Rainie's question made Nathan crack a large grin. Well, maybe it wasn't the question so much as the incredulity in her voice when she asked it. As if his heart still beating was some unfounded miracle, a mystery of science, or a special on the Discovery Channel. He tried to think of a funny reply. â€œLucky?â€ posed as a question, perhaps; or â€œMaybe I taste bad...â€ The truth would have been that he was smart, meticulous and a quick study. The zombie mindset wasn't so hard to figure out, after all. The biggest thing happening was usually where they'd be. Except when they weren't; you just had to be careful about those.<br/><br/>Through the country he survived by moving fast and choosing his stops wisely. So, knowing what machines could burn what and for how long kept him ahead of the horde. But fuel was scarce out there, so he still had to walk some stretches. That was scary at times, knowing if they found you now, you could never outrun them in the open. Nerdy boy learned to mask his trail quick out there. The undead could obviously hunt by smell, like dogs.<span style="font-style: italic">Strange how noses filled with that much rot can pick up scent so much better, isn't it? But that would be their minds retasking info, not their sniffers actually working any better.</span>At least they weren't any smarter than dogs. A few false trails and a splash of vinegar or pepper here or there can save your life.<br/><br/>The city was completely different. Nathan had to lose weight there because it was impossible to drive and survive for long. Near enough, at least. The streets were clogged with literally thousands of cars, making them impassable on most paths. Most of the cars still had gas in their tanks, too. Nathan had to stop himself from siphoning everything he passed, as he had in the country. Gasoline changed from an invaluable commodity to having less value than water on a rainy day, practically at the city line. Cars were useless on the clogged streets and bikes were far too loud, even with mufflers. Gasoline burned too fast too be used as a light source and to slow for proper explosives. Nathan learned quickly that using a generator for power was a good way to draw a crowd. He'd tested why, and the only way to make it work was to put it on the top floor of a tall building, so the smell wouldn't draw attention; surrounded by padding, to muffle the noise; and on something that would deaden the vibrations. It was truly horrifying how well adapted these creatures were to hunting the modern man. That had been the turning point when Nathan was finally certain someone had engineered them this way. But who? And why?<span style="font-style: italic">Shits and giggles?</span><br/><br/>And never stopping. That was the key. Nathan had never been much of a sleeper, but he hardly closed his eyes anymore. And if he was awake, he was working on something. His body revolted if he was too slothful. Countless precautions wherever he stopped and always a second way out. He hadn't been in the bookstore three full days yet and it was neigh an impregnable fortress. That meticulous work ethic and inability to slow down probably did him the most good. There's always something more you can do.<br/><br/><br/>The radio was going off again before Nathan could respond. The signal a little worse this time: it was hard to make out, but the gist of it was there.<span style="font-style: italic">God! She'd been shot in the chest!?</span>Nathan couldn't help but feel suddenly young and inexperienced. He'd learned more about life since the world started dying than in the twenty years he'd spent supposedly â€œlivingâ€ prior.<br/><br/>Little comfort was drawn from the following cacophony crossing the line. Even when dealing with an attempted murdered, it was hard to take comfort in someone possibly dying. Especially in such a way.<br/><br/>As the connection was broken yet again, AJ and Rainie clashed once more.<span style="font-style: italic">How had I not picked up on the sibling thing before?</span>Nathan just tapped his pattern on the side of the keyboard and waited it out. Left-right-right-left; right-left-left-right; right-left-left-right; left-right-right-left. Then starting with a right; again; then starting with a left again. Then the whole thing starting with a right; again; then the whole starting with a left again. Each time the pattern completed, it became the start of another pattern four times as long. Always mirroring. A mirror of a mirror of a mirror. It calmed him. Kept his mind busy while he thought about other things. Nathan liked to always be thinking: always be working. Breaking the pattern unfinished sometimes left him uneasy, like a job incomplete.<br/><br/>Still, he listened and scouted the area with the laptop. The bridge would be sniper alley, making him seriously worry that the supposed battle on the other end of the radio had only been a ruse after Rainie called her dealer â€œfriendâ€ out on his sniper position. To make it worse, there were too many places he could be. Lots of buildings close enough and high enough. Hopefully, they wouldn't need to worry about that. If so, Nathan would definitely want Rainie to check out the map. A professionalâ€™s assessment would be a lot more comforting than a shotgun wielding engineer's guess.<br/><br/>â€œSo.... to your place then?â€ He hazarded, after she proclaimed their new standing non-involvement act. â€œJust so long as it's not on the other side of the bridge. Please tell me it's not on the other side of the bridge. It's on the other side of the bridge, isn't it?â€ That feeling was just in the air. Hey, at least they were done being suspicious of each other, right?