Before her, the road trailed off through the moonlit countryside. She drove for a few miles, dodging stalled cars now and then, before eventually coming in sight of a large interstate sign. Slowing down, she realized she was approaching the on-ramp for Interstate 16, which ran from Macon to Savannah. Just before the on-ramp, she spotted a small Goodwill, and she pulled into the parking lot. She drove around behind the building, found the darkest spot, and killed the engine. In the silence and stillness that followed, she sat for a minute and let relief wash over her.
Now, if only Mike and Owen listened to me, she thought. I’ll meet them in Macon, and we’ll put this whole horrible experience behind us.
There was just one thing she needed before she hit the road—clean, unbloodied clothes—and she hoped the Goodwill might accommodate her. When she approached the back door of the building, she saw that it had been pried off its hinges. There were obvious crowbar marks pressed into the edge. She pulled the door back and found that the inside of the store was utterly dark, so she went back to Talon’s bike and rooted around in the trailer. She found a small Zippo lighter that worked, so she brought it with her. Flicking the spin wheel, she produced a small flame and used that faint light to navigate the store.
The Goodwill had been ravaged by looters. Clothing racks were overturned, shelves dumped, cash registers tossed onto the floor. Still, quite a bit of the inventory remained, so she picked her way through the piles on the floor. Eventually, she found a long-sleeve blouse and a pair of jeans that fit her. She took off her bloody clothes and tossed them far into the darkness, then pulled on the blouse and jeans. Afterward, she spotted a leather jacket. It was a size too big for her, but she took it anyway, folding the sleeves back so they didn’t hang past her hands. She put the lighter into an inner pocket on the jacket.
Feeling cleaner, she went back outside and climbed on the bike again. Her arm was still killing her, but she was in a better mood than she’d been in for days. It was more than just the relief of getting away from her kidnappers. At first, she couldn’t pinpoint the other emotion, but as she started the motorcycle, it occurred to her:
I defeated my enemy, she thought. I took his life, stole his bike, and left his friends to mourn him, and I don’t regret it. On the contrary, I feel victorious.
Yes, that was it. That was the feeling that moved through her like electricity. Triumph. She put the motorcycle in gear and drove away from the Goodwill, the oversize leather jacket flapping out behind her like a cape in the warm night air.
10
Shane had no idea how many buckets of Landon’s apocalypse food would last Klara an entire week. She hadn’t mentioned any family, but she might have children, parents, in-laws, or random hangers-on to feed. He decided to err on the low side, giving her two full buckets containing sealed plastic bags of various grains and freeze-dried vegetables. Corbin seemed annoyed that they’d given in to the storeowner’s demands, but he didn’t complain as they drove back through town.
The store appeared just as they’d left it, with the busted picture window out front, shards of glass all over the sidewalk, the ruined display, and the big sign taped to the door. Shane parked as close to the door as possible and killed the engine.
“If I find out she’s sold all of the solar power kits while we were gone,” he muttered, “I’m going to fling a bucket of food right in her face.”
He glanced at Corbin, who was nodding, an unhappy look on his face.
Better not give the kid any ideas, he thought.
“You were too nice to her,” Corbin said. “I keep telling you that, sir. People aren’t polite anymore. They’re not kind either, and if you’re nice, they’ll take advantage of you.”
“Like I said before, we have to live in this town,” Shane said, “and there’s still a such thing as human decency. Everyone is not an Eddies boy.”
“Not everyone,” Corbin agreed. “But Klara? She’s pretty close. Can’t you see she’s a bully? She’s making things hard on us because she enjoys it.”
Shane opted not to continue the conversation. He got out of the van and went around to the back door. He took one bucket, and Corbin grabbed the other. Together, they carried the food into the store. As soon as he started down the aisle, he thought the shelves looked emptier than before. Klara must’ve had a few more customers while they were gone.
“Klara, we’re back,” he called. “We’ve got your week of food. Let’s get this deal done. What do you say?”
When she didn’t reply, he sighed and kept going toward the back of the store. She’d probably locked herself in the office again. If she tried to sneak up behind them with her gun drawn…
Shane didn’t finish the thought. He stepped out of the end of the aisle, coming in sight of the small office door in the back corner, and there he saw Klara’s body. She was sprawled on the floor, half in and half out of the cluttered office, cardboard boxes scattered about and her head resting in a large puddle of darkening blood. Judging by the color of the blood, she must have been killed only a minute or two after Shane drove away from the store.
“Well, that doesn’t surprise me,” Corbin said, stepping up to the body and nudging her in the ribs with his shoe. “See the wound there? They shot her right behind the ear. That’s what the media calls ‘execution style.’ In one side and out the other. Big exit wound. Nasty.”
“Okay, I get it,” Shane said. He set the food bucket down and drew the Glock.
“Whoever did it is long gone,” Corbin said, pointing at something over his shoulder. “They took what they wanted.”
Turning, Shane looked at the solar power display. Most of the kits were gone. The few that remained had been opened and dumped on the floor so extra panels could be taken. A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Shane holstered the gun and approached the display.
“She brought this on herself, you know,” Corbin said. “Probably tried her big boss routine on the wrong people.”
“Or she was murdered by robbers who didn’t care about her one way or the other,” Shane said, kneeling beside the table. “Let’s see if we can salvage the parts we need for a functioning solar power kit from the stuff that got dumped on the floor.”
Corbin knelt beside him and began rooting through the discarded parts. Working together, they managed to get the panels and pieces they needed to put together a small, working solar power kit. They stuffed the pieces into one of the opened boxes, and Shane took it to the van while Corbin brought the food buckets.
After they had loaded everything up, Corbin went back inside the store. Shane followed him and found him rooting through a picked-over battery display.
“I was hoping to get some lithium ion batteries to store the solar power,” he explained. “They’re not the only kind of battery we can use, but they are the best. Looks like the robbers knew that, because they cleaned her out.”
“I’m pretty sure the wholesale club was open when we drove past,” Shane said. “I have a membership card. Maybe they have batteries. It’s worth a try.”
“I hope they’re giving out free samples,” Corbin said, heading back to the van. “If you go there on a good day, you can get a whole meal for free.”
“Don’t count on it,” Shane said, disturbed that the kid’s mind had so quickly shifted away from the corpse they’d just encountered. “I’d be surprised if they’re not on the barter system like Klara.”
As they backed out of the parking space, Shane felt a twinge of guilt at leaving Klara’s corpse in the back of the store. He decided to inform Sheriff Cooley when he got home so law enforcement could handle it.
When they arrived at the local wholesale store, Shane found a line of National Guardsmen in front of the doors, holding back a press of people trying to get in. After pulling into a parking space, he fished his wallet out of his back pocket and dug his store membership card out.
“How long do you figure companies like this will stay in business?” Corbin asked.
; “Until there’s no longer any money to be made,” Shane replied, getting out of the van. “Come on. Cross every finger.”
They approached the front of the store, and it soon became clear why there was a small crowd gathered there. The National Guardsmen were checking each person’s membership card, and they were only letting ten people enter the store at a time. One of the guards counted a group off one by one, then blocked the people behind them.
“What’s the point of that?” Shane grumbled, taking a place near the back of the unorganized mob. “It’s a wholesale store, not some high-end nightclub.”
“They’re smart,” Corbin said. “Keeping people in check, making sure they know who’s in charge.”
Since there was no real order to the crowd, Shane and Corbin had to rather aggressively push forward every time another group of ten was let into the store. In this way, they gradually made their way to the door. Finally, Shane was able to show his membership card to one of the guards, and he and Corbin were allowed inside.
Despite the National Guard checkpoint, the wholesale store had a greeter stationed just inside the store, a big smile plastered on her face, as if it were a normal business day. Though smiling, she didn’t quite look put together. Her hair was frizzy, her face lacking makeup, and there were dark half-circles under her eyes as if from lack of sleep.
“Welcome,” she said.
“Is it cash only today?” Shane asked.
She shook her head broadly, in a way that let him know she’d been asked the question far too many times that day. “We take credit cards, sir.”
He nodded and moved past her. The store seemed vast in the dim light, a huge gloomy warehouse, but more than that, it was eerily quiet. Lanterns, portable spotlights, and flashlights were being used in place of the normal store lights, but this created strange, long shadows all over the walls and ceiling. Hundreds of people moved about the aisles, but everyone spoke in hushed tones. National Guardsmen were positioned at the end of each aisle.
Shane had never experienced such a subdued shopping experience, as if the entire crowd had been gassed with some sedative. He grabbed a shopping cart in passing and started searching the aisles. When he found the car battery display, he was relieved to see a number of large lithium ion batteries on the shelf. Corbin grabbed one in either hand, pulling them both off the shelf.
As he was about to put them in the cart, Shane heard someone sniff loudly in his ear, as if trying to draw his attention. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a National Guardsman standing there, her hands on her hips.
“One per customer,” she said.
“One of what?” Shane said.
“Any essential items,” she replied. “Especially large batteries. Thank you. There was a sign near the front.”
“I didn’t see it,” Shane said.
Corbin stood his ground, clutching the batteries and hovering over the cart. “We need at least two,” he said.
“The rules are the rules,” the guardsman said in a tight voice that suggested she was quickly getting annoyed. “One per customer. Thank you.”
Scowling, Corbin started putting a battery back on the shelf. Shane considered their predicament. He still had the big wad of cash from Corbin’s mother in his pocket. Clearing his voice, he reached for it.
“What if I make it worth your while?” he asked. “How much would it take to get you to look the other way?”
The guardsman grabbed his wrist to prevent him from pulling out the cash. “We don’t accept bribes, if that’s what you’re suggesting, sir. Clear out, both of you. Just go, before I make trouble.”
Corbin held up a single battery.
“Yes, take your one battery and go,” the guardsman snapped, swiping her hands in the air. “Get out of here.”
Shane turned and started back down the aisle, and Corbin followed, putting the battery into the cart. When they reached the end of the aisle, Shane glanced back to find her still glaring at them. He moved out of sight, pushing the cart into the next aisle before coming to a stop. From this position, he could still see the edge of the car battery shelves, but the guardsman couldn’t see him.
“Tell me we’re not giving up that easy,” Corbin said. “We need at least one more battery.”
“What do you suggest?” Shane replied.
“Well…” Corbin glanced left and right. “If that lady won’t take your money, we could bribe other customers to get the battery for us. Money still talks to some people.”
“How could we be sure they wouldn’t just take the money and leave?”
“By threatening them?” Corbin suggested with a shrug.
“No, I don’t like that idea. Maybe if we distracted her somehow.”
As they were discussing the problem, Shane noticed three rough-looking men approaching the battery display. They were what he thought of as “young punks,” tough guys in their early twenties with greasy hair and hostile faces. Two of them had carts, and when they reached the car battery display, they began picking it clean, dumping batteries into their carts.
“Uh, guys,” the guardsman said. “Guys, there’s a limit…”
Shane couldn’t see her, but he heard the violent expulsion of breath as one of the guys shoved her. Immediately, guardsmen from other aisles came running, one of them pushing past Shane. Within seconds, an all-out brawl had erupted in front of the battery shelves, fists swinging, bodies wrestling on the ground.
“Well, that almost seems providential,” Corbin said. He slipped around the corner and hurried toward the shelves. “Never let an opportunity pass.”
“Wait, where are you going?” Shane said, trying not to speak too loudly. “Get back here.”
Corbin ignored him and approached the fray. One of the punks was on the ground with two guardsmen, all of them punching and kicking and cursing. The second punk was holding a guardsman in a headlock, and the third was out of view but shouting and cursing. Corbin strolled up behind the writhing mass of bodies, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary were taking place. As the fighting continued, he stepped up to the shopping cart of one of the punks, reached in casually, and grabbed one of the batteries. Then he turned and dashed back.
“You just have to make your move, sir,” he said, putting the battery into Shane’s cart. “When the universe does you a favor, you don’t overthink it—you act.”
Shane moved away, pushing the cart into the next aisle. They picked up some extra supplies, including bottles of water and a big box of matches. When they passed another guardsman, Shane pointed out the sounds of fighting.
“You might want to help your friends,” he said. “Some punks jumped them.”
The guardsman put a hand on the gun at his hip and took off running in the direction of the fighting. A moment later, as Shane and Corbin were moving toward the front of the store, they heard a series of gunshots, followed by screaming and the sound of people fleeing. A bullhorn barked to life.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a modulated voice shouted, “failure to comply with basic rules will not be tolerated. You will be shot. This isn’t a game, and we will not warn you again.”
Shane glanced down at the extra battery in his cart. “Maybe we should put it back.”
“No one’s going to notice,” Corbin said.
“The cashier will notice when we set two batteries on the conveyer belt.”
They were approaching the cash registers. Corbin pointed to the cashier on the end, a dull-eyed young man with a mullet. He was currently ringing up a customer’s purchases on a pocket calculator, but he seemed half-asleep.
“That guy won’t notice a darn thing,” Corbin said. “Anyway, it’s worth the risk. We can always feign ignorance if we get caught. They’re not actually going to shoot us if we’re mild-mannered and apologetic.”
“I guess we have to try,” Shane said.
He pushed the cart to the back of the young man’s line, but he was anxious. Glancing around, he noted the positions of the nearest guards.
The fight had ended with the three young battery thieves being dragged off to a back room. One of them was limp, being pulled along by his feet.
It’s not worth it just for an extra battery, he thought. Stand your ground with the kid. Don’t give in to his recklessness.
But the line was moving, and it was almost their turn at the register. Shane was afraid if he put the battery back now, he would draw more attention. The young guardsman who had first warned them had resumed her place in front of the display, looking angrier and more hostile than before. The neat ponytail beneath her hat had come undone, and she’d simply tucked the hair behind her ears.
“Seriously, sir,” Corbin said. “It’s going to be fine. He won’t notice. I promise you.”
“Do I look that nervous?” Shane asked.
“Yeah, most of the time. Try to relax. You always act like we’re doomed, but we’re not.”
“Well, it often feels that way these days,” Shane muttered.
He unloaded the shopping cart, positioning the two large batteries so they were separated by other items. When the cashier began to ring them up, he didn’t greet them or look at them. He calculated their total, accepted Shane’s credit card, ran it through a manual card imprinter, and gave him a handwritten receipt—all without saying a word.
As Shane grabbed their bagged items and started for the door, Corbin elbowed him in the ribs.
“See, what did I tell you?” Corbin said. “That dude couldn’t be less interested in his job. He’s probably had to deal with all sorts of jerks today, and he finally just tuned out the whole world.”
“We’re not in the clear yet,” Shane said, as they approached the line of National Guardsmen just beyond the doors. The crowd waiting to get inside had grown more restless, jostling for position as the guardsmen periodically pushed them back.
“We’re fine,” Corbin insisted. “It’s done. We got what we needed, and nobody stopped us.”
As they passed through the line of guards, Shane heard one of them say, “Okay, next group can go.”
Surviving The End (Book 2): Fallen World Page 9