Nerit motioned to the ballroom.
The doors to the ballroom were open. The old fashioned, shortlegged chairs with the plush velvet seats were neatly stacked against one wall.
Nerit lead them into the enormous room with its ornate fireplace and high vaulted ceilings. Chandeliers sparkled overhead. Heavy red curtains were drawn back from the windows to let the sun pour through gauzy white organza sheer curtains.
“Perfect for a wedding,” Jenni sighed.
“It's what it was used for in the old days,” Curtis said.
Jimmy just grunted and trailed along behind them.
Travis looked back at Katie. Even bruised and looking exhausted, she was beautiful. Standing in this huge room with her, he wondered what it would feel like to take her in his arms and dance with her.
“Let's check the patio,” Nerit said.
Travis looked around at all the opulence of the room and felt slightly overwhelmed by its elegance. It was almost too much.
Nerit opened the doors to the patio and stepped out slowly.
A beautiful Roman gazebo stood over a glittering pool of blue water. An enormous patio stretched out to the stone railing that surrounded it. Travis walked slowly over to the rail and looked down to see a maintenance walkway tucked down out of view with a safety net extending outward around five feet.
To stop suicides, he decided.
Katie leaned over the rail to look down, then looked out toward the fading storm. “It's really beautiful up here. ”
He smiled. “I was thinking the same thing. ” He loved the way the sun was glinting off her curls. He wanted to touch them, but refrained.
“Keep alert,” Nerit barked.
He frowned. Katie poked him. “She's just good at her job. ”
“Yeah,” he said, almost resentfully.
They spread out and looked around. There really wasn't a place to hide up here.
“The elevators will be our last concern once the power is back on,”
Nerit said as they walked around the building.
“How about the roof?” Travis asked. He pointed up to the roof of the ballroom.
Nerit looked up. “Good point. ”
They all started to look for a way up. Travis began to walk along the side of the ballroom. He was more in the shadows on this side. The wind was quite fierce. Katie walked along behind him, followed by Jenni.
“That smell,” Jenni started.
Travis immediately began to look around, but saw nothing. He felt panic rising up within him.
Katie looked up and whispered, “Oh, shit. ”
Travis looked up to see a zombie struggling to her feet at the very edge of the roof. She had been very young. Travis recognized her as a waitress from the diner. She had always smiled at him when he came in for breakfast. Brenda had been her name. She must have managed to get a second job at the hotel.
What was most heart-breaking about her was that her face was still tear-stained with dry tears and she seemed to have no injury but a bite on her arm. After lying on the roof for so long, the zombie was finding it hard to stand.
“Oh, God,” Katie whispered. “She must have crawled up there and died. ”
The zombie snarled in frustration and finally managed to get to her feet. Then she lurched forward and made a desperate leap.