“If people want to stay here, then they can. But we are offering them a chance to come to the fort,” Katie continued. “If you want to stay here, that is your choice. But you can come with us. You will just be one of many. You will have to find a way to make yourself useful and that doesn’t mean trying to tell the rest of us what to do out of a false sense of superiority.”
The Senator laughed and shook her head. “You are completely delusional. You actually think those sheep out there will follow you? I have proven myself as a leader of this State. I am an elected official. I know damn well how to lead people who are unable to even lead themselves.”
Her campaign manager was wincing. Katie thought it was rather amusing. She supposed he still tended to think about popularity polls and campaign rhetoric. “I think you’re wrong. I know you’re wrong. And I know this ridiculous plan you have to establish a totalitarian form of government is utter bullshit and doomed to fail.”
“Government and the law bring order to the people. Without us they don’t know how to think or act for themselves. Only the educated and the powerful truly understand the full dynamics of what it takes to run a society.” Katie shook her head. It shocked her to realize the Senator fully believed what she was saying. “You know what. I’m not here to debate politics. I’m here to tell you how it is. We are not turning over the fort and we are not going to follow your orders. Your rule is over. And we are leaving with whoever wants to go with us.”
“My men will not follow you into mutiny, First Lieutenant,” the Major General said, pushing out his chin, trying to look fierce. His eyes strayed to the woman who promised him power and guidance. His weakness was evident.
“They will and they are,” Kevin answered. “We’re done here and frankly, sir, you are disgrace to the uniform you wear. The minute you fell into bed with this woman you lost your right to order any of us.” The Senator’s mouth opened in shock. “Well, I never-’“
“Oh, please,” Katie said with the roll of her eyes.
“The worst thing I ever did was turn over the mall to you. I should have trusted myself. I learned my lesson. I’m leaving and taking these people and my men with me,” Kevin said in a firm voice.
“There is no room for debate on this,” Travis added. “We’re taking these people home.”
“We’re done here,” Katie said firmly. “We’re leaving in the morning. We’ll spend the rest of the evening organizing the people for the airlift. You are welcome, despite your bitchiness, to join us. But if you do, remember, you will be just another member of our little fort.”
The Senator leaned back against her desk, smirking. “We’ll see.”
Turning around, Katie looked at her father, Travis and Kevin. The three men were all looking quite serious, but Kevin slightly smiled at her.
“Paige, you just can’t let them do this,” the Major General said in a low voice.
“Try to stop us,” Katie answered. Travis opened the door and they left without a backward glance.
Chapter 18
1. The Last Hours
The afternoon was harder work than any of them had fully anticipated. Kevin made the announcement over the intercom system that anyone wanting to move to the fort and have a new way of life was to line up in the food court to be registered for the airlift. A few people had laughed when they heard Valerie’s voice whisper: “And tell them the Senator won’t be in charge.” Kevin had then hastily added that sentiment. The line had formed immediately. Jenni and Katie had found themselves scrambling to get organized.
Families were to register in one notebook. Elderly singles in another. Orphans in another. Singles in the last. Jenni carefully translated for the immigrants that were confused and promised them that they were not going to be reduced to non-citizens. Meanwhile, Katie kept assuring the elderly that they would be taken care of and the helicopter ride wouldn’t be all that bad.
“Child, after nearly having to run from those damn zombies, that helicopter will be like a ride to heaven,” Ethel had assured her. Travis and Kevin spoke with the soldiers that filed in from outside to make sure their allegiance was known. Most of them were relieved at the prospect of something more stable than the mall. They were weary and rundown. They had been keeping the zombies at bay for months with no chance of relief or to mourn all that they had lost. It had been hard and some men and women had broken. There were five soldiers that had disappeared over the last few months. It was tempting to try to make a break for it and try to make it home. But the zombie threat was all too real beyond the walls and too much of a risk if you were in your right mind.
But then again, who was truly in their right mind anymore? “Jenni, I really do wanna make sure my kids and I get on the same helicopter, okay?” Amy’s face was drawn with concern as she sat to write down her name and those of her kids. “Losing their Daddy like they did was so hard and I don’t want them to think they’re alone.”
Jenni looked up to see a little boy with thick, straight bangs staring at her with the biggest chocolate brown eyes she had ever seen. She couldn’t help but smile. The boy’s older sisters were both blondes with eyes the color of the morning sea. All three were holding hands and the oldest girl, around eight, was holding her mother’s shirt firmly in one hand. “Don’t worry. We want to make sure to keep families together if we can,” Jenni assured her.
Amy scrunched up her face and sighed. “Just so hard, Jenni. Having faith again. After all that went down at the civic center and here.”
Jenni leaned toward Amy and took her hand gently. “It’ll be okay. I promise. Your kids are gonna get a good life. Okay? And somewhere far from here.”
Amy forced a smile and clutched Jenni’s hand. “Okay. I believe you.”
With a smile, Jenni reached out and ruffled the little boy’s hair. “You’re going to have a big adventure tomorrow.”
He just stared at her, blinking those huge dark eyes. “He doesn’t talk no more. Not since his Daddy died,” Amy said softly.
Jenni sighed. “I understand. It’s not easy.” She thought of her own kids and brushed her hair back from her face, trying to regain her composure. Amy stood and gathered her kids around her. “Thanks for doing this, Jenni. We needed it. Bad.”
“Guadalupe Garcia,” the old Mexican woman said to Katie. She wielded her cane like a sword. “Let the puta stay here and die.” With a laugh, Katie wrote down the woman’s name. “Well, she can come along if she promises to behave.”
Mumbling in Spanish, the old woman gave Katie a hard stare. “Not that I think she will come along,” Katie assured her.
“She won’t give up control. She’ll do something. That is her way. She’s not a good person,” Guadalupe said firmly.
“I know,” Katie said softly. “I know.”