The zombie stepped out from behind the door and bit into Ned’s shoulder before anyone could even react. Ned screamed in horror and pain and staggered under the dead woman’s grip. Jenni raised her gun immediately and shot both of them in quick succession.
“No,” Charles gasped.
“That was fucked up,” Felix said and wiped his brow. “Shit!”
Jenni was breathing hard, staring at the bodies. Lifting her walkietalkie, she said, “Make sure to check the fucking doors. One was behind a door when we opened it. It got Ned.”
There was silence, then Nerit’s voice said, “Understood.”
Jenni wiped a tear away and looked at Charles and Felix. “Let's go.”
As they walked out, she leaned down and picked up the flashlight from Ned’s slack fingers.
“Second floor clear,” came the announcement over the walkietalkie. “Advance to third floor.”
***
Katie stood near the stairwell. Her body was shivering. They had been in view of the other teams on occasion throughout the inspection of the second floor, but it had been nerve-wracking. They had found nothing in their rooms. Just pristine rooms ready for guests. There had been one loss on the and it had been on Jenni's team. That terrified her.
Jenni’s team now drew near, with Nerit’s behind them. Jenni looked very pale and she stared up the stairwell with a dark expression on her face.
“You okay?” Katie asked.
“No,” Jenni answered. “This isn’t fun.”
It seemed like a strange answer, but again Jenni tended to enjoy killing zombies. The losses had been high today and it was taking them all back to the insanity and fear of the first days of the zombie plague. Katie was sure that Jenni was thinking of her lost children. She knew she was thinking of Lydia.
Travis stood nearby. His face had deep lines in it. Katie was sure she looked just as stressed as everyone else.
“Let’s go,” Nerit said, and lead the way.
The other teams would be going up the other stairwell on the other side of the hotel.
Nerit moved easily up the stairs, no signs of her age showing. Katie felt immense affection and respect for the woman. She seemed so in control of herself and the situation compared to the rest of them.
The long stairwell that lead steadily upwards was sterile and painted boring white. The banisters and steps were made of heavy wood and vases of dead flowers adorned tiny tables on the landings. Their footsteps echoed as they moved upwards, making them all cringe inwardly.
“This is scary as shit,” Charles muttered. He was dragging along behind everyone else, his bland features looking more doughy and pale now that he was scared shitless.
Jenni looked back at him. “Don’t be such a wimp.” Her voice was annoyed and sharp.
“Look, we have no fucking clue what is going to happen next,”
Charles started.
“Bad thing to say,” Roger told him quickly. “In horror movies bad shit always happens after someone says something like that.”
“Like what?” Charles snapped back.
It was then the zombie dropped down from above, hit the banister, and managed to grab Charles’ shirt. Katie had the impression it was missing most of its lower half and the stench was awful. The zombie hit the banister sideways. His body caught for only a moment before it fell over into the stairwell below. Its grip on Charles shirt was firm.
Charles hit the rail and toppled over before anyone could grab him.
Jenni managed to grab his sneaker and it came off in her hand as he tumbled over without even a gasp.
“Fuck!”
Katie and Jenni were the first ones down the stairs, the rest of the groups behind them.
As they rounded the last landing, they came across the zombie and Charles. The zombie had landed headfirst and its skull was split open, spilling curdled brains. Charles lay near him, head twisted about in an unnatural angle. Both were completely stone cold dead.
“I told him,” Roger grumbled.
“Fucking stupid way to go out,” Shane decided.
“I think we found one of the plumbers,” Travis said,and pointed to the name of the plumbing company on the zombie’s tattered shirt.
Jenni stood staring down at Charles' body and slowly blinked. “I hate today.”
***
They kept going. They had to. Despite their shocking losses, they had to keep going. Too much of an investment of time and energy and lives had been given to taking the hotel and they were determined to finish. Perhaps now they were more cautious, more terrified, and more determined, but they were still in hell.
“I feel like I'm next,” Jenni muttered as she joined Curtis' group.
She felt wobbly inside. Seeing three of her teammates go down so quickly had made her feel very vulnerable. Felix joined Katie's group and she missed his presence.
The process continued. Rooms were searched diligently by almost overly cautious people, then the doors were closed and large checkmarks left on the wood with blue chalk. Room by room was cleared. Then floor by floor was cleared. Jenni moved with graceful ease behind Curtis and his team, watching every shadow. They were now on the fourth floor and there had been no sign of zombies since the one that had killed Charles.
She was feeling claustrophobic and hemmed in by the building and the cap on her head was hot and heavy. With all her heart, she wanted to abandon this endeavor. It was eating at her, making her feel weak and helpless. Their tiny little world had felt so safe until now. The walls around the construction site and city hall had given them a sense of security. Their fort barely took up a one-block radius and it was cramped, but at least livable. Maybe they needed the hotel, but right now she hated it.
Anger was starting to creep up within her. She had actually felt safe and happy the last few weeks. Her relationship with Juan was still evolving, but it was good. He was not quite the knight in shining armor she imagined, but he was sweet and made her laugh. She wanted to bask in it and forget the past. Forget Lloyd, forget the dead children she had failed, forget the beatings, forget the pain…She just wanted peace in this tiny little fortified construction site in this tiny little town.
God, she hated this opulent hotel and its apparent false dreams.
“Fifth floor clear,” Bill's voice said over the walkie-talkie. He was on the other side of the hotel.
Jenni and Curtis looked at each other, and then down the hallway with all its blue checkmarks on the doors.
“It would be nice if it kept going this way,” Curtis said.
Jenni smacked him. “Don't say shit like that!”
“Jinx,” said Jimmy, rubbing his bald head. “Don’t jinx us.”
“Shit, sorry,” Curtis mumbled.
Katie, Travis, Felix and Roger came around the corner. All four looked just as harried as she felt.
Katie gave Jenni a little smile and squeezed her arm affectionately and it made Jenni smile.
It was good to at least have friends in this world.
“Sixth floor may be a hotspot,” Bill's voice said over the static.
“Roger that,” Curtis answered as the two teams started upwards.
The last person in Curtis group, a short skinny man named Davey, took off his hat and ran a hand over his blond hair. “Anyone else thinking this was a bad idea.”
Jenni, aware of the origins of the plans to take the hotel, glanced back at Travis. “Nah, we need this building. Right, Travis?”
“With one hundred and twenty-five…” he hesitated as it dawned on him the number was now lower “…now inside the site, we need room.
Especially because there are people still out there running low on supplies and needing shelter as summer hits.”
Katie nodded in agreement and looked up the stairwell. “We're expanding our little world.”
Davey frowned. “Well, dammit, this new world is a pain in my ass.”
And with that, they started upwards.
The clatter of their heels against the stairs made everyone wince and they all pressed up as close to the wall as they could as they climbed.
Eyes set upwards, their lesson had been learned with Charlies' demise.
Jenni hesitated at a window and glanced down. She looked out over the rooftops of the town toward the green hills soaked with the torrential rains. It was beautiful and her breath caught. Looking down, she could see into the construction site quite clearly. From above it looked smaller and being able to see over the walls and security perimeter made it seem vulnerable. There were still undead out there.
She could see them.
“Jenni?”
“Coming, Katie.”
The teams split up again, taking separate paths. Moving toward the first door, Jenni felt her stomach tightening. Just four more floors and it would be over.
“Same routine as before,” Curtis said.
Jenni nodded and leaned over and unlocked the door. “Ready?”
When the responses were positive, she flung open the door.
The curtains were opened and pale sunlight streamed in illuminating the room. Jenni cautiously stepped in. Davey followed directly behind her. He kicked the door hard and was rewarded with a sharp thud as the door hit the wall with a resounding smack.