Die Dead Enough (14 page)

He could see the shadow of someone standing in the window.

They made it? Can they see us from up there?

"You got some papers behind the counter, don't ya, Jasper?" Bo asked, getting a confounded look from the old man. "That'll get ya'll halfway there, right?"

"Is he right?" asked Miller, shoving Jasper. "You got fuckin' papers back there? Holdin' out on me. I knew it. I bet where there's papers, there's weed. I know you liquor store dudes. I know you all sell the shit in secret."

"I'll check it out," the red-faced boy said and walked over to the counter which backed the windows facing the house next door. The boy slipped through and behind the register, squatting down to examine the shelves. The others could hear him tossing items to the floor as he rummaged through each level. "I don't see shit, Miller. Ooooh, lottery tickets!"

"Ain't no good now, Johnny," Miller said, annoyed. "Where are the papers, grandpa?"

"Uh..." Jasper stuttered as he noticed the slight nod coming from Bo. "Bottom shelf, I believe."

"I don't see any down here," Johnny said. "Whoa, dude. What's in this safe back here?"

"Safe?" Miller asked. "Yeah, what's in the safe, old man?"

"What do you think's in there?" Bo interrupted. "That's probably where the man stashes the real money. Probably thousands in there, right, Jasper?"

Bo nodded vigorously at Jasper while Miller was looking away.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah..." the old man agreed. "Secret stash. That's my damned life-savings in there, guys."

"What's the combo?" asked Johnny, standing up, his face even more lobster-like than before.

Miller shoved Jasper, tapping him on the head with his gun.

"You heard him, fucker. The combo," he ordered as he walked Jasper over to the counter.

"Twenty-two, three, fourteen," Jasper said reluctantly.

Johnny repeated the digits as he spun the dial, right then left. He completed the sequence and lifted the handle. It remained locked.

"Shit. What the hell, dude? Not workin'," Johnny said.

"That's the combination. I swear! Twenty-two, three, fourteen. That's it!" Jasper said.

Abruptly Miller pistol-whipped Jasper, sending him to the floor in a heap.

"You better not be lyin'," Miller said and moved behind the counter, shoving Johnny aside. "Look out. Let me try it. You probably don't even know your numbers yet."

"Oh, shit," Conor said, squinting through the binoculars at the liquor store. He could see Bo and Klaus within and three others that he did not recognize, two holding the others at gunpoint. "They got trouble over there. Get over, Aiden. Bring that rifle."

Aiden stepped up and grabbed the binocs. He could see the backs of two strangers, one fat, one muscular with a gun trained on their friends.

"Son of a bitch!" Aiden said and tossed the binocs to his brother, pulling his rifle up to his shoulder. He set his eye to the scope and studied the scene closely. The strangers were messing about with something behind the store counter while Bo and Klaus stood on the other side, hands in the air. "What do I do? Do I shoot those guys?"

Just then, they could see Bo look up, directly at them, desperation in his eyes. He looked to the strangers and drew a finger across his throat. He nodded slightly and stepped to the side, pulling Klaus with him against the wall.

"What the fuck you doin'?" Miller said, hearing their movement and standing to investigate.

"Shit," Conor said. "Do it, Aiden. Take 'em out!"

Aiden shoved the barrel of his rifle through the glass in front of him, breaking a hole and steadied himself as he pulled Miller into the crosshairs. He let out a long breath and pulled the trigger just as Miller started toward Bo.

Miller's arms flew up as the bullet hit him in the back, between the shoulder blades. Aiden moved the crosshair slightly to the right and squeezed the trigger again, the sound so loud in the attic. The round missed Johnny, shattering a display and blowing it off the counter.

"Godammit!" Aiden said, taking aim once more, but Johnny hit the floor, dropping out of his sight. Then Aiden saw the boy scramble out from behind the counter and charge toward Bo and Klaus. He dove for Miller's gun, lying on the floor next to his dead body. Bo dove as well, the two of them colliding as they landed, their heads bouncing off one another with a loud cracking sound.

They both got a grip on the weapon and a frantic struggle ensued.

"What's goin' on down there?" Conor asked, no longer able to see any of them."

"Don't know. I can't see shit. Can't believe I missed that second shot," Aiden replied.

Klaus jumped into the fight, kicking Johnny hard in the ribs, rolling him to one side.

"He's got the gun!" Bo shouted, jumping at Johnny again, grabbing his forearms and twisting them away. A shot rang out as Bo threw him to the floor once more.

Klaus felt the bullet graze his cheek as it went by, breaking the window in the beverage cooler behind him.

Suddenly Jasper came around the end of an aisle, head bloody and shotgun in his hands. He stepped up to the two struggling on the floor and once he found an opening he struck Johnny in the back of the head with the butt of the gun. Johnny was immediately unconscious.

"Shit!" Bo said, shaking his head. "Muthafucka was stronger than he looked."

"Everybody okay?" Jasper asked, touching the wound on his head, the blood caked in his unruly white hair.

Bo and Klaus nodded.

"Good. Now tell me what the hell just happened," Jasper said.

"You see anything?" Aiden asked, still studying the store through his scope.

"No..." Conor answered. "Wait... is that Bo? Yeah, it is!"

Bo moved over toward the window, hands in the air. He gave a thumbs-up and wiped his hand across his forehead. He then put his hands together and shouted, "Thank you!"

There were now thousands of zombies surrounding the two buildings, the gunfire drawing them close. With the liquor store window shattered, they reached their filthy hands through, trying to reach the people inside. Luckily the iron bars kept them at bay for the time being.

"You guys all right?" Bo shouted over the moans and growls.

"Trish was shot," Conor called down. "She can't be moved for a few days. She went to shock, but she's going to be okay."

"Ah, shit..." Bo said to himself. "We just gone wait it out, then? What's the plan?"

"You guys got food over there? Enough for three days or so?" asked Conor.

Bo looked at Jasper questioningly. Jasper nodded.

"We got enough," Jasper said.

"Yeah, we good," Bo shouted to Conor.

"We're good, too," Conor replied. "All right. Just stay put and be safe."

"You, too," Bo said. He waved and moved away from the rotten hands that strove to get a piece of him.

He walked over to the others, both sitting with their backs against a wall, both nursing injuries.

Guess we need to get settled, ya'll," Bo said. "Gone be a few days. Then we can get the hell outta here."

"And go where?" Jasper asked. "You know someplace safe?"

Bo was speechless for a moment.

"I don't know," he said, unsure.

Where
did
they intend to run?

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Okay, I'm tired of beef jerky," Klaus said, reclining against a wall of the walk-in freezer. They had taken to remaining there, hoping that their absence would send the gathered zombies elsewhere. For the most part, the plan had worked, the monsters distracted by other sights and sounds, many wondering off to search for flesh in other parts.

After three days, a few dozen still hung about outside, filling the air with the occasional grunt or groan, scratching the outside walls as if they smelled the humans inside.

"Yeah, Jasper. When you said they was plenty of food, dis ain't what I was expectin'," Bo said, pulling another hunk of meat off with his teeth. "This shit's makin' my stomach hurt."

"Just be thankful we have
this
, boys," Jasper said, sipping on a Heineken. "And remember, there's a Taco Bell a few blocks over if you wanna make a run for the border. Look, we got jerky, Slim Jims and chips. It's a freaking smorgasbord!"

"You sure they ain't nothin' else?" Bo asked, tossing a wrapper into an empty box.

"Look at it this way - it'll help you both with your diets," Jasper said with a smile.

"Very funny, you old fart," Klaus said. "If this goes on much longer, I'll be as scrawny as you."

Their laughter was interrupted by a loud thud from the front of the store.

"What was that?" Klaus asked as they all stared at one another.

Jasper grabbed his shotgun and stood.

"Let's check it out. Probably just that Johnny asshole again," he said and pulled the freezer door open. The others were behind him as he approached the door leading to the sales floor. Jasper put his ear against it for a moment.

"Something moving around in there..." Jasper said.

"You think the zombies got in?" Klaus said.

"Nah, I think we would've heard that. The way we blocked the front door? If they came through that, it would've caused one hell of a racket."

"Open the door," Bo said. "It's gotta be Johnny. Ima shut him up fo' good."

"All right. Everybody ready?" Jasper asked, sliding the bolt to the side and reaching for the door handle.

"Go for it," said Klaus, still chewing on jerky.

Jasper slowly pulled the door open, peering inside. As he got a wider view of the room, he could see Johnny behind the counter attempting to remove the bars from the broken window there.

"What the hell you doin'?" Jasper asked, stepping into the room. "And how'd you get loose, goddammit? Bo, you didn't tie him up very well, did ya?"

"All I had was extension cords, brutha..." said Bo with a shrug.

"You really wanna go out there, boy?" Jasper asked as Johnny turned to face him. His eyes were sunken and shadowed, skin now void of its customary redness. There was nothing Human about they boy anymore. Looking down, Jasper saw a large bite mark on his hand.

Then Johnny rushed them with a garbled screech.

His speed was unbelievable, the zombie in their faces so fast that Jasper could only raise his shotgun enough to blow a hole through the boy's right thigh. Johnny staggered a bit, but his forward momentum sent him into Jasper, knocking the old man to the floor. Jasper landed hard on his back, hands locking around Johnny's throat, keeping the chomping teeth away. The boy's fingernails dug into his face, tearing the flesh to the bone before the others could come to his assistance.

Bo put two rounds in the zombie's head but it barely reacted, its concentration unwavering as it continued to rip at Jasper's face and neck. The old man screamed in agony, twisting his head to the side and trying to throw the zombie off of his chest.

Klaus dropped to his knees, snatching up Jasper's shotgun. He put the barrel against the thing's skull and pulled the trigger. Brains and blood sprayed the items on the nearby shelves and the head fell forward on its neck. Its arms and hands were not affected, however, and Bo kicked it hard in the chest over and over, shouting curses.

Klaus put the barrel of the gun against the creature's left shoulder joint and let loose another blast. It nearly separated the arm from the torso, thin strands of flesh the only thing holding it together.

"Back up!" Bo screamed and kicked the zombie again, tearing the arm free. The fingers were still buried in the loose flesh of Jasper's cheek and when Bo pulled it away it ripped wide open, Jasper's teeth clearly visible through the jagged gash. "Do it again!" Bo yelled to Klaus. "Blow his other arm off. Quick!"

Klaus did as instructed, the shotgun booming like a cannon, keeping their ears ringing. The zombie's body fell backward, the legs kicking about in an attempt to stand. Without arms it simply flopped about like a fish, its shoulder sockets pumping blood all over the floor.

The zombie's fingers nearly tore Jasper's ear from his head when they managed to wrench the other arm free. Jasper was in sorry shape, his face covered in blood as he fell to his side, wrapping his hands around his head.

"Jesus, Jesus..." he whimpered as Bo and Klaus came to his aid. Bo reached behind him and pulled several novelty t-shirts from a clothing rack. He folded one several times to form a makeshift bandage and touched Jasper's shoulder.

"Let me see, brutha," Bo said, rolling the old man onto his back. He tried not to gasp, but Jasper's face was in shreds. Three diagonal lacerations crossed from forehead to jaw line, the white of his skull visible in places.

"I'm gonna get sick like Klaus did, dammit," Jasper said, blood from his injured lips bubbling down his chin.

"Shhh... chill, Jasper. Don't worry 'bout that right now. Here, hold this against your cheek," Bo said, placing the shirt against the loose flaps of flesh.

"We need needle and thread, man," Klaus said, shaking his head. "He needs stitches, lots of 'em."

"I know," said Bo. "Got any idea where we can get some thread and a needle, Jasper?"

"Yeah... in my Jeep," he replied, his voice growing weak and muffled with the cotton against his mouth. "Got a bug-out bag in the back seat."

Bo stood up and stared out the front windows. A black Jeep sat in the parking lot, a jumping deer airbrushed across the spare tire cover. There were also a dozen zombies shuffling around in the area and more advancing from across the street, attracted by the recent gunfire.

"Muthafucka..." Bo said, running a hand over his face. The Jeep was not far from the building, but he was still apprehensive about stepping outside. As soon as they saw him, they would be on him. Bo was big and very strong, but not fast. He looked at Klaus who was in the same situation. He did not believe that either of them could get to the Jeep and back without being caught. "What do we do?"

"It's all right, fellas," Jasper said, the shirt against his face now crimson red. "Don't risk it. I've cut myself worse shavin'."

Klaus and Bo locked eyes, both shrugging their uncertainty.

Suddenly, Conor's voice came from outside.

"Hey! What the hell was that?" he shouted.

Klaus made his way over to the shattered window behind the counter, the zombies starting to amble away in response to hearing Conor's shouts.

"That young guy got bitten trying to get out. Turned into a zombie and came at us. He tore Jasper up, man. He needs help, needs stitches," Klaus said.

"He was bitten?" Conor asked.

"No, just scratched to shit. He's got first aid supplies in that Jeep out front, but..." Klaus said.

"We've got a first aid kit up here, too. Not sure how to get it to you... hang on, let me think."

"What's the plan or do we have one?" Aiden asked, staring through the window at the black Jeep. "If they step into the parking lot, they're dead. Must be thirty zombies out there and more on the way. I could give them cover fire, but I don't think it would make much difference."

"Could we throw our kit over?" asked Conor.

"They'd still have to leave the store to get it, wouldn't they?"

"No, I mean throw it on the roof. Maybe they can get to the roof from inside the store?" said Conor.

"I don't know. That's pretty far. I don't think we can throw it that far, man."

"You can't," said Trish as she lay on the cot across the attic.

"I might be able to make it," Conor replied, gauging the distance with his eyes.

Aiden called down to Klaus.

"Hey, is there access to the roof from inside the store?" he asked.

In a few moments, Klaus came back to the window.

"Jasper says no," he said with a frown.

"Fuck," Aiden said and went to the attic door.

"Wait, what are you doin'?" Conor and Trish asked in unison.

"Shh," said Aiden as he lifted the trap door and stared down into the bedroom below. The place appeared empty. "No zombies. Okay, you guys leave the steps down unless you absolutely have to pull them up again-"

"What" Fuck that," Conor said. "What are you planning to do? If you're going down there, I'm going with you."

"Just stay here, brother. Keep an eye on Trish. I'm just gonna provide a little distraction. Let them know what's up."

"Hey, no! You're not doing this," Trish argued. "You're just gonna get killed down there."

"You know I love your confidence," Aiden said with a grin. He checked the ammo in his rifle and slung it over his shoulder. "I'm only going to be gone long enough for them to get to that Jeep and back. Just give me a second."

"Goddammit," Conor said. "Do me a favor, you idiot."

"What?" Aiden said, lifting the door completely.

"Don't die."

"I'll do my best," Aiden said and let the steps down.

"Aiden's gonna distract them!" Conor called down to the liquor store. "Get to the Jeep and back as fast as you can!"

Klaus gave a thumbs-up and moved away from the window. It was decided that Bo would make the mad dash for the bag and he now stood at the front door, ready to race to the Jeep.

Aiden descended the attic steps slowly, looking all about for zombies. Once he reached the floor, he glanced up and gestured for his brother to pull the steps up again. Conor shook his head in disagreement and AIdne made his way to the remains of the bedroom door. There were splinters of wood and pools of blood on the floor as he crossed the threshold into the hallway.

He could hear nothing, no movement within the house.

He moved down the hall, careful not to slip on the gore that spotted the hardwood flooring that led to the staircase. The banister was broken, most of it missing, destroyed by the horde as they had chased them upstairs.

Aiden paused, a sound reaching his ears, a continuous tapping sound from the living room below. He stepped down, bringing the rifle to his shoulder, scanning every possible hiding place as he went.

On the fourth step down, the source of the sound was revealed, the curtains in the broken window were swaying in the breeze, the tassels lightly striking the wall beside them. He exhaled in relief as he came down the final steps. To his left was the kitchen, seeming incredibly bright to his eyes after three days in the attic, the sunlight streaming through the many windows there.

He saw nothing in that direction, heard no evidence of zombies, so he crossed to the large window and put his shoulder against the frame, peering around it to get a view of the front porch and beyond.

To his left, he could just see the parking lot of Jasper's Jug and the milling zombies that occupied it.

This is fucking stupid. I could die by doing this. What if I can't get back to the attic in time?

He licked his lips anxiously and tried to swallow his fear.

This was my idea. Can't back out now.

Here we go.

He stepped into view and waved an arm over his head.

"Hey! Hey, you dead fuckers! Snacktime!" he shouted.

The zombies lethargically turned their attention to him and began to move toward the house.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Aiden called out and put his eye to his scope. He pulled a distant zombie into the crosshairs and blew the back of its head out, the crack of the rifle echoing throughout the area. The creature went immediately off course, now unable to see its intended victim.

"Fuck, yeah!" Aiden said with a laugh. "You just gonna let me pick your brothers off, you assholes?"

When he lowered the rifle, he noticed that the horde had picked up speed, some now dangerously close.

"Oh, shit," he said and began to back away from the window. "Conor, are they clear? They get to the Jeep?"

On the parking lot below, Conor could see Bo throw the door open and run out to the Jeep. Three of the zombies turned toward him, eyes growing wide with hunger as they came at him. He jumped inside the Jeep, found the bag and emerged just as one of them came around the rear of the vehicle.