The zombies were in a frenzy now, the old structure shaking apart. Curtis hunched down by the open doorway and watched, feeling cold and disconnected from those around him. Linda reached out and hooked the safety harness and Curtis watched the two women struggle to get it on her. He could imagine Bette telling Linda, “You first.” He saw their heads draw together in what he knew was a kiss, then Bette signaled for them to hoist Linda up.
As Linda swung over the heads of the zombies, they leaped at her, forgetting the barn temporarily. Curtis watched Linda’s bloodied upturned face as she was pulled up to safety. He loved how her brown hair swam in the wind around her face. He imagined touching it. Then Linda was being pulled into the helicopter and struggling out of the harness.
“Hurry! Hurry!” Linda didn’t even acknowledge him, but clung to safety straps just inside the doorway to watch the harness descend to Bette. “Her arm is broken! She made me come first.”
4. The Restless Dead
The zombies returned to shaking the barn, pieces of it breaking off. It was beginning to list to one side and Bette was holding on for dear life with her one good arm.
“Bring it back up,” Kevin ordered, and the harness was drawn back up.
“No! No! Don’t leave her,” Linda screamed at him. “No!”
“I’m not,” Kevin answered, shrugging into the harness and securing it. Then he pushed out of the helicopter as Ed lowered him down.
Again, the zombies paid attention to the food dangling over their heads and not at the woman clinging to the roof of the barn. Curtis looked toward Linda and saw her gaze was firmly fastened on Bette.
Kevin reached Bette, his feet just barely out of reach of the zombies leaping up at him. Stretching out his hand, he motioned to her. Struggling to stand, Bette reached out with her good hand. Several zombies hit the barn again, with such force, it knocked Bette off balance and she lurched forward.
Kevin barely grabbed her arm as the zombies below grabbed her booted feet. Twisting and kicking, Bette struggled to break free. Kevin’s hands tightened their grip and he hooked his legs around her waist and pulled her up as hard as he could. But still the zombies held on. Curtis could see that both of them were screaming. Beside him Linda’s cries of fear were ear shattering. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to care. He hoped the bitch died.
“Fuck this,” Greta said, pulling the big bird upwards.
*
Bette screamed as the zombies held onto her legs. She felt like she was being pulled in two. Kevin had such a tight grip on her, she could barely breathe. She kicked and twisted hard and finally managed to get free of most of the gripping hands.
Swinging upward, Kevin and Bette dangled over the barn as one lone zombie held firmly to Bette’s foot. It was a woman in a house dress and to Bette’s horror, it began to pull itself upwards. Its drawn back black lips and toothy grimace made Bette scream with sheer terror. The tiny blond tried to push the creature off with her other foot. The abnormally fast creature grabbed it and began to draw itself toward her exposed shin. The accident had torn Bette’s pant leg and her skin was a tasty lure for the gaping maw of the zombie.
Both her legs trapped by the creature, Bette struggled, but not so much as to have Kevin lose his grip. The zombie’s teeth gnashed together as it drew closer to her flesh. The young woman could not tear her eyes from the zombie as it strained to reach her tender skin. Bette felt Kevin let go of her with one arm and she screamed in terror as she felt as if she was about to drop. The zombies head exploded as Kevin shot it. The creature’s fingers went slack and it tumbled to the ground.
Pulling her up, Kevin held her as Bette sobbed with pain and relief.
*
Curtis watched the scene with cold detachment, but he put a smile on his face when Kevin and Bette fell into a heap inside the helicopter. Linda shoved everyone aside and gathered Bette up into her arms..
“I promised you a happy ending, babe,” Bette shouted to Linda and pressed a fervent kiss to her lips.
“Are you bit?” Curtis asked, hoping she was.
“No, no! The car accident banged us up,” Linda answered.
“Gotta check,” Ed said, then did just that.
Curtis almost hoped Bette or Linda or both were bitten. Instead, Ed nodded that they were okay and the women cried with relief.
“Now what?” Greta asked as she swung the copter around. Below a long steady stream of zombies were stumbling past the field and the destroyed Durango toward the west.
Kevin fell into the seat next to her and donned his headset.
“Now, what?” she repeated.
Kevin hesitated, then said, “Signal the next Durango for phase two.”
Chapter 29
1. Hordes
Dale and Ken had sat in silence in their Durango listening to the drama unfold. Neither one of them had dared to interfere or make suggestions as they had heard the desperate voices over the cackling of the radio. Once or twice they had each uttered ‘shit’ or ‘dammit,’ but otherwise had been silent.
When the word came through that Linda and Bette were safe, Ken let out a sigh of relief and collapsed against the dashboard. “Oh, God, I was praying so hard I thought my head would explode.”
“Well, at least they didn’t get ate,” Dale decided. “Guess that proves the Baptists wrong, eh? The hot lesbians live to kiss another day.”
“You’re really sick, you know,” Ken chided flirtatiously.
“Yeah, I know,” Dale answered, winking. “And that’s why you like me.”
Ken blushed deeply.
*
In Bill and Katarina’s Durango, they too had listened in silence, their fingers intertwined. It was far too easy to imagine themselves in the place of the two women. The thought of losing each other was too much to bear.
At last, when they knew that the women were rescued, they hugged each other tightly. “I love you, Bill,” Katarina whispered.
“I love you, Kit-Kat,” he answered, giving her a gruff kiss.
“Durango Two, prepare to depart,” Kevin’s voice said through the radio static.
“That’s us, honey,” Bill said, kissing her one more time. He ran his hand over her long red braid then sat back in the driver’s seat and steadied his nerves. Shifting into drive, he looked up at the helicopter drifting into view. “Let’s hope it goes better for us.” “I’m praying something awfully fierce,” Katarina answered softly. “But if it’s our time, I just pray that the Good Lord gives us time to do what we need to.”
With sadness in his eyes, Bill nodded.
“Durango Two, depart,” Kevin said.
*
“We almost lost Bette and Linda,” Travis said to Katie and Juan as they entered the communication center. “But they’re okay.” “Shit,” Juan uttered. “How?”