by Sean Kidd
“I need to steal your jeep for a little while,” I said.
“That’s fine with me,” Sophie said, “I planned on leaving it here on the side of the road and riding with you.”
“Where are you going, hoss?”
“You mean where are we going?”
“Okay then. Where are we going, hoss?”
“We’ve got a quick side mission. Between Kane’s weapons and the ones we had, we’re doing pretty well, but I’d like to get a few more. We’re also going to need as much ammo as we can carry. Let’s not forget about food. Escaping death and having your head almost blown off brings out a man’s appetite. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
The thought of food made Cowboy lick his lips.
“The malls right there. I think the two of us and Luther should head over there and grab as many supplies as we can carry. Everyone will be starving soon, and these October nights are going to start getting cold. We need to be prepared. I don’t want to defeat hordes of zombies only to fall asleep and die of hypothermia.”
Cowboy went off to find Luther while I checked each Glock. Both magazines needed to be topped off, and I still needed to find my Ronin Swords.
Cowboy was at the back of the Humvee a few seconds later with Luther. He dug around and pulled out a box of .40 caliber rounds. He tossed the box to me, “There you go, hoss. That’s enough to fill your mags. I’ll grab a couple of M4s for us, that is if you want me to give him a rifle.”
“Yeah, that’s a good point. Can I trust him?”
“Well…. Luther is pretty much a pussy,” Cowboy said, smiling and nudging Luther’s arm, “so, if you’re going to make him go with us, we’re gonna have to give him a gun.
Besides, there’s nowhere for him to go. We’re all he has now. He’ll be as loyal as an old coon dog.”
“I’ll tell you what, Cowboy. Grab an M4 for yourself, and grab Luther that AK-47 that Tommy was carrying around. Do I need to remind you, Luther, that you’re carrying around a dead man’s gun? I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, if you cross me, you’ll be the second dead man to carry that gun today. If we understand each other, we can leave.”
“You can trust me, boss. I promise I won’t cross you.”
Sophie handed me the jeep keys, and I admired the MU key chain for a second before shoving it in my pocket.
After a few minutes of rummaging around, I found my swords on the ground next to our wrecked Humvee. They were still in the X-sheath. Named as such, because while being worn, they crossed, creating an X behind your head. Not only were they a formidable weapon, but they were also as cool as shit. By the time I made it back to the jeep, Cowboy and Luther were in it waiting for me. We only had two hours, so we had to get a move on.
I dug into my pants and pulled my phone from my back pocket to check the time, “Shit, my phone’s dead.”
Sitting behind the wheel of the jeep I glanced at Cowboy, “Don’t let me forget to grab a phone cord with a car charger. My phone is dead, and that’s the only way I can talk to my dad.”
“You got it, hoss,” he said without hesitation.
“I’ve got one at home,” Luther said.
Cowboy looked over the seat at Luther, “Don’t you live in Massena, Luther?”
“Yeah, so?”
“So isn’t Massena seventy miles away?” I asked.
“Yeah, so.”
Cowboy gave Luther a light slap on the side of the head, “What are you, stupid? You expect us to drive seventy miles out of our way when the mall is right there?”
“Bad idea?” Luther asked.
“Yeah, bad idea,” I answered.
I threw the Jeep into drive and took off, tires spinning toward the mall. Four minutes later we were pulling into the Gander Mountain parking lot. I backed right up to the sliding glass doors stopping before the bollard. I had a feeling we’d be leaving in a hurry. We all got out and met outside the sliding glass door entrance. I felt my hand tremble as I rubbed my trigger finger along the grip of the Glock.
Panic shot through me when a cold rifle barrel touched my elbow. “Shit,” I thought. Maybe giving Luther a rifle was a bad idea. I’m not lying when I tell you I felt a sense of relief when I heard Cowboy’s voice.
“I thought you might want a rifle, Two-gun, so I grabbed you an M4. Those swords are great for close quarters, but trust me, if the shit hits the fan, you’re gonna need a rifle.”
I felt the adrenaline dissipate, and took the M4, “Thanks, Cowboy.”
He was right, the swords were great for close combat, but at a distance they were useless. It was the same with the Glocks. They were only accurate for up to twenty feet, and that’s if I had time to aim. Any further than that and I’d never get in a headshot.
I slung the M4, racked a 5.56 round, and flipped the safety to fire. Cowboy handed me a few extra loaded mags, and we were ready to go. I wasn’t sure what we were walking in to.
“Okay, here’s the plan, guys. Cowboy, open the back of the jeep and head right for the gun counter. Ammo first. .40 cal, 9mm, 5.56, 2.23, and some slugs for the shotguns.”
“What about my gun?” Luther interrupted. “I’m gonna need ammo too.”
I looked down at Luther’s rifle, “That’s right, I forgot. You’ve got that Russian piece of shit. Cowboy, you better grab some 7.62 for Luther too. Cowboy let me make myself clear. You need to get everything they’ve got. I don’t know when we’ll have an opportunity like this again.”
“You got it, hoss,” he agreed.
“Luther, you and I are headed to Target. Our mission is food, anything that doesn’t go bad. We need boxed and canned goods. Oh, water too, as much as we can carry. We have to assume everything not in a bottle is contaminated. Cowboy, you’ve got fifteen minutes to load up. Then bring the jeep around to the other side of the mall. We’ll be waiting at the Target entrance with shopping carts full of food, so don’t be late.”
After throwing out orders like a Civil War General in the middle of a battle, I spun around and charged forward smacking my face against the sliding glass doors. I had expected them to slide open, but they were locked.
“I think they’re closed.” Luther chuckled.
My first thought was to shoot Luther right in his foot for laughing at me, but a moment later when the anger passed, I had to laugh too.
If the power were out here, the doors wouldn’t slide automatically. I thought I might be able to use the barrel of my M4 to pry them open. That didn’t work… they must be locked. I considered pulling my Glock out and shooting a round through the glass, but that would alert any zombies in the area to our location. I wanted to get in and out of this place without it turning into an epic gun battle.
“Here, try this, Two-gun,” Cowboy said.
He was holding out Chevy’s SOG Tomahawk.
“Where the hell did you find that?” I asked.
“I left it under the seat of the Humvee.”
“The wrecked Humvee?” I asked confused.
Cowboy was at a loss for words, “Ah…yesterday…when I took it off Chevy. You know, in the car dealership.”
I felt the blood rushing to my face. Cowboy put up both palms and stepped back, “Whoa, whoa, Ty. Don’t get upset. It was back when I was with Kane. We had orders to kill you, but I couldn’t do that. We just hit you with the tranquilizer darts remember? I’m sorry, brother. That was when I didn’t know you. Now we’re all friends and on the same side. Besides, if you’re going to get mad at anyone, get mad at Luther he wanted to kill you inside of the dealership.”
“What! No, I didn’t. What are you talking about?” Luther shrieked.
“Ha, ha, ha.” Cowboy chuckled, “I’m just fuckin’ with you Luther-man.”
I snatched the tomahawk from Cowboy’s hand. “We’ll talk about this later, Cowboy.”
I brought back my arm prepared to smash the glass with the awe side of the tomahawk. I paused for a moment and thought. Smashing the glass on this door would be almos
t as loud as shooting it with my Glock. I thought for a second and opted to make a second attempt at prying the doors open. To my surprise, they popped right open. The blade fit right in between the doors giving me better leverage than the M4.
“Well done,” Luther said.
Cowboy cut him down without hesitation, “Ass kisser.”
I slid the doors apart, and stale air slapped me in the face.
“There was something rotten in Demark.”
“What?” Cowboy asked.
“Nothing. I was just thinking back to an English Lit class I flunked out of. I think we may not be the only ones at the mall today.”
Luther stepped forward and got a whiff of the foul air, “I think you’re right. I smell zombies.”
Cowboy racked his M4 behind me as I stepped inside. Not seeing any danger, I glanced back at him, “Fifteen minutes, and don’t be late.”
CHAPTER 8
Corporal Daniels had one thing on his mind, and that was getting back home to Jennifer, Ty, and Chevy. As worried as he was about them, he still felt an overwhelming responsibility to take care of the people standing around him. Bunker and Cooper were grown men, they could take care of themselves. Come to think of it, Destiny looked like she’d spent her entire life on the streets. She was probably better off than Bunker and Cooper.
Then there was Cecilia. All Daniels knew about her was that she was very scared, and she was always clinging to the young man in the room, trying to support him. Daniels hadn’t heard a word come out of his mouth since they’d gotten here. Not even a whimper.
“Hey, what’s your name, pal?”
“Who me?” the young man asked, pointing a finger to his chest.
“I’m Kaden.”
“Well, Kaden. How did you end up here?” Daniels asked.
“I ran… I ran away from her.”
“Whom did you run away from?” Cooper asked.
“My mom,” he said wiping a tear from his eye.
“Were the two of you going somewhere on the trains?” asked Daniels.
Kaden shook his head, “No, she works here. She’s a soldier in the National Guard. Her job is to walk around Grand Central Station with other soldiers. They’ve been doing it since 9/11. She said if any bad stuff goes down, she’s there to stop it. I come in sometimes to visit her, and this morning I came because school was canceled. Bored and hungry at home I decided I wanted a glazed donut and a cup of hot chocolate from the cafe. Whenever I come to visit her, she buys me one. This morning when I walked in the main terminal, people were all running around and screaming. My mom was hunched over some lady, and she was…was… eating her face. I called out to her, and she chased me up the Northwest Passage. You know, the door by the elevators? Anyway, she was covered in blood, and something happened to her eyes. They were spinning blue. I thought that was weird because they’re usually dark brown. I ran away as fast as I could, but she still caught me. She was trying to bite my legs. Then a soldier I’d never seen before shot her in the head, and she died. After he shot her, he told me to come to him, but I ran away. That’s when I found Ceci. That’s what Cecilia told me to call her. She told me we needed to hide out until things were safe. We found this empty room and then you guys showed up a few minutes later.”
Daniels paused for a moment, “You said this all happened in the Northwest Passage?”
“Yes. Why?” Kaden asked.
“That gives me an idea,” Daniels said aloud, “Destiny can you get Bunker and me to the Northwest Passage?”
“Now, honey. Hadn’t you been listenin’ to what I’ve been tellin’ ya. I said, and allow me to reiterate, I know this place like the back of my ass. The stairs you be lookin’ for ain’t but two or three minutes from here. Why you so hot and heavy about them stairs anyway?”
“Because, Destiny my love, there’s a soldier in that stairwell armed with an M4 and I’ll be willing to bet she’s armed with a sidearm too. If we have any chance of getting out of this building alive, we’ll need to find those weapons first. Do you feel like going on a little field trip, Destiny?”
“Well, Corporal sexy, you know I do.”
Daniels didn’t need to see his cheeks to know he was blushing. He gave Kaden a few pats on the head, “You may have just saved our lives, pal. You stay here with Cecilia, and we’ll be back in ten minutes. Then I will get us out of here. All of us.”
Daniels extended a hand, helping Destiny off the floor, while asking Bunker, “You feel like going for a walk?”
“Hell, Corp. You know I do.”
CHAPTER 9
The power must have been out in the mall for days. The deeper we went, the worse the smell got. Not to mention, the unseasonably warm October days had left the inside of this place hovering above ninety degrees. It was like a greenhouse in here with the decorative glass roof structures letting in the sun and trapping the heat.
All the stores security metal gates were pulled down and locked. Judging from the looks of it, the place closed down weeks ago. This would create a problem. I still had Chevy’s tomahawk, but that wasn’t going to help if Target’s metal gate was down.
Target was just beyond the food court, and still out of our sight. On any normal day it would only take two or three minutes to walk there. But I wasn’t about to take any chances enjoying a Sunday stroll down the middle off the mall. Luther and I stayed low using the numerous alcoves and planters for cover. More than halfway to Target things were going well. I turned back to Luther, “I think we’re going to get lucky. It seems quiet.” I stepped out from the alcove and was staring at the back of a zombie. Of course, I had to say the Q word.
The zombie had no idea I was behind him. He was too fixated on the lock to the frozen yogurt shop. Holding a set of keys in his hand, he kept slamming them against the locking mechanism. Judging from the white button shirt and black striped law enforcement pants, it was safe to assume he was mall security before he died.
I didn’t want to take a chance he’d hear us and attack when we didn’t expect it. So my only other choice was to end his misery. I reached behind my head and pulled one of the Ronin swords from its sheath. I went slow making sure the metal rubbing against the sheath was silent.
In my best baseball stance, I pulled back cocking my arms, and swung the blade. With a single swipe, I had taken off everything above the zombie’s ears. For a brief second, I didn’t think it worked. The creature just stood there. I drew my sword back a second time, and before I could swing he collapsed.
“What the hell was that about, Luther.”
Luther shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know. I thought maybe he forgot to die or something.”
We didn’t have time to discuss it now, we had to get our supplies, and we only had thirteen minutes left.
“Screw it, Luther. We’re running out of time. Let’s just go for it.”
I sheathed my sword, lifted my M4, and took off running; Luther’s footsteps let me know he followed close behind.
Thirty seconds later, we were standing in front of Target. I couldn’t believe it. No metal gate, no glass doors, and no closed signs. The place was wide open. Go figure. There’s nothing better than being stuck in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, and somebody forgot to lock the door.
I positioned myself against the cinderblock wall beyond the entrance, and sized up the interior while Luther caught his breath, “Luther do you know your way around this place?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” he said looking over my shoulder into the store.
“You grab a few shopping carts and fill them with blankets, jackets, and warm clothes. Remember bigger is better. I’m going to fill up as many carts as I can with food. After you fill a couple carts, park them by the doors leading to the parking lot,” I said pointing to the wall of sliding glass doors. “Cowboy should be there in about eleven minutes.”
I grabbed two carts from the cart bay and headed in the direction of the food isle as fast as I could. My jog turned into a walk as I neared th
e food aisles. The deeper I got in the store, the stronger the smell of rotting flesh. I needed to be on high alert.
My M4 was slung from earlier when I grabbed the carts, so I pulled one of my swords out and laid it across the top of the shopping cart for faster access. The food aisle was a few feet away, and the smell of festering flesh became overpowering.
I turned the final corner into the aisle and was standing face to face with the smell. The rotting meat didn’t attack because it was in the form of spoiled steaks and decaying burgers resting in the warm incubating coolers. I covered my nose and stared at the open refrigerated cases full of maggot-infested beef.
This was turning out to be my lucky day. First, I found my mom. Then after being caught by Kane, I escaped the clutches of death, and now the zombie filled world was zombie-less, at least for the time being. I couldn’t help but smile, even if the smell was turning my stomach.
This meat aisle was a waste of my time, I would not be foraging any maggot-infested abominations.
I moved over a few aisles and stuffed my carts full with non-perishables. I took everything from cereal and chocolate bars to instant potatoes and beans. In less than five minutes I had filled six carts. I realized using my arms to scoop the food forward and let it fall into the cart was the most efficient way of loading.
Now the problem was getting the carts to the exit. What I didn’t realize was how heavy a cart full of more than two hundred cans of beans, soup, and vegetables was. I could only take two carts at a time, and that was a struggle with the weight. I’d have to make a few trips. It took about three minutes to get two carts to the exit, and another minute to get back to the loaded carts. If my math was right, I was going to be a little late. Not a problem, I’d have Cowboy load the food into the jeep while I got the last two carts.
On the second trip, I saw Cowboy pulling up. He was right on time. It took me by surprise when he put the jeep in reverse and jumped the curb backwards coming to a sliding stop. It’s not every day you see a vehicle come so close to driving through the glass door of Target.
