Alive (Sundown Series Book 3)

by Courtney Konstantin

  “Aiden, do you have a rain jacket?” Rafe asked.

  “Uh huh,” the little boy said.

  “Where is it?”

  “Am I going somewhere?” Aiden asked.

  “We are going to town, buddy. Maybe we can find your parents. But if not, we’ll leave them a note and let them know you’re with us. It’s not safe for you to stay alone. Do you understand?”

  Aiden’s eyes were round when he turned them toward Rafe to listen. He nodded when the question was asked, but Rafe was sure he didn’t really comprehend what danger there was out there. The little boy helped Rafe find paper and a pen to write a note. Though he knew Aiden couldn’t read quite yet, he really did leave a note with their information on it. Just in case the crazy happened, and Aiden’s parents were alright and came back looking for their child. Rafe didn’t put specifics on the paper but told them Aiden was safe and they were looking for them.

  With Aiden’s bag packed, Rafe went through the kitchen once more. He packed all of the kid snacks he could find, thinking if he couldn’t figure out what Aiden ate, at least he had granola bars and fruit snacks. Charlie buttoned up Aiden’s bright yellow raincoat. Rafe thought if the infected didn’t see their movement, the bright yellow would bring them like someone clanging a bell. However, at least the kid would be dry. They tied on his toughest hiking shoes and made sure there was another pair of slip-on shoes in his bag, so his hiking shoes could dry out once they stopped for the night.

  As they walked away from the house, Aiden stopped at looked back for a moment. It was as if the little boy knew he wouldn’t be back. Storm stood at his side and pushed him softly with his head, causing Aiden to giggle for a moment before catching up with Charlie again. He immediately grabbed her hand and Charlie looked down in surprise. Rafe was glad the boy seemed to like Charlie. He wasn’t sure how to provide the right emotional support for the child. She seemed much better equipped for the situation.

  Rafe decided with the boy they would make the walk into town easier by staying near the paved roads. With their hoods on, a little boy and dog with them, they weren’t recognizable as the two people running from government thugs. That wasn’t a sure way of hiding, but Rafe hoped they had luck on their side. If the mercenaries had checked the area within the last four days, Rafe hoped they had a few days before they came through again to check for them.

  They walked mostly in silence, Aiden chattering once in a while about the trees or how Storm looked funny soaked. He seemed to carry on a conversation by himself, with little addition from the adults. As they approached cars that seemed to have crashed into each other off the road, Storm was suddenly at Rafe’s side. His growl was deep and menacing and Rafe immediately pulled his shotgun to his shoulder. They got closer to the cars and suddenly a head lifted from the far side of the crash. Rafe knew it was an infected man. The thought struck him that the man looked familiar. It took a moment to realize it was the man in the suit that he had seen in the woods days prior. He told Charlie as much as they slowly approached.

  Storm didn’t wait for any sort signal as he launched himself at the hissing infected. Rafe slung his shotgun back over his shoulder, preferring his hunting knife when the dog was involved in the fray. He carefully circled the cars. The scene on the other side of the wreck made Rafe backstep for a moment, his brain not wanting to take in the graphic event. The infected man had pulled someone from the wreck, the body hung halfway out. Blood painted the side of the car where the infected was left to feast with no interruptions. Flesh, blood, and entrails pooled below the body.

  Without thinking, Rafe shoved his blade into the head of the dead body. He knew the dead wouldn’t stay dead. Turning, he found Storm tearing at the throat of the infected. Black gore and red blood colored his light fur. Rafe whistled loudly to get the dog’s attention. He didn’t want to reach in while Storm was in the thrall of attack. He may not know the difference between friend and foe at that point. On the second whistle, Storm finally looked up to see Rafe waiting. Knowing the process well, Storm stepped back and let Rafe shove his blade into the still moving infected. The damage Storm did, not changing the need to feed in the infected.

  Turning, Rafe found Charlie holding Aiden in her arms, hiding the boy’s face against her shoulder. Her face was pale, but she looked determined to protect the boy. Aiden was gripping her neck strongly, legs trying to wrap around her waist. Rafe motioned to Charlie to go the long way around the cars, on the road, not wanting either of them to see the gruesome scene Rafe had to see.

  While they walked around, Rafe looked into the cars, finding other signs of life, but no other blood. He hoped the other occupants were able to get away. Rafe knew there was one other infected with the man in the forest. The woman that must have bitten him. If the man didn’t kill her before turning himself, that meant she was wandering somewhere nearby. Rafe found a few bottles of waters in one car and he packed those into his bag. The lack of other items told him these people were either not prepared to leave town, or they took what they had with them. Rafe hoped for the latter.

  It didn’t take much longer for them to reach the edge of town. Aiden had no limit to his energy and he kept up with the adults easily. Once in a while he would ask for a drink and Rafe would help him with a water bottle, reminding him to take sips so they had enough for the whole trip. The boy followed directions well, giving Rafe flashbacks to his own childhood. At the first group of buildings they came to, Rafe gathered them near a wall and told everyone to stay silent. Aiden made the symbol of zipping his lips and throwing away the key. The gesture made Rafe smile.

  The rain had stopped for a moment, giving the sun a chance to shine through. The asphalt was shiny with water across the parking lot Rafe watched. Few living people were around. In the distance Rafe could see cars moving at times, people fleeing or coming for supplies like they were. Once he felt it was safe, he motioned for Charlie and Aiden to follow him around the buildings. They were behind a strip mall and Rafe knew of a small bar that was in the area. He wasn’t really a drinker, but he knew the place served food.

  When they got the bar, Rafe wasn’t surprised to see the windows and glass door shattered. Looting an alcohol establishment seemed right up the alley of some people that needed to drink themselves into oblivion to handle life. Walking dead would be a reason to lose yourself in a bottle. From outside, Rafe could tell no one was in the front of the bar, but the back was a dark shadow. Stooping, he grabbed a piece of glass that was on the sidewalk. He threw it into the pile of glass, making a clinking sound. They waited, listening, but no sound came.

  Looking at Storm, Rafe told him to stay outside. He wasn’t sure how to protect the dog’s paws from the glass. Storm seemed to have an attitude for a moment, but he circled a spot and sat, watching outside. Rafe knew he would come barking if anything threatened them while they scavenged.

  “A bar? Really?” Charlie said.

  “They served food. Sandwiches, fruit, things like that. I was hoping the food stores would still be intact. I think people were more concerned about the booze.”

  Charlie lifted Aiden into her arms again, as she walked over the glass. Rafe moved ahead of them, in the direction of where he believed the kitchen was. Entering darkness, Rafe clicked on a flashlight immediately, illuminating a small silver room. He went to a cabinet and opened it carefully. He grabbed the loaves of bread that were there, putting them into a backpack carefully. He moved to the fridge and found more pickles, making him wonder if they would end up living on pickles. He found chips which Aiden asked for immediately. He opened a bag and the boy was happily munching while Rafe did his searching.

  Rafe cheered quietly when he held up unopened packages of dried salami and pepperoni. He slid these into the bag with the bread. Charlie looked at him strangely when he cheered while muttering to himself about not having to live on pickles. The bar didn’t have as much as Rafe had hoped, but he thought it was worth checking all places that weren’t typically thought of as foo
d sources. Coming back to the front of the bar, they found Storm in the same spot he had been, watching ever vigilant.

  The group carefully moved away from the strip mall. When they rounded the next corner, Rafe stopped solidly, causing Charlie to bump into him. He backed them up slowly, away from the next parking lot that housed a gas station and strip of small stores. The parking lot that was now overflowing with infected people, wandering aimlessly looking for their next meal.

  “What?” Charlie asked.

  “We can’t go that way,” Rafe said.

  Neither of the adults saw Aiden peer around the corner into the parking lot. Storm’s barking set off a flurry of events that Rafe knew he would have nightmares about.

  “Mommy!!!”

  The scream tore from Aiden as if he were holding a megaphone. Rafe wheeled around just as Aiden disappeared around the corner, running for the woman he believed was his mother.

  “Aiden, no!” Rafe bellowed.

  The boy didn’t hear Rafe, too focused on his mother’s form. Rafe immediately bolted for the corner and skidded around it pulling his knife as he saw Aiden running into the arms of a waiting infected woman. The woman may have been his mother before, but now she was hoping to dine on his living flesh. Storm was running with the boy, trying to stop him, but the boy kept pushing the dog away, believing him to be playing. As he got closer to the infected, Aiden’s steps began to falter and Rafe could see why. Aiden’s mother was missing part of her neck, muscle and skin flopped down where it had been torn from her body.

  “Aiden!” Charlie screamed from behind Rafe. She was also sprinting to reach the boy.

  In Rafe’s mind, the run he made to grab Aiden was endless. His legs felt like they were running through quicksand, he was too slow. Just as he was sure the infected woman was going to grab Aiden, Storm grabbed the little boy’s jacket and tugged him back a few steps. The clawed fingers swiped and missed the boy’s face. At the same moment, Rafe reached the boy. He hauled him off his feet immediately before running back a few steps to give him to Charlie.

  “No! That’s my Mommy! Put me down!” Aiden’s screams were knives piercing Rafe’s ears.

  “Aiden, honey, I’m sorry. That’s not your Mommy. You can see,” Charlie was trying to reason with the hysterical little boy.

  As they tried to back away from the horde without having to fight, Rafe turned and found they were slowly being circled.

  “Oh shit,” Rafe muttered under his breath.

  He pulled his shotgun again, knowing he would need to shoot if they were going to get out of this without someone dying. He whistled for Storm, who was growling and barking, not being able to decide who his target should be. Rafe’s whistle brought the dog back to them and he looked up at the human trying to decide what to do. Rafe told him to stay with Charlie and Aiden, but he couldn’t be sure Storm understood the order.

  “Stay behind me, Charlie, no matter what. I’m going to be shooting. I do not want to accidentally shoot you,” Rafe said loudly.

  He had to raise his voice, to be heard over the cacophony of inhuman noises coming from the infected horde. Seeing Rafe and his gun, Aiden started to realize something was really wrong. He cried into Charlie’s shoulder and Rafe hoped the boy didn’t have to see his mother put down. Rafe stepped forward toward the edge of the circle with the fewest infected. He aimed his buckshot rounds toward the heads of the nearby dead. He was happy when two went down in heaps, causing others to trip over them. He pumped and let off rounds until the shotgun went empty. He had effectively created the start of a hole for them to escape through.

  Behind them, the infected were closing in. Charlie cried out and Storm’s barking began more urgently as he pounced on an infected that reached out for Charlie. Rafe pulled his knife out and started striking out at the infected in front of them. They had to get out of the horde if they were going to survive. He had to get Charlie out of there. She was the only one that knew what had happened, how this had all started. And Aiden. Little Aiden who had to see his mother as an infected. Rafe had to save him.

  His mind was in turmoil as he danced the grotesque dance with the infected. He counted their uncoordinated movements to his benefit as they had a hard time following him as he moved. Two infected came at him and Rafe turned to back kick one to the throat, sending the small infected man off of his feet. Rafe smoothly stepped away from the other and stabbed it in the temple, before ending the one that was struggling to its feet.

  Wheeling around, Rafe found Storm pouncing on infected as they tried to get closer. Once the dog had them on the ground, he would back away, realizing it was a fight he couldn’t win. Strangely Rafe found himself admiring the dog at that moment. Shaking himself from the thought, Rafe called Charlie to him and she came rushing with Aiden wrapped in her arms.

  “Are you alright?” He asked quickly, Charlie just nodded.

  Turning back to the thinned herd, Rafe wondered if they could make it out now. But the infected seemed to keep coming. As he stood, the head in front of him exploded and Rafe jumped back. A moment later the crack of the report from the gun sounded and Rafe was searching for the source. Again, an infected’s head jerked to one side and the body fell to the ground. Not sure where the help was coming from Rafe decided to take it anyway and with Charlie’s arm in his hand, he slowly led them toward safety.

  As they moved, Rafe continued to fight off the infected that were within arm’s reach. He fought, blood and black ooze coating his jacket and his knife. The sound of the gun continued as they moved. As soon as an opening was there, Rafe pushed Charlie and told her to run. He didn’t have to encourage her further, she took off like a shot, with Storm hot on her heels. Rafe followed, keeping an eye out for whoever had assisted them. No one showed and Rafe didn’t want to stop and find them with so many infected nearby.

  They ran straight for a shopping center that was down the street. Grocery store, laundromat and nail salon were housed in the center. The front of the store was broken out, unsurprisingly. Rafe ran directly for the broken door. When they got to the opening they crunched over broken glass. Without thinking, Rafe bent and grabbed Storm to get him over the shards. The dog didn’t fight and Rafe was thankful because he wasn’t a light animal. All that was on Rafe’s mind was getting into the shadows of the store before the horde came around the corner where they could see them.

  Charlie had run with Aiden in her arms, keeping the boy protected from the infected as well as seeing his mother again. Inside the store the group ran for the back, Rafe searching every corner for anything living or dead. They hid in the back behind a low shelf, their breaths coming in heavy gasps. Charlie gathered Aiden into her lap as the boy’s cries continued. She looked helplessly over his blond head at Rafe, but he had no answers for her.

  “Where did the shots come from?” Charlie whispered.

  “I don’t know. It was a rifle. I’m wondering friend or enemy,” Rafe replied.

  “They saved us.”

  “The mercenaries probably would too. They want you alive.”

  Moaning from outside pulled Rafe’s attention back toward the door. He carefully crept to the edge of the shelf, peering around. The horde had wandered into the road, but without a clear direction, they seemed to meander down the street. He leaned back and took a deep breath, calming his pounding heart. The image of Aiden running straight for his infected mother was burned into his mind. The little boy had just come into their care and they had almost lost him to an infected horde. Rafe started to question whether he was equipped to care for a small child.

  The sounds from the infected seemed to quiet after a few minutes and Rafe leaned back around to check. He could only see a few stragglers that were wandering the area, the bulk of the horde had wandered off in another direction. He finally took a sigh of relief when he turned back to Charlie and Aiden. The little boy’s face was streaked where tears had fallen, but he had calmed down a bit. His arms were around Charlie, hugging her to him. Charlie looked ex
hausted and terrified, much how Rafe felt. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but nothing seemed adequate in the situation they were in.

  “Let’s see if we can scavenge anything from inside here. We might need to camp in town tonight,” Rafe said.

  Charlie didn’t answer, just nodded and tried to stand with the boy. Rafe motioned her to stay where she was, deciding that someone watching the little one was the best bet. He also didn’t believe Aiden was going to let go of Charlie anytime soon. Rafe stood carefully, to not draw attention and moved away from Charlie. Storm followed him, the dog walking in a crouch as if he knew he didn’t want to be seen.

  Not far from where they had hidden, Rafe found a section of canned goods that had been ransacked. There were still cans left and many on the floor. Opening his backpack, he started adding cans until he was sure he could barely lift the bag. He took the full bag back to Charlie, leaving it on the floor next to her. Taking her bag, he moved to the section that held the rice. On his way, he passed a section of portable mac and cheese containers. He picked one up and read that all you needed was to add hot water. He thought of Aiden and guessed a small child would eat mac and cheese for every meal if possible. All of the containers went into the bag.

  A low growl sounded from Rafe’s feet and he crouched to hide just as Storm started growling louder toward the door of the store. Rafe put a hand on the dog’s head, whispering for him to stay. He wasn’t looking to get into a loud fight with any infected, knowing they could draw the horde back. Storm pulled at Rafe’s arm, wanting to attack the invader, but he obeyed and didn’t take off. Rafe was just about to pull his 9mm and confront what was coming when a voice whispered through the store.

  “What in the world are you doing hiding in a grocery store?”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Rafe immediately decided that the voice didn’t belong to a mercenary. If it was the government coming for Charlie, they wouldn’t have said anything coming into the store. They would have attacked. The voice didn’t mean that it was a friend and Rafe wasn’t sure who could be trusted anywhere. Rafe waited where he was, trying to send a telepathic signal to Charlie to just stay quiet.