SurvivorZ: Grave Harbor

89

PATRICIA

Patty couldn't swear to it, but she was almost certain that the population of Fort Independence had dropped overnight. Whether people were too wound up to sleep or had begun sneaking out in the dead of night, all she knew was that she was seeing more empty beds than usual.

After what happened to the last bunch who tried to bail out of here, she'd be surprised if anyone else attempted the same. Anyone but her, that is. As far as she was concerned, the horde at their gate was simply one more reason not to stick around. Ending up stuck with nowhere to run was always her incentive to stay mobile.

Yet despite her best efforts, here she was anyway. Trapped like a rat in a cage.

She kicked a loose stone from the roof, watching it tumble off the wall and out of sight. Long before it hit the ground, her attention strayed to the gore-encrusted army pressed against the fort's recently completed chain link fence. With news of the horde closing in on them, crews worked tirelessly to finish its construction before the dead arrived. Now, everywhere she looked, all Patty saw was an unbroken wall of gnashing teeth and bloodstained rags on the other side of it. The stench of their rotting corpses threatened to knock her off her safe perch.

They drafted Stan and Sam to pitch in with the work, putting a kibosh to her plans to sneak away with the tide. If only she took more of an interest in piloting boats when she had the chance, she wouldn't be stuck here. She hated needing someone else to sail her to safety.

She honestly didn't know what the ones in charge were thinking. They had a whole fleet of boats docked off the east end of the island. More than enough to sail everyone away from this prison. Probably. Enough to get the women and children to safety, at the very least – her included.

Sometimes Patty had to wonder if the end of the world hadn't stripped everyone around her of their common sense. Perhaps people weren't used to thinking for themselves. If there was one thing her abusive cow of a mother instilled in her, it was a survivor's instinct. If she could think of a way out of this deathtrap that didn't involve swimming through freezing cold water or wading through a man-eating crowd of monsters, she'd jump at it.

Only one plan came to mind. It meant disguising herself in zombie innards and attempting to pass through the horde. If ever there was a last resort idea, this was it. She strongly doubted she could keep either her cool or the contents of her stomach within their ranks, even if she could climb the fence. Just entertaining the notion made the frigid dip in the bay sound appealing.

"Paige!" a voice called out from behind her.

Patty started and cursed under her breath. Though she had adopted Paige Treadwell's persona a while ago, reconnecting with her brother's friends was a reminder of her actual identity. It took her a split second to recall that someone was addressing her.

She turned to find Danielle and Richard approaching, hand in hand. Though she instantly resented the disruption to her train of thought, she flashed them a friendly smile that revealed nothing of her inner turmoil. Another trick she learned from her mother.

"Hey, guys."

Danielle joined her, looking dismayed by the worrisome sight below. Richard stood next to her with his palm cupping the crook of her spine. "What are you up to?" she inquired.

Patty shook her head. "Not much. Just watching the horror show. You?"

"We dropped Emily off with mom. Thought we'd go for a walk outside for some fresh air." Danielle sniffed, smelling only the stench of death and decay. "Or something."

"There are more of them now," Richard observed.

Paige pointed up the road at a mass of cold bodies on the march. "They're still coming. It's like these ones are calling them. I don't know what happened to all the barriers along the road, but it's not stopping them now. They're skipping the dockyard completely and just heading straight here."