by Rachel Aukes
It took us twenty-three minutes to drive six miles through town and to our destination. Home Depot was a new massive store on the outskirts, sidled up against an old elementary school of all things. A wood privacy fence went out from behind the school to enclose what I assumed to be the playground.
A sense of bad omen settled into my stomach. I turned in my seat to face Jase. “When the outbreak hit, when did they let out the schools?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think they officially closed, but I know some parents picked up their kids, anyway. It all happened so fast. At the high school, some of the teachers let us out early, and I drove my bike home. But those who rode buses…I-I don’t know how they got home.”
I grimaced. “I’m guessing school is still in session.”
“You have a bike?” Clutch asked.
Jase nodded. “Mom and Dad got me a kickass Suzuki for my birthday. I’ve been practicing up for motocross. I’m going—I mean, I was going to race at the county fair this summer.”
I could hear the enthusiasm in Jase’s voice bleed out as he spoke.
“The bike’s at your house now?” Clutch asked.
“Yeah, why?”
“Because a bike is the perfect vehicle for us to scout the farm and surrounding area. We’ll pick it up on our way back. Don’t worry. You’ll get plenty of motocross practice in.” He sighed as he turned into the large parking lot. “Add the bike to our ever-growing to-do list.”
Jase gave a low whistle. “That’s a lot of cars.”
“Are you sure there’s nowhere else that might have roofing supplies?” I asked.
Clutch grimaced. “’Fraid not.”
He pulled into an open area toward the back of the parking lot. If zeds came at us, the one thing we had on them was speed. Having the truck at a distance from the store could be a lifesaver when it came to putting space between us and hungry zeds.
We checked our gear and weapons. We left the Kevlar vests at home since they were heavy and zeds tended to go for the face or extremities. With the black Kevlar helmets and gloves, we looked like Special Forces, but I felt nothing like an experienced soldier.
Clutch looked at both of us. “All right, we’ve got to be smart about this. No fuck-ups. We get what we need, then we’re out of there. The other supplies in there aren’t worth the risk, not until we know the place is cleared out. We go in silent and we stick together. We know zeds hunt off their senses, so we move slow and silent. Always keep a direct line to the exit. If either of you screw up, I might decide to leave your ass behind. Got it?”
Both Jase and I nodded.
Clutch left the keys in the ignition in case we needed to make a quick getaway, or, worse, in case he didn’t leave the store with us. “Let’s do this. Exactly as I taught you. Follow my lead. Silence from here on out,” he said and opened the door.
I gripped the crowbar. We moved as a trio of dark-colored shapes slowly through the parking lot. I’d expected that we’d have to take out a couple zeds in the parking lot, but nothing emerged from around the cars. Not a good sign. Because the owners of those cars had to be somewhere.
We flattened against the wall on either side of the wide glass entrance, and Clutch bent around to scan the area. He frowned and led us down the sidewalk to the exit door. He scanned the interior longer this time before finally nodding. Forcing myself to breathe, I stepped next to Clutch, holding the crowbar up. The sliding door didn’t automatically open. Just as we’d expected, the power grid for the entire area was down. Clutch pulled at the door while I stood ready to knock back any zed that may attack. Jase stood at our backs, a rifle slung on his back and a long wood-handled axe in his hands.
Clutch pried the door open just enough for us to squeeze through one at a time. Clutch went in first. Once through, he crouched and flattened himself against one of the checkout counters. He held his machete out while he checked the area behind him.
When he gave us the all-clear, I went in next, moving exactly as Clutch had done. When Jase reached me, he tapped my left shoulder. Ready. I did the same to Clutch’s shoulder, just like how he’d made us practice.
Clutch moved to the edge of the counter and looked left and right. After making a quick hand motion, he crossed the aisle, keeping slow and low, until he flattened against the other side. I moved but abruptly pulled back when I saw the zed in the aisle, sniffing at the air. Taking a breath, I waited until it faced the other direction, and I crossed the aisle. Jase followed.
We continued this process, avoiding zeds and following Clutch, as we moved deep into the belly of the store. For the number of cars outside, there were surprisingly few zeds meandering around, which made me wonder exactly where all the drivers to those cars had gone.
Clutch clearly frequented this store because he led us to the aisle we needed without any wrong turns or detours except to bypass zeds. I opened the duffel, and he slid in several heavy stacks of shingles. Jase stayed at my back and scanned the entire time.
“Uh, guys?” Jase whispered.
I glanced up to see a zed come around the corner and into our aisle. It’d been badly gnawed. One of its arms was nothing but white bone and stringy sinew. We didn’t move, hoping it wouldn’t see us.
We weren’t that lucky.
It only took a couple seconds for the zed to sniff the air and home in on us. It moaned and stumbled toward us. It’s like a fucking bloodhound, I thought to myself. Clutch stood, walked right up to it, and swung, his machete taking off the top of the zed’s head with a single powerful slice. The zed collapsed, and he caught the body just before it hit the floor and laid it down quietly.
He returned and grabbed the duffel as though nothing happened. On our way out, we nearly walked into a small group of zeds and were forced to backtrack. As we neared another aisle, Jase nudged me. “Look,” he whispered and pointed at a glass display case.
My mouth opened, and I tugged Clutch and then pointed.
He saw the display case, looked around, and then headed toward it. On proud display behind the glass was a little piece of heaven. Small camping axes, knives of all sizes, and the Cadillac—black machetes. While Clutch’s arsenal of rifles and pistols was impressive, he had few blades, with the exception of a machete and a wood axe, his blades were knives.
He felt around the back of the display case, then around the edges. When the glass didn’t slide open, he grabbed Jase’s axe.
“It’s locked. Get ready to move fast,” Clutch whispered. “Know what you want, and grab it. Don’t try for everything. We head straight to the truck two seconds after this breaks.”
He stood, laid an empty duffel against the glass, and then brought down the heavy end of the axe. Even with the fabric, the sound of breaking glass echoed through the store.
Clutch grabbed a couple small axes in one swoop, and then got out of the way. Jase and I were smaller and could reach in at the same time. We both went for the machetes, and then I grabbed an axe, sliding both into my belt.
“Let’s go,” Clutch said aloud, and we headed down the aisle.
We made it two rows over before we hit a roadblock of a half dozen zeds. We turned to the left and ran. Jase pulled ahead, though Clutch was quick. I struggled to keep up, my shorter legs a clear detriment in outrunning zeds.
The guys came to a screeching halt in front of me. The zeds had discovered the opened door, and had flocked toward it, moaning as they pressed through. That was, until they saw us, and their moans grew in volume as they changed direction en masse toward us.
A quick glance at the entrance door proved no better option.
Clutch looked around. “There’s a door to the lumberyard on the side.” He took off at a run. We followed, weaving around stray zeds. Clutch kicked the door open, and we burst outside.
I sucked in a breath.
At least fifty zeds turned our way. They must’ve fled outside when the outbreak happened, only to be corralled in the lumberyard. The herd moaned and came at us. We ran toward the
front gate, only to find it locked with a big ass padlock.
“Oh, shit,” Jase said. “We’re so dead.”
We couldn’t go back inside because we’d already drawn the attention of every indoor zed. The herd closed in. Some were wearing orange vests with nametags, others in casual jeans and T-shirts.
“We need to get to higher ground. Stay with me,” Clutch called out and led the charge.
He ran toward the herd, and then cut to the left to dodge outstretched arms. Jase was insanely fast and moved ahead of Clutch in no time. By the time I reached the corner, the herd had blocked off the aisle the guys had taken, and I cut to the right, jumping over a stack of hoses. A zed stood in my way, and I swung the crowbar, smashing its head and knocking him to the side. I kept running, dodging zeds, swinging only when I had to, until I found the guys again.
Jase was climbing the lumber stacks on long shelves lining the back wall. Clutch had climbed into a forklift and was headed straight toward me. I ran to the side as Clutch skewered the closest zed. He jumped off the still-moving forklift and quickly caught up to me. “Get your ass in gear, Cash!”
With one final surge, I flung the crowbar onto the second shelf before leaping for a stack of two-by-fours. I’d been working out, but one week of strength-building didn’t cut it. I awkwardly held on to the end of two-by-four on the end and prayed it wouldn’t give. When it didn’t move, I swung, trying to get my leg over the edge. A zed grabbed onto my foot, and I kicked out. Its grip relaxed enough, and I used its head to step off, pushing myself onto the shelf.
Clutch had also leapt onto the shelf, though he made it look easy.
Gasping for air, I got back on my feet, and followed Clutch. I grabbed on to a metal shelf post, and pulled myself up to the next level. A gloved hand reached out from above, and I grabbed on, letting Clutch pull me up to the stack he and Jase were on. I hugged on to him as soon as I felt the solid surface under my knees.
Still on a knee, Clutch pulled back and looked me over. “You all right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”
“Come and get us, you stinky zed bastards!” Jase yelled out, flipping the zed the bird. Jase was on his knees, panting, looking over the edge.
“Jesus,” I said. “You’re a freaking mutant, Jase. I’ve never seen anyone run that fast.”
He grinned. “State 100-meter and 400-meter relays. Twice. Not to mention Fox Hills’s varsity football team’s best tight end.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Until I looked over the side. The zeds gathered below, looking up, reaching and groaning, as though begging us to come back down. Some tried to climb, but they fell back after the first step.
We’d use up all our ammo to clear out the herd below. And who knew how many more the noise would draw out. Already, the zeds from inside the store were filtering outside to join the soggy herd already surrounding us. Why were there so many here? It had taken Alan nearly an hour to turn. That should’ve given most of these folks time to get home and turn there. Though, I remember the news had said that the worse the injury, the faster they turned. Many of the zeds below had serious bites.
And they looked ravenous.
I glanced at Clutch, who seemed to be thinking the same thing.
“C’mon,” he said. “Let’s get to the top.”
I poked my head out and looked up. There were three more shelves to climb. The fact that I was scared of heights did nothing to help my nerves. Jase took the lead. He climbed like a monkey, amped up on pure adrenaline. Clutch went next. Even with the heavy duffel and being laden with weapons, he climbed like he carried little extra weight. I double-checked my weapons to make sure they were secure, and I started to pull myself up the side. It was like climbing a rope on a jungle gym, except the bars were unforgiving, and if I fell, I’d get eaten.
At each level, Clutch helped pull me up, and we took a few minutes to rest, although I think it was mostly for my benefit. If it hadn’t been for the gloves, my hands would’ve been raw. Even with the gloves, I felt blisters forming.
Once we reached the top, I lay down on the stack of thick plywood and panted. Clutch scanned the area, and I pulled myself up to gauge the situation. Large shelves holding stacks of wood, blocks, and boxes lined the three walls. We had plenty of horizontal movement up here, but getting to the ground without becoming zed-food would be a challenge.
Clutch set down the duffel. “You two stay here. I’m going to check things out.”
I pulled myself up as Clutch leapt onto the next shelf over. He moved slowly but with a gracefulness that belied his size as he leapt from one shelf to the next. I looked out over the wall to see open countryside. A zed shambled along here and there, but otherwise, it was wide-open. The problem was we were a good twenty feet up, without any ladder or rope to get down the wall.
“We’re so dead,” Jase said at my side. “We’re going to die, aren’t we?”
I punched him in the arm. “I don’t ever want to hear you say those words again. Clutch will figure out something.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied quietly.
We sat in silence after that. When Clutch finally returned, Jase didn’t complain, not once.
“Find anything promising?” I asked.
Clutch pulled off his helmet and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s a hell of a jump, but the roof of the elementary school looks like our only shot. Our other option is to wait it out and hope these guys move on.”
“You think they’ll move on?” I asked.
“No chance in hell,” Clutch quickly replied.
I slid my gloves back on. “I guess we’d better get going then.”
The shelf we needed was four over from the one we were on, and I moved more cautiously than Clutch. Once I reached the shelf, I looked over at the school. “For once, I wish you were exaggerating,” I grumbled. When he’d said it was going to be a big jump, he should’ve said it was going to be an Olympian feat. Not only was the roof nearly a good five feet lower, there was what looked like an eight-foot gap between the shelf and the roof. If I didn’t make the roof, the fall would likely kill me.
To make matters worse, a lone zed was stuck in the alley, blocked on one side by the playground fence and the other by a car. It was on the ground, its legs mangled as though it had been caught between the car and the fence at some point, and it had dragged itself around in circles, if the brown trail was any indication.
“Oh, Jesus—”
My glare cut off Jase’s words and he clamped his mouth shut.
“If I go first,” Clutch said. “One of you will have to throw me the duffel.”
I almost chuckled at the absurdity. There was no way I could throw a fifty-pound bag two feet, let alone fifteen. “I’ll go first,” I said. “I’ll catch.” What I meant was, I’ll use my body to block the bag’s momentum and hopefully not die upon impact.
He nodded, and I backed up to the edge of the shelf overlooking the lumberyard. If I thought about it, I knew I’d freak, so I didn’t wait. I took three big breaths before sprinting forward. At the other edge, I kicked off into a scary-as-shit long-jump. Just when I thought I’d never reach the edge of the roof, I landed on the flat surface, falling forward instantly. The air whooshed from my lungs, and my teeth snapped shut painfully when I hit my chin. I slid down a couple feet before coming to a stop on the abrasive shingles.
I rolled over and coughed and wheezed.
“You okay?” Clutch called out, and I held up my thumb.
Once I could breathe again, I pulled myself up and inched my way back up to the peak. “Throw me the bag.”
Clutch held up the bag, and I held out my arms and swallowed. Jase stood off to the side, watching with wide eyes. Clutch swung the duffel in a wide arc and released it with a grunt. I stood there and waited for the smack-down, and Clutch’s aim was dead-on. The duffel hit me square in the stomach, and I fell backward, holding it to me. I slid several feet down the roof, but the duffel’s canvas helped slow my descen
t. By the time I sat up, I found Clutch on the roof with me.
“Nice catch.”
I coughed and handed him the duffel. “I don’t think I have tits anymore.”
He gave that deep rumble of a chuckle, heaved the bag onto his back, and winced.
“Your shoulder?”
He rubbed it. “Yeah. Twisted it when I threw the duffel.”
He reached out with his other hand and helped me to my feet. We looked over at Jase. He stood there, frozen. The zed in the alley was groaning, reaching up.
I motioned him over with one hand while still holding my bruised ribs with my other. “You can do it, monkey boy.”
He looked down once more and then slowly backed up. With a half-crouch, he rocked back and forth before kicking off. He easily closed the distance and landed solidly on the roof. But his footing gave way, and he kicked out and went tumbling down the side. He grabbed at the roof but kept sliding until he disappeared over the edge.
“Jase!”
Clutch and I moved cautiously down the angled roof to the edge. Jase was on the ground, holding onto his ankle. Instead of the parking lot side, Jase had fallen into the playground. Shit. I scanned the enclosed area but saw no movement.
Jase winced. “My ankle. I think it’s broken.”
“Can you stand?” Clutch asked.
Jase grunted, was able to get to his feet, but he favored his right leg.
“Good. Now, do you see a door in the fence? Or, is there anything around you can use to climb back up here?”
As Jase looked around, I scanned the privacy fence, but found only a gate at one end, and it had a large, shiny padlock on it.
“There’s nothing down here,” Jase said, holding up his hands in defeat.
“Jase, do you see any zeds around?” I asked.
“Not out here. I see some inside, though. Oh, God. They see me.”
“Bloody hell,” I muttered. “I’ll handle this.”
Clutch eyed me. “Cash…”
“He’s injured. I’m not. You can pull me up once we get Jase to safety.” Before I had a chance to think about how dumb the idea was, I shimmied down, holding onto the edge until I had to let go. The drop sent shockwaves up my shins, but I landed without twisting anything.