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  “You told Rosario that I sent you to Fort Ross?”

  “Yep.” Ben helps himself to another shot of moonshine. No one stops him.

  “He did,” Ash confirms. “They beat the shit out of both of us when he told her that.” She rubs at the bruises still darkening her face.

  “Let’s say I believe you,” John says. “Why would you tell her that?”

  Ben gives John a flat stare. “I was hoping that if I gave her the answer she wanted to hear, she wouldn’t try to beat the answer out of us.” He shrugs. “She beat us anyway. Basically, I got the shit kicked out of me in your name. And Rosario died thinking you were her undoing. If that’s not worth a ride home, I don’t know what is.”

  Medieval John throws back his head and roars with laughter. He laughs so hard tears stream down his face. The tough guys at our table guffaw with him, slapping one another on the back as though they’ve all just heard the best joke of the century.

  I study Ben’s face, trying to discern if he’s bullshitting. One look in his eyes and I know he’s not.

  “My friends,” Medieval John says at last, “you got yourselves a deal. One boat in exchange for five alpha recordings and the the sweet, sweet knowledge that Rosario died thinking I was the one responsible for fucking up her grand plan.” He slams both fists on the table so hard, all the bowls and silverware rattle. “Damn, I like you guys. I foresee a hearty trade between our communities in the future. Now, tell me all the details. I want to know everything.”

  “Sure.” Ben pours himself another shot of moonshine. He downs it, pours himself one more, then launches into the story. There’s a flush to his cheeks and his eyes are bright.

  I can’t help but laugh as John makes him tell the story not once, not twice, but three times. Each telling is accompanied by another few shots, so that by the time Ben gets to the third re-telling the bottle on the table is empty. He doesn’t even slur. I guess my boyfriend can hold his liquor.

  His story becomes more lurid and detailed. He has everyone in the cafeteria hanging on his every word. They ooh and ahh and wince at all the right places. They cheer every time when he retells the part about Alvarez putting a bullet in Rosario’s head, skillfully driving home the point that she died thinking John had come to take the fort from her.

  Who knew Ben could spin a good story? I guess hidden talents come out when a person has moonshine. Lots of it. It’s practically a miracle drug.

  Under the table, Ben squeezes my knee. I give him a grateful smile and return the squeeze.

  We’ve done it. With his help, we’ve closed the deal with Medieval John.

  We’re finally going home.

  Epilogue

  Right Here, Right Now

  KATE

  “What are you doing?”

  Two days after our return to Creekside, I stand in the doorway to my dorm room watching Ben wrestle a second bed into the tiny space.

  He grunts, kicking aside a pair of shoes that are in his way. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

  “It looks like you’re moving a second bed into a room only designed to hold one bed.”

  He raises an eyebrow at me. “Is that what it looks like? I thought it looked like I’m moving in with you.”

  I lean against the doorframe, refusing to help him. The leg of the second bed gets stuck in a pile of dirty clothes I left on the floor. Ben scowls in my direction as he levers the pile to one side with his foot.

  “You’re going to have to learn how to use a laundry basket.” He opens the closet, glowering as he comes face to face with the previous owner’s clothing. “And we’re getting rid of this guy’s clothes. The only man’s clothes that are going to be in this room will be mine.”

  I fold my arms over my chest. “Is that so?”

  “Yes.”

  I suppress a smile. This playful side of Ben has been coming out more and more lately. I like it that he lets his guard down enough to banter with me. Caleb said it had something to do with him getting laid, but I pretended not to hear that.

  “Were you going to ask me about any of this before you decided to move in?” I ask.

  “I thought about it.” He gives the bed a shove, grunting in satisfaction as it slides into place.

  “You thought about it and ... what? Decided not to bother asking?”

  He slides around the bed and comes to stand in front of me. My blood heats as he looks down at me. He presses me up against the doorframe and kisses me until my knees are weak.

  “I decided I was moving in regardless of what you said.”

  I huff as he breaks away. He turns around to tackle the closet, yanking out armloads of things that belonged to the previous occupant.

  “I told you I wasn’t dropping this thing between us.” He flings out baggy jeans and T-shirts with pithy slogans on them. “This is me not dropping it.”

  I decide to quit pretending that I’m mad. I like that he’s making space for himself in my life. Even if that leaves us a mere eleven inches between the bed and the closet. Walkways are overrated anyway.

  “Hey, Ben.”

  “What?”

  “I’d take a bullet for you.”

  He extracts his head from the closet. His eyes crinkle around the edges as he gazes at me. “I’d take a bullet for you, too. Any day of the week, Kate. Don’t ever forget it.”

  He returns to his task of emptying the closet.

  “I’m still throwing my dirty clothes on the floor,” I tell him, just to see what his reaction will be.

  “You think so?” Three pairs of dirty sneakers are ejected out of the closet.

  They land by my feet. Damn, they smell awful. Maybe that’s part of the reason this room always had a rancid scent. And here I thought it had been me and my stinky running clothes.

  “Yep.” I kick the rank shoes out in the hallway one at a time. I suppose I should have cleaned out this closet months ago. If not for Ben, the room wouldn’t look as good as it does. He covered every inch of wall and ceiling with pictures of nature for my birthday a while back.

  When I straighten up, Ben is standing in front of me. “I’m the only one who will be throwing your dirty clothes on the floor.”

  I squawk when he scoops me up and kicks the door closed. He tosses me onto the bed and lowers himself on top of me. I melt into him as he kisses me. One hand slips under my shirt to grip my waist. I unfasten the top button of his fatigue shirt, ready to do my part in adding dirty clothes to the floor.

  “Dude, I could have gone my whole life without seeing that,” says a voice.

  Ben and I jump apart like two kids caught making out in the janitor’s closet.

  “What the fuck?” Ben yanks at his fatigues, fingers automatically flying to the top button.

  Caleb stands in the doorway, thumbs hooked in the pockets of his pants. He raises amused eyebrows at us. “You guys really have to get into the habit of shutting the door. No one wants to see old people going at it.”

  “Who are you calling old?” I ask.

  “The door was shut,” Ben growls.

  “The door was definitely not shut,” Caleb replies. “It was mostly shut. I wouldn’t have been stupid enough to open it without knocking if it had been completely shut.”

  “What do you want, Caleb?” My voice might be a tad squeaky.

  He grins at me. “Gary sent me to get you guys. The welcome-home dinner is ready. For what it’s worth, I may have kept walking if Gary hadn’t spent the last six hours preparing the meal. It’s not legal to miss out on food someone worked so hard to prepare.” He saunters away, leaving me and Ben to collect ourselves.

  “The door was shut,” Ben snarls. “That little fucker just wanted to fuck with us.”

  I kiss his cheek before climbing off the bed. “Come on. There’s a feast waiting for us.” I pause, looking down at him. “I’m glad you moved in. I like having you here.”

  His eyes soften. He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles. Hand in hand, we head into the ma
in common room.

  In the days we’ve been gone, a lot has changed. Carter got it into his head that we needed to “open up” the main dorm suite. He enlisted Margie, the kids, and Christian to help knock out the walls to the bedrooms. The result is jagged sheetrock and exposed beams, but the suite actually feels like an open common room now. Christian and Carter even brought in more tables and sofas from other rooms. For the first time, there’s a seat for everyone.

  “About time, lovebirds,” Jenna says as we enter the room. “Gary, can we eat now?”

  “Hold up.” Gary waves a spatula to ward off Kristy and Evan. The two kids dart back and forth, eyeing the four casserole dishes sitting on the counter.

  “I just want to say a few words before we dig in.” Gary has graduated from his wheelchair to a walker. His leg will never completely heal from the shark attack, but it’s good to see him mobile. “First off, Kate, congratulations on a successful mission to Fort Ross. From everything I’ve heard, you guys did a hell of a job crashing Rosario’s party.” He salutes me with his spatula. “May we all have semi-trucks and zombie armies at our backs when things go south.”

  Chuckles run around the room. I laugh and return Gary’s mock salute.

  “Let’s take a moment and acknowledge those of us who didn’t make it back from the mission to Fort Ross,” Gary continues. “Eric and Leo, we salute you, brothers. You will be remembered.”

  Gary picks up two rocks from the kitchen table. They’ve been brightly painted with flowers. The names Leo and Eric adorn each of the rocks. Without a doubt, they are Jenna’s handiwork.

  “Will you do the honors?” Gary holds the rocks out in my direction.

  I place them on the shrine erected by Jesus that still sits in the common room. It’s a plastic tub spray painted red. Inside is Jesus’s St. Roch medallion and a vase with plastic flowers. Though the shrine was built to honor St. Roch, it’s become a way for us to remember the family members we lost. Eric and Leo’s rocks now sit next to the ones made for Lila and Jesus.

  I face my Creekside family, recalling Alvarez’s words at the burial. “We’ll honor their sacrifices and their memories by living our lives to the fullest. They died in the name of friends and family. We’ll never forget them.”

  Murmurs of agreements run around the room.

  I bow my head. Leo. And Eric. I’ll carry both of them with me. Always.

  And Reed. I can only hope he’ll come back to Creekside someday.

  “Okay.” Gary bangs his spatula on the countertop. “Let’s eat!”

  I step aside as people bustle into line, eager to dig into Gary’s casseroles.

  I take in our small community. Laughter and happy chatter washes over me. The kids zip around the room, playing tag while adults shout for them to slow down.

  So many are missing from Creekside. Jesus. Lila. Eric. Reed. Of the original Creekside crew, it’s just me, Jenna, Carter, and Johnny.

  But since those early days, we’ve added new family members. There’s Ash, Caleb, Ben, Susan, and Gary. There are those from Leo’s group, too: Todd, Christian, Margie, Stacy, and the kids, Kristy and Evan. And our newest addition, Bella from Fort Ross.

  I don’t know what the future holds for us. Creekside might get new family members. We may lose others. All I know for sure is that I plan to enjoy this moment.

  Right here, right now.

  Acknowledgments

  TO ALL THE ULTRA ROCK stars in my life who help me bring these books to life: THANK YOU!

  Linda Bellmore

  Lan Chan

  Victoria deLuis

  Joe Dulworth

  Jayson Fowler

  Chris Picott

  Andy Salas

  Jon Theisen

  Author’s Note

  THANKS SO MUCH FOR picking up a copy of Undead Ultra: Fort Dead! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please consider leaving an honest online review of Fort Dead. Reviews really help independent authors spread the word about our stories. I sincerely appreciate every review. Each one helps me find more readers.

  Thanks for being part of the journey!

  To learn more about Camille’s books, visit her website:

  www.camillepicott.com

  You can also connect with Camille on social media.

  Facebook @ultrawriter

  Instagram @camillepicott

  Free Gift: the untold story of Alvarez

  WHEN YOU FIRST MEET Alvarez in Undead Ultra, he’s nothing more than a broken soldier in search of redemption. When he reconnects with Kate on the ham radio later in the series, he’s stepped up to lead a survivalist community.

  How does he transform into a leader of the apocalypse?

  Here is his story.

  Sign up for Camille Picott’s author newsletter and get this exclusive story. It’s not available anywhere else!

  CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE

  Also by Camille Picott

  Nick and Rudy

  Nick and Rudy: A Zombie Apocalypse Christmas Tale

  Psycho Gets Her Man: A Zombie Apocalypse Valentine Tale

  Sulan

  The League

  Risk Alleviator

  The Dome

  Touch

  Escape

  Death Match

  Endgame

  Sulan Series Box Set (Books 1-4)

  Undead Ultra

  Undead Ultra

  Dorm Life

  Lost Coast

  Fort Dead

  Dawn Patrol

  Ultra Couch Potato to Ultra Badass: Your Ultimate Guide to Ultramarathon Training in the Zombie Apocalypse

  Watch for more at Camille Picott’s site.