by Dawn, M. K.
“I can’t even remember the person I used to be before this all started.” Archer stared out the window. “All this running for our lives bullshit takes a toll, you know.”
“That it does.” They reached the main road and took a right. “How far did they say this town was we’re heading to?”
“Less than an hour’s drive. Said they’ve cleaned out the first couple of towns we’re going to pass through.”
“Sucks.” Axel’s grip tightened around the steering wheel. “It’s never going to be easy, is it? Finding supplies? Eventually, everything’s gonna be gone. Then what?”
“I try not to think that far ahead.” Archer straightened in his seat. “Infested. Moving really slow. Doesn’t seem to be able to see anything.”
“Thank God. I don’t know what the fuck we’re going to do with this new breed. Their lack of eyesight and inability to tolerate the cold were our only advantages.”
“Plus, we’re smarter than them.”
Axel cracked his neck. The prison beds and pillows we’re exactly the best he’d ever slept on. “That one infested, the one that stood there watching us and didn’t die from a chest wound...what do you think that was all about?”
“I don’t know but it scared the shit out of me.”
Axel, too. “Do you think Sloan is right? That they’re evolving?”
“Slash is the smartest person I’ve ever met. If that’s what she thinks is happening, and from what we’ve seen, it looks like it, then it’s probably true.”
“Fuck,” Axel muttered. “I wonder if it’s just the newly turned or if the ones that are already infested can change?”
“God, I hope it’s only the newly turned or we’d be completely fucked.”
They spotted a few more infested along the road but none that posed any sort of threat.
Axel drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel. “Guess while we’re just sitting here, we should make some sort of plan for when we leave. Most importantly, we have no supplies and I doubt Kat will be giving us any.”
“We’re heading in the same direction—”
“What the fuck!” The truck in front of them slammed on its brakes. Axel swerved to the left to avoid hitting them. The Humvee slid on the slick roads and into a grassy ditch.
The seat belt locked, knocking the wind from Axel’s chest.
Archer sputtered and coughed. “Son of a bitch.”
“You okay, man.” Black spots danced in front of Axel’s eyes as he struggled not to throw up.
“Yeah. You?”
Axel took a couple of painful breaths. “I think so. Couple of bumps and bruises, but I don’t think anything’s broken.”
“Same. But I have a nice cut on my head that’s going to need some TLC.”
Axel slowly pivoted his head to examine Archer’s wound. Blood poured from an open gash near his hairline. “Yeah, you’re going to need some stitches.”
Archer ripped the bottom of his dirty t-shirt and pressed it to his open wound. “Drive me to the nearest clinic, will ya? Maybe they’ll hook me up with some painkillers, too.”
It was hard not to admire Archer’s ability to find humor in almost any situation. “I’ll get right on that.”
Seconds later, Kat and two others came rushing down the small incline and yanked open the passenger side door. “You both look like shit.”
“Thanks.” Axel unbuckled his seatbelt. “Archer needs stitches. I’m just a little banged up. What the hell happened up there?”
“A Goddamn mountain lion or something ran across the road.” Kat examined Archer’s forehead before replacing his t-shirt scrap with gauze. “You didn’t see it?”
“Nope.” Axel massaged his neck. “Everyone else okay?”
“Yep.” Kat slapped the dashboard. “Think you can get this hunk of metal out of here?”
Axel swallowed back the bile burning his throat. No doubt he had a concussion. “Yeah, I think so.”
Kat narrowed her eyes. “Can you drive?”
“Don’t have much of a choice. We spotted several infested roaming around.”
“Us, too.” Kat slammed the truck door. “Meet you back up top.”
Axel gave her a two-finger salute.
“You okay?” Archer asked as Axel put the Humvee in gear and gunned it up the embankment.
“About as good as you.” The three-vehicle caravan started up again. “Who the fuck gets in a car accident during the apocalypse?”
A groan followed Acher’s attempted laugh. “Hell if I know. This trip is starting off on an excellent note.”
“Maybe we’ll be lucky and it’s the only hiccup we encounter.”
Both men busted out laughing.
If they had any sort of luck, they wouldn’t have been in this shit to start with.
***
Two hours and three towns later, they reach their destination.
Axel hadn’t bothered to notice the town sign; he was still in too much pain from the accident.
They had spent the last forty-minutes doing what they could to keep each other awake. Archer’s head had finally stopped bleeding, but the wound needed to be closed before it got infected.
The caravan pulled into the parking lot of a Walmart and everyone got out.
“We start here,” Kat announced. “The doors have been broken, so I’m sure it’s been picked over. Remember: food, pharmacy, and outdoors. Those are our main objectives. Keep your eyes open and weapons ready. Only fire your gun if necessary. Otherwise, use your alternative.” Alternatives being machetes and other things like baseball bats and golf clubs rigged with spikes. “Questions? Concerns?”
No one spoke up, only shook their heads.
“I’m going with Axel and Archer since they’re injured. Someone has to watch their back. The rest of you pair up and let's get going. You know the drill.”
Britney’s words trickled back in Axel’s mind, but he shoved them aside. Any sort of distraction out here could get you killed.
“We’ll start with the food.” Kat gestured to them to go first while she took the rear. “Damn, not sure how much we’ll find here.”
Aside from the mess, a pungent odor of spoiled food lingered in the air. Axel never had a weak stomach when it came to that sort of thing but that on top of the concussion, it rolled his stomach.
They each grabbed a basket and hit the aisles one by one. Like Kat said, there wasn’t much left of the shelves. Some canned goods and spices, noodles, flour, sugar. God only knew if any of it is edible. To find out, they’d have to rip open the packages which Axel didn’t think would be the smartest thing to do.
“Should we grab it all?” Archer limped along, not putting much pressure on his left leg.
“You hurt your leg, too?”
Archer lifted it off the ground a second. “Tweaked my ankle a bit. Nothing that won’t feel better in a day or so.”
Kat swept her arm behind some Asian noodles and dumped them in her basket. “Not everyone thinks about these, but they’re quite tasty.”
“We should probably check the warehouse out back,” Archer suggested. “People come in and grab things from the shelves—items that are easy to spot—but not everyone hits up the boxed items. Those take more time, carry more risk.”
“Glad to see we’re on the same page.” Kat tossed a couple of more items in the basket. “I believe there’s a U-Haul rental place around here. They usually got trailers and such. If the warehouse is worth a shit, we’ll head over there and see if we can score one of them. It's nice not to have to make another supply run for a while. Guess don’t matter much to you guys since you’ll be gone.”
Guilt sucker-punched Axel in the stomach. “It’s not personal, it’s just…” His words trailed off because it was personal. As charitable as this group of people were, their personalities didn’t mix.
Kat waved him off. “Don’t. Over the past year, people have come and gone pretty regularly. Would we like more to stay? Sure. But we also understand our
way of living ain’t for everyone. The whispering and not talking when outdoors. The physical labor and strict rules. It’s tough on some, especially those who are looking for a life more close to the one they lost.”
Axel relaxed a little. “Which we are, to an extent. What we had at the farm was working well, and we hope that one day we can find that again.”
“Well, we wish ya all the luck in the world.” Kat headed for the end of the aisle. “Let’s go check the warehouse, see what we can find. But first,” Kat raised her gun at them, “got to take care of this.”
Axel threw his arms in the air. “What the hell are you doing?”
Kat fired a shot that sent both Axel and Archer to the floor.
She groaned. “You’re a slippery little sucker, aren’t you?”
“Shit,” Axel yanked his gun from its holster and aimed it at Kat. “Put your gun down.”
“What in the world is wrong with you?” Kat fired another shot, not at them but behind them.
“You pulled a gun on us!” Archer gasped.
Kat snorted. “You mean I shot the savage creeping up behind you.”
Axel sat up and spun around in one fluid motion. On the floor not twenty feet away lay a dead infested. “Fuck, where did that come from? Didn’t even hear it.”
Kat holstered her gun and offered Archer a hand. “My you boys are jumpier than expected. Did ya really think I was about to shoot you?”
Archer dusted off his pants and shot Axel a look. “You tell her.”
Axel rose to his feet. “Sorry, I guess we are a bit jumpy. Britney, my wife, she’s a bit—”
“Judgmental?” Kat raised an eyebrow.
“More like skeptical of people.” Not that that sounded any better. “David’s cult screwed her up pretty bad.”
Kat shook her head. “You don’t have to explain. Like I told you before, we had our own encounter with the devilman and didn’t fare so well ourselves.”
Boots slapped the floor as two of Kat’s men came racing up.
“What happened?” Tommy, the head of security, asked. “We heard gunshots.”
Kat cocked her head. “Damn savage came sneaking up on us.”
“Everyone okay?” Tom kicked the infested over. “Clean shot.”
“First round I had an unobstructed view.” Kat shot Axel and Archer a wink. “Still sent the bastard down with a shot to the knee. Scared these boys half to death. They thought I was aiming for them.” Kat busted out laughing, but her comrades didn't look amused. “Lighten up, boys. You know what kind of psychological damage occurs after an encounter with David’s crew. How’s the scavenging comin’ along?”
Tommy stared at Axel and Archer a little longer before responding. “We’ve done worse, but the place has been picked over pretty good.”
“Same here.” Kat gestured toward their baskets. “We’re going to head for the stockroom. Gather the rest of the group and meet us back there in fifteen.”
“Yes, sir.” Tommy and the others hurried off.
“What do you want us to do with our baskets?” Archer asked, his voice weak and laced with pain.
Kat’s eyes swept over Archer. “Son, I believe we need to find you some painkillers. You look like you’re about to topple over.”
“I’m fine.” Archer waved her off and stumbled in the process.
Axel grabbed him by the waist and held him steady. “Yeah, you need to rest.”
He tried to push Axel off but failed. “No, I need to help.”
“You’re not much help in this condition.” Axel released him but only once he was sure Archer wouldn’t fall. “There should be a breakroom in the back. Maybe there's a couch or something in there you can lay down on for a while.”
“I don’t—”
Kat interjected. “That’s an order, soldier.”
Archer slumped his shoulders. “Fine. Not more than an hour, though.”
Axel didn’t argue. There was no point. Archer wouldn’t listen anyway. The only way he’d stay down for longer is if they knocked him out. Which might have to happen if Archer kept this up.
***
Archer plopped down on the worn faux leather sofa with a groan.
Axel had never seen him in so much pain. “Kat’s grabbing some painkillers. Probably over-the-counter, but it’s better than nothing.”
He leaned his head back on the armrest and stretched out. “Thanks. At this point, anything’s better than nothing.”
“Wonder what Sloan would have to say about your injuries.”
Archer barked out a laugh. “First, she’d kick my ass for not wearing a seatbelt. Second, she would have had me off my feet hours ago.”
“Here ya go.” Kat entered the room and tossed Axel a bottle of Tylenol PM. Now, maybe Archer would get some rest.
“Thanks.” Axel read over the instructions. It probably wasn’t the best thing for him to take considering his condition, but these days, they had little choice in the matter. “Two sounds good to you?”
“Whatever.” Archer covered his eyes with his forearm.
“Here.” Axel dropped two pills in Archer’s open hand. “Need water?”
“Nope.” Archer stared at the pills for a second. “Why are they blue?”
Of course, he would ask that. “Does it matter?”
“Not really.” Archer tossed back the pills.
Axel cringed. “Sure you don’t want some water.”
“Nah.” Archer closed his eyes. “Come get me in an hour?”
Kat shook her head and whispered. “Stubborn damn man.”
Axel thought the same thing. But instead of arguing, he decided to go with a little white lie. “Sure, man. An hour. Get some rest. I’m going to lock the door...just in case.”
“Thanks.”
Axel followed Kat out into the hall and checked the knob to ensure it had actually locked. “Ready?”
“The others have already started.” Kat led them into the storeroom.
Axel gawked at the rows of shelving. “Shit. That’s a lot of damn stuff.”
“Mostly useless stuff, if I were to guess.” Kat moved to the row labeled nine. “The others split. Half right and half left. They’re starting on their respective ends leaving us to the middle.”
“Should we split up, too?”
Kat shook her head. “Better not. Safety in numbers.”
Good. Axel would have gone it alone if she’d asked but he agreed they were safer together. “Let’s get to it.”
They started down the first isle, Kat to the right and Axel to the left. Each examined the pallets and boxes they passed and determined if it was something they needed. By the third row, Axel started to lose hope. “This all seems to be kitchen stuff. You sure the prison can’t use any of that?”
“We have plenty.” Kat planted her hands on her hips. “Damn, I was hoping we’d find some dry or canned food.”
“I think we’re in the wrong section for that.” Axel patted the large box next to him. “This is full of bedding, if you’re interested?”
“Nah.” Kat blew out her cheeks. “I know that sounds heartless, not caring about comfort but these are difficult times. And in such, we have to make sacrifices.”
“I understand.” Axel headed off for the new aisle with Kat by his side. “And it’s not that we don’t agree with you, but we also believe that we can find some sort of balance. If that makes any sense.”
“I get where you’re coming from. It’s different for you folks with the kids and all. I’m not sure how different the place would be if we had a bunch of rugrats running around. I know, for one, I would be a hell of a lot scareder.”
Axel knew that feeling well. “The twins. They're not mine...biologically. Their dad was bitten pretty early on. Brit, without knowing what was happening to him, had to put a bullet in his chest to keep her kids safe. Then Brit’s oldest—our oldest—got shot by one of David’s infested bullets and Brit…” He couldn’t even utter the words. “Well, we couldn’t let hi
m turn into that.”
Kat shuddered. “Bless her heart. It’s a hard damn world out there.”
“That it is, but what choice do we have? Just gotta keep moving forward.”
Kat opened her mouth to speak when an agonizing scream ripped through the building.
“Shit!” Axel pulled out his gun. “Which way did that come from?”
Kat pointed to the left. “That way, I think. Come on.”
They raced through the poorly lit building, checking each row they passed but saw nothing.
Another scream filled the air, this time from the other side of the storeroom.
“What the fuck!” Axel spun around.
Kat stood frozen, her head cocked. “Hush.”
He fell silent and waited. Hopefully, her hearing was better than his because he got nothing but silence.
“We need to keep our backs to the wall,” Kat said in a hushed voice. “Don’t want to be taken by surprise.”
No, they did not. “I’ll follow you.”
Kat started toward the front half of the storeroom, pausing at each row they passed.
This late in the day, the sun didn’t offer much help in the way of light. And with batteries being scarce, they had to rely on glow sticks, which didn’t give off nearly enough light for the situation they found themselves in.
Kat held up a fisted hand, and they stopped.
Axel wanted to ask what was wrong but knew better. Instead, he followed her line of sight and spotted a lifeless body nearly hidden within the shadows.
They crept forward, Kat’s eyes trained forward while Axel took the rear. Everything about this felt wrong. There were too many crevasses, too many dark corners. If the infested were truly becoming more intelligent; they had a number of places to hide.
“Shit.” Kat knelt beside Tommy’s lifeless body, machete in hand. “Sorry, friend. You didn’t deserve this.”
Before Axel could react, Kat drove the large blade through Tommy’s chest then his skull before chopping off his head at the neck. She wiped the bloodied blade on her pant leg. “Can’t be too careful. Motherfuckers have been a bit squirrely lately.”
Bile rose in Axel's throat. He’d killed countless infested over the years but this part...when they still looked human...still didn’t sit well with him.
