“ Nice hit. I’m glad you’re on my side.” Damon whispered. The pair moved on ready toes, fingers hovering over the triggers of their weapons, down the remainder of the aisles. They went through the pharmacy section. Damon was able to grab what was left of the Tylenol and popped a couple of white tablets in his mouth. He put the remnants of the first aid supplies in the cart. Damon’s shoulders were tense as they made their way around the rest of the store and came to a stop at the back room door. The two could hear movement on the other side. Damon pressed his ear against the smooth metal. Yup. More zombies. A lot more zombies. Damon could make out muffled moans. It seemed like they were after something. It reminded Damon of when he was a prisoner in his own home. “Sounds like a lot of ‘em back there and like they’re after something.”
The marine tilted his head to the door and closed his ice blue eyes. “Hmm…probably ‘bout ten or so.” He looked down at Damon his eyes piercing his own. “Are you ready for this? We don’t know how many of those back there are sprinters. We can’t let them surround us.”
“I can handle it.” Damon tightened his grip on his pistol. Thankfully the marine didn’t hear the gulp he swallowed. Riley nodded. He tested the handle on the door. Locked. “Alright. I guess we have to kick it in. Make sure to get back fast to here.” He pointed at a line on the tile floor. “Then we lay in to the bastards.”
“Got it.”
“Ready?” They both positioned themselves at the door. The marine counted down. “One…Two…Three.” On three they both kicked out hard. Both making contact, but the door remained on its hinges. “Not like the movies, huh?” Damon joked.
The marine cracked a smile. “Let’s go again. And this time no kicking like a cheerleader.”
“Ready?”
“As always.” “One…Two…Three--” Both hit the target and the door hinges snapped. Immediately dead hands peeled the door back. Having heard the live meat on the other side they were ready to feast. The first zombie shoved its head through the opening only to have a bullet put between its milky eyes. The growls and moans echoed through the empty store as their need to feed increased. The door was wrenched back from the pressure of the remaining zombies. The dead zombie was trampled by two male zombies that made their way through the doorway. The bigger one on the right struggled to move fighting his broken femur. His leg stuck out at an odd angle making him lean into the smaller zombie to his left. The smaller one didn’t seem to notice that he was being used as a crutch. Damon squeezed the trigger of his shining pistol. The bullet whizzed through the air and struck the big zombie in the shoulder with a thud. It didn’t stop. It reached out for them, mouth hung open in anticipation. Damon squeezed again. Direct hit. The big zombie crumpled and took the smaller one with him. The marine put a bullet in its head. They were replaced by more zombies. They filed out of the back room. Shots rang out at a deafening volume. Riley and Damon made quick work of them. Zombies fell in bloody heaps but more came.
The two men moved back as more came. “That’s more than ten.” The mechanic mumbled. Damon fired his pistol at the closet zombie hitting it in the chest. He fired again. Click...Click...Click. “Fuck. I’m out.” He shoved the pistol in his jeans and took the shotgun off his back. Thankfully the marine already loaded it for him. He positioned the beauty at his shoulder. He fired at the woman zombie that already had a hole in her chest. BOOM! In a flash of fire the zombie’s head was gone. He didn’t stop to ogle over the killing ability of his new weapon but continued to fire. Bursts of sound and fire leveled two zombies at the same time. He took a quick chance and glanced at Riley. He was staring down the end of his M16 firing relentlessly at the undead. Then it was over. The dead stopped coming. Silence once again filled the store.
After the marine was sure they were once again free of zombies he let the rifle drop from his shoulder. “Pretty good, shooting.” He clapped Damon on the shoulder. “Nice fucking gun, huh?” He nodded to the shotgun in Damon’s hands.
He nodded. “Yeah, thanks. That was…exciting. Scary…but exciting.” Damon’s hands were shaking from all the adrenaline. He watched the marine as he made his way to the back room, unsure if his shaking knees would allow him to follow.
“It’s dark back here.” “Lemme get a flash light.” Damon jogged to the tiny hardware section. He snatched the only flashlight that was left, and then made his way back to the marine. “Here. This was all that was left.” He held out a pink flashlight to Riley.
“Really? Whatever…let’s see what the bastards were after.” Damon cautiously followed the marine to the back room. The pale beam from the small flashlight barely made a dent in the darkness. From what Damon could tell, the room extended nearly the entire distance of the store, and it was narrow with metal countertops along each wall. Using the tiny light source they navigated to where the zombies were congregated. The two ended up in front of a colossal freezer. Its steel blue exterior that stood from ceiling to floor was covered with bloody handprints. “Whatever they were after is in there.”
“Thanks Captain Obvious.” The marine cracked, not taking his eyes off the freezer door. “Ready to see what’s behind door number one?” Without waiting for a reply, Riley extended a hand towards the slender handle.
“Uh…maybe I should open it. I wouldn’t want to blow you away with this.” Damon hefted the shotgun in his dirty hands. The marine let out a strangled laugh. His blond curls bounced on his head as he did. “You’re probably right.” Riley stepped back a few paces.
Damon’s feet crunched on only God knew what when he took a step to the freezer, “Jesus, it smells! Whatever it is, it’s probably dead by now.”
“Or one of those things...” “Always looking at the down-side.” Riley put his ear up to the door and frowned. “I can’t hear a thing. It’s insulated better than a damn tomb.”
“Just open it.” Damon wrenched the handle back, and with an escape of air the heavy door creaked open.
Chapter 7
He pulled the door the rest of the way open as Riley stood at the ready aiming the flashlight and his rifle inside. The pale light revealed stacks of beer and pop cases. Every brand Damon could think of was inside, stacked in neat piles with an open aisle splitting them. It was difficult to get a good look inside.
The marine glanced over at Damon, dropping the flashlight to his side. “It looks pretty emp--” He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. A huge shape burst from the darkness with a roar and knocked the marine’s rifle to the tile. His M16 slid under the metal cabinets out of reach. Riley was tossed to the floor like a rag doll taking a shelf of cleaning supplies with him. Damon winced when he heard a crack as the marine landed. Stinking like bleach, Riley scrambled to defend himself. He managed to get his arms up in time just as the looming shape launched itself on top of him. Not caring if the thing was infected or not, Damon threw himself on the back of the attacker making sure to keep his hands away from its mouth. The form tittered from the extra weight but did not falter. It reared up and slammed Damon against the metal countertop attempting to snap the mechanic’s spine. The air flew from his lungs, but he didn’t let go. The thing hit Damon again, this time his arms refused to hang on. He slid down the cold metal to the tile on the verge of a black out. As the thing laid Damon out, the marine was able to get to his feet. Riley advanced on the thing with a kick to the face. The thing let out a grunt of pain. Wait. Zombies didn’t feel pain. Did they? He landed another kick.
By this time Damon was standing aiming his death dealer at the assailant. He had his chance. A second later Damon was on his chest, face plunged into the gory tile with a snapping zombie on his back. The two men hadn’t seen the dead woman hidden in the corner. It had worked its way out of a closet it had been shut in. The name badge, reading Virginia, digging into Damon’s back was the least of his worries. Panic gripped Damon. He rolled onto his right side and threw his head back making contact with the zombie’s forehead. The thing fell back, and Damon was able to tear himsel
f away. He scrambled over the marine like a dog. Luckily the marine had found his rifle. Before Riley was able to pull the trigger and put down the attacking zombie, the huge humanoid pulled something out of its boot and plunged it into the zombie’s cranium. The form ripped the knife from the skull with a sickening tug and lunged at the two. Damon snatched the pink flashlight from the tile and shined it at the form. It dropped back with a hiss, shielding its eyes. Then he saw its face. “Stop! Stop! It’s us!” Damon was staring into a familiar face dressed in marine duds covered with grime and blood. His rust colored hair had grown out, and he was starting to sprout a beard. His hands fell to his sides at the sounds of the voice. His dark eyes were wild as he gripped the combat knife in his right hand, unwilling to let it go.
“Harper?” It was Riley who spoke. His voice was unconvinced. “Christ! Harper, is that you?” The marine dropped his rifle but did not step towards his old friend. Harper blinked his wild eyes. A few tense seconds later he hesitantly put the knife back in his boot. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. “It’s me, Riley, and Damon’s with me. We’re not zombies dude.” The skinny marine tried to reassure the big man.
“R...i...l...e…y?” His voice was dry and unsteady. It was like he was almost afraid his voice would fail him. “You…how…I-I can’t believe you’re here.”
“We can’t believe you’re alive.” The two said in unison.
The big marine let out a robust laugh. “Well aren’t you to just a couple of Will and Jacks.” He joked as if nothing had just transpired, like he hadn’t been missing for a month.
“Shut it!” Damon knew the reference because Amy owned every episode of Will and Grace. “I’m glad to see you still have your sense of humor.”
“How long were you in there, man?” The marine ignored the gay comment. Harper shook his head and leaned his massive form against a metal cabinet across from the two. Damon could tell the big marine was trying to act as tough, but his shoulders still sagged. It took a lot out of him. Hell, it took a lot out of all of them. “I haven’t a clue. Last I know is that I was being chased by a group of those things. I lost my gun somewhere, somehow I can’t remember. I was able to get in the store and shut myself in the freezer. Little did I know that the bitch locked from the outside.”
As Harper continued to talk Damon checked himself over for any bites or scratches. Nope. He was clear. He blew a sign of relief from between his lips. He cringed with the breath, shooting pain ripped through his back, an effect from Harper’s rage. He rubbed his lower back with his thick hand uttering a swear word or two. “Damn Harper. You did a number on my back. Shit…”
“My bad. I was a little deranged at the moment.”
“Maybe a little drunk too.” Riley smiled. Harper reeked of hops and barley. He shrugged. “Had to drink something…and caffeine’s bad for you.” He didn’t tell them that he was actually getting ready to open the freezer door and take all the dead bastards on and see what happened.
Damon turned to Riley remembering the cracking sound he heard during the fight. “Hey you okay? I heard something crack when you hit the ground.”
The marine patted himself down with a smile. “Nah, I’m good.” He bent down and picked something off the floor. “But I don’t think the broom’s gonna make it.” He held two pieces of a wooden broom that had been snapped in half during the scuffle. Damon was just happy the broom got it and not Riley…or him for that matter.
The longer they stayed in the back room, the more Damon got edgy. Holy shit, Chloe. He had nearly forgotten about her being in the Jeep. He vaguely heard the big marine still talking. “I don’t mean to cut you off Harper, but we have to go. We came here for supplies, and Chloe’s in the Jeep waiting.”
Harper’s grime covered face snapped up. “That little girl that was with you?”
Damon was surprised he remembered. “Yeah.”
“Don’t let her hear you call her that.” Riley warned with a grin. The big marine went for the door, but Riley caught his arm. “You go out there first without us, and she’ll shoot ya. She’s good, and you look and smell like hell.”
“Then lead the way, Nancy.” His gruff voice had a trace of excitement in it. “I want out of this shithole.” His big feet stepped on spent rifle and pistol shells.
“Not before we get supplies.” Damon led the way out of the narrow hall. The grocery store remained empty. Damon let out another sigh of relief. He jogged to the cart they left next to the cereal section. Riley and Damon raced around the store gathering anything edible and drinkable and worthwhile such as medical supplies and batteries. Harper used some cleaning wipes to clean off his face, hands and arms. He also wasn’t stingy with the hand sanitizer either. He snatched some deodorant and some wintergreen gum. It had been awhile since he brushed his teeth and didn’t want to stink them out of the vehicle with his breath. He grabbed a few more things from the personal hygiene section for wherever they were going. When he met up with them at the door he had a bag of Doritos, nacho style popped open. He poured the chips into his mouth making sure not to touch the chips. “Can we go now?” He said with a mouthful.
“Yeah, let us go out first.”
“Looks like you found what you needed.” He nodded to the full carts in front of Riley and Damon Damon nodded and pushed open the door with his cart, followed by Riley and his cart with Harper trailing behind. Harper pinched his eyes in the bright sunlight. Damon could have sworn he heard the big marine hiss.
Chapter 8
Chloe’s freckled face was pressed against the Jeep’s window waiting for her friends. She was frantic when she heard the shots. “Finally! What the hell took you so long? I heard the---” Then she saw him. “Harper! Is that you?” Before Damon could stop her she exploded out of the Jeep.
“Chloe!” The marine would have opened his arms if he weren’t covered head to toe with zombie gunk. “Hey! Whow...whow there. ” He put his big arm out to stop her from jumping into him. “I’m covered.”
The happy teenager managed to restrain herself with some trouble. She wriggled under the pressure. She was about ready to fire a million questions at the big marine before she was interrupted by Damon.
“Wanna help here?” She hesitated, staring at Harper almost afraid that if she took her eyes off him that he would disappear forever. “Coming…” She bowed her head and went over to the trunk where Riley and Damon were. “Wow. That’s a lot of stuff. How are we gonna fit it all?”
“We’ll find a way. Just start packing it in. I wanna get back to the cabin.”
Harper overheard. “So you made it to the cabin, huh?”
“Yup.”
“And…?” The big marine cocked a thick eyebrow. “Good thing I didn’t listen to you and the Sarge. My brother is alive and kicking.”
“I don’t know about kicking…” Chloe muttered wearing a smirk.
“Nice, nice. Good for you. Is that where we’re going then?” Riley budded in. “Yeah, and he doesn’t like the military or government.” He cracked a big smile. His blond curls bounced as he packed the trunk.
Damon shook his head. His brother was definitely going to have a problem with the new found cargo. “We will once we get all this stuff in the Jeep.” Damon grunted when he threw a twenty-four pack of water in the back.
After a few minutes the supplies were in the Jeep. With occupants and supplies, they were crammed tighter than a pack of clowns in a smart car. Damon drove while Harper rode shotgun, for the leg room, Riley rode behind Harper while Chloe sat on the driver’s side. Chloe could not restrain herself any longer. She fired questions at their new companion faster than Riley’s M16 could shoot. She wanted to know everything about everything. The big marine tried his best to answer all her questions, but his ambiguous responses grew softer and more distant. His eyelids struggled to stay open. Damon glanced over at the big marine then back to Chloe. “Hey, Chloe. Give Harper a break ‘kay? He’s been through a lot.”
“Oh…sorry. I’m just ha
ppy you know.” She slumped into a pile of dried beef with her arms crossed.
“No worries. You can have plenty of him once he’s rested up.” That seemed to help cheer the teenager up. “Oh nice beard…” Chloe said. Riley snorted. The way back to the cabin was uneventful. No zombies were seen wandering about, which was satisfactory with the group. They had their fill of close encounters of the undead kind for a long time. As they drove up the bumpy hill and Damon listened to the supplies rattle he could not help but think about the events that unfolded. They saved Harper. Somehow he was able to survive. What if others were able to survive? Not just in Vail, but all across the United States. The longer he thought about it, the more he came to the conclusion that they could not be the only survivors. The immense chain-link fence came into view. Finally, back to where it is safe, their little piece of sanity. That’s when it hit Damon like a ton of bricks. A safe zone. The cabin was a safe zone. What if he could somehow create a safe zone that could house a number of survivors? His thoughts immediately were put on hiatus when the gates opened, and Keith stepped out onto the porch. Damon had some explaining to do. Keith wasn’t going to be happy with another mouth to feed, and it was a marine to boot...a big one.
Zombie Revolution Page 12
