The Emissary: Arrival: Horsewomen of the Zombie Apocalypse, #2

By K. A. Jordan

Bethany McLeod is the Emissary, bringing together the scattered remnants of humanity, in an alliance to save the human race. Raised by Doomsday Preppers, armed with bows and mounted on Spanish mustangs the McLeod sisters prove that not all women are helpless zombie bait. 

Beth, with her sisters Alexis, Dani, and Julie made the dangerous journey to Fort Chatten, Kentucky because the struggling Davidson Clan asked for help. They've arrived at Fort Chatten — to find just how dysfunctional the Davidson Clan is: Their defenses are unfinished, livestock runs loose, there are no crops planted, and their leader has fallen ill. 

Alexis McLeod plans to help her childhood crush Tyler Davidson get Fort Chatten on track, but the other Davidsons resist Alexis at every turn. Beth, Dani and Julie do their best to help Alexis prove herself, but time is short. 

In a few days Beth must take Dani and Julie back home, along with two men who can barely sit on a horse. What can they accomplish in such a short time?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Icy Road Publishing
• Release date: Nov 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781540126184

K. A. Jordan

K. A. Jordan was a refugee from the Rust Belt who escaped to the Blue Grass Kentucky in 1992. She writes and blogs from 'Jordan's Croft' a small farm where she lives with her husband, three horses, three dogs and a herd of alpacas. She says of her writing: "There are no 'ripped bodices' in my novels, but you will find charming criminals, wounded heroes, mad artists and the occasional haunted motorcycle." Her debute novel "Let's Do Lunch" spent 10 weeks on the Amazon UK Romantic Suspence Best Sellers list, peaking at #3, in December 2011. She followed that success with "Swallow the Moon" and "Horsewomen of the Zombie Apocalypse."  She holds a degree in Applied Science, spins her own yarn, gardens and can often be found on the back of her husband's Suzuki M109 motorcycle.

Book preview

The Emissary: Arrival

Horsewomen of the Zombie Apocalypse Book II

By K. A. Jordan

BETHANY MCLEOD IS THE Emissary, bringing together the scattered remnants of humanity, in an alliance to save the human race. Armed with bows and mounted on Spanish mustangs the McLeod sisters prove that not all women are helpless zombie bait.

Beth, with her sisters Alexis, Dani, and Julie made the dangerous journey to Fort Chatten, Kentucky because the struggling Davidson Clan asked for help. They've arrived at Fort Chatten — to find just how dysfunctional the Davidson Clan is: Their defenses are unfinished, livestock runs loose, there are no crops planted, and their leader has fallen ill.

Alexis McLeod plans to help her childhood crush Tyler Davidson get Fort Chatten on track, but the other Davidsons resist Alexis at every turn. Beth, Dani and Julie do their best to help Alexis prove herself, but time is short.

In a few days Beth must take Dani and Julie back home, along with two men who can barely sit on a horse. What can they accomplish in such a short time?

The Emissary: Arrival

Horsewomen of the Zombie Apocalypse Book II

By K. A. Jordan

Published by Icy Road Publishing

This is a work of fiction . These characters are products of the author's imagination, (except for the horses), any resemblance to actual people is entirely coincidental. The names of the horses have been changed, and they can't read, so they get paid in carrots and clean stalls.

Cover by: Athanasios Galanis

https://www.facebook.com/athanos1964

www.mad-gods.com

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Edited by: Cassie Cox

Copyright © 2014 by K. A. Jordan

All rights reserved.

Electronic Edition, License Notes:

This e-book was licensed for your personal enjoyment only. If you would like to share this e-book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this e-book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your exclusive use, then please return to the e-book store and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

ISBN: 9781310937354

Prologue

The meteor was discovered by a couple honeymooning at the Gulf of California on December 21, 2012. The meteor was large, round, and light for its size. They brought it home to Mexico City and sold it to an amateur collector. It was the prize of his rock collection until he died, then his heirs threw out the rock collection.

The meteor got stuck in the garbage truck mechanism and jammed it so thoroughly, three guys needed a sledgehammer to break it into pieces.

The next morning, all three men were dragged to the hospital, raving, biting, and foaming at the mouth.

It was already too late for the human race.

The infected, dubbed the muerto viviente — walking dead —  spread the infection from Mexico City to the rest of the Americas. Los Angeles, California and Phoenix, Arizona went up in flames before they became cities of muerto.

In one summer, the infection took out fifty percent of the population of North America. When winter came, another thirty percent died from lack of electricity, clean water, and imported food.

Those who survived were scattered in rural areas or isolated pockets, the rural poor, small farmers, survivalists, militias, and ruthless marauders who preyed on everyone else.

In the spring of Year Three, on the edge of the Daniel Boone National Forest, a network of families communicated via ham radio. Clan McLeod offered to send a trained healer to clan Davidson. Twenty-year-old Alexis McLeod is a healer. Eighteen-year-old Beth and younger sisters, Dani and Julie, offered to go with her on the dangerous journey to the Davidson compound.

IT WAS JUST BEFORE dawn at Dunvegan castle when Ken McLeod checked the weight of the horse's panniers before handing them off to his dark-haired daughter, Julie. He watched her load the panniers onto the pack horse. Julie, only fourteen, was his youngest daughter, and off on her first long trip with her sisters. He doubled-checked all her weapons: the short horseman's bow, two quivers of arrows, the semi-automatic pistol strapped to her belt, and the Winchester rifle strapped to her saddle bags.

He nodded his approval before he gave her a kiss farewell. Julie was the quiet one. She preferred the company of pets to that of her rough-and-tumble sister, Dani.

Be careful, he said. Stay close to Dani.

I will. She smiled up at him. Her dark hair was neatly braided in pig-tails, and her hazel eyes flashed with excitement.

He walked over to Dani and her already-loaded pack horse. The ends of her red hair were already escaping her braid. At sixteen, Dani was lean, light on her feet, and had a red-head's quick temper.

He gave her weapons a cursory inspection.

Listen to Beth. And look out for Julie. Don't go chasing game when you're supposed to be on guard duty.

She laughed and threw her arms around him. She was eager to start, like a young race horse at the gate.

I promise. Her brown eyes laughed at him.

Ken walked over to Bethany. She was giving the map a last look before they left. Tall, blond, and lean from a life in the saddle, Bethany looked older than eighteen. She was the fiercest fighter of the four sisters, yet she brought home a steady stream of orphans and refugees. He counted on Beth to make friends everywhere she went.

The McLeod clan needs allies, he said as he hugged her. I'm counting on you to be our emissary.

I will, Beth promised, smiling. I'll try not to bring home any strays.

Your brother-in-law will appreciate that, he teased before kissing her forehead. He turned to see Alexis watching them with a confident smile.

Blond and hazel-eyed like Beth, twenty-year-old Alexis was as eager to leave Dunvegan as Dani was. Alexis had had a crush on Tyler Davidson since she was Julie's age. Ken worried, as father's do, that Tyler wouldn't be good enough for her. But she wasn't interested in any of the local boys, and Dunvegan didn't have room for another chatelaine, as his wife called the job of organizing the sprawling complex of Dunvegan.

Ken knew the situation at Fort Chatten was dire. Tyler's father, Aaron Davidson, was a drinker, too shell-shocked to adapt to the post-apocalyptic world. Alexis was a nurse, an herbalist, and a top-notch organizer, just like her mother. Clan Davidson might prosper under Tyler's leadership - if he had Alexis at his side.

I'm not going to say good-bye, Ken said as he hugged Alexis. I'm counting on you coming back in the fall.

Fort Chatten isn't that far away, she protested. Three days is nothing.

Look after your sisters, he said. Bethany will bring home more refugees than our community can absorb.

Alexis laughed, but when she looked at him, her smile faded.

Take care of everyone. I'll miss y'all terribly.

Ken drew himself to his full six-two. Don't let that boy send you home knocked up. I'd have to ride to Fort Chatten to kill him.

Oh, Dad! Alexis protested. Don't go all medieval on me!

Mind yourself, he growled before he kissed her. He looked at the girls and their horses.

Mount up! He waved at his son-in-law standing at the wooden gate. Open the gate!

The girls swung into their saddles. The sound of hooves echoed against the stone walls as they turned their horses toward the gate.

Julie's young pack horse threw up its head, neighing shrilly to the horses in the stable. Ken frowned. The filly was still green; Julie would have her hands full with it. As he watched she snapped the lead rope, and the pack horse fell into step with Julie's saddle horse. Ken nodded, satisfied Julie could handle it.

He'd taught his daughters well. They were a small but skilled cavalry, unleashed on a world in ruins. His daughters had the drive to reshape the world.

Not even an army of undead would stand against them.

The Emissary - Arrival

Chapter 1

THE ROAD TO FORT Chatten wound up a slight hill, and low piles of broken concrete acted as crude walls. A fire-blackened field of scrub and charred weeds prevented anything from crossing unseen. Beyond that was an incomplete palisade of logs and stacked tires. Behind that, Beth saw a high chain link fence and two chain link gates.

There were no plowed fields for corn, soybeans, or wheat. No hay or pasture for dairy animals or horses. Beth shook her head in dismay.

These people are going to starve.

The chain link fence protected three large buildings. The largest was the fort, a series of shipping containers stacked so the ends overlapped, creating a square with an open center. The containers had once been painted blue and red, but rust had become the most prominent color. There were no windows on the outside walls. The roof was flat with a metal railing around it. Two watchtowers rose from diagonal corners, short wood walls with metal roofs to keep the sun off. The front container wasn’t as long as the others, and the gap had an iron gate across it.

The fort might be secure from muerto, but it looked airless and stifling. In a hot, humid Kentucky summer, the inside of the metal fortress would be hellish.

Would she and her sisters have to sleep there?

I'd rather sleep in a tent.

To the right of the fort was a huge black barn with a shed on each side. The sides of the barn were solid wood planks that had to be at least a hundred years old; it looked as solid as an old tree stump. Behind the barn was a new metal-sided garage that looked as if it could hold six cars. The brown garage had a huge green-roofed overhang along its length, and half was open to the weather like a big patio. The other half was closed off, making the garage L-shaped.

Two dark-haired women slid the gates open. Beth urged her horse inside, getting a feel for the place. The grounds were unkempt. Weeds grew unchecked around the buildings and loose livestock. Tools and materials were scattered around what looked like projects that had been started and abandoned.

Riding point in front of the truck, Beth turned her horse away from the fortress, scattering chickens, goats and turkeys. She could see that one of the barn's wings sheltered a camper that was obviously occupied. The other wing was overflowing with farm equipment buried in weeds.

Why aren't they using it?

The fields around Dunvegan were already plowed and planted for the season.

She wanted to cluck at the mess. Except for the metal-sided garage, pristine in its newness, everything was unfinished or in desperate need of repair.

Desperate was the best overall description of Fort Chatten.

She didn't see enough livestock to feed even a small family, or a garden big enough to sustain the dozen people who supposedly lived there.

Their escort parked their truck by the garage, then they hopped out. The girls dismounted next to the truck. The metallic squeal of the tailgate sent Beth's horse, Lil' Stinker, backwards, snorting in alarm. Beth had to turn the fractious filly in a quick circle to