I looked up and saw Connie staring at me as if in shock. "Tom, I love you above all else. I only handed Cory and Emma over to the zombies because it's you I love. I thought you'd learn to love me that much, too. Stop this so we can finally be together."
I shook my head in disgust as I stared at the floor wondering what kind of monster I'd gotten involved with. It was incomprehensible that Connie had orchestrated the deaths of her fiancé and the woman I loved because she was jealous of the relationship Emma and I cherished. She wanted to slip into Emma's role and have me love her as I had Emma. What I fool I'd been to get involved with her when I didn't truly love her. An image of Emma as she died flashed into my mind. Suddenly, I understood her evident confusion when she saw me approaching from the compound. That was the same confused look Kira gave me at the lake. Connie had lied to Emma as she had to Kira. She'd told each of them I'd gone to the lake alone and under armed. Both of them had put their lives on the line in an attempt to save me.
Connie sat apart from the rest of us. A guard sat to either side and slightly behind her, and another guard sat directly in front of her and faced her. All three guards kept their attention focused on Connie. She had already confessed to the crimes and had attempted to shoot Kira in the back. They knew they were dealing with a conniving, deranged murderer.
Forty-five minutes passed before Martin returned. He moved quickly and was unusually somber. He, Shane, Marilyn, Ed, and Kira stepped aside and spoke for several minutes in hushed tones. Since Connie had already confessed, the evidence was merely a formality necessary to protect a mentally disturbed person who might make a false confession. The group spoke a short time before Martin left them and joined the waiting audience.
Three minutes later, Shane stood in front of the group and raised his arms for silence. The murmuring voices quieted. "Martin found partial fingerprints belonging to Kira and Connie on the bullets found in Connie's pockets and in her room. Connie's prints are also on the magazines Kira changed out from her firearms shortly before she engaged a group of the undead this afternoon. There is no logical reason for Connie's prints to be on those magazines other than the crime she is charged with. We dealt with the physical evidence against Connie, and we didn't take her verbal confessions of murder into account until the evidence was judged separately."
He turned to Connie. "Connie Diuguid, please rise for the reading of the Judicial Group's verdict on the charge of the attempted murder of Kira Schafer."
Connie sat sullenly and refused to stand. She struggled violently and cursed the guards as they propelled her upward by her upper arms until she stood facing Shane. "The judicial team and Kira Schafer have discussed the evidence, and we have agreed unanimously on a verdict of guilty of attempted murder. Your punishment for the attempt to murder Kira Schafer is death. Since you have also confessed to arranging the deaths of Cory Petersen and Emma Jacobs, your punishment is to be harsh and fitting your crimes. Connie Diuguid, you will be held in detention until zombies are known to be in this area. Then you will be secured to a tree at the edge of the woods and used as bait to draw the zombies in close enough for them to kill you. We will then exterminate the zombies and you. Following your death, your corpse will be buried with the zombies and not with the deceased members of our group who served and died with honor." Shane addressed the group, "We are adjourned. Thank you."
I took a deep breath, glad to have passed the leadership role over to Shane. Kira was right, I was too involved to have stayed objective enough to be fair and impartial. The punishment doled out was harsh, but the crime was dastardly and deserved harsh justice.
Kira stood talking to Marilyn as I waited for them to part. I caught her eye before she left. "I apologize for ripping you earlier at the lake. I didn't realize you thought you were on a mission to rescue me. Thanks for risking your life to save mine," I extended my right hand and she smiled as she grasped it in friendship and nodded once.
Paige stood beside Kira. She said, "Mom, I'm hungry. Can we go now?"
Nine days later, the southeast watchtower reported zombies were at the end of the gravel road leading to our compound. I authorized Connie to be taken from her cell to initiate her punishment. Shane, Ed, Kira and I drove Connie to an oak tree at the edge of the woods and straight out from the middle of our building.
I placed a heavy chain around Connie's neck and pulled it tight to the tree that was about her width. The sound of the padlock clicking shut sealed her fate.
"God damn you, Tom. You and that bitch cheated behind my back. I know you did. I don't deserve this, she does."
The four of us were silent. Connie's struggles, vile curses and screams were to no avail. We got in the truck to drive back to the compound as Connie relentlessly cursed us loudly. Her most vulgar diatribes were directed at Kira.
Eight of us took positions on the second floor at shooting ports designed to ward off a major attack by our undead enemies. I never dreamed in my most
