by Harley Tate
“It’s a wonder he made it out of there alive.” Tracy was surprised. If it had already gotten that bad in parts of the city, how long before the crime wave spread?
Dave nodded. “Tell me about it. He claims it’s because he drives a POS car. No one wanted it.”
Tracy snorted back a smile. Edgar seemed like a good guy to get to know.
Wanda peered behind her at the building across the parking lot. “Is it safe to go to my place?”
Dave nodded. “Just watch your step. The hallways are dark. Oh, and the water’s off now, too. So don’t use the toilet.”
Tracy hesitated. She wished there was something she could do for Dave other than wish him good luck. But she knew there was nothing. Helping would only prolong the inevitable. She needed to get back home to protect her supplies and wait for her family.
They would be coming. She knew it.
Wanda smiled at Dave. “Thank you.”
“Of course. Sorry I can’t do more.”
Wanda turned toward her building and Tracy followed a step behind. The entire walk across the parking lot she thought about Dave’s information. No police, no fire department. No military to speak of.
They were on their own. Maybe for good.
Wanda pulled open the glass door to the building and stepped over the brick that had been used to prop it ajar. As soon as she stepped inside, a stench hit Tracy’s nose and she gagged.
“What is that?” Wanda looked like she might throw up.
“I don’t want to know. Let’s just get to your place.”
Wanda pointed as she held her other hand up to her nose to block some of the smell. “It’s down here.”
They walked in silence, both breathing through their mouths and fighting the urge to retch.
Wanda stopped in front of a door and fished her keys out of her purse. She stuck one in the lock, turned the knob, and shoved the door open.
One step inside and she dropped her purse on the floor. “What the…?”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
MADISON
West Sacramento, CA
10:00 a.m.
“Let’s face it. We’re lost.” Tucker leaned back in his seat, chewing on the end of his pen as he scanned the street.
“No, we’re not.” Brianna shook her curls at him. “We’re just… taking the long way.”
Peyton grumbled from the back seat. “We’ve been driving for hours and getting nowhere.”
Brianna gesticulated at the windows. “It’s not my fault half the roads are blocked and we have to turn around.”
“How much gas do we have left, anyway?”
She glanced at the gauge. “Enough.”
Madison stifled a yawn. “Let’s pull over and take a break. My legs are so stiff I might fall over when I stand up.”
Tucker pointed his chewed-up pen out the window. “How about that shopping center? Maybe someone can give us directions.”
Madison didn’t think talking to strangers was a good idea, but she needed to get out of the car and walk around.
Brianna slowed the Jeep. “Fine. But we’re not staying longer than we have to. I want to get Madison home ASAP.”
Tucker glanced over at his girlfriend. Madison didn’t miss the tension radiating between them. Although Brianna was dead set on high-tailing it up to her family cabin north of Truckee, Tucker didn’t seem so enthusiastic.
“We might want to stay the night. Regroup, eat, get a good night’s sleep. Who knows what the roads will be like. The highway could be jammed.”
Brianna scowled, refusing to buy in to Tucker’s theories. She parked away from the other handful of cars in the parking lot and turned off the engine.
It was a typical strip mall in this part of town, complete with a Metro PCS, minimart, and a payday loans store. Two of the three were now worthless. But the minimart could be filled to the brim with shelf-stable food and supplies. They catered to not only locals without a car who relied on the shop for their daily groceries, but also to motorists buzzing by who needed something quickly.
It would have antifreeze and batteries. Flashlights and motor oil.
Madison eyed the front doors. “You think anyone’s working the minimart today?”
“Are you crazy? The whole world’s gone to shit. You really think someone’s going to be in there selling Twinkies?”
“I’d be more worried about who else has the same idea.” Peyton nodded at the cluster of other cars parked in the lot. “Look.”
Madison leaned closer to the window to watch. While they had pulled into the parking space, four men had congregated at the far corner of the lot, heads together, talking. All clad in jeans and loose T-shirts, none looked up to any good. One held a baseball bat loose at his side, almost invisible when he tucked it against his pants.
“Are they about to break in?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
Madison sat up with a start. “We should go. If they’re about to rob the place, we don’t want to get caught up in that.”
Tucker shifted in his seat. “They can’t take everything.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The minimart’s got to have a ton of stuff. Food, water, beer. We could wait them out. When they leave, we can go in and scoop up what’s left.”
Madison gawked. “That’s stealing.”
Peyton nodded. “Madison’s right. We can’t just go in there and take what doesn’t belong to us.”
“You really think anyone’s going to care?”
“The minimart owner will. What happens when he comes back and there’s nothing left of his store?”
“If it’s not us, it’ll be someone else. How long do you think any of the leftovers will last? It’s not like we’re the ones doing the smashing.” Tucker hesitated. “Just the grabbing.”
Madison shook her head. She couldn’t believe what he was saying. “So that makes it right? We weren’t the first? Someone else will do it, why not us? Do you even hear yourself?”
“Shhh.” Brianna motioned for everyone to be quiet. “They’re looking at us.”
Madison and Peyton ducked down in the back seat. With the tinted windows, Madison wasn’t even sure the men could see in, but she wasn’t taking any chances. “Do they see us?”
“I don’t know. But they’re pointing and talking.” Tucker turned to Brianna. “We should get out of here.”
“And miss a chance for some junk food? The bag sitting in there might be the last jalapeño Doritos we’ll ever have the chance to eat.”
“You seriously want to risk death for chips that give you nasty breath?” Peyton shook his head as he looked at Madison. “Your roommate is certifiable.”
“Hey! This roommate is your ride. Watch it, buddy.”
“Shit. Brianna, let’s go. They’re moving.”
She peered over Tucker’s shoulder before grabbing him by the face. “Quick, kiss me.”
“What? No!”
“Just do it. Make out. Look convincing.” Brianna yanked on Tucker, but he refused to budge. After a moment, she cursed and climbed over him, tearing off her jacket to expose a trim little tank top.
“Brianna, stop it!”
“No. If they think we just pulled in here to get it on, they’ll leave us alone.”
“You can’t be serious. Where did you come up with this idea?”
She pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair and tossed her curls around, pretending to come on to him. “In a movie. Come on. Kiss me.”
Tucker groaned and reached up for Brianna, dragging her down for a kiss. All the while he mumbled against her lips. “This is the stupidest idea you’ve ever had, babe.”
“Shut up!” Brianna leaned in and squished her chest against Tucker’s. “What are they doing now?” She hissed her question into the backseat as she pretended to kiss Tucker’s neck.
Madison stared out the window, her face barely sticking up over the edge of the door panel. “They’re watching… And pointing�
� And…” Madison cleared her throat. “Making some lewd gestures.”
Peyton snorted next to her, still couched down below the windows.
“And now they’re turning around and heading back to the store.”
“See. I told you this would work.” Brianna stayed put, straddling Tucker as the four men regrouped in front of the minimart. Never once did she look up, relying instead on Madison’s play-by-play.
“All right. I think they’re about to bust in.” Madison tensed, every muscle in her body coiled tight. She was watching a crime. A bunch of thugs who one day into the apocalypse wanted nothing more than to smash and grab.
She glanced up at her roommate and her boyfriend, still pretending to get it on in the front seat. Were they any different? They didn’t have a baseball bat and a bad attitude, but Tucker wanted to break in. Brianna agreed.
If the power never came back on, how long before everyone turned into a thug with a bat and a bad attitude?
The sound of shattering glass made Madison jump. The man with the bat hit the front door again and again, knocking out giant shards of glass. It didn’t seem real.
He shouted at his buddies and one after another they hopped through the debris and disappeared inside.
Madison exhaled. Brianna sat up.
“Aw, come on, I was kinda getting into that.”
Brianna raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. “The whole risk of possible death didn’t kill your libido?”
He held up his hands with a grin. “I’m a nineteen-year-old guy, Brianna. What do you think?”
Peyton laughed in the backseat, and Tucker reached out to high five.
A gunshot cut the joking short. All four college students turned toward the store. Another shot. Shouts. More gunfire. How many guns did they have in there?
Everyone in the Jeep started talking at once.
“What’s happening?”
“I don’t know.”
“We should go.”
Brianna slid off Tucker and back into the driver’s seat. “If there’s a gun, we’re out.” She went to start the car when Tucker grabbed her arm. “Get down!”
Everyone hunched down in their seats except Madison. She kept watch from her crouch. One of the criminals staggered out of the store, gripping his belly. His white T-shirt bloomed red with blood.
“Oh my God.” Brianna’s whisper broke the silence. “Was he shot?”
Madison nodded. “I think so. Where are the others?”
Just as she asked the question, another man ducked and ran from the building carrying a case of beer under each arm.
Madison and her friends stared out the windows, waiting and watching. After what seemed like forever, Madison sat up. “I don’t think anyone else is coming out.”
“We should go.” Tucker reached for his seatbelt, but Madison shook her head.
“No. We need to get in there.”
“What? You’re the one who complained that we were breaking the law. Now you want to pillage around a couple dead bodies?”
She didn’t want to do anything of the sort. But while they’d been sitting there, she’d realized what else the minimart would have. Madison glanced up at Brianna. “We need to go in. That place will have a map.”
Tucker cursed under his breath.
“Madison’s right.” Peyton cast her a look. “We need to figure out how to get to her house from here.”
Brianna protested. “We can find the highway, I know it. As soon as we do, Madison can get us home.”
“What if the highway’s blocked? We’ve been trying that for hours anyway. How long do you want to keep going in circles?” Tucker sat up. “Think about it. What if we need to take back roads up to your parents’ place? We need a map.”
“You seriously want to go in there?” Brianna stared at her boyfriend, eyes wide with disbelief.
“No. But we need to.” Tucker unlocked the doors and pushed his open. “Who’s coming with me?”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
MADISON
West Sacramento, CA
11:00 a.m.
“What if whoever shot that guy is still in there?”
Madison glanced over at Peyton and shrugged. “We’ll just have to call out. Tell him we’re not there to rob him.”
“And if he shoots at us?”
“Duck?” She knew it wasn’t a good answer, but what choice did they have? They needed a map. Based on all the gunfire, she didn’t think anyone could still be alive inside, but it wasn’t like she had a lot of experience.
Madison wished her father was there. He’d know exactly what to do. She reached for Peyton’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
He shook his head. “This is nuts even if it is the end of the world.”
Tucker reached the front door first with Brianna just behind. He called out. “Hello? Is anyone in there? Do you need medical assistance? Hello?”
They waited in the silence.
“We can help you! Hello?”
“We can’t help anybody. What are you doing?” Brianna chastised her boyfriend as she stood just outside the door, body tucked against a slim portion of brick wall.
“I’m getting them to trust us. But I don’t think I need to. Come on.” Tucker stepped into the store and Madison’s heart thudded against her chest in frantic alarm.
She’d never done anything like this. No breaking in, no sneaking around. She’d been the good kid. The model student. She glanced at Brianna, who eased in behind Tucker with a steeled expression. Now she wished she’d been a bit more like her roommate.
Brave. Daring. Maybe even reckless. She’d have faced more fear. Been more prepared for the end of the world.
Tucker called out from inside the store. “It’s all right. Looks like they’re all dead.”
Madison exhaled a shaky breath and turned to Peyton. “You or me? Who’s standing guard outside?”
Peyton glanced at the empty street and back at Madison. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll stay out here. The smell of blood always makes me nauseous.”
She nodded and ducked into the store, sidestepping the giant piles of broken glass. Telling Peyton he might have to get over that problem wouldn’t help right now, but it was true. They’d all have to grow up, and quick.
Blinking in an attempt to adjust to the dim light in the store, Madison took stock. The gunfight had taken place in the middle, leaving the side aisles untouched. They looked like any other convenience store in any other town.
A drinks station with coffee and soda and frozen slushes. A microwave and a spot for rolling hotdogs and hanging pretzels. An entire wall of beer going bad in refrigerators that might never turn on again.
The only thing different was this one had blood and glass and two dead bodies. Madison swallowed. The first robber lay face down, a pool of blood hugging his chest. It had this sheen to it already, like milk with a skin. If she touched it, it would probably be tacky.
Madison tried not to think about the reality of the moment. A dead man right in front of her. She eased around his body, thankful she couldn’t see his face. She wasn’t as lucky the second time.
The other thief sat slumped over by the candy bar shelf, one hand in his lap like he’d died clutching his gut. The gunshot had torn through him, ripping his middle open as it sent him to the floor.
She glanced up. “Have you found a shotgun? That’s the only thing that could make these wounds.”
Tucker popped up from the chips aisle, his mouth puffed up like a chipmunk. “Swrrwy… Gwt dswrctwd.”
“You’re stuffing your face?” Brianna emerged from behind the counter. “We’re standing in a store that just got robbed and you’re stuffing your face with what?”
Tucker held up the bag and shrugged.
Jalapeño Doritos.
Brianna groaned. “That better not be the last bag.” She turned to Madison and held up a shotgun with one hand and a box of shells with the other. “Guy had some serious buckshot back here. No wonder those two
look like hamburger.”
A wave of nausea rose up Madison’s throat, but she pushed it down. No time to get sick. Everyone dealt with death in a different way. Brianna joked it off, Tucker stuffed his face, Peyton stayed outside. Madison could stand there, staring at the dead man beside her all day, thinking about life and death and what it all meant, but it wouldn’t get her anything except possibly the same fate.
“Hey. Are you all right?”
Madison glanced up at Brianna and nodded. “Yeah. I just need to get out of my own head.”
“Do that and grab whatever we might need, okay?”
Madison nodded. “Where’s the owner?”
Brianna shrugged. “Beats me. Maybe he ran out the back.” She glanced around at the floor. “I’m looking for another gun. From all the shots we heard, there has to be a handgun around here somewhere.” Brianna scowled at Tucker. “And you. Worthless excuse for a boyfriend. Get some shopping bags and fill them with whatever you can. Food, batteries, flashlights. Motor oil if they have it.”
Tucker shoved the last chip in his mouth and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Madison rolled her eyes. Tucker might have risked his life for a bag of Doritos and a box of Slim Jim’s, but Madison risked her life for one thing: a map.
While the other two searched and collected, Madison scanned the store, looking for the familiar little carousel. Bingo! It was tucked in the back, wedged between the ATM machine and the bathrooms.
She rushed up to it, spinning the sections around as she plucked every map they could possibly need off the tines. Madison clutched them all in her hands and said a silent thank you to whomever might be listening. They could make it home. In a few hours, she’d see her mom, hopefully her dad, and they could relax.
Sleep.
She eyed the cookies behind her. Eat some junk. Madison grabbed a bag of Oreos and headed toward the door. Brianna stood one aisle over, staring down at the floor. Madison made her way to her.
The thug she’d passed by before still sat in the same place, hand in his lap, Twix and Snickers cascading like a frozen waterfall down his shoulders. “What is it?”