New Title 1 by Bonnie Dee Page A

“What do you have in mind, Mrs. Myers?”
     
    She tapped her fingertips together then sat back and placed her hands in her lap. “I’m not certain yet. But I heard about the way you used George Wilkins’ harvester as a decapitator yesterday. That was clever. You were educated to be part of a brain trust and I have you working as a foot soldier. So I’d like you to take a look at our defenses and see if you can come up with any creative strategies for keeping us safe until help arrives.”
     
    “ What if they don’t send any help?”
     
    She gave me a sharp look. “I’m not a fool. I know Durbinville is hardly a top priority for the government and many people think we can’t survive the winter here. But I truly believe in our government’s ability to restore order and rebuild. Within the next month aide will arrive in smaller towns across the country like ours. We simply must hold out until then. It isn’t as if we have anyplace to evacuate our people to anyway.” She sighed and for a second I saw the careworn woman beneath the self-assured politician. “Right now we must concentrate on surviving this new wave of the undead.”
     
    I nodded. “I’ll do what I can. Assess the weapons stockpile and our defenses on the fence line. I’ll see if I can come up with any suggestions.”
     
    Actually I had no idea how to improve our strategy with the limited resources on hand, but I needed to say something. Right now I was Janice Myer’s stopgap hope until something better came along to save the day.
     
     
     
    * * * * *
     
     
     
    Chapter Eight
     
    “ I’ve slept worse places. This isn’t so bad and at least I feel safe.” Maureen’s face was striped by the bars of her cell as she sat on a metal folding chair facing me. “Jake hates it though.” She lowered her voice even though he’d gone to stretch his legs and get something to eat. “He tends to be claustrophobic and being locked up really freaked him out. He’s afraid everyone would die and we’d starve to death in here. I told him he didn’t have to stay, but he wouldn’t leave me.” She couldn’t hide a quick, pleased smiled that her boyfriend was so loyal.
     
    “ I’ll get you out soon,” Daylon promised. He was pacing behind me as if he were the one in a cage. “Jeff’s feeling okay. We’ll give him one more day to rest and then blow this town. Things will be better when we’re back on the road.”
     
    I felt sick at the thought. The road no longer meant freedom to me. It was a prison that rolled on and on. I wanted to stop and rest, preferably on some deserted island with my feet in the sand and waves lapping on the shore. Throw in a cabana boy to bring me margaritas and why not a lobster drenched in butter too?
     
    I dragged myself out of my fantasy and reached between the bars to take Maureen’s hand. “You’re sure you feel all right?”
     
    “ I feel fine. Normal. My arm aches and the bite looks horrible, all black and blue and puckered up around the edges. But the vet cleaned the wound and I’m on antibiotics. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
     
    I caught the undertone of panic beneath her cheerful voice. Maureen was scared. Who wouldn’t be? The few people we’d seen bitten had died and risen. Jeff was the first I’d known to recover.
     
    “ Jeff made it through. You will too,” I assured her. Right now she didn’t need to hear any doubts, only positive thinking.
     
    Brian came into the jail and I felt a little flutter of excitement at the sight of him. A girly crush. Just what I needed right now.
     
    “ What did Myers want?” Daylon asked. I’d told him that Brian had been summoned by the councilwoman.
     
    “ She wants me to see if I can come up with plans to strengthen our defenses.”
     
    “ You? What do you know about battle plans or fortifications?” Daylon’s tone couldn’t have been more dismissive.
     
    “ Not a lot. What I’ve learned from gaming.” Brian turned to me. “I’m going