ The
good ol' days. ”
    Katie's
smile faded. “ Yeah.
The days of yore. ”
    “ In
the B.Z. ”
    “ Before
Zombie? ” Katie arched an eyebrow.
    “ Yeah, ” Stacey answered. She taped the box shut and scrounged around for the
black marker they were using to mark the contents of the boxes on the
outside flap.
    Katie laughed
slightly and shook her head. She was dressed in shorts and a tank
top, trying not to let the heat get to her. Stacey was dressed
similarly and her toothpick legs made Katie wince. Stacey and Eric
had almost starved to death as they took refuge on the water tower.
Though they had been on the edge of town, they had not been able to
brave the zombie hordes to make it to the fort. Jenni, Bill, Felix
and Ed had saved them from certain death.
    It
was nearly two in the afternoon and they had been working since the
area had been declared clear. Katie's legs were aching and her arms
felt bruised, but they needed to get the area clear. The faster they
were done, the sooner they could make the area safe. Once it was
secure, they could seriously consider going into the hotel.
    “ Sometimes
it doesn't feel real.