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She and Aaron ran toward me and we headed for the gate. Zombies were starting to collect between us and the opening like a drift of fall leaves. I hacked at one gasping hand and Ashleigh hit one with her backpack. Daylon cleared a path for us on his cycle, riding straight at the undead and clubbing them with the barrel of the shotgun. Inhaling motorcycle exhaust, we ran through the light into the dark, safety of our walled fortress.

As the gates closed, I paused to catch my breath and stare at the girl I’d never thought I’d see again. Ashleigh smelled like diesel fumes and sweat. Her hair straggled in snarled hanks on either side of her face. Purple shadows smudged beneath her eyes and her mouth was a grim line. I’d never seen a more beautiful woman.

“
Gotta pee
now
!” she said the moment she caught her breath.

She hurried toward the guardhouse and Ed called after her, “Wait. You can’t go in there. You guys have to be quarantined until Ms. Myers decides whether you can stay or not.”

Ashleigh ignored him and disappeared into the building.

I turned to Aaron, who was bent over, wheezing. “Are you all right?”

“
No.” He straightened and gasped for air. “I was in an accident this morning. Steve died. I hurt my arm and probably cracked my ribs. We ran into a swarm of zombies headed this way and decided to come back to warn you and bring you the gas. We’ve been driving all day.”

I sent Ed to get Marcy to tend to another two-legged patient. I wanted the fussy man out of the way while I talked to Daylon. Ed glared but did as I asked.

The motorcyclists had dismounted and taken off their helmets. Maureen put an arm around Aaron. “Come on. Let’s find you a place to sit before you collapse.” She led him toward the guard house. No one tried to stop them. In fact, everyone was gathering to hear what the incoming group had to report.

“
So what brought you back?” I asked Daylon.

He folded his arms over his chest in that tough stance I was beginning to know was for show. “We saw the tanker and Ashleigh insisted on bringing it to you. The rest of us were going to continue on to Topeka but the highway was overrun. Maybe over a hundred and they seem to be heading west. We could’ve gone south, maybe down to Wichita, but figured you could use our help.”

“
Thank you,” I said. Whether the tanker carried gasoline or diesel oil—you couldn’t tell from looking at it which
—
it was a generous gift. A present from Ashleigh, to me. My mouth fought to curve into a smile and when I saw her returning from the restroom, I didn’t try to stop it.

She smiled back at me as she sauntered over. “I would’ve gift-wrapped it if I’d had time.” She gestured at the truck.

I nodded. “Thanks.” For the blink of an eye, she and I were all alone as we shared an intense look, then I refocused on Daylon. “So this big group is about a day’s drive away?”

“
Where do you think they’re coming from?” somebody asked. “Topeka? Kansas City?”

“
Does it matter?” Ashleigh asked. “They’re out there and headed this direction. That’s all we need to know.”

“
How long can they go without eating? Maybe they won’t make it this far,” Lois said.

“
We need more shells and rifles. We can drive to another town and get them,” Jim said. “It should take the things at least a couple of days to reach us on foot so we have time to prepare.”

“
Nothing you can do to get ready for this many,” Tanesha brought on the gloom. “The few you got out there tonight are nothing compared to what’s coming.”

“
If they make it this far.” Jake pointed at Lois. “Like she said, there are miles between them and us and nothing for them to eat except wild animals. Maybe they’ll start to drop after a while.”

“
Can’t count on it. Best thing to do is evacuate your town before they get here.” Carl’s bushy brows knit over his deep set eyes.

“
Not while I still got a shotgun and shells. I ain’t going anywhere.” Jim was adamant.

Daylon looked at me. “What’s the latest word from Topeka? Have you heard anything?”

I hesitated. What I said now would be spread all over town by morning. “Radio communication with Topeka broke off earlier this evening with no indication of why,” I admitted. “Janice thought we should wait until morning. See if the link got repaired. But it seems like maybe something happened there.”

There was a moment of silence followed by exclamations of surprise and concern.

I checked my watch. It was nearly two o’clock. “I suggest keep strengthening the barriers tonight and think about our options. We’ll call a town meeting in the morning to lay out the facts and let people decide what they want to do.”

“
By the way, where’s your brave leader tonight?” Daylon asked.

“
At home, sleeping.” I honestly didn’t mean the words as a condemnation but in the silence that followed them everyone made their own judgment. We were all out here, holding things together, while the council members slept. Suddenly no one was in a hurry to inform Janice of the latest developments, as if her input no longer mattered. Today an invisible shift had taken place. Those of us doing actual work no longer felt inclined to follow orders laid down by others who sat back and gave orders but did little.

“
Well good for her,” Tanesha said. “I think I’ll go get me some rest too.”

“
Unless you need help here.” Carl looked dead on his feet and I appreciated that he still offered to pitch in.

“
It’s about time for the next shift to start. Let’s let those who’ve had some sleep take over.” I turned to Jake. “I hate to say this, but I think we can’t be too careful about Maureen’s bite. It’s only been a couple of days.”

“
So back to jail. Do not pass go or collect two hundred dollars.” Jake shook his head. “I knew coming here was a mistake.”

I thought about the teeth marks on my leg. But my little zombie hadn’t broken flesh. There’d been no mingling of blood so I should be fine.

The group broke up with the townies returning to guard duty until their replacements arrived and the travelers heading for their motorcycles.

“
I’ll wait with Aaron for the vet to get here,” Daylon said. “Then I’ll give you a ride back to the house, Ashleigh.”

“
Thanks but I think I’ll hang with Brian tonight.” She looked at me with those ice-chip eyes that made me hot instead of cold. “If that’s okay with you.”

Was it okay if the girl I was crushing on stayed with me? “Sure. Whatever,” I answered, as casual as sweatpants. “Let’s sit up on a roof where we can get a better view of the perimeter.” I indicated the administration building and we started to walk.

“
Where’s your buddy, Fes tonight?”

“
Sleeping I suppose.” I wondered at the sharp tone in her voice. I’d thought she liked Fes. “He spent most of the day assembling flamethrowers.”

“
Really? How?”

As we climbed the fire escape stairs to the roof, I explained the process without getting too technical. “It works really well,” I finished. “As long as we don’t set the town on fire.” Something nibbled at the edge of my mind as insistent as a mouse working a piece of cheese out of a trap. An idea that wasn’t quite ready to shake loose yet.

I opened the door to the flat roof top and led the way to a pair of lawn chairs somebody had brought up. This had become a popular spot for a lookout. Near the low wall was a cooler that had a few bottles of water still in it. I tossed one to Ashleigh and we sat, hunching into our jackets as the breeze blew over the roof.

“
What about you? Tell me about
your
day, dear,” I mimicked the tone of a nineteen fifties housewife.

Ashleigh drank deeply before answering. “Bad. Bloody. Steve got thrown from his cycle and died almost right away.” She paused, mourning yet another fallen friend then added, “I learned to drive a big rig though and that was cool.”

I appreciated her knack for finding something to celebrate in the midst of grief. Her comment might come off as callous but I understood she was taking joy where she could find it as we all were. I stared out at the pools of light spaced along the barricade. “I’m glad you came back.”

“
I’m sorry I left. I didn’t really want to but I convinced myself it was for the best. For you.”

I looked at her face, a pale oval in the darkness. “Why would you think that? I told you I wanted you here and I meant it.”

“
I know. That’s the problem. My track record with guys is…not good. I’m a sprinter not a long distance runner.”

“
I didn’t ask you to be anything other than who you are.”

“
But who I am, or at least who I’ve been in the past, doesn’t mesh with who
you
are. I was afraid I’d end up fucking things up and hurting you.” She set her bottle on the ground and leaned forward. “Or maybe I was afraid of being hurt so I did a preemptive bail.”

I remained silent, thinking carefully about what to say.

“
I like you a lot,” she continued. “More than I expected, which is scary, but I don’t want to bail this time. So what if we don’t have much in common—you’re a brain trust genius and I never even got my GED. I want to get to know each other and see where it leads. If there’s hurting, let it be later.”

“
I like you too,” I said at last. “And that’s scary for me too. You may have guessed I’m not exactly experienced with women. Relationships are tough enough in normal times, even harder when people you love might get killed any second. But I think that’s why we’ve got to take chances now more than ever. Hold onto any bit of happiness we can find.”

Her teeth flashed in the darkness. “See, I knew you were smarter than me. Now what should we do? Hug it out?”

I laughed, the burst of sound starling in the silence. “Yeah. I think we should.”

I rose, took her hand and pulled her into my arms, hugging her so hard she gave a little squeak. It felt good to have her face pressed against my chest and her arms clinging to me. I kissed her hair, and then she lifted her face and I kissed her mouth. Long, slow, exploring kisses were all that occupied my mind for the next bit of time, driving out worries which would still be waiting later.

At last we drew apart but I held onto her hand as we looked out over the sleeping town below. Her fingers clasped around mine were cold. “You should go get some rest. I’ll find you a ride back to my house.”

“
Are you going to sleep?”

“
No. I want to be close by in case I’m needed.”

“
Then I’ll stay too and keep you company while you use your big brain to come up with a way to save us all.” She plopped back into the lawn chair.

I hadn’t intended to stay on the roof much longer. There were plenty of things I could do to help out, but I sat in my chair too with my legs sprawled in front of me. After a few moments, I turned to say something to Ashleigh and found she was asleep, arms folded and chin on her chest.

The cheap lawn chairs weren’t conducive to relaxing yet I felt peaceful, my mind clear of the tensions that had been cobwebbing it so I could hardly think straight. Suddenly I saw the zombie situation as an equation to be solved rather than an insurmountable hurdle. We needed to eliminate large quantities of the undead at once. We had few resources but some which we knew were effective. How could I get those two things to cancel each other out?

The mouse worried away at the piece of cheese stuck in the trap then abruptly pulled the cheese free and the trap snapped shut. I sat up straight as a plan began to emerge. It was time for us to take the fight outside the wall and I knew exactly where the battlefield should be.

* * * * *

Chapter Fourteen

I awoke to find myself looking through metal bars at an empty hallway. At first I was completely disoriented not knowing where I was or why I didn’t feel alarmed to be behind bars. In fact I felt ridiculously happy. Then I remembered last night. Brian had shaken me awake up on the roof and led me inside. The cot in the jail cell had been the closest bed available and I’d been happy to collapse on it. Now I turned my head on the pillow to see Maureen in the next cell, reading a book.

“
Morning,” I said.