by Derek Slaton
Two young men emerged, shaking like leaves. They looked no more than twenty, scared and confused. Ricky and Mary immediately flew forward, each embracing one of them.
“Holy shit, Jason, Donny, you boys alright?” the mechanic asked.
Donny’s teeth chattered. “I think my balls are frozen.”
“Hate to break it to you bubba, but I ain’t warmin’ them up for ya,” Ricky laughed.
“Come on,” Sparks said gently. “Let’s get them outta here.” She stepped into the aisleway, ushering Mary and Jason.
There was a sudden shot and Jason’s head exploded all over the toilet paper. His body fell back, causing the blonde to go down underneath him.
“Mary!” Ricky cried, dropping Donny, but Jeff grabbed him and jerked him back out of the aisleway. Sparks caught Mary’s eye and motioned for her to stay put under her human shield.
The officer peeked slightly around the corner to see a militia member taking aim. Rufus took off his head with his M16, the body dropping to the ground. Another enemy continued to pop off rounds in their direction, but they couldn’t see him from behind his makeshift barricade, only hear the clicks and beeps of a walkie talkie.
“Getting really tired of their shit,” Sparks growled.
Rufus nodded in agreement. “If you wanna flank him I’m pretty sure I can peg the sumbitch when he pops up to deal with you.”
“I’m taking this cocksucker alive,” she snarled. “We need information about these assholes.”
“Alright, whatcha got in mind?” he asked.
Her eyes twinkled wickedly. “Flying knee from the top rope?” She pointed to the top of the shelving.
“Goddamn you are a woman after my own heart.” Rufus laughed. “Whatcha need from me?”
“Give me thirty seconds then lay down covering fire,” she instructed. “Use the whole mag if you have to. Just aim a little high so he’s forced to take cover.”
“Yes ma’am,” he said with a little salute.
She signaled for him to begin his count and then slipped down a parallel aisle. She waited for Rufus to open fire, and then shimmied up the shelves to the top, peeking down at her mark. He ducked behind his makeshift rampart, and as Rufus stopped shooting he popped back up again, aiming.
Before he could even acquire a target Sparks leapt from the shelves, landing on top of the guy’s head with the full force of her knees. His gun clattered to the floor along with his body, and she rolled off of her easily staggered opponent. She kicked him in the chest and then put him in a sleeper hold.
The front door burst open and Sparks drew her sidearm, pointing it at the newcomer.
“What are you doing there, little girl?” He sneered, taking a step towards her.
Sparks cocked her gun. “Take another step. Please.”
“Alright, let’s all take it down a beat here,” he replied, taking a step back. “Now, what can I do to resolve this situation?”
“You can fuck off to whatever compound you call a home,” she told him.
He leered. “I’d be more than happy to, little lady. Just hand over my friend there and we’ll be on our way.”
“This asshole killed one of our friends, so he’s coming with us,” she explained.
“Is that a fact now?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, it is,” she replied.
“Squad six, squad six, sit rep.” A voice crackled through the shoulder mounted radio on her opponent. “Squad six, sit rep. Respond.”
“If I don’t answer them, they are going to send reinforcements,” he said calmly.
She motioned slightly with the gun. “Just remember, if I don’t like what you have to say, you die.”
He nodded and slowly moved his hand to the receiver. “Squad six here, code sixty-two. All clear, returning to base.”
“Shoot that motherfucker now!” Rufus screamed, and she didn’t hesitate, but her bullet grazed him as he dove for the door.
“You and your friends are going to die, bitch!” he yelled, and just as Sparks took aim again, a zombie burst through the door and latched onto his neck.
“We gotta go now!” she cried. “Jeff, on me!”
He skidded behind the counter as she got to her feet, gun trained on the front door. He picked up the unconscious militia prisoner and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of flour.
Sparks moved to the zombie who was still chowing down on her enemy, putting a bullet in his head. She shot the dead militia member too, just to make sure he wouldn’t reanimate. Her crew congregated behind her, Ricky and Mary supporting a dazed Donny.
“He called for backup, we gotta go,” Rufus said.
“How do you know that?” Ricky asked breathlessly.
“I’ll explain later,” the older man barked. “Go get the truck.” He bent down as the younger man darted outside, grabbing ammo and the handgun from the dead militia man. Sparks led the group out to the parking lot, where they met Ricky halfway. Jeff tossed their prisoner in the back and hopped up behind him, giving Sparks and Donny a hand up as Rufus and Mary clambered into the cab.
“Should be some duct tape in the glove box,” Ricky said as he punched the accelerator. “They can tie up that murdering douchebag in the back.”
Rufus rummaged and found it, passing it back through the center window. “For the prisoner there,” he explained as Jeff took it.
“Alright, so how in the hell did you know he called for backup?” Ricky asked as his passenger closed the window.
“Well, there’s only so much porn a man can watch on the internet,” Rufus replied with a shrug. “So occasionally I gotta visit other sites. Ended up on some ex-military militia pages and in one of their little training books they mentioned code sixty-two is a distress call.”
“How did you know this militia uses that code?” Mary piped up.
He paused. “Well, I guess I don’t. But these assholes have been fucking up my entire goddamn day, so even if I was wrong, I still think I’m right.”
“Works for me, bubba,” Ricky conceded. “They killed Jason and nearly killed my Mary. They can all suck a lead coated cock for all I care.”
“You got a romantic here,” Rufus nudged the blonde, who cracked a smile. “You hold on to him.”
CHAPTER SIX
Ricky pulled into the school parking lot and right up to the front door. Principal Dan rushed out of the tent, worry etched on his face as everyone bustled out of the vehicle.
“How did it go?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at the group in the back.
“We were able to save Donny and clear out the supermarket,” Mary explained. “Ran into some militia though.” She motioned to the duct-taped prisoner that Sparks and Jeff were unloading from the bed of the truck.
“Is that a prisoner?” Dan asked, noting the eyes and mouth were covered as well as his hands being bound.
“Yep,” Sparks replied as Jeff heaved the still unconscious guy over his shoulder. “Figured it would be in our best interest to get some information on these assholes. Numbers, location, etcetera.”
“There’s a mostly empty classroom just as you enter,” Dan said. “It’s across from the front office and the only classroom before the main lobby area. If anybody is in there tell them I said to find someplace else.”
The redhead nodded and led her group inside.
“You need to get some people down to secure the supermarket,” Mary insisted, hanging back.
The Principal furrowed his brow. “I thought you said it was clear.”
“It’s clear of zombies, but we think one of the militia boys sent out a distress call before a zombie got him,” she explained.
He pursed his lips. “Alright, the teams clearing out the east side of town just got back,” he finally said. “I’ll send them over right now.”
“What about us?” she asked. “Ricky and I can help out.”
“No, I want y’all to stay with Sparks,” Dan replied. “Hopefully you can try and convince them to stay. It looks like we’re g
oing to need the help.”
Sparks finished duct taping the prisoner to a chair in the center of the room. She saw the tip of a tattoo peeking out from under his shirt sleeve, and rolled it up, lips twisting at the sight. She straightened.
“Ricky, watch him for a minute, will you?” she asked.
Ricky nodded. “Sure thing.”
Sparks grabbed Jeff’s arm, pulling him outside into the hallway.
He stared down at her. “What’s up?”
“Recognize his tattoo?” She asked.
He unconsciously rubbed the German military tattoo on his bicep. “Every time I look in the mirror,” he replied.
“Do me a favor,” she said, “stay out of sight while we interrogate him. I don’t want him knowing that you are working with us.”
“Whatcha thinking?” Jeff asked, crossing his arms.
“I’m thinking that those matching tattoos might come in handy if we get into a tight spot,” she said.
“You’re the boss,” he said, “I’ll hang back.”
“What have you found out?” Dan asked, approaching with Mary and Rufus.
The redhead turned to him. “Just about to start. You want to sit in?”
“These guys have been murdering my people, so yeah, I’d like to hear what he has to say.” The Principal nodded.
“I don’t think this chat is going to be for me,” Mary spoke up, face pale. “Can I go check on Chuck? I want to see how his arm is doing.”
“Sure Mary, he’s on the second floor next to the outbreak area,” Dan replied. “Just tell the guard I said it was okay.”
“I think I’ll tag along if you don’t mind,” Jeff said.
Dan furrowed his brow. “You’re not going to help with the interrogation?”
The skinhead simply motioned to Sparks, signaling for her to explain.
“Just trust me, it’s better he stays out here,” she said simply.
“I think you’ve earned some trust,” Dan replied. “Okay Mary, take Jeff with you.”
“Come on, I’ll give you the nickel tour,” the blonde said.
Jeff laughed. “Well that’s good, cause it’s about all I can afford.”
Sparks led the other two into the room, where the prisoner was struggling like mad to get free. She admired her secure handiwork, and then ripped the tape from his mouth and eyes. He screamed in pain, and then blinked in shock as she got nose to nose with him.
“Before we get started, I’m going to be very clear.” The redhead’s voice was low and menacing, and sent a shiver up the prisoner’s spine. “I’m your only friend in this room. That boy you killed in the supermarket? He was their friend. If it was up to them, you’d already be dead, or at the very least, wishing for death.
“So here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to ask questions, and you’re going to answer them. The first time you don’t give me what I believe to be a truthful answer, Ricky here is going to go out to his truck and get his tools. The second time you don’t give me a truthful answer, I’m going to let Ricky show you some of his tools, and describe how he’s going to use them on you. The third time you lie will be the last time you ever see me, because I’m walking out that door and letting Ricky do whatever he wants to.
“Have I made myself clear?” She cocked her head.
The prisoner, sweating, glanced to Ricky, whose eyes were wide with insanity. He nodded in the affirmative.
“Great, so the first question is going to be easy,” Sparks began. “What’s your name?”
“You can call me Bryan,” the prisoner replied, clearing his throat.
“Not sure I entirely believe you, but I’m willing to roll with it,” she said. “Now, next question. Why did you shoot their friend in the head?”
“Well, I was just looking for some food and I thought y’all were some of them dead cannibals,” Bryan replied.
Sparks paused. “Ricky, go get your tools.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Ricky bounced out of the classroom, letting out a maniacal laugh as he went.
“You wanna try that one again, Bryan?” the officer asked.
“Um, I mean,” he stammered. “Okay, I’ll level with you.”
“Probably in your best interests to do so,” she agreed cheerfully.
“Elijah, the militia leader, sent some of us out to scout the town for supplies,” Bryan began. “Him and some boys got chased off from the truck stop this morning, so he figured it would be easier to send scouts in to see what was left and get a sense of how strong the resistance was before committing troops.”
Ricky burst back in, carrying a greasy toolbox and slamming it down on the table with a wide grin on his face.
Sparks snapped her fingers, demanding her prisoner’s attention. “How many troops?”
“I don’t know,” Bryan shot back, seeming to shrink away.
She sighed. “Ricky, show and tell time.”
“Wait, I honestly don’t know!” the prisoner cried. “My cousin is a part of the militia and when this shit went down a few days ago, he told me to get my gun and we’re going someplace safe. Well, he was a part of the militia, y’all killed him in the grocery store.”
“Well he shouldn’t have been aiming his weapon at my friend here,” Rufus growled.
“Look, I ain’t even mad,” Bryan protested. “But I’m telling you the truth that I don’t know how many soldiers he has. From the time I got to the compound I’ve been running missions with my cousin. The first day we rolled over Center Point and picked the stores clean. Then we got sent up here.”
“Well, take your best guess,” Sparks suggested. “How many people have you seen at the compound?”
“Thirty, maybe forty?” He shrugged. “Could be ten times that number, though.”
Sparks waved Dan to the far side of the room.
“What do you think?” he asked quietly.
“I think it’s time for you to evacuate,” she replied. “Even if his numbers are remotely close to being accurate, this isn’t a situation you are going to come out ahead in.”
“We have armed men at the gas station and the supermarket, and they have cover.” He crossed his arms in protest. “They can handle a militia assault.”
Sparks sighed. “And what about here?”
“What about here?” He threw his hands up. “There are over a hundred people on campus.”
“And how many of them are trained to use guns?” she shot back. “Ten? Fifteen? And never mind the fact that half the people are exposed out there.”
The weight of the situation seemed to sink over Dan’s features like a ton of bricks. “Ricky, please go tell Grandma Suzie and the others out there that they need to quickly move inside.”
The younger man made a beeline for the door. “I’m on it.”
“So what’s the play, lil’ lady?” Rufus asked, turning to the duo.
“Well, that depends on the Principal here,” Sparks replied. “You finally ready to listen to me and evacuate?”
“In the morning,” Dan replied firmly. “It’s too risky to move this many people at night.”
She turned to her white haired friend. “Okay, so Rufus, this is what we need to do,” she began, but the sound of gunfire cut her off.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sparks and Rufus rushed to the door, guns at the ready. She took a knee and peeked into the hallway, seeing two of Dan’s men take bullets and fall on the other side of the lobby. Within a moment four militia members emerged, moving in combat formation.
“Militia,” she hissed as she ducked back into the room.
“Principal, we’ll handle this,” Rufus said. “You keep an eye on him.” Sparks leaned back into the hallway and looked through her scope.
“I have the trailer dead to rights,” she said. “On my mark, move across the hall to the office.” Rufus got in position as she waited. “Now!” she commanded, and he jumped across the hallway. The trailer whipped around and raised his weapon, and Sparks put a bullet in his che
st.
The other three opened fire while taking off around the corner, one staying to cover behind a row of lockers.
“Covering fire,” Rufus said, “move up.”
Sparks nodded. “Go,” she said, and then bolted from her position as her companion started shooting. She got to the lobby and slid behind the wall, Rufus jogging behind her as the corner guard took off. Sparks peered around and pulled back at the gunfire, waiting for a break to leap out to shoot.
The trio had made it to the stairwell, and disappeared inside, one staying behind to chain and padlock the door shut.
“What the hell is he doing?” Sparks asked.
“Looks like he’s padlocking it,” Rufus replied. “What the hell are they doing? Creating a hostage situation?”
Jeff was ready as a militia member eased the door open to the makeshift infirmary, and fired off a quick round into his enemy’s head. The man behind him burst through, knocking the skinhead backwards. His gun skidded across the floor and he took a page from Spark’s book, wrapping his arms around his enemy’s waist. He flung himself sideways and then slammed down, his enemy’s neck snapping with a sickening crunch.
Mary winced from her vantage point next to the nurse but Jeff quickly recovered, grabbing his gun and moving to the door. There was a man by the locked door down the hall, the room housing all of the zombies from the original first outbreak of people in the school.
Jeff cocked his gun and the militia man fired back at him, driving the skinhead back into the infirmary. He popped back out as the man finished whatever he was doing and managed to get a shot off into his enemy’s back.
Jeff looked back and forth down the hallway to make sure nobody else was there, and narrowed his eyes at the black device attached to the locked door. Movement out of the corner of his eye as the man he’d shot fumbled with something in his hand, and it all clicked into place.
“Bomb!” Jeff screamed, slamming the door behind him and locking it.
The zombie door blew open with a crack and zombies poured into the hallway, immediately feasting on the injured militia man. His screams turned to gurgles as they sunk their teeth into him.
Rufus and Sparks recoiled as they heard the explosion above them. They stared at the ceiling for a beat, confused, and then cold dread fell over them both.
