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It was over.

The house was secured.

“It’s clear. Get the shoppers in here,” Kevin’s voice said from within one of the gas masks.

* * * * * The door of the moving truck slid up and a soldier motioned to the men and women huddled inside.

Pulling off her mask, Bette said, “The house is clear and the perimeter is secure. Get in and get out as fast as possible. ”

The Shoppers began to jump down, carrying boxes and storage bins. They hurried into the house as soldiers stood on watch, weapons at the ready.

The Shoppers would clear the house of all useful items then return to the truck. It was a dangerous job, but they were getting better at getting in and out before the undead population turned out in force.

Linda jumped down last and squeezed Bette’s shoulder. “I get scared every time you go in. ”

“I worry about you, too,” Bette said with a shy grin. “Now, hurry. Let’s get this shopping done so we can go home. ”

“It’s a date,” Linda said with a wink, then hurried away with her basket in her hand.

Nearby, a stumbling zombie was taken down with a single shot to the head.

Shopping day was always a bitch.

3. Out With The Old

The first bulldozer tore into the old house with frightening ease. The old structure quivered then began to slide off its foundation, folding in on itself in a splintering splendor. From high above, Nerit watched from the Eagle’s Nest. It was actually a suite in the hotel set aside for overseeing the demolition of the rest of the town. Someone had named it the Eagle’s Nest and it had stuck.

Standing on the long balcony, she watched through binoculars as bulldozers destroyed the block designated for demolition this morning.

The Shoppers had come and gone, taking all that was left of use in the houses. The structure’s usefulness in this new world was over and would be destroyed.

There had been relatively low appearances of zombies. Considering all that had occurred since the first day, it was pretty much safe to speculate that most of the town’s resident zombies were now dead. There had been a danger of zombies still trapped in the houses, but those had also been few and far between. Broken windows and splintered doors told of their escapes.

The residents of the fort had always known the town would be destroyed at some point. It had been inevitable. Now that the winter was becoming a fading memory and their stores were depleted by the influx of newcomers, tempers were flaring more often now.

Personal relationships were never easy and the honeymoon was over. The greatest deterrent to anyone trying to cause drama was the thought of ending up outside the walls. After the exile of Shane and Philip and their fate and the fiasco with Blanche, people kept things as civil as possible. It wasn’t easy with a diverse group from just about every background.

The small group of Baptists were not pleased with certain developments in the fort. The special nights of dancing and drinking were heavily protested. The Reverend had tried to calm them, but they had turned on him for siding with the “heathens. ” Mary, the leader of the Baptist Coalition, petitioned for a room to be set aside for a new Baptist church.

This has been granted and now there were two churches running in the fort.

Nerit was disappointed, but she did not attend either one of the services so it was really not her concern.

One of the smallest groups in the fort was the Hindu population. They were industrious, but often set apart. Nerit knew they were struggling to fit in. One of the older Indian women had cried when the Shoppers returned with bags of saris and cholis. It had been hard for her to try to adapt to wearing Western clothing.

Despite the growth of the fort population, things were running more smoothly. New extensions were being built as were more defensive traps.

Maybe it was the beauty of dawning spring, but people seemed less restless than they had during winter and more willing to help out.

What had brought on the need for the demolition of the town was the foray to the National Guard in a town 120 miles away. It had been used as a rescue station until it had been overrun. Lik

e many rescue stations, it had tried to help those who were mauled or bitten. Of course, this led to rapid infection within the compound. It had been overrun within hours.

Two of the helicopters were from that base.

The soldiers had been relieved to move into the roles of protectors and not prison guards at the fort. They helped train their civilian counterparts under the watchful eye of Nerit, creating an even more effective force.

Like Kevin, they were all smitten with Nerit. One of the younger men called her the hottest old lady ever when she showed off her sniping skills.