Deadies: Run for Your Life (5 page)

“
How the hell you going to sleep next to her?”

“
I’ll figure it out.”

I heard the sounds of Joe’s footsteps as they cautiously walked down the attic’s steps. Nick walked over to the mattress and kicked his boots off. He sat down and laid in the wide open space I left for him on the queen air mattress. He laid on his back and after what seemed like fifteen minutes he was sleep. His air snoring made that certain. After a few more minutes of listening to him release air from his lungs I had fallen asleep.

The sunlight came through the window and warmed my face. I found it strange that I was awake and Nick was still sleeping. He was on his side facing me. I couldn’t help but stare at him and trace the contours of his face with my mind. In addition to his eyes he has a perfect nose. I thought about my second real relationship, an Italian photographer twenty years my senior. He used to stare at me as a slept. I thought it was creepy then but now I am fascinated. Could be because I’m the peeper and not the peepee.

My mouth was dry and I’m sure my breath smelled like puke marinated in dirty bath water. I looked around the room for a bottle of water and there was none in sight. I thought of heading downstairs to get one. Nick wrestled around and I turned to see him coming out of his sleep.

Nick sat up and looked around. “I thought it would be hard sleeping next to you but that was the best sleep I had in months.” He groaned and stretched his arms out to the heavens. “Nothing beats proper rest.”

I was scared to talk for fear my dragon breath would jump out and singe his eyebrows.

Nick stood and walked over to a duffel bag that was on the floor in the corner. He reached in and produced a brand new toothbrush still in the plastic wrapper. He tossed it to me and I caught it.

“
Thanks,” I said.

“
You go to the bathroom first but we have rules. No showers or baths. There’s only so much hot water. We take turns showering. It’s not our turn. Just wash in the sink. There is a linen closet next to the bathroom. There are fresh towels in there.”

“
Thanks,” I got up from the mattress and scurried down the attic steps. Nine people in a house with one shower, not a perfect living situation but better than anything I had thus far. The downstairs bathroom was a half bath so it only had a sink and a toilet.

I took care of my hygiene as best as I could. I got dressed in the fresh clean gray t-shirt Nick provided and khaki shorts that Kait gave me. It was time to head out on my first suicide mission. I hoped first was more accurate than last.

CHAPTER 4

We hit the road on our way to the shopping spree of doom. I used to love going from shop to shop. I never thought I would be afraid to enter a store. Things change and all change isn’t good.

Naveen drove the Escalade. Nick drove the mail truck while I rode beside him. Naveen followed closely behind us as we took the back roads. I watched out the window as we passed endless acres of farmland. It was quiet and peaceful until I summoned the courage to speak. “So what makes you so brave?”

“
Ha, I could ask you the same question, Sarah Connor?” He looked over and grinned.

I didn’t know who Sarah Connor was, but I didn’t let on. “I’m just following your lead.”

“
I’m no leader.”

“
I beg to differ.”

“
Whatever that means… You know my mama told me to never trust a green-eyed girl with full lips.”

“
Whaaaaaaaaaat?” I smiled as I said it. “Who said my eyes were green?”

“
You’re funny.”

“
This is true.” I agreed.

“
Everyone else is so serious all the time. I’m glad you ran into my car.”

“
I’m glad I ran into your car. I have never been in a Camaro.” For some strange reason I was flirting. This may be the last time I flirt, so what the hell.

“
I stole, or borrowed, that car. I used to drive a pick up.”

“
So we were in a hot Camaro? Sexy.”

“
Yes mam. Now we’re in a hot mail truck.”

“
Who stole the Escalade?”

“
That belongs to the doctor…Jesse, what happened to your family?”

“
I really don’t know. I can only assume they’re dead. I mean there couldn’t be that many people still out there. What about you? What happened to your family? Did you have a wife and kids?”

“
No wife and kids. My mother died of ovarian cancer when I was in high school. That was ten years ago. My dad, I hadn’t seen in over a year. I had a brother that lived in Michigan.” We pulled in front of a gun shop. “We are here.”

It was a little store front on the corner of a strip mall. Nick put the car in park. He reached behind his seat and grabbed a backpack and two huge duffel bags.

Nick looked over at me. “Turn on your walkie.”

I looked down. I had forgotten that I had a walkie-talkie wedged in between my legs. I picked it up and turned it on. “I’m going in alone.”

“
Is that a good idea?”

Nick ignored me and grabbed his walkie off the dashboard. He put it to his mouth. “Naveen, I’m going in. Be on alert. Radio silence unless it’s an emergency.”

“
Ten, four,” Naveen’s voice rang clear through Nick’s and my walkie’s.

“
Back in a flash, hop into the driver’s seat. I might have to run out in a hurry.” Nick winked at me. I was not comforted by his words or his wink. Nick got out the truck with his gear. I did my own silent prayer. I hoped he would return.

There were no deadies in sight. I guess that’s a good thing. I watched as Nick walked to the side of the gun shop. I have no idea how he would break in but Nick seemed like the type of guy that would have knowledge of such things. My stomach churned into knots as the minutes passed by. I watched the digital clock on the dashboard and that made the wait even more excruciating.

It was less then fifteen minutes when Nick emerged and I heard him open the back of the truck. There was light clinging that came from the rear until Nick shut the trucks backdoor and returned to the cab. I scooted over and he drove. The drive from the gun shop to the store was a short one, six minutes tops.

We pulled up on the side of the Target Superstore. It was strange but the parking lot had a lot of abandoned cars left in it. Since Naveen had previously worked at a Target, he told Nick the side door where employees venture out for smoke breaks was the best option. Nick drove around the building looking for deadies before we parked at the side door.

I learned Nick had an arsenal of tools he used when he went out looking for supplies. He grabbed his preloaded backpack and tossed it on his shoulders. He took the bolt cutters, blowtorch and protective goggles. He placed the goggles on top of his head. “I will be right back for you.” Nick walked around to the passenger side of the mail truck, that’s where the employee door was.

I could see Nick clearly in the side rearview mirror. Naveen had a much better view of Nick then I did. His truck was closer to the door.

Nick didn’t take long to open the single red door. He signaled for Naveen and me to come join him. “Naveen you turn the truck around so the trunk is facing the door.”

“
Okay.” Naveen nodded as he dashed to the Escalade.

“
Come.” Nick handed over a flashlight from his pack and one of the guns from his waistband. It was the Colt .45. “Point and shot, shot the freaks, not me.”

I took the gun and placed it in my khaki shorts pocket. I turned on my flashlight.

Nick had somehow taped a small flashlight to his gun. “We grab bags and bring them to Naveen.”

I followed Nick inside the store. He went straight to the front of the store, to the checkout counters. Nick pocketed his gun and hoisted a full rack of plastic shopping bags on his shoulders. Nick jogged to the door where Naveen was waiting. I was on his heels.

“
You’re the bag boy.” Nick said to Naveen.

“
What else is new?” Naveen retorted, as he placed the bag rack on the rear of the Escalade.

“
We’re going to try to fill the trucks up.” Nick darted back into the store. I chased Nick back to the front of the store. He stopped at the shopping carts. “We both take two. Push one, pull one.”

I did as I was told but it made it hard to hold my flashlight so I put it in my front shopping cart’s basket and it worked out well enough.

“
We stay together.”

“
If we split up, we can get more stuff.” I stated the obvious. The store looked safe and quiet. Plus I wanted to leave as soon as possible.

“
We stay together.” He gruffed and that was that.

We quickly filled our carts up with basic necessities first, toilet paper, alcohol, vitamin supplements, dried and canned foods, toothbrushes, toothpaste, flashlights and bottled water. We took the entire display of batteries every time we came across one. We parked our full carts with Naveen and went back in for more carts to fill up with more goods. I followed Nick and he pointed me to the feminine hygiene aisle. He stood awkwardly a few feet away as I piled deodorant, razors, tampons and sanitary napkins into one of my carts.

“
Hurry up.” He snapped. I was tempted to bark at him but I changed my mind. I rolled my carts out the lady aisle and followed Nick to electronics. We really didn’t need much in this area. I put a few video cameras in my cart after Nick jimmied the display locks with a crowbar. Nick grabbed some handheld video games. He also thought to grab all the binoculars.

We headed to the apparel section of the store. We walked through and I grabbed panties and bras and haphazardly threw them in my cart. Nick stopped abruptly. He turned around to see what I was up to. The light from his gun was swarming around in my cart.

“
What are you looking for?” I asked.

“
Keep the panties, lose the bras.” Nick said with an even timbre.

Was he joking? “What?”

“
Kait needs a bra. She’s a kid. If I let you return to the house with bras for you and Michelle I will get my ass kicked.”

“
What?” The only word I could think of. “You guys wear underwear.”

“
No we don’t. We all go commando. Lose the bras, house rule.” He half smiled. “Jesse do you want me to get beat up?” Nick pleaded as he lied.

It was cute. I fell for it. “No I don’t. I’ll give all the bras to Kait.” What just happened here?

“
Thank you baby girl.” He swiftly pointed his flashlight over my breast. “Get some clothes. The men’s section is right here.” He pointed down the aisle. “Yell if you need me. I’ll be done before you. I’ll come back for you.”

“
Okay.” I hurried my shopping as Nick disappeared into the men’s department. I grabbed a half of a dozen V-neck t-shirts in various sizes and tossed them in my cart.

I thought I saw some movement near the unisex fitting room. I paused and stared. Looking for more movement but yearning not to see anything. I picked my flashlight up from the toddler seat in the cart. I flashed it directly at the fitting rooms.

“
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” I screamed like the girl that I am. There behind the fitting room desk was a deadie, an old woman without teeth. She was dressed in the Superstore uniform, polo shirt and khaki pants. Her silver-gray hair was matted with dried blood that had once dripped to her chin. “Nick!” The old lady came charging at me and I saw there were three more deadies behind her.

“
Run, Jesse.” Nick’s voice bellowed from the right of the fitting rooms.”

“
BLAM! BLAM!” Nick’s gun went off. I could see he was being ambushed by a horde of deadies. He could not help me. He needed help. I turned to run and I remembered the gun in my pocket. I pulled the gun out and run for my life. I turned down the infant toddler aisle. I swatted my arms on the shelves knocking boxes of baby diapers behind me. I glanced back and I saw the deadies stumble over the diaper boxes as they tried to close the small gap in between me and them.

The closest and quickest deadie was a young man with one eye. One of these monsters had bit his eye out while he was still a human, a horrible way to die, and a creepy grotesque way to be reborn. This deadie’s polo shirt was full of bullet holes. Someone tried to kill him but didn’t realize they had to shoot him in the head. A mistake I would never make. I reached for a baby stroller that was a few feet above me on a shelf. I tried to toss it in the path of the crazed deadies. Fuck me! The stroller was chained to the fuckin’ shelf. What the fuck? When did I start thinking like a potty mouth? This end of the world, zombie freak shit changes people.

“
BLAM!” Another gunshot, I need to get to Nick. I pushed harder, faster but the one eyed deadie was on my heels with two dead women and a zombie grandma right on his heels. I could smell them as the air rushed by my face. Fuck it! I will not die like this.

I made it to the end of the aisle. I turned in the middle of running and pointed my .45. I lifted it and deadie one-eye run right for me. “BLAM!” I pulled the trigger. I hit him in the head and he fell backwards knocking the remaining deadie trio on the carpet. Lucky shot, I’m sure I couldn’t duplicate it.

My fear was stifled with aggression. The toxic trio of deadies quickly began their second pursuit, their second attempt on my life. I circled around and ended up running toward where I last saw Nick.