by Lora Powell
FIFTY-NINE-DAY 28
Tires squealed as a vehicle came to a hard stop right out front. There was a second of silence, then the pair of guys standing watch from the roof started to fire. Maggie had instructed everyone not to make any noise unless they had no other choice, so I immediately knew that whatever was going on out front was very bad.
The rifles rang out a few more times, and then the world exploded around us.
Automatic gunfire shattered the large windows on the front of the store. People started screaming as they ran for cover from the few bullets that made it that far into the store. Some of them didn't move fast enough. Sasha, the woman I'd just spent the afternoon with, cooking, fell to the ground at my feet. My arm was nearly yanked from it's socket as Shawn dragged me behind a heavy shelf.
The hail of bullets stopped, but barely a second later, a small explosion rocked the front of the store. Thick smoke immediately started to cloud the air and I could see the orange flicker of flames. "We have to get out of here!" Tires squealed again as the truck sped away.
"Stay close!" Keeping his head down, Shawn started to lead the way through the chaos.
It was already dark in the store, but the rapidly growing smoke made it worse. Someone slammed into me in their panic, sending me careening into a shelf. By the time I got back to my feet, I'd lost sight of Shawn.
He could have been nearby, but it was impossible to tell. Bodies ran in and out of my sight, obscured by smoke. Coughing, I pulled my shirt up to cover my mouth and nose. It didn't really help.
A zombie shrieked from somewhere inside the store.
Breathing was getting harder and my eyes started to water. I had to find my friends and we had to get out of the store. Making it into the maze of the sleeping area, I tried to avoid being run over again. People dashed blindly from their rooms with hastily gathered belongings. They gave me an idea. Maya and Bill had a habit of always keeping bags packed and ready to go, just in case. They would probably try to get to their things before they left the building.
Someone started screaming. A terrified sound that raised the hair on the back of my neck. It sounded like a little girl.
Abandoning my first course of action, I tried to find the source of the screams. If it was Luna who was in trouble, I couldn't just leave her alone.
Turning a corner, movement ahead swirled in the smoke. I was very glad that I had my machete in hand when I drew close enough to see what it was.
Crouched in a corner, Luna held her hands over her head as she shrieked again. Standing in front of her with teeth bared, Rex snarled warningly at a zombie. The zombie hissed back at him as it weaved back and forth, looking for an opening to attack.
My heart plummeted. This zombie was very fresh.
I had become adept at killing the older ones, but I had not faced one that could still think by myself before. The time for doubts was over, however. A harsh cough tore it's way up my burning throat, alerting the zombie to my presence.
The creature spun around and bared it's teeth at me. Calculation flickered in it's dead eyes as the zombie decided to set it's sights on easier prey.
It lunged my way. Hacking with the machete, partially blinded by my tearing eyes, I managed to hit the zombie's arm before it could get a hold of me. The deadly machete severed the limb almost completely, leaving it's hand dangling by a strip of flesh. The zombie hissed and reeled back.
I'd become familiar with the damage that Rex could inflict upon flesh with his own sharp teeth. Now that the zombie was closer, I could see that it's remaining arm had come out the loser already in a fight with the dog. With one arm now useless, and the other shredded, the zombie changed it's tact.
It shrieked as it began trying to circle behind me. An answering shriek came from somewhere in the smoke filled store. I had to kill the creature and get Luna out of there before another fast zombie found us. I knew that there was zero chance of me fighting off multiple of them without someone getting bit, or worse.
As the zombie circled, it moved away from it's original target. I took the opportunity to move closer to the little girl. Keeping my eyes locked on the zombie, ready for it's next move, I tried to talk to her. "Luna. Luna, it's Bri. I'm going to get you out of here."
The zombie reacted to my words, with a snarl, it flung itself at me a second time. Aiming to kill, I swung the machete with all of my strength. The tip of the machete caught the zombie in the face. The smoke had made me miscalculate, swinging too soon, but luck was on my side anyhow. The machete sliced through the zombie's brow before lodging into it's eye.
There was no time to stop and think. The world was on fire around us. Fire crawled across the ceiling, the heat stinging my bare skin. The moans of the zombies and the shouts of horror from the survivors were dying down. By now, most of the people had fled this part of the store.
Coughing harshly again I reached for the little girl still hiding in the corner. "Luna! We have to go now!" Grabbing her by the arm, I hauled her along behind me as I bolted for the back of the store. Seeming to snap out of her stupor, she began running along behind me.
I couldn't see. The smoke was too thick. Light appeared in the darkness, approaching from my right. I almost didn't have time to register the flaming zombie as it stumbled toward us. Running on pure adrenaline, I shouldered the zombie, dashing past it still dragging Luna behind me.
Part of the ceiling crashed down somewhere behind us. Looking around desperately, I tried to figure out where the door that led into that long back hallway was.
"That way," her voice squeaked out between coughs, Luna pointed into the darkness. I tripped over Rex, I couldn't even see my own feet anymore, but took off in the direction she had pointed.
The back wall loomed suddenly through the smoke. Just to our left, I thought I saw the blurry outline of the door. Dashing towards it, I couldn't stop the shriek that left me when the door suddenly flew open.
A large figure loomed in the doorway for a second. My already hammering heart beat harder with the terrible possibilities of who, or what, it could be, before a voice soothed those fears.
"Bri! Jesus, I've been looking all over for you. Come on!"
The flood of relief made me want to sob, but I clamped down hard on the emotions. Moving again, I swept into the hall with the others close on my heels.
The darkness back here was complete, but the air felt just a little easier to breath. I jumped when a large hand found my arm in the dark and started pulling me rapidly down the hall. Within seconds, the crackle and roar of the flames died down, and I started to hear voices and shuffling feet just ahead.
"It's ok. It's a bunch of people from the group," Shawn must have felt me tense up. "They're waiting to try to gather as many people as possible before leaving the building. We're gonna try to stay together."
"Bill and Maya? Fallon?" My voice croaked out.
"Bill and Maya are there. Maggie too, I think. I haven't heard anything from Fallon."
I sensed rather than saw when we were nearing the group.
"It's me, I found Bri," Shawn said out loud.
I realized that not only could I not see any of them, but they couldn't see any of us, either. "I have Luna. She's ok," I croaked. The little girl's small hand was still clutched in my own death grip.
A relieved murmur rose in the dark.
"Thank you," Maggie was to my right and she sounded relieved to hear that the girl had been found. "I don't think that we can wait any longer. The smoke is getting thick in here."
Compared to back in the main store, the air back here was bliss, but I kept that to myself.
"We need to stay together. Watch out for each other, there will probably be some zombies out back. Does everyone have some kind of weapon?"
A chorus of affirmative answers revealed how many people were standing there in the dark. It sounded like at least a dozen. I picked up Maya's voice in the crowd.
"Ok, be fast and quiet. We will get through this. Let's move."
The distinct sound of the bar on the door being pressed was accompanied by a flood of bright light. Shielding my eyes, I looked ahead to see a familiar outline pushing the door open. Still blinking rapidly, I thought for a second that my eyes were playing tricks on me when the back of his head exploded all over those crowded behind him.
SIXTY-DAY 28
"No!"
I watched in horror as Mark crumpled to the ground. More screams echoed down the hallway as the people nearest to his body backpedaled frantically. I was shoved, and only maintained my grip on both of the hands I held by sheer force of will. I wasn't about to lose Shawn again. Becoming aware of something wet on my forehead, I tried to wipe it off on the shoulder of my shirt without the benefit of hands.
The door slammed shut, leaving us trapped in the dark once again. Maggie's voice tried to raise above the chaos, trying to bring the group back under control. I heard her voice shake for the first time since I'd met her.
"Are you ok?" Shawn pulled me closer to talk directly in my ear.
"Yeah. Luna, you doing ok?" I wished I could actually see them.
"I'm ok. What's going on?"
Thank goodness for small favors. I was glad that the girl hadn't gotten a good view of what had just happened. "It's going to be ok. We'll figure something out." I turned back to Shawn. "How about you?"
"I'm fine."
"People, please calm down!" Maggie was still trying to get the crowd under control.
"There has to be another way out. One where we don't get shot as soon as we open the door!" That sounded like Sara.
A couple of voices agreed with her.
"I'm going back. We'll find a way out one of the other stores. They can't be watching every door," Sara yelled. Someone bumped into me as they felt their way along the wall. Another body brushed mine as they followed.
"Please! We need to stay together!" Maggie sounded desperate, but it didn't do any good. Another body brushed by.
"Shawn? Bri?" Bill's voice was close to my ear.
"Yeah, Bill? We're here."
"Ok, just checking."
The shouting died down as the group split. As far as I could tell, more than half of the group was still standing at the end of the hall.
"Maggie, what should we do now?" That was Charlie. I was relieved to hear from the woman.
"Um, Charlie. Let me think a second."
The smoke in the hallway was building. It was only a matter of time before the fire consumed the entire mall. We couldn't stay here.
A bang at the far end of the hallway made me jump. Everyone froze, listening for a clue as to what had caused the noise. A faint orange glow flickered way down there. The fire.
Movement, highlighted by that glow, made my blood run cold. Someone was down there. Someone who moved in startling fits and starts.
An inhuman howl echoed through the corridor.
"Zombie," I whispered, like any of the others could have missed the new arrival.
It was hard to see, but I thought that the zombie hesitated for one long second before starting down the hall. Mid way between us, something clattered to the floor.
Everything happened fast after that. Someone from the group that had split off cursed, and the zombie screamed. Footsteps began pounding the hard floor as the people who had left us started to run.
"We have to go now!" Maggie yelled. I looked back up the hall, but other than that flickering glow clear at the other end, it was an endless pit of darkness. Then I saw another zombie amble through the door.
Tightening my grip, I started pushing towards where I knew the way out was. "We don't have a choice."
Too close for comfort now, there was the sound of a scuffle and someone cried out. Ignoring the call for help, I pushed towards the door. "Stay together!" Maggie practically shouted in my ear, and then she pushed the door open again.
The light appeared just in time to keep me from stepping on Mark's body. I was numb, the day had been too much, and I merely stepped over him and into the light. Ahead of me, Maggie was the first one out. She ducked and started running. A bullet whizzed by her and hit the next person in the door. He staggered, but stayed on his feet.
Shawn let go of my hand, and I started to protest, but stopped when he reached to pick up Luna. Looking at me with wide eyes, he bolted out the door.
I was the next one out. It was a surreal feeling, being sure that you were running straight into the arms of your own death. I was shocked when I realized that I was still alive, despite the bullets that were raining down all around.
Already tortured by the smoke and heat, my throat screamed with the panting breaths racing in and out. I focused on Shawn's back and just kept running.
There were zombies milling around everywhere. Those that hadn't been drawn into the store by the fire were now roaming the area. I raced past the guy who had been hit by the bullet meant for Maggie, two decomposing zombies digging their rotting hands into his flesh. Running next to me, Rex snarled at anything that looked like it was going to get in my way.
Focused solely on not losing sight of Shawn, I didn't take note of where we were going. My only thought was to keep him in sight. When my upper arm started to sting, I ignored it.
Rounding the far corner of the mall finally put an end to the bullets. There were less zombies on this side too. Ahead of me, Maggie was swinging a hatchet at a zombie that had tried to go for her. Shawn still carried Luna, and I sent a quick thanks to whoever may be listening that neither of them appeared to have been hit.
A throb from my own arm reminded me that I'd not escaped completely unharmed. The arm still seemed to work ok, I was glad for that. Blood dripped steadily off of my fingers, but it could have been worse.
Gasping breath behind me made me look back, and I almost smiled I was so happy with what I saw. Bill looked like he was in a lot of pain, but he and Maya had rounded the corner and looked ok. On their heels came Charlie, the guy who's name I'd never learned on our ill fated grocery run, and a limping Alex.
I kept glancing back, expecting more people to round the corner, but they never came. I gave up watching for them when my inattention almost made me run straight into a zombie. Slashing at it with the machete, I dodged, and put on an extra burst of speed to catch up with Shawn.
We must have ran for more than a mile before Maggie swerved toward a house. "In here," she panted as she threw open the front door.
Diving inside, I looked around a little wildly. Running headlong into a building wasn't a very smart idea anymore.
Seeing the look on my face, Maggie whispered as she pulled the door shut behind the stragglers. "We cleared this one already. It's our rendezvous point."
I sagged against the wall. A few feet away, Shawn set a very shaken looking Luna on her feet. To her credit, the little girl hadn't made a sound. But then, maybe I shouldn't be surprised. She had managed to survive on her own for a while, before the group found her in her school.
"How bad is it?"
The question pulled me from my contemplation of the girl. I'd almost forgotten the fact that I'd been shot. Apparently, I was still more numb than anything. I looked at my arm. "I don't think it's too bad," I wiggled my fingers as blood dripped onto the floor.
"Let me see," Alex pushed in between Shawn and I, earning himself a dirty look. The nurse ignored him and reached for my arm.
He poked around at the wound, making it start throbbing to the beat of my heart. "You're right. It's not bad, but we should clean it up and cover it," Alex walked away down the hall. "Maggie, you guys left a medical kit here, right?"
"Yeah," she was busy looking out the window, back the way we had come.
Most of us moved into the living room. Maggie and Charlie paced from window to window, keeping an eye out for anyone else who may have made it out alive. Shawn sat next to me on the couch as Alex treated my arm. Next he wanted to look at Bill, much to the big man's displeasure. Bill was in luck, he had endured the physical activities without tearing his wounds
open again.
I was concerned about Alex's limp, but he assured me he hadn't been bitten or shot. He quietly murmured that he'd tripped on Mark's body and twisted an ankle, all the time watching to be sure Luna wasn't listening.
The afternoon wound into evening, and there was no sign of Mack or his crazy group. But there also was no sign of any of our people. I worried about Fallon. I hadn't known about the rendezvous, so I doubted she did either. I wasn't sure how we were going to find her again.
Maggie became more subdued as darkness descended. I knew she had been expecting more of her people to show up, but as the hours passed, that seemed less and less likely. Finally giving up her watch to let Shawn take a turn, Maggie sank into the couch with a defeated sigh.
SIXTY-ONE-DAY 29
Rex raised his head from where he had been resting it on his paws and growled lightly. That wasn't all that unusual. Whenever a zombie wandered too close to our hideout, he did the same. It had been going on all night.
Dawn was just starting to lighten the night sky. Dante, I'd finally figured out the unnamed guy's name, and I were taking a turn keeping watch. I looked out the nearest window, checking for the zombie. There had been plenty of them that went by in the night, but we stayed quiet and they kept on going. Unscrewing the top of the water bottle I'd taken from the stash of supplies, I raised it for a sip.
Over the top of the bottle, movement from outside caught my eye.
Suddenly alert, I craned my neck to get a better look. The figure ducked behind an abandoned van on the curb. It was definitely not a zombie.
"Hey," I hissed lowly. No one was really sleeping, only trying to rest, and I heard shuffling in the next room as someone got to their feet.
A second later, Maggie and Shawn both appeared at my side. A questioning look from Maggie had me jerking my chin toward the window.
"There's someone out there. They just went behind that van."