“This has gotta be it,” Zion huffed at the sight of a few dozen bodies laying in the middle of the road.
They pushed on, and tore towards the hardware store. The SUV skidded around the corner and fired a few shots from a handgun, narrowly missing them as they ran.
“GET DOWN!” a female screamed as they neared the store, and the duo dove to the ground as a loud thonk sounded. A four foot long wooden stake flew over their heads and punched through the windshield of the oncoming vehicle, and it skidded to a stop and began to back up quickly, the gunman ducking back inside.
The duo rolled over and watched as the SUV ducked back around the corner. They looked at each other and let out a deep sigh of relief.
“So, you guys wanna come inside, or are you comfortable on the pavement?” the woman asked.
They looked up at her as they pulled themselves off of the ground. She was average height, with a thick, athletic build, shoulder-length sandy blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. She stood in front of the door, and pushed a set of thick-rimmed glasses up her nose.
“I could go inside, what about you?” Calvin asked casually.
Zion nodded. “Same.” They headed to the woman, and he extended his hand. “I’m Zion, this is Calvin.”
“Tori,” she replied, shaking their hands in turn. “Thank you both for coming up. As you can tell, we could use the help.”
The sniper shook his head, motioning to the dead bodies in the street. “Looks like you can handle yourself pretty well.”
“Against the dead, for sure,” she agreed. “Against the living and their arsenal of guns and explosives? Not so much.”
Calvin nodded his understanding. “Yeah, I can buy that.”
“Come on inside,” Tori said, waving for them to follow her. “Let me introduce you to the rest of the group.”
CHAPTER SIX
Tori led them into the hardware store, which was missing its entire front window. They’d replaced it with chest-high chain link fencing, with a wooden platform up above it. There was a giant metal monstrosity on the platform, that looked like it had been assembled from a broken down car and stuff from the plumbing aisle. It looked like a harpoon gun that would be more at home on a fishing vessel.
A young asian man stood behind it, no more than nineteen or twenty years old. He shoved another long wooden stake into the gun before pressing a primer button on the side, a long tube running to an air compressor on the floor.
“You must be the vampire sniper,” Zion said with a grin.
The man raised an eyebrow. “Vampire sniper?”
“Yeah, with the wooden stake and all,” Zion replied, motioning to the assembly. “Dracula wouldn’t stand a chance with you.”
The man laughed. “Oh, I got it. Nice.”
“This is Harold,” Tori said, motioning to him. “He’s our resident engineer.”
“Thanks for your help out there,” Zion said.
Harold gave him a little salute. “My pleasure.”
“Come on to the back here,” Tori said. “We’ve got some water if you’d like.” She led them to the back of the store, passing by ransacked shelves, several shoved to the side to create a massive workspace with tools and projects in various stages of development laying about.
She was a few steps ahead, giving Zion and Calvin an opportunity to talk softly between themselves.
“Looks like they’ve been busy,” the sniper murmured.
Zion nodded in agreement. “Like fucking MacGyver up in here.”
Tori opened the door to the back room, which looked like it had been a break room once upon a time. There were two people sitting on a couch playing a two-player fighting game on a small TV. The girl was a petite asian thing, easily no older than Harold. The other was a tall and athletic all-American looking guy, seemingly out of place with this group appearance wise.
“Yeah, that’s right, you’re my bitch!” the girl bellowed, furiously pounding buttons on her controller.
The guy grunted. “You haven’t beat me yet!”
The trio stood and watched the end of their round, the girl delivering a flying spinning kick to the other character’s face, resulting in a KO. Zion and Calvin blinked at them, surprised to see electricity back there.
“I’m gonna get you one of these days,” the guy said, dropping his controller with a huff.
The girl grinned. “Don’t count on it.”
Tori cleared her throat. “Jack, Missy, I’d like you to meet some new friends,” she said. “This is Zion and Calvin.”
“Hi,” Missy said, waving.
Jack nodded in their direction. “Heyo.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how in the hell are you playing video games?” Zion blurted.
Jack pointed to the corner, where there was a Frankenstein creation of several batteries wired together and connected to various other electrical components, all leading to the TV. “Nothing major,” he said off-handedly, “just a simple wiring job to a few around the store components. The TV and game system don’t actually draw a whole lot of power, so it’s not that hard.”
Zion raised an eyebrow, surprised that it had been the pretty boy giving the answer.
“Yeah, I know that look,” Jack said, rolling his eyes.
Caught, Zion pressed his lips together, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, sorry man, it’s just…”
“It’s all good,” Jack assured him with a thousand-watt smile. “I know I don’t look like the typical geek, yet here I am.”
“More power to you, brother,” Zion assured him.
Tori headed over to a mini-fridge and pulled out a few bottles of cold water, handing them to the parched duo. They cracked them open, savoring the icy cold.
“Thank you,” Calvin moaned after taking a deep gulp. “Been a while since I’ve had a cold one.”
She nodded. “Well, we have plenty, so help yourself.”
“So, lay it out for me,” Zion said, leaning back against the counter. “How did you get here, and who do I need to smack down to get them to leave you alone?”
She pushed her glasses up on her nose, and crossed her arms. “We were part of a group from Portland State who came out here to camp just before all this began,” she explained. “We actually spend several days hiding out in the woods after hearing about the unrest on the radio. Most of the group decided to try and make it back to campus, but the four of us didn’t feel safe trying to make it back to Portland, so we came here as it was the closest town. Didn’t take long for us to realize the radio wasn’t exaggerating the situation. By sheer luck we made it here and were able to set up defenses, which got us through the runner phase. But then, we were running low on food, so we had to start venturing out, which is when we ran into our neighbors to the south.”
Zion ran his tongue over his teeth. “Based on the reception we got, I’m guessing they aren’t the friendliest bunch.”
“That’s an understatement,” she agreed bitterly. “The first few encounters were innocent enough. Ran into them at the grocery store and drug store, exchanging a few playful barbs as we gathered supplies. Didn’t take long for it to escalate, especially once the goods started running low.”
Calvin raised a hand. “Guessing that’s where the death came in.”
“Yep, they thought since we were geeky college kids, that they could just come into our new home and take whatever they wanted,” Tori confirmed, and raised her chin. “They were mistaken.”
Zion took a swig of water. “Nothing like having the element of surprise.”
“Especially when combined with four chemistry and engineering students on PhD tracks,” she replied with a grin.
Calvin motioned to the door. “So you fended them off with your anti-vampire gun?”
“And a couple of explosives,” Tori added. “And maybe an acid bomb or two.”
Zion raised an eyebrow. “Acid bomb?”
“Yeah,” she ran a hand over her ponytail, avoiding his gaze. “Let’s
just say some of them aren’t pretty anymore.”
The duo glanced at each other.
“I don’t know about you,” Calvin said to his partner, “but I’m glad we’re on their side.”
“I know, right?” Zion agreed. “I’m too young to be letting my looks go.”
Tori smirked at him.
“We have some visitors!” Harold called from the front, and the trio rushed back out through the store just as he was lining up his shot.
Tori sighed with relief as they reached the fence. “Dude, you really need to say ‘dead’ visitors,” she said firmly. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“Sorry,” he replied, hanging his head. “I just thought our new friends would want to see our defenses in action.” He glanced at them.
Zion smiled and nodded. “Have at it, sir.”
Harold aimed the weapon at a zombie in the middle of the road, and then pulled the lever on the gun, sending a wooden stake flying across the street. The bolt hit the corpse squarely in the forehead, ripping the head clean off and embedding it into a wooden wall on the opposite side.
“Hot damn, boy,” Zion breathed. “That’s a quality takedown.”
Calvin grinned. “We could use one of these back home.”
“If you get me the parts,” Harold replied, “I can build you as many of these as you’d like.”
Zion nodded, rubbing his chin. “I think that can be arranged.”
Harold nodded and loaded up another stake, before taking aim and firing. This one was a direct hit, but the creature was a bit meatier, so its head remained attached as it flew back onto the pavement, legs kicking up. The shooter stuck his head out and looked both ways.
“I think we’re clear,” he said, and hopped down from his post, heading to the door. He inspected the street carefully before heading out to collect the stakes from his victims.
Zion and Calvin stepped onto the sidewalk to make sure he didn’t run into any trouble on the way.
“So, Tori, any idea who we need to track down for a chat?” Zion asked as he kept watch on the area.
She shook her head. “None of us have ever met him, but apparently his name is Edward.”
“Edward, huh?” Zion mused. “Sounds like a bitch-ass name to me.”
Calvin shrugged. “Yeah, sounds like it should be easy enough to convince him to leave you alone.”
“I sincerely hope so,” Tori replied, clasping her hands together in front of her.
“Before we head out to have a chat with this Edward, I have three questions for you,” Zion said, turning towards her. “And I want you to think hard about them before answering, because they are very, very important.”
She blinked at him, suddenly looking nervous. “I can do that.”
“One.” He held up a finger. “Do you trust me?”
Tori nodded immediately. “Yes, of course. You came all this way after talking with me for two minutes,” she pointed out. “That makes you good in my book.”
“Okay,” he continued, and lifted a second finger. “Two. Will you abide by whatever deal I can make with Edward? Even if it means giving him some of your stuff, or having to leave this town altogether?”
She hesitated, chewing her lip.
“Keep in mind,” Zion added, “I’m not gonna leave you homeless If you do have to leave I have a place for you.”
She pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded. “We’ll do whatever you need us to do.”
“All right, now time for the third and final question,” Zion continued, holding up both of his palms. “It’s the most important of all.”
Tori pushed her glasses up her nose, staring at him expectantly.
“Can you help me out in the weapon department?” he asked. “Mine kinda got lost in the river.”
She relaxed, face breaking into a huge smile. “Let’s go shopping.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Tori pranced into the store, ponytail bouncing as she went. The duo chuckled at her excitement as they followed her in.
“Missy, Jack, we got work to do!” she called, and the two students appeared out of the break room.
“What’s up?” Jack asked, running a hand through his perfect hair.
Tori motioned to Zion and Calvin. “Our friends here need some weapons,” she said.
“We don’t have much in the way of guns,” Missy replied, tapping her chin. “How do you feel about blunt objects?”
Zion grinned. “You are speaking my language.”
“Well, you go grab a two-by-four and I’ll get the dremel fired up,” Missy replied.
He saluted her. “Yes ma’am.” He headed off with the petite girl, and Jack cocked his head at Calvin.
“So what about you, cowboy?” he asked. “Compared to your friend there, it looks like you have the upper body strength of a seventh grader, so I’m assuming blunt objects are out?”
Calvin scoffed playfully, holding up a hand in feigned offense. “Hey now,” he said. “It’s more like the upper body strength of a tenth grader. But yeah. You’re absolutely right. I’m gonna need something that’ll do it’s own damage.”
Jack contemplated for a moment, and then snapped his fingers, eyes lighting up. “Got it!” he exclaimed. “How about a couple of cordless power drills?”
“Do we have enough time for them to charge up?” Calvin asked, not hopeful.
Jack nodded. “Pretty sure there are some fast chargers on aisle eight,” he replied. “By the time Missy gets done, you should be good to go.”
“Let’s do it, then,” the cowboy agreed.
“I’ll get ‘em charging if you want to hit aisle seven and pick you out a couple of holsters,” Jack suggested.
Calvin chuckled, shaking his head. “Looks like I’m gonna be a hardware cowboy,” he said. “This day might turn out good yet.”
“While you get squared away, I’ll pull what little info we have on the other side,” Tori said.
Calvin nodded and headed off with Jack as she disappeared into the back room to prepare for battle.
Some time later, Jack and Calvin converged with Harold and Tori in the front of the store. Calvin proudly wore one black and one pink holster, each one loaded down with several dozen long drill bits. Jack handed him two drills, and the cowboy pretended to fire them before slipping them into the holsters.
“Yeah, these are gonna work just fine,” he said with a grin.
“I went ahead and attached a quick release system for the bit,” Jack explained. “That way you can plant one of those things into a skull and pop it out quick without worrying about getting stuck. It’s magnet based, so all you have to do is yank back hard.”
Calvin nodded. “Appreciate it,” he replied. “Trying to get a drill bit free from a zombie skull while his friends are bearing down on me isn’t something that’s on my bucket list.”
“With good reason,” Jack agreed.
Zion approached from the back. “You ready to do this?” He hefted his weapon over his shoulder, which was a spiked two-by-four with a handle carved into the base of it so he could use it as a bat. Silver duct tape adorned the handle to prevent splinters.
Missy stepped up behind him, watching as he held out his new piece for the others to see.
“What do you think?” Zion asked.
Several cut pieces of rebar stuck out from the top eight inches or so of the weapon, and the group all gaped at the beastly thing.
“You look like you could do some damage with that,” Tori said.
Calvin scratched the back of his head. “But why flat edges on the rebar instead of spikes?”
“I felt like it would be bad if it got stuck in a zombie’s head,” Missy piped up. “Besides, the force from his blow focused on these small points will be more than enough to cause a killing blow level of trauma.”
The cowboy nodded. “Makes sense to me.”
Zion appraised his partner’s weapons with eyebrows raised. “Pink huh?” he asked. “That’s a cute look on
you.”
“Hey!” Calvin replied, crossing his arms in a huff. “It was the only left-handed holster they had in stock.”
“Hey now, no need to get defensive,” Zion replied, raising his hands, palms out. “I was just trying to pay you a compliment.”
A laugh scattered through the group, until Calvin finally rolled his eyes.
“Okay, moving on,” he said. “Where are we going?”
Tori pulled a drawing of the area from her pocket, spreading it out for them. “We haven’t been able to get much information about them, but as best as we can tell, there has been a lot of activity around this hotel.” She pointed to a building just west of the bridge, overlooking a little inlet from the river.
“So we just waltz across the bridge, hang a right, knock on the door, and ask for Edward,” Calvin quipped. “Sounds like an easy day to me.”
Tori pushed her glasses up her nose. “If only.” She shook her head. “I would assume that because of all the excitement today that they’re going to be watching that bridge pretty closely. So you’re going to have to find another way across.”
“We commandeered a boat, so we’re good there,” Zion piped up.
“Good,” she replied, pointing at him. “Going up the inlet is probably too risky since you’ll be in clear view of the bridge on the approach. If you go a little further west, there is a beach you can land at. Looks to be only a half a mile or so up to the hotel.”
“That sounds good to me,” Calvin replied.
Zion nodded. “Same here,” he added. “I’d much rather do an assault on foot than trying to land a boat and immediately go at it.”
His partner drew one of his drills, giving it a quick couple of squeezes of the trigger to accentuate his words with a buzz. “And it’ll give us a chance to try out our new toys.”
“Yes, it will,” Zion added with a grin, stroking the handle of his weapon.
“So, what can we do in the meantime?” Tori asked.
He glanced at her. “Just hang tight.”
“And be on the lookout for us,” Calvin added, “just in case our negotiations go as well as our first interaction with these jackwagons.”
Dead America The Third Week (Book 5): Dead America, Portland Pt. 3 Page 3
