The door to the storeroom opened, and Nerit stood in the doorway. The older woman had her yellowed, silver hair drawn back from her face and her sniper rifle was slung over one shoulder. By her reddened cheeks, it looked like she had just come off duty.

"The team just got back, Peggy. I think Yolanda is struggling with the communication center and lost track of them for a few minutes. Could you go check on her? Make sure she has it down?" Nerit asked.

"Sure thing," Peggy answered, handing off her clipboard to Katie. "I told Curtis that one CB was shorting out. But did he listen? Oh, no."

Katie listened to Peggy complain all the way down the hall, her voice fading away.

"How are you feeling?" Nerit asked. She slowly stepped into the room, and Katie noticed that the she was favoring one leg again. She wasn't sure if anyone else realized that the woman in her early sixties was moving more slowly than usual.

"I'm good. I just have a few more boxes to go through then I'll have an updated list for you." Katie motioned to the last shelf of ammunition she had to count.

Nerit tilted her head slightly, looking at the battered boxes nearby. "Well, I'll finish for you. Jenni just got back and she's asking for you. I think it got bad out there. She's down in the paddock getting scrubbed down and checked for bites by Charlotte."

"Ugh! She hates that." Katie handed over the clipboard.

"It can't be helped. Jenni has closer contact with the zombies than most.

She punched one last week." Nerit shook her head. "She's taking too many risks again."

"I'll talk to her," Katie a.s.sured the older woman.

"Thank you. I would, but she really doesn't listen to anyone but you."

"That's the curse of being her best friend." Katie winked and trudged out the door.

The hotel's ground floor was packed with people as shifts finished. Weary groups were making their way toward the elevators while a few lounged on the plush couches chatting. A new group of people, looking sh.e.l.lshocked and tired, were being checked into the hotel by Ken.

"Got Muslims now," Curtis said, startling her. She hadn't realized he was next to her.

"What?"

Curtis nodded toward the older man and woman dressed in traditional Indian garb. "Muslims."

"I think they may be Hindu," Katie answered.

"Still heathens," Curtis said, shaking his head. "Don't know if we should be taking in heathens."

Katie turned to gaze at Curtis, her disapproval clearly reflected in her expression. "Really?"

"Well, we're a G.o.d-fearing group, Katie. Bringing in other kinds is gonna cause trouble," Curtis answered, his boyish face flush with emotion. "It's rough enough keeping things going as it is."

"Curtis, people are people. We can't start picking and choosing or we'll end up just like the Vigilante. Offing people because we don't approve of them."

A look of horror washed over the younger person's face and he stepped back from her. "I-I-I didn't mean..."

Feeling bad for the harshness in her tone, Katie hugged him. "It's okay, Curtis. We're all freaking out just a bit."

He clung to her for a second, then sheepishly stepped back. His face was so red, Katie felt embarra.s.sed for him.

Jenni stomped in, hair damp, face flushed, dressed in a big bathrobe with a bag slung over one shoulder. She was holding her boots in one hand and wrinkled her nose at Katie.

"Charlotte declared my clothes totaled. I really liked those jeans!"

Katie grinned, snagging Jenni's free hand. "Oh, c'mon. It's just an excuse to go dig a new pair out of the inventory."

"Yeah, but still! They looked good! I looked five pounds smaller!"

"You are five pounds smaller," Katie pointed out. The people in the fort were slimmer now. Food was carefully distributed at each meal. Though people ate their fill, they were not overeating. Also, the hard work that always had to be done was whittling the fat off of beer bellies and strengthening muscles.

Katie noted Curtis making his escape, but she let him go. The poor guy was so easily fl.u.s.tered. She felt bad for the young man. He was the youngest of the Ashley Oaks police force and its only survivor.

"I got stuff to show you!" Jenni patted the bag at her side. "I had fun out there until..." She waved her hand, wiping away the pain that lingered in her eyes. "Enough of that. I'm back. Safe. Sound. Move on."

Katie knew better than to push Jenni. "When do I get to see?"

"In your room. It's top secret stuff."

"I will not be treated in this manner!" The sharp female voice rang out in the lobby, slicing through the drone of conversation. A big candle hurtled through the air and slammed into a painting, sending it to the ground with a loud crash.

Blanche Mann, the town's richest woman before the zombie rising and the meanest b.i.t.c.h most of them had encountered, stomped into the lobby, her high heels clicking loudly against the tiles.

Linda, Juan's younger cousin, ducked as another candle hurtled over her head. "You said you would give me the Imotrex if I cleaned your hotel room!"

"You call that cleaning? That is the most p.i.s.s poor job I have ever seen!

You didn't even polish my shoes or iron Stephen's clothes!" Blanche was in a fury.

"Look, b.i.t.c.h, give me the Imotrex! We need it for the clinic!" Linda was a lithe little thing and easily ducked another candle. She wasn't about to be intimidated. She put her hands on her hips and glowered at the other woman. "I did what you asked. Pay up!"

"I caught you going through my things trying to find something to steal!"

"I was looking for the pills that you promised me!"

"You're a thief and I'm going to report you to Bill!" Blanche tossed back her heavily sprayed hair and began shouting for Bill.

"Call him, you stupid b.i.t.c.h, and I'll tell him how you scammed me!"

Linda kicked a chair with agitation.

"You stupid, thieving spic!"

That was enough for Katie. She stepped between Blanche and Linda.

"Calm down, Blanche, and give it a few minutes. We'll get this sorted out.

You don't need to resort to insults." Katie said in a soft, calm voice.

"Get out of my face!"

Blanche shoved Katie back with both hands. Linda caught Katie as she stumbled back.

The next few minutes were sheer chaos. Jenni swooped in like an avenging angel, shouting in Spanish. Curtis tried to intercept her, only to be pushed out of the way. Blanche commenced screaming about her sister, the Texas state senator, and why she deserved to be treated better.

Katie wasn't hurt by Blanche's push, but everyone seemed to think she should sit down, much to her chagrin.

It wasn't until Bill showed up that any semblance of order returned to the hotel lobby. He got everyone separated and ordered everyone not involved to move on.

"She said if I cleaned her pigpen of a room she would give me Imotrex.

Manny is suffering really bad migraines, and I wanted to get him some pills. We ran out a few weeks ago, and none of the supply runs have brought in any more." Linda explained with her voice edged with her anger.

"She did a s.h.i.tty job, tried to steal stuff, and has no right to lip off at me!"

Blanche tossed back her hair and glowered at Bill. "Besides, I don't have the Imotrex here. She'll have to go to my house and get it."

"What? You didn't say that!"

Katie caught Linda's arm before she could launch herself at Blanche.

Jenni grabbed Linda's other arm and whispered something to her in Spanish.

Bill sighed softly and shook his head. "Blanche, we took everything we could use out of your house."

"You thieves! How dare you!"

"Calm down. We told Stephen all about it. We take what we can to maintain the fort wherever we can. You know that."

"You're a bunch of thieves! I can't believe this!"

"f.u.c.k this," Linda growled. She pulled away from Katie and Jenni, shaking her head. "I can't believe I was fooled by that b.i.t.c.h! I'm not doing a d.a.m.n thing for you ever again!" She stalked off. Curtis fell in behind her, motioning to Bill that he'd calm her down.

Bill shifted his belt up over his belly. "Blanche, you best just let this drop.

You did Linda wrong and everyone knows it. You ain't making many friends around here."

"I don't need friends. I should have left when my sister told me to. I'd be with her, safe and sound, and not dealing with you disgusting hicks."

Blanche whirled around on her high heels and stalked off.

Bill let out a long, slow sigh.

"She's such a wh.o.r.e," Jenni decided.

"Her sister is even worse. I had the displeasure of meeting her more than once." Katie rubbed her belly, feeling very tired.

"I didn't vote for her," Jenni grumbled. "Of course, I never voted, but..."

She shrugged.

Bill hooked his thumbs over his belt and looked thoughtful. "She's trouble. We all know it. It sucks that she scammed Linda like that, but she's not used to being ordinary folk and taking care of her own needs.

Her money is worthless now and she can't get anyone to help her keep her place clean. Stephen is even more helpless."

"I'm not going to feel bad for her," Katie said in a low voice.

"Don't expect you to," Bill answered. "But we need to remember she's a very unhappy viper. She's gonna strike out at whoever is closest to her at any given moment."

"We should make a suggestion box for the Vigilante," Jenni murmured. "I got a name to shove into it."

"Jenni, behave." Katie hooked her fingers through her friend's and squeezed.

With a sigh, Jenni relaxed her stance and tugged Katie to her feet. "Let's get out of here."

Bill's expression was thoughtful as the two women walked toward the elevators. Finally, with a shrug, he walked on.

"Poor Bill," Jenni said softly. "He has to deal with all the crazy s.h.i.t."

"What isn't crazy nowadays?" Katie asked, arching a brow.

Jenni laughed. "True dat."

2. Rough Spots.

Nerit watched as the small bonfire sparked and blew dark smoke up into the graying sky. Another supply run was done and the storage rooms were restocked. But with that gain, came more loss. As she watched Charlotte burning the blood soaked clothing of some of the returning fort members, she couldn't help but think of Bob lying out there beside the road. If possible, some fort volunteers would retrieve him and dispose of what remained of his corpse in the landfill. Proper burial was a thing of the past.

"One loss," Ed said beside her, as if reading her thoughts. "And seven more people to feed and care for."

"It never balances out," Nerit answered.

"Rune, the long haired one, says he's moving on after the ice storm. The rest say they want to stay." Ed was chewing some tobacco he had managed to snag at a convenience store.

Nerit was indulging in another cigarette, grateful the salvage team had brought more boxes. She wasn't picky about the brand anymore. The cigarettes calmed her nerves and were her one small luxury in this life without Ralph. She missed her husband everyday, but she couldn't think too long about his death or she began to feel tired and old.

"Lenore snuck back a whole bunch of beauty supplies for Ken," Ed added after a few beats. "I just looked the other way."

"I would have, too. People need a few pleasures."

"I think they're gonna set up a beauty shop." Ed's craggy face broke into a slight smile.

Nerit laughed. "Honestly, I think that may help morale. Life has felt pretty heavy lately."

In the distance, cold rain was falling in a gray curtain over the hills.

"My boys were hoping I'd ask you out."