The wide aisles made moving to the source of the noise quick and easy. With the domestics department on their left and woman’s apparel on their right they came to the end of the aisle and turned left. At the far end, by the sporting goods department, the gang that had hijacked Nick’s car found themselves surrounded by a dozen or more of those things. Cowboy’s gun must have had only two bullets because he had it in his hand but was not using it.
The infected were closing in on them and it certainly was only a matter of moments before Cowboy and his band of misfits were finished. There was, however, no sign of Emma. Dave had moved off the main corridor down a side aisle, the others had done the same except one aisle up and on the other side.
Out of view of the carnage that was about to take place in sporting goods, Dave moved down the aisle he was in towards the back wall. When he reached the end of the aisle he peeked around the corner. Slouched down, hiding behind a row of bicycles, was Emma.
She did not see him at first. He grabbed a small rubber ball off the shelf and rolled it in her direction. It bounced off the rack that housed the bikes but it was enough to get her attention. She looked over and saw him. She started to get up but then ducked down again as one of the bikes fell of the rack. None of the infected seemed interested in the bike.
Dave waved at her to come toward him. She got up and, moving slowly, made her way toward him. He moved out into the back aisle and headed to meet her. As she passed the double doors that separated the back stock room from the sales floor, they suddenly burst open. Two infected leapt forward reaching for Emma. As she turned to run two more infected people appeared from the side aisle, pushing Emma back into the outstretched arms of the other infected. The momentum from the collision carried Emma and the four infected through the double doors and into the back room. As she was falling into the store room, she looked over at Dave locking eyes with him. She barely had time to scream as she disappeared from view.
Dave halted for a second and then moved forward toward the double doors. He stood there with his utility hook knife raised above his head with his good arm and put his other hand on the door. The sounds coming from behind that door were inhuman. He peered in but the lights were off. It was pitch black in there. Even if he went in he would not be able to see anything, to say nothing of finding Emma; his Emma. He wanted to go in. God knows he did. But he could not muster the will. He told himself there was nothing he could do. She was already gone. He would just be putting himself at risk. He slowly backed away from the door and started heading down the aisle across from the double doors.
It was then he noticed that the struggle down in sporting goods had come to an end. It had become very quiet. Dave, moving more quickly now, came to the end of the aisle and looked down to the right. The infected had finished their attack on Cowboy and his gang. Some were moving away, others were still hunched over their victims … feeding on them.
“Psst.”
Dave turned to his left; Stephen was looking at him and mouthing the word ‘Emma.’
Dave looked down and shook his head no. Stephen could tell by the look in his eyes that Emma was dead. Stephen motioned toward Dave to follow and he quickly crossed the main aisle to join Stephen, Nick, and Lucy. Without saying a word they made their way to the front of the store where there were three infected milling about at the front door.
Stephen figured they could outrun them and easily make the door before any of them knew they were there. He turned around and saw that some of the infected that were at the back of the store were making their way up front. It was now or never. The group burst out from behind a shelving unit up front and ran for the door. As expected, the infected people reacted slowly. Stephen leading the charge was out first with Lucy right behind him. Nick was next and Dave brought up the rear. Dave’s shoulder was really bothering him and he was not able to move quite as quickly as the others.
One of the infected was able to reach out and get a hand on Dave just before he reached the exit. Dave reached for the knife to help extract himself from the thing’s grip but no longer had it. He must have dropped it somewhere along the way. He started to panic as he used his one good arm to push the infected person off of him; it was not working. The creature moved closer and Dave could smell its breath. It was rotten. He thought of Emma and how this was the last thing she must have seen, and smelled, and felt. He was about to just give up, figuring he probably did not deserve much better anyway. Just as the thing was about to grab hold with a second hand, a utility hatchet came down with amazing speed in front of him severing the arm that had ahold of him. He stepped back and looked to his right and saw Nick.
Nick grabbed him and yelled, “Come on!”
The severed arm fell harmlessly to the floor as Nick pulled Dave through the door and into the sunlight.
“Where to?” Lucy screamed.
“Anywhere but here,” Stephen answered.
Dave was standing next to Nick, still in a state of shock. Nick stood looking at his car.
“Forget it Nick,” Stephen said. “No gas and no keys. Unless you want to go back in there and search Cowboy’s pockets.”
Through the front door four infected began to make their way into the parking lot. One of them was missing an arm. Stephen grabbed Lucy’s hand and Nick grabbed Dave by the shirt collar and they began running. At first just to get away from Target and then with adrenalin kicking in, just to run. They ran across several more parking lots and through small clumps of trees. They ran past several roads avoiding numerous infected along the way. They eventually ended up back on Route 214 where they stopped for a second to catch their breath.
They decided to continue on as originally planned; head for I-95 and hope someone was passing by that they could flag a ride down from. They followed Route 214 for the next few hundred yards until they were forced to come to a stop. Up ahead several cars were pulled off to the side of the road. In one of the cars there appeared to be movement but it was difficult to see who or what was the source of the movement. They approached cautiously with Stephen in front, Lucy right behind him, then Dave with Nick bringing up the rear.
Slowly, they approached the right side of the car. Suddenly, the origin of the movement revealed itself. A man in a suit and tie turned to face them. He was, however, drooling uncontrollably and his white button down dress shirt was covered with blood. It did not appear to be his blood. He started to move in their direction when Stephen pointed to a wooded area off to the right.
They took off into the woods coming out into a hotel parking lot. Stephen looked around for a second and then froze. He heard something. The others did as well as everyone turned to the left and looked up towards the Beltway overpass. It sounded like trucks; a lot of trucks. Stephen also thought he heard voices.
They sprinted across the parking lot to the other side and entered a small patch of woods near the on ramp for I-95. As they emerged from the trees a convoy of trucks, military trucks, could be seen heading their way. Stephen ran onto the ramp and began waving his hands furiously attempting to get the attention of whoever was driving the lead vehicle. The convoy appeared to be slowing down. They must have seen him.
Chapter 8
Burtonsville
Kimberly Walker drove north on I-95 traveling at a safe 60 miles an hour. Traffic was very sparse heading north and nonexistent heading south. She would, from time to time, slow down to maneuver around an abandoned car in the road. Occasionally she would look in her rear view mirror to check on the children. Neither of them had said one word since they left their house. Kim had been quiet as well; she had no idea what to say to them.
Danielle sat holding Miss Molly tightly to her chest. She appeared to whisper something in the doll’s ear but Kim could not make out what was said. Jason sat in the backseat leaning against the door looking out the window. The three iron that his father had given him he held firmly between his legs. Both of the kids’ eyes were moist but neither had cried yet.
“They are probably in some k
ind of shock,” thought Kim.
As they approached Richmond, I-95 was closed to traffic so she had to take Chippenham Parkway. This was a toll highway but there was no one around to take her money so she just drove on through. She was now alone on the road. Not just alone on the road but alone now that Marcus was gone. It was up to her to look out for their children. She needed to be there for them; needed to be strong for them.
The Parkway led to an ordeal of side routes which forced her to drive around the major cities, costing her time and gas. She was finally able to pick I-95 back up again north of Washington D.C. on which she stayed until she reached the Sandy Springs Road exit. Five minutes later she was pulling onto her parent’s street.
She had attempted to talk to the kids on a couple of occasions by asking how they were or if they needed anything. Unfortunately, silence was the only reply she received. But now, as they pulled into her parent’s driveway, Danielle and Jason began to stir. They sat up in their seats and looked anxious to get out of the car. It must have been the familiar surroundings or it could be simply that it was something not directly associated with the horror that occurred at their house.
Kim immediately noticed that the garage door was open but there was only one car, her mother’s. Her dad’s car was nowhere in sight. Otherwise, everything looked normal. Just as it had the dozens of other times she had been here with the kids. She parked the car as close to the front door as possible, just in case, and turned around to look into the back seat.
“We’re here, everyone out,” She said.
Jason and Danielle opened their doors and started to run to the front door.
“Hold up guys,” Kim said. “Stick close to me at all times, ok.” She turned and locked the car doors with the auto lock.
The kids stopped and turned around waiting for Kim to catch up. When she reached them, she stopped and put her arms around both of her children. She hugged them tight and said, “Let’s go see Nanny and Grandpa.”
Kim’s parent’s house was a two story blue and grey colonial built around the turn of the century. They moved here about eight years ago after Kim’s father accepted a job offer with a local school to become its principal. It was in a quiet neighborhood which suited them just fine. The house had an attached two car garage off to the left with a small front yard and a fairly big backyard. The front door was large and painted white with a bronze knocker and matching door knob.
Using the knocker, Kim banged on the door twice, waited a second, and then tried the doorknob. It was locked. Luckily, she carried a spare key that her mom gave her several years ago, in case of emergencies. She opened her purse and fished around for it, eventually finding it. She unlocked the door and opened it slowly, peeking inside before letting herself or the kids in. After deciding it was safe to enter, she opened the door wide and the kids ran inside.
“Mom … Dad,” Kim called out.
“Nana ... Grampa,” Danielle yelled as she darted inside.
The door opened into a small foyer and then into the living room. Off to the right was the kitchen with a formal dining room behind it; to the left, a den and the downstairs bathroom. The upstairs contained three bedrooms and a second bathroom.
Jason walked in last looking around carefully, almost as if he had never been there before. As he moved into the living room, Kim noticed that he was still clutching the golf club and poised to use it if necessary.
Kim turned around to close the front door and paused for a moment as she considered whether or not to relock it. She turned back around and quickly surveyed the condition of the house. No windows were broken, the house was neat and orderly and the front door had been locked when they arrived. She concluded that it was unlikely that any of those … things … were in the house necessitating a quick getaway. She turned back around and locked the door.
Danielle had come back into the living room from the den.
“I don’t think they’re home Mommy,” she said.
“I think you’re right honey,” Kim answered.
It had been five days since she last spoke to her parents. They had not mentioned anything about leaving but a lot has changed in the last five days. She walked into the den where there was a small closet. She opened it and looked up where there was shelving that would normally house a couple of blankets and their luggage set. Both were missing. She walked back into the living room where her children were now sitting on the sofa looking up at her.
“They must have gone on a little trip, like we’re going on,” Kim said.
She moved into the kitchen and motioned for Jason and Danielle to follow her. It was a good sized kitchen, square, with a small island in the middle. She went to the refrigerator and opened it to discover it was still working. They had arrived around noon so there was plenty of sunlight and there had been no need to turn on any lights.
“Is anyone hungry?” She asked.
No reply.
“Come on, I know you guys could use something to eat,” she coaxed. “We got leftover spaghetti … or how about some chicken wings.”
“Is there any mac and cheese?” Danielle asked.
“Let’s look,” Kim said opening the cabinet door to the right of the refrigerator. On the second shelf was a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese, a parent’s best friend.
“We have mac and cheese.”
“I’ll have some too,” Jason added.
Ten minutes later they were sitting around the island all eating mac and cheese. It was the first normal moment they had truly shared in the past few days and by the way they were devouring the contents of their bowls, it was clear that the kids were indeed hungry.
They ate in silence, their mouths full of cheesy goodness. Kim looked around the familiar setting. Her attention was suddenly drawn to a piece of notebook paper attached to the refrigerator door by a magnet. She slowly got up from her stool and made her way to the piece of paper, surprised she had not noticed it the first time she opened the door. It was clearly in her father’s handwriting.
It read: Nearest evacuation center at the Frederick Municipal Airport. Departures will initiate at six am on Thursday May 29th. One bag per person allowed.
“That must be where they went,” thought Kim.
She turned around to see her children finishing up their lunch.
“Can I get anyone some more,” Kim asked.
“No, I’m full,” Danielle said.
Jason shook his head back and forth as he swallowed his last bite. She grabbed the bowls off the counter and went over to the sink to wash them. She turned on the water and the light above the kitchen sink, squirted some dishwashing liquid, and began scrubbing. Looking out onto the front lawn from the kitchen window, she noticed something moving across the street. At first she could not make out what is was then she realized it was someone emerging from behind the Bowman residence.
The light suddenly went dark and the house became eerily quiet as the power went off. She dropped the bowl she was cleaning and it shattered in sink below. A closer look across the street revealed two more people coming from behind the house. The slow methodical movement and the blank stare assured Kim that these were the same things that had attacked Marcus.
Jason and Danielle hurriedly got up from their stools and ran to their mother’s side. They were not quite tall enough to see out the window.
“What is it Mom?” Danielle asked, panic creeping into her voice.
“Come with me,” Kim said.
She grabbed both their hands and led them back into the living room. As she passed by she grabbed the note on the refrigerator, folded it, and put it in her pocket. She brought the kids to the couch and told them to sit down behind the sofa out of view of the windows looking out onto the front yard. She hunched down, moving quickly, went to the front windows and looked out. Their car was off to the right and seemed to be fine. Across the street the three infected people had become four. They were nearing the edge of the property and appeared to be crossing the street, heading
towards Kim and the children.
She looked back at Danielle and Jason. Jason had gotten up and ran back into the kitchen to retrieve the golf club that he had left leaning against the island. He was just getting back now, plopping back down next to his sister. Kim, still hunched down, ran to the other side of the living room where a large picture window looked out on the backyard. Remembering the infected that had suddenly appeared from their backyard at home, she wanted to make sure it was clear before they headed for the car.
“No more surprises,” she told herself.
After ensuring it was all clear in the backyard, she went back to the children and put her fingers to her lips and shushed. Grabbing them both, they moved to the foyer where she grabbed her purse, reached in, and grabbed the car keys. Then she slowly unlocked the front door.
In a whisper she said, “I want both of you to run to the car as fast as you can. Get in on the side you were earlier, ok.”
They both nodded their heads. Kim looked at Jason and the golf club. She thought briefly about asking for it so she could use it if necessary. The look in her son’s eyes told her everything she needed to know. He was not giving up that club to anyone. Not even his mother. His father had given him that club to protect his mom and his sister and that is what he was going to do.
“Swing that thing at anything that moves,” she whispered to him.
“Ready?” she asked them. There was more shaking of the heads.
Kim reached for the door handle, turned the knob and slowly opened the door far enough where she could see across the street. She had all four infected people in her sights. They were about halfway across the street. There was plenty of time for the kids and her to get to the car.
She opened the front door the rest of the way and in a loud whisper said, “Go!”
Danielle and Jason moved past her and headed straight for the car reaching it with no problems. Kim unlocked the car with the remote and quickly scanned the area for trouble; there were still only those four infected who were now at the near side of the road about to step on her parent’s property.
The Zombie Principle Page 8