The door closing behind her made a loud CLANK.
Gregger, Scotty and Dom took notice. Gregger and Scotty immediately ran toward the back of the store looking for the source of the loud noise.
Dom hesitated and turned to Buddy. He pet the dog and grabbed him by the face.
“Get outta here good boy. Go on now. It’s not safe for you in here.”
Buddy trotted out of the area while Dom turned and ran to catch up with Gregger and Scotty. He caught up to them as they arrived outside the bathroom door.
With a flashlight illuminating the small room, Skyler was hurriedly using the makeup she had snatched up off the floor. She covered her face, her neck, her hands. If she did not want to suffer the same fate as that boy in the middle of the boulevard she needed to look “normal.”
She heard them arrive outside the bathroom door. She knew she didn’t have much time.
Gregger, Scotty and Dom arrived outside the bathroom door. Gregger leaned in and tried the doorknob. It was locked.
“Hey! Open up in there!”
Skyler was applying powder to her face as quickly as possible, she didn’t answer him.
Gregger used the butt of his gun to knock on the door.
“Open this door before I shoot you right through it.”
Skyler grabbed the box of tampons and ripped it open. She removed one and placed it behind the toilet, hiding it behind some paper towels and other garbage. She needed to get out of that bathroom, now.
Gregger’s finger was on the trigger.
“I’m giving you to the count of 3 to open that God damned door. One!”
Skyler turned off her flashlight and shoved it in her back pocket. In the darkened room she fluffed her hair up and checked that her Ramones tank top was sufficiently pulled down, revealing some foundation and powder covered cleavage.
“Two!” This guy has watched way too many bad movies. Or cartoons, she thought to herself.
Before she headed out the door she reached down and grabbed a section of the broken bathroom mirror and shoved it into her rucksack. If she got out of this alive, odds were that she would have to do this sort of thing — a lot.
Just as Gregger’s countdown reached “Three!” the bathroom door swung open.
Skyler stood in the doorway and flashed her best smile. She looked drop dead gorgeous. An angel in hiking boots. Scotty’s magazine girl had nothing on her.
The guys were speechless. She was not what they expected to come out of that bathroom.
Skyler crossed through the doorway, looking like a cover model and acting cool as a cucumber. She had two rucksacks by their handles in one hand, the box of tampons in the other.
Scotty whistled.
“Hey boys, I didn’t realize there was a line.” She held up the tampon box for them to see. “Some things never change, I guess.”
The sight of a beautiful girl holding a tampon box in the wrecked CVS elicited some quiet giggling from Dom and Scotty.
Gregger was still suspicious. He grabbed the tampon box out of Skyler’s hand.
“Give me that.”
He opened the box and looked inside. Sure enough one was missing.
Skyler grabbed the box back from him.
“There’s a lot more in Aisle 5 if you need them. These are mine.”
Dom laughed out loud.
Gregger scowled. “Shut the fuck up, Dom.”
He turned his attention back to Skyler.
“What are you doing here?”
Skyler held up the tampon box and looked directly at Dom.
“Your friend here is suffering from short term memory problems I see.” She looked back at Gregger. “Maybe something for that in what’s left of Aisle Three? Nice shirt by the way. I bet the chicks really dig it.”
Dom smirked while Scotty bit his lip to keep from laughing. The snarkier Skyler got, the angrier she made Gregger.
“You’re a sarcastic bitch aren’t you?”
Skyler put her hand over her heart. Her face suddenly solemn.
“A blessing and a curse.”
Dom tried to defuse the situation, he was not interested in witnessing yet another murder. “Where are you heading?”
“The city. West. I haven’t decided yet.”
“We’re heading to the city.” He nodded toward Gregger. “He says his dad is kind of a big deal there.”
Gregger was fuming. “Shut. The. Fuck. Up. Dom.”
Skyler ignored Gregger and turned her full attention to Dom.
“Color me impressed!”
Gregger would not be ignored. He took a menacing step toward her.
“You’re pretty mouthy for a girl who’s all by herself.”
She turned to Gregger and offered a smile. “My friends are just right outside, and I think you’ve already met my dog.” Skyler nodded toward Buddy who was standing behind the men. They all instinctively turned around to look, which gave her the opportunity she needed to get control of the situation.
She grabbed her Ruger from her waistband and slammed it into the side of Gregger’s head. For extra good measure, she kneed him hard in the balls. He went down with a GROAN.
In a flash, she relieved him of his glock and with a gun in each hand, she aimed one each at the two young men who remained vertical. They stood there, frozen like deer in the headlights, shocked how the tables had turned in less than 2 seconds.
Skyler’s smile got a little more broad. Her attitude held steady at DEFCON Snark.
“Dom,” she said looking at Dom. “And Not Dom,” she said addressing Scotty. “You both seem like reasonable —”
Gregger began to lift himself off the floor. Without missing a beat or taking her eyes off of Dom and Scotty, Skyler kicked him in the head, knocking him out cold.
“— people. Take my advice, get your beer, and your Slim Jim’s and get back on the road. “
Scotty finally found his voice. “But what about Gregger?”
Skyler laughed. “Gregger? His name is Gregger?”
Dom tried but failed to suppress a laugh, Scotty punched him in the arm.
Skyler spoke slowly, as if she was addressing a child.
“Well, Gregger here is going to spend a little more quality time with the mouthy sarcastic bitch at the CVS. So you both run along now. Let his kind-of-a-big-deal Daddy know he’s going to be a little late.”
Skyler winked at them.
Scotty and Dom looked unsure about leaving Gregger behind. She leveled the guns at their heads and flicked off the safety on the Ruger. The Glock didn’t have one.
“No safeties and my fingers are on the triggers. I’m prepared to shoot you both, right now.”
Scotty and Dom were convinced. They turned and ran for the entrance.
THIRTEEN
The Toyota Land Cruiser was making it’s way west on Highway 25.
Inside the vehicle, Jack was behind the wheel, continuously shifting his eyes from the road to Alissa, who was sitting in the passenger seat. She was covered from head to toe and looked adorable in her over-sized sunglasses and Jack’s Mets cap. A North Face gator was around her neck and pulled up over the bottom half of her face.
Alissa kept fidgeting with the gator, it made her hot.
Jack put his hand on her arm to get her to stop touching it. “Sun’ll go down soon ‘Lissa.”
She sighed. “Good. I’m hot. And I’m sooo hungry.”
Alissa absentmindedly tugged on the gator, again.
Jack yelled, “‘Lissa! Pull that back up right now!”
Alissa pulled it back up immediately.
“Sorry.”
“You’ve seen what can happen with the sunlight and people’s skin.” He didn’t want to yell at the little girl, but it was a matter of life and death.
“Like Mommy?” she asked solemnly.
“Yes. Like a lot of people.” He sighed. “I know you’re still little, but you have to remember to keep covered up when the sun is out.”
“I’m not that li
ttle,” she pouted. “Look!”
She pointed to something outside the vehicle.
Through their windshield they saw two men running toward a Hummer parked in the middle of the road. Jack slowed the Land Cruiser down a bit and watched as they hopped into the vehicle and took off fast down the boulevard.
In the CVS Skyler watched them take off as she stood over an unconscious Gregger.
Buddy turned toward the entrance with his nose high in the air sniffing excitedly. His tail wagged vigorously and he let out a whine. He glanced back at Skyler, barked, and took off for the front of the store.
Skyler called after him. “Buddy?”
She looked down at Gregger who was still out like a light.
She re-holstered her Ruger and shoved the Glock in the other side of her waistband.
Anxious to see what Buddy was up to, she quickly covered up again. Back on went the sunglasses, back up went the bandanna and her hood. She re-zipped her sweatshirt and slipped her gloves back on. She snatched up her rucksacks and followed after the dog.
The loud squeal of tires outside put her into a dead run.
“BUDDY!”
She got to the entrance and saw Buddy had run into the middle of the boulevard, blocking a Land Cruiser from going forward.
Alissa couldn’t believe her eyes.
“Buddy!”
She fumbled with her seat belt, opened the door and scrambled down out of the Land Cruiser.
“’Lissa wait!” Jack threw the vehicle in park, turned off the ignition and jumped out of the vehicle.
Alissa was in the middle of the road having a reunion with Buddy, when both Jack and Skyler arrived on the scene at the same time.
Alissa looked up and saw Skyler. She stopped petting Buddy and ran to hug her.
“You took care of him for me!”
Skyler had no idea how the little girl recognized her with every inch of her body covered.
“How did you know it was me?”
Alissa pointed to the rucksacks.
“You tied up Daddy with things from in there.” She hugged Skyler tighter.
“Ah. Good eye then, kid.” Alissa didn’t want to stop hugging Skyler, and Skyler was getting uncomfortable with the gesture.
She gently but firmly pushed Alissa away. When Alissa took a step back her attention was drawn to Skyler’s bandanna.
The little girl pointed to it.
“Where did you get that? Can I have one?” She put her hand on her gator. “This is too hot.”
She was dangerously close to pulling it down when Jack stepped in.
“Alissa! Don’t do that. We talked about this, remember?”
“Yeah. But I want one like she has!”
Jack looked at Skyler with a hopeful expression.
She shook her head. “Sorry, I only have the one.”
The little girl was close to crying. “But I’m so hot with this.”
Jack knelt down next beside her. “Alissa, don’t cry.”
The last thing Skyler needed right now was a teary-eyed kid. “Maybe we’ll find you one like mine later, ok?”
This seemed to satisfy Alissa for now.
“Ok.”
She smiled at Skyler and happily went back to her reunion with Buddy. He showered her with kisses through her layers of clothing. Alissa patted the ground and Buddy immediately laid down and rolled over, awaiting the incoming belly rubs.
Skyler and Jack walked out of earshot.
“Congratulations on surviving the end of the world.”
Jack nodded. “Yeah, you too.”
Skyler smiled wanly. “Thanks.” She nodded her head toward Alissa. “What happened to her mother?”
Jack glanced up at Alissa briefly. “She didn’t make it. Your — ?”
“He was my Grandfather. He ... didn’t make it either.”
“Sorry to hear that. When he told us to head to that airport, he saved our lives.”
“Yeah ...”
Skyler focused on something far away and became lost in thought for a moment.
“Umm.” Jack didn’t know if he should walk away or stay and continue the conversation.
Skyler looked up and focused on Jack. “Hmm?”
He continued, “Those two guys we saw running out of the store —.”
She smirked. “That would be Dom and Not Dom.”
Jack was confused by her answer but soldiered on.
“Ok, I guess? What happened? Why did they run out like that?”
Skyler pulled both guns from behind her back and smiled.
“They were inspired to leave rather quickly.”
She jerked her head back toward the store. “Their leader is still in there, knocked out cold.”
Jack shook his head.
“But, what happened?”
Skyler looked toward the pile of clothes and ash in the middle of the street. Jack followed her gaze.
“The one inside ... he shot that person, because of what they had become, I think. Shot them in cold blood, because they were like me. He was just a boy.”
Jack was horrified. “Oh God.”
Skyler turned back toward Jack with a devious smile.
“Yeah well, the Doms weren’t so eager to stick around when I threatened to shoot them.”
Jack mused, “Imagine that.”
A playful bark and a laugh got their attention. They both looked toward Alissa and Buddy.
Inside the CVS Gregger was stirring. His eyelids fluttered and his fingers twitched.
Jack and Skyler watched on as Alissa chatted happily at Buddy. The dog seemed eager to hear everything the little girl had to say, as long as she peppered the conversation with belly rubs and kisses.
Jack looked back toward Skyler. “So, you said they shot him,” he jerked his head toward the pile of clothes in the road, “because he was like you.”
“Mmmhmm.”
“‘Lissa is like you, too.”
“If she isn’t, she’s way overdressed. Have you seen what happens to people like us out in the sun?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Her mom died on the way out of the parking garage.”
“Oh boy. Did the kid see that?”
“Her mom, Karen, died pushing Alissa away from some sun rays that were coming through cracks in the structure.”
“Wow.”
“Did that happen to your grandfather too? Is that how he died?”
Behind the sunglasses Skyler fought back the tears that wanted so desperately to come. She shook her head. “No. I can’t really talk about it right now.”
Jack nodded. “Understood. Sorry to bring it up.” He looked back at the pile of clothes in the road. “Why would anyone want to kill someone who has become like you guys?”
He doesn’t know, she thought to herself. This poor kid.
When she didn’t answer right away, Jack thought the covered figure in front of him may have thought his question was hypothetical. He continued, “She says she’s hungry but everything I try to give her, even candy, tastes bad to her. She can’t even swallow it, spits it right out.”
Skyler smiled sympathetically under her bandanna. She reached out and touched his arm with her gloved hand.
“I’ve got some news to tell you.”
Gregger was still lying on the floor and a bit groggy. His head was killing him, but the cool tile floor felt good under his face. Wait, what? Why is my face on a tile floor? Where the hell am I? He tried to focus on his surroundings. Debris on the floor, an intact case of Budweiser was just a few feet away from him. Yay! His eyes strained to focus on something a bit closer to his face. It was a box of tampons. Tampons! And just like that Gregger remembered everything. The dog, the girl, everything.
He prepared to get up. On the count of three. He really was a fan of doing things on the count of three. One. He put his palms square on the floor and straightened out his legs. Two. He hefted himself up into a kneeling position. Three. He stood up. He was more than a little shaky and his headac
he was nearly blinding, but at least he was up. Gregger reached for his waistband hoping to find his glock. Damnit.
On a mission to find a weapon, Gregger lurched through the store. She kicked me in the head with her boot! As he made his way around the CVS, the storefront window opening came into view. Through it he could see a little kid dressed head to toe — One of them — playing with that dog. Nearby to them there was a Land Cruiser in the middle of the boulevard.
He took another step forward in the aisle, careful to not make any noise. With a better view of the storefront he could now see that behind the Land Cruiser another person who was dressed head to toe was speaking to a dude. There was something familiar about the person talking to the dude. The sweatshirt, those hiking boots. That bitch!
Skyler had given Jack the lowdown on her and Alissa’s new eating habits. He was sufficiently horrified.
“You ... ate someone?”
“I did. Well, to be fair, part of someone. He was dead though. Mostly dead. Dead-ish.”
Jack shook his head and looked toward Alissa. She was barely out of her toddler years. Cute as a button and now she was his responsibility.
He gulped. “She needs to eat someone?”
Skyler nodded sympathetically. “She does.”
He groaned and put his hand to his forehead.
“Geez, I’m in way over my head.”
“You really are.”
In the CVS Gregger was able to move more steadily. He was still searching for a weapon, but he was also formulating a plan. They had to die. He would spare the dude. Hell, maybe we could drive into the city together, become friends, maybe even offer him a job with my dad. He nodded, satisfied that his plan was a good one.
On the floor, something shiny caught his eye. A packaged pair of scissors. Perfect, he thought. Well, not perfect. A knife or a gun would be perfect. But scissors are pretty good. He snatched up the package and tore it open. With weapon in hand, he made his way toward the entrance, Alissa in his crosshairs.
Plagued (Book 1): The Girl Who Chased The Shadows Page 10