tower. Sven had been unable to sleep all night, worried about Dixon, Candy and Eve. Why had he let them go with the doctor and Candy? He should have told them to stay in the control tower where it was safe. All night he had been haunted by visions of them bloody and ravaged, turning into the undead beasts. Smoking had calmed him, finally. He had taken to smoking in the still functioning bathroom - because there was still electricity at the power plant – and realized that pot was really a weed. He chewed and swallowed some, getting a nice buzz in the process, and finally, sometime in the middle of the night, his bowels had unlocked. The nightmarish visions still played through his mind, but he was more detached and he could watch them more like a movie. He ate some more grass when he awoke in the morning, delighted to find yet another legitimate medicinal quality present in this wonder plant he had spent his entire adult life cultivating.
“Rough night,” Zeb said , as the survivors straggled toward the tower. It appeared that none had slept. Some were obviously injured. Many had torn clothes, some were limping.
Dixon yanked himself off the leash held by Candy and jumped up on Sven, smothering him with kisses, overjoyed at seeing him. Sven spotted the gash on his neck immediately, “What happened?”
“He bit an infected , who attacked us. It scratched him. He didn’t turn,” Candy said.
“I’m pretty sure the ravening virus has no effect on animals. But we’ll know for sure in a day or two,” the doctor said.
“I was so afraid I’d lost you. Don’t ever leave me again.” Sven spoke lovingly to Dixon, who smiled up at him, wagging his stub of a tail. “How are you? Are you all right?” Sven looked first at Candy, then at Eve. Eve stood beside the gurney with Brit, barely glancing up at Sven as he spoke. She helped Brit to sit up as he groaned painfully.
“You guys are so cute together,” Candy smiled. “See, I told you he loves that dog more than life itself,” she said quietly to Eve, who smiled into her hand and moved her body closer to Brit, sitting on the gurney. Brit leaned toward her almost imperceptibly. Sven noticed that Eve barely looked at him even when he spoke, and she seemed to be attached at the hip to that guy, Brit. Probably, he was wrong about her, but at least he and his crew were inside the power plant. Better than being outside those gates by a long shot.
Jackie stood on top of the low concrete wall surrounding the control tower and performed a count of the survivors. “I count 48.”
“I reckon we had five hundred defenders last night plus family members.” Zeb scratched thoughtfully at his day-old beard.
“They annihilated us ,” Mack said.
“We need a change of strategy ,” Jackie said. “Any ideas?”
“They are sensitive to the light.” The doctor stepped forward.
“What do you mean?” Jackie asked.
“Well, the sun is out and here we all are out in the open. Where are the ones infected with the ravening virus?” The doctor didn’t wait for an answer but continued, “They’re in there. They’re inside the buildings, waiting for nightfall. When nightfall comes, they will own this area.”
“It’s true. We could hear them breaking the lights all night ,” Brit said. Eve nodded agreement beside him.
“What do you propose?”
“We take a strong, fortified position and we flood the perimeter with lights - as many lights as possible.” The doctor looked at the control tower as he spoke.
“He’s right. Those things are in the buildings right now. Why haven’t they come out an d attacked us?” Zeb said.
“Well, we’ve got two extra powerful spot lights up there on either side of the tower catwalk, plus there’s two more on top of the guardhouse. We can take those down and bring them up to the control tower,” Sven said.
“I need all available manpower to go get those lights off the top of the guardhouse,” Jackie shouted.
“We need
“Rough night,” Zeb said , as the survivors straggled toward the tower. It appeared that none had slept. Some were obviously injured. Many had torn clothes, some were limping.
Dixon yanked himself off the leash held by Candy and jumped up on Sven, smothering him with kisses, overjoyed at seeing him. Sven spotted the gash on his neck immediately, “What happened?”
“He bit an infected , who attacked us. It scratched him. He didn’t turn,” Candy said.
“I’m pretty sure the ravening virus has no effect on animals. But we’ll know for sure in a day or two,” the doctor said.
“I was so afraid I’d lost you. Don’t ever leave me again.” Sven spoke lovingly to Dixon, who smiled up at him, wagging his stub of a tail. “How are you? Are you all right?” Sven looked first at Candy, then at Eve. Eve stood beside the gurney with Brit, barely glancing up at Sven as he spoke. She helped Brit to sit up as he groaned painfully.
“You guys are so cute together,” Candy smiled. “See, I told you he loves that dog more than life itself,” she said quietly to Eve, who smiled into her hand and moved her body closer to Brit, sitting on the gurney. Brit leaned toward her almost imperceptibly. Sven noticed that Eve barely looked at him even when he spoke, and she seemed to be attached at the hip to that guy, Brit. Probably, he was wrong about her, but at least he and his crew were inside the power plant. Better than being outside those gates by a long shot.
Jackie stood on top of the low concrete wall surrounding the control tower and performed a count of the survivors. “I count 48.”
“I reckon we had five hundred defenders last night plus family members.” Zeb scratched thoughtfully at his day-old beard.
“They annihilated us ,” Mack said.
“We need a change of strategy ,” Jackie said. “Any ideas?”
“They are sensitive to the light.” The doctor stepped forward.
“What do you mean?” Jackie asked.
“Well, the sun is out and here we all are out in the open. Where are the ones infected with the ravening virus?” The doctor didn’t wait for an answer but continued, “They’re in there. They’re inside the buildings, waiting for nightfall. When nightfall comes, they will own this area.”
“It’s true. We could hear them breaking the lights all night ,” Brit said. Eve nodded agreement beside him.
“What do you propose?”
“We take a strong, fortified position and we flood the perimeter with lights - as many lights as possible.” The doctor looked at the control tower as he spoke.
“He’s right. Those things are in the buildings right now. Why haven’t they come out an d attacked us?” Zeb said.
“Well, we’ve got two extra powerful spot lights up there on either side of the tower catwalk, plus there’s two more on top of the guardhouse. We can take those down and bring them up to the control tower,” Sven said.
“I need all available manpower to go get those lights off the top of the guardhouse,” Jackie shouted.
“We need
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