Katie shook her head. “Amazing, isn't it? And I felt guilt over the convertible Lydia gave me. ”
“You would look cute in a convertible,” Travis decided.
“Yeah, but I think I have a fetish for big 4
x4 trucks now. ” Katie winked. “They smash up zombies better. ”
“Oh, you better watch yourself. You’re starting to sound like a redneck and not a big bad prosecuting attorney,” Travis teased.
“Oh, I am still the big bad prosecuting attorney,” Katie assured him, and gave him her coldest courtroom glare.
“Damn,” he laughed. “I hope I never get that look for real. ”
“Just watch yourself and you'll be okay. Otherwise, you're screwed. ” She turned her gaze fully to the road as the Hummer sped out of town.
“Ruthless, huh?”
“And I still am. ”
A zombie staggered out into the road, clawing at the air in their direction. Katie didn’t flinch. The truck hit it straight on, flinging it off the road. The van behind them swerved to avoid its flying body.
“Ummmm…I noticed,” Travis said with a wry smile, settling back into his seat.
Katie was comfortably settled into the leather seat. There were less and less zombies in town as the snipers picked them off from afar. The idea of systematically clearing the town had been considered, but without a sufficient way to keep the zombies out, it was a waste of man and firepower. It had finally been determined they would aim to slowly take over the entire downtown area with a wall encircling them, then concentrate on keeping that area secure. Even controlled burning of the rest of the town had been discussed. What would happen to the parts of town that they would no longer use was still up for debate, but Katie had seen Travis' plans for what could become of their little fortress. She knew that he had definitive ideas that could work very well and keep them safe.
If they could only keep safe while they built it…
“Do you think Nerit is right?” Travis asked after a stretch of silence.
Katie was so wrapped up in watching the road, his voice startled her. “Probably. ”
“She does have a lot more experience with this type of thing I guess,” Travis said thoughtfully.
“And she has trained and briefed all of us,” Katie added. Her gaze swept over the road in front of them.
No zombies.
No bandits.
So far so good.
Travis looked back at the mini-van, then returned his gaze to the scenery quickly flying by the windows. The scorching heat of the late summer had crisped the trees leaves, and the grass was so dry and brown it merely resembled the world they had grown used to. It was hot and dead. He couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding.
“Having to deal with the bandits on top of the zombies is bull shit.
It’s hard to understand why they just didn't try to help out instead of…you know…killing, raping, stealing. ”
Katie sighed a little. “Trust me, I've pondered that many times during my career. But then again, maybe it's just human nature to try to survive. And some people have a twisted nature and a twisted way of surviving. ”
Three zombies were standing in the road when they rounded the bend. Katie didn't swerve, but hit them straight on. One managed to cling to the deer guard on the front of the Hummer for a few seconds, then slid off and bounced down the road. The zombies didn't look very human anymore. Their shrunken features and mottled bodies just didn't seem quite as terrifyingly human as they had been in the first days. It was easier and easier to see them just as monsters.
Travis reached out and rested his hand on her thigh. “You be careful, okay?”
Katie ran her hand over his. “And you be careful, too. ”
***
Jenni sat in the front seat behind Ed, the driver of the short bus. Bill sat across from her, looking grim and anxious. Four more people sat scattered throughout the bus. There was sparse conversation, but mostly silence. Behind the bus was a large moving truck that carried another team. Jenni's would pick up any survivors; the other team would look for supplies.