by Weeks, Kris
“Need to be real careful, I saw some that looked almost normal and then they came at me.” Mary explained.
Alex stretched his foot out and kicked the man’s black dress shoe. His foot rocked from one side to the other and his eyes darted upward to look at them both. He raised his arm and made it about to Alex’s knee and it plopped back onto his own leg. He pulled both of his legs up to his chest and tried to lift his butt off of the floor. Mary and Alex took a step back out of the man’s reach. He pushed himself a little ways up and then fell back down. Alex moved forward again and touched the top of his head with the letter opener and pulled it back; the man did not move. Mary leaned forward and pushed on the side of his head with her brick, the man turned his head and leaned toward Mary’s hand and opened his mouth. Mary jerked back.
“See!” She told Alex.
Alex quickly buried his letter opener into the top of the man’s skull and pulled it out. The man’s head fell to the side and gray goo came oozing out of the hole.
“Well, that is disgusting!” Mary laughed.
“Let’s get the other rooms opened up.” Alex told her.
CHAPTER 7
ALL ROOMS cleared out with only a total of three zombies found and successfully killed.
“Done!” Mary walked back to the lobby and over to the machines.
She pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and started working on the locks of the coke machine. She jiggled a bit and repositioned from a different angle. Alex walked through the entryway to the hallway and was stopped by Eric with a hand to his chest.
“Where do you think you are going?” Eric stepped in front of him.
Alex never uttered a word as he waited for Eric’s new instruction. “The bodies need to be cleared out. I want them outside.” Eric explained.
Alex nodded and turned back down the hallway. He pulled all three bodies into the hallway and looked toward the lobby at Eric watching him.
“A little help would be nice.” Alex stated.
Willy stepped forward along with Nate until Eric stuck his hand out behind him. “No! He almost got all of us killed, he is going to clear this out on his own.”
Nate and Willy took a step back and sadly watched Alex pulling a man through the front door. He did the same with the second and then the third. He dragged the last one out pushing the door with his butt and holding the door with his foot as he yanked the last zombie the rest of the way through the door. Nate and Willy watched him drag the last one around to the side of the building and disappear out of sight where he had taken the others.
“Go check out how many rooms we have and make sure they are clean.” Eric told the rest of the group.
Everyone headed down the hallway including Mary, who had not yet mastered opening the machines. Eric watched them turn into different rooms and then hurried to the front door. He locked the two deadbolts and the slide bolts and joined the crew in the back.
“Okay, four offices, two bathrooms and a break room plus the warehouse. We are good to go for a bit.” Eric hollered at everyone running from room to room. “Rue and the kids take the back office. Everyone else spread out between the other three offices. Rummage through everything and bring anything useful you find back to the lobby.”
Rue, Barker and Rowena showed back up with three blankets, two cups, and a canister of coffee and coffee maker, not that they had electricity, but it was what they found. Adrianna and Mary dropped their armfuls on the floor of tons of blankets and pillows along with a handful of pens and pencils and paper. Nate, Willy and Andrew came in with loads of packages of Ramen noodles and a few cases of bottled water followed by hot chocolate, canned vegetables, tea bags, frozen dinners, two loaves of bread with a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly. Andrew followed with three comforters and a tent and dropped it to the side of the food. Willy dropped two air mattresses and a manual pump for them as well as a few blankets, a set of keys, a tire iron and jack.
“The warehouse is pretty dark in there, if you have the door up, it is not bad, there is still some more stuff in there though.” Willy stated.
“Let’s stay out of there for now then; Good collection we have here. Good job everyone.” Eric stated.
Everyone searched through the pile and sorted things in separate piles. Mary went back to the machines and Adrianna helped Rue take things for her and the kids to the back room as well as to the other rooms. Willy grabbed the tire iron and went to help Mary. He put the edge of it into the side and popped the soda machine open and then handed it to Nate that was near the vending machine that looked to be recently filled with small bags of snacks. Nate easily popped it open and started gathering snacks. All of the sodas and food went into the breakroom. Andrew took the chairs from the lobby and distributed one or two into each room after carrying Karlin to the room the girls would stay in and laid her onto a comforter on the floor. Everyone except for Karlin met back in the hallway, the girls talked about how warm it was inside the building and the guys high fived as they downed a soda.
“Where is Alex?” Willy asked.
Everyone shrugged and looked towards the lobby where Eric was pacing back and forth in front of the window marked with the ACME logo. He would stop every few steps and peer out and then keep walking. He would look down the hall and then back to the outside world.
Nate took a step out of the hall and watched Eric for a moment. “Where is Alex? Shouldn’t he be back by now?”
“Not sure. I am sure that he will be back soon.” Eric assured Nate.
“I think I will go take a look.” Nate walked to the door and yanked on it expecting it to open. “You locked the door?” He asked Eric.
“Safety first!” Eric smiled.
Nate unlocked the door and pulled it open. He stepped out and looked both ways to see if Alex was coming around from either way and started walking the way he had seen him go when he left with the last zombie. He rounded the corner when he heard Andrew holler to wait. Nate stopped and looked around expecting Alex to be standing there. Andrew soon caught up.
“Where is he?”
Nate shrugged and walked slowly; with every step, he would look around and behind them. Finally they came to the back fence that surrounded the storage yard. He stopped at the edge where the building and fence met and scanned the area. Alex was backed up against the fence and a zombie stood in front of him. Andrew and Nate took off in a dead sprint and made it to Alex just as his strength gave way. Alex threw up his arm to block the bearded man. He opened his hairy jaw and took a chunk from his arm. Andrew grabbed the man and threw him to the ground. He stomped his big military boot across his head until there was no more left to stomp. Nate caught Alex as he slid down the fence and helped him sit on the ground.
“I tried to come back, the door was locked. I didn’t want to attract the zombies I had seen back here so I was going to climb the fence. Guess I didn’t make it.” Alex held his bitten arm.
“No man…this can’t be happening!” Nate was trying to pull him up.
“Go, get the hell outta here.” Alex told them both.
“Nate, we got company and lots of it.” Andrew blew out.
Nate turned and looked at the horde of drunks then back at Alex. “I can’t be saved Nate, just go. I can be with my family now.”
Nate placed his hands in Alex’s and shook it. “It was good to know you brother.” Nate stated.
Andrew did the same and both moved around the fence and watched the horde bounce into the fence and make their way down toward Alex. Neither of them could bear to watch them get close to their friend. They turned and raced inside. Andrew locked the door behind him and Nate dropped to his knees on the tiled floor.
“What’s wrong?” Eric queried.
Andrew turned from the door and took long strides to Eric. He put up his arm and landed it hard against Eric’s chest and slammed him into the wall.
“Look here you son of a bitch. I get you run this shit and you saved my life, but who in the hell gives you t
he right to kill others because you don’t like what they have done or who they are!”
Eric pulled his head back as far as he could from the spittle coming from Andrew’s yelling. Andrew continued, “You are one sorry excuse for a man!”
Andrew backed away from him and so badly wanted to punch him in the face, but refrained.
“Are you done?” Eric asked calmly.
“Fuck you dickwad!” Andrew stated before walking down the hall and into a room.
“Anyone else want to throw a fit?” Eric announced.
By that time, Adrianna and Rue and joined the group of men and Mary in the lobby.
“What in the hell is going on?” Rue questioned with Rowena sitting on her hip.
“Eric locked the door while Alex was outside. He couldn’t get in, he left him out there to die! Eric killed Alex!?” Mary explained.
“What?” Adrianna looked back and forth from Willy to Nate to Mary and then at Eric.
Rue dropped her head and turned and headed back down the hallway.
“Wow, what a sack of crap.” Mary stated before taking her armfuls of food and drinks to the breakroom.
“No, he killed himself by trying to kill us all.” Eric explained.
Mary walked back into the lobby, “You know what, I think it is a big asshole move to do what you did. You should be ashamed of yourself for being so cruel! Excuse my French.” She apologized to everyone else.
Eric grinned at her and then laughed an evil sounding laugh. “You should be ashamed of yourself for talking to me that way.”
Eric backhanded Mary across the face. Mary shot her face back to Eric and grabbed for the red mark on the side of her face.
“Guess this is how you were raised.” Mary stated before walking off down the hall.
Adrianna followed her while Nate and Willy stood in shock in the lobby with Eric.
“You two have anything to say? I would suggest you don’t, I am about to put all of the rest of you out with Alex.”
Nate closed his eyes with anger and dropped his chin to his chest biting his tongue.
“You really are one sorry son of a bitch.” Willy stated.
Eric grinned at the both of them and walked toward the back office and slammed the door.
Everyone could not believe what had happened. They all thought of ways to get rid of Eric or to leave the group. None of them wanted to kill him off, that would be wrong and it would hurt Rue and no one wanted to do that. They all thought about stealing the van, but never seemed to have the chance. What could they do but stay or make their way into the cruel world with nothing except the clothes on their backs?
Chapter 8
THE GROUP all settled in their rooms. Adrianna, Mary, and Karlin into theirs, Nate, Andrew, and Willy decided to stick together in another, leaving the last office empty while Rue and Eric and the kids stayed hidden in the back office.
All had gathered a few things to eat and drink and took to their rooms. Adrianna came out and headed toward the bathroom between the offices when Nate almost fell out of their room tripping over Andrew’s boots.
“Well hey there!” Adrianna laughed.
“Hey, how is Mary?” He asked with concern.
“She is okay, still pretty pissed off, but okay. Anyone seen Eric or Rue or even heard them?” Adrianna wondered.
“Nope and I am okay with not dealing with Eric right now. He has cost us one of our own again and we are stuck with this prick until we can get out on our own, but without a vehicle we are screwed.” He told her.
“Let me know when you find that and I will come with.” Adrianna offered.
Nate nodded and went into the bathroom marked for men and Adrianna to the women’s.
The door to the women’s restroom opened as she sat down inside a stall. Adrianna listened for a moment knowing that it had to be Mary or Rue.
“Ummm who’s there?” She questioned.
“Just me and Rowy.” Rue quietly stated.
Arianna could hear her pouring water into one of the sinks and Rowena cooing and splashing in the water. Adrianna finished up her business and poured a bottle of water into the toilet to make the liquid go down so the bathroom would stay somewhat clean smelling. She unlocked the door and took in a breath before pulling it open.
“Everything okay?”
“Yep, just needed to give her a little bath before bed.”
Adrianna put her finger in Rowena’s hand and smiled at her as she splashed water over the counter. Rue stayed very quiet and continued bathing the baby without ever looking at Adrianna.
“Is he always like that?” Adrianna asked.
“Has been since I’ve known him.” She spouted back quickly. “All you have to do is follow his rules and things stay fairly calm, otherwise there is no point in keeping the ones that can’t follow rules around.”
Adrianna was taken aback with her answer. Rue wrapped Rowena in a blanket and pulled the door open and was back to her room before Adrianna was able to make it out of the door. She stood and stared at the door and wondered what went on behind there.
She headed back to her room and closed the door. “I just had the strangest conversation with Rue. She said that there is no point in keeping someone around if they don’t follow the rules.”
“I guess that is true to a point, you have to do things a certain way in the world we live in now, but his way is not always going to be the right way. What the hell are those two anyway, brother and sister or what?” Mary inquired.
Adrianna shrugged and took her glasses off setting them on the desk that they had pushed over against the wall. They both laid down on the floor, got comfortable and drifted off to sleep wondering if Rue really felt that others should be killed because they have a difference of opinion.
The sun poured in through the office windows, waking everyone up at almost the same time. Mary and Adrianna laughed, trying not to wake up Karlin, listening to the guys try and maneuver around each other in the hallway.
“Move out of the way, I have to pee.” Nate pushed one of them against the girls’ door.
“We all have to go Nate, quit being pushy.” Willy tried to mediate.
The ladies laughed as they opened the door and Andrew fell into them.
“Good morning.” Mary caught him.
“Good morning ladies.” Willy laughed.
The three men finally made it into their bathroom and Mary and Adrianna took bottles of water into theirs and began washing up. They could still hear the men talking from the other side of the wall as they fought over urinals. Both of them laughed as they listened to them. Both of them moved out of the bathroom after washing up and getting dressed and started down the hallway headed to the breakroom.
“Watch out!” They heard from behind them.
Both of them moved up against the wall and all three guys ran by. “What the hell?” Mary hollered at them.
“Guess you gotta find a way to have some kind of fun!” Adrianna laughed before following the guys to the breakroom.
Nate and Willy were fighting over the last bag of cool ranch Doritos while Andrew downed a sprite.
“Gentlemen!” Mary shot out at them.
They all stopped and looked at her with big eyes. Adrianna walked by and snatched the bag from both of their hands and ran and sat in the corner. Nate and Willy looked at her and then back at Mary. Both took off and fell on top of Adrianna wrestling her for the chips.
“What in the hell do you all think you are doing?” A voice rattled through all of their ears.
The whole world seemed to stop. Everyone turned toward Eric and Rue standing in the doorway. They all rose from where they were and stood in a line at against the far wall of the room.
“Sorry.” Willy whispered.
“Don’t apologize for having fun!” Mary replied to his apology.
“This is not time for fun, this is the apocalypse!” Eric stated.
The four stood with their heads hung. “Pick up your heads, no reason t
o feel bad, they were just messing around. We don’t have any zombies in here. We will all be serious when we are in a zombie predicament.” Mary explained.
Eric glared at Mary. “I thought I made you understand where your place is earlier?” He questioned her.
Mary shot him the finger and left the room pushing past Rue and the kids.
“Guys, this IS serious! Stop fucking around!” Rue spat at the group and walked out grabbing Barker’s arm and dragging him behind her.
The crew all looked at each other without saying a word. Rue had never spoken that way to them and now seemed to be on Eric’s side instead of being a neutral.
“What in the world?” Nate asked everyone for an explanation.
Everyone shrugged their shoulders and started organizing everything in the breakroom. They all agreed to share the couple of bags of chips and a couple of the sodas between them. They cleaned their mess and headed to the lobby lining themselves in front of the window to the outside.
“There has to be something nearby.” Willy stated.
“Maybe we can take the van and find a place to gather materials.” Andrew offered.
Everyone nodded in agreement. “I wish we had electricity, I want some coffee BAD!” Nate teased everyone’s taste buds.
Again the group nodded in sad agreement.
“Where is Karlin?” Eric questioned.
“Sleeping, she can’t even stand yet and her face is still pale. She needs to rest up and gain back strength.” Adrianna was really starting to not like this guy.
“Fine! Where is Mary?”
“Room I guess, I will get her.” Willy stated.
Willy shimmied by Eric who was blocking the hall and went back to the room. He knocked lightly. “Mary?” He whispered.
She opened the door in a huff. “Sorry, figured you were Eric.”
