Her gaze followed him as he walked away. She looked down at the bag of candy and allowed herself a small smile.

3. Safety In Twos

Juan handed Jenni the bag of Doritos. Seated on the wall, side by side, they could see the final shift mopping the floor of the Dollar Store. Night had come and the air was cool as it ruffled their hair and dried the sweat on their tanned limbs.

“Are we really ready?” Jenni yanked the top of the bag open and pulled a chip out. The smell was amazing and she breathed it in deeply.

“Yep. Eric gave the okay on the bricked up windows and the reinforced doors. And it doesn't smell so much like zombie in there anymore,” Juan said, and grinned.

“Yum. The smell of Doritos is so much better. ” Jenni pulled a chip out and munched it down with relish.

Juan laughed and shook his head. “Ah, the simple things in life. ”

“Are we going in tomorrow morning?” Jenni looked over her shoulder at the dark countenance of the hotel. “Or what?”

&n

bsp; “Travis is going to make the call after inspecting the new area one more time. He's really nervous about all this. He hates the idea of putting anyone at risk. He even put himself on one of the teams to go into the hotel. ”

“Travis hates guns,” Jenni said in disbelief.

“Yeah, but he's doing that whole thing where the leader won't ask his people to do what he won't do. ” Juan shrugged. “Since I've known him he's been like that. He is annoyingly good at times. ”

“Not a bad boy like you, huh?” Jenni elbowed her boyfriend and stuffed another chip in her mouth.

Juan pulled off his cowboy hat and smoothed out his hair with one hand. “Yeah, he can't stand up to my cool factor. ”

With a smirk, Jenni leaned her head on his shoulder and continued to watch as the last crew mopped the floors inside. One of the women, a red head named Katarina, stood watch at the sentry post nearby.

Jenni didn't know her too well, but knew she was a good shot. As more people came into the fort, the dynamic was changing. It wasn't just the townies anymore that made up the fort's population. People from other towns had joined them. Each new person contributed in some way where it benefited everyone. Jenni thought it was good to have diversity.

Of course, Jenni's contribution was as the loca zombie killer and she was fine with that. She ate another chip and crunched it loudly. It felt good to be on the brink of something new and big. The fort was about to grow in a dynamic way. Taking the hotel would change everything.

Unless they failed. But then again, that would change everything.

“You be careful in there,” Juan said softly beside her. He was staring at her face as she chewed her chips. His finger lightly slid down the bridge of her nose. “Nothing crazy okay. I know you're loca, but try to curb your natural loca tendencies. ”

Jenni grinned at him. “I'll come back out alive. I've got too much to live for. Like giving you hell and eating Doritos. ” She popped another chip.

He laughed and slid an arm around her waist.

Jenni savored the flavor of the chip she was eating and the feel of Juan's arm around her. She had no intention of dying. There was no way in hell she was going to let a zombie get her. She had not survived this long to die. She now had Juan in her life and she wanted to be with him forever. She had a new family and a new life. That was worth fighting for. Looking toward the swarthy man with the dark green eyes, she grinned.

“Let's go have sex,” she said to Juan, and shoved the bag into his hand. She swung her legs down onto the ladder leading into the construction site.

“Uh, what? Okay!” Juan scrambled down after her.

At the bottom, he caught her up in his arms and threw her over his shoulders. Both of them laughing, he carried her to their makeshift tent.

Chapter 4

1. The New Season

The sun was barely peeking over the edge of the fort's walls when Katie set out on her daily jog. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she wore a T-shirt and jogging shorts. For the first time, she was wearing her brand new jogging shoes. After Peggy and the Mayor had inventoried everything brought into the fort during the scavenging expeditions, they had meticulously laid out everything in large boxes or any other bin they could find, and opened up a sort of store for everyone in the basement. No currency was exchanged, but you had to sign out anything that was taken. Katie had been surprised to find a box full of jogging shoes and had managed to find a pair that fit.

Katie started on her trek around the fort, enjoying the brisk morning air, feeling it nipping her checks bright red. She was trying to enjoy the cool morning air as much as she could before summer was in full swing and the mornings would be balmy.

She was on her second rotation when Jenni dropped in beside her.

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