“I am kind of hungry,” Dax said. “I could probably even eat pastrami right now.”
She flashed that famous Gloria Fey 20-Kilowatt Smile for us. “Then c’mon. Let the soldiers figure out their shit. We’ll have a lot of work to do after.”
I glanced toward Hammond, who had been close enough hear at least part of the conversation. He nodded. Durkee paused in his discussion with Poltava and gave me a thumbs up.
“Good work out there,” he said. “All of you. You’re heroes.”
From a desk job zero to endtimes hero in under four months. I’ll say this about the zombie apocalypse: It made the career ladder a lot easier to climb.
People continued to stream in through the gates, looking around in wonder at their new home. Hastings, even in its smoking, dusty state, was a hell of a lot nicer than Camp Elderwood.
Maybe it would last a little longer than Elderwood, too.
I couldn’t see the Chapman Street scenario from here, but I was sure soldiers were coming and going, continuing the arduous task of actually fortifying the rubble we’d dumped in the road. Every now and then I heard gunshots as they picked off stragglers. Odds were it was going to be a long, bloody night.
Logan, where did you go?
Maybe he was still out there, guarding the city, stalking the man who had set all this into motion. Maybe he was a shambling wreck, staggering along with the undead masses.
Or maybe he was dead in the rubble somewhere. Just dead and gone, his soul somewhere far away from all the bullshit the new world had given us.
I didn’t know which fate to hope for.
“Good luck out there, Logan,” I murmured. “Whatever you are.”
There. That covered my bases.
As for now, I had to eat something that wasn’t pastrami.
“Vibeke!” My friends had started walking, then paused when they realized I wasn’t following. “Come on.”
I quickened my pace to catch up with them. “What’s in this secret freezer, anyway?”
“I heard they had some meatloaf,” Gloria said. “But someone else said Salisbury steak.”
“I’d give Dax’s right arm for a steak,” Tony said. “Not my right arm. But Dax’s.”
Dax reached up and reverently touched his injured shoulder. “Dude. Too soon.”
“Do you think there’s cake?” I asked.
Gloria helped Vijay push the bandage on his forehead up slightly so it didn’t droop over his eyes. “Dessert comes after dinner, Vibeke,” she said. “We’re not complete savages yet.”
“Hell with that.” I felt the STG tapping my back with each step I took. “I want a goddamn piece of cake. Funfetti, specifically.”
“Funfetti.” Tony started limping away again, toward mystery MREs and maybe—just maybe—a hot shower. “We help save the city, and Vibby wants funfetti.”
“Life’s short out here, kids,” I said. “Might as well eat dessert first.” I realized what else he had said and hurried to catch up with him. “And don’t call me Vibby!”
Acknowledgments
First off, I owe a massive thank-you (and maybe an apology…) to my editor. The “longest zombie book ever” just…kept…going. She did a marvelous job of helping me pull this thing together—any mistakes left are wholly my own.
Many thanks to my readers, who have somewhat patiently waited for this installment for quite some time. The original publication date for this was 2013, so…better late than never?
Now, will Vibeke & Co. ride again? Most likely, but I’m taking a bit of time away from the zombie trade. What other supernatural creatures need some love? I hear banshees are cool…
Cheers, everyone—thank you for reading!