The Durango idled at the next crossroads waiting for the lumbering zombies to grow closer. There were so many of the hungry dead. They clogged up the road, filled the ditches and extended into the trees.

Despite the air conditioner being set to recycle the air in the Durango, the stench was growing unbearable.

Thousands of outstretched hands reached toward their vehicle as the zombies marched toward them. They were gray and somewhat blackened by the sun. Their bristled hair stood up around their heads in the humidity and heat. Their clothes were almost unrecognizable as they clung to their decomposing flesh.

Men and women, young and old, shambled toward them. There were no signs of runners and that was a relief.

"Dear G.o.d, Bill, one is in a wheelchair," Katarina gasped.

A terribly eaten zombie was rolling its way down the road. It was being swept along by the other bodies around it.

Bill arched his neck to see, then began to laugh his huge bellowing chuckle. "s.h.i.t, babe, don't that beat all."

A tiny little boy, a cap still on his head, baseball bat in one hand, his cherubic face somehow still cute in death, reached the Durango and banged on the door with his fist. Katarina leaned over into the backseat to look down at him. In another time, this little guy could be any little leaguer banging on his Mom's SUV after a hard game. But this child didn't whine or smile, it hissed and growled.

The boy began to hit the Durango with his baseball bat.

"Time to go," Katarina said.

Bill watched as more zombies came within a few feet of the Durango. "I agree."

Slowly, the Durango moved forward onto the side road that would head into the west and away from the fort.

Almost in unison, the zombies turned to follow, the little boy dragging his baseball bat on the asphalt.

* * * * * "So why are lesbians hot but gay men aren't to you Neanderthal straight men?" Ken asked. He felt contrary. He sat in the pa.s.senger seat, arms across his chest, staring out the window.

"Uh, cause women are hot," Dale answered.

"I have it on good authority that I'm hot," Ken responded. "By many many women and men."

"Eh," was all Dale said, then shrugged. He was grinning. He enjoyed giving Ken a hard time.

"I'm so not eh. I am anything but eh. I am a good and solid hunk of a man.

Before I came out of the closet I had so many women after me, I was a stud." Ken frowned at Dale. "A total stud after I came out as well. It is not my freaking fault the world died and did not provide an adequate pool of gay men for me."

"I'm sure there are guys in the fort who are gay but aren't out," Dale answered.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure of it. My money is that you're not the only Nancy boy."

Ken sighed. "Well, they're so deep in the closet I can't find them."

"It'll happen. When the time is right," Dale a.s.sured him.

"Are you sure you're not gay?" Ken arched an eyebrow at him.

"Yep. Tried it...kinda...once. Well, actually I thought she was a girl. She was a guy."

"Real Crying Gamish, huh?"

"Yeah," Dale nodded. "She was d.a.m.n hot, too. Until you know...that."

"You brute! You turned her down over that?"

"Hey, I tried. I just couldn't." Dale looked at Ken very solemnly. "I did try.

I really did. I just..."

Ken let out a soft sigh. "I know. I feel the same way about girls. Love Lenore. She's my girl. If she were a guy, maybe she'd be my groove thing, but..."

"Sometimes love ain't enough," Dale sighed. "But at least I got laid last night."

"Did not!"

"Oh, yeah. Sure did!"

"Who? Tell!"

"Peggy."

"No!"

"Yep."

"She's a dirty wh.o.r.e!" Ken frowned, clearly jealous.

"Oh, yeah," Dale answered with satisfaction.

"No fair! I didn't get laid! I'm laidless. No fair!"

Suddenly, Dale reached out and grabbed Ken's shoulder.

"Okay, if you insist!" Ken joked, then saw the look on Dale's face. Turning, Ken gasped as he saw a horde of zombies emerging from the trees next to them.

"They shouldn't be here!" Dale grabbed the radio. "We got hundreds of zombies at our location. A ma.s.sive horde. Do you read me?"

In a panic, Ken hit the Lock b.u.t.ton and the doors all locked.

"Repeat that," Kevin's voice answered.

"We got zombies," Dale answered, then muttered, "Oh, s.h.i.t" and tossed the mouthpiece to Ken. Shifting gears, the Durango lurched forward as the zombies began to encircle it. The vehicle smashed into a few undead then rolled down the street out of their grasp.

"Zombies everywhere. Coming out of the trees on both sides of us. Oh, s.h.i.t, and up the road. I thought you got them to turn to the west," Ken screamed into the radio.

"Pull back," Kevin ordered. "We must have missed some in the recon."

"I should say so," Ken snapped back. "Because, brotha, they are all over the freaking place."

Dale shifted gears again and began to turn the big vehicle around. The narrow road didn't allow a full u-turn, so he had to back up to readjust the angle again.

"We are totally surrounded! This is not good," Ken shouted into the radio.

Dale backed up to readjust one more time when the wave of zombies. .h.i.t the truck in full force. It was an unrelenting wall of flesh, bone and decay that pushed in with such force, the Durango rocked. Moaning, desperate faces filled the windows as claw-like hands scrabbled at the doors.

"f.u.c.k," Ken whispered into the mouthpiece, then dropped it.

The moans of the hungry zombies was deafening.

Dale reversed and tried to back up but it was as if the truck was trying to push its way through a brick wall. The zombies barely yielded and the press against the truck from all sides continued.

"Dale," Ken said softly.

"I know," Dale answered.

The Durango was now being pushed across the road, despite Dale's attempts to floor it. There was too much pressure coming against the vehicle from the enormous wave of zombies coming up through the forest.

Sliding sideways, the truck protested as the metal groaned against the constant a.s.sault. Ken screamed as a zombie's body pressed against his window began to pop and split apart like a ripe melon.

"s.h.i.t, oh, s.h.i.t," Ken whispered. He heard Kevin's voice demanding to know their status, but he ignored it. Dale was cussing so colorfully Ken would have been impressed if he wasn't so d.a.m.n scared.

Then the truck was pushed over into the ditch on the side of the road. The undead in the ditch were squashed beneath the truck, but more took their place beating and pushing against the Durango. The two men inside ended up lying on the driver's side windows, staring up at the zombies swarming on top of the capsized vehicle.

"We're not gonna make it, are we?" Ken asked, his voice catching.

"Nope," Dale answered.

They both watched in horrible fascination as one of the zombies began to beat against the window with a rock. Cracks slowly began to spread across the gla.s.s.

"Nope. We're not, Ken."

"Oh, G.o.d," Ken whispered, covering his mouth in horror.

Dale pulled the smaller man into his arms and cradled Ken's head against his chest. "It's okay, Ken."

Ken sobbed softly into his chest.. "Lenore is going to kill me."

"At least you know someone loved you," Dale consoled him.

"Yeah," Ken whispered as the gla.s.s shattered and rained down around them. "Yeah. I do."

"Ready to go?"

Ken watched Dale flick the safety off his pistol. Pressing his lips tightly together, he nodded.

"I'll do it for both of us."

Ken nodded fervently, unable to speak anymore.

Dale kissed Ken's forehead gently as he brought up his gun. "Sleep tight, Ken," he said, and fired.

Ignoring the bits of brain and blood splattered over him, Dale wrapped his arm tightly around Ken's shoulders and took a deep breath.

"I'm right behind you, buddy."

Just as the first of the zombies fell into the truck on top of them, Dale pushed the gun into his mouth and fired.

2. The Helpless Living Despite everything going on in the outside world in the deadlands, Katie fell asleep on the couch in the communication center. She had felt drained all morning. When she had laid down on the sofa, she hadn't expected to fall asleep, but she had.

She awoke to someone crying out.

It was Travis she saw first, his face strained and tears in his eyes. Peggy sat at the communication hub sobbing loudly, her hands over her face.

"What happened?" Katie asked in a hoa.r.s.e voice.

"Ken and Dale..." Travis' voice broke. "We think they're gone."

"No," Katie whispered.

Peggy wiped her tears on the bottom of her t-shirt and again pressed down the b.u.t.ton on the microphone in front of her. "Dale, Ken, please respond. What is your status?"

Only cackling static responded.

"What happened?"

"They said zombies came out of the forest and surrounded them. It sounded like they were trying to drive away then the line went silent,"

Travis answered.

"Oh, G.o.d," Katie exclaimed.

"What's worse is that they hadn't left the departure point. Which means the zombies are further ahead than we thought," Travis said in a hollow voice.

Juan stepped into the room. "We're taking off in the other helicopter. I'll let you know what we find."

"Be careful out there," Travis answered.

Peggy continued to try to raise the two missing men.

"I will be," Juan a.s.sured him, then was gone.

Katie sat up slowly and curled up on the sofa, tears. Her arms folded over her belly as though to shield her unborn child from all this terror. The loss of life in the last few months was staggering. How much more could they endure?

"I wish Nerit was here," Peggy said through her sobs. "I wish she was here.

She'd know what to do. No offense, Travis, but she would."