“Alright, grab what we need and we’ll move forward. Be quick, be quiet.” Artemis nodded.
“Be quick, be quiet.” Wren mocked him playfully. Wade smirked as he shoved a bag of beef jerky into his bag.
“Seriously,” Artemis shrugged, raising both of his eyebrows.
“Alright, I think that’ll do it on the beef jerky.” Wade closed his bag and swung it back over his shoulder.
“Let’s keep moving.” Wren followed suit. They traveled past a few aisles that contained items of no use to them. Finally they crossed over into the section of the retail store that held the clothes. Wren went over to the stacks of jeans and using her pointer finger as a guide grabbed a pair with her size on them. Turning around she grabbed a black tank top and looked to the guys. “Alright.”
“Over there.” Artemis shone the light across the aisle. “Wade, grab a fresh change of clothes.”
“What about you?” Wade asked as he grabbed at the jeans. He leaned over and took a sweatshirt that was folded neatly.
“I’m good in my fatigues. I want whoever we run across to know who and what I’m about.” Artemis watched as Wren took a red plaid shirt from a hanger. “Okay, you guys got what you need?”
“Yeah. Where to now?” Wade asked as he tucked his clothes beneath his arm.
“We need to find the sporting goods section.” Artemis raised the light above their heads. “That way.” They moved to sporting goods. Using the butt of his rifle he shattered the glass of the case holding weapons. He pulled out a few knives and their holsters. Wren turned around and he shoved them in her bag. “One more thing and we’ll head back.”
“What?” Wade asked.
“We’re gonna grab a camping stove and some propane. It’ll be a nice change of pace to have something hot to eat, don’t you think?” Artemis smirked as they walked around the corner heading towards the camping supplies. Laying on the floor was a man who had turned. His eyes glowed in the beam of the flashlight. Wren took two steps forward and crushed through his skull with her crowbar. “That’a girl.”
“Thanks.” Wren inhaled as she shook the end of her crowbar, causing the blood remaining on the end of it to splatter on the tile. Artemis took hold of a collapsible stove and shoved it into Wade’s free hand. He also grabbed two small propane tanks and put them in each of his large cargo pockets. “Okay, that’s enough let’s head back.”
“Hold on.” Wren stepped over the dead zombie and grabbed a hiking backpack from a rung on the wall. Forcing it open as quickly as she could she stood up and pulled down three sleeping bags and shoved them in. Closing it she tossed it over one shoulder. “That’s it.”
“Ok. Come on.” Artemis nodded and they turned making their way back to office where they had found safety.
They found their way back with no interference, Artemis pushed the desk back in front of the door just as he had before. They each pulled out what they had grabbed, making a neat pile in the middle of the floor. Wade began lighting the candles, and Artemis extinguished the flashlight and sat it atop the desk next to his rifle.
“Good thinking with the sleeping bags.” Artemis gave her a proud pat on the back.
“Thanks. I saw them and thought they looked better than spending a night on the floor.” She smiled. “I’m gonna go change, get rid of these dirty clothes.” She stood up and grabbed the clothes from beside her and headed into the bathroom.
“Alright, let’s set up and eat something before my stomach decides to eat my spleen.” Artemis rubbed his abdomen. The sound of his stomach growling suddenly roared, causing Wade to laugh.
“I grabbed some beans while we were out there, maybe they’ll tame the beast and keep it from eating your spleen.” Wade held up a can of baked beans.
“You’re crazy! That ain’t gonna tame nothing, all that’ll do is make it roar louder.” Artemis chuckled merrily at his own fart joke. Wade dropped the can, still holding it and laughed so hard tears rolled down his cheeks. Wren walked out dressed in black jeans and a black tank top. She was carrying her boots and the plaid shirt. She paused and regarded both of them as they laughed.
“Have you both lost it?” She smiled.
“No, you missed it! He made a fart joke!” Wade sputtered as the laughter surged through.
“I guess I had to be there.” Wren shook her head. Bending down she grabbed one of the sleeping bags and unrolled it in the far corner of the room where the desk had once sat.
They dined like kings. A dinner of beef jerky, beans, canned fruit salad and sports drink were had by all. They settled into the sleeping bags and decided to try to get as much rest as they could. Having discussed it they chose to stay in the retail shop for two nights, gathering all the strength they could before moving on to Baton Rouge. Wren was the first one up. She grabbed the box of hair dye and snuck into the bathroom and began to dye her hair, ready to complete her transformation. Artemis and Wade woke up an hour later to find her tying her boots.
“Whoa!” Wade cried out as he rubbed his eyes before looking at her again. “You look totally weird!”
“That’s the point.” Wren replied seriously, her tied boot drooping to the floor as she began to put the knife holsters on her thighs.
“No, you look bad ass.” Wade pushed back the front of the sleeping bag and sat up.
“You need to dye yours too.” Wren slipped her arms through the flannel shirt. “Once you guys are both up I’d like to go back out there and see if there are any more weapons in the sporting goods section. There are sky lights in these places so we’ll have a much easier time seeing today.”
“That’s no problem.” Artemis nodded. Wren smiled.
Wade stood up, grabbed his fresh change of clothes and the box of hair dye and went into the bathroom. They fixed something for them to eat as they waited for him to emerge. He came out about an hour later, his hair jet black.
“See? Was it really that bad?” Wren crossed her arms, and jutted her hip out as she spoke.
“No. It did smell pretty bad though.” Wade reached up and ran his hands through his newly dyed hair.
“Well, get your boots on grab something to eat and let’s get back out there.” Wren appeared anxious. Wade stuffed a stale muffin into his mouth in two bites, washing it down with the remainder of his bottled water. He stood up and gave them a thumbs up indicating he was ready to go. Artemis and Wren pushed the desk out from in front of the door and they stepped out into the silent hallway. Making their way back out once again, through the now familiar hallway and out through the double doors.
Once they were through the double doors they were met with a sound, the sound of footsteps and whispering. They paused, exchanging worried glances, before moving forward. Slowly they walked towards the sounds of the hushed voices. Artemis raised his gun as they turned the corner to aisle 12. There, standing ten feet from them was a family. The woman saw them and squeaked as she clutched something close to her chest. The man that was crouched down quickly put his hands up. A small child hid behind him, burying its face into his shoulder blades.
“Easy, friend, we’re not here to make any trouble.” The man spoke, his voice shaking with fear.
“What are you doing in here? What are you after?” Artemis asked.
“Is there anyone else with you?” Wren added as she gripped her crowbar a bit tighter.
“We’re alone, I swear it. We came in here looking for food. The baby needs formula.” The man motioned back towards the woman with his head. The woman appeared terrified and wouldn’t lift her gaze to meet theirs.
“You got names?” Artemis asked, not lowering his weapon.
“I’m Vick, that’s my wife Lena. My son Tanner is the little one behind me and the baby is Martha.” Vick made no move to stand up, his large gray eyes searched them all, waiting for permission.
“Alright.” Artemis nodded and lowered his weapon.
“Thanks, mister.” Vick sighed a breath of relief as he turned his attention back to the formula on the shelf.
“Did anyone see you come in here?” Wren asked, unsatisfied with the current situation.
“No, there’s no one out there.” Vick shook his head as he stood up. He turned and handed his wife a can of formula. She quickly sat down and grabbed a bottle from the bag she was carrying along with a bottle of water. She hurriedly made the bottle, and turning her back to them she began to feed the infant.
“What about the zombies? How many did you see in the parking lot?” Wade asked. He grabbed a container of fruit snacks from the shelf beside him and held them out to the child who appeared to be around five. The child hesitantly walked forward, grabbed the container and rushed back to his dad’s side.
“Didn’t see none. Haven’t seen any since yesterday. That’s why we came here. Before then, we were too afraid to try to leave our apartment. We ran out of food and formula, so when we didn’t see any more zombies we thought it was our chance.” Vick explained as he opened the container of fruit snacks for his son.
“You didn’t see any?” Wren narrowed her eyes.
“I don’t know where they went, but it was clear when we ran for it.” Vick ruffled his son’s hair. The child was beaming as he ate as fast as his little hand would carry his food to his mouth. “You all got names?”
“I’m Artemis.” He nodded.
“I’m…Henry.” Wade nodded too. Wren frowned.
“Jack.” Wren looked over to her brother. “It’s short for Jackie.”
“Ah. It’s sure nice to meet some regular people.” Vick smiled.
“Look, we ain’t staying here but there’s a manager’s office in the back that we’ve been staying in. You all are welcome to it once we pull out.” Artemis pointed to the back of the store. “I suggest you get as many supplies as you need before heading back there, block the door with the desk in there. You’ll be safe, there aren’t any other windows or doors in there.”
“Thanks.” Vick smiled as he put his arm around his son. We’ll do that. Say, are you a soldier?”
“I am.” Artemis nodded.
“Any word from the government?” Vick asked. At his question his wife turned around and raised her large brown eyes to them,
“No, sorry.” Artemis fidgeted.
“Oh, well, that’s ok.” Vick sighed.
“Henry, you and Jack go do what you need to do and meet me back here.” Artemis turned to them, widening his eyes for a moment to wordlessly tell them he was going to stay there to keep an eye on them. Wren nodded and they took off jogging to the sporting good section.
“Hey, was it just me or did something seem off with those people?” Wade whispered as they began looking for more weapons.
“They did seem off…Henry.” Wren smirked.
“Hey, you’re one to talk, Jack.” He shook his head and smirked back.
“I hadn’t picked a name yet, I was just thinking on my feet.” She reached down and pushed away some glass from within the broken case, looking to see if there were any more knives in there.
“I don’t think there are any more weapons back here, unless you want a bow and arrow.” Wade pointed to the very top shelf behind them.
“I don’t know how to use one of those.” Wren scrunched her face, and decided to grab a few red bandanas from a small cardboard shelf sitting atop the shelf. She also grabbed a pair of thick hunting socks. “Let’s get back to Artemis.”
“Yeah.” Wade agreed and they jogged back to the aisle where they left him. He turned and looked at them as they approached.
“Nothing.” Wren shook her head.
“Alright. Go grab our bags, and then we’ll be on our way.” Something in the way he said it translated that they needed to move fast. Without responding they both took off, jogging once more back to the manager’s office to grab their things. It only took them a few minutes to pack up before they made it back.
“I can’t thank you enough.” Vick held his hand out to Artemis. Artemis reluctantly reached out and shook it.
“It’s no problem. You folks stay safe.” He nodded and walked to the other side of the aisle to make it past them. As they walked away Wren turned back to give them one last look, and that’s when she saw the infant the woman had been holding had turned, and was now nothing more than a dead zombie corpse she was trying to force feed formula to. Her stomach lurched and she quick stepped up beside Artemis.
“They were right, look.” Wade said as he pointed out to the parking lot. There were no more zombies shuffling around, it was eerily vacant. Their box truck was parked where they had left it, and it appeared to be unmolested.
“Artemis, did you see that baby?” Wren asked as they climbed up into the cab.
“Why do you think I didn’t want to leave them alone? Those people are crazy.” Artemis shook his head as he turned the ignition.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Where in the hell did they all go?” Wren asked as she looked out of the window to the empty streets. They hadn’t seen a single zombie since they bolted from the retail shop.
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” Artemis replied. The whole situation was making him uneasy. If it was over the streets should be littered with the bodies of the dead, not just empty. Wren rolled her window down a bit in an attempt to hear anything from outside.
“Maybe the military is here and they cleared this part of town?” Wade suggested.
“No, we would know if it were the military.” Artemis shook his head. He reached down and tried to turn the radio on but nothing came across except static. Frustrated he turned it off with a quick jab of his finger.
“Look!” Wren pointed to the top of what appeared to be a dentist’s office. Atop were people, peering over the side down to the street below them. As they grew closer the low growl of the undead began to fill the air. They saw the people atop the roof bring something up beside them, push it over the edge and dangled it above the hoard.
“They’re dangling people!” Wade cried out. That’s when they noticed the thing the group was hanging over was moving, kicking its legs in an attempt to get back on the roof, back to safety. The group holding them let go and allowed the person to drop into the hoard who ripped them apart, feeding on them.
“Get us out of here fast!” Wren commanded. Artemis didn’t need her command, he had already pushed the gas pedal to the floor two seconds before she had said anything. They quickly moved out of sight from the group, and they all breathed a bit easier once that happened.
“They were feeding them with people.” Wade stated, shocked.
“I already thought the world was pretty messed up as it was, but it’s like hell now.” Wren narrowed her eyes.
“It will be better once we get to a safe zone.” Artemis spoke calmly.
“If we find a safe zone.” Wren retorted.
“Look we’re not all that far from Baton Rouge, we should make it there before nightfall.” Artemis pointed out in front of him down the road.
“Good.” Wade nodded. “I hope we find something worthwhile there.”
“All of us do, kid, all of us do.” Artemis shook his head.
They drove for hours, driving as fast as they could on the parts of the road that were clear. In other spots why seemed to slow down to almost a crawl because there were objects blocking the way. Some were just abandoned vehicles, others were overturned by what appeared to be an accident. As they drove past they spotted zombies strapped in with their seatbelts, clawing at the glass. Their higher brain function was gone, once they were stuck they would stay stuck.
A few dogs ran down the road, free from their collars and leashes they ran allowing the wind to blow through their fur. Wren watched with a low burning jealousy. She wanted to run free. Never once in her whole life did she ever expect this to happen. She always felt bad when she saw videos of children struggling to survive, whether they lived in extreme poverty here or in a third world country thousands of miles away. Here they were, struggling themselves.
“You want something
to drink?” Wade held out a bottle of bright blue sports drink. Wren accepted it gratefully.
“Hey, there’s a sign!” Artemis pointed to the side of the road.
“It said Baton Rouge, next three exits!” Wade exclaimed happily.
“Do you think they would set up a safe zone in the middle of a city? Isn’t that dangerous? There are all kinds of hiding places there.” Wren shook her head as Artemis took the first exit.
“I don’t know exactly where it is. The only thing that I’m hoping at the moment is that there is a safe place.” Artemis pulled onto a street and began glancing around quickly.
“What are we looking for exactly?” Wade leaned up from the back of the cargo space.
“Anything. Look for signs or arrows or something pointing the way to a safe place.” Artemis replied.
“Alright. I got my eyes peeled.” Wade stated as he began attempting to look everywhere at once. They drove for ten minutes, no one seeing any sort of sign that would lead them anywhere. Finally, just as the last bit of hope seemed to fall to the wayside, a white sheet was seen blowing in the breeze and Artemis slowed down. Sure enough, spray painted on the white sheet: U.S. Military, Safe Haven, This Right.
“The military!” Artemis cried out. “This better be the real military and not like that last bunch of yahoos we ran into.”
“Well there’s only one way to find out, let’s go!’ Wren pointed in the direction the sign was pointing. After four blocks they saw it. There was a large man made wall blocking the street. They had made barricades from the abandoned cars. Suddenly they over heard a voice on a bull horn.
“Please, exit your vehicle with your hands up.”
“Do as they say, move slowly.” Artemis shut the truck down. Wade and Wren followed him out, their hands raised.
“What’s your name soldier?” The voice called out again.
“Artemis Bandeaux. I was stationed at St. Katherine’s hospital in New Orleans.” Artemis replied. The voice was silent for a few seconds. The three companions looked at one another, before they spotted a man dressed in fatigues running towards them.
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