'No, not that.' Bill said, voice rising, 'That's not what I meant…'
'Geez, Bill, you're easier to get all flustered than Max. We are fine, me and Max. Me and you. You and Max though, that could use some work.'
'What do you mean?'
'You. You're all coming down giving us orders like we aren't friends. In our case it is true. And I am used to having a commanding officer. So is Ruben. Maybe even Javier. But Max? He thinks you're still his buddy. I don't think he gets the whole 'tell me what to do' stuff.'
'Have I been that bad? I mean I am just trying to keep everyone alive. If I don't bring Max home I would never forgive myself. And if I don't come home, well Trisha will kill anyone who does.'
'So we all stick together, one way or the other.'
'Yes.' Bill replied.
'Fair enough. But you might want to explain that to Max, when you have a moment alone with him. If you can get one.'
'I think I can arrange that.'
'Good. Let's call the others together, clean this place up and get a little sleep.'
Bill and Stewart stepped outside and called the others over.
'Okay we'll try and get a few hours' sleep here. I want guards in shifts. Max, you and I will go first, we'll wake Stewart up in a couple hours to stand with us. Then we'll wake the others a couple hours after that and Max and I will go to bed. Finally Stewart will get to turn in and grab a couple more hours at the end of the shift. This way everyone gets four hours sleep in the next eight hours and we have three people up for most of the time. We'll aim to leave by eight.'
Everyone nodded. Javier and Ruben entered the camper and called out dibs on the large bed at the same time.
'Both of you head up there. Stewart you get the crappy couch across from the table, that way we won't wake them up when we get you. Max and I will stay outside and pound on the camper wall if anything shows up.' Bill said.
In a short time everyone was bedded down and Max and Bill were left walking around outside the trailer. After doing a complete circuit they paused under the window into the camper's dining area.
'I don't really like where we are too much.' Max said after looking the area over. 'We can't see everything without moving around between the building and the camper.'
Bill shrugged in the dim light, 'Well, I don't think they would appreciate it if we hooked up the trailer and moved them.'
'Probably not.'
'Am I being too heavy handed Max?' Bill asked.
'What do you mean?'
'I mean, ordering you around, like an officer?'
'Not really.' Max answered, 'Well, okay, I guess I'm just not used to it. You'll never be my superior officer. I'll never be a good soldier.'
'Someone has to be in charge.'
'Why?'
'So we can get things done.'
'Would you follow Draper's orders?'
Grimacing, Bill said, 'I have.'
Max laughed, 'Okay, so, don't give me things to do that you know I won't do.'
'Like what?'
'Ordering me to leave someone behind. Even if they are bitten, I don't think I could.'
'Trish told me about you and Stewart.'
Max was silent for a moment. 'Yeah, I'm not proud of that.'
Bill glanced at the screened window above and behind his friend. 'What do you mean?'
'What do you mean? I mean my wife dies and less than a week later I am hooking up with another woman. How does that look?'
'Not so good, normally. But this isn't exactly a normal situation.'
'I suppose things are different, but I could have been…I don't know, better?'
'You're alright. You ain't going to do anything crazy about Stewart are you?'
'Me? No, I pretty much passed the crazy part of my life a long time ago. I like her. I love parts of her, she is not Sarah.' Max said, referring to his dead wife.
'No, she isn't.'
'And that's good. Stewart's tough, she can do what needs to be done. Can you, even for a minute, imagine Sarah going up against that chick in Chicago?'
'Stewart got her ass kicked on that one.' Bill said. 'But I get your point. Sarah wouldn't have fought at all.'
'When you think about it, Bill, Stewart gets the shit kicked out of her a lot. At my house, in Chicago. But she keeps going back in. I'm not saying Sarah wouldn't have fought, but she might not have been on board for Chicago after Denver.'
'Hmm.'
'What now?' asked Max.
'You think what Draper said was true? That it wasn't a nuke in Denver?'
Shrugging Max answered, 'Nice way to change the topic. I don't have any idea. Let's do another walk around.'
'You see anything?'
'It's pretty clear.'
'Pretty clear?' Bill asked, his voice rising slightly.
'I think I am getting some stuff around the edges.'
'Which edges?'
'West and South. Doesn't seem to be coming this way, but still, I'd rather use my human eyes to check it out.'
The two walked off quietly and patrolled the perimeter again. Max didn't see anything heading their way and the rest of their shift was quiet, even after Stewart joined them halfway through it. By four in the morning both men were barely awake and gladly took Javier and Ruben's place in the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
It was light out when Max woke up and eerily silent.
'Bill.' Hissed Max. 'Wake up!'
'Hm? No, Trisha, I am going to call in sick today.' Bill mumbled, half asleep.
'Bill!' Max said louder, scrambling out of bed and crouching by the window.
'What? Max?' still fuzzy from sleep, Bill shook himself awake, 'What is it?'
'They're all around us Bill!'
Chapter 20 — Katie
It had been a long two days for Katie. She had mostly traveled alone, with only a few visits from Randy. By now she had figured out he was trying to tell her something, but she had not gotten it out of him. The last time she had told him to stop fucking around and just come out and tell her what was so goddamned important. She hadn't seen him since.
The country was deserted. No zombies, no humans, not even any deer. The highways she was traveling seemed to be clear, with most of the wrecks pulled off to the side of the road. There was even one memorable stretch of highway where vehicles had been lined up bumper to bumper for almost forty miles. But someone had
