I watched the zombies run down the road. They would chase after deer or most wild animals in a similar manner. The wild animals were faster, usually running off and losing their newfound fans swiftly enough. I faintly heard the rumble of a motor. I frowned, but it didn't really surprise me. This town was along the only big highway in this hilly wilderness.

A vehicle revved in the distance and it sounded like a truck. I watched the blue truck as it drove along the highway. I exhaled slowly as my irritation started to build. It was going just fast enough to keep ahead of the Runners while honking the horn. Considering they were dragging strings of tin cans, their speed and noise were intentional.

Of all days for a group of survivors to come through town... Just my rotten luck. I remained motionless where I was since movement could possibly attract attention. If anyone had been looking, it would have been easy to mistake my form for a mannequin. After all, what zombie would remain standing still on top of a display counter in a store front window?

I narrowed my eyes at a second slightly quieter truck as it lured the remaining slow zombies down the highway. Soon, this truck was also out of sight as it rounded a bend. It would take hours for the zombies to tire and slow. It would take the zombies quite some time to return, if they even returned at all. Normal zombies had terrible senses of direction, so they may not even come back. I had never seen this town empty of zombies before, but the streets were clear at this point. Just in time for the caravan to arrive.

I took a slow step backwards to drop off of the counter. My eyes never left the dozen vehicles. These particular vehicles had all been zombie proofed. Bars and metal screens covered every opening with holes for weapons to stick out. Several long horizontal openings along the sides and door were common in any vehicle now. Those narrow gaps allowed someone to put a sword, scythe, or other long narrow sharp object out to cut through the zombies.

Cutting the tendons and ligaments would render the limb useless until it healed in a couple of weeks. One had to completely remove the head to truly kill a zombie. The convoy pulled up and spread out along the front of the tiny town. There were only a couple dozen buildings in this tiny roadside tourist town. I smoothly backed up a bit before turning and jogging for the exit.

It felt weird to jog. It was a human stride that paced out the runner. I wasn't aware of any zombie that would willingly jog. Regular zombies couldn't. Runners either walked or ran. Nightstalkers usually ran in a slight smooth crouch, although we commonly walked, creeped, and stalked. We could do a slow run, but our normal strides were seamless and practically glided. Like a nighttime assassin.

The rough jog did not fit my instincts. But I could overrule my instincts. I slipped out the backdoor and crouched down beside a big green garbage bin with a faint growl of frustration. Some of the vehicles and people were in the back alley I had planned on going down. Well, there went my escape route.

Plan A had disappeared with the appearance of the group looking for supplies. Plan B had evaporated with the way they had this area surrounded. Guess I move onto plan C and have plan D ready for deployment. The group was cautiously moving as if expecting a lost zombie to run out at them.

They were heavily armed with quite the array of weapons and had some sort of chest armor as well as shin and arm guards. I wanted nothing to do with such heavily armed people. It had not gone well for me the last time I tried and I had no intention of attempting it again.

It looks like this group is here to do a thorough looting of the town. They were focusing on the five big stores right by the highway. I knew they had been picked clean by earlier scavenging groups. It wouldn't take them more than a few moments to realize this and move to the next store. The small corner store I had been in was near the back of the town. I watched the group patiently as I waited for my opportunity. There.

I darted across the road and ducked behind a house. None had been facing my direction. The wind shifted and I suppressed a flash of irritation as I gritted my teeth. Their scent was sweet and tempting as all humans were. It was a deadly temptation though. The taste of human blood or flesh would drive any sane zombie to madness and strip them of their control and identity. Reduce them to a mere animal. I refuse to go down that route. I will stick with rabbits and deer.

The back door to the house was unlocked and I slipped inside. The streets had vehicles and people on them, so there was no way for me to get across the surrounding fields undetected. I would wait them out in this house. They would move on once they looted the stores.

I quickly investigated the one story house. It was empty of both the living and the undead. I waited near the back of the living room where I could see out the main window. I remained motionless as I caught glimpses of people and carts moving here and there as they investigated the stores. Good thing I took what I wanted from that corner store earlier. There will be nothing left in there now.

I growled lowly as the groups started checking out the houses. House by house they slowly got closer. Seriously? Why are they checking houses? They often have little of value and it is insanely dangerous for a human to be going into buildings that could potentially hold zombies.

A group turned to the house I was hiding in. With a reluctant growl, I stalked into the bathroom before closing the door behind me and locking it. I glanced at the short, brown-haired woman in the mirror before dismissing my reflection. My own appearance had barely changed when I turned. I was stronger and faster, but you couldn't really see such a change.

These humans were ticking me off. Allowing them to push me around, even if they were not aware of it, chafed against my Nightstalker instincts like sandpaper on road rash. So much for Plan C... I had no plans past Plan G so this group had better quit while they were ahead.

I stilled as I heard the front door open and listened as the group banged on the door. When no zombies came to play, five sets of boots started scoping the place out in an organized fashion.

Three focused on the kitchen while the other two checked out the rest of the house. The door handle beside me jiggled as someone tried to turn it. I loosed a snarl while instinctively dropping into a crouch with my hands slightly away from my sides. The person took an immediate step back, "Hey Joe, we got a zombie in the bathroom."

"There might be some medicine in there then, since no one else has let it out. Let us clear this out first. Slim pickings here, someone obviously beat us to it."

That would be me. I growled lowly at their intention to enter the bathroom. I had never heard of a human entering a room with a zombie willingly. They obviously needed their heads checked. I stepped sideways to the cloudy bathroom window and tried to undo the locking latch. If they came into the bathroom, Plan D involved jumping out the window and running. This group was obviously used to taking on zombies and winning. I am not about to let another group of humans try to kill me in the name of humanity.

"Alright. We are ready whenever you are."

"The door is locked. Just a common twist lock. Do you have a nail to pop it?"

I growled again and pulled on the window lock. Still jammed. I was getting pissed as my luck kept rolling downhill like a bowling ball down a mountainside. I snarled and slammed my palm against the lever and it finally gave way with a bang.

"Joe, we might have a Runner in there." The voice sounded somewhat cautious. Idiot. About time you got a few of your brain cells functioning properly.

"No problem, let me alert Cindy so her group is prepared and we are good to go."

Apparently Idiot #2 was still behind in the intelligence race. I muttered irritably, "Idiots..." There was no chance of them hearing my low mutter and I certainly was not about to stop to have a conversation with these guys. My last attempt at that had almost cost me my life.

I wasn't sure how anyone planned on getting a fast moving zombie out of a small room in the back of a house without getting bitten, but I wasn't about to stick around to find out. I pushed the window open and jumped up to crouch on the windowsill to peek cautiously outside. All clear. I heard a pop as the lock failed and heard the door start to swing open.

I jumped and glanced back as I started to run. Two surprised faces stared at my retreating figure. "Shit! Danny! We got a survivor running out back!"

Another voice called out, "We mean you no harm! Slow down!" Right. I have heard that line before. As if I am going to fall for that again.

I didn't slow or turn back. I kept all traces of my fluid crouch from my run. Run like a human. Run at human speed. That should hopefully prevent them from firing a bullet at me. A bullet couldn't truly kill me, but I had no desire to get shot. Again. Bullets hurt like hell, I knew that from past experience.

I heard tires spin as several vehicles out of my line of sight fired up. A car and truck rounded different corners while drifting from their newfound speed. The car was closer and accelerated right in my direction. Their persistence was irritating me further. I am about ready to strangle someone at this point. I obviously want nothing to do with them. Why are humans so bloody persistent?

I altered my direction a bit and picked up some speed, but the ground shook from the vehicles as they closed in. The car and truck angled towards each other before slamming on the brakes to form a roadblock. The car slid right in front of me, close enough that I could feel the heat from the engine as the front of the car went by me. It was close enough that I didn't even have enough space to slow down.

Not that slowing down had been in any of my plans to start with.

They had probably intended for me to actually bang into the vehicle in my headlong run and take a bit of time to recover, but I had other ideas and possessed slightly faster reactions than any human. I held my hands in front of me and planted them on the top edge of the roof as I let my speed throw me into a mid-air somersault like a demented game of leapfrog.

I was on the other side of the car and resuming my previous run before they realized what I had done. I was closer to the dense trees of the wild forest now. I heard other engines rev as they tried to adapt to my unforeseen strategy. Even running at a human speed I was going faster than they could turn their vehicles around. I darted into the trees before they could improvise their foiled plan. I swiftly angled off at a 90 degree angle before I continued zig-zagging deeper into the forest.

I paused and glanced back while listening. I faintly heard vehicles and muffled voices, but from the sound of it, all of them had stopped at the tree line. None were even attempting to follow. Good.

I turned and headed deeper into the forest resuming my usual slightly crouched run as I weaved effortlessly through the trees.