Sawkill [Omnibus]

by Matt Fitzgerald

  Kenny had suggested they all prove that they had not been bitten. He suggested the women check the women and kids and the men check each other. The girl called Abby had agreed at once that it was a good idea, mostly because she was Kenny’s girl, but also because she was wondering if one of the other men, Dale, was alright. Dale was in his fifties and gave Mauri the creeps the second she laid eyes on him. He was wearing a blue mechanics jumper with his name on it, filthy black boots and a hat that said “Show me your tits.” Mauri noticed him looking her and the other girls up and down several times since they made their barricades.

  “Why do the girls get to have all the fun?” He had asked in a joking way when Kenny suggested the searches.

  The other man, Allen, laughed uneasily at the joke, but none of the women had. Mauri, Abby, Kate and Debbie, who worked at the store, had all exchanged quick uneasy glances. In addition to the looks he was giving and the comment, he had episodes where he completely zoned out and mumbled to himself. Once or twice he nodded in agreement to whatever the little voice in his head was telling him. He gave all the women the HE-BOO-JEE-BEES.

  They weren’t exactly relieved when Allen came out of the men’s room and declared Dale “unbitten.” Had Dale been bitten, Mauri would have had no trouble bashing him over the head with the eight pound hand weight she had stashed in her purse. Then they could have heaved him over the banister and all felt much more comfortable.

  As the men were doing their examinations, Mauri took the opportunity to raid the break room and get the food and drinks as Jessie had told her to. She stuffed the diaper bag to the breaking point. She had removed the changes of clothes and excess diapers from the bag, and everything but her cash, phone, three diapers and the wipes from her purse. She hid everything she took out in an empty employee locker in the break room. She stowed the backpack behind one of the giant speakers in the home entertainment room and rejoined the group just as the men came out. The women opted for the home entertainment room since the children were already in there and they could have privacy by drawing the blind and locking the door.

  “Dale gives me the fuckin’ creeps.” Debbie said in a low voice as soon as the door was shut.

  “Yeah.” Mauri said.

  “He took your picture with his cell phone. Your ass while you picked up the little one.” Debbie said to Mauri.

  “I saw that too.” Kate said.

  “Disgusting.” Mauri said and rubbed her arms.

  “The world is gone to hell and we get Norman Bates as part of our Dawn gang.” Abby said.

  “Dawn gang?” Debbie asked.

  “Nevermind.” Abby said.

  “So who goes first?” Debbie asked.

  “I know the boys aren’t bit but if either of you want to check, go ahead.” Mauri said.

  No one moved.

  “Alright.” Mauri said hiking her dress up above her bellybutton revealing a black thong with a little white ribbon and no bite marks. She dropped the dress back into place and pulled her arms out of the dress as if she was going to get sun tan lotion on her shoulders. She held the dress in place and spun. Both women nodded and she slipped her arms back into the sleeves. Abby, Kate and Debbie each undressed and redressed, proving their good health.

  “So what happens now?” Kate asked.

  “We wait.” Debbie said. “We have some food and two water fountains. We have supplies here, and the guys are talking about going downstairs to find guns and more food. Where else should we go?”

  Mauri was quiet for a long time. She looked over at her boys who were still glued to the TV.

  “I think we should put some supplies in the two bathrooms and in here.” Mauri said.

  “Yeah, I agree.” Abby said understanding where Mauri was going with this.

  “We should grab a bunch of Tupperware and pitchers that can be closed from the kitchen department and fill them with water and store some in each location.” Mauri said.

  “We should put some blankets and pillows and whatever food we have in there too.” Kate said.

  “Alright, it’s a plan.” Debbie said.

  “I have to stay here with the boys, but if we want to trade off watching them I will lug whatever.” Mauri said.

  The women nodded. Debbie, Kate and Abby left the home theater room and headed for the kitchen section with a shopping cart that had been near the elevators.

  The men saw them go from across the electronics department.

  “Just like a broad to go shopping while the shit is going down.” Dale said.

  Kenny and Allen exchanged glances.

  “We should come up with a plan to get the guns at Cabela’s.” Allen said.

  “I already have one.” Dale said

  “Yeah?” Kenny asked.

  “Yeah. There is an access door on this floor of Sears that leads to the roof of the mall. We walk on the roof over to where we want to be and break in the skylight that is over the fishing department. It’s fucking huge. We bring over one of the big fuckin’ metal ladders from the hardware department and climb down. That store don’t open till ten so there shouldn’t be no one in there.” Dale said.

  Allen whistled at the plan and Kenny raised his eyebrows.

  “Check out the big brain on Dale!” Kenny exclaimed and clapped him on the back.

  “Let’s get it done fast before any living people figure out that we are here.” Dale said.

  Kenny ran over to Abby, who was gathering pitchers, and let her know the plan. He came back and the men headed off. They made a first trip armed with golf clubs and broom handles to make sure the path was clear and were right about the store being empty. Once they got there, they decided they would need something heavy to break the reinforced sky light. Dale and Kenny carried the fifteen foot telescopic ladder while Allen struggled with two forty pound dumbbells and a bolt cutter. They dropped their supplies and assessed the situation.

  “The fuckin’ ladder ain’t long enough.” Dale said eyeballing the height from the skylight to the floor below.

  “You sure?” Kenny asked.

  “You think I’m stupid or something?” Dale asked in return.

  “No, no.” Kenny said. “I was just being optimistic.”

  “Yeah.” Dale said and started walking back towards the access door.

  “Where are you going?” Kenny asked.

  “To get another one of those ladders and some fuckin’ duct tape.” Dale said without turning around.

  Twenty minutes later they had a twenty five foot ladder made up of two ladders and five rolls of duct tape. Allen unlatched the acrylic dome that protected the skylight. He searched for a handle or a lever. He could see the latch was on the inside. He raised the first forty pound dumb bell high over his head and spiked it into the glass. The glass shattered and the dumb bell plummeted to the store’s floor below. Allen lost his balance a bit and Kenny grabbed his collar to steady him. They used the golf clubs to clear away the shards and make a smooth surface where the ladder would rest. They lowered the ladder into place and were relieved when they had three extra feet still sticking up from the skylight. They all huddled down and sat very still listening. No Sound. Allen laid flat and poked his head down the opening. He saw no movement.

  “I think we are good.” Allen said.

  “Alright, you two go down and gather up what we need. I’ll stay here and steady the ladder.” Dale said.

  “You’re not joining us?” Kenny asked.

  “No. I’ve got a hundred pounds on you. I ain’t steppin’ foot on that thing.” Dale said.

  Kenny shrugged.

  “Get the guns and the ammo first then fill some backpacks full of food and drinks.” Dale said.

  Allen and Kenny slowly descended the ladder one at a time. Kenny went first and stopped ten feet off the ground. He took a slow long look around and confirmed there was no one is the store as far as he could see. Allen came down as soon as Kenny gave him the “all clear.” From above Dale yelled: “Heads up” and dropp
ed the bolt cutters.

  The two men sprinted through the store. They stopped in the camping section and picked four big hiking backpacks. They smashed the glass display cases with the bolt cutters. Kenny scooped twelve hand guns into the first back pack. He went into the ammo locker using the bolt cutters on the heavy pad locks and took the corresponding ammo to the guns they had swiped.

  “Are those the right ones?” Allen asked.

  “Yes.” Kenny said smiling, “I know a little bit about guns.”

  He used the bolt cutter on the big lock box on the wall behind the counter. It contained the keys to all of the trigger guards. He looked back over his shoulder and then selected the keys to two of the guns left in the display. He tossed them to Allen and shoveled the rest into the bag. That was easier than trying to match them up here. He took the two keys back from Allen and reached in and pulled out the two corresponding guns. The first was a Smith & Wesson M&P and the other a Ruger P-Series automatic. He removed the trigger guards, dumped the ammo from a box onto the counter and filled the magazines. He slapped the ammo clips into place and engaged the safety on each pistol.

  “Jesus Kenny.” Allen said.

  Kenny ignored him.

  “Have you ever fired a gun?” Kenny asked.

  “Yeah, at a firing range with my brother.” Allen answered.

  “Good.” He said and handed him the M&P. “The safety is on. You have to click it off before you fire. Hide it in your belt.”

  Kenny hid his as well.

  They selected four identical Remington 700 Sendero rifles from the rack and Kenny found four AimPoint CompM4 Red Dot Scopes locked in a display to the left of the trigger guard box. He took them all.

  “Jesus Christ, you could arm a small country in this store.” Allen said looking at the gear Kenny was shoving in the bag.

  Kenny didn’t reply, he only pointed at the camping area and started walking. They each filled a bag with as many Coleman Trail Food Packets as they could fit. There was Cheesy Tomato Pasta, Cilantro Lime Rice, Savory Vegetable, Potato Leek Soup, Southwest Chili, Rice Pudding, and even Chocolate Chip Pancakes. They fit almost forty in each bag. The two men zipped their bags and headed back to the ladder. Allen had the bag full of hand guns, scopes and ammo along with his backpack full of food. Kenny had the long guns tucked into a duffle bag with the barrels sticking out one end. He also had his backpack of food.

  Allen went up first backpack on and duffle hanging from his shoulder. It was slow going but he made it to the top. Dale took the bag from his shoulder.

  “What you boys find?” Dale asked testing the weight of the bag.

  “That’s guns and ammo.” Allen said pointing to the bag. “This one’s food.” He said gesturing to his pack. “Kenny has the rifles. They are bad ass.”

  Allen swung the bag off his back and held it out to Dale who took it and dropped it by his feet. Allen turned to the ladder. Kenny was at the bottom waiting for the “all clear.”

  “Alright brother, your turn.” Allen said.

  And that was when Dale shot Allen in the back. The impact blasted him forward into the opening. Kenny looked up when he heard the shot and dove out of the way as Allen’s body hit the freshly waxed tile with a sickening thud. Kenny ran to the body instinctually. Allen was obviously dead. Kenny looked up at the skylight.

  “Dale, what the fuck is happening up there?” He screamed.

  Kenny saw a gun and Dale’s head come into view. Dale fired three shots. All three missed. Kenny dove behind the ladder directly under where Dale was standing. He landed hard on his shoulder and dove again trying to get as far away from the opening as he could. After the second landing he rolled onto his back and pulled the gun from his belt. He pointed it at the opening, but he had no angle. He watched in horror as the ladder started lifting. He didn’t make a sound he watched and tried to process what had just happened.

  On the roof, Dale had put down the gun he had seen poking out of Allen’s shirt and pulled the ladder out of the opening. He walked over to the edge of the building and threw it down to the lot below. He went back to the opening and stayed low.

  “I’m pretty sure I got you with that last one. Nothing personal. If I missed and you are alive, don’t come back to Sears. I’ll shoot you and whoever is standing closest to me. Understand?” Dale asked.

  There was no reply.

  Dale stood up and turned towards the access door. Mauri was standing in the door, mouth hanging open tears running down her cheeks. She left the boys with Abby in the theater room and came to see if she could help. She had heard the shots before she got to the door and was about to yell to Dale when he started yelling into the skylight. She was horrified. She didn’t understand what was happening, but she knew on a primal level it was bad.

  “Come here and help me.” Dale said waving his hand.

  Mauri didn’t move.

  “Come on now, they got bit down there and they were changing. I didn’t have a choice.” Dale said and took a quick nervous glance at his gun five feet away.

  Mauri saw the look and it kicked her into action. As she took a step back and reached for the access door Dale went for the gun. She closed the door before he got the gun but he fired anyway. The first bullet hit the door with a hollow ping, but the bullet did not go through. Mauri saw the thick metal dimple six inches from her face. The second shot hit the door a foot to the right with the same result. The third bullet came smashing through the wall to the right of the door and buried itself in the wall across the small access hall. Mauri stood still in front of the heavy metal door, suddenly noticing the heavy locking bar and quickly slid it into place. Dale emptied the magazine into the wall and the door. She heard the gun dry fire. She ran down the hall and slammed the inner hallway door behind her. She saw it opened out and started screaming for the other women. Abby and Debbie came running.

  “Help me move something in front of this door.” Mauri yelled with tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “What happened?” Debbie asked.

  “Dale is shooting at me. He has a gun. Over there.” Mauri said pointing at three heavy tool boxes.

  “They are on wheels.” Debbie noted.

  “Then help me fucking wheel them over here, should make it much easier.” Mauri snapped.

  “Right.” Abby said and started towards the tool boxes.

  Even on wheels they were a bitch to move. The big one weighed close to three hundred pounds and the other two weren’t far behind. The women lined them up one after the other in front of the door.

  “How are we going to tip them?” Abby asked.

  “We don’t have to. The wheels have a locking thing. Jessie has this one at home.” Mauri said.

  Abby bent down and clicked the first caster into the locked position.

  “Groovy.”

  Three shots rang out from the access hall. The women hurried and locked the other fifteen wheels into place. They brought over a ladder and wedged it between the door and the checkout counter’s base for good measure.

  “Sounds like he’s still outside.” Mauri said.

  “Where is Kenny?” Abby asked.

  “I don’t know Abby. Dale was shooting at them. They were down below on the floor. I don’t know if he hit either of them.” Mauri said.

  Abby nodded at Mauri. Her eyes welled up, but she took a deep breath and shook out her hands at her side.

  “Thank you for being honest. If he’s alive he’ll make his way back.” Abby said.

  “Why was Dale shooting at you?” Debbie asked.

  “I don’t know Debbie, but I do know after he shot at them he was very calm about it and got rid of the ladder they used to climb down.” Mauri said.

  “Jesus Christ.” Abby muttered.

  “I think he is a sick fuck and wanted to get rid of the other men.” Mauri said.

  “We have to get out of here.” Debbie said.

  “We can’t just leave.” Abby said.

  “Debbie is right. We can’t
stay here. Dale has a bag of guns and sooner or later he is going to figure out to shoot at the lock, or he is going to shoot enough holes in the wall to kick it down. We have to go.” Mauri said.

  “Where?” Abby asked.

  “I’ve been thinking about that. I think we have to go to the plaza in Millbury.” Mauri said.

  Debbie’s eyes grew wide.

  “The fucking plaza? It’s like eight miles away!” Debbie said starting to sob.

  “No, it’s more like three.” Mauri answered.

  “Three may as well be three hundred. That is fucking crazy. YOU are fucking crazy.” Debbie cried.

  “I get you, but I don’t see how we can make it.” Abby said.

  “We could hide in the store and wait for him and whack him with a bat.” Debbie suggested.

  “What if we don’t get him down? My kids are here. He’s not getting to them.” Mauri said.

  There were three more gunshots from the mall roof and then a giant explosion. The floor shook, ceiling tiles fell and several flat screen televisions fell of their brackets.

  “What the fuck was that?” Mauri asked no one in particular.

  “Does he have grenades?” Debbie asked.

  Horror dawned on Mauri’s face.

  “We have to go, right now.” She said and started in a dead run towards her children in the home theater room.

  As the three women burst through the door there was another explosion further away, but still close enough to shake the floor again.

  “What is that?” Kate asked.

  No one answered. Mauri ran to the giant speaker and grabbed the diaper bag. She tossed it to Debbie.

  “It’s food and water. Don’t lose it.”

  She scooped up Michael.

  “Hey Bubba, we have to go. Can you be brave for me?” Mauri asked and kissed him on the head.

  “Oh-kay” Michael answered over pronouncing each syllable.

  “My friend Abby is going to give you a piggy back.” Mauri said looking at Abby for agreement.

  “I love giving piggy back rides.” Abby said smiling at the boy.

  “Me toooo” Shawn said holding his arm up to his mother.

  “You too Rugrat.”