2. When All That Is Left Is Goodbye
“So this is what the last day of your life feels like,” Katie mused as she stood in the moving elevator waiting for the doors to open. “Yep,” Nerit answered from beside her.
“Pretty much,” Travis said as he rubbed her back.
“Sucks, huh?” Juan gave her a slight smile. “Feels...” Katie struggled for the word.
“Normal,” Nerit offered.
“Boring,” Travis decided.
“Annoying,” Juan finished.
Katie laughed and turned to look at all three of them. “You’re all twisted.”
Travis grinned his goofy smile. “Yeah, but...”
“It’s a good day to die,” Kevin said from the corner of the elevator. Katie flicked her gaze at him and shook her finger at him. “Oh, no! I’m not dying.”
“Keeping it positive, huh, babe?”
“Or just annoyingly optimistic,” Juan decided.
“Or she knows something you don’t know,” Nerit teased as the doors opened to the foyer off the ballroom.
It was crammed full of people leaving off their small children, the elderly and the disabled. It had been planned that anyone not involved in the battle would remain at the highest point in the fort. Despite the tension flowing through the room, the sounds were muted and tender. People held their loved ones one last time as they said goodbye.
Katie stepped out and to the side as the others filed out. Everyone was not only saying goodbye but eating breakfast tacos laid out on the buffet tables and drinking coffee. Jack came bounding up to her and she leaned down to hug him.
“Hey, boy,” she whispered, and he licked her face. She flashed back on the old days on the road with Jenni, the dog tucked between them as they rode into the west in their beat up truck, and she smiled a sad smile. “Who thought we’d come this far, huh?” Jack woofed at her, then took off to weave his way through the crowd back to Juan’s four children. The kids were in the ballroom sitting around Juan’s grandmother’s wheelchair munching away on tacos.
“She gave me four kids,” Juan said to Katie.
Looking toward him, she lifted an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
“Loca. She couldn’t have anymore kids, but she found a way to give me four. Two boys, two girls.” Juan grinned. “That woman had a way of getting her way, huh?”
Katie smiled with bitter sweetness. “Yes, she did.”
Pulling her close, Juan held Katie, then kissed her cheek. “Thank you for bringing my Loca to me.”
Tears sprang instantly into her eyes and she couldn’t speak.
Juan seemed to understand and patted her cheek, then headed over to his kids.
Her husband drew near and smoothed her golden hair back from her eyes. Cupping her face, Travis kissed her lips, then pressed his forehead to hers. “We’re going to make it.”
Katie nodded vehemently. “Of course.”
The elevator doors slid open behind them and an ungodly smell hit them. Wincing, Katie looked toward Calhoun, satellite dish hat intact, looming in the opening.
“Calhoun, what is--” Travis started to ask.
“One of the traps is disconnected on the east side,” Calhoun exclaimed, waving his hands in front of him. “Gawddamn mind waves of the clones are disrupting my instruments and--”
“Cal, hold on,” Nerit said from nearby around a mouthful of taco. “What do you mean--”
“I lost one of the traps. The controls are dead! Something got disconnected out there!” “Shit,” Kevin sputtered as he tried to talk and drink coffee at the same time.
“They’re not arriving on the outskirts for another thirty minutes,” Nerit said firmly.
“Sorry, Amazon lady, I don’t trust your dead incubus of a husband!”
“Calhoun,” Katie chided. “That wasn’t nice.”
“I don’t trust these ghosts with their mysterious ways,” Calhoun retorted. “Especially that crazy Mexican one. She was loca in real life and sure as loca in death.”
“Better not let Juan hear you say that,” Nerit said calmly.
“My trap has been disrupted by the evil brain waves of the clone hordes--” Calhoun then sputtered into a tirade that had half the people in the room gasping.
Small children were quickly ushered into the ballroom while some of the older teens looked impressed.
“We got thirty minutes, Calhoun. Let’s do it,” Rune said from nearby.
“Huh?” Calhoun blinked.
“Go out and fix it,” Rune continued.
“Is it the razor wire trap?” Travis managed to grab a cup of coffee from a nearby tray. “Nope. The fire one. And you know gawddamn well how important that one is.”
“Shit,” Kevin muttered again, trying to stuff an entire taco in his mouth.
“Let’s do it, dude. I mean it. Let’s go!” Rune was clad in his motorcycle leathers and looking ready for war. “C’mon, Calhoun. We can do this.”
Calhoun looked uneasy for a second. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
With a grin, Rune gripped Calhoun’s shoulder and dragged him back into the elevator. “It’s a damn fine day to die,” Rune assured Calhoun as the doors shut.
“I better monitor them,” Keven decided.
“Good idea. I’ll get Katarina out there,” Nerit responded and took up position with Kevin to wait for the elevator to return. Katie took a cup of coffee from a tray, then snagged the other half of Travis’ breakfast taco. She felt strangely calm. Maybe it was the golden sunlight of the new day pouring through the windows or the light blue sky that seemed so welcoming, but it felt peaceful up here.
Greta appeared nearby already dressed in her uniform and looking ready to go. Her bird would be up in the air soon. Everything they had planned for was about to kick into gear and Katie had to believe it would work.
*
“...and then we shoot them in da head,” Holly assured Juan. “They’re not getting in,” Jason promised the little girl again.
“Nieta, the bad monsters will not get past the walls,” Rosie assured her adopted granddaughter. “It’s not going to happen.”
“But if they do,” Margie said in an ominous voice, “we will shoot them in da head.” “Shoot them in da head,” Troy said firmly.
Juan couldn’t help but laugh and leaned over to kiss his kids fondly. “It won’t come to that. I promise.”