by Shawn McLain
In several places the paper had fallen away. This caused some excitement when Trevor saw a figure standing in the window. Devin stopped the truck and waited. All the occupants collectively held their breath.
“Where else should we go?” Whispered Matt.
They waited, the figure didn’t move. Devin squinted into the darkness.
“I think it is a mannequin.”
“You sure? I really don’t want to get inside and find the place crawling with those guys.” Max shuddered.
“Well they seem to get pretty excited when they see us, and this guy hasn’t moved.”
“Maybe it is a survivor.” Beth stated hopefully.
“Or maybe it is someone who wants to take our guns.” Stancy grumbled.
Beth turned to retort but was cut off by Hector, “fair point. Thing is, they haven’t moved…at all…So I am leaning toward the dummy idea. I am ready to fight for a place to stretch my legs.” To emphasize the point, one of his knees popped loudly as he shifted on them.
“I wouldn’t say no to a bathroom with walls. That last pit stop was…nerve wracking. I never wanted to do my business outside and that was before someone wanted to eat me.” Gillian explained.
Devin did not say a word but slowly drove along the building turning at the corner. They drove the length of the side of the building, everyone tensely looking for signs of life, or death. Nothing moved in the wooded area just past the pavement. Devin reached the end of the wall and turned the truck along the back.
“The loading dock doors are too high for us to get into easily.” Hector noted, pointing at the closed doors.
“That looks good!” Trevor exclaimed pointing at a door at the top of a small staircase halfway along the building.
“Why are we parking in the back?” Beth asked, “Don’t you think it would be better to be seen? You know in case there are people alive around here.”
“We can get some rest and not really worry about someone trying to steal our vehicle.” Max spoke up. Beth turned to him, a confused look on her face.
“Well,” started the officer, “if you were in need of a safe vehicle to try to make it out of the city this is the best one, and if you see it sitting with no one in it. Well why wouldn’t you try to take it?” He shrugged.
“Don’t you think they would try to find out who was here first?” Beth argued.
“You’ve got a lot to learn about people, little girl.” Stancy grunted.
“Just what is that suppose to mean?” Matt defended.
“People only look out for themselves.” Stancy answered mater of factly, as if this closed the matter.
“If that were true, your ass would still be downtown.” Bill noted.
Trying to head off the building tension Devin spoke up. “That should be just above the back bumper.”
“Huh?” Matt questioned.
“The door.” Devin pointed out the front window. “That should make it easy to get in and out and we can use the doors as a kind of shield if we get surrounded.”
“Surrounded by whom? Come on let’s just get out of this damn truck. Seriously I think we are safe, when was the last time anyone came near this dump?” Stancy urged.
Nobody answered her so she crossed her arms and glared at Matt. He stared back, made a silly face then looked out the back window. Devin eased the truck up to the staircase.
Hector opened one of the back doors and Bill grabbed the back of his belt. Hector looked back at Bill a slight look of discomfort on his face. “Don’t flatter yourself.” Bill stated noting the look on the other man’s face.
Hector looked Bill in the eye and laughed, “sorry, but I am a damn good looking man ya know.”
This earned a laugh from Bill and a derisive snort from Stancy.
“Ok Devin back it up.” Hector yelled.
Devin slowly positioned the truck against the stairs. Metal on metal screeched as Devin backed as far as he could against the building. There was only about six inches from the edge of the truck’s back door to the wall of the old factory. All but one of the metal grate stairs sat under the rear of the truck; the handrail was bent by the force of the engine pushing back against it.
“Did you make enough noise?” Stancy commented.
“What do you care? Remember, you said no one has been here in forever.” Matt commented.
Again Stancy glared at him.
“Oh give it rest you haggard old vulture.” Matt sighed.
“How dare...” she fired up at once.
“Matt, help me with this door.” Hector called.
Matt climbed over Beth to help Hector and Bill with the door. Beth took in a quick breath of pain as Matt tripped over on her leg. He fell onto Stancy who pushed him hard away. Beth glared her until Matt stepped on her knee again and fell into Gillian’s lap.
“Well it opens toward us.” Bill pointed to the hinges on their side of the door.
Hector grabbed Matt and pulled him away from three annoyed women. “I don’t know if you’re a klutz or you planned that.” He smirked at the red faced boy.
“We need something to wrench the door open.” Beth noted joining the others at the back. She rubbed her knee and didn’t look at Matt.
Matt tried to distance himself from her. He was looking anywhere but in her direction when he noticed a strip of metal that had broken off the stairs as they had pushed up against them. Pulling one of the truck’s doors forward a little he squeezed around it and jumped down to retrieve the shard, accidently kicking it several feet away.
The piece was only a short distance from the back doors but once clear of the truck he froze. Carried on the light fall breeze he could hear a distant moaning. “Matt, hurry up!” Beth called from the back of the truck. Looking all over he couldn’t make out any movement near him. Gathering his courage Matt grabbed the metal bar. He ran flat out back to the safety of the armored car.
“Man there is some really creepy moaning going on out there.” He told the others as soon he was helped up.
“Well it can stay out there.” Hector replied taking the piece of thick metal from Matt and inspected it. It was of a good thickness tapering to a flat edge. “Great eye, this is perfect.”
Matt beamed at the complement. Beth got the feeling he rarely received much praise.
Hector worked the flat end of the bar into the crease between the door knob and the frame. Hector and Max applied pressure while Bill pulled the door and Beth pulled Bill. The frame gave a loud crack and Bill and Beth fell back into a protesting Stancy.
With the door open Hector snapped on the flashlight on the end of his rifle. Beth clamored to her feet pulling her own gun out. Max cut her off and moved into a cover position behind Hector. Matt moved to get his gun when Gillian stopped him.
Beth waited at the back of the truck holding her breath. She watched Hector’s light dance over the walls and floor.
“Looks clear.” Max hissed to the others.
The group spilled out into the open area of an empty loading dock. They all spread out, stretching and groaning, but stayed within an arm’s length of each other. Standing in the dark they listened for any noise, any hint they were not alone.
“This is great, cold, dark and empty.” Stancy’s voice whined, making Matt jump.
“Give it a rest.” Gillian griped from her left.
As her eyes grew accustom to the dark, Beth could make out some boxes and debris ahead. A light suddenly came on from behind her. “I found a flashlight in the truck.” Devin replied unnecessarily to her. She hadn’t even realized he hadn’t been with them. Beth decided from then on to always do a mental headcount every time they left the vehicle. “It is always good to know.” She muttered to herself.
Devin shut the back doors to the truck and closed the door into the building. “Please tell me you have the keys.” Hector joked. Devin hit his pockets in mock panic. Matt started to freak out until Devin held up the jingling keys.
“Don’t upset the kid. He’s annoyin
g enough.” It was Stancy again.
“Pot,” Beth held out a hand, then the other, “Kettle.” She shrugged. This received an annoyed look from both Matt and Stancy.
As a group they moved closer to the center of the open warehouse. The pile Beth had noticed turned out to be several broken pallets, empty boxes and various packing materials. Looking through the boxes they found two contained rolls of padding for bras and a box of under wires.
Stancy picked up the padding and glared at Beth. “With this stuff you might actually attract a man.”
“I have one thank you.”
“I doubt that now.” Stancy sneered.
Beth looked stricken for a moment. Anger boiled up inside her. Seeing what was about to explode, Matt quickly picked up one of the long wires, “if we only had some hot dogs.” Distracted, Beth sighed and shook her head at Matt. Passing by him she squeezed his upper arm in thanks.
Devin swept the flashlight around the dock. There were several doors on either side of them and a glass door toward the front. He cautiously made his way to the glass door, turned off the flashlight and looked through it. “It’s the showroom.” He whispered. “And…oh thank god, it is just a mannequin. I thought it had to be since they didn’t…” He stopped looking back at the others who just smiled at his relief.
“Yeah the factory is on either side of the dock. The one side made the everyday underwear and the other side made the sexy stuff.” Matt explained. Everyone turned to stare at him. “What? My mom used to work here. She brought me and my brother with her when we couldn’t afford a babysitter.” He explained and started rooting through the boxes again.
“Where are the bathrooms?” Gillian asked.
Matt pointed toward the front of the building. Gillian started to head in the direction he pointed. “Wait, wait, no one should wander off alone.” Beth immediately moved to catch up. “I know it sounds lame but we have to use the buddy system.” Gillian laughed but readily agreed. Beth borrowed the flashlight from Devin then led the way to the door marked “Women”.
“So who gets to be Stancy’s buddy?” Gillian asked from a stall. Beth just laughed.
Returning, they saw a busy, but spread out group. Trevor was building a fire out of several of the broken pallets and cardboard. Matt was busy dividing up the left over padding, Martin was breaking down some of the larger boxes. Hector and Max were discussing who would take the first watch.
The decision was made that Hector would take the watch. Devin, Max and Bill took some of the larger pallet pieces to furnish barricades to the doors leading to the other parts of the factory. While the others began to make beds out of the padding and cardboard.
“That should hold em.” Max stated proudly when he returned to build his own bed.
This Is the Way It Is
As quietly as he could Steve sat down next to Wes. He watched Wes in a fitful sleep. Steve rubbed his eyes and over his stubble. “What do you think?” Wes asked making Steve stop and look over.
“Huh?” Steve replied
“What do you think about staying here? I don’t know if I can handle too much more of this.”
“What?” Steve questioned.
“I appreciate the food and the shelter, don’t get me wrong. I don’t really think I want to be their armed guard.” Wes jabbed a thumb over his shoulder.
“Listen, I know what we had to do today is shit but I…..” Steve tried to explain. “I mean we probably freak them out a little.”
“I don’t care what they think of us. I don’t like what they expect us to do.” Wes grumbled.
Steve searched for a way to discuss things without bringing up shooting kids. Several long seconds passed before Wes spoke up.
“It’s not that…entirely. Yeah we had to do some seriously crappy stuff today. I understand that. That is the way it is for now but they don’t appreciate it. We come back from keeping this place safe and they recoil like they’re next.”
Steve sat for a moment. “I know what you mean. Mike is happy with us but the rest. I don’t trust em. I know they don’t trust us.”
Neither of them spoke for a while. “I noticed that guy we talked to, the one with that bad beard was missing. When you talked to the Father him did he tell you what happened to him?” Wes asked changing the subject.
“He decided to try to make it out of town. His phone rang, it was his wife, she was safe somewhere close to Bradford. He said they moved slower there.” Steve explained.
“Must be the cold.” Wes noted.
“What?”
“The cold, makes it hard to move and well if they are dead I don’t think the heart is pumping so I guess they would maybe freeze or something. Listen the body is mostly water right? Well it stands to reason if regular water freezes then the water in the body would also freeze.”
Steve sat and thought this idea over. “I hope he makes it.” He sighed reaching down to grab the unfinished sandwich Wes had left.
They sat in silence for awhile. Wes watched Mike wandering through the pews. “I don’t know man.” Wes muttered. “If he suggests we all go down to the shelter I think we might want to take that bearded dude’s lead.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. I just don’t think hanging out in the shelter is a good idea. There is something Heaven’s gate Jonestown about it.”
“Well if Mike goes that route at least he has something those other guys didn’t?”
Wes just raised an eyebrow at this.
“The world really does seem to have ended. If ever there was a time for a doomsday cult.” Steve shrugged. “I think he wants to live as much as we do.” He finished noting his joke fell flat.
“All the same. I think I’d rather try to make it to Bradford.”
Steve laughed. “You sure? Not much difference if you ask me. Still the end of the world there plus it is always ten degrees colder there than anywhere else in the state.”
“Yeah but the summers will be nicer.” Wes suggested.
Steve smacked the back of Wes’ head. Wes sat up throwing his arms over his head. For a moment they smiled. The moment faded Steve returned to eating as Wes began going through his pack. He pulled out the stuffed bunny. He looked it over and ran his hand over its ears. “I always joked with Beth about moving to Bradford. I asked her if she would go with me. She always said no way.”
“She might change her mind about it now.” Steve shrugged. “If it is true they freeze. Then it would be a safer place.” Wes merely replied with a grunt. “We’ll just have to ask her when we find her.”
Interruption
Beth was exhausted but she couldn’t find sleep. Every creak, every thud screamed in her ears. Shadows lumber toward her and every time she closed her eyes she was surrounded. She was aware that Gillian was still awake but the others seemed to have drifted into uneasy sleep. Soft snores and uncomfortable grunts told her as much. Matt woke with a start at one point in a panic. Gillian immediately reassured that he was ok, he looked around at the dark warehouse and his companions. The realization of where he was sunk in. It didn’t really help him relax.
“Really hoped it was just a nightmare.” He whispered glumly, before dozing back off. Beth’s heart hurt for him. She wondered if Wes was dealing with the same fears, waking from the same nightmare only to find it was still going on. She watched Matt’s profile in the low fire light. Her thoughts were soon consumed with her brother and best friend. Silently she prayed they were ok and had found a way out of town.
An idea hit her and she quickly searched her pockets. Her hand hit the hard lump in the inside pocket. A brief smile flashed across her face. She brought out the phone and hit a button. The glow of its face made her smile again. A picture filled the little screen. It was of her and her brother smiling back at her. She stared at the picture for a few seconds, shaking her head slightly, she tried to call him. The phone merely beeped at her. She pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it. Above Steve’s smiling face read the
words, “No Service”.
“Damn it.” She whispered. Sitting up she looked toward the front of the building. Thinking she might have better luck in the glassed front f the building she slowly getting to her feet. Stepping lighty, she tried not to disturb the others. Something caught her attention, she paused. There was something, something not right. That sound? Holding very still she strained her ears. There is was again, a thumbing from somewhere. Lowering her head against her chest she closed her eyes listening hard.
Beth’s head snapped up as she heard the breaking glass. The motion around her told her the others were now awake and alert. Everyone’s attention was pinned to the direction of the store front.
Hector burst through the door. His eyes clearly terrified even in the dim light of the fire. “They’re here, they’re getting in!” He cried.
The chaos was instantaneous. Everyone was on their feet but no one seemed to know where to go. The room was cloaked in black. The fire went out for a second as someone’s cardboard blanket fell on it. Next moment the entire room was full of light as it burst into flames. Their shadows danced on the walls causing more panic.
“They’re everywhere!”
“No that is just us!”
“Where’s the door?”
“Which way? Devin where are the Keys!”
Voices called over each other. Someone knocked painfully into Beth. She staggered trying to regain balance. Her right side ached from the contact. Stuffing the phone back into her pocket Beth hastily grabbed the rest of her things and drew out her gun.
“Everyone Stick together.” Beth shouted.
“This way to the truck.” Devin called. Beth shoved someone toward the waving arm she hoped was Devin.
“Let’s move people.” Beth and Hector herded the others together. The group moved as one toward a door. It took only a second for Matt to realize the mistake.
