Helen had tried to rest, but images of Lenux showed as clearly as if they were painted on the insides of her eyes lids.  Instead, she’d pretended to rest.  With all that was going on, the last thing Sam needed was more worry.  Only when Sam drifted off did Helen walk into the other room and pace.  Most of the troops who weren’t resting were either preparing the lower levels or keeping watch on the rooftops, leaving the seventh floor nearly deserted.  Except for Sam and Helen.  When soldiers did move through her floor, they were too busy to notice the nervous teenage girl.

            The night was clear, with no clouds to block out the stars and moonlight.  Without artificial lights, millions, maybe even billions of stars dotted the sky revealing a spectacular light show.  If the situation was different, she’d have enjoyed the night.  Helen pictured herself walking between buildings in the town she should have been calling her new home.  In her fantasy, Helen’s hand was locked with Jack’s as they enjoyed the view and their company.  She remembered her mother marveling up at the stars in another life.

            According to her mother, thousands of the stars in the sky were actually planets, similar to Earth.  She’d believed that at least a few of them were inhabited by intelligent life.  Helen wished she could just lay back and wonder what was out there.  She wished she could see as large a world as her mother did, but every time the world grew it seemed to get more hostile.  Her wonder would have been ruined by the thought that all inhabited worlds were going through a variation of the hell she’d spent her life witnessing.

            Sam snored and turned in the other room.  Until she was sure her movement did not disturb his sleep, Helen froze.  Before the urge to move took over her legs, she heard boots pounding on the stairs above.  Someone shouted something, but she couldn’t make it out.  When he reached the floor above Helen, he shouted again, but she still couldn’t make it out.

            Finally when he reached her landing, Helen heard: “We’ve got company!”

            Well, I guess Sam’s not going to get much rest tonight, she though.

            She shouted his name twice.  When that didn’t wake him, Helen kicked his foot.  Jolted out of his sleep, Sam grabbed his rifle and looked around.

            “What’s going on?”

            “Let’s take a look.”

            Outside, a jeep and an armored plated station wagon plowed through the undead.  Due to the road debris, they needed to keep their speed down, but they were still able to smash several mobile corpses.  Several beams of lights followed the vehicles.  Judging by the macabre design painted on the hood of the station wagon, Helen assumed it had belonged to her old people.  She had no idea what it was doing there.

            When the vehicles reached an area where the zombies were sparse, they pulled beside each other.  The station wagon covered the jeep’s passenger side.  The guarded door swung opened and someone hastily jumped out.  Helen raised her rifle, not to fire but to get a better view of the action.  She recognized Ted as soon as the light hit his face.  Without any equipment to amplify his voice, Ted’s words were lost to the distance.  Apparently someone else either recognized him or heard his plea because after a few moments, Ted climbed back into the jeep and the two vehicles rolled around towards the back.

            With Sam at her side, Helen scrambled down the steps.  She’d lost count of the landings she’d crossed and only knew she’d reached the third story when a panicked soldier stopped her.

            “Hold it! The steps below are rigged!”

            “Thanks,” Sam said.

            “Our company,” Helen said.  Until she spoke, Helen hadn’t been aware that she was short of breath.  “I know at least one of them.”

            Though she knew Ted was in the jeep, she could only hope that Jack was in there with him.  She had no idea who could have been in the station wagon.  Had they run into defectors?

            “Turnbull recognized your friend.  He’s letting them in right now.”

            Shots sounded from a few rooms over.  Abandoning the soldier, Helen dashed towards the gunfire, readying her rifle.  If they needed help getting in, she was going to provide it.  By the time she arrived, the vehicles were parked.  Ted and a man, maybe thirty years old held off the undead mob with torches.  Jack and a middle aged man blasted through what she presumed to be a few ghouls with a shotgun and rifle.  Between the four men was a woman in her early twenties.  She carried a .22 Winchester, but kept it over her shoulder.

            She watched as the group made their way to a rope ladder, which hung from a second story window.  The woman climbed up first followed by the older man, then Jack, then Ted, then the man in his thirties.  The shots continued to sound until the last set of feet was out of their reach.  Maybe fifty of the undead had been put down, but more of them seemed attracted by the commotion.  Agitated by the action, the undead moans grew louder.  Helen longed for the seventh floor.

            To circumvent staircases rigged with explosives, Turnbull had instructed his men to cut holes in the lower level floors where rope ladders could be lowered and if need be, retracted.  Gideon’s head popped through one of those holes from the floor below.

            “What floor were you sleeping on?” he asked.

            “Seven,” Sam answer behind Helen.

            “I like that number.  Let’s meet with your friends there.”

            Instead of moving back upstairs, Helen waited for Jack to emerge from the hole then ran to him wrapping her arms around him.

            “I’m so mad at you right now!  You could have been killed,” she said.

            “I love you too,” Jack answered.  He kissed her on the forehead.

            “What no love for me?” Ted interjected.

            Turning her face to Ted, but not releasing Jack, Helen said: “How could you let him go along with your crazy plan?”

            “It was Jack’s idea!”

            The three teens laughed.

            “It’s good to see you again.”

            “You’re lucky I’m so glad you’re alive.  Otherwise you’d be retrieving my shoe from your ass.”

            “Who are your friends?” Sam asked.

            “Let’s give introductions up stairs,” Ted suggested.  “And let’s hurry; they have information you might need.”

            Helen waited until the others moved to let go of Jack.  Hands locked, they followed the others up stairs.

*

            Neither Helen nor Turnbull had recognized any of the three new faces.  That comforted Sam, but he didn’t let his guard down.  Both the cult and Genesis had populations large enough that not everyone knew each other.  Though the cult’s population wouldn’t have filled a city, her acquaintances seemed limited to higher ranking members of their messiah’s fold and soldiers who she’d worked with in the field.  It was possible that there were divisions of men who she’d never seen for more than a couple of passing seconds.  She’d identified the new arrivals’ vehicle as one of the messiahs’s scouting cars and their story placed them next to where the cult had gathered.

            Sam kept an eye on Jasper, who glared at Helen with pure contempt.  He seemed oblivious to the others and it unsettled him.  If they were among the last of the survivors, revenge could have very well infected his mind.  Even if he was a defector from the cult, Jasper could have still held distain for the woman who’d put him in his current situation.  Also seeing the soldiers glare, Jack had moved between Jasper and Helen.  They could both understand his grief, but they knew it could make him dangerous.  While Helen had been a part of the cult who’d murdered his family, the army his new friends were about to fight had never before crossed his path.

            All the while, McRee moved his eyes from Sam to Turnbull to Helen, and back again.  Perhaps he was sizing up his new allies.  Sam had acted the same way with Turnbull’s men earlier that night.  Though malice was absent from the older man’s expression, his eyes were filled with suspicion.  Though he seemed relaxed, Sal’s hands remained firmly on his shotgun.  If the need had arrived, Sam had no doubt that the older man could have blasted two people away before getting gunned down himself.

            “You must have been a cop,” McRee said.

            “It was my first year on the force when the shit hit the fan,” Sam answered.

            “Thought I smelled bacon on you.”

            “Dad!” Sarah shouted.

            Though everyone laughed, Jasper’s was forced.  There was no amusement in his eyes.

            “How the hell did you know how to find us?” Turnbull asked.  “Sanchez had no way of knowing our position.  Hell, we didn’t even have anything like this picked out when he helped you guys out.”

            “I don’t think you’d believe us,” Ted said.  “I still don’t.”

            “Try me.  I had a few strange experiences of my own over the years.”

            “It was like something was guiding us here.  Sal, Jasper, and I have all been having strange dreams.  When we pulled up, I could have sworn I’d been here before.”

            Turnbull nodded.

            “Back in Nam, I served with a man named Kevin O’Kieff.  We called him Lucky, because he always knew when we were about to walk into a trap or an ambush or when there was a sniper stalking our squad.  When Lucky said ‘get down,’ you got down or you didn’t get back up.  This one day, we were out on patrol.  Lucky was on point, and we were all watching him anxiously.  He shouted ambush a moment before a Vietnamese unit opened up on us.  One of the men in front was a bit slow in hitting the deck, so Lucky pushed him down.  Unfortunately, Lucky wasn’t fast enough to hit the deck himself before the spray tore opened his chest.  If it hadn’t been for Lucky, they might have shot down half my unit before we could have returned fire.”

            The others remained silent.

            “So we can assume this cult has something guiding them as well?” Turnbull asked.

            “I don’t know,” Jack said.  “We haven’t seen them but we could feel them coming.”

            Helen tensed.

            “I’ve been having strange dreams too,” Helen said.  “When I came of age, our messiah had chosen me to carry his seed.  One of his lieutenants decided that was reason enough to want me…  Jack killed the bastard, but for the last couple days, I’ve felt his presence.”

            Still behind Jack, Helen moved close to him and put her hands on his sides.  Sam wasn’t quite sure how to handle the situation.  If he separated the two lovers, worry might distract them.  They’d worked well together before, but that was before they were involved.  He’d commanded Jack since the boy had first gone outside of the walls. Though Jack knew when to push everything aside, he’d never been in a romantic relationship before.  A lot of new feelings stirred inside of him, and there was a chance his priorities could conflict.

            “Do you have a feeling on when they’ll arrive?” Sam asked.

            “Tomorrow.  There are maybe two-hundred of them left and they’re traveling with some larger troop transports.  We could squeeze through some places they couldn’t so they should be a good while behind us.”

            “Shit,” Turnbull said.  “So we might have two hostile armies coming down on us.  Why did I let you two talk me into this?”

            “We have that patrol outside,” Sam said.  “We could keep them outside to give us a signal.”

            There was one unit of four men outside, looking out for anything unusual.  They’d been the first to spot the incoming cars.  Just in case Olmstead’s forces were weary about entering the battlefield, the sentries were also armed with the remainder of the explosives.  Their alternate job was to wreak havoc from behind, making their numbers appear greater.  From the opposing force’s prospective there would only be one way to run.

            “If your men run into the cult members, tell them not to let themselves be taken alive,” Helen said.

            “We saw what your people do,” Jasper spat.

            “She’s one of us now,” Jack said.  “And I told you she wasn’t there.”

            “Your girlfriend would have been if she hadn’t been raped.”

            Both Jack and Ted’s hands curled into firsts.  Before they had a chance to lunge, Sal stepped forward.

            “Can it!” he shouted.  “I know what you’re going through, but you need to pull yourself back together.  Before this mess, you were the most level headed man I’d ever had under my command.  Now I have half a mind to shoot you right here!”

            Jasper’s jaw dropped.

            “These people are our best hope and I don’t want to dash it because one of them associated with the wrong crowd.  If you’d known half of where I’d been, I bet you’d stay away from me.”

            “But you’re…”

            “No different than her.  You know if it wasn’t for my daughter or her mother, I wouldn’t be here right now.  I’d have headed straight for the mountains and settled in the most remote spot I could find, where I could be sure people wouldn’t find me until I was long dead.  I’d have been more than happy to just let the rest of humanity die off and I wouldn’t have given a flying fuck.  I’d been doing just that before the dead started to walk.  What kind of a monster does that make me?”

            Instead of answering, Jasper turned and walked away.

            “I’ll make sure he’s okay,” Sarah said.

            Sal turned his head, watching his daughter walk away.

            “When we found Sarah and the others they’d said that they heard someone above them in the dormitory,” Sal said.  “I assume that was your people.”

            Sam nodded.

            “Did you go into the ballroom?”

            “I wish we didn’t.”

            “Jasper’s sister was on the floor and his wife was nailed to the wall.  You can see how that would change someone,” he said.  To Helen: “I’m the last person who should be judging someone for something they regret doing.  As long as you’re on our side, I’m happy to have you.”

            “Thanks,” she said.

            “I don’t think Jasper will be a problem when he cools down.”

            “What’s your story?” Turnbull asked.

            “I know better than to tell that to government men.”

            Oh God, Sam thought.  He’d encountered Sal’s type before.  He just never thought he’d end up liking one of them.

            “How naked do you feel without your tinfoil hat?” Sam asked.

            “You’re alright for a pig.”

            “I’d better check on things below,” Turnbull said.

            “Mind if I tag along?” Sal asked.  “I’d like to see your setup.”

            Turnbull shrugged and the two men walked down the stairs.

            “It’s funny.  If we’d have run into each other twenty years ago, I’m sure I’d have arrested him,” Sam said.

            A puzzled expression formed on Jack’s face.

            “I’m sure he’s been on an alien space ship or two,” Sam explained.

            “Dad doesn’t believe in aliens.”

            Sarah’s voice startled them.

            “I’m sorry…”

            “But he does think we faked the moon landing.”

            “This is a bit before your time,” Sam told the others.  Some times it was hard to believe that many of his troops were born after the dead started to walk.  It made him feel old.

            “How is he?” Helen asked.

            “Jasper just needs some time to adjust.  I’m sorry about what he said earlier.”

*

            When they reached the second floor, Gideon spotted his brother nailing a wooden board to a window.  Though they would need a good number of vantage points to shoot from, there were just too many windows.  Each unmanned window was an entry point, so most of the second and third story windows were either being blocked or booby trapped.  They’d used explosives sparingly in the windows, so most of the window traps involved razor wire.

            “How’s everything going down here, Rick?”

            “Fine.  Most of the windows on the second floor are done.  At the rate we might be able to stop in time to get a little sleep.”

            “Good.”

            “We need to talk,” Rick said.

            Sal excused himself and moved towards one of the window traps.

            “You never told me who our guests are.  I don’t like this behind my back bullshit.”

            “The two boys are friends of Sam’s.  The others are from Helen’s colony.”

            Though the new arrivals had learned where Helen really came from, they agreed to corroborate her cover story.  As far as anyone else knew she was a fellow survivor.

            Rick motioned his arm around the room.

            “These men are here because I asked them to be.  They’re here because they think this fight could make a difference.  Right now I don’t like secrets.”

            “There aren’t any.  Someone needed to be down here while I was briefed,” Gideon said.  “While they were out, our new arrivals saw troop movements.”

            “Great, Olmstead knows where we are.”

            “No, but these people might be worse.  They’re the same one’s who attacked Helen’s people,” Gideon said.  “We don’t know if they’re on their way here, but if others could find us we have to be prepared.”

            “Shit,” Rick said.  His eyes narrowed.  “You never did say how the others were able to find us.”

            “We’re not exactly hidden.  They heard commotion and saw some of our lights.”

            Rick nodded, but Gideon could tell his brother wasn’t satisfied with the answer.

            “We don’t know what they’re doing,” Gideon said.  “That formation could have been migrating aimlessly.  Maybe they were after something else.  I just thought you should know.”

            “Are you worried about it?”

            “I worry about everything.”

            Turnbull surveyed the scene.  The men toiled away at one task or another.  Their new visitor, Sal helped one of Rick’s soldiers rig one of the windows while chatting about something.  Though the conversation wasn’t heated, the soldier shook his head a lot.  Over all, it looked like the bottom floors would be as secured as possible in two hours time.

            “Have someone wake me up at three-hundred hours.  I want to give Olmstead a call bright and early.”

            Rick nodded.

            “You’ve been doing a good job.”

*

            Sam and Ted chatted in the next room.  Being ever protective, Sam wanted all the information he could get on the new arrivals.  As far as Jack knew, Sam hadn’t experienced any premonitions.  He hadn’t experienced the familiarity of seeing the others that Jack had felt.  Sam might have worried that their new friends anything but.  Their arrival was convenient.  However, Jack trusted himself.  He knew the others were there to help.  And that they needed help in return.  When the battle ended the next day, some of them might even be alive to find Sal’s people.

            Instead of dwelling on the conversation next door, Jack concentrated on Helen who’d snuggled her way to sleep in Jack’s arms.  Though she still seemed to be having nightmares, Helen insisted that she was safe in his arms.  Every once in a while, Helen jerked awake.  Panting, she’d look around the room and moan.  Then she’d put her head on Jack’s shoulder and start snoring again.  It happened maybe three times before Jack drifted off to sleep.

*

            Deciding that he couldn’t afford to be suspicious of the new arrivals, Sam told Ted to get some sleep.  While the teenaged soldier drifted off in minutes, Sam found himself pacing.  He’d cursed himself for waking earlier now that rest was unattainable.

            The last time he’d been in that kind of a battle was a year or two after his home compound had been constructed.  Was it 1981?  Shortly before communications with other establishments stopped, there had been reports of a large, organized group of looters who ravaged scouting parties and wiped out a couple of smaller colonies.  There were maybe seventy raiders.  Rumors exaggerated their numbers.  Some claims had even given the gang a helicopter.  A few months later, a scavenging party spotted them.  They’d scrapped their mission, returned home, and sounded the alert.

            Though the team estimated the raiders’ numbers at fifty, they had no idea of what to expect.  They didn’t know what kind of fire power they’d be facing or if the fifty men were meeting up with more troops.

            All outside missions were cancelled, except for a few scouting parties.  Anyone who could use a weapon and didn’t have an essential job was posted as a guard.  Back then, they’d numbered close to a thousand so the raiders must have been pretty desperate or crazed in order to attack.  Sam later wondered if their attack was a mass suicide.

            Sam hadn’t been assigned to the scouting parties, but he’d been manning the front gates when the attackers came.  They’d used improvised explosives and automatic rifles.  Though there were so many guns firing back at them, the raiders were hard to hit.  Though most of the gunmen had grown comfortable with their rifles over the last couple of years, they weren’t used to shooting at anything smarter or faster than a zombie.  The raiders had grown accustomed to fighting both.  Their weapons were certainly specialized to fight against the living.

            Though their attack was ferocious, the raiders did little damage.  Their shots had taken down a few of Sam’s friends, but most of them smacked harmlessly against the walls or whizzed overhead.  When they were down to two jeeps, Sam took aim at one of them.  It rushed towards the front gate, perhaps with a final kamikaze strike in mind.  Sam wasn’t sure if his shots hit their mark or if someone else’s had, but the jeep’s engine smoked and the vehicle rolled to a stop, blocked by a crowd of undead.  They pulled the driver out and tore him opened from the chest to groin.  His screams were drowned out by hungry moans.

            A gunman in the passenger side seat jumped out of the vehicle.  Ignoring the commotion around him, he opened fire on Sam’s position.  Before Sam could duck or return fire, maybe a dozen of ghouls dragged the gunman down.  His attention was pulled away from the carnage by the final jeep.  Its tire exploded and the vehicle flipped over.  There must have been explosives left over because the jeep erupted in a fireball a moment later.  Sam assumed that the driver or a passenger had set them off to avoid a more painful death.

            With no survivors to question, there was no one around to make sense of the situation.  There was no motive other than pure insanity.  If he hadn’t seen people self destruct even before the dead started to walk, and even before he’d donned a badge, Sam might have found it hard to except such madness.  Now he wondered if his people would appear that crazy to Olmstead’s men.

            When sleep finally came, Sam dreamt he was in the Alamo.  He spotted men he’d lost over the years.  Jack’s father loaded a cannon with Gerard Falk.  Wearing a coon skin hat, Paul greeted Sam.

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