“Hi,” was all Candace said in reply.
Easton helped Declan get comfortable in the backseat of the Jeep. Candace climbed into the front passenger seat, clutching her Hello Kitty pack to her chest. Seeing the bag again, brought the picture of the little infected girl to Easton’s mind. His stomach felt sick as he replayed Declan stabbing the little girl without hesitation. Easton knew why it bothered him to see a child stabbed, but also to not see any emotion from Declan was strange.
The driver’s side of the Jeep had no door. Easton looked at the piece on the ground, covered in the driver’s blood and infected guts. He decided he didn’t need a door to drive, and turned away from the scene. Checking under the Jeep, he found the reason the Jeep was stuck. A large infected body was blocking the entire front of the vehicle. When he moved the back of the Jeep, he didn’t see anything blocking the tires. Standing up, the scene playing through his head, Easton felt like ends didn’t meet. Why hadn’t they backed up and gone around the body?
Climbing into the Jeep, Easton turned the key and the vehicle came to life. Candace looked over at him, fear etched into her features. Easton tried to give her a small reassuring smile, but he wasn’t sure it actually made it to his lips. He put the Jeep into reverse and backed away from the large body that was in the road. It didn’t move, as the head had been obliterated by the tired that hit it.
“Which way?” Easton asked Declan.
“To the stop sign and to the left,” he instructed.
Easton glanced in the rear view mirror and caught Declan staring at the back of Candace’s head. The Jeep didn’t move right away, as Easton stared into the mirror. Declan met his eyes in the mirror for a moment. Easton saw a flash of something, but Declan quickly looked away.
An uneasy feeling started to move over Easton. He took a deep breath as he put the Jeep into drive and maneuvered around the dead bodies. The faster they got to the building Declan’s group was in, the faster they could get back to looking for Alex.
Chapter 6
The drive was closer to 45 minutes. Easton was counting seconds by the time they pulled into the storage building parking lot. The entrance was a tall black gate, which with power rolled back after a code was entered. There were two pickup trucks parked at it. When the Jeep came into view, two men jumped from the backs of the trucks and moved them away.
The gate was rolled open, and closed as soon as the Jeep drove through. As Easton climbed out of the Jeep, a man rushed him with a gun pulled.
“Hey, who in the hell are you?” the man yelled at Easton, gun raised at Easton’s face.
“Whoa!” Easton exclaimed, throwing his hands up in surrender. He moved to fill the doorway, so Candace wasn’t seen.
“What are you doing with this vehicle? Where are our men?” The man yelled.
“Hold up, man, I helped your guys,” Easton started to say. The man cocked the gun, and moved closer to Easton. Easton took a step back instinctively. If this guy pulled the trigger, Candace would be alone here. And he couldn’t allow that to happen. As he planned some sort of attack on the gun wielding idiot, a cackling laugh came from the back of the Jeep. Declan pulled himself into view, climbing awkwardly out of the Jeep.
“You should have seen your face,” Declan said. Easton suddenly realized he was laughing at him. Temper began to build in his chest as Declan limped past him and punched Easton in the shoulder.
“Freddy, put that gun away before you shoot yourself in the foot or something,” Declan said to the man still holding a gun on Easton. He shot Declan a dirty look, before lowering the weapon and walking away. Easton just stood in the middle of the parking lot, his breath coming fast and hot as adrenaline pulsed through his veins.
“Easton?” Candace’s soft voice came from the Jeep.
“Yeah, Candace, let’s get going,” Easton said to her, pulling his pack out of the back of the Jeep. When he turned toward the gate, it was already closed with the trucks pushed up against it again. Looking around he saw that Declan and the man he called Freddy had disappeared into the storage facility. Easton turned, studying the fence around the complex.
“I don’t see another way out,” Easton muttered. Candace joined him, and grabbed his arm. They were left alone outside, but with no avenue of leaving until someone moved the trucks. Easton didn’t like the feeling he was getting from the situation.
He was just studying the fence to see if they could scale it, when Declan appeared in the storage facility doorway. He was on crutches now, and came toward Easton.
“What are you guys doing out here? Come on in,” Declan said.
“We need to get on the road,” Easton replied. He again caught Declan looking at Candace and it put him on edge.
“Oh come on, I have to pay you back for helping me out back there,” Declan insisted. “Come in for a meal at least. It’s about lunch time. You kids gotta be hungry,” he continued.
Easton mulled over the situation in his mind. The facility seemed fortified against the infected. He still didn’t appreciate the way Declan checked out Candace. He struggled with those thoughts. He also hadn’t liked their new addition Marcus around Alex because of his attention toward her. Maybe he wasn’t judging the situation accurately.
In the end, Easton decided making sure he and Candace had a decent meal before they started walking was a good plan. They followed the crutching Declan into the facility. The lights inside seemed to be emergency lights only, running off of a backup power source. It was dim, and it took a moment for Easton’s eyes to adjust.
The interior of the storage unit wasn’t what Easton had expected. The doors of all the nearby units were rolled up. Debris littered the hallways. There were people everywhere, milling around from unit to unit. As Declan led them down one hallway, Easton could see that the units seemed to be set up as makeshift rooms for sleeping.
“How long have you all been here?” Easton asked.
“Oh, well, since about the time it started I guess. I’m from a small town about an hour away. I was driving and got into an accident. There were infected on the road, so I ran. I saw this storage facility and at that time a lot of people were out in the parking lot. I got in, and haven’t left since. Well except for supply runs,” Declan explained as they walked.
The group turned a corner and came to an office. Declan knocked on the door and waited. A deep bellow came from inside, beckoning them to enter. Declan pushed the door open and motioned Easton and Candace in. He entered behind the teens, and closed the door. Easton put his arm around Candace’s shoulders, pulling her closer to him, as Declan tried to fit inside the office with them.
The office was small and stuffy, with a metal desk taking up most of the space. At the desk was an older man. He had short blonde hair that was combed over to hide a balding patch. His eyes were a piercing blue, and they settled on the teens and didn’t falter.
“Scooter, this kid,” Declan started, motioning toward Easton, “He helped me out of a jam on the way back from town.”
“What kinda jam?” The man apparently named Scooter asked.
“Walkers. We lost Dan. But this kid held his own, saved me from being a meal,” Declan finished.
“Well, that’s admirable. What’s your name, kid?” Scooter asked.
“Easton.”
“And you, pretty little lady, who are you?” Scooter asked the question of Candace. His smile was slight as he gazed at her. Easton tightened his grip on her, and she looked at him.
“This is my sister, Candace. We were just telling Declan we should be going. He insisted on feeding us for helping him,” Easton replied.
“Well that’s mighty nice of Declan, but he’s brought you to me, because I run this place. And it’s up to me to feed you,” Scooter said as he stood, shoving the chair back so he could lift his bulk away from the desk. He wasn’t heavy set, but burly. His presence put Easton more on edge. He had many faded tattoos on his arms, and Easton noticed letters on his right knuckles, that spelled the word
fate.
“We can just go,” Easton responded.
“Nonsense. I’ll feed you kids. Let’s head to my unit, I have some sandwich makings there,” Scooter explained.
Declan opened the door again, and crutched out ahead of the kids. Scooter motioned for Easton and Candace to follow Declan. The number of people and messes in the hallway forced Easton and Candace to walk single file. Easton took her hand to keep her close behind him as he followed Declan.
The people of the storage community didn’t take much notice to the strangers. A few people poked their heads out of their units when they walked by, but mostly it seemed they kept to themselves. For such a large group, new people must have been arriving daily in the last few weeks, Easton mused to himself.
Declan made two turns on their walk, and Easton felt confused about where they were. All of the hallways and units looked the same, with the trash lining the walls the same everywhere they walked. Not having a bearing caused Easton to feel slightly panicked. So far the group hadn’t proven to be dangerous, but Easton wasn’t sure he trusted them.
When Declan stopped in front of a large closed unit, Scooter stepped to the door and unlocked the padlock. Unlike the rest of the storage residents, it seemed Scooter was able to keep his door locked. When the rolling door was up, Easton could see why he wanted to keep it locked.
The storage unit was the size of two car garage. One side of the room was full of various electronics. What Scooter planned to do with those was a mystery to Easton. He probably wasn’t aware of the state of the country right at the time. The rest of the unit comprised a makeshift studio apartment. There was a queen sized bed on the floor against a wall, a folding table with miscellaneous kitchen items, and a small personal sized refrigerator.
“Welcome to my abode,” Scooter smirked, as he watched the teens. He seemed to be waiting for some sort of reaction to his room. All Easton could think was he’d rather be in an RV with the Duncans instead of being in the claustrophobic storage unit.
“It’s nice,” Candace said politely.
“Well thanks, darlin’. I was starting to wonder if a pretty girl like you talked at all,” Scooter replied, stepping into the room and grabbing Candace to pull her inside.
“Here, have a seat,” Scooter said, leading her to a metal chair near the kitchen items. Easton followed closely behind, and took up a stance behind her.
“You don’t have to act like a guard. You guys are safe here,” Scooter said.
“We have just learned to be careful,” Easton replied.
“Smart kids. You are just kids, right? Are you headed somewhere specific? Seemed to be itchin’ to get on the road,” Scooter said, as he pulled bread from a bookcase shelf. His bookcase was full of canned foods and other non-perishables. Easton noted that he hadn’t seen that much food throughout the rest of the facility, and he wondered if Scooter was controlling the flow of food.
“We’re under eighteen, yes. And yeah we’re headed to a specific place. We think,” Easton trailed off.
“You think. Doesn’t sound like much of a plan. Were you abandoned by your people? Did your people die?” Scooter questioned.
“We have people. We were separated, and we’re working our way back to them,” Easton replied vaguely.
“And where is that? Where you are trying to find your way to?” Scooter asked. His question made the hairs on the back of Easton’s neck stand up.
“We aren’t sure. We were just going to backtrack to where we saw them last,” Easton replied, leaving his answer unclear. Scooter seemed to sense that Easton wasn’t going to give him the information he was looking for. He glanced at his watch and whistled quietly.
“Well jeez, look at that, it’s later than lunch time. More time has passed than I had expected. It’s going on two o’clock,” Scooter said, as he handed each of the teens a sandwich. If he hadn’t seen them being made, Easton wouldn’t have let Candace touch the food. But knowing they only had basic provisions, they both bit into their meals.
“Here’s what we’re gonna do,” Scooter started. Easton cut him off.
“You’ve already done more than enough for us. As soon as possible, we’ll be on our way,” he said.
“Now, boy, it’s getting late. I know you drove a good forty miles to get Duncan back here. That’s quite a walk. If you wait until tomorrow, we may be able to spare someone to drive you back that way. I’d sure hate to have two youngins like you getting attacked by walkers on your way,” Scooter explained smoothly. He made the suggestion sound as if it was the best decision for them. But Easton also felt like if he demanded to leave, they wouldn’t open the gate for them.
“Can we discuss this outside, before we give you our answer?” Easton asked.
“Sure thing, kiddo,” Scooter replied, the silly nickname grating on Easton’s nerves.
The pair of teens stepped into the storage hallway. Easton could see Scooter watching them, but he was at the far wall of the unit. Looking up and down the hallway, he felt they were sufficiently alone for a conversation.
“Easton, I don’t have a good feeling,” Candace whispered, vocalizing what Easton had been feeling for a while.
“Me either, Candy. But I don’t know if they’ll let us leave right now. Maybe one more night of rest wouldn’t be bad for us either,” Easton whispered in response.
Candace bit her lower lip, looking down at her feet. She was only thirteen, but she was a beautiful girl, even with rumpled hair and dirt stained clothes. If Easton had to put a word to her, it would be vulnerable, and it was his job to protect her at all costs.
“We’ll just stay and see how it goes, Candy. We’ll be out first thing tomorrow.” Easton whispered. She nodded slightly in response, not really meeting his eye. Her hand went to his arm as they walked back into Scooter’s room.
“We’d like to take you up on that offer. Where can we bunk?” Easton asked.
Scooter’s smile grew and he clapped his hands together once.
“I’ll take you to a spare storage room we have,” Scooter replied.
Leading them out of his room, Scooter pulled down the rolling door and locked it with the padlock he removed earlier. He started down a hallway, and Easton thought they were backtracking. A few moments later they passed the office door, and Easton could feel himself getting his bearings.
“How did all of these people come to stay here?” Easton asked, trying to keep light conversation. He also wanted to know how the group had come to be.
“Well, when news started flowing about the walkers, I was at work. I was, or am I guess, the part time manager of this lovely facility,” Scooter punctuated his words with a sweep of his hand.
“The news was on for a while here?” Easton asked, thinking back to when he was with Candace and their mother in Las Vegas. Power, news, phone service, were all down within the first twelve hours of the crisis.
“Oh sure. Like three days emergency broadcasts were running. Mostly repeating the evacuation information, but sometimes you’d see real reporters, and they would show walkers. So I never left work. I decided to lock myself into the facility. See, people store all sorts of stuff here. Electronics, household goods, clothing. I even had a few doomsdayers storing things here, like food and non-perishables.” The more Scooter talked, the more excited he seemed to be getting. He enjoyed sharing the story of his survival with the kids. Easton guessed everyone staying there had heard it once or twice already.
“So you knew what was in all the units?” Easton asked, keeping up the conversation.
“Naw. People talk, ya know. Like I remembered there was a bed in the unit I have, cause I saw them moving in that day. And the doomsday dude, well he told me all about his unit, and how he knew the end of days was coming. He hasn’t shown up here since this all started,” Scooter said with a deep laugh.
“He’s probably dead,” Candace said under her breath. Scooter didn’t hear her, and he continued his story.
“Yeah, so, I stayed here.
Started cracking open units and finding what I needed to survive. I am king of this castle, ya know? Two days in, someone happens to be driving by the facility while I’m outside taking a leak. They ask to come in, realizing it’s a safe place against walkers. I made a deal for all of their food, and let them come in,” Scooter said.
“People pay rent to be here? Like in food?” Easton asked.
“Only when they first come in ya know, like put up or shove off. Nobody has ever complained. And they shouldn’t. They are safe within these walls. And we have a good routine now. Scouts go out for provisions. We rotate guards keeping an eye out around the fence. And people have privacy in their units,” Scooter stopped in front of a closed unit door. He unlocked the padlock on this door, and rolled it up. Inside was a bare room, about a quarter of the size of Scooter’s own. A double bed was pushed against one wall, and boxes were opened and stacked haphazardly on the other side.
“Nothing much in the boxes but photo albums and old china. Didn’t toss it or anything, in case we ever have fancy people here,” Scooter smirked.
“Well that’s not us,” Easton responded with a small smile.
“Make yourselves comfortable, if you need anything just flag anyone down and ask to find me. They know my schedule. Dinner will be served at six PM. We eat together near the front of the facility where the hallways are wider. You’ll be my guests!” Scooter exclaimed as he walked away with a slight wave.
Easton let out a long breath, feeling like he hadn’t been able to fill his lungs since they got to the storage building. Candace stepped into the unit and looked around warily. He couldn’t blame her. What had he gotten them into? Alex would have known to avoid this place. She would have dropped Declan like a hot rock outside the gate and taken off. Why had he allowed Candace to be put into this position inside the gates of this place?
“It’s not your fault, Easton,” Candace finally said, looking at him. She could see him inside his own mind, whipping his thoughts up into a frenzy.
“We shouldn’t have come here. I should have known better,” Easton replied.
Sundown Series (Novella): Alone Page 3
