Ascension

'Where is he?'

Max looked for the leader, it only took him a moment to find the almost human signature in the 'Best Value Inn', 'He's over there.' Max pointed. 'I think he is on the second floor, near this end, probably looking out at us right now.'

Stewart raised her middle finger above the level of the car's hood and waved it back and forth. A single gunshot broke the silence, striking the back door of the sedan she was hiding behind. Stewart quickly pulled her arm down.

'Yep, he's watching.' said Max taking cover further down the ditch.

'Is it a 'he'?' she asked.

Max shrugged, 'I don't really know, does it matter? Ruben is in the Day's Inn. I think I got a bead on the one that shot at you. He is over on the Best Value roof.'

'You sure?'

'Pretty sure.'

'You can see guns now?'

'No, but I saw a flash from that direction when it fired at you and I know there are zombies on the roof there.'

'What about our hotel, is Ruben….alive?' asked Javier.

Max frowned, 'Yeah, he is. I don't know if he is infected, but he is alive, they have him up on the second story there too, only at the east end of the hotel. There are a couple, uh, well if not supers, maybe 'Einsteins'? So those two are holding him and there are a few shambling types in the corridor outside the room they have him in. Plus, most of the shamblers are on the ground floor of the hotel now.'

'Why aren't they mobbing us?' Stewart asked.

'How the hell would I know? I think they could have gotten us with that last rush.'

'Pessimist, we could have held them off.'

'Maybe…' Max said doubtfully.

'We could have.' Stewart insisted.

Bill had climbed up from the ditch to lie beside Max, he had his helmet back on and was looking better, 'What's the story?'

'They got Ruben inside on the second floor with a couple of Einsteins, there is a sniper on the roof of the Best Value and a super over there that we think is directing everyone. We don't know why they stopped rushing us. There are maybe fifteen shamblers and half a dozen Jenners inside the Day's Inn.' Max said.

'Okay, we go after him, Javier, get back into the ditch, work your way back towards the highway until you are out of sight of the Best Value. Stewart you follow him after a count of ten. Once you two are in place wait for us to catch up. Go!' Bill's voice didn't leave much room for arguing, regardless Javier took off instantly, leaving Stewart the options of following or leaving him to fend for himself on the far end of the hotel. She counted to ten and followed.

'You ready Max?'

Max nodded, then Bill said, 'I'll follow in a ten count. Go!'

Max skidded down into the bottom of the ditch and ran along it until he caught up to Javier, who was sitting near a culvert, where the hotel drive went over the ditch. Stewart had run up out of the ditch and was taking cover behind an old Subaru that screamed 'Hotel Employee', not 'Hotel Guest'. Bill caught up with them a moment later and looked the area over.

'Okay, the hotel has an entrance on the end of the wing. That is what we will go for. Max, what are the zombies doing?'

'The ones with Ruben haven't moved, the shambers are starting to head towards this side, but are staying inside. The super…I..' Max looked perplexed, 'I've lost him. How did I lose him?'

'We gotta move now. Max you got point, get to the hotel door and break through it. There is bound to be a stairway at the end, shut any of the doors leading to the hallway on the first floor, if they are not already. I should be there by then. Javier, you follow me on ten. Stewart you bring up the rear. Got it? Go!'

Max scrambled up the ditch and ran towards the glass door on the side of the hotel building. When he was fifteen feet away he fired one shot into the door, it shattered, but did not fall out of the frame. Using the barrel of the shotgun he pushed through the safety glass, then used his hand to pull the door open from the inside. There was a fire door that blocked off the stairway from the first floor of the hotel, however it was open. Max saw a mob of slow shamblers coming towards him from the hallway, instead of firing he tried to pull the door shut, but it was caught on something and wouldn't budge.

Bill joined him a moment later and pulled the door shut effortlessly, ripping the latch out of the drywall as he slammed it shut. There was nothing to hold the door shut with, so Bill pushed himself up against it while waiting for Javier and Stewart.

When the other two arrived Bill said, 'Okay, we can either leave the door and have zeds shambling up our asses or one of us can stay here and hold the fort. '

'You're giving us a choice?' asked Stewart.

'No, I am asking for input.'

'We all go.' Stewart said, 'These are shamblers and there is no guarantee we will be coming back this way.'

Bill nodded, 'Okay. Max, sorry to put you on point twice in a row, but you know where they have Ruben upstairs and you'll know if there are any zeds waiting in the rooms to spring out at us. So I want you and Stewart to head upstairs. If you come to a room were anything but a shambler is hiding you stop and wait for us. If they start to move Ruben, you and Stewart go balls to the wall until you catch them. Understand?' Max nodded. 'Javier and I will follow in ten.'

Max set off up the stairs, with Stewart close on his heels.

They reached the second floor and Max had time to reflect how very long ten seconds could be in the middle of an adrenaline rush. Max knew the hallway was clear before he burst into it, about halfway down there was a super zombie off to one side. The zombie was hiding at the elevators, which bisected the hotel floor. It looked like a Jenner.

'Jenner ahead, by the elevator.' The zombie was back-lit by the light from the window at the other end of the hall.

A gunshot rang out and the wallpaper six feet in front of Max spontaneously developed a long tear.

'Armed Jenner!' Max corrected, blasting the corridor with his shotgun.

'Armed Jenner? You can do better than that!' said Stewart, running by Max as the zombie ducked back into the elevator alcove to avoid the shotgun blast.

Stewart fired her rifle as the zed tried to come back in for another shot. 'How about Gunslinging Jenner?'

'Too long, how about Jengun? Or Jenga? For short?'

'Lame, no score for you. He ain't too good either, untrained, more like an amateur. Billy the Kid Jenner?' Stewart said.

'Still too long.' said Max firing again as he moved ahead of Stewart to the next set of doors. 'Watch the hallway down there, it looks like Ruben is moving.'

'Okay, I'll watch for them, you got the Billy up there?'

'No. Not 'Billy', Billy the kid was good, this guy sucks.'

'You know I can hear you!' called the zombie from the elevator.

'Good!' shouted Stewart, 'You can't hit the broad side of a barn!' She fired a shot at the zed as it, predictably, tried to come around the corner and prove her wrong. She winged it in the shoulder and sent its gun flying down the hallway to land on the carpet. 'Sucker! Oldest trick in the book! Go Max!'

Max took off for the elevator, calling back, 'He still ain't a 'Billy'! Watch the hallway!' Max ran along the right side of the hall, giving Stewart a clear shot down the left side. A zombie head poked out of the doorway three quarters of the way to the far end. Stewart let loose with a three shot burst that caused the zed to pull back into the room. As he rounded the corner, shotgun at shoulder height, he was surprised to see the zombie cowering in the corner, hands raised in front of his face. Max's finger tightened on the trigger, then relaxed, he couldn't bear the idea of shooting a man who was defenseless in front of him.