Mark Clodi - Undead Advantage, a Zombie Chronicles Novel

"You think I look different?" Juan asked, raising his eyebrows. "I hope my pants are two inches too short, I could use a little height."

Nanci smiled then looked him over more closely, "Yeah, something is different, I can't say what it is, but there is like an air about you now, something different."

"That's helpful."

Punching him lightly on the shoulder Nanci said, "You hungry? They would not let me cook, they have it handled, so you get whatever they make, but Terry said you'd like it."

"How is Mary doing? Anybody check on her?"

Nanci frowned, "I don't think she is doing so good, they wouldn't let me see her, that is not a good sign. I'll ask Terry though, when I get breakfast, I saw her coming out of Mary's room this morning when I got up. I thought you were going to come to bed last night?"

Shrugging his shoulders Juan replied, "Shit. Too bad about Mary. I just never really got tired last night, I am still not so bad now. How was the bed?"

"Lonely." purred Nanci, "but better than the club, the door was great, it shut out all the noise, did you guys shoot last night?"

"No, well a couple times, maybe three, mostly we just batted them if they came over or under the cars. We gotta watch that truck" Juan pointed at a four wheel drive truck with several bodies underneath, "it is too high off the ground, they keep trying to get under it. We shouldn't have put it there as part of the wall. I think it is worse than the humvee would have been. It has gotten really quiet now, I think they have learned not to try and get in here."

"Well we can move the truck today once we figure out what the plan is. Let me go get breakfast, and I will send someone out here to relieve you so you can come in an eat and maybe sleep a couple hours too."

Seeing Juan nod, Nance went back inside and made her way to the kitchen where Charlie, Jack and Terry were standing drinking coffee and several other yawning residents were eating at some of the tables.

"Well?" asked Jack.

"Nothing, he is hungry, that's all." Nanci replied.

"He hasn't noticed anything weird yet then?" Charlie pressed her.

"No, if he did he didn't say anything. We got more food ready? He'll come in and eat and then you can see if anything changes."

"It will, you'll see." said Jack. What they were talking about was the fact that over the course of the night several people had noticed that if Juan was on guard the zombies tended to hang back and not attack, which is exactly why Juan was out there alone now. He had been 'on watch' for almost two hours and not a single zombie had tried to get past the line of cars. Some of the others who had stood watch with him, Charlie included, had noticed that the zombies never seemed to try and attack Juan, they just ignored him, treated him exactly like he was one of them.

"Alright, let me get a couple-three of these guys to go cover the exit and we'll bring Juan in. Terry there is grub right?" asked Jack.

"Oh sure, for everyone and probably more. Anyone seen the army guys yet this morning?" she counter questioned.

"No, they needed the rest though, they hadn't had a good night's sleep for a couple days, I gotta say the sleep I got was great, this place just feels safe and well built." said Charlie.

"Yeah, built for the rich with the money of the poor. Well it don't matter, right now it is ours." said Jack, "I'll go check on the army dudes as soon as I get Juan back in here."

A few minutes later Jack was back with Juan and two men and a woman had taken over guarding the ER entrance. Charlie refilled his coffee and sat down on one side of Juan, Nanci sat on the other and started to make headway into her own plate, both watched him eat.

"This is good, eggs, potatoes, good stuff, I could eat a horse." said Juan speaking in English for the benefit of Charlie.

Terry overheard and said, "Thanks Juan, I bet it is not up to what you are used to, but I am cooking for a group here, so I am doing the best I can."

Juan nodded and continued to eat, then asking for, and getting, seconds. A few minutes later Jack came back in and sat across from Juan. Looking up Juan said, "Ah, you guys eat already?"

Jack and Charlie both nodded 'yes' and continued to sip their coffee. Jack spoke up, "The army guys seem fine, they are just sleeping, woke one of them up and I got to see his lightning reflexes, he scared the crap out of me, even though he was only pointing one of his boots in my direction. I told him to go back to sleep, I was just checking up on them." Jack's face turned troubled, "Mary though, I don't think she is going to make it."

Juan put his fork down, "That ain't good breakfast news Jack."

"Sorry Juan, Nanci. Sorry, wasn't thinking there. She hasn't turned or anything, just ain't looking too good." Juan resumed eating, slowly.

"Hey I stopped by the ER entrance too and looked out before coming back here, the zombies are getting restless again." said Jack.

Jack, Charlie and Nanci shared a look and Juan noticed it. "What?" he asked, "C'mon, what?"

"We-ell", started Charlie.

"No, let me", interrupted Jack, "Juan, how many zombies tried to get through in the last couple hours you were out there by yourself?"

"Uh, none, they had all quieted down, which is why everyone went off to bed, they were just in the lobby if I need them though. Why?"

"You left and the zombies started in again." said Jack.

"So? Could be the sun coming up or them noticing the movement, or maybe somebody made some noise. Could be anything really."

"Yeah, I suppose it could. Let's explore that though, the anything could include you and that is what I want, no need, to talk to you about."

Shrugging Juan said, "So. Talk."

"I, no, we, think it is you. The zombies don't seem to want to attack you and from what Charlie says something happened when you killed that super zombie yesterday, and, well, we don't know what else to say."

"I don't think it is me." replied Juan.

"Okay, so we have to convince you too, so we could try something, right? You wouldn't care?" asked Jack.

"Depends on what you wanted to try I guess."

"How about you get close to a zombie and see what happens, see if it goes for you. Not unarmed or anything, I mean you keep your gun out and pointed at its head and we'll be there, but something happened and I think the zombies don't want you anymore, not for food anyway. Also we let Charlie check you out, you know, physically."

Puzzled Juan, asked, "Why? I didn't get bit or anything, they hardly touched me as it was."

"Yeah, yeah, we know Charlie was there, Mary was there, they said the same things, but we should still check anyway."

Sighing Juan said, "If it will make you feel better, I guess. Look Jack, Nanci, Charlie, something did happened, I felt strange, sort of, not like superman or anything, just weird for a little while, the feeling went away, I got nothing now. Nothing unusual anyway."

"Well, let us all check on that, okay?"

After he finished eating they headed back to the ER into one of the two rooms the group had elected to keep empty for emergencies, the rest of the rooms were occupied with men and women ready to spring to the defense if they were needed. Snores came out of several of the open doorways. Turning the lights on in the empty room Charlie gestured for Juan to hop up on the gurney. He checked Juan's pulse, listened to his heart and all but had him strip naked to look for scratches, bruises and injuries. He found nothing, all four of them were silent for a very long time, before Juan said, "What? You didn't find anything, that is good right?"

Nanci said, "Juan when you came back with Hank yesterday at the club, the car was a mess, you had bruises, you had some cuts from the glass. They are not there anymore."

Juan thought about it, he didn't recall getting cut up or injured in the last couple of days, he had been living pretty rough and could remember the doc putting hydrogen peroxide on some cuts he hadn't noticed after they had arrived at the Mike's Club. Look himself over he didn't see any cuts, scraps or even half healed scabs where he thought there had been minor wounds. Nothing. He stared at them for a moment. Then said, "Well maybe…" he shook his head, then said, "Madre de Dios, what does this mean?"