He did not mention the rumor that Serena possibly had a fling with another man living at Mount Weather and that Sammy may not be the father of little Kaitlin.
Nikki snickered. “He’s cute, but I wouldn’t interfere with their thing.”
“Maybe some group study sessions at times then. I’m not promising anything yet. I’m going to see how you do on this mission first.”
Nikki fixed her expression into eager determination. “You won’t be disappointed.”
Fred didn’t respond. His intuition told him this girl had what it took. He hoped he wasn’t wrong. He watched as the first drops of rain began hitting the windshield.
“Getting back to the fifteens, you were saying they can generate body heat again,” Nikki questioned.
“They certainly do. Zach and I killed a couple of them back in the spring and he confirmed it by using one of those thermometers a medical examiner uses on dead bodies.”
“What kind of thermometer?”
“A long rectal thermometer,” Fred said.
Nikki thought a moment. “You mean a thermometer you stick up your butt?”
“Yep, but you wouldn’t want that one used on you. Anyway, Zach checked the temperature of a few immediately after we killed them. He confirmed they’re generating heat again.”
“Humph,” Nikki said. “And they understand shelter.”
“Yep, among other things. It’s believed the infection did unique things to their limbic system and other organs. There’s a few reports on file back at Weather if you want to learn more.”
Nikki nodded. “Their sense of smell becomes better, right?”
“Yeah, that’s the belief.”
“So, how do you keep them from smelling the horses?”
“You keep them as clean as you can, but use water only, no soap,” Fred said. It was the first time anyone had asked him that kind of question. He glanced over at her. She was nodding.
“That’s what we do back at Shenandoah,” she said. “So, where exactly are we going?”
“Enough questions for now,” Fred said. “Concentrate on the area. Make sure there’s no zeds or hostiles watching us.”
“But I’ve got so many questions. I can keep watch while we talk,” she said.
“There’ll be plenty of time for questions later. I need to concentrate on the road and I’m watching for threats too.”
Nikki was not deterred and kept asking questions, but Fred had become silent. After a couple of questions went unanswered, she shut up, but only for a couple of minutes before asking another question.
“I’ve got an idea of how to pass the time,” Fred finally said.
Nikki glanced again at him, this time with a curious smile. “How?”
“It’s a childhood game I’ve grown to love. It’s called quiet mouse. Ready? Go.”
Chapter 25 – Wilmington
When life was normal, it was a fifteen to twenty-minute drive from Marcus Hook to Wilmington, Delaware. Depending on the traffic.
There was no traffic anymore, no rush-hour snarls, but the roads around there had not been maintained in years and it showed. Plus, there was still snow and icy patches where the sun’s rays did not reach. Johnny G had thought ahead and had snow chains on the tires. Still, travel was slow.
An additional thirty minutes was added to today’s travel because Riley stopped their Suburban and told him she wanted to perform a move she heard about called the reverse cowgirl on Johnny G. As soon as they stopped, a half dozen zeds spotted them and surrounded their vehicle. Instead of concern, it seemed to excite her. She gyrated on him wildly while the zeds beat and clawed on the vehicle, snarling, and gnashing their teeth.
Johnny G had to admit to himself, he’d done some crazy things back in the day, that time in Singapore with the two prostitutes during the middle of a typhoon came to mind, but that had been over twenty years ago.
After Riley had her way with him, she climbed off and pulled a dagger out of a sheath that was above the sun visor. Johnny G hurriedly pulled his pants up because he had no idea what she was going to do next. Riley grinned, rolled the window down, and stabbed the nearest zed in the face through the fencing that was covering the window. She killed two of them before the other four began to comprehend and scurried off in a slow amble. Riley exited the vehicle and squatted. After a moment, she stood, put her pants back on, and sat in the driver’s seat.
“Okay, let’s get going,” she said.
She exited 495 to Dupont Parkway and after a couple of turns, she slowed and stopped.
“Here it is,” she said, pointing out the window.
She was pointing at a metal building, a warehouse in the middle of an industrial complex, with a large parking lot where a dozen shipping containers and several tractor-trailer rigs sat silently. He could see the Delaware River from where they were parked.
“Nice location,” he remarked.
“There are a couple of boat docks out back and we’ve found a big tugboat with diesel engines. It’s in a dry dock not far from here, but dad said once we move here, we’re going to launch it. That’ll open up all kinds of possibilities.”
Johnny G nodded silently. Most boats had gas engines, so finding one that burned diesel was a plus. They had a couple of boats back at Marcus Hook, but they were only used for fishing during pleasant weather.
He continued scanning and observed the beginnings of several modifications. There was a lot of fencing and barbed wire, and several shipping containers were stacked around one building, presumably to act as a safety barrier. Riley pointed.
“We’re going to add firing ports around the perimeter and when the weather breaks, we’re going to put greenhouses on the roof. Dad’s pretty sure the roof can hold the extra weight, but he wants you to check it out.”
“What’re you guys doing for power?” Johnny G asked.
“There’s a diesel generator out back, but since the river is so close, we were
