The Feral Children | Book 3 | Nomads

by Simpson, David A.

  Tobias was in the hardware section looking at the paracord when he heard Swan’s war cry. His head snapped around but he didn’t drop everything and run, they needed the paracord to fix some of their armor and saddles. The homemade gear wasn’t holding up very well with the hard use of everyday road travel. Tobias shoved the rope into Popsicle’s saddlebag, swung up in the saddle and unsheathed his battle axe.

  “Hey!” He shouted when he saw Swan racing for the outdoor section. “How many?”

  “Couple hundred. Too many to fight.” She replied. “We need to get the hell out of here, the shopping carts didn’t even slow them down!”

  Tobias nodded at her and put his heels to Popsicles ribs with a yell. “The others are at the other end of the store, get the gate ready, I’ll slow them down!”

  She and her wolves didn’t break stride as Tobias screamed something in Norse and gigged Popsicle into the aisle as she ran by. He raised his axe high and charged straight for the mass of keening rotting things gnashing their teeth and ready to eat.

  The giant polar bear had been careful plodding down the aisles when they came in. He hadn’t knocked anything off the shelves or blundered into any of the end cap displays. The boy scolded him and was displeased if he bumped into things when they were inside. But that was only when the stinking things weren’t around. Now the boy urged him into chaos, to smash, rend and destroy. To kill the dead and break things. Popsicle complied and barreled down the aisle scattering goods from the shelves and pulverizing bodies as a thousand pounds of pissed off bear drove them down. Hungry hands reaching for the boy high in the saddle were crushed, bodies exploded in great splashes of blackened, rotting organs that sprayed for yards in all directions.

  “Cleanup on Aisle 3!” Tobias laughed as boxes of spaghetti noodles and Hamburger Helper spilled to the floor and mixed with the glop of zombie guts.

  A glance over his shoulder showed him that Swan wasn’t being chased, his bellowing and battle cries had diverted the attack to him. A pair of women came out of the frozen food section and launched themselves at the boy. He swung his battle axe backhanded, split the skull of one and knocked the other aside. It found a grip on the saddlebag and ignored the rhythmic movements of the bears rear haunches as it screamed and climbed for the boy only a few feet away. It hungered for the fresh, pure blood and the still beating heart pumping it through his veins. Popsicles feet scrabbled for traction on the tile floor as he tried to make a hard turn and chase down more of the stinking creatures. The thing lost its grip but still held on with one hand and tried to pull itself back up. Tobias sliced the axe through the mottled flesh and it went sprawling into a rack of Halloween candies, black blood oozing from the severed arm.

  “See ya later, Stumpy!” he yelled, laughed like a loon and twirled the saw bladed axe over his head.

  He let out a savage yell as they tore down the next aisle, the sounds of shattering glass behind him as the horde gave chase. They jostled to be first to the uninfected flesh. Jellies, jams and syrups erupted as they hit the floor causing some of them to slip and fall, only to be trampled underfoot by those following.

  “Attention, Wal-Mart shoppers!” He roared as the thrill of battle surged through his Viking blood. “Be sure to check out our scratch and dent sale in the canned goods section!”

  Tobias saw a flash of black to his right. It was Yewan racing down the top shelf of the aisle beside him. To his left he saw Donny. The silent boy thrust his long spear down through the tops of the skulls of the undead that were dogging Tobias’s heels. Zombies had spread out in the chase and came at him from both directions. The polar bear plowed through them without slowing and Tobias reined him in when there were no more undead in front of them. Popsicle spun, sent an end cap tumbling and Donny threw signs at Tobias and pointed across the store. More were coming, lots more. Some were leaping from the tops of the shelves from one aisle to another. It was time to go before they were boxed in, it only took one lucky jumper to pull him down. Donny pointed towards the lawn and garden section where the rest of the tribe were waiting to slam the steel security gate.

  “I know! I know!” Tobias yelled back. “Go! I’m right behind you!”

  The crashing of shelves and toasters and pots and pans was nearly lost in the cacophony of screams from the hungry undead. Donny and Yewan sprang down and sprinted for the safety of the outdoor section and Tobias saw the rest of the tribe yelling at him to hurry as his bear rose up on his hind legs, roared and took swipes at the broken undead that were close. He leaned forward to get him to drop on all fours then gigged Popsicle down another aisle, one without smashed and broken glass.

  20

  Watcher

  Steven stared out of the mirrored windows of the manager’s office overlooking the floor and watched in fascination as heavily armored children and animals ran for the lawn and garden department and pulled down the gate. They were the one’s he’d heard about on Radio Lakota. He was amazed at how well trained the animals were as a white-haired boy charged through the store running down the undead, controlling the polar bear with his knees.

  He’d been camped out in the Walmart for a few weeks and had been eating well, listening to a wind-up radio at night and playing board games against himself. It was a good hideout. He left the front of the store undisturbed except for whatever he took off the shelves. No one would suspect he was hiding out in the back if they came looking. Now all hell had broken loose and a horde of the undead was rampaging through the store, screaming their awful screams. The zom’s chased after the kids but they were safe behind the gate. That left him a clear path out the back door and he’d best beat feet now while the undead were busy. He didn’t want to get trapped or be seen by the kids. If they told anyone, he’d have half the bounty hunters in the territories combing the area looking for him. He’d never heard his name on Bastille’s crime report but that didn’t mean anything. Maybe they were keeping the manhunt for him quiet, didn’t want to spook him. He was sure he’d been reported as a cold-blooded killer who had brutally murdered a young girl and hijacked a boat. There was probably a big reward. Who knows, maybe the kids would kill him for the bounty. It looked like they could use the money, they were a sopping wet bedraggled looking bunch.

  He heard a shout directly below him and leaned against the glass to look down.

  Analise ran through the sporting goods, through the hardware and paint. She heard the frantic cries of the tribe as they urged her brother and Donny to hurry. She had taken a few minutes to grab a towel to dry off and had been shoe shopping and barefoot when the horde broke through the carts. She could get to the lawn and garden by cutting across the back of the store, she had a few minutes and she wasn’t going to go without boots. She hurried but it took her a bit to find the right size. She heard the roaring and commotion, heard her idiot brother screaming battle cries that they pretended were ancient Viking curses but had no idea what the words meant. They could have been calling for a tax audit on purple dresses with extra pickles for all they knew. They didn’t even know if they were pronouncing the words right but that was okay. Her idiot brother was buying them time and what he lacked in brains, he made up for in bravery. She heard her own name, urging her to get to the lawn and garden section.

  “I’m coming!” She yelled back and hoped Daisy was already with them. She shouldn’t have let her wander off.

  Her voice was lost in the keening of the zombies and the roars of the bears. She hugged the outside wall, ran past the car batteries and mailboxes and pulled up short as she turned the last corner to dash through the paint section. The undead were leaping from aisle to aisle on the tops of the shelves scattering boxes and cartons of goods. They spotted her and screamed. She froze, she’d never seen anything like it, had forgotten how fast and vicious they could be when they were fresh. A dozen dead, black eyes locked in on her and leapt as one.

  She ran.

  They were fast, unbelievably fast and she was cut off from the rest of her tribe. T
hey were right on her back, they were reaching for her and panic started to grip her. She knocked over an end cap filled with jugs of liquid car wax and heard them stumble and fall behind her but the others jumped the tumbling bodies and kept coming, never tiring, single minded in their desire to tear into her uninfected flesh. She angled towards the back of the store, grabbed a 4-way lug wrench from a shelf, and sprinted past the shoes and through the electronics department towards the double swinging doors into the warehouse area. There was a door somewhere in the darkness of the warehouse area. It would be near the docks and have a sign on it saying emergency exit only, do not open, alarm will sound. She just had to reach it before the zombies reached her.

  Donny threw himself into a slide and slid beneath the rapidly closing security gate. Tobias was laughing, still pumped with adrenaline from the fight and chase as ducked low in the saddle to clear the gate then rolled to the ground as soon as he was clear. Kodiak and Harper slammed the heavy steel closed seconds before the undead slammed into it a full run.

  “That was badass! Did you guys see me?” He laughed.

  “More like dumbass.” Swan said but she had to admit, it had been kind of impressive watching the battle from a safe distance.

  She slapped her tomahawks against the railing to make noise and joined the others in yelling and drawing the rest of the undead towards them. Vanessa was already spying around the corner of the building, checking for any undead stragglers still making their way through the front door.

  “It’s clear.” She hollered to them over the roar of the horde.

  “Okay, let’s go.” Kodiak said. “Swan, you and Donny first. Get out of sight and we’ll be right behind you as soon as we get Bert. Vanessa, you know what to do if any of them spot us.”

  Vanessa nodded and raised her spear. She and Ziggy could run circles around them, even if they were faster than any they’d encountered. They’d lead them off.

  “I’m not through with these clowns.” Tobias said as he taunted the undead. “Hey sis, grab my machete and let me spike a few of these things. I’m not done shopping yet.”

  “Doesn’t count as battle kills.” Swan said as she gathered her wolves and started for the back entrance.

  There was no response. He spun and looked for Analise.

  “Where’s my sister?” He asked.

  Everyone stopped their preparations and looked at Daisy who was looking back at them. She was sniffing the air. She was looking for her cub, too.

  “Where’s my sister?” Tobias roared.

  “She didn’t make it.” Kodiak answered. “She was on the far side of the store, in the shoe department. We need to get out of here, she must have went out the back door in the warehouse.”

  “We’ll find her.” Harper said. “She’s probably wondering what’s taking us so long.”

  Tobias slammed his axe into the shelves full of yard gnomes and raged. “Open the gate!”

  “Don’t be an idiot.” Swan said. “We can’t go through them. There’s too many. We’ll check the back exit.”

  “What if she’s not there?” Tobias yelled. “What if she’s somewhere inside?”

  His mind wasn’t working right, he couldn’t think. He’d never been without her and didn’t know what he would do if she was gone.

  If she was bit.

  If she was at the back of the horde with blackened eyes and screaming for his blood.

  “If she’s not there, Vanessa and Ziggy will draw them off through the front and we’ll check every inch of this store. We’ll find her brother. I swear it.” Kodiak said through gritted teeth. “She’s too smart to get bit, you know this.”

  “That’s right.” Harper said. “She’s found a spot to hide or she’s made it outside. We’re wasting time. Time she doesn’t have. We’ve gotta move.”

  “Then let’s go.” Tobias said, sprung up into his saddle and headed for the exit doors.

  21

  Analise

  Analise slammed against the double doors to the warehouse part of the store and bounced off of them. They were blocked from the other side. She caught her balance and swung wildly with the lug wrench, implanted it in the head of a man in coveralls. He went down but others were right behind him. More were coming straight down the aisle at her, and a few more from the other side. They were following the keens of the undead who had cornered their prey and were about to eat. Analise drew her machetes, threw her back against the doors and didn’t think about the odds. They were coming and she was ready. The first of the undead launched himself, black eyes wide, arms reaching, mouth hungry. She swung both blades with all the force she could muster and split his head into three pieces. She stepped aside and let his momentum splash their contents all over the wall. Two women dove for her, slammed her hard and forced the air from her chest. Yellowing teeth snapped at her face but found leather from her bracers. She slammed the heavy handle of the machete against the side of her head and felt the other one trying to burrow into her belly. Her boiled leather cuirass stopped the teeth but jagged fingernails raked at the binding and searched for skin. Another man jumped from the top of the shelves, mouth wide and screaming and suddenly she found herself falling backward. The doors flew open and she landed on her back. A man was there wearing plastic armor and swinging a thick bicycle chain. Analise fought to keep the undead away from her face, her most vulnerable spot. The rest of her was protected with leather unless they got lucky and tore into weak spots at the joints. The man roared and the chain ripped into the undead flesh. Bones broke and chunks of heads disintegrated into a black and yellow bloody mist. More were coming, they heard the desperate sounds of battle over the shrieking and keening at the gate.

  “Go!” the man yelled and tore the thing biting at her leg off and shoved it away. “GO!”

  Analise rolled to her knees and scrambled into the darkness. She’d lost her machetes in the melee.

  “Follow me!” The man shouted and grabbed her hand, pulled her into the black of the warehouse. They undead came screaming after them but he dodged through obstacles and jerked her through ropes strung between shelves.

  “Careful.” He whispered after they’d made a few lefts and rights down different rows. “You have to follow the path, I set booby traps.”

  The rain beat down on the tin roof drowning out their quiet sounds. Behind them they heard the snarls and cries of the undead, the crashing and clattering of things being pulled off shelves by trip wires. Heavy things from the sounds of it. Dumbbells and microwaves. They climbed up two levels at a dead-end aisle, over to the next and dropped down. Her eyes were adjusting to the blackness and she could make out shapes.

  “Thanks, mister.” Analise whispered. “I’m glad you were there, I thought I was a goner.”

  Steven didn’t answer, he wasn’t sure why he risked everything to help a stranger. He could have been killed. He led her deeper through the maze and towards the back door. Now he’d have to run again. If she told anyone about him, they’d come hunting. From the office he’d seen her running for the rear exit and acted immediately. He didn’t think. He tore out the door and flew down the metal staircase, his feet barely touching the steps. He had pushed a riding lawnmower against the doors to jam them closed since the front of the store was wide open. He didn’t want any uninvited guests wandering around while he was sleeping on the managers’ couch. She wouldn’t be able to get through. She’d be torn apart. He didn’t know how he moved so fast, acted so quickly or tossed the mower aside like it weighed nothing. He had caused the death of one girl; he wasn’t going to be the reason another was killed. He tore open the doors as he reached for his gun but grabbed an empty holster. It was on the desk upstairs; he’d been cleaning it when he’d heard the kids come in. Somehow he’d got her out and hadn’t gotten bit. At least he didn’t think he had, he’d have to check. Everything happened so fast.

  “Are you bit?” he asked, suddenly concerned about her turning.

  “No, I don’t think so. My armor is th
ick.”

  “Okay.” He said. “A few more turns and we’ll be at the back door.”

  “What about you?” she asked. “You okay.”

  The man wasn’t wearing any kind of armor, just a plain red T-shirt.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” He said a little moodily.

  Now that the adrenaline was wearing off he asked himself again why he’d risked everything for a stranger. It wasn’t like him to act like a hero. Maybe the scales were even now, maybe he couldn’t stop running but at least his conscious would ease a little.

  “When you go out, take a left.” He said. “Your friends are down at the end, by the garden center.”

  “What about you?” Analise asked forcing her nerves to calm.

  She was breathing hard but the panic was subsiding. Adrenaline still coursed through her veins but she was already relaxing. She pulled her backup dagger from its sheath and felt a little better with the weapon in her hand.

  During training Donny had told them something he’d read from a great Sensei. Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered. Those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. It was hard advice to follow, to swallow all fear.

  Steven took a minute to listen at the door before replying but it was difficult to hear anything over the pounding rain.

  “I’m going to get my gear.” He finally said. “They’ll never make it through the maze before I get back upstairs. Go on, get out of here.”

  “Thanks again, mister.” She said as she pushed open the door leading to the alley that ran behind the store.