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There was killing to be done and she was quite efficient at it.
She dismissed the old woman in the mirror and walked out into the hallway. This floor was cleared and chalk checkmarks adorned all the doors. Moving at a quick pace, she felt comfortable in her role. Her gun was a cold, comforting presence in her arms.
As a young child growing up in Israel, she had been acutely aware of a world that was not always kind. Her mother was a survivor of the concentration camps where most of that side of the family had died.
Her father often said that he felt Nerit had inherited her mother's finely tuned senses and fighting spirit. At a young age he had taught her and her brothers to shoot and had been thrilled when his tiny daughter immediately showed an uncanny ability to hit the bull’s-eye every time. Soon he had her enrolled in competitions and many of the photos of her childhood were of her and her father standing proudly beside a shooting trophy.
Ah, her father…how she missed him. He had raised her to be strong and confident. Not once did he dissuade her from pursuing her dreams.
Her marksmanship had thrilled him. When she had been awarded a medal for her valor in the Six Day War, he had crafted a fine little display case for it.
His only disappointment had been her decision to marry instead of pursuing riflery and attempting to make the Israeli Olympic team. She wondered now how he would feel about her role in this bizarre afterlife of the once thriving planet. Her medals now were the shattered heads of the walking dead. Her accolades the thanks of those she saved. There was no real victory now, just the heavy burden of doing what must be done.
Thoughtfully, she turned and headed up the stairs. How vividly her Father’s face came to mind. She knew he would be proud of her and her bitter responsibility. Had he not raised her to defend her people and do what was right?
And the people in this tiny fort were her people. Through a strange string of events, she had ended up here in her twilight years. Her first husband had moved them to America in the mid-seventies and then passed away leaving her a single mother. She had remained in the country to build a life for her and the children before marrying her second husband. He had moved them out of New York to Texas where they had settled in Fort Worth. When he had divorced her for a much younger woman, she had decided to go on a hunting trip with some good friends and had ended up meeting the love of her life, Ralph. He had brought her to that wonderful hunting store in the hills while her children said their good-byes and returned to their homeland. She had firmly believed she would live there until she had left this world, but instead, Ralph had gone on without her. Now she was fighting for her life and the life of others in a tiny, makeshift fort in the middle of nowhere.
Sometimes, she thought wryly, it was if they were playing some terrible game of cowboys and Indians and hiding in their makeshift fort made of odds and ends. Of course, in this case, the Indians would eat the cowboys alive.
Entering the ninth floor, she began following the blue checkmarks on the doors. Things were moving more swiftly now that the end was in sight. She hoped they were not being rash in their actions.
Coming around a corner, she saw all of them at the end of the hall.
They were clearing another room and Katie and Travis were hanging back slightly, covering the ominous looking double doors that lead upwards to the last floor and its opulent ballroom. One of the double doors was slightly ajar and Nerit could see only darkness beyond it.
“How are we doing?” she called out.
Katie turned toward her and smiled slightly. “Okay. Nothing up here. I don't think anyone got this far. ”
Nerit strode down the hallway, ignoring the pain in her hip and the numbness in her toes. She hated getting old. “We still need to be careful. ”
“Room is clear,” Jenni said exiting the hotel room they had been searching.
Jenni was still hobbling, but trying not to look like she was. The poor girl was really beat up, but she was a scrappy fighter. Nerit had not been too sure about her when she had first met her. Jenni had been on the edge of a breakdown, but had somehow pulled away from it.
Yes, she was still a bit on the edge of crazy at times, but Nerit had a feeling it was what kept her going.
“We're heading upstairs,” Curtis said as he drew the checkmark on the door. “We're almost done. I sent Katarina, Felix, and Shane down to help the others. Juan is heading down into the basement to get the power on. ”
Jimmy just grunted.
Nerit gazed at him intently. She did not trust him. He was too afraid despite his bravado. Fear was normal, but you had to control it. Jimmy did not have that control.
Katie headed toward the double doors, her pistol held firmly in one hand. “I just want to get this over with. ”
Travis walked directly behind her. “I hear you there. ”
Jenni favored her leg as she began to follow and Curtis took her arm to help her.
Nerit raised her rifle as Katie neared the door to open it all the way.
The pricking on the back of her neck had automatically triggered her reflexes. She trusted her instincts.
Before Katie could even open the door all the way, the maid fell through the gap in the doors and right into Katie. Flinging up her arm to protect herself, Katie fell back. Travis launched into motion to pull the zombie off of Katie.
It was all in slow motion to Nerit. Each movement distinct and vivid to her. She could see the female zombie shaking her head, trying to rend flesh from Katie's arm as Katie screamed and Travis lurched forward.
Nerit became one with her rifle as she had so many times before and through its eagle eye, saw the top of the zombie's head. She fired and watched a blossom of blood explode into view then dissipate.
Travis kicked the dead zombie away as Katie stumbled backwards, staring at her arm.
“She bit her! She bit her!” Jimmy's voice, near hysteria.
“No!” Jenni rushed forward.
Nerit swung the rifle toward Katie and Katie's beautiful eyes danced before her. Like jewels, lovely, sparkling with life.
Then Travis' back was blocking her. He had stepped between her and Katie.
“Travis, back away,” Nerit ordered.
Travis paid her no heed and shouted, “You can't! You can't!”
Nerit took a step to one side and Katie came back into view. She was such a lovely girl. Nerit adored her, but she had a job to do. Katie would not want to become one of the undead. It would be a great injustice to such a strong woman.
“Nerit, no!” Travis shouted at her, blocking Katie once more from view.
Jenni sobbed uncontrollably, one hand pressed over her mouth.
Nerit could hear Katie whispering Travis' name softly, a sob in her voice.
“Travis,” Nerit said firmly. “Step aside and do what is right. ”
“It didn't go through!” Travis whirled around. “The bite! It didn't go through. ” He was holding Katie's arm out for Nerit to see. The pressure from the zombie’s mouth and hands had made enormous bruises, but there was no sign of the skin being broken. The heavy denim jacket Katie had been wearing had not torn.
“Thank God,” Jenni exclaimed and flung her arms around Katie.
Katie looked dazed and held tightly to Jenni.
Nerit lowered her rifle and walked slowly toward them. She felt hope rising within her, but she could not give it purchase of her emotions just yet. At times she hated this coldness within her. That enormous cold splinter that sliced through her soul. The place she could go when she needed to not feel and not care. It had always been there. Even as a child. It was cold and bitter and her burden to carry.
She was the woman who did what must be done.
Taking Katie's arm in her hand lightly, she turned it this way and that. Her keen eyes examined the brutal purple and green bruising. No puncture. No broken skin. No wound.
S
tepping back, she nodded.
For a second, she let herself feel the pure joy that that came from knowing that she would not have to release Katie from this nightmare world, but then she shoved it away.
For there was work to be done…
“Let’s move on,” Nerit said firmly and turned on her heel and started up the stairs to the ballroom.
5. The Top of the World
Travis wasn't sure he could even breathe anymore. Seeing the zombie lurch out of the darkness to fasten itself on Katie had been one of the worst moments of his entire life. In fact, he was pretty sure this day was responsible for all the worst moments of his life.
From the dining room massacre to Jenni's appearance on the balcony and everything in between, he had felt his hold on his emotions slipping. He had not experienced the sheer horror of the first days as Katie and Jenni had until today. The zombies had always seemed so far away and impersonal. But today, there was no denying their absolute power to terrify and destroy when there were no barriers between the living and the dead.
Moving slowly up the stairs after Nerit, he struggled not to hate her.
She walked in silence, her head up, her gaze sweeping back and forth, shoulders relaxed, but ready. He resented how she was so hyper-aware of all around her and how coldly she dealt with situations that made him feel ready to shit his pants. And he hated how easily she killed those they called friends once the worst has happened and they were on their way out of this world.