Asunder (The Infected: Ripped to Shreds Book 3) Page 13

  She waved at it having it handed over after a moment of consideration.

  “Right. Well, thirty miles is a long way. Don’t lose that. We might need it later.”

  “Got it. So, anyway Kerry, yeah. You’re going to lose your guy to this. Almost certainly. Penny will lose whoever she has on the side and… Well, I didn’t even leave a vibrator behind, so I’m good that way. One booty call in the whole time I’ve been here. Then, I’m not obsessed with sex like you two are.”

  Penny laughed.

  “Riiiight. That’s why you keep bringing it up? Sure. I’ll buy that one for a dollar.” She laughed, but sobered after a moment. “I get the point though. This is… huge. I keep waiting for you to tell us it’s just a game. It sounds like it. I probably won’t believe otherwise until the first kill. Do we have a target selected?”

  “I have options for us to work on. We have a few different things we can do. There are three high profile people that are actually public and reachable that we can take, who are worth removing. The trick here is finding an order where they don’t understand that they need to hide until it’s too late. Or we could do it from the other direction and work up the food chain. That… Well, these people think of those under them as expendable. Even their own families, so it would let us get to bigger numbers before they panic maybe. I can’t swear that’s true.”

  They chatted about the ideas, with Kerry opining that going for the head first made sense, given that it would probably be less work. Penny kind of agreed, but for her it was preventing them from running too easily. Taking the easy ones first made sense, however.

  “All right, do you want rural Virginia, or Hollywood, California? We get a twofer in the land of the stars.”

  That got Penny to perk up a bit.

  “Oh? Who?”

  The data was all there, but took a few seconds to pick through again, since the names weren’t that familiar.

  “Carl Lowenstein, who’s a big money man behind the scenes. Him and some older actor.” That one was brought up to show his book. “Um… Glen Gillis?”

  The man was old school Mariah. As in he’d been initiated years before he’d become an actor. Not high enough up to rate life extension procedures. Not while he was in the public eye at least. It would still make a statement, taking him out.

  Penny growled and stopped walking.

  “Fuck. Just… No way.” She was shaking her head, which got Cindy to turn to look at her.

  “Sorry? I mean, I’m pretty sure. It’s… Yeah… He’s in on it. Totally, in fact. He even came to check on us for them. Ground level recon. It was at the old base, but…”

  “I know! Damn it. I actually liked him, too. Yeah. Let’s get him first then. I’m tired of people betraying me. I guess he didn’t, but…”

  Cindy walked again, Kerry doing the same with Cooper finally catching up a minute later.

  “So Gillis and Lowenstein first. Then we hit Virginia? Or is there something closer we can do?” They got to discuss that, as they moved, a car finally driving along the road, coming from behind them. She half expected it to be from the base, but it was just a sketchy guy in a van.

  He looked that way when he stopped anyway. The truth was the guy was just unshaved, being on vacation and considering a beard while he was away from work. He only saw two girls there, and while he was attracted to them, he honestly wasn’t planning anything wrong. Not even hitting on either of them.

  “Hey, um, I don’t normally do this, but, need a ride?”

  She nodded, but decided to lay a trail down first. Possibly. Ken was actually really closed lipped about most things. Meeting them wouldn’t be on his blog or anything the next day.

  “We could use a ride. We’re both Infected though. Not… Well, I nearly said not dangerous, but I mean, not a danger to you. We’re running away from home? Leaving without permission. That’s not legal. It’s moral, if that helps?” Technically he wouldn’t get in trouble for it though. Even if they were caught in his presence. Not unless he got in the way of a death warrant.

  “Um… Well, I can’t argue with that then. Don’t kill me? Come on.”

  He wasn’t really chatty, for a while, but eventually he broke, his curiosity getting the better of him.

  “Is it… Really bad there? I mean, you’re from the IPB camp back there, right?”

  “Yup.” Cin was in the passenger seat, right next to the man. “Really it’s not that bad, but I used to be a serial killer, so you know, they really didn’t want to let me go anyplace without being under control. Don’t worry, I’m not one now. Just a regular psychopath.” She stopped and smiled at him, being charming. “That… It sounds pretty bad put that way, doesn’t it? Anyway, I needed to relocate kind of quickly, if I was going. Kerry here… Do you like cooking shows?”

  The man didn’t, but he looked in the rearview mirror and did pick up who she was.

  “Oh! Hey… Um, so you really are both Infected? I can’t tell where you’re joking here.”

  Penny didn’t say anything, just sitting in the back seat, ready to kill Ken and take his van if he became a problem for them. It was kind of her way in life. Plus, she clearly didn’t love how honest Cin was being at the moment.

  Cindy smiled at him and patted his leg.

  “I haven’t lied to you yet, about anything. Even that first part. We don’t hurt the people helping us. Thanks, by the way. This road is empty at night. We’re planning to go into town and steal a car, then head to Portland. The one in Oregon. I don’t suppose you’re going that way?” There was no particular reason to link them to murders that might happen in a few days, after all.

  The guy glanced at the hand on his thigh, wondering if he was going to be killed or get a kinky hitchhiker fantasy going on. That didn't last long though, since he figured it would probably be the first one, given that they were Infected. He wasn’t a bigot, but you had to be an idiot not to notice that a lot of them killed people. Plus, the one that was rubbing his jean covered thigh had just announced herself a psycho. Not a serial killer anymore, if that was possible.

  “I’m headed toward Nevada, which is closer? I figure I can make that in about ten hours, if the police don’t stop me. I don’t suppose that either of you can drive?” He didn’t sound hopeful, but Kerry spoke up, sounding chipper.

  “I can! Cindy can, too. I mean, that’s right, isn’t it?”

  “Yep. I even have my driver’s license with me.” Her bank card as well, even if she couldn’t use it. Having I.D. was useful at times. Especially if it wasn’t entered into the system. Nevada was closer to the real destination even, so going there wasn’t a horrible option.

  The man sighed, then glanced at her hand, wanting to ask if she’d jerk him off as they drove. It was kind of stupid, since that was dangerous. Still, she nodded at him.

  “If Kerry drives we could do that in the back?” It would keep the guy happy enough. Plus, thanks to Penny and her sex fiend pirate novel of a life, she had that kind of thing on the brain now. The guy swallowed, but shook his head, not trusting her enough yet.

  “Um, maybe later?”

  “Cool. Let me know? Or… Kerry, you can jerk him off, right? Whichever. I’ll chip in for gas too, so it’s worth keeping us with you for a bit.” That made sense to her anyway. Everyone else seemed to think it was way too friendly, way too fast. Even Penny did. Still, Kerry was adapting to being part of the mission, so nodded, in a matter of fact manner.

  She’d learned early in life to put out if a man wanted her to. It wasn’t a great thing in her world, but she’d perform at need, no matter what was asked of her. Honestly, she’d do that for anyone that suggested she perform. At least if they were a bit firm about it.

  “Sure. Not a problem.”

  Unfortunately, even if he were slightly horny now, Ken was left sitting there and wondering if he’d made the right move. It probably meant that she was trying too hard. If Penny could be trusted, telling him who they were was dumb as well, but she didn’t
mention it out loud, since it was a bit late for that kind of thing now.

  Then, the girl didn’t realize that Ken wasn’t an asshole yet. Just a male nurse from… That got her to make a face. She didn’t get it at all, at first, until she looked into the man’s story. How he’d once met a chubby young Asian man, who’d been beaten nearly to death in a police cell.

  Brian Yi.

  Proxy.

  Who, when she checked with his story, which showed up as a computer screen, indicated that his subconscious mind had arranged for the man to be there at exactly the right time. Even without knowing anything consciously in advance. It was a cool power, but weird at the same time.

  “So, I’m from Vancouver, Washington originally. How about you?” It wasn’t really true, since her family had moved from Wisconsin to Tacoma, but she didn’t need to fill the man in on that one.

  He glanced at her and smiled.

  “No way. What, you read minds or something? I live in Vancouver. Seriously. I can show you I.D.”

  She nodded.

  “Heh! So can I. I haven’t changed that over yet. I used to work at the public library there. Resource Librarian. So, you know, really, really cool.”

  He nodded, thinking about the killings that had taken place there. Then he put two and two together and got a much larger number.

  “Fuck. Did you…” He didn’t know how to ask about it.

  “Yeah. Fifteen men. It was my first mode. The IPB used me as a guinea-pig for a special genetic treatment to get rid of that. It worked. Then I saved the President’s wife and found some nuclear weapons before they could be set off, so he pardoned me. The issue is that the boss at the IPB doesn’t think that’s good enough really. So, you get the idea, fleeing in the night.”

  Penny actually growled then, soundlessly.

  Cindy got to read all about it. She was nearly certain that she was going to have to kill Ken now.

  “A lot of us come from there. Infected people and Vancouver go hand in hand. I… You know Proxy, right? From the hospital? Him, his old friend Doug Tibs… They were actually Infected by a woman who had that kind of thing as her power. I have another friend there as well. I think that Brian, I mean Proxy, his power actually caused us to all be in the right place to be useful. You too, of course.” She looked toward the back and shook her head, since Cooper had a knife drawn and was about to use it. “Not that you’re Infected, thank goodness. That would be a mess for you.” Which was a lie, but one that made sense to say out loud.

  The man was baffled by the words, but finally nodded.

  “A lot of things suddenly started to happen after the Proxy situation there. More Infected activity than seemed normal. I never knew why that was. Is that woman still there? It’s calmer now. After the big fight in Portland. Impulse did some damage there.” He was a bit worried that saying that might make her or Kerry mad, but Penny didn’t move on him.

  Which was good, since they were traveling at eighty-five miles per hour. The only one of them that would survive that was probably her.

  Interestingly enough Kerry shook her head.

  “No. Brian had to kill her. It was a mercy killing really. She, Carla Morris, she was a bigot. Anti-Infected, but every time she got scared she turned the people she loved or at least was physically close to, into Infected people. The government wanted to use her to make more, or at least we all guess that was true, so he had to do it. They used to be friends, so it wasn’t easy for him.” The snub-nosed blonde meant it all, but she wasn’t right.

  Brian had hated the woman, almost the whole time they’d known each other. He just put up with her so that his buddy Doug wouldn’t lose his girlfriend.

  Ken gripped the wheel harder for a few seconds, his mind racing.

  “So, is that how it spreads? No one knows.”

  That one got two large head shakes.

  Cindy spoke, her voice bright sounding in the nearly black inside of the van.

  “Nope. Not at all. Specific Infectors are a thing, but they normally make minor changes that aren’t the Infection at all. Carla was special, which is why the Feds wanted her so badly. That way they could pick who would have powers. Most of the people she Infected are powerful as well. As far as I know. You know, I don’t know who all that would be.”

  Ken, certainly, but the man hadn’t mentioned it yet. He had met Carla Morris and then, a few months later popped Infected. She didn’t feel shocked at all when she read up on it. Then, while powerful enough, his ability to make ice out of nothing wasn’t that big of a thing in a fight. Probably a class three or so, since he could make really large sheets of it, high enough up to drop on people with some force. Structures as well. Ramps and walls.

  It was a bit slow however.

  Then, even if these ladies weren’t going to turn him in to the IPB, what they didn’t know wouldn’t get him in trouble. His first mode was mild though. He was just more caring than he used to be. As far as things like that went it really wasn’t too bad of a deal. Ken had ice in the summer when it was hot without buying it, and did his job as a nurse slightly better.

  It occurred to her after a bit more driving that the reason for him being there probably wasn’t to make the first leg of the journey easier. Even if it was helpful at the moment. It was probably more about her telling him how things had happened to set him up to be Infected. A chance meeting with a rather unpleasant woman, introduced by a woman that he was trying to date at the time. She’d turned out to be a bigot, so he’d tossed her number when he’d found out, but her buddy had been acting weird that night. Like she was scared of the dark.

  That his life had been changed over something that small was amazing to him, but he kind of liked knowing better than not. It sort of completed something inside of him that he hadn’t really known he was looking for.

  “Well, we have a bit of a drive, can you take over in a few hours?” He was just asking if anyone could do it, but Cindy nodded. After all, the man really wasn’t going to require them to do things for him for the ride.

  “I’m up for that. I got a nap in earlier. We should make good time that way. Let me know if you see someplace with food? I need to eat a lot. It’s an Infected thing.”

  Kerry snorted then.

  “Well, for you it is. I have to diet constantly.” It wasn’t really true, but it sounded more normal than the fact that, if she used her powers a lot, she burned calories like a mad person. If she didn’t then she was fine that way, so it varied a lot for her.

  Penny would need food as well, if they could get it and weren’t dropped at wherever they stopped. That would be fair, now that their work for Ken was probably done.

  The invisible woman in the back was still ready to kill the man, if he freaked out. He didn’t though, and wasn’t going to. He was nearly certain that Cindy had been goofing with him about the killings. Even if that was kind of dark to play around with.

  She dozed for a while, only to wake up in time to clear her head and trade off driving at a really nice truck stop. They went in for food, and even found the man still there when they came back. Kerry got that as unusual, even.

  So did Penny.

  “You know, this is the strangest trip so far. Just so you know Cin. Right now, I like Ken better than you. If I have to kill him, I’m going to be pissed.”

  She just nodded.

  He was a pretty nice guy, after all.

  Chapter five

  Ken had been a little reluctant to let the two girls out at the next truck stop, and just drive off into the night. Mainly because he was, in the end, a good person. Cindy got that, but played around with him enough that he felt that the two blondes would be fine on their own, in the end. At least from the predators of the road. What he wasn’t certain about was if they were going to survive running from the IPB.

  Still, his amazing ice power wasn’t going to save them either, so he did it, taking off after gassing up, leaving them all alone to fend for themselves.

  It took ten minu
tes for Cindy to find them another ride. This time with a trucker named Gary. The man wasn’t old, being in his mid-thirties, but was a bit heavy set. That meant, while he truly wanted to try and get with one of them, he didn’t push his luck. Mainly fearing that he’d be rejected. So instead of pushing for more than some company, he just gave them a ride, and spoke politely the whole time. If the man hadn’t been two days into a road trip without a proper shower, he probably would have gotten some anyway. Cindy was more than willing to sacrifice Kerry to him for the purpose, but they parted ways before she had a real chance to do that and hook the man up.

  It was the third ride that got them a vehicle for their trip. It wasn’t even properly stealing, since Penny killed the guy out in the desert. A single shot to the back of the head. It happened when the older man had, rather cutely, pulled over to the side of the road to pass some water. The guy was all charm, but also a serial rapist and killer. He tried to sneak up on Kerry, since he figured that killing the larger girl would make the skinny little bitch easier to control.

  That one was probably a great call, except that he didn't know that Penny had simply followed him out into the night of the California desert.

  After the man died, Cindy found the telekinetic and waved at her.

  “Our friend died. Before you freak on me, Penny did it. He was going to murder you and then spend a few days raping me out here before leaving our bodies in shallow graves. Can you believe that? He wasn’t even going to bother digging more than a few feet down. That’s disrespect, right there.” It was all true.

  Worse, the older, gray haired fellow, had done it before. Hundreds of times. In fact he was kind of famous as the I-90 killer. Which made no sense, given they were well away from that particular stretch of road. Then, it was clear that to his mind he was just Lester, who had an odd hobby. The name had been given him by someone else. What he did have in his older, but well cared for motor home was a shovel. She pulled it out of the back and started digging, only to have Kerry recover after a few minutes and use her powers to empty the hole in the ground for them.