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“No, he is going to be all right. The operation was a success,” Lydia said softly, then suddenly she was gone and Charlotte was standing over him.

“Did you hear me, Travis? Juan is going to be all right. We got the bullet and he is stable. I think he will be all right. ” Charlotte repeated.

Katie sat up groggily and when she heard Charlotte’s words, she leaped up and hugged her tightly. “Thank you, Charlotte! You saved him!”

“Oh, thank God!” Rosie wailed.

Then everyone was crying and hugging each other.

Travis felt relieved, but strangely disconnected from all around him. His dream still felt tangible and, despite himself, he looked around for Lydia.

Katie threw her arms around him, kissing his cheek. “Love you. ”

“Love you,” he answered, his gaze still sweeping over the lobby.

“You look a little strange,” Katie decided.

“I had a weird dream. ”

“Yeah, me, too. I dreamed you and Lydia were talking while I slept,” Katie said with a little shrug. “Strange, huh?”

3. A New America

Kevin walked briskly along the walkway leading to the mall’s offices. The Major General had sent for him and he had an ominous feeling about this meeting. Down below, he could see people moving about, talking in groups, or moving to their assigned duties. Already he could see one group of people washing the glass of the window displays. In an effort to keep people from going stir crazy, all sorts of ridiculous chores had been thought up for the populace. The fear and stag

nation in the mall was terrible. He felt it pushing on him everyday.

Sliding his hand over the stubble on the top of his head, he tried to focus himself the best he could. He could see the Senator’s entourage on their way across the bridge from Foley’s and knew this meeting was not going to be one bit pleasant.

Kevin knew that he would have to keep his tongue in check. It was hard to do with the increasingly inflammatory comments being made by those in power. It was obvious to him that the people in Central had no compassion to those outside their walls. What had once been the American populace were now merely commodities to be divvied up into neat little categories.

A group of short, dark skinned men were being herded toward the outside doors as he drew near the offices. He hesitated as he watched the indigenous men group tightly together, obviously afraid. For some obscene reason, the migrant workers were forced to work on the mall’s landscaping. Supposedly, it was to keep them busy, but no other people in the mall were forced to go outside and endure the blood curdling moans of the undead.

Frowning, he turned and moved down the short hall that would deliver him into the Major General’s office. The men on guard gave him sharp salutes and opened the door for him. Walking in, he felt everyone’s eyes on him. He had originally been the senior officer in charge of the mall until the Senator had shown up with the Major General. They were constantly suspicious of him and he did his best to make them feel he was a faithful drone.

“Kevin, thank you for joining us,” the Senator said with a brilliant smile.

She was heavily made up as usual with her blond hair forming a big bubble around her head.

“Senator,” he said in a soft voice.

“Sit down and let’s begin,” the Major General said.

Kevin sat down and looked down at the stapled sheets of paper before him. He flipped through it and saw a heading that read “Distribution of Human Assets. ”

“I spoke with Central last night,” the Senator began, her grin wide. “And they were very excited about the photos of the fort I sent them. And what is truly wonderful is that they have accepted my proposal to relocate the populace of the Madison Mall Rescue Center to our newly named Fort Bowie Work Center. ”

Kevin blinked blandly and glanced around the table. The Major General looked impressed. Bruce Kiel was scribbling on the proposal in front of him. The Senator’s eagle-eyed, sharp tongued, cunning campaign manager, Raleigh Tullos looked smug.

“So they don’t expect us to maintain the mall anymore?” the Major General asked.

Kevin realized in that moment how much of a puppet his commanding officer was.

“Exactly. Upon further examination of the photos I realized the hotel in the shots is the same hotel my sister and her husband were financing for restoration. It is a luxurious hotel that harkens back to the beginning of the last century. There is plenty of room for us to settle in there. We can secure the Governor’s Suite immediately and use all its resources to provide us a safe and civilized home,” the Senator said with relish.

“What of the people living in the hotel?” Kevin asked.

The Senator looked toward him with her shrewd blue eyes. Her smile remained plastered on her face. “They have obviously cleared other buildings. If we bring the cots from the mall with us, there will be sufficient room for the working force. ”