Kevin made the circuit around the perimeter of the net and tied off the edges to the trees while Adam did the same. Kevin completed his work when he reached Adam's starting point, and Adam stopped when he found where Kevin had secured the net. They crossed the center of the net and tied several additional locations for extra support and stability.

"Ready for the rafts," Kevin shouted into the walkie-talkie. He was forced to raise his voice to be heard over the hovering helicopter.

"Here they come," George replied, triggering the winch and lowering the tied bundle.

Kevin unhooked the package from the cable and let the inflatable rafts spill out across the net. Having been well secured, the net held and didn't get pulled down by the increase in weight.

"Good to go," Kevin reported. "Get back to the ship and start bringing in the cargo."

"On the way," George acknowledged. His helicopter banked smoothly and shot across the sky, heading back toward the ship.

Knowing it would be a few minutes until George returned, Kevin set about deploying the rafts. Adam helped him use more of the rope and clips from their packs, linking each raft to the cargo net and the nearest tree for double protection. Once the rafts were hooked in, Kevin and Adam activated them, and the orange rafts filled up in seconds as the pressurized air was released inside.

Connecting heavy tarps to one edge of each of the two dozen rafts, Kevin and Adam provided a covering to hopefully keep the survivors warm and dry in spite of any adverse weather.

The sound of a helicopter made the two men look toward the sky, and they saw the streamlined aircraft cruising toward the treetop encampment. The helicopter swooped in low, the wind from the rotors rustling the leaves of the jungle canopy.

Because the helicopter was hovering lower than before, Adam was able to jump and grab hold of the landing skid, pulling himself up and opening the cargo door. Dragging out supplies, he tossed them down to Kevin, and Kevin secured them in the nearest raft.

As soon as the helicopter was unloaded, Adam slammed the door and jumped down to land in one of the rafts. Loaded with sleeping bags, it was a soft landing. George gained some altitude before turning back to the ship for a second load.

"What's next?" Adam asked.

Kevin had a series of long rope strands. He secured a clip to one end and a battery powered lamp to the other. "We need to hang these from the net all around. If we can't get everyone here by chopper, they'll need to see when they get here."

"Got it," Adam answered, taking some of the cables and lamps for himself and moving to a different part of the net to begin his own work.

Kevin clipped a few more lights into position and lowered them down under the net before George started his return flight.

"Kevin," George said through the portable radio.

"Yeah, George," Kevin answered. "Go ahead."

"Razor reported movement to the north," George stated. "He couldn't see what was causing it because the underbrush was too thick, but something's coming."

Kevin didn't need to be told what was the source of the disturbance; he knew. The zombie horde was on its way.

"How far away is the disturbance?" Kevin questioned.

"A few hours at most," George answered.

Kevin grimaced. "How much supplies are left?"

"This should be the last load," George replied.

"Get it done fast and evacuate the ship," Kevin ordered.

"Understood," George acknowledged.

Although Kevin had been moving swiftly and efficiently, the knowledge of the undead closing in filled him with a greater sense of urgency. He quickened his pace but kept his speed at a manageable level as he didn't want to be careless and get someone killed because he'd missed something vital.

Tying off a rope ladder, Kevin dropped it off the side of the cargo net, and it unrolled all the way to the jungle floor. Despite the length of the ladder, it barely reached the ground because of the great height of the colony in the trees.

A thought about someone other than the refugees climbing the ladder sprang to his mind. The survivors were in no condition to fight off a scavenger attack if one came against them in their present state, and the encampment had no defenses against the high end firepower the savages carried.

Ultimately, Kevin dismissed the worrying thought because scavengers were all about taking and hoarding supplies. They wouldn't come miles out into the jungle for the simple reason there wasn't anything out there for them to take. They would stay with the cites and around abandoned military bases where salvage was more abundant.

Relief let Kevin sigh as he realized he wouldn't have to fight scavengers again, and he wondered if the zombies hordes had already wiped them out. Maybe there weren't any more scavengers. It was a sobering thought.

George approached in his helicopter, and his imminent arrival put all of Kevin's musings on hold as he was forced to concentrate on the task at hand. Opening the rear compartment, he and Adam immediately started on the cargo. Whatever couldn't be brought by helicopter would have to be carried or abandoned at the ship, and George didn't have unlimited fuel. Every second Kevin and Adam spent unloading cargo was one less second they would have for the people still on the ship.

Unless he knew the supplies to be fragile, Kevin shoved them out of the chopper and let the net catch them. He'd organize them later. Once the rear compartment was empty, Kevin waved at George.

"Good to go," Kevin shouted over the engine as he jumped out.

George soared into the sky in a graceful turn and headed away at full speed. In the time before George returned, Kevin pulled out a few smaller nets made of rope and began bundling supplies together and tying them off to nearby branches in a resemblance of bizarre bunches of grapes.

***

George had kept a suspicious eye on the fuel gauge since first lifting off in the chopper, and the needle was resting firmly on E as he approached the ship. A warning light and an accompanying siren went off a few seconds before the motor started sputtering.

The controls became a fight to manage as the helicopter threatened to crash. He held on as the aircraft swooped down and landed hard on the helipad. George was thrown against his restraints and the noise of the impact left his ears ringing. His vision was momentarily blurred.

As his full senses came back to him, he realized he was alone. Unbuckling himself from the pilot's seat, he stumbled out of the helicopter and looked around. The ship was empty of people.

Razor and Red had started the evacuation after his last trip, and he believed they were well on their way by now. George thought about following. By himself, he'd easily be able to catch up, but a secondary thought came to mind, and he dropped the bag he'd picked up from the deck and headed below.

Returning to the main deck a few minutes later, George carried a long rope with a three pronged hook on one end. He spun the hook around several times to build momentum before casting the line toward a tall tree. The hook landed in a crevice where the trunk branched in two. He tugged on the rope a few times to make certain it would hold. Tying the rope off to the helicopter, George finished his task.

Scooping up the pack he'd dropped earlier, George climbed down the ladder off the side of the ship and dropped into the jungle. He looked up at the connecting line he'd strung between the ship and the tree, knowing they could come back for any overlooked supplies without having to face the undead along the way.

As George took off at a brisk jog, he noted the orange sky leaking through the canopy. He knew it wouldn't be too much longer before the sun set and darkness claimed the jungle. It was already difficult to see, and the uneven terrain made footing hazardous. He could only hope the undead would have similar troubles navigating the jungle.

***

Kevin heard the noise of the undergrowth being crushed or pushed aside as the refugees spotted the hanging lanterns below the cargo net and rushed toward the ladder Kevin had deployed. As Isabella started up the ladder, Kevin picked up a sound he'd heard far too many times before, a low, moaning wheeze.

A chill ran up his spine as Kevin's heart rate took off at full speed. He screamed down to his people. "Climb!"

In order to speed their ascent, Adam dropped a second ladder from the cargo net suspended over the canopy. Razor and Red jumped on and started up at an insane speed. Ignoring the footholds, the two scavengers scaled the ladder hand over hand. Three Scar followed their example and reached the top the at same time as Isabella. Reaching the canopy, they rolled off into the cargo net and brought out their rifles, immediately firing on the emerging line of undead.

***

George heard the gunfire ahead but resisted breaking into a sprint. If the zombies had reached them already, he'd need his energy to get away or fight, and he couldn't afford to deplete his strength in simply reaching the confrontation.

He spotted the lights ahead, but George couldn't tell which of the human shapes belonged to the survivors and which ones were already dead, so he couldn't risk shooting into the crowd. Drawing his sword, he lunged over a log and stood under one of the hanging lamps where he could get a good look at those near him.

He could instantly tell between the two groups in the light because the zombies had extra shadows on their faces where they were missing chunks of flesh. Their clothes were ragged and torn from the attacks responsible for their deaths.

Knowing who to attack, George swung his sword, cutting down the undead and carving a swath through the undead ranks so he could reach one of the ladders. Guns fired from above, killing more of the shambling corpses and adding to George's efforts.

Vaulting into the air, George kicked off a zombie to his left, slashed a walking corpse on his right in passing, and snared a hold on one of the rope ladders.

Kevin took hold of the top of the ladder and the others helped him.

"Pull!" Kevin shouted. The six people in the canopy pulled with all their strength, drawing the ladder upwards with every yelled command.

George hung on as the ladder rapidly dragged him up through the air and out of the undead's reach. As he neared the top, his fellow survivors grabbed him by the shoulders and arms, hauling him off the ladder and into the net.

"Welcome home," Isabella said cheerfully. She was out of breath from the run through the jungle and the physical demands of pulling George out of the jaws of undeath, but she her mood hadn't suffered in the slightest.

George did notice Kevin eying the scavengers in their group suspiciously. Serving their own interests, scavengers would turn on anyone if they thought the situation called for it. By the look on Kevin's face, he expected trouble. With Adam, George, Kevin, and Isabella weary, if the scavengers were going to try and take over, this would be the moment for it.