CHAPTER 6
Clearing Wal-Mart was easier said than done. We would think we were done, just to run into a Sleeper or Dead in a hidden corner of the store. It was all a whirlwind of activity, we also found ten survivors, most were workers but two where people that tried to get away from the monsters outside, none were injured or bitten. We spent the first week fortifying any way into the store. We kept Dad in quarantine the whole first week since he wasn't getting any better.
My Uncle Hammer and Aunt Kim showed up to Wal-Mart with their children, Ashley and the twins Mathew and Megan on day three. They informed me they couldn't get a hold of Uncle Johnny, Zachery or Payton. It took them three days to get to us because they went to their house to find them and wound up leaving a note to where we were going. The best part of them showing up was that Aunt Kim could help my father since she was a nurse practitioner and knew medicine better than any of us.
Even though the store was cleared and secure the first day, we didn't sleep much that first week nor the second. I laid out the full plan by the end of week two. I had everyone gather in the auto area of the store, we were now at least 12 strong by this time.
Everyone was milling around talking while I set up a white board and unpacked dri-erase markers.
“Alright, everyone pay attention, I want to make this quick so I can take a few people on a special run in a couple days and I want to go over what we are doing in more detail with them. Leave any questions till the end.
The first thing we have to do is come up with a better guard schedule it will only be at night because during the day we will be working outside a lot the next few months. Mostly just clearing out car after we search them.
We will push them to make a wall that covers the front of the store. This will only be temporary do to the fact that we will be sending out teams of two or three to go collect semi trailers.
Once they are brought here we will bring them to the loading docks and see what are in them. If we can use it we will unload it and use the empty trailer later as an out building. If we can't use anything in the trailer we will bring it about a hundred yards out and tip it over to put it in line to make a bigger and more secure wall around the whole store.
As time goes on and we get more and more trailers we will more the wall further out, that is pretty simple and self explanatory. The hard part is getting over to the heavy equipment rental place down the road to get an excavator, bulldozer, and heavy duty forklifts.
Right now though we need to weld all but one door on each side of the building and leave all over head doors for unloading and loading of semi trailers. Kurt can you and your boys handle that?” Kurt, one of the people that came here for supplies before heading out of town, decided to stay and be part of what we were building, he just nodded.
“Alright everyone can go back to what they are doing I will be heading up to the roof to look around.” I started to head to the roof access when I remembered about my plan for a run. I turned a said, “Andrew I will come find you and Joey and talk to you about a run I have planed later.” Then I made my way to the ladder.
My mind swirled as my plans ran around my head. We also had to make sure there would have room for everyone that I was hoping to find, still alive. The empty trailers would provide for that however would have to wait for now. The first thing to do was to get rid of some of these damn sleepers and dead. They were swarming the store, not trying to get in, just walking around because of all the space.
As I stood on the roof looking down I removed the suppressor from the pouch on my vest and screwed it in place on the Eagle, nice and tight. I lined up my shot and took down a Sleeper. I had quite keeping count days ago. I started taking out the Sleepers that lay on the ground sleeping. The first one that was closer to the doors was easy, It took me two more shots to hit another one that slept further away. I continued till my Eagle was empty.
I was reloading as I thought to myself, how did it go from being another boring day of cooking pizzas at Aurelio’s to me being on the real-life set of Dawn of The Dead? Just then I looked around a watched as a line of cars roared down interstate 80, with an RV and motorcycle leading the way. I wondered to myself if they were heading to Georgia or heading to Alexandra and I chuckled to myself for thinking of The Walking Dead at a time like this. I was aiming at my next Sleeper when I caught the site of a girl running straight for the store.
As she got closer, I noticed that is was my friend Niki. As she grew closer to a Dead that staggered in his route to her, she swung her pickle fork with ease as she ran, it caught the Dead right on the jaw, even from where I was I could tell that its head almost came off. It impressed me that such power could come from such a small girl, even though she was at a run. As she went to swing at another Dead, one of the Sleepers woke up and jumped into action and sprinted at her. She never saw it, and I know she wouldn’t see it till it was on top of her. I aimed and caught it just below the chin. It was just enough to put it down and give Niki enough time to turn and finish it. She looked toward the store; her eyes must have seen the carts in the doors because she screamed
“Shit!” and started to turn.
“Niki!” I yelled, then whistled as loud as I could yelling again, “Niki!”
She spun around and looked again at the store.
“Up here!” I screamed as I waved. “Run around the back to the loading docks; I will open it for you.” I could see the relief on her face as she turned to run around the building. I kept and eye on her as she sprinted around the build to help clear her path, of any Sleepers or Dead she couldn’t get herself.
When she got to the loading docks, she looked up to me. “Now what jackass!”
I held a finger up and pulled my radio from my jacket. “Joey open dock door three.”
As she kept her eyes out for more monsters, the door behind her started rising slowly. Once it was halfway up, I started down the ladder. I got to the dock area just as Joey was helping her climb onto the dock. “Thank you.” She said out of breath and hugged Joey.
“What in the hell were you doing out there?” I said as I walked up to them.
She looked at me and just throw herself into my arms. I could feel her whole four foot nine body shaking uncontrollably, and she started sobbing. I just held her as she let loose.
“Joey go get me some water.” As Joey ran off, I got back to caring for her. “Niki are you ok? Were you bit? What were you doing out there alone?”
“Slow down Q; I just ran from my house all the way here. Give me a minute to breathe and get a drink.” As she sat down, Joey showed up with a water an ice tea and a pop. “Thanks Lil Q, I will take the pop, I need the sugar and caffine.”
Joey’s face showed his confusion at the name when he said, “What the hell does that mean?”
She laughed then said, “I am friends with your brother; I have seen your pictures on his Facebook. You are his little brother. I call him Q, and since I don’t know your name, I can only call you lil Q.” She grabbed the pop and took a long drink from it. “I was at home yesterday when that crazy ass rain hit. My mother and father were out in the yard. I was watching was watching Arrow after it was over. I never noticed when they changed, I just heard them groaning and then they both went and attacked my brother. I had to grab my fire poker to stop them from attacking me. It took me all night to get over what I did. I was running because they got up again this morning, this time they were dead, and I couldn’t take care of them again. I couldn’t grab my dad’s keys from his pocket, so I ran.” As she finished, she started crying again.
“Niki it will be okay. You can stay here with us. We have numbers and supplies; you will be safe.” As I tried to calm her, I knelt in front of her and started rubbing her legs, that were still shaking. “When you can get up again, I will walk you to the others. But, for now, we can stay here until you feel better. Joey, go get us some chairs so we can feel comfortable while we sit a little longer.”
When he returned with the chairs, we just sat there, she broke down again while she recapped what happened on the way here. She had grabbed the pickle fork that was by the race car as she ran from the house, through the garage. She had to use the pickle fork on her brother because he had attacked her on her way to get out of the garage. She hesitated only long enough to say a short prayer and good bye to her family.
I held her as she cried and said, “You are here now, we can help you and keep you safe.”
“Fuck that; I will help keep myself safe. I have some built up anger now; I will be fine.” She yelled as she stood up and ran her hands through her blonde and pink hair. I looked her up and down and noticed now that she was only wearing a tight-fitting tank top with no bra and a tight pair of yoga pants. She did look super sexy but wasn’t dressed for Sleeper and Dead killing in Illinois, and it was a weird thing to think about at that moment. I admit, probably not the best time to think that at that given moment but I only said,
"Let’s go get you some clothes and shoes before we go see the others.”
"What’s wrong John, afraid you won't be able to keep your eyes off all this goodness?" She said with a wink as she walked away, making sure to sway her hips to put on a show. See how she was not acting, I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She was suppressing her feelings or she truly did snap, either way she was going to be one deadly woman.
I laughed as I throw my hand up to cover Joey’s eyes. He slapped it away as fast as he could with a laugh.
As we walked, I asked her if she needed anything else. When she said no I replied with, “Well you are going to have to learn to shot and care for a gun at all times. Your pickle fork can only do so much for being only a melee weapon.”
“I don’t need to learn to shoot, I am sure I am a better shot than you, and I would rather have a sniper rifle. I feel better taking these things out from a distance.”
I chuckled and said, “No problem I am sure we can find a nice pink one for you.” I never saw the slap upside my head coming until it was too late.
CHAPTER 7
As we walked to meet up with the others Nikki slipped on the shirt she had picked out to wear instead of her tank top. I couldn’t stop staring at her body as we walked. We walked up to everyone as they were eating sandwiches and talking among themselves.
“Where is Kim?” Joey asked as we walked up
“She is checking on your father,” Hammer said as he put a plate in front of Megan, who looked even more silent than she usually did.
“He is fine.” We all turned to look at Kim as she walked up removing the gloves she was wearing. “He only had a really bad flu; the bite didn’t do anything to him. He will be fine another day or two; I gave him some more medicine.”
I walked over to her and hugged her. “Thank you.”
“Hi, Niki. Long time no see. How are you doing?” Kim said over my shoulder and walked over to her when the look in Niki’s eyes told her the whole story, even though Niki never said a word.
Kim walked around me and hugged Niki, I cleared my throat, and said: “We need to figure out how we are going to…” I was cut short by the lights going out and a loud crash that followed. “What the fuck!!!! Stay here.” I took off at a dead sprint toward the roof access. By the time I got to the ladder, I could feel Niki behind me. I never stopped to tell her again to wait I just went as fast as I could to the top.
We sprinted to the other side of the roof as I pulled out my Eagle. When we got to the edge we stopped and saw it. All Niki could say was “Fuck!”
What we were looking at was a site straight out of a horror movie. A truck had tried to make it out of Morris and spun out after trying to plow through a group of Sleepers and Dead. We stood there for a second in silence. Then I spoke out of pure shock. “This fucking sucks, they hot the one pole providing electricity to the store and knocked out the power, fucking idiots. Let’s go tell them what is going on.”
I turned to leave when Niki grabbed my arm, “Look! Someone is still alive in there.” I followed the direction of her finger. Sure enough, I saw a girl in the passenger seat. She looked like she was trying to remove her belt. She kept looking at the Sleepers and Dead getting up around her and started surrounding her truck.
“Shit,” I pulled out my radio and spoke as fast and clear as I could since time was not on our side. “Andrew I need you and your brother to come to the north side dock door. Joey, I need you to be there too. I need Andrew and Michel to fight their way to a truck about a hundred yards away. Joey, provide sniper cover, Niki and I are jumping down to help Andrew and Michel, once they exit the Dock doors. Make it fast.”
I had just put the radio in my pocket when when the radio said “We are ready when you are.”
Niki and I lined up to jump on a semi-trailer. “NOW!”
As Niki and I leaped off the roof, we hit the top of the trailer and got up to run to the end. I caught the site of Andrew coming out of the dock doors, swinging his ax at the nearest sleeper and taking its head clean off its body. Niki and I stopped at the edge of the trailer, and I grabbed her arm and knelled. She sat at the edge of the trailer, and I held her as she swung down to the ground.
Before I lowered myself down, I took down a Sleeper that was heading after her. As I lowered myself down I felt her back against my legs; she was protecting me from any stray Sleepers. Once I was down I the ground I turned and fired at two Dead that were coming at us. Taking the top off both their heads. Niki swung her pickle fork and smashed the skull of another one that had come at us. We met up with Andrew and Michel about twenty yards from the truck. Andrew sliced the head off another Sleeper as Michel was fighting three Dead. Joey sniped one and Michel killed another, he killed the last Dead, but not before it took a bite out of his forearm.
As we got to the truck the girl was screaming for help; she must have gotten her belt off because she was turned toward us yelling the door wouldn’t open. I grabbed the handle and pulled it but it would not budge. “Shit! Get back from the window.” I raised my desert eagle to smash the window.
“Hey! Dumbass! Move over!” Niki yelled as she hip checked me. She took the pickle fork and rammed the forks into the door. “Now push girl!”
With a hard shoulder to the door, the girl was able to knock the door open. Michel was there when the door opened and scooped the girl up in his arms. “I will get her to the store, cover me.”
Andrew took the lead as I stood to Michel’s right and Niki on his left. We fought our way back to the store. The whole time the girl kept screaming and trying to get out of Michel’s arms. Once in the dock doors Michel dropped the girl with a loud thud as she hit the ground.
“Nice way to say thanks for me to saving you, bitch. You scratched half the skin off my face.” Michel was wiping the blood from his face as he yelled at her.
“You’re a dumbass. There is a good reason, I don't want to be in your arms when you go turned into one of those disgusting things!” She screamed as she waved her hand to the open dock door.
Joey stood there taking shots at the few sleepers that were near the door as he pulled the door down, when he yelled, “Hey bitch, bites don’t change you this isn’t a movie. My father was bitten two weeks ago by a Sleeper, and he is fine, just has the flu.”
“You’re right, the white eyed one’s bites don’t do shit but hurt worse than a normal wound and make you a little sick. But a bite from one of the dead ones will change you into a a white eyed monster. It happens quickly too.” She was now on her feet moving away from Michel.
“So I am going to be one of them?”
“Yes, and I don’t want to try getting away from one as huge as you.” She was now on the other side of a conveyor system that was left in the middle of the loading area.
“You don't know what you are talking about, he will be fine.” Andrew started yelling until Michel placed his hand on his shoulder. He stopped and just looked up at his brother.
“She is right Andrew; I already feel different. Like I am getting sick, but I will not turn into one of them. I won’t go down without a fight. I want to go out there, clear as many as I can before I change. Joey, I want you to pop me right before I turn into one of them.” The anger in his eyes grew as the words he spoke finally registered in his soul. “Andrew, I want you to live a long and fulfilling life. Do not mourn me, celebrate my life and use my loss to fight and survive, till I see you once again in the great hall of Valhalla. I love you, my brother.”
Neither of them cried nor did they say goodbye, they just placed the foreheads together with their right arm in the traditional warriors embrace, hand to forearm.
Michel walked to the dock door as Joey opened it and he jumped down. He ran to the biggest group of Sleepers and Dead. All I could see were bodies flying and heard sickening cracks, which told me Michel was breaking heads with that hockey stick of his. The silence was broken by an animalistic roar that made us cringe. We watched as the pile that had gathered around Michel exploded out like an explosion went off, throwing them away with ease. Though the Sleepers and Dead had gotten up, after the toss, none of them moved to overtake him again. Our eyes all fell on Michel standing there pale, towering, and white-eyed.
As we stared at him, a red circle appeared in the middle of his forehead, and then that is when the shot from Joey’s rifle registered with our ears. It was done, Michel had died a warrior’s death, and Joey had kept his word. We stood in silence as we lowered the overhead door. Then we all turned and slowly walked back to the group. None of us talked, and the only noise was coming from the new girl and her limping.
CHAPTER 8
Everyone in the group was lighting candles or putting batteries in lanterns as we walked up. They didn’t notice us until we were about then 10 feet away from them.
“Is everything ok?”
“Did the power plant explode?”
“What is going on?”
“What happen?”
“Who is that?”
“Where is Michel?”
All the questions came at us all at once, that I didn't know who asked what. I didn’t know where to start or how. “The power went out because of this young lady,” I pointed at the young lady, realizing I didn’t even ask her, her name.
“I am Amy I live in Dwight, or rather, lived in Dwight. I am truly sorry I hit that electrical poll.” She looked like a girl that was in big trouble from her parents.
Kim walked over sensing she was about to break into tears, “It is okay Amy you didn’t do anything wrong trying to get away from those things. I saw you limping over; I can help with that, can I take a look?”
Amy sat in a chair and started untying her shoe. “Yes, please do. It really hurts.
The light lit up her face as she sat down and I noticed her eyes. They were the lightest gray I had ever seen, they reminded me of the Sleepers eyes, if you were not looking close enough, you would miss where the color of her irises stopped, and the whites of her eyes started. I caught myself wondering if she had in colored contacts. I shook my head not knowing why my mind wandered to the thought of her eyes.
“Let me continue, Amy hit the electrical pole that supplies power to the store. The power plant did not explode. In fact, as long as the parts of the plant hold up and the safeguards are in place the plant will not only, not explode or meltdown, it will also provide electricity for a long time, till the parts start failing and the safeguards shut it down safely. Seeing as before all this happened they had a maintenance shut down, I am sure it will last a long while. I would like not to take any chances though, so once we are all settled and on our way to true survival I want to go out to the plant and see it for ourselves.” I had to take a few deep breaths before I started talking about what happened to Michel.
“As for Michel, we have learned that even though Sleeper bites don’t do anything but hurt a lot and make you sick, they will not turn you into one of them. But, a Dead’s bit will change you and it changes you fast. That is what happened to Michel, as we were saving Amy he was bitten by a Dead. Before he changed, he went out and took care of about thirty Sleepers and Dead. He went out fighting as Hero and making our job clearing a little easier. Our main concern right now is trying to fix the electric so we can get power back.”
Everyone looked at Andrew, who was stone-faced, and told him how sorry they were and told him how much he would be missed. He only nodded his head and gave a quick
“Thank you.”
“Not to change the subject John, but Kim and I have talked. We to take the kids and head down to Florida where the rest of her family is. We don’t know if they are okay, but we need to know.” Hammer said as he walked over to the kids and stood next to them.
I stared into his eyes and knew that he had made his mind up and there was no changing it. I could also tell he would be just fine. “That is understandable Hammer. We will outfit you with enough weapons, ammo, food, and provisions to get you there. This just means we have to run over to Big R. I have been watching it and no one has been going in and out of it so I am sure they guns and ammo are all still there. Until we get the electric fixed we also have to grab a couple of silent running Honda generators for us to use.”
Niki came storming over as I walked to talk to Joey, “I am going with you, and telling me to stay here won't work.”
I grabbed her hand, “I would rather it be just Joey and I. I want to keep it small, so we don’t.”
“She and Andrew will go with you.” Everyone’s heads snapped over to see my father standing, or rather trying to stand, against the door jam.
Guy and Dan rushed over to help Dad walk to a table. Guy was told him, “Dad, you should be laying down, you are not well.”
“I am fine enough to be in on a conversation. I heard what happen to Michel, no one goes out alone, and we travel in teams of four or more outside these walls.” He sat at a table; you could see how weak this flu had made him. Kim handed him a water bottle with some pills.
“Alright, Andrew, Niki, Joey and I will go over to Big R. I figured even though the generators are the silent running type I want to put them on the roof so there is no way they can be heard. Also, I think we need to empty some of these offices so we can all sleep in our own areas. Guy, can you and Dan grab air mattresses and sleeping bags and pillows while we are gone?” I watched as they brought Dad some food.
“Yeah, we will empty the offices and make sure everyone has their own space, I could use a break from your snoring.” Dan said without looking up as everyone laughed.
“Yeah yeah yeah. okay Hammer, stay here until we get back. Last we heard from Kalie was she was on her way here. Can you go on the roof and keep an eye out for her?”
“Yeah, that will also help me keep an eye on you too.”
“Good, take the BMG and ammo us with you. It is sited in, you might as well cover us while you're at it. Joey, use Dads gun. Your rifle isn’t needed on this mission and we it is the one with the least ammo, for now.” I removed my magazine and check my ammo, half a clip with two full ones on my chest. “Alright let's go, we will take the truck.”
Dad walked slowly at me and placed a hand on my shoulder, “You have had little sleep these last two weeks. Why don't you rest today and go when you are well rested tomorrow?”
“Dad I can't do that, we need to get more ammo and weapons and without those generators we will be without lights.” I protested
“John, it is 5pm we won't need lights for the night to sleep. We will be fine, now go lay the fuck down and sleep.”
I looked at him and knew he was right and that arguing with him would be no use. So I reluctantly when over to my sleeping area and laid down.
Just as I closed my eye to sleep Niki and Amy walked up. Niki asked, “Hey mind if we set up our sleeping areas near you.”
Without looking up or moving I points somewhere to my left and said, “Sure, over there somewhere. Oh and a heads up, I snore. “
I was fast asleep in about twenty seconds.
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