Girls Save the World in This One - Ash Parsons Page 0,126

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In the end, the army found us.

It was all very exciting, being surrounded by shouting, riot shields, and guns, but we were able to pretty firmly establish that we weren’t zombies, and the cosplayers had taken off most of their makeup by then.

There were more survivors, too. James Cooper and his group managed to make their way to the office areas behind the ballroom balcony hall, and locked the Staff Only door with the deadbolt. Michaela, the aftershow host, led a large group of at least thirty survivors, in an orderly, no-pushing fashion, up to the roof, and then signaled for help from up there.

And there were more survivors still, pockets of them hunkered down, or finding their way from dangerous place to dangerous place, fighting to survive like we had.

One of the SWAT team guys said we probably saved a bunch of people by drawing the zombies up to the ballroom when we did.

Of course, the preppers survived also, although one of them was promptly arrested for possessing an illegal weapon.

While we were learning who all made it through, we were sitting in the medical tents. Waiting to be checked out, waiting for the area to be secured. And I realized that we could use our phones at last.

It was fun telling Siggy she should try calling Mark. It was even more fun hearing her absolute joy when he picked up. And hearing him sobbing with relief that she was okay, and then how he immediately patched her parents into the call so they could feel the same relief, well . . . I decided not to call him annoying anymore, not even in my head.

He’s not so bad. Not So Bad Mark Not So Bad Carson. More important, Siggy loves him like whoa and maybe they’ll figure their stuff out. If they both end up at the same college, or maybe even if they don’t.

All I know is I’ll be here for her either way.

Imani called her mom and Tishala, and it was like I was sitting with stereo headphones on, Siggy on one side, Imani on the other, both of them crying and saying I love you? and I know, and Me too.

I asked for a phone and a soldier gave me his. Mine had long since died, but they plugged it into a rapid charger for me.

When I heard my mom’s voice, and my dad’s, I lost it for a little while, I’m not going to lie. There’s nothing wrong with tears, certainly not tears of relief and love and all those near-death clarity emotions that burbled up in my chest and knotted in my throat.

Also, Mom was crying, too. And that always sets me off. I can’t help but cry when Mom is sobbing big fat I love yous and I’m so proud of you, babys and Thank God you’re alives into my ear.

So yeah, in spite of the cell phone dampener, word had gotten out that something bad was going down at ZombieCon! Not just because of the military presence and barricades, but because one of the podcast stage hosts turned his T-line linked feed on, left it streaming as the zombies attacked.

At first people thought it was a hoax, a War of the Worlds thing. But then the news started reporting the quarantine and blockade, and everyone got glued to their phones or TV screens.

James Cooper came looking for Hunter, and rushed across the tent to grab him into a bear hug. Hunter hugged him back and they were like actual father and son, so happy to be reunited. Hunter actually introduced me to James, who remembered me from before. It was pretty surreal.

Simon hugged James, too. Rosa was hugging a fellow crew member who’d made it into James’s group of survivors, and it was teary and sniffly there for a while.

In the good way.

We explained to the army officers about flooding the ballroom and our trap, warned about the danger of restoring power to that area. Apologized about the water still running.

A tight-eyed commanding officer called us “tough little