Discovery

with a hobby. You are the only one that really feels good about things anymore.”

Nita looked dubiously at Red, arching her eyebrows, “Stuffing zombies into cars and vans and semi trailers is a good hobby?”

“Better than anything I have to do. Who cares 'why' anyway?”

“I do, I guess.”

“Well don't. We have a job to do and if you can have some fun along the way I say that is great.”

“He didn't get very far, that Max, did he?”

All three of them could feel the man named Max about seventy miles away and to the north of them. The trio had managed to divert the zombie horde north instead of continuing straight east, which was hopefully going to mess things up for whomever was calling them. The territory was more difficult off road than it was following the highway and calling the zombie to come after them was far easier than pushing them away had been. Some experimenting behind the horde had proven that they could not draw many zombies back when they tried, but moving sideways at an oblique angle had proven useful. The zombies were making much worse time trying to climb over fences, up scrub covered hills and through the ponds, lakes and rivers that dotted the region. The horde had come across another double lane highway and Red, Nita and Hugh had called the other zombies to follow them in a more northerly direction.

It was troubling though, that they had been able to change the hordes path, but that Max had not moved. He had been in the same place for five days now. Red thought that he, Nita and Hugh had doubled the amount of time it would take for the zombies to pass through Nebraska, but Max wasn't using the time right. Maybe, thought Red, he gave up.

Echoing his thoughts Hugh asked, “Do you think he gave up Red?”

“No. I have been thinking about this and I think something happened. That Max seemed like the kind who would do a job, even if he didn't want to, if it meant saving people.”

“So what do you think happened.

“I think” said Red, “That they got into trouble with the humans. Can you guys handle the zombies for awhile?”

“Maybe, but they will start going straight east again when you leave.” said Nita, she and Hugh were just not strong enough to draw the zombies after them for long.

“That is okay, due east of here is open country, more fields, fences, rivers and hills, it will keep them going slow.”

“Then sure, we will be okay. You're gonna go help him aren't you?”

“If I can.”

“Be careful.” she said, they all could tell that their were a large number of others still alive around Max, and also that zombies in that area were disappearing as they approached the town.

“Careful? Of course.” Red said, pretending to be offended.

Chapter 21

'It has been six days. Six goddamned days!' thought Max. No one had let them out of quarantine yet or told them how much longer it would be. Max hadn't seen his kids for two days and this morning he could sense them in his mind moving away from him.

“Guard! Guard!” he yelled again. Max was standing in a common cell, that held about thirty walking wounded now. Everyone who had any cuts or open wounds were tossed in here, allegedly for 'a day or two' and so far no one had been released. Cory and Tom were with him, but he didn't know most of the men and boys. Right now it was about six o'clock in the morning and the other prisoners were getting angry at Max for yelling at the top of his lungs for the guard, which he had been doing for the last five minutes.

“Hey buddy, you wanna put a sock in it?” came a voice out of the darkness behind him.

“No. Guards! Goddamn it! Guards!”

Finally a sliver of light fell on the hallway as a door opened up. A weary looking guard approached the cell, “What is all the noise about? Breakfast isn't until seven thirty.”

“Where are you taking my kids?”

“What?” said the guard.

“My kids. They are being moved and I want to know where they are going and why I haven't seen them the last two days.”

“I don't know anything about that. Quiet down and try to get a little rest.”

“I want out of here now.”

The guard shook his head. “Not until I am told to. Sorry. I really am, but I don't think anyone is moving your kids.”

“They are.”

“How do you know?”

“I just…I just do. Look could you check on it? See if I am right? And stop it?”

“At six in the morning? No one is up yet.” The guard started to walk back to the door separating the prisoners from the office where he monitored the holding facilities.

“Someone is up! Call them!”

“Maybe I will. You gotta pipe down and stop causing a commotion. Okay, just sit tight while I check on it.” The guard went through the door mumbling about paranoid parents.

Watching the man with his mind Max saw him sit back down at his desk and turn back towards a computer, soon his motions were back to how they had been earlier, a slow movement of his right hand on what Max thought might be a mouse, while his head paid attention to a computer screen.

“Goddamn it stop playing solitaire and check on my kids!”

The guard jerked as if punched in the kidneys and looked around.

“Damn it buddy there are kids here! Will you shut up?” said the same irritated voice behind him.

“Max, are the kids really moving?” asked Tom.

Ignoring the commentary from deeper in the cell Max answered Tom, “Yes. They are walking them away from us, a whole group of people.”

“How do you know?” asked another concerned voice from one of the other men.

“He doesn't, it's crazy bullshit.”

“What if he is right?”

“So?”

“Where is everyone going?”

“Yeah and why aren't we going?”

Max concentrated, he couldn't make the images any clearer, the kids he could pick out of the crowd easily enough, but he didn't know who the others were, he guessed it was a mixed bag of other men, women and children. He moved towards the lone high window, shut with reinforced safety glass. A man was laying on the bench in front of the window.

“Move.” Max told him, the guy got up and moved to one side.

“Listen man you can't just tell us all what to do. You are not in charge here.” Max finally located the speaker, a guy in his late twenties. He looked like he may have placed sports in high school, but the years since then hadn't been kind to him.

“Just leave me alone. I am not going to let them take my kids.”

“You don't know that they are taking your kids. You can't know.”

“I know.” Max looked at the window, then got up on the bench, which put his chin level with the bottom edge of the glass. The window was frosted glass, it let in a little light, but he couldn't see through it. Max wasn't interested in looking through it. He pulled back his hand into a fist and slammed it into the glass.

“Holy shit!” the football player said as Max's hand bounced off of the glass.