Once they got there he took what looked like the master key that used to belong to the manager and opened the door, he could tell that Alex was looking at the key so Keith told him, “I found it in the manager’s office while looking for a phone or a radio, comes in handy.   I have managed to get some food, even found a couple of those dead fucks and took them out...”

 

As they went inside everyone made for the living room and found seats.   Keith sat himself down in a large leather lazy boy recliner and said, “So I figure you’re from the helicopter that I saw crash before.   That’s a given: with the military uniforms and all.    What happened?”

 

Captain Knight filled in Keith about what happened to them at Fort Pastor, the others would occasionally jump in from time to time to tell about something that he failed to mention or wasn’t aware of.    After the story was done Keith leaned back in his chair and said, “to think I was going to try and make my way there at one point.    Whew…”

 

After a few minutes Manning looked over at Keith and asked, “So what’s your story cowboy?”    Keith let out a small and somewhat bitter chuckle, then said, “well ma’am, I was here in your fine city for a gun show, I’m a private dealer, and I was out the night all of this started, going to meet a local guy with a store of his own, guy named Andy.   Anyway, I kind of got lost and missed our meeting at this place called Mustang Sally’s.     Then the shit hit the fan and I tried to get back to Everett Stadium, I had a booth there with plenty of firearms, didn’t make it though.    I ended up stuck on the road and ran into this guy, his sister and his girlfriend.”

 

“We traveled together for a little while until we ran into a MOB of those fuckers and got separated.    They tried to overtake me but I managed to get out.   By that time I saw the guy was dead and his sister long gone.   I found a motorcycle laying on the side of the road and decided to try and haul ass out of town.”

 

“No matter where I went to try and get out of here I ran into those things.    The bike ran out of juice, I ran out of bullets, in the end I was using my shotgun as a club.   I was dirty, tired and hungry and being chased non-stop, then I managed to shake them just long enough to find this place and I have been holed up here ever since, trying to find supplies and weapons.”

 

After that story everyone sat in silence for several minutes.   After a little bit longer Captain Mills asked, “You have any further plans?   Anywhere to go after here?”   Keith seemed to consider the question for a bit and finally said, “Haven’t given it much thought I was just holding out here hoping help would show up sooner or later, I mean this shit’s gotta blow over sooner or later, don’t it?”

 

Captain Mills looked sad then said, “I don’t think so.   The last report I was hearing before things got really bad was that it was SPREADING.    It’s not JUST Everett anymore, I had heard reports that it was the whole state, then some scattered stories about it being the whole country maybe even the whole world.   That is why when you tried to leave town you kept running into those THINGS.”

 

Keith couldn’t believe what he was hearing, even after all the shit he had been through, all the unbelievable stuff already.     After a couple of minutes he seemed to shake it off, at least a bit, and then said, “I guess YOU have a plan then since you brought it up.”

 

“As a matter of fact I do, sort of.”   Captain Mills replied, “I know a place that SHOULD be nice and safe, but it’s far from here, we will need some kind of transportation as well as supplies and weapons.”

 

Keith said, “I have SOME food but we are going to need more and trust me there is no more HERE, I’ve been all through this place with a fine tooth comb.    As for weapons there are NONE that’s why I was using this,” at that point Keith raised his bloody bat, then tossed it aside.    “What about transport?”  Captain Mills asked, unsure if he SHOULD or not.

 

“The one place I haven’t REALLY checked out is the underground parking garage but I know there are SOME vehicles there.    Could be something useful down there but it’s so big and poorly lit and has wide open access from the outside, didn’t think it would be safe for me to look it over alone, lightly armed and all.”

 

At this point Captain Knight joined in the conversation, “you have us here now and you have this,” Captain Knight gave Keith one of the spare guns and the extra round of ammo they had, “so we can check it out.”

 

“Tomorrow,” Manning suggested, “it’s getting late and I think we could all stand to rest and clean up before something like that.”     “Very true,” Captain Mills agreed.

 

“Wait a minute,” Doctor Stevens interjected, “I for one WANT to know more about this place we’re headed to.”   “Like what?” Captain Mills asked.   “Like: Where is it?   What’s it called?”   Doctor Stephens said with a tinge of harshness to his tone.

 

“It’s called El Pequeño Asilo, it’s a small isolated village in Mexico.    I was assigned there once with a team to work with the local government to help fight the drug trade.    We pulled out after several months when the operation was deemed a failure.”

 

“So it’s a drug haven?”   Doctor Stephens said with an edge in his voice.    “It’s not like that,” Captain Mills explained, “it’s more of a small simple peasant village that grows marijuana to make ends meet.    Because it’s such a small operation and is so out of the way it avoids the attention of the hard case drug lords, the people are really friendly and there aren’t very many of them.”

 

“What makes you feel this El Pequeño Asilo would be safe?”   Manning asked showing some concerns of her own.     “Simple,” Captain Mills said, “As I’ve told you it’s small and out of the way, it’s also isolated and it’s doubtful ANY of those things have found it and even if they had it would be a simple matter to deal with a small number of them, it’s perfect.    Plus one other thing, a little advantage I have, I know the secret way in.    Sure the actual trail to El Pequeño Asilo doesn’t start until we’re closer but I can use back roads here to get us on that trail, and once we’re on that trail we’re golden.”

 

“Ok,” Keith said, “assuming all that IS true, surely there are places just as safe closer by.”    Captain Mills shook his head, “I don’t think so, at least not that I KNOW as well as I know El Pequeño Asilo and even if there are we can’t FIND them if we don’t know where to look.”

 

Everyone had to admit that he had a point: How could they FIND a safe place if they didn’t KNOW about it?     Finally Captain Knight stood up and said, “Look, I think we ALL know Captain Mills has a point and he KNOWS what he is talking about.    I for one have known him for a long time and trust him totally so I say we do as he says,” then he added “and IF we happen to stumble across someplace that’s just as safe along the way we can stay there instead.    How’s that?”

 

That apparently seemed like a reasonable plan to everyone and with that done Keith got up and said, “I don’t know about you but I could use some grub.    I have a kind of chili I was able to throw together from some stuff I found and cook on this old portable gas stove I scrounged up.     It’s not as good as my usual blue ribbon mix but it does the job.”

 

By this time everyone was starving so Keith reheated the chili and scrounged up some bowls and passed it out.     As they sat in the living room in a circle eating the food Keith looked over at Alex and said, “Kid,” Alex looked up, “I see your leg is busted.    I know where I can get ya’ a pair of crutches if you’d like.   I can run and get them right now.”

 

Alex said, “thanks, that would be great, I have had to use crutches last winter when I hurt my ankle skiing in Denver, I could get around a lot better that way and I wouldn’t slow anyone down.”   During the last part the looked at Alice with a sad look in his eyes, he KNEW if he slowed down ANYONE it would be her and that it COULD get her killed, or worse.

 

Keith finished his chili before any of the others so he took his flashlight, making sure all the lanterns he had found were lit so the others could see and went to get the crutches, on his way out Manning stopped him and said, “Wait up Keith, I will come with ya’, never know, might need help.”     “I doubt it little lady, I checked the place and the windows are secure, besides I haven’t seen any of those things around here yet, other than the ones that were already inside when they died.”    “But yeah you never know.”   “Ok then get your gun and let’s go.”   Keith said.

 

As the two of them walked down the hallway lit only by Keith’s small but powerful flashlight Manning moved closer and whispered, “What do you think about going to this El Pequeño Asilo?”    Keith replied, “I don’t know, sounds like as good a plan as any, especially if that Captain Mills is right about what he was telling us.    You have any reason to think he’s wrong?”    “Not really,” Manning said, “just not sure it’s worth going all that way, there have to be safe places much closer, besides I can’t help but think we should make for another Army base, I feel like just taking off like this we are deserting or something.”

 

“You heard Captain Knight, IF we find a good safe place along the way we can stay there,” Keith said attempting to reassure her somewhat, “besides if the reports you all told me about are true I don’t know if there IS an army to desert from anymore, kind of sounds like the end of the line, everyone for themselves.” “True,” Manning, said sadly, “we’re just going to have to make our way I guess.”

 

At this point they reached their destination.   Keith said, “when I was in here I found a pair of aluminum crutches but I didn’t need them so I just set them aside, they looked to be in good shape though.”    Keith unlocked the door at which point Manning asked, “why do you keep the doors locked?”   “Because,” he explained, “as you can see the hallway has no windows, only the apartments do, so I keep the doors locked…”   “In case any of those things get in through the windows,” Manning finished for him, “they will be inside the apartments and will have to bust through the door, by that time you will know and can deal with them or get away.”    “That’s right,” Keith, said, “I knew it would take a long time to barricade ALL the windows so I just did the back door and the windows in the apartment I use.”

 

At that point he swung the door open but before he could point the flashlight inside he noticed movement and saw for a split second that the window was broken.    “Shit!” was all he was able to say before the undead THING leapt on him to attack.

 

Despite the fact that the sudden attack took them BOTH by surprise Manning and Keith recovered quickly.    Manning cocked her gun only to find out that she couldn’t get a clean shot, leaving her looking around for some way to get the attacker off of Keith before it was too late.

 

Meanwhile, Keith had dropped HIS gun when he hit the floor due to the force of the impact and was trying to reach for it with his right hand while trying to keep the thing from biting him with his left.    He felt around for a while struggling with the thing, then finally he got it.

 

Cocking his weapon he placed it between him and the attacker, aiming for the thing’s head and fired off his shot, which sent a spray of blood and brains up into the air hitting the ceiling and leaving a blotch of dark red.

 

Now that the thing was TRULY dead Keith tossed the body off of him and with Manning’s help was able to get up off the floor.     “Have to be more careful,” Keith, said taking his flashlight in one hand and his pistol in the other and crossing his wrists to the keep the light where he needed it.

 

Slowly they entered the room with Keith in the lead.   Keith didn’t want to spend anymore time in the apartment than need be, so he went right for where he recalled putting the crutches and grabbing them he said, “Ok, lets get back to the others before we run into anything else.”

 

Luckily for them the one they had already taken care of seemed to the be only one who had gotten inside, for now.     However, they BOTH knew that it would only be a matter of time before more of them found that broken window and made their way inside, or broke other windows on their own, so in addition to locking the apartment door they took a heavy table sitting at the end of the hall for decoration and pushed it in front of the door.

 

As soon as they were through the door Manning said, “We’ve got trouble people!” then went on to tell them about the dead thing they ran into while retrieving the crutches.    At the end she said, “the apartment doors seem fairly sturdy and SHOULD hold but with that broken window a lot of them are going to be coming in through there and enough of them WILL be able to get through.”

 

“What do you suggest?” Captain Knight asked, wanting to see what Manning had in mind.    “I suggest that for tonight we sleep in shifts and keep an eye on that door in particular, and of course that as SOON as it’s light we get a vehicle and get on the road.”   “Very good,” Captain Knight began, “and since I’m still feeling the effects of my concussion I will take first watch, I shouldn’t sleep for a few more hours anyway.”   

 

Alex had gotten the crutches while Manning was telling them about their run ins with the dead thing and while he listened he had taken a cloth and wiped them off getting the dust and grime off of them then he had stood up to try the crutches out.     They seemed fine, good and sturdy, all they needed was a height adjustment, whoever had used them before was a good foot shorter than Alex.     So, using his fingers, he unscrewed the wing nuts and made the adjustments in a jiffy, he always WAS good with his hands.

 

In short order and with a little trial and error he had them good to go and was using them to walk around the apartment to get the feel of using crutches again, he wasn’t surprised to find how easily it had all come back to him.

 

For a final test he decided to go outside the apartment to check in with Captain Knight who had stationed himself outside their apartment to better keep an eye on the other apartments, the one with the broken window especially.

 

By this time the others were asleep and it was dark but Captain Knight had Keith’s flashlight with him and was moving it around outside almost like a living lighthouse, which helped Alex maneuver himself outside.

 

Once out there he walked up to the Captain and said, “Hi, Captain Knight?”   The Captain turned and said, “You should be asleep we have a big day tomorrow.”    “Yeah I know,” Alex, said sheepishly, “I just wanted to get used to my new crutches so I don’t slow my sister down.    I would hate it if she got bitten by one of those things because she was helping me, even more than if I did.”

 

“I understand,” Captain Knight, said sympathetically, “this mess has been rough on all of us, we have all lost people that we cared about and seen things no one should have to see.”     Alex nodded remembering bitterly he and Alice watching helplessly as their parents were bitten, then after they turned being attacked by them and having to kill them.

 

“Just don’t stay up too late and don’t walk off too far,” Captain Knight said.   “Ok,” Alex said, “I AM feeling kind of tired, I guess I will go to bed NOW.    Good night Captain.”     Captain Knight smiled to himself in the semi darkness and said, “Good night kid.”

 

***

The night passed largely without any major event other than the growing sound of dead things pounding to get out of the apartment with the broken window, and the sound of other windows suffering the same fate and pounding on the door to those apartments as well.

 

The group was concerned about the increasing numbers of dead outside but as long as they didn’t manage to breach the apartment doors they felt they would be safe long enough, until they could get out of there.

 

They had been up for awhile and had a quick bacon and eggs breakfast made by Keith on the gas stove and were packing up when Captain Mills noticed Keith was sitting in the corner doing something with his back to the others.

 

Curious he walked over and tapped Keith on the shoulder and said, “what ya’ doing cowboy?”     Keith jumped a bit and said, “Oh Captain Mills, just an idea I had.     You see it’s really dark down in the parking garage and I got to thinking how clumsy it would be to carry a flashlight AND a gun so I found some duct tape and did this…” At this point he held up their guns, along the top of them he had taped small flashlights, “now,” he continued, “It DOES mess up the sight but you should be able to aim with the beam of light.    Some buddies and I did this once when we got stuck in the woods longer than planned and ended up having to do some unplanned night hunting.   Worked like a charm.”

 

Captain Mills smiled and patted Keith on the back, “great thinking buddy.   Those will really help, you got enough for all of us?”    “Sure do, or I will when I finish this one.”     With that he collected all the guns and passed them out, everyone except Alex who couldn’t use one and operate his crutches at the same time and Alice who admitted she didn’t know HOW to shoot, got one.

 

By this time they packed everything they felt they needed and could safely carry, not that it was much, it was time to try and find a ride.

 

The group took the emergency stairs and even with Alex’s broken leg it didn’t take long for them to reach the door marked parking garage.     With no way to know what they were stepping into the group was naturally a little nervous but after standing around for a few moments attempting to collect themselves Captain Mills finally said, “let’s just get it over with, remember everyone stay on your toes and aim for their HEADS.”    At that point he cocked his weapon and turned on the flashlight Keith had added, the others quickly followed suit.

 

Captain Knight who was standing in the very front with Captain Mills at his side followed by Alex and Alice and taking up the rear Keith and Manning, opened the door quietly and the group moved inside.

 

The parking garage was large, cold and dark, being underground and only exposed to outside sunlight by various slit-like windows just at the point it emerged from the ground AND of course the large exit which gently slopped upward allowing vehicles to drive in and out making them ALL glad they had brought their flashlights, even Alex and Alice who didn’t have guns had managed to wrangle a couple of flashlights of their own, Alex had somehow managed to attach a pair of small flashlights to a headband allowing him to shine light wherever he looked.

 

The group, being sure to keep, as they had been told by Captain Mills, on their toes and to stick together started surveying the garage, that was when they saw it: the perfect vehicle, their way out of there: an RV.    It was parked in the distance and looked like it would be perfect for their needs.

 

The group looked around once more to make sure there were no THINGS around and not seeing any they made a dash for the vehicle.    Unfortunately, in their haste they hadn’t considered the RV might be protected, as soon as Captain Mills reached out to touch it a loud car alarm started to go off.

 

The shrill noise of it echoed loudly off the thick cement walls it seemed to fill the whole structure with noise.    “SHIT!” Captain Mills shouted, “WE HAVE TO GET THIS THING OFF NOW!”    “HOW?”   Manning yelled from the back, “WE DON’T HAVE THE KEYCHAIN CONTROLLER?”

 

“I WILL RIP IT OUT OF THE FUCKING THING IF I HAVE TO,” Captain Knight shouted.  “EVERYONE COVER ME, I CAN PICK THE LOCK TO THE DOOR, HOPEFULLY THERE IS A KEY!   IF NOT I WILL HAVE TO HOTWIRE THE FUCKER!” Keith yelled moving to the front of the group and pulling out what looked like a professional locksmith’s kit from one of his duster pockets.

 

Captain Mills, Captain Knight and Manning took up positions behind Keith, with Alex and Alice between them, all of them keeping their eyes peeled and those with weapons kept them at the ready.

 

Meanwhile, they could hear, even over the horrible noise of the RV’s alarm that their worst fears had come true, they could hear the unmistakable shriek of the dead and it didn’t take long before they could make out movement coming from the darkest corners of the parking garage, if they didn’t get inside soon they were in for trouble.

 

Manning looked back and just over Keith’s shoulder she could see his amazingly skilled hands as he used the tools from his kit to attempt to manipulate the lock’s inner mechanisms so that it would unlock and let them inside.    He seemed somehow to be able to block out the din of the car alarm and the ever-growing sounds of the dead as they moved quickly to check out the loud noise looking for flesh to eat.

 

The numbers were staggering, when the movement first became visible it almost looked like the very shadows that were ever present in the parking garage had somehow come to life and were making their way to them, then as the things pulled away from the darkness it was grimly clear there were dozens of dead things here and they were quickly moving their way.

 

As the dead things quickly made their approach Captain Mills yelled over his shoulder “HOW’S IT COMING KEITH!”     “ALMOST GOT IT, JUST GIVE ME ANOTHER SECOND.”    Captain Knight was about to tell him they MIGHT not have that long when the things came into the area and they had to start shooting.

 

They were able to take several of the dead things out right off the bat but they all KNEW there were way too many of them for them to ever have a hope of prevailing.      If Keith didn’t get the door to the RV opened soon they were goners for sure, of course even if he did get the door open that didn’t guarantee they wouldn’t STILL be goners but it at least gave them a CHANCE.

 

The things had been held back for a few seconds by the gunfire but the others could tell they were about to strike, just then Keith said in a triumphant tone, “I’V GOT IT,” then opening the door he said, “EVERYONE INSIDE NOW!!!”     He didn’t have to repeat his words again; as soon as the door was open the others started to pile in.     At this point Keith pulled his weapon, which he had temporarily stuck into one of his duster pockets, and started laying down cover to allow the others to slip inside.

 

As soon as they were all inside and Keith relocked the door from the inside Captain Mills jumped behind the driver seat of the large RV and started looking frantically trying to figure out where the owner MIGHT keep a spare set of keys.

 

He was about to give up as the dead things partially surrounded the RV and as one started trying to break in, only succeeding in causing the vehicle to rock more and more violently by the second.    IF THEY TURN THE RV OVER WE’RE DONE FOR, Captain Mills thought.    He was about to see how much he KNEW about hotwiring an RV when he looked down at the ignition and realized the key was already there complete with the key chain to control the awful car alarm that was still wailing like an injured best.

 

Laughing grimly to himself he turned the alarm off then turned the key to start the RV, as it started everyone was so happy that it started the first time they almost let out a little cheer but then they remembered they weren’t out of danger yet.     Skillfully, Captain Mills started backing out, he was having some trouble because the things were still scattered around the mighty RV and while they didn’t really pose enough of a problem to stop the RV’s backward progress they did slow it down.

 

Finally, the RV was able to pull free of the things around it, Captain Mills took a sort of perverse pleasure hearing the things bones snap and the occasional head popping like a melon on a sidewalk as he pulled the RV out of it’s parking spot.

 

Now came a tricky part, turning the lumbering metal beast around so they could get the fuck out.     There were a surprising number of abandoned cars, Captain Mills could only guess that their own search and rescue teams had taken most of the people to Fort Pastor, ironically they MIGHT had been better off if they just made a run for it on their own.    

 

The abandoned cars were going to make a turn difficult, even if he threw caution to the wind and didn’t bother to avoid hitting some of them.     Captain Mills didn’t want to hit anymore of them than he HAD to because he didn’t want to risk damaging their ride but in some cases it was unavoidable.

 

After a several minutes and some trial and error Captain Mills had finally managed to get the RV faced forward to make up the time he spent turning he gunned the RV and they pulled out into the daylight.    

 

Their eyes had gotten used to the semi-darkness of the parking garage and the bright sunlight of the day made them squint their eyes, once their vision had adjusted they were met by a horrible sight.     Outside, almost as if they were waiting for them, were dozens MORE of those dead things.    At first they were just milling around outside the apartment building, some had discovered broken windows and were attempting to climb inside; others were just standing around looking.

 

As soon as they saw the RV all the ones outside turned and starting running toward it.     “We’ve got company!” Captain Mills shouted grimly.    Manning, Keith and Captain Knight came running up Alex and Alice stayed put in the back. 

 

“Just plow over them!” Manning said harshly.    “That’s all well and good, as long as the crowd doesn’t get too thick,” Captain Mills replied over his shoulder.    “Everyone grab a seat and hold on tight!” He shouted, as the RV was about to meet with the crowd of dead running their way.

 

Just before the RV reached the multitude of dead Captain Mills pushed the accelerator to the floor and the RV sped up.     The vehicle plowed through the dead like a thrasher at harvest, only slowing down slightly once when it reached the center of the crowd where the number of things were at their thickest.

 

In the end however the hoard of undead were no match for the RV as it was able to push it’s way through and out into the open streets of Everett, Wisconsin.     Captain Mills turned the RV toward the south and followed a path he knew would lead them to some of the less used streets of the city, then eventually out of the city and beyond.

 

While Captain Mills was busily outlining the EXACT route he wanted to take to get them on the drug trail to El Pequeño Asilo the others were looking around taking stock of the RV they had just taken.    That was when Alex pointed and said in an unsettled tone, “LOOK!”

 

Everyone looked where he pointed and found what at first looked like some kind of black crusty substances, at first glance no one seemed sure of WHY he would be making such a fuss, that is until Captain Knight, Manning and Keith got a closer look, then they realized the familiar look of DRIED BLOOD.

 

In this case it SEEMED to lead from the driver’s seat to a small door in the back, which lead into a self-contained on board toilet.     Not sure of what to make of the situation Captain Knight, Manning and Keith cocked their weapons and decided to check it out.

 

The door to the bathroom was one of those that just slide to one side so Keith reached out carefully and quickly slide it open.      As he did everyone pointed their guns inside but all that was there was the crumpled form of an old man with blood all over him.

 

“He must be the owner of the RV,” Manning said.    “Yeah,” Keith inserted, “must of tried to get away but ended up dying.”     “Is he bitten?” Captain Mills asked from the front, realizing now WHY the key was in the ignition.    He must have tried to get to the RV to make a getaway, realized he was hurt just before trying to start up the RV then turned the alarm on and went to the bathroom to treat his wound.

 

“Can’t tell,” Captain Knight said in reply to the question, and then carefully he leaned in order to find out.    Turned out that was all it took, suddenly the old man’s body sprang to life and tried to attack Captain Knight.

 

Captain Knight pulled away, narrowly missing getting his cheek bitten off.     At that point Keith stepped in carefully aiming his weapon and shooting the thing in the head, the force of the blast knocked the thing back into the toilet and Manning quickly closed the door as if hoping to forget that the thing was even in there.

 

“Close call,” Manning said, “hopefully that will be our first and last of those.”   Of course she KNEW better than that, they all did although no one said so, perhaps hoping to keep the fantasy alive.

***

Since Captain Knight’s concussion had made sleeping for long periods of time last night risky and Doctor Stevens, after a complete examination, cleared him to get some shuteye he was in the back of the RV doing just that.

 

Meanwhile, Alex and Alice were resting as well as best they could sitting around a small pull out table half heartedly playing with some cards they had found in a nearby wall panel.

 

Manning and Stevens were checking out every nook and cranny of the RV to see what they had, what they needed and what they could get rid of in case storage became an issue and Keith was near the front keeping Captain Mills company as he continued to drive the back roads.

 

By this time they were just outside of Everett proper and were on the back roads heading in a generally southerly direction looking for this safe haven that Captain Mills had told them all about.

 

So far their luck had pretty much held, other than the thing in the bathroom and the occasional one on the road they hadn’t really run into any of those dead things: as Captain Mills had said, sticking to the back roads was about the safest way to travel, there wouldn’t have been a lot of people on them and since it’s people that the things are after there wouldn’t be many of them either and so far he was right.

 

However, they did have a couple of pressing matters: One was the body in the bathroom, they were going to have to stop at some point pretty soon and dump it, aside from the fact that the smell would sooner or later penetrate the bathroom, even if it had been made to keep smells contained, it also made the bathroom unusable and a bathroom they could use on the road without stopping would be a really good thing to have. 

 

The other matter was gas, Captain Mills had told them shortly after they left town that the tank was full but he also explained that big vehicles like this tend to not be really good on mileage.    He suggested they stop for gas as soon as they found a place, no matter how much was in the tank and try and scrounge up some canisters or other containers to stock up on the stuff, there would come a point where there wouldn’t be any gas stations to stop at all.

 

Luck was on their side in one regard: the old man was no dummy, he had apparently planned his escape well, despite it’s failure, and had stocked the RV with water, non-perishable food items and even a radio.   When they found that Doc Stevens handed it to Alex and Alice and said, “Here see if you can find anyone who knows where things stand.”

 

Alex took the radio and set it up, turned it on then started slowly scanning the dial.    As he scanned everyone listening were becoming more and more discouraged because all he could find was dead air.

 

While this was going on Manning walked over to where Keith was sitting talking with Captain Mills, after a few minutes she sat down in a seat across from him and said, “Hey Keith.”   “Yeah,” he said, “what can I do for ya’ little lady?”

 

Manning seemed to think for a bit then asked, “where did you learn to pick locks like that?”     Keith looked at her with a bemused look on his face, “I guess you figger I’ve got some kind of misspent youth, or checkered pass or something.    I WISH it were something that exciting.    Truth of the matter is my pa was a locksmith and taught me the trade.    I helped him run the family business until he died, then we lost the business because of the medical and funeral expenses.    This was all I was able to keep.”    At that point he tenderly pulled out the lock picking tools he had used before and this time she saw initials emblazoned in gold across the black case.

 

Touching the case gingerly, rubbing her index finger across the letters she said, “Your dad’s initials.”    It wasn’t a question it was an obvious state of fact.    “Yep,” he said, “I kept it to remember him by then I took the small amount of money I was able save and started my gun business.    I started small out of my parents home then worked up, still don’t really keep a store, I just take orders and fill them, works really well, up until now that is.”

***

Captain Mills was STILL driving; he had been at it for HOURS and had refused to let anyone else take over for even a short distance, as he kept saying no one else KNEW the route he was taking.    Keith told him, “your going to have to draw us a map or something hoss.    There is no way you can drive the WHOLE way.”   To which he simply replied, “I know I will, let’s just get somewhere where we can safely stop long enough for me to do that.”

 

As it turned out Captain Mills only had to drive for another hour and half before they finally found the PERFECT place, maybe that was his plan all along.    

 

“Look,” Keith said excited, “a service station!”    Sure enough there was a small back roads service station right there, it wasn’t much to look at but it was SOMETHING.

 

The station was little more than a simple, rundown, white wooden building with a pair of gas pumps out front and a crude gravel parking area to the side.     “Ok,” Captain Mills said, “We’re stopping but I want to make this as quick as I can so here’s the thing: We need to dump that body in the toilet so I and Captain Knight will take care of that.    We also need to gas up, I assume that Alex knows how to pump gas so he can do that, the rest of you STAY together and get inside the store.    Find ANYTHING we can use to hold gas and get it out to Alex so we can stock up, they should have some gas cans in stock, places like this usually carry ‘em.     Also, while you’re in there if you can find weapons of ANY kind, ammo, food ANYTHING that we can use snag that too.     Like I said, EVERYONE STAY TOGETHER AND KEEP ON YOUR TOES!”

 

With that said Captain Mills parked the RV near the tanks and everyone, knowing what was expected of them jumped into action.

 

Captain Mills and Captain Knight managed to find a blanket that was in one of the storage bins and as soon as everyone was out of the RV, knowing that a dead body is not a pretty sight, they pulled it out, the thing was already starting to smell, and wrapped it in the blanket.     Then together they picked it up, and hefting the dead weight they started to carry it outside.

 

“What do you want to do with it?”  Captain Knight asked.    “Doesn’t really matter,” Captain Mills replied, “Lets just dump it out of sight and get in and help the others look for supplies.”    “Sounds like a plan to me,” Captain Knight said glumly as they carried the body.

 

As soon as they got outside they looked around and saw a patch of woods next to the station, “there should do,” Captain Knight said indicating where he meant with a nod of his head.    “Looks good,” Captain Mills said letting Captain Knight take the lead.

 

They carried the body a good distance, until they felt it was sufficiently out of sight, and then gently placed it down on the ground.    After a moment of silence they turned to leave, that is when they suddenly noticed movement in the surrounding woods.     Something was out there and it was watching them…

***

Alice was going to stay with Alex while he pumped the gas but he insisted he could handle it broken leg or no broken leg adding, “the others are going to need all the help they can get to look for and carry supplies and we need to get as much stuff as we can.”

 

Despite her notorious stubborn streak, even she couldn’t argue with the logic so as the others broke the lock on the door and went inside she went to join them.

 

As they went inside they found a dimly lit store, like many other such stores all over the country.    There was a standard check out area near the front with all sorts of so-called impulse items (useless junk and candy that the store owners positioned near the check out counter hoping that people would buy them on impulse or that small children would harass, nag or embarrass their parents or other adults to buy for them, usually by having screaming, crying fits).

 

Then there were aisles of other items: a small automotive section which had lots of small and medium sized gas cans, just as they had hoped.     Loading up as many as she could carry Alice took them to her brother and hurried back for more.

 

There were many other aisles as well: overpriced breads that were ALREADY starting to look moldy because of the heat and humidity, nuts that MIGHT be worth taking, and various other such items.    They hit the jackpot with various canned goods, which they were able to load up in a small hand basket the store kept for shoppers.

 

The freezers, which lined the back wall, were of course out of power and all the stuff inside was already melted, unfrozen and ruined.    There would be nothing of interest in there that was for sure.    Although, as an after thought Manning went ahead and grabbed several cases of various sodas, they generally kept well and even if they were hot they STILL had caffeine which COULD come in handy on the long trip.

 

Keith slyly got several cases of Bud and when Manning gave him a look he said, “What?   I’m over 21 and if I want some fucking beers once and awhile along the way I will have them.    It’s not like I will be able to REALLY enjoy them having to drink them room temperature like some fucking Euro-trash.”    Manning had to repress a laugh then said, “I was just going to say, get some cases of LIGHT for me, I’m watching my figure.”    Keith THOUGHT for a second about commenting on how her figure didn’t need HER watching it but decided to let it drop while grabbing some cases of Bud Lights as well.

 

Stevens who had been loading up the baskets and carrying them out to the RV a couple at a time came back in and said, “This looks like a good haul.    Too bad they don’t have weapons.”     “Well,” Keith said rubbing his stubble covered chin in thought.    Places like this don’t tend to sell weapons, except for those.”   He pointed to a display case of hunting knives, “actually grab those while you’re there, better than nothing and that buck knife at the top looks good, I call dibs.”    Steven let out a chuckle; “you’re probably the only one who COULD use it worth a damn.”     “Oh,” Keith added, “be sure to check BEHIND the counter.    A lot of these places keep a piece back there.”

 

“Gotcha,” Stevens said loading the contents of the knife case into the basket.     Alice walked passed the magazine display, out of the corner of her eye she could the faces of Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie and others staring out at her smiling their wide toothy grins.    For a moment she wondered what THEY were doing now, were THEY still alive, or had they already been eaten, or had they been bitten and were even now mindlessly wandering the streets of LA looking for human flesh.    For a second the image of an undead Tom Cruise running around biting people, flashed through her mind and she decided that would be a really fucked up image to see just before you died, Tom Cruise running toward you, and chomping down on you like a four star meal at some fancy Hollywood hang out.

 

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Alice said to no one in particular as she walked to the back where she saw a door with the universal sign for the woman’s bathroom.      As she opened the door Alice let out a scream as she saw standing before the rotting remains of a woman.     For a split second she thought it was one of THEM but then she realized that the body was just standing there, then it seemed to move but only to fall forward to the floor.

 

In response to her scream Manning and Keith ran over just as the body hit the floor.    They kept their weapons trained on it for a second or two more then Keith carefully moved closer and nudged it a couple of times with his foot.     “Looks like a garden variety corpse,” Keith said, and then added, “I guess the bathroom’s free.”   Alice considered it for a moment and decided her need to pee out weighted the creep factor of someone having apparently died in there so she took a deep breath and went inside.

 

While that was going on Stephens went around the back of the counter to see if there was indeed a weapon there as Keith had told him there might be.     As it turned out he was exactly right and it was really good thing they checked.    What Stephens found turned out to be a sawed off shotgun, highly illegal as he understood it but VERY useful, even if he was never sure exactly why.     Their luck was coming in spades because in addition to that there was also a box of shells, partially used and a FULL one behind that.

 

Stephens grabbed up the sawed off shotgun and the boxes of shells but as he turned to leave he found himself face to face with an undead attacker.    Without thinking he quickly pulled up the shotgun, hoping it was loaded and cocking it fired.

 

The thing’s head exploded clean off of it’s shoulders and the body fell back with the force of the blast.     Manning and Keith, who had been at the far back looking through any other non-perishable foods and beverages heard the shot and ran to the front.

 

“What the fuck was that!” Keith yelled.    “Oh,” Stephens said sounding calmer than he REALLY was, “was just my new toy.   Sawed off shotgun buck knife boy.”   “You’re going to hurt yourself with that BOY!” Keith said simply as he walked away.    Manning couldn’t help but suppress a smile, then she saw the mess Stephens had made with that gun and said, “you be careful with that thing Doc!”   Then she walked off to join Keith.

***

Captains Mills and Knight stood trying to act like they didn’t know they were being watched while at the same time trying to figure out where their unseen observer was located.    AT LEAST Captain Mills thought to himself IT DOESN’T SEEM TO BE ONE OF THEM, THEY WOULD JUST ATTACK.

 

After a few more minutes Captain Knight had a lock on where the observer was located.    Using subtle signs that he and Captain Mills had been using out in the field for years he signaled to him where the watcher was and how he wanted to handle it, adding, “the same move we used in that village sweep last fall.”   Captain Mills nodded.

 

Captain Mills and Captain Knight started to walk away like they were going to rejoin the others.    Then all at once they whipped around so as to cut off all of the observer’s points of retreat, they made sure to keep their weapons ready since they had no way of knowing WHO they were dealing with and if they were armed or not.

 

When they caught their target they were surprised to find out it was a teenage boy.     Grabbing the boy by the collar of his shirt Captain Mills asked, “Who are you and why are you watching us?”     The boy, who was obviously scared by this turn of events started to explain.

 

“My mom owns the store over there,” he point back at the gas station the others were now looting, “when all of this started we locked ourselves inside and were going to hole up until it blew over.”     The boy took a deep breath and continued, “but then this guy came along saying he had been attacked so we let him in, he had been bitten so we tried to fix him up.     Then he got sick and we couldn’t help him he just kept getting worse and worse.    Then he died and things got EVEN WORSE.”

 

“Somehow,” the boy continued, “he came back, like those THINGS and tried to attack us, we ran for the bathrooms locking ourselves inside the ladies room but just as my mom got inside he bit a chunk out of HER and we had a pretty good idea what that meant so she made me crawl out the window and she closed it behind me.    I didn’t have anywhere to go or anyway to get back inside so I have been out here hiding in the woods until you came along.”

 

Captain Mills let the boy go and said, “It’s ok kid we’re here now.   What’s your name?”   The boy said, “My name is Peter.   Where is the rest of your group?   I saw you getting out of the RV.”    “They’re gassing up and getting supplies.”    “They’re in the STORE!   What about my MOM?”     Before Captain Mills or Captain Knight could stop him Peter ran off for the store.     Left with no other choice they simply ran after him.

***

By now Alex had finished filling up the RV and was well on his way to filling up gas cans that the others had brought.

 

When he heard the loud shot coming from inside the store he shut down the pump and went to check on it only to find the headless body and that Doc Stevens carrying a sawed off shotgun.      His sister came out of a bathroom in the back and he noticed a woman’s body in the middle of the floor.

 

His look must have betrayed what he was thinking because Alice said, “she was dead in the bathroom, and from the looks of the inside she had some kind of small caliber handgun and shot herself in the head with it.” 

 

“That would explain this,” Doctor Stevens said looking the headless male body over, “small caliber bullet wounds all over the body, none must have hit the head, I guess she didn’t know that was where to shoot them.”

 

“Ok,” Alex said, “anyone want to come help me out there ARE TWO pumps and it would go faster if I had help.”    “I will,” Alice, said weakly, “I’ve had enough of this place.”     ON the way out Alex stopped at the magazine rack and looked it over, grabbing a handful of girlie mags in their black plastic wrapping.    “Entertainment,” he said walking outside.

 

Alex returned to his pump and Alice took the other pump and they started working on filling up the rest of the containers.    Meanwhile, with the whole store checked out everyone started workings like ants to carry supplies and gear out to the RV and go back for more, at this rate they would be ready to leave soon.

 

At this point Captains Mills and Knight came walking out of the woods with a kid.     The others looked at them and Manning asked, “whose that?”    Captain Knight said, “this is the son of the woman who owned the store here, we found him hiding in the woods.”     Captain Mills walked up to Manning and in a whisper asked, “you see his mother in there?   She was bitten.”     Manning nodded, “she shot herself in the woman’s bathroom.    There was also some guy, Doc Stevens found a sawed off shotgun behind the counter, took the guy’s head clean off.”     Captain Mills nodded to show he understood.

 

Peter saw the open door and before anyone could stop him he ran inside the store.     Captain Mills and Manning ran in to get the boy out and when they entered they found him kneeling over the body of his mother, crying.