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Ed nodded once

. “Good luck. ”

“Same to you,” Juan answered.

With one more nod, Ed set his thin lips into a line and walked back to the Durango. Around him, other people followed his lead and climbed into their vehicles as well.

Juan lifted a walkie-talkie to his lips. “Clear?”

“All clear,” a voice cackled back.

“Then open the gates,” he ordered.

Travis exhaled slowly as the massive doors opened. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Peggy sobbing as she watched Gretchen leave. A few people were still pleading with those in the Durangos to stay as the long line slowly began to roll out of the fort.

“This shit sucks,” Juan finally muttered.

“Can’t be helped,” a voice said beside them.

They turned to see Rune standing near them.

“What do you mean?” Travis asked.

“Look, Dude, no offense, but you’re still a city boy at heart and you don’t quite get it at times. Texans stick together as long as there is a common enemy. That will get fucked up if two things happen: religion; or you feel you’re at the mercy of someone else. Things go fine around here most of the time cause we got those dead folks trying to eat us. But right now, people are feeling mighty powerless and they’re gonna either fight or run.

Those folks. . . God bless ’em. . . they’re running. ” Rune grinned, showing all his teeth. “Don’t matter what they say. They’re scared and they don’t have no gawdamn control, so they’re outta here. I say let em go. ” He turned and waved to the very last Durango leaving through the gate.

Travis shook his head. “Well. No point keeping them here anyway. ”

“They’re a bunch of ingrates,” Peggy said joining them. She was still crying and her face was swollen.

Juan watched as the gate begin to close. “Ed’s freaking out about us opening the loading dock? Well, I’d be freaking worried that he’d pull something stupid like run away in the middle of it. Better now than later. ”

“Amen,” Rune said. He then reached out to greet Calhoun as the old man approached.

“Okay, the pussies are gone and the real soldiers are left. So, I gotta know a few things real quick. ”

“What is it, Calhoun?” Travis smiled slightly at the sight of the older man.

He was wearing some sort of weird hat with what looked like a miniature satellite dish on top. It was made out of foil and odds and ends.

“Is your wife going to have the Amazons come help us tomorrow?”

Travis grinned a little, then shook his head. “No, they’re keeping put on Paradise Island. ”

Calhoun abruptly frowned.

Travis lifted his eyebrows realizing he said something wrong.

“They don’t live on Paradise Island. Don’t your wife tell you nothing?”

With one last scornful look, Calhoun stalked off muttering about Amazons not helping out like decent women should.

“Oops,” Juan laughed.

Travis shook his head again, looking bemused.

Manny Reyes, the former mayor, walked up slowly.