Katie smiled widely and flung her arms around Nerit in a tight hug.
"Thank you. Thank you for everything you've done for us."
"Nuff of that. Sun is climbing. If you are going to round trip it today, gotta start now," Ralph said from behind them.
Nerit let go of Katie and nodded. "I'll be in position." She headed toward the stairs, snagging her sniper rifle off the counter on her way.
Katie stuffed the bag of ammo in her backpack, grabbed the cooler, and followed Ralph.
"Nerit will toss the decoy in five minutes. You head out the back door.
She'll cover from up top. I'll cover from the door. Both of you, keep your eyes sharp and head for the truck."
Katie and Jenni looked at each other and that gaze steadied each other.
They were ready. Backpacks adorned both their backs. Katie slung the cooler by its long strap over her shoulder. Each had a gun in their hand. In Jenni's extra hand she carried another backpack, that she would drop if she had to.
Katie held the truck keys.
A few minutes later a lot of noise erupted in the front of the building. A man's voice talking loudly about the zombie infestation quickly drew the attention of any of the undead milling behind the store. Through a slit in the curtains, Ralph saw most of them head around the side of the building.
"Now!"
Katie flung open the door and ran. The truck was parked under a small carport about 15 feet from the back door, but it seemed an eternity away. She could hear Jenni right behind her, Jack bringing up the rear.
Shots erupted almost immediately. Out of the corner of her eye she saw something drop.
A man came running around the truck, screeching with his hands flung out. Katie raised her gun and fired. It seemed like an almost point blank shot.
His head exploded in a volcano of gore, and he was down. Another shot to her side told her Ralph and Nerit were covering them.
Her finger kept pressing the button to unlock the truck as she ran and finally she heard the singsong sound of the alarm flicking off and the click of the doors unlocking. Jenni reached the truck first and opened the passenger side.
"Jack, in," Jenni ordered and turned to see a woman coming around the side of the building. It was a very old woman, still clutching a cane in one hand, but still running at a surprising speed. The retort of Jenni's gun stabbed her eardrums, but the woman went down. Flinging the extra backpack in, then shedding her own swiftly, Jenni was momentarily clear of any zombies.
Katie reached the truck and started to open the door when someone grabbed her. A baby, on the ground, had her foot.
"Shit!" She flung the cooler into the truck, trying to shake the baby off her foot. There was no way it could ever bite through her boot with its baby teeth, but it was hissing and trying hard to crawl up her leg.
"They're coming around, Katie! Just go," Ralph's voice ordered and she heard the door slam shut to the store.
Katie shook free of the mutilated baby that was maybe eleven months old and slammed her foot down on its head. Using it as a step, she slid in backward, backpack first.
Three zombies were closing fast on her side and she raised her gun and fired. The first one went down, the second spun around as the shot took it in the shoulder, but the third was on her.
At the last second, she managed to raise her gore-splattered foot and slam it into its chest before it reached her. Its hands scrabbled at her pant leg, but it didn't seem smart enough to bend down and bite it. Its eyes were strictly on her face, its hands straining for her. Its face was so mangled she wasn't sure if it was a man or a woman.
The truck door on the other side slammed shut. Over her shoulder Jenni's hand appeared holding her gun. Katie twisted her torso to the side as Jenni rammed the gun into the thing's face and fired.
Katie felt her ears go numb.
Blood splattered both of them and Jenni reached out and slammed the door shut just as Katie drew her legs all the way in.
Hitting the button on the side panel, Jenni locked them safely inside the cab.
Katie shrugged off the backpack and tossed it into the backseat where Jack already sat, growling and barking out the back window at the swiftly approaching zombies.
More shots rang out and Jenni looked anxiously over one shoulder. "I think the radio in the dummy ruse is over."
"There are more than we expected," Katie said.
Katie's fingers were trembling so hard she could barely get the key into the ignition, but she finally managed to slide it in and twist. The engine roared to life and she quickly reversed.
She could feel the thunk of several bodies hitting the back end of the truck. She shifted and aimed for two runners trying to head her off as her foot pushed down on the accelerator. They bounced off the deer guard in a graceful arch.
"Nailed 'em!" Jenni laughed and clapped her hands.
Moving swiftly down the gravel drive that cut behind the hunting store, the truck sent several zombies hurtling either into the building or into the grass and down a steep embankment behind the store.
Katie turned the truck onto the main road and floored it.
"You girls safe," a voice cackled.
Jenni grabbed the hand held CB transceiver off its holder and pushed the button. "Roger that! We are safe and en route to rescue point!"
Katie smothered a laugh that was born of both amusement and a little hysteria.
"We're a little more infested than we thought. I think some of the bed and breakfast folks had a large crowd in town. We'll try to clean them up as much as we can before you get back tonight," Ralph answered. There was a long pause. "Katie, you didn't get bit did ya? That guy was right on ya."
Jenni's eyes widened and she looked at Katie anxiously.
"I'm fine. Tell him I'm fine." Except for the ringing in her ears, that was.
Jenni sighed with relief. "She's okay. We're both okay."
"Good. Now you girls take care out there. Come back safe."
"Roger that. Over and out." Jenni carefully put the CB transceiver back on its hook and strapped herself into her seat with the seatbelt.
Katie once more marveled at how well Jenni was doing. From dazed survivor to gun-toting mama, but then again, she had a feeling that this may have been the most living Jenni had ever done.
"We're gonna do this and come back, "Jenni said firmly.
Katie nodded. "Yes, we are," she agreed with determination.
But deep down inside, she had a horrible feeling that things were not going to go quite as they hoped.
2. Hell Has Highways
The drone of the road was steady and unwavering as the truck roared over the slowly warming asphalt. The sun was climbing and would soon be an unmerciful tormentor of heat and light. Jack lay snoozing in the back seat with his nose tucked beneath his front paws all doggy contentedness and cuteness.
Jenni smiled at him and looked back toward the road. Ralph's truck was much more luxurious than the truck they had escaped from the city with. It was a much bigger truck that sat higher off the ground and the seats were leather and very comfortable. The CB had been quiet for awhile after their last check-in. They had listened to the emergency broadcasting radio network for a short time, but as Ralph said, it was just bullshit. Jenni found it amusing that she understood more of what was going on than officials in high places because of her steady diet of zombie flicks thanks to her asshole of a husband.
Glancing at Katie, she was relieved to see her companion looking cool and in control. Katie was wearing very sporty men's sunglasses that made her look like a cop and that thought sent Jenni into a fit of giggles. Katie just peered over the tops of the sunglasses and slowly stuck out her tongue.
It was a huge relief to know exactly how things were supposed to be now. Yesterday-oh, God! It was just yesterday! - Jenni had spent the morning swinging between sheer panic and a trance-like state. By afternoon, she had felt safe in Katie's presence and confident her new friend would see them through all of this. A heroine was filling the usual hero role and Jenni accepted that. Where she had made the mistake was thinking that just because Katie was a lesbian, she was merely a man in a woman's skin.
But last night, seeing Katie naked, sobbing, overwhelmed with grief, Jenni had seen that Katie was all woman, with a woman's reaction to things, a woman's emotions, a woman's way of dealing with it. Then she had gone and been a damn fool trying to comfort her like she was a man.
Even now, in the truck, Jenni blushed at the thought of her awkward attempt to kiss Katie. No, she hadn't felt any attraction to her or even particularly wanted to even try to be with a woman. But Jenni was used to putting aside her needs and her desires for the men in her life. First her father, then her brother, then her husband. She had shut up, put up, and dealt with whatever they wanted from her.
But Katie…
Jenni smiled at her affectionately.
Katie caught her look out of the corner of her eye and gave her a quick glance. "What?"
Jenni kept smiling goofy.
Katie just kind of laughed and turned her gaze back to the road. "You try kissing me again…"
Jenni laughed. "Noooooooooo!" She snuggled down in the seat and pulled the map onto her lap. "We're looking for the handsome black leading man. I'll kiss him."