Throughout her speech gunshots had been going off to eliminate the slow zombies that got too close, now the gunfire stopped as people got down off the roofs of the buses where they had been keeping watch and prepared to leave. Moments later a few more shots rang out from inside of the buses to kill any zombies that had gotten too close again during the pause in firing.
Dora shut the door to the bus and while waiting for the vehicles in front of her to start moving she turned to her passengers, "Okay, that speech was all well and good, now here is your little motivational moment. The last bus is going to be hit, and hit hard, we know that, most of you know that and if any of you want to run or cry or piss yourselves that is okay, so long as you are running towards any zombies who get onto this bus, are crying while you fire your fucking guns and are pissing yourselves while you bash the motherfuckers over the head with your bare fists if you have to. Really people, what Paige told me about how you acted before is pathetic. Do you want to live or die? Those of you from the other buses are excepted of course, but anyone on this bus, they fight or they walk. Got it?" The people nodded slowly. "Good, I know I can count on you. Now the back door is broken, we got it held shut with baling wire and duct tape, but it is a weak point, if Paige or Chris need help those of you sitting in the back three rows have to go help them. If you don't I will and I will kick all of your asses down the aisle ahead of me to get there." Dora turned to a teenaged girl with rifle who was sitting directly behind the driver's seat and pointed at her, "You! What is your name?"
"Jamie."
"Good. I like that name. Everyone, meet Jamie. She is our backup bus driver. Jamie, can you tell me how much experience you have driving a bus?"
The girl flushed and shook her head, "I…I've never driven before. I am only fifteen, I don't even have a license."
"And there you have it folks, a few words from our back up bus driver. Jamie will be taking over for me if I have to deal with any problems on this bus. Now do any of us want to see that happen?" Everyone shook their head or said 'no'. "I don't want to see that happen either. Time to go. Jamie?"
"Yeah?"
"I mean it, you're it. If I have to deal with any problems I will be turning this over to you, so you better watch what I do. And don't worry girl."
"Why?"
"I only have about five minutes of bus driving experience myself."
As the last two pickups started moving the three cars with the super zombies also slowly started forward. The little girl in the blood stained white dress looked up at Jim Tiller as he drove the big Ford pickup and said, "If we can't have them, no one can. Right Jim Tiller?"
Tiller merely nodded in agreement.
"You tell me when to get them. You tell me and I will get them. Okay?"
"Don't worry I will tell you." To the only other zombie in the truck with them Tiller said, "We will hit them when they get close to where the Iowans are fighting the horde. Mo and I will call in all the undead we can to swarm them from the front and we will hit them from behind when they are pinned down. Tell the others." The zombie in the back called out Tiller's orders to the other two vehicles by leaning out the windows on either side of the pickup truck as they slowly followed the buses.
Farther behind still Jake pulled himself up from the shallow grave he had buried Willy. The man was skinny to the point of being gaunt, his hands and face were pale with splotchy tan spots. His clothing, ripped and bloodstained, hung on him as if it were three sizes too large, which for now, it was.
He stood after patting the last of the dirt into place and said, "Thanks Willy, you won't come back. I have never been much for words, but you were a good person, you gave your life for what you believed in. I have lived a long time and I can tell you that there have been many men and women who died never finding anything to believe. You were wise beyond your years and if you had lived I have no doubt you would have ruled Iowa and led the charge to kill every last zombie on the face of the earth. I won't kill all the zombies for you, but I will keep my promise to you and to Dora, I will do my best to get the other living to Iowa. Rest in peace young man, you deserve it."
Turning to go Jake, picked up the shotgun from where he had set it earlier, checking the gun he found he had four shots left. On the way to the blue Caliber Jake picked up Dora's bent barrel shotgun and salvaged another three shots out of it. He was feeling weaker and knew he would not be worth much in a stand up fight, but he still retained his ability to push slower, weaker zombies away from him and he might be able to surprise anyone hassling the buses if he could catch up to them.
Sliding into the driver's seat Jake patted his belly; there was white skin there now, regrown from draining Willy dry. The skin was pulled taunt over his new innards, it was thin and translucent and fully visible through the tears in his shirt, he noted with curiosity that his navel had not come back, nor was there a scar from the appendicitis surgery he had forty years ago. His body was still healing, it was going slower now than when he was feeding, but it was still happening at a rapid rate. The keys were still in the Caliber's ignition, he turned them and the engine came to life smoothly, Jake started forward at the precise moment that the buses moved out ten miles ahead of him.
Chapter 44
The buses made good progress the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon. There were many cars to move out of the way, but it was apparent as they went that others had used and partially cleared the highway before them. If one side of the highway was clogged up with abandoned cars it usually meant the other side was clear, there were wheel paths worn in the grass between the two sides of the highway and the caravan had learned to stop whenever they came to one. Usually it meant that there was a wreck ahead blocking the road. After sending Becka ahead to scout time and again they started to just follow the path established by others. Zombie activity in Kansas City had been light, as long as they kept moving, once they left the outskirts of town on highway thirty five they made eighty five miles in about five hours. Becka and the others pulled off of the highway to a halt in a rest area. The place looked deserted, no zombies came shambling out of the tree line or from the visitor's building and there was plenty of space to park the buses and pickups.
Steve called the council together while everyone else took turns going to the bathroom and watching for zombies. Mary had removed the tube that gave him air and he was able to speak again now that the swelling in his throat had gone down. His voice was raspy and he continuously took sips of water from his canteen, but he could speak and breathe again. They set out pickets to keep a lookout for wandering zombies as the group stretched their legs and devoured a quick meal. From where the buses were parked Dora could just see back down the highway far enough to see the vehicles following them.
"Too bad we can't kill off our shadows." she commented.
"I would like to. I think we could lay an ambush for them, but it would be really risky, we might lose the ambushers."
"Worth the cost?"
"Dora! No!" said Mary. Alex shook his head too and even Steve, after a moment's consideration shook his from side to side.
"No, well I don't think so. It might cause them to drop back farther, to be more cautious. We could call for volunteers, with the understanding that we would never come back for the people."