Ascension

'Okay, so we are going on. Let's load the fuck up and get out of here.' Stewart walked through the open gate towards the cars, 'Are we all fueled up? I hope so, because I want to make some miles today. If Aubrey keeps the roads cleared we could be down there tomorrow at this time and back to Iowa three days after that.'

'That's a good goal.' said Max, trailing behind her.

Ruben and Bill shared a long look and Bill shook his head, 'Don't. Don't say anything. Lately every time you talk things get confused. I'm not sure what you gained, but I know it's messing with our heads and after talking to Max I know we aren't limited to physical improvements.'

'I wouldn't try anything with you Bill. Things aren't going the way I like anymore.'

'You and me both. You ready to spill the beans on what your zombie inherited power is?'

'Like I said, it didn't come with a manual. I'm still trying to figure it out.' With that Ruben turned and started walking after the other two.

'You didn't come through the gate Ruben.'

Ruben stiffened for a moment, and then kept walking.

'Have it your way, Ruben. But you should talk to one of us sometime.' Bill said softly.

After traveling more than six hundred miles that day and through part of the night they stopped at a rest area around two in the morning. The latest signs they had passed indicated that they were twenty miles outside of Jacksonville. There were two things of interest that happened that day. First, they were down to two police cruisers. The one Stewart was driving started overheating after only three hundred miles. They had opted not to try and find a new vehicle, fueling up only two was far easier than siphoning gas for all three. They had picked up three gas cans, two and a half gallons plastic affairs which helped with siphoning fuel from the abandoned cars along the highway.

When they finally stopped to get some sleep they still had half a tank in each car and all three gas cans were full. Max had wanted to stop at the last abandoned car they had passed to get fuel out of it, but Bill insisted they wait until daylight. By then everyone was getting tired and tempers were short. As they pulled into the rest stop, the other thing of note happened. After Max and Stewart were sleeping with Ruben and Bill left on watch, Javier woke up.

Chapter 31 — Katie

'The bastard isn't coming home.' Katie thought. She was sitting in a sniper position in the master bedroom. She had set up the nest behind the curtains with her rifle pointed through a hole in the screen and propped up using the window sill for a base. It was almost sundown. The bedroom was a mess. She had pulled in enough furniture to build a nest around the window, a nest that included a firm brace for the rifle and a comfy position to support her while she waited. She had used a knife from the kitchen to cut a slash through the curtain and after getting her rifle set up she had gone outside to see how well her camouflage worked. Katie knew if the zombie used his special vision she was toast, she lacked the camo suit she had worn in Chicago. However, she was betting that the man was used to his house being empty and would not think to check it out before he came in.

'Besides, I've replaced one living body with another one. He should see what he expects, his maid.' Whether Beatriz was supposed to be in his bedroom or not was a different matter, but Katie felt pretty certain she was going to be okay. 'If he will come home!'

'What some company?' Randy asked from behind her.

'As long as you aren't going to lecture me.'

'Me? Now why would I do that?'

'You tell me, Randy.'

Randy smiled and shook his head, 'Now if I tried to do that you would just tell me I was lecturing. Give me some ground to cover here without pissing you off.'

Katie laughed and nodded, 'Well, you got me there. What is on your mind?'

'How long are you planning on being here?'

'Until this bastard comes home, then I pop him and move on.'

'Where to?'

'This is starting to sound like the third degree again.'

Randy shook his head, 'No. I am just curious, I seem to be stuck here with you and I have to wonder what is next.'

'Why? You got plans or something I should take into consideration?'

Flushing, Randy said, 'No, not really.'

'You're me. You explained that before.'

'Yeah, but I think I might have been wrong.'

'What do you mean?' Katie asked.

'I think I might know things you don't. Like, remember when we were doing laundry, we ended up alone and decided to get a little hot and heavy on the washer?'

It was Katie's turn to blush, 'How could I forget? It was…earthshattering.'

'But what happened after?'

Katie shook her head, 'We got our laundry and went our separate ways?'

'No. There was something else, do you remember?'

'No. Look it was a long time ago, I don't remember every trivial thing that happened eight months ago.'

'So nothing else happened?' Katie shook her head. Randy continued, 'See? This is what I am talking about. You don't remember the bottle of champagne? The cheese and crackers? I pulled them out of my rucksack and we had a little post-coitus picnic before we folded our laundry and then went our separate ways.'

Katie wrinkled her brow before responding, 'No…I, that's pretty cheesy,' Randy frowned at the pun, 'I would remember that…' It seemed hazy, on the edge of her memory, but she did recall something, 'You…you didn't bring glasses, so we washed out the measuring cup from the laundry detergent bottle and poured the champagne in that!'

'So you do remember it?'

'I…I…fuck. No. I don't remember much, only the thing with the detergent cup. But I think you're right, I think it did happen. My head is all fucked up, it's like the memory is there, but I can't connect it to anything. It doesn't relate and makes no sense. You know what I mean?'

'I'm right there with you. We'll figure this out. Not now. There's a car coming.'

Katie looked back down the barrel of her rifle and sighted it in on the approaching car; a black sports utility vehicle. The car looked spotless and freshly waxed. Something a doctor would drive. It pulled to a stop in the driveway and two men got out; one was wearing hospital scrubs that were immaculate, the other had on a business suit, black with a white shirt and dark blue tie. The man in the suit had a radio set extending from his ear.

'Get the one with the communications first, if you can.' Randy advised.

'If I can? If I can? What the fuck Randy this is an easy shot, he's less than thirty yards away! Say hello to my little friend mister suit!' Katie pulled the trigger and the suited up man fell back against the truck clutching his head.

'You winged him! You know that won't keep him down! Get the other one so we can get out of here!' Randy whispered loudly.

'I hit him dead center that fucker is dead again, zombie or human!' except the man wasn't, he fell to the ground and rolled under the vehicle out of sight. The man in the scrubs stopped dead in the driveway; paralyzed, looking for where the bullet had come from. Katie pulled the lever back and chambered another round.

The doctor went to the front of the vehicle and knelt down to look underneath it. Katie put a bullet through