by Dean, Jane
"Sorry. That's true.” Tod fiddled with the button on his sleeve. “I’m feeling a little hungry. I'm going to get something to eat. Do you ahh want anything?"
"No. I'm fine." Rene smiled slightly as Tod backed out of the office and walked quickly down the narrow staircase. He walked down the main aisle of the grocery store craning his neck looking around stacked cans of tomato sauce and bags of pasta. Melissa was sitting cross-legged on the floor bouncing a ball back and forth to another little girl.
"Melissa," Tod whispered. She looked up at him without expression. "Honey, have you seen Ursa or Marshall?" She nodded and pointed toward the back of the store. Tod crouched and ran to the back of the store glimpsing Marshall carrying a case of water. "Marshall...Marshall. Come here!" Tod whispered.
Marshall set down the case and came back to the meat freezer where Tod stood alone. "What?"
"You won't believe what I just found," Tod whispered.
"What?" Marshall stood with his hands on his hips.
"We've got a connection out here."
"What do you mean?"
"The Internet man. They have a Wi-Fi connection.”
"What are talking about? These people are one step away from being Amish."
"There's an IPad in the office. I caught Rene using it. The connection's still active."
"We've got to tell Ursa and get up there." Gunshots started sounding at the front of the store. A woman ran by them. "What's going on?" Marshall grabbed her arm. She pulled against him and almost fell to the floor. "It's Mark, he says we're all better off dead. He thinks this is what God wants." Tod crouched to look down an aisle to the front of the store. The men guarding the entrance were on the floor and Mark was pulling on the doors. Walkers were helping his efforts by pushing against the windows from the outside.
"We've got to find Ursa and Melissa,” Marshall said.
"I'll get Melissa. You find Ursa and Callum and meet me up in the office. We can hold them off up there and contact someone on the outside."
* * *
"Dr. Myers." The prime minister of France leaned forward in his chair and looked out through the TV monitor. "We have an agreement. You provide us with the vaccine then."
"Yes. The doctor will complete the transfer of the formula to our lab and we'll transmit the procedure to reproduce the vaccine to you directly,” said Major Simmons.
"Good." The prime minister folded his arms in front of him. "We're running out of time fast. I know I speak for most of the leaders when I say that we need to stop this thing in its tracks and scrape together what's left of humanity."
TWELVE
Ursa stood in the aisle searching the small bottles on the shelf. She put her hand to her temple where the veins were still growing and throbbing. Her joints ached and they felt let the ligaments were being stretched. Flashes of white lights appeared in front of her eyes and she felt weak from hunger. She clutched at a red bottle and opened the pain killer swallowing a few and sat down hard and limp on the floor. She could see the shoes of a woman appear in front of her.
“Are you okay dear?” the woman asked.
“I’ll be okay.” Ursa said and put her head back against the shelf.
The woman gasped and took a step back. “I’ll…I’ll get you some water dear. You stay put.”
Ursa lay down and put her face on the cold tile floor hoping to relieve the pain of the blood flowing through her temples. She could hear the woman’s frantic voice coming from the next aisle. “She’s changing,” the woman said. Ursa watched another pair of shoes from under the shelves. “Who’s changing?” the other woman asked.
“It’s that girl. That strange looking girl Ursa who came in earlier. It’s her face. It’s bulging and her eyes, they’re unnatural. She must have been bitten.”
“We have to tell someone.” The shoes ran down the aisle. Ursa knew she’d have to move fast to escape.
"Ursa! Ursa!" Marshall was calling softly and running through the warehouse aisles past the dark TVs, laptops and terrified people to where he'd last seen her. Ursa looked up from the floor to see why someone was shooting. She could sense that Marshall was looking for her. She knew he wasn’t close but could feel his need to find her. She managed to crawl to the end of the aisle, the intense blood pressure coursing through her veins was starting to subside and she crouched behind a large stack of canned beans.
She willed him to move toward her position so she could call out to him. "Marshall. There’re going to kill me.” Marshall stopped short when he saw her distorted face peering at him around the corner. “What is it? What's wrong?" she asked as he looked into his eyes. He shook his head and grabbed her around the shoulders to help her stand.
"It’s Mark. He’s letting the Walkers in and they’re going to kill all of us. Now where's Callum?"
"I..I don't know. Let me search for him. Why’s Mark letting them in?"
"He's decided that we're all better off dead. He's opened the front door and is up in the rafters taking shots at people."
"I heard the shot but I thought someone was doing some target practice. What're we going to do? Wait. I found him.” She closed her eyes briefly. "Where should he go?” she asked.
“Tell him to get upstairs to the office.”
“Okay,” she paused for a moment. “It’s done. Let’s go.”
Marshall looked over the shelves and bent to help her up. A few people are down and he's laughing like a crazy person." They walked past Laurie who dropped the can of beans she'd been ready to stack. She was standing in place and stared at Mark and the approaching Walkers.
“Run!” Marshall yelled but she stood not able to move and was cut down by a round of bullets. Ursa called to her but Marshall grabbed her by the elbow and they crawled away from the dead woman who was already starting to change and move. "This place is going to be crawling with dead people in a few minutes. Hurry!"
Ursa grabbed him by the hand for support and they ran toward the stairs that led up to the office that overlooked the store warehouse floor. They could see Tod carrying Melissa over his shoulder as he ran through the door. "I don't see Callum! Callum!" Ursa yelled as loudly as she dared. She could see him in front of them running for the office. "Callum!" she called
He turned his head and ran straight into a Walker. Marshall ran and tackled the dead man who was trying to get a grip on Callum. The three staggered into racks of chips and candy. Ursa grabbed both of the men by the arm and, surprised at her strength, pulled them up and propelled them toward the door to the stairs. She could see Tod's face in the small glass window. His eyes widened and the door opened quickly to let the three in. Tod shut the door quickly behind them. "We need to barricade this somehow."
"I'll take a look upstairs." A bullet hit the glass window and it shattered next to Tod's head.
"Hurry up man!" Marshall took the stairs two at a time and tried to open the door at the top landing.
"Shit! It's locked." Marshall yelled.
"What're you talking about? I was just up there?" A hand reached in through the hole in the door window and reached in searching for Tod. "Rene!" Tod yelled. “She must be in there. Rene! Open the God damned door! It's us." The door rattled and opened. Marshall ran in then returned back down the stairs with a broom. Tod took it from him and, while avoiding the bloodied arm, wedged the bar into the door handle. "I don't know how long that's going to hold. Let's get upstairs."
A voice over the loud speaker called out. "Luke 21:25, And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." Ursa could hear Mark laugh maniacally as she moved up the stairs with Melissa.
People were screaming loudly throughout the store to run in every direction trying to get to the emergency exits which were blocked by Walkers. The doors at the rear were opening a
nd closing and Ursa was sure she could hear moans and screams as the doors opened and closed. Up in the office, they were able to look out the window down to the mayhem below. Both Ursa and Marshall ducked as a bullet hit the filing cabinet behind them. Tod pulled the IPad out of Rene's shaking hands.
"Here." He gave it to Ursa as they lay on the floor to avoid another round of bullets.
"You should all be thanking me right now.” Mark’s voice echoed over the loudspeaker. "I'm making it easier for you to get into heaven. You can leave this earth and be with our heavenly Father. Your suffering is over!" Ursa could hear another shot aimed toward the other side of the store. She took the IPad and turned it on. Melissa crawled next to her and buried her head into Ursa's shoulder.
She could feel the same tingling in her arms and legs she'd felt before when saving Marshall and Melissa. Strength coursed into her limbs. She looked back at Marshall who staggered back from her.
"Marshall. What's wrong?" she asked. He continued to move back like a crab into the shelves behind him. She didn't have time to think about what was bothering him. Moans were coming from the back of the store. She looked in that direction and focused her eyes now like binoculars on the staggering biters. She was able to see the grey dead color of their eyes. Confusion and adrenaline hit her at the same time. She glanced at the screen of the tablet, accessed her email account with flying fingers and typed a message to her father Trapped at the Walmart in Longview, WA near I5. Will move north then east to Yakima. Need Help! Ursa.
She looked at Marshall again and thought he was trying to get away from her. She allow time to think about why he was acting this way. She could hear staggering steps coming up the stairs. "Tod! The door!" she yelled.
"I've got it!" he said and jammed a broken chair leg into the door handle. Moaning and banging sounded outside and the door shook as a body hurled itself against it.
A group of children screamed below them and shots continued to ring out around the store. Ursa pulled Melissa's head closer and covered her ears. The little girl was staring straight ahead without making a sound. Melissa turned her face up to look at Ursa and an even more frighten expression drew over the girl’s features. Ursa pushed confusion aside again, lifted the child and joined Marshall, Tod and Callum under the cabinets.
* * *
Dr. Myers checked the monitor set up next to the small monkey laying on the table. It was quiet now peaceful as it lay breathing evenly. It hardly resembled its former self before the injections and transfusions. This animal now looked like a small hairy man.
"Can you administer the adrenaline, Will. I want to see her state. I think we've got the proportions right this time."
Will walked over to the solution hanging on the trolley and injected a solution into it. The monkey's head turned from one side to the other.
"She's coming to Will. Make sure we record everything. We've got to upload results to make sure nothing's lost."
"Yes. Sir." The monkey blinked its eyes open and looked around the room. She seemed to focus on items sitting on tables, then stared at the monitor and looked at herself laying on the table. Slowly she recognized herself and tried to raise one of her bound hands. She looked at Will and yelled in agony.
* * *
"What's your plan Marshall?" Tod asked crouching lower as a shot rang out in the warehouse. More moans for Walkers drifted up to them in the office.
"A plan? I don't have a plan? You're looking at it. My plan is not to get killed by walking dead people and crazed maniacs who think we're all better off dead."
"Everything sounds better with an English accent,” Tod smirked.
"Quit fucking joking around!" Marshall ran his fingers through his hair and half stood to look down toward a group of people huddled on the floor of the Walmart. Mark wasn’t shooting as rapidly now. “He must be getting tired,” he said. “His shots are slowing down.”
"Maybe he's having second thoughts?" Tod said.
"Let's hope. I don't want to wait around too long to find out.” Marshall turned to look at Ursa. “Your face," he began. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Tod looked over at her. "Jesus Christ woman. What the hell?"
"What? What's wrong?" Ursa reached up to her face.
"Your eyes. You’re all out of proportion somehow."
"I'm okay. I don't feel any different. I hurt all over though." She looked quickly to each of them.
"Forget it Ursa,” Callum said. "If you say you're okay, then we believe you." She relaxed a little and sat back with Melissa on her lap.
"We need to focus on how to get out of here,” Callum said. "Is there a way to get up on the roof? The store must be crawling with those things down there now."
"There's got to be a way up there,” Marshall said.
“Through that door,” Rene pointed to the far side of the room.
“I’ll check it,” Callum said.
"Stay low," Tod whispered. Callum crawled over to the door and reached up to turn the handle. A shot hit the wall a few inches from his hand and he flattened his body on the floor.
"What are you trying to do in there?" Mark called over to them through the broken glass of the window. “I think I should pay you all a visit."
"Let's get the hell out of here,” Marshall said and half ran and crawled to the door. He opened it quickly and looked up to see a set of stairs. “Come on,” he called back and made sure everyone was in before shutting the door and running up to join them. More shots were fired and the sound muffled through the closed doors.
"What the hell is all this?" Tod said as he stepped out onto a short field of grass.
"It’s a green roof,” Ursa said.
“I can see that," Tod said.
"Can we use anything to bar the door?” Marshall yelled. Tod grabbed a shovel lying next to the stunted growth and threw it to Marshall. Ursa could hear Mark running up the stairs.
He pushed hard at the door. "Demon woman" he yelled and slammed his shoulder into the door. He stopped and they could hear gunshots. Ursa assumed he was firing at the door to get it to open and held Melissa tight against her. Screams and moans could be heard in the staircase and then only scratching against the door.
* * *
“Mayor Lynton?” A loud voice came through the darkness causing her to jump. “What are you doing here? This is a restricted area.”
“Frank, is that you?” she asked. “What’s going on down here? Why are these men strapped to tables? What are you doing to them?”
“They’re volunteers Kat. Some of the first humans with 0 Positive blood that we’ve been able to observe. They’ve been given a large dose of Thantos.”
“But they don’t look human anymore.”
“No. They don’t.” Dr. Myers looked down at the first man and checked his vitals on the monitor next to him. “They’re built to survive now.”
“Just a difference in blood type did this?” she asked and moved to get a closer look at the enlarged eyelids and enormous hands of the closest man.
“Yes. A person with 0 negative blood will react differently than the rest of us. You’d be surprised.” He walked along the length of the room to survey the rest of the men. “There are regions in the world made up of a majority of 0 negative blood types and there’s a potential that they’ll survive and rebuild. You’re looking at the new human race.”
“This isn’t right doctor. You’re playing God,” she said.
“I’m saving humanity Kat and you can’t be in here.”
* * *
“So now what do we do?” Callum asked looking over the edge of the building into the parking lot. The rest joined his and sat at the half wall looking over at the Walkers staggering toward the large entrance.
“We could wait,” Tod said
“Wait for what? No one’s one their way.” Marshall looked around the expanse of the roof. “What’s that over there?” he said.
Ursa glanced to where he was pointing. “It’s a row of guns. They must have
left some of them here. Wait. Where are the guards? I didn’t see anyone go by us out of the office.”
“Shhh.” Marshall said. “Can you hear that?”
Ursa focused and could hear ripped and soft moaning sounds. “There.” She pointed. “There’s one down and the other, I assume, is eating.” Rene began sobbing.
“Okay,” Marshall crouched. “We’re going to have to reach the guns before we’re seen.”
“I’m fastest,” Callum said.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Ursa whispered. “Fast isn’t going to do it. He’ll cut you off before you make it. If one of you heads to the left and attracts his attention, he’ll start chasing you and then Callum will get a head start, reach the guns and blow his head off before anyone gets bitten.”
“That’s assuming that the guns are loaded,” Tod said.
“True. But they’ve got to be loaded. They’re set out ready to fire.”
“Okay. Let’s do this,” Marshall said. “Tod, you and I will draw his attention. Callum, you grab the guns. Have you ever fired one of those before?”
“Yeah, when I was a kid.”
“Just take your time and aim at the head. Let’s go,” Marshall said and he and Tod crouched low running to the left wall. They continued close to the side and toward the guards.
“See you in a minute,” Callum said to Ursa. “You three stay out of sight.” Ursa, Rene and Melissa ducked down behind the short grass. Ursa stared through the short grass to see Callum run toward the guns.
Tod and Marshall ran diagonally across the grassy area. “Hey! Over here.” Tod looked back at the Walker and his pace increased to a sprint to keep up with Marshall and bring the dead man around to where Callum was standing with the gun. Melissa rolled over in the grass and moved closer into Ursa. The Walker turned its head and must have glimpsed the movement. Rene let out another sob and the Walker veered away from chasing the two men to lurching toward her position.
Ursa remained still for a moment and could see Callum take aim, shoot at the Walker and miss. Tod and Marshall yelled and jumped up and down to draw the dead man’s attention but the Walker continued to see Rene, Ursa and Melissa as easy prey in the grass.