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buzzing like a hive of angry bees.”
    “Well, um, well…” Deanna stuttered, suddenly unsure of herself. “I’m sure Jillybean has a plan.”
    “Huh?” the little girl said when everyone turned in her direction—this struck Deanna as darkly comical; most of them were such sheep that they acted as though they were spectators in their own lives.
    In the silence that followed Neil said, “The question on the table, Jillybean, is do you have a plan to take on hundreds of very angry soldiers in an attempt to rescue Captain Grey.”
    She swallowed loudly but, before she could answer, Fred Trigg jumped in. “Now hold on! We haven’t even voted on the whole concept of a rescue. That should be settled before anyone starts making plans.”
    “Wrong,” Neil snapped. “We don’t vote on anything anymore. I am the leader here. What I say goes.” He was so forceful that Trigg gave a little step backwards and produced a guilty smile. Neil nodded at it. “That’s better. I just wanted to know if there was a plan on the table.”
    Jillybean glanced at Deanna with a look of panic. Deanna stepped forward saying, “That’s not really fair. She just rescued you and… and these sorts of things take time.”
    “We don’t have time,” Neil replied, calmly. “The River King’s men will be swarming all over the place soon. I believe our only chance is to strike now. We either go after Grey and Sadie now, or we get across the river and head west.”
    Jillybean shook her head. “No, uh-uh. Those are not the only choices we have, and really, going west right now is silly. Ipes says so because that’s what they’ll think we’ll do. What’s more smarter is we should stay put for a few days and, I don’t know, figure things out.”
    “Sit around and wait to get caught?” Fred asked. “I’m with Neil; I say we go west as soon as possible.”
    Neil looked around as if gauging the room; it was hard to tell what the group was thinking. To Deanna, most looked nervous and still had the sheep-like quality about them she had seen before. It was her guess that they would follow the most forceful personality, which just happened to be Neil’s.
    With a little cough, Neil said, “Without a working plan to save Captain Grey and Sadie, I think we need to move forward with gathering supplies and making the river crossing. I’d like to make the attempt tonight.” Jillybean’s hand shot up. Neil looked at it wearily.
    “Amember I just said that’s what they’ll think we’re gonna do,” she said breathlessly. “If all the River King’s soldiers are searching it’ll be now, not a week from now.”
    Neil shook his head at her. “How long they search for us will be up to the River King and how long he will hold a grudge. My guess is that will be a long time. I’m hoping that the base is in turmoil right now. For all we know, a palace coup is going on as we speak. If so, waiting will only play into the hands of whoever comes out on top.”
    This was a possibility that hadn’t been considered and a new hope began to spread around the group. It cemented Neil’s position. With greater confidence he said, “I’m crossing the river this afternoon to scout for vehicles and a route west that’s not so obvious, maybe like a dirt trail or something. While I’m gone, I want Michael to form three teams to begin gathering supplies. From what Jillybean told me last night, this place is chock-full of stuff.”
    “It’s also chock-full of zombies,” Joslyn said. Deanna knew from experience that pretty much all of the former prostitutes were barely capable of facing even a single zombie. The entire table nodded along in agreement.
    Deanna, who was the most experienced zombie fighter among the women, said, “The whole world is full of zombies, we are going to have to learn to deal with them sooner or later and now may be the right time.”
    “Jillybean will teach you,” Neil said. “While I’m gone, she’ll show you that there is