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“I’m not sure what you are talking about, but I can assure you, we can overcome the undead scourge,” the Major General declared.

Bill wasn’t too sure. It looked like a lot of Madison was outside the walls.

He glanced over the mall defenses, then back over toward the throng of zombies.

Yep, that was a whole lot of zombies… Damn.

Now, he knew how the people in the Alamo felt.

Shit. He hoped he died well. For a moment, he wondered if the Major General, who spoke with a thick East Coast accent, would understand if he told him “You can go to hell -- I’m going to Texas. ” He was tempted to paraphrase Davy Crockett’s famous words to “You can go to hell--I’m going to the fort. ”

Damn.

Whole lot of zombies. . .

“Once we take control of the fort, you will see that we can make things a lot better for everyone. The Senator has a definitive plan on how to build a new society on the ashes of the old one. The military forces will take over the security of the fort so your people can get out into the fields and start preparing for a new future. ”

Bill squinted at the guy and wondered if he realized what the hell he was saying. “You want us out in the fields. Growing crops?”

“And expanding the fort. Getting a cattle ranch secured. Everything that will be needed to create a new tomorrow. We can work out assignments for the men and create a schedule for the women. ”

“Schedule?”

“Yes. Which ones will help with the fort household and which ones will have children. ”

“Really?”

“Yes. Every woman that can have a child will need to produce a future citizen of the fort. We must get our population up so we can make sure to keep things moving toward a secure future. ” The Major General gave him a warm smile. “It’ll be rough at first, but the good old American know how will get us through. ”

“So, you guys will kinda divide us up, tell us what to do, take over the running of the fort?”

“Yes. Your people won’t have to worry about it. You’ll have an experienced Senator to govern and a trained military force. Sounds good doesn’t it?”

Tilting his head to one side, Bill took a deep breath, eyeing the throng of decaying dead outside the walls.

“What do you think, Bill?”

Bill took a deep breath and in his deep Texan drawl, that he deliberately twanged out, answered, “Born, raised, and lived as a Texan, sir. Aim to die as one. So, about America, she was good to me, but this is frontier land again. And if you don’t see it that way, yer fucked. This is Texas. We don’t take kindly to being told what to do. ”

The Major General blinked at him. “I don’t understand. ”

“This is Texas, sir. We aim to do what is best for ourselves and our family.

Your government, your military, they don’t exist anymore to us. We’ll do our own thing. Find our own way. ”

“You’re saying the people at the fort won’t welcome our leadership?”

“No, sir. I am saying they will tell you to fuck off. ”

The man’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.

“Think I’m done now,” Bill said firmly.

The Major General slowly nodded and motioned to a soldier to lead Bill back into the mall. Bill was more than glad to get out of the view of all the zombies outside the walls, but the mall wasn’t that welcoming either.

People were eating breakfast and heading off to their work assignments.

The heat was off and the cold made him shiver. It felt more like a prison than a home. He didn’t know how the people had mentally survived so long in such a sterile and cold environment.