“Well now I can’t use my arms to move,” she said.
She stuck her arms out the front and tried to pull along the ground. The cart remained unmoved. Sticking her leg out of the back, she tried to push along. This worked better but her entire leg was exposed. She made it half way down the aisle when the boards slipped off the sides and lodged themselves against the ground. Sam laughed as Nicole struggled out of the cart.
“This isn’t working,” she said. She stood up and dusted herself off. “We need to be hidden, but we need to be able to push and steer with our arms,” she said. Nicole stared at the cart a few more seconds, and then took off.
A few minutes later, she came back down the aisle. Sam had finished putting the sheets of plywood back and was sweeping up. Nicole ignored him. In her arms were several packages of eighty-four inch curtains. She tore open the packages and threw them on the ground.
“Hey! I just swept here,” Sam exclaimed. He picked up the empty packages as Nicole unfurled the curtains and laid them over the sides and middle.
The cart now looked like a rolling tent. Nicole climbed inside and peeked out the front. She extended her arms just outside the curtains and began to push along. After several minutes of decent progress, she climbed out. She decided it was as good an option as she was likely to come up with. Taking another set of curtains, she covered a second “H” cart.
“Come on,” she told Sam and pushed one of the rolling tents out of the aisle. Sam stared after her, then grabbed the other cart and followed her.
When they got to the receiving bay door, they could hear the Dead banging against it. They placed the two carts almost right up against the door. Sam looked at the carts doubtfully.
“What if they can smell you? I’ve dealt with these things awhile and they are like mosquitoes, once they catch whiff of you, they go right for you,” Sam said.
Nicole turned and headed out of Receiving. “Been there, done that, Sam. Follow me,” she said.
A minute later, he stood next to her on the pest control aisle. She was looking at gallon jugs of small animal repellent. On the bottle were listed the animals that could be repelled by the contents, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, cats, and dogs. She grabbed one, twisted off the top, and took a whiff. Her nose wrinkled as the odor hit her. She held it out for Sam to smell. He took a whiff.
“Smells like those bugs, only not as strong,” he said.
“Exactly,” Nicole said. She grabbed four more of the gallon jugs off the shelf. “Grab some,” she told Sam.
He grabbed four of the bottles and followed her back down the aisle. “I am making note of all these items, you know, so we can bill them out,” he said.
Back in Receiving, Nicole set her four jugs down by one of the carts. Sam set his four by the other cart.
“We’re not going to be able to take much with us on these carts. It will make them too heavy to push. Besides, if something falls off and they notice us, those curtains won’t stop them, smell or no smell,” she said.
Sam stared at her. “Where are we going in these carts, anyhow? There is no way we can get away. On these things we are slower than they are,” Sam said.
Nicole looked at Sam. “All we have to do is get to my car,” she said.
“Your car is covered in bugs. There is no way you are gonna be able to get to your car without at least a few of them biting you,” Sam said.
Nicole looked back at the carts. “Which is exactly why we have to let them in.”
Ten
“We’ll move the pallet and carts away from the doors by the registers last, because those doors have taken the most damage,” Nicole said.
Sam stared at her defiantly. “You want to let all those bugs in here!?” Sam exclaimed.
Nicole stared back. “Yes, it’s the only way to get them away from the car and if we keep screwing around they are gonna be in here anyway, so let’s move!” Nicole screamed.
Sam threw up his hands. “All those bugs in here mean an infestation, which does not make for a pleasant shopping experience!” Sam hollered.
Nicole and Sam stood in front of the glass doors by the registers. The plan was to make their way back to the Receiving area, removing the pallets from the doors as they went.
“We don’t have much time. We clear the last of the doors, then race back to receiving, understand?” Nicole asked.
“After we set off the bug bombs,” Sam corrected.
“That’s right, Sam. We get the bugs inside, we get them all,” Nicole said.
They both grabbed the handle on the pallet jack and pulled the load of concrete mix away from the door. The effect was immediate. Just as the pallet was moved, the doors began to sag inward almost to the breaking point. The bottom of the doors gave way, sound, and smell rushed in.
“Alright, Sam, Let’s go!” Nicole yelled. The two ran down to the doors by Customer Service and pulled that pallet away as well.
These doors were no stronger than the others were and began to buckle. Not waiting around, Nicole and Sam hurried over to the first set of doors leading to the greenhouse area. Here the Dead were not so thick, and upon moving the pallet away, the doors only rattled and shook. Nicole started towards the last set of doors. She turned when she saw Sam was not following her.
“Where are you going?” Nicole asked. Sam did not look back at her.
“I’ve got to start setting off the bug bombs, remember. I know this is a scary situation, but try to keep it together, okay?” Sam said.
Nicole sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’ll just get this last pallet myself, then,” she said.
As Sam walked away, Nicole struggled with the last pallet. Thoughts of throwing out her back and lying on the floor unable to move filled her mind. She imagined being a Zombie buffet while Sam scratched his head and wondered why nobody at 9-1-1 was picking up. Nicole pulled the pallet away down a side aisle, from the door; far enough so that when they caved in the blocks would not create a bottleneck, more of the Dead that were inside meant less outside taking an interest in her. She turned and was about to call out for Sam to hurry when the lock broke and the doors were pushed open, wide enough to let three Runners slip inside. Others clamored in to fill the gap, but a huge walker that even in death looked to weigh four hundred pounds blocked the opening. Nicole screamed as she saw them advance on her. She was fast, but they were faster. She wondered if there would be enough of her left to even become a Zombie, when she looked up and saw Sam racing down the aisle towards her on a forklift, blowing the horn, and signaling for her to get out of the way. Nicole jumped to the side as Sam smashed into the advancing Runners. They exploded in a spray of puss, blood, and guts as the forklift knocked them down and rolled over them. Nicole watched in amazement as Sam cruised passed her. On the forklift, Sam stomped the brakes and the wheels stopped but he did not. Bodily fluids and internal organs covered the floor and clogged the tread on the forklift as it crashed into the doors. Glass shattered and the Dead wasted no time. They clamored in, trying to squeeze past the forklift. Nicole stared in horror as Sam struggled to unbuckle his seatbelt.
He’s gonna be a Samwhich, Nicole thought and immediately chastised herself for her mind’s choice of coping mechanisms.
“Come on, Sam!” she yelled.
Sam unbuckled and jumped from the lift as more of the Dead poured in, blocking their way back to Receiving. Nicole turned and began to climb the shelves of the racks. Sam saw what she was doing and quickly followed her. They reached the top and looked back down. Thirty feet below them, the Dead clamored.
Nicole turned on Sam. “A forklift!? We could have been using a forklift to move those pallets!?” she screamed.
Sam was nonplussed. “We couldn’t. There were no other employees here. Safety rules clearly state that during business hours while customers are in the store, aisle blockers and spotters are required when using the power equipment,” Sam said.
Nicole thought briefly of shoving Sam off the shelf and into the horde belo
w.
Sam looked down at them. “What are we going to do now? I set those bug bombs off, but it would not be good to be in here when it starts to fill up,” he said.
“As opposed to now?” Nicole quipped. She turned and looked at the rows of racking behind them.
Five rows of shelves of equal height led to the receiving area. Nicole crawled to the opposite edge and looked across the aisle to the next shelf.
“What do you think that is, six feet?” she asked. Sam turned and looked at the width of the aisle.
“Yeah, why?” he asked.
“Cause we are going to have to jump for it,” she said.
Before Sam could respond, Nicole leaped across the aisle. She landed on the other shelf and rolled, her momentum carrying her over the edge. Now it was Sam’s turn to stare in horror as he watched Nicole disappear from view. Precious seconds passed before he saw Nicole throw up her hand and try to climb back up.
“A little help,” she said as her head appeared.
Sam readied himself and jumped across. He landed on the shelf and steadied himself, then helped Nicole up to a sitting position. The Dead remained where they were, their addled brains unable to work the logic of what was happening above them.
“Four more to go,” Nicole said as she readied herself for the next jump.
“Try not to fall this time,” Sam suggested.
“Words to live by,” Nicole said as she made the leap. She landed on the next aisle and held on tight.
Three more jumps and they were staring down at the Receiving bay door. Behind them, the Dead still were squeezing in past the forklift by the droves. Sounds of the other doors in the store being twisted and pushed open mixed with the cacophony of moans from the Dead. Sam and Nicole climbed down the shelves and ran to their waiting carts. Grabbing the small animal repellent, they doused the curtains in the foul smelling liquid, then climbed underneath them and waited. Nicole could hear the doors caving in and knew they only had seconds left before hundreds of the Dead would rush in to them, rush in to them and away from her car. Outside the Receiving Bay door, just inches away from Sam and Nicole, the Dead pounded in impatient fury. Nicole reached over and unscrewed the caps off two five-gallon gas cans. When Sam had said he was going to set up the bug bombs, she had agreed. It was the only way he could get him to help her. Sam had taken precious time setting up bug bombs along the floor. It was a good plan, he had said. Once all the bugs were in the store and the bombs set off, they would die. Clean up would be a hassle, but then it would be back to business. She had agreed to the bug bombs to appease Sam’s delusion. Mostly though, she agreed because the insecticide spraying from the cans was highly flammable. She placed the butane lighter on the cart between her knees. On the cart in front of hers, Sam waited for the signal. He had his ax handle he would use to reach out and open the receiving bay door. A tremendous crash from the front of the store was met almost simultaneously with a crash from the other set of doors by the greenhouse area. The glass doors caved in and the Dead rushed forward.
“Now, Sam!” Nicole screamed.
Sam stuck his ax handle out of the front of the cart and pushed the Open button on the bay door. He withdrew the ax handle back under the curtains and waited. Sam and Nicole remained still under the curtains as the Dead surged in. The first wave rushed past, knocking and bumping the carts. The Dead from all sides surged into the breaches around the store, searching for the meal they sensed was there. Under her curtain, Nicole fought back the urge to cry and waited for the bulk of the Dead to pass them. She was about to give the signal to Sam, when three of the Dead became focused on her cart. She could see their shadows through the curtain. They circled the cart. Leaning in, they sniffed at it. Nicole could hear their wheezing and she almost wretched from the smell. She could hear the Dead now moving throughout the store. It would only be minutes before they discovered them. Even if by sheer accident, she knew they would be discovered eventually. Their window of opportunity was small and closing. The sights, sounds, and smells of what was occurring threatened to overwhelm Nicole. Her breathing lost its rhythm and she began to hyperventilate. She broke out into a cold sweat and tunnel vision set in, as her mind screamed for her to get out of there, to run as fast as she could. She grasped at the curtains and was about to rip them away when another voice screamed in her head, louder than her panic, more commanding than her fear. It was not the voice she heard at Friendly’s or her own voice, but the voice of her father. As a child, she had watched her father drill recruits in survival training. It had perhaps been only once and she had not recalled it since, but now his voice cut through the fear and calmed her.
DECIDE TO SURVIVE! SIZE UP YOUR SITUATION! USE ALL YOUR SENSES! VANQUISH FEAR AND PANIC! IMPROVISE AND IMPROVE! VALUE LIVING! ACT LIKE THE NATIVES! LIVE BY YOUR TRAINING!
A resolve formed in her mind and her nerves steadied. Nicole let go of the curtain. She slowed her breathing and focused on a spot in front of her. After what seemed an eternity, the three Dead lost interest and shuffled on deeper into the store. She would survive. She knew what she had to do.
“Now, Sam. Now,” Nicole whispered. She peeked through the curtain and watched Sam begin to push out through the bay door.
Nicole tipped over one of the gas cans, spilling the fuel in a trail behind her, as she began to push.
They had gone fifty yards. Nicole’s arms burned and she struggled to keep her breath as she and Sam rounded the first corner. The chain link fence that had formed the outer perimeter of the greenhouse area lay trampled. Many of the Dead who lined the sidewall had followed the others storming through the back and front. Several still struggled against the wall trying to get in, blind to everything but their hunger. Their gore coated the length of the wall, a finger-painted mural of viscera. The wall above their hellish clamoring artwork remained untouched, a fit commentary. There were only the Dead, the Living and a thin line between them. Still on the living side of that line, Sam and Nicole pushed past, inch by precious inch. Nicole peered out through a slit in the curtains and tried to keep her cart moving in a straight line. The way was long and tough enough already, there was no use in making it longer by meandering. She could not see out the sides, and for that she was grateful. Was it more of her father’s words that urged her to focus on the task at hand? She did not know, but was happy to oblige.
When they were half way, Nicole tipped her second gas can, careful not to let the empty one fall out and alert the remaining Dead to their presence. Her breath was ragged and the pain in her arms and chest tore at her, a battle cry to stop and rest. Ignoring their calls, she quickened her pace. They went unnoticed by the Dead as they rounded the front corner. Nicole stared down the home stretch leading to her car. The GTO was clear, but twenty Dead still milled about the front walls. Nicole turned and watched the last of the gas leak from the can. She stopped her cart and reached down for the lighter. Frantically, she clicked it several times. Nothing. Nicole stopped and took a breath.
“Relax, Nicole. You have all the time in the world. Improvise and Improve,” she reminded herself.
Gripping the lighter, she slowly pressed down on the button. A two-inch flame sprang up. Nicole leaned back and lit the trail of gas behind her. The fuel combusted and a line of fire raced away. Just as she was about to turn around, one of the Dead shuffled across the gas trail and stopped, blocking the flame’s progress. The fire raced to the Shuffler and lit it up. A new smell filled the air as fire consumed rotting flesh. Black smoke rose and stained the sky above as it stumbled. It could feel no pain and hardly seemed to notice that its body, once ravished by decomposition, was now melting away under the flames. The inferno did its work as what was left of tendon, muscle, and bone succumbed. Nicole had hoped that in getting away she could destroy this horde, both for the distraction it would cause and the deadly threat it would eliminate. The Shuffler stepped away from the gas trail and fell to its knees. Nicole watched, disappointment nipping at the edges of her emotion. Just as she
gave up hope that she would be able to destroy the horde, the Shuffler fell backward, its flaming hand touched the gas trail, and the stream of fire resumed its course. Nicole breathed a sigh of relief and then turned. She saw that Sam had already moved around to the passenger side. He tossed in his ax handle and climbed inside. Feeling like her arms were going to snap off, she ignored the pain and began pushing again. Nicole cursed the agony in her arms and chest. The Dead felt no such pain, would not stop or slow down because of it. Fully aflame, the Dead behind her only fell when all ability to move was seared to ash. As Nicole strained against her own body, she wondered if all her efforts were only prolonging the time until the day came when her strength or will would fail, and she would go down in a gnashing frenzy. It made her angry and her anger spurred her on. Maybe there would be such a time, she thought, but it wasn’t going to be this time.
Nicole approached the GTO, just as Sam opened the driver side door for her. She quietly rolled out from under the curtain, climbed behind the wheel, and eased her door closed. Nicole inserted the keys into the ignition and waited. Sam stared at the store.
“It’ll take a couple of hours to work, but when we come back all we need to do is clean up,” Sam said.
Nicole stared out through her windshield. “That’s right, Sam,” she said. The first explosions came from the rear of the store as the fire met the air over-saturated with insect repellent in Receiving.
As soon as she heard the sound, Nicole cranked the engine on the GTO and dropped it in reverse.
“What was that?!” Sam exclaimed.
“Just hold on, Sam,” Nicole replied as she hit the gas. The car flew backwards in a cloud of smoke as secondary explosions rocked the store.
Nicole cranked the wheel in a whiplash 180 and slammed the GTO into drive. Tires screamed as she fishtailed out of the parking lot and down the road towards Fair Valley. Through the back window of the GTO, Sam stared at his store, now burning and exploding.
Nicole's Odyssey (Human Extinction Level Loss Book 1) Page 5