Walkers (Book 2): The Rescue (12 page)

     We drove through a couple small towns that didn't have much to offer before we came upon one that said the population was 25,471.  Some enterprising soul crossed that number out and wrote 4,622.  It was crossed out several more times before we got back to 25,470 and the word 'walkers' written beside it. I hoped the author was still kicking. We pulled into the first grocery store we came to and prepared to do battle, I mean go shopping.

     It was just a bit of luck that found our next ''store'' in a field miles from the nearest town.  I had noticed that some warehouses was starting to pop up outside of towns...I guess because the semi's were so noisy.  We took it like as a gift.  We pulled into the parking lot late that afternoon and stared at the building for a bit.  Then we all gathered in the motor home to discuss our plans.

     Mason began, "There aren't that many cars in the parking lot so I'm thinking the walker population should be at a minimum.  If we go in, clear out the hostiles, spend a few days shopping we won't have to stop anywhere else on the way to the lodge and would have a lot of supplies we won't have to hunt for later. What do you think?"

     I added my two cents worth.  "Lets check out the whole outside of the building from the roof.  There's always an access to the inside, then we can check out the inside from the safety of the upper floors, eliminate problems and get things done.  I agree two days should take care of business, but I think we need a distraction just in case we get found by a herd."

     "What did you have in mind?"  Riley asked.

     "Well in that little Texas town we spent time in, we rigged up the tornado warning system to only work on different areas of the town at a time.  We don't have Duke, to do that so I think we'll have to figure out something else."

     "Who's Duke?"  Riley again.  "I'll tell you later," replied Jill.

     "We have a few of those canned air horns of, we can rig up some kind of trap, say a brick held up with a stick just over the trigger of the can and put them as far away as possible, then when we have a bunch of walkers headed out way we shoot out the stick, the brick falls on the trigger and the horn goes off.  Walkers head that direction."  Ken finished talking and we all just stared at him.  He grinned and lifted his shoulder, tilting his head.  He was embarrassed.

     "Wow, Ken.  I'm impressed.  You gonna be the shooter?"

     "Nope, but I've heard Jill is a weapons expert.  Probably shoots the wings of helpless gnats or something."

     Jill just sat there and smiled.  She looked so cute that I could see how Ken was head over heels for her.

     "Give me that hunting rifle and a nite scope and I'm your man...woman.  I think if we have the can in an upright position however,..." She continued to talk softly to Ken about the project so we continued with our plans. 

     We planned to begin in the morning when we had daylight to work with and we'd be rested enough for the days work.  Riley and George would scout the roof while Mason checked out the trucks docked in back.  Once the air horns were in place, to Jill and Kens satisfaction, and Jill was in place, then we would enter the roof and find out how many walkers were inside and eliminate them, as quietly as possible.  I'd keep watch over the motor home, Jill and Ken until we headed inside. 

     The day was gonna be another hot one.  The sky was a pale blue but there was a slight breeze.  Just enough that when you were about to bitch about the heat a breeze would dry the sweat until the next time you got hot.  I knew that by the late afternoon it would probably be near 100 degrees so we needed to get as much done as possible before then.  Maybe work a bit after sundown.

     Once Ken and Jill was happy with their project, Ken joined us and we got ready to enter through the roof hatch.  We thought the removal of the hatch would produce a walker or two but after a few minutes, Mason stuck his head in the hole, with his night vision goggles on, his fine butt sticking up in the air.  
Stop that, I'm trying to concentrate. 
I just smiled and kept on staring.  George thought,
Oh gross, stop that you two. 
I turned and sat on the roof laughing.  Ken said, "Stop what?  Did I miss something?   Are you guys doing that thing again?"

     Mason cleared his throat and said "It looks like a file storage room.  File cabinets everywhere and nothing moving.  But the door is open to the office so Riley, you want to follow me down and back me up?"

     "Let's go."  Then being the he man, he simply jumped into the black hole to the floor beneath.  George nearly swallowed her tongue but from the sounds of it he made it fine.  Would've served him right if he'd broke his stupid neck, but I liked the guy so I looked skyward, scowled at Mason as he slid quietly onto the floor and out of sight.  It always makes me nervous when he does that but I'm a girl, so.

      He reappeared soon enough to announce it was all clear so George, Ken and I took our turns willingly going into the unknown.  Once our eyes adjusted I could see we were indeed surrounded by filing cabinets.  Riley stood at the door waiting for us so we stepped into the office area.  It looked like the manager just stepped out for a minute.  It was darker here but we expected that and put on our goggles and went to the door.  Mason waited there, slowly scanning the area with his heat detector.  The places he couldn't see he indicated to Riley who made his way to the spot, cleared it and waited for the next order.  It took longer than I wanted it too but we eventually cleared the whole upper floor.

      It was hot.  I sat on the top stair and fanned myself while Mason called Jill on the radio to see if the coast was clear on the west side of the building so we could open the cargo doors.  We would all die of heat exhaustion in an hour if we couldn't get some relief.  When Jill called all clear it didn't take long to open those doors.  Come afternoon we'd open the ones on the south and east but for now the relief was welcome.

     George and Riley took one side and me and Mason the other with Ken keeping watch down the middle from the top landing.  We did it this way so we could talk mind to mind and not chance getting surprised by dead people.  I was just starting to get bored when we encountered the first walker.  I almost froze it was such a surprise but Mason almost decapitated it.  A human head nearly cut from the body and still moving its eyes and mouth is a sight to see.  Definitely one that will keep you awake for the next six months anyway.  The movies can't do it justice, although they use a lot more gooey, gory, gunk than is really there, it's still just as yucky.

   
Got one standing at the end of the isle about two rows ahead of you George
. Ken said, still not conquering the method of just sending to George.  Me and Mason waited for answer.  She must of said it directly to Ken.

    There was a low hollow thunk as the walker hit the concrete.  It was their heads bouncing off the hard floor.  Not fond of that sound either. 

     
Can you see us from the top of the steps, Ken. 
I asked

     
Yep, can see both teams from here.  I like these goggles.  Always wanted a pair of my own.

     
Well, happy birthday. 

    
You're a peach, thanks.

    
Watch out to your left George.

    
Where?

    
Just standing still against the door, blends in really well.

     A slight scuffle broke out on that side of the building and we waited anxiously until George gave the all clear.  Mason and I just looked at each other and then he grabbed me and kissed the stuffing out of me.  He didn't have to say it.  A person can be tense so long and then you just have to kiss someone.  Been there done that. I just grinned at him, took his hand and continued down the isle trying to catch my breath.

     We met up with just two more walkers before deciding the building was clear.  But to be sure, we retraced our steps and cleared it all again.  Then Mason checked outside near the trailers, and the parking lot.  Jill gave the all clear for our area, although she said there was a herd headed outbound on the highway.  Not sure where they were going but we didn't care as long as they kept going. 

     Riley found a large generator and after emptying several cars of their fuel got it going so the security cameras would work.  He diverted all electricity to the office area.  George would man the cameras (with a huge fan she'd found) which included the parking area, while we filled the trailers.  I told Mason that I would be happy to loose the motor home for a semi and trailer if he could guarantee we would get home in less than two days for a shower.  That way, we would be taking back three trailers of goods.  The others didn't really understand why we needed all those trailers of stuff but they would.

     Before we started loading the trailers, Mason got up on the roof and called Duke again.  It was spotty reception (which Duke said was our end, of course) but we finally managed to get across we would be another two days maybe three.  He said all was well there and would be happy to see us.  Then we all got into the motor home, rested, ate a bit and drank a lot of water.  I found another case of it and put it in the fridge to cool while we prepared a plan for loading the three trailers.

     There was a fork lift but someone would have to disconnect the back up alarm.  Riley said it had enough propane to last several days but we wouldn't need that much.  There were pallet jack carts so I could operate those while Jill ran the fork lift.  I wanted to see that.  It would look like a child was working it.  George had found a map of the warehouse and what was kept where so we divided it up and made lists we would have to keep to.  It would be so easy to take stuff you don't need like cases of old calendars, bikes, stuffed animals and horror films.  We just didn't watch horror films anymore.  Go figure.

     I still picked up a pallet of computer monitors and discs for Duke, baby diapers and clothes for Davy the baby in our group, dog treats for Bubba, a tool chest for Howard and pots and pans for Sarah.  Everyone got something special from the warehouse while we got needed supplies.  When we filled one trailer, Mason hooked up to it and drove it around to the front next to the motor home, backed another one to a dock and we proceeded to fill it.  The work was hot, sweaty and slow or so it seemed to me.  I was missing home and although I worked as hard as I ever had, I finally gave out near dark. 

     We closed the doors, locked them and wearily walked back to the motor home  Staggering in, I bypassed the kitchen for the bathroom.  I'd found a case of sweats, and snagged a bottom and a gray tee shirt that said 'Zombies hate fast food', and climbed into the shower.  When I came out, Jill didn't take long climbing in behind me and that's the way it went the rest of the evening.   I wrote a note to fill up the tank and empty the discharge tank in the morning first thing, then collapsed at the table with a bottle of cold water, too tired to try to eat anything.

      "We did good today, I think."  Mason said.  His hair was still wet and one strand hung over his eyes.  When he ran his hand through it, I felt things tighten up down low and my eyes must have given me away.  "I love you to,"  he said and took my hand.  I swallowed and took a deep breath.  "I think tomorrow should go faster because we've done all the prep work today.  Might even get done by dark.  I just hope it's cooler tomorrow but with our luck maybe not."  He squeezed my hand then got up to get another bottle of water.  Then he took something out of his pants and tossed it on the table in front of me.  "Found a whole pallet of that and loaded it on the first trailer.  Thought you might want some now."  I picked up the small packet of raspberry tea and quickly opened my water and poured some in.  Heaven.  When I opened my eyes he had a look on his face that probably mirrored mine a bit ago.  Lucky for him Riley came out of the shower just then cause he needed a cold shower if anyone did.

     I didn't think anyone had paid much attention to our byplay until I looked at Jill.  She just smiled, nodded towards the flavored tea packet and when I slid it her direction, she did the same thing I did.  I looked at Ken to see his reaction and yep, he was hooked.  I think he needed a cold shower now.  The power of raspberry flavored tea is womankind's biggest secret weapon. Go girls!

     Feeling relaxed and refreshed we decided to go to bed with the sun. We'd get up with it and try to finish by afternoon when the worst of the heat hit.  Sometime in the night we were awoken by the motor home wobbling, the revving of motorcycles and a big rig.  When we tried to get out of the door of the motor home it was blocked and wouldn't open.  I managed to get one of the windows opened and watched as seven motorcycles and our loaded trailer drove loudly from the parking lot to disappear down the highway.

     I was so mad I starting kicking the door and it took Mason several minutes to calm me down.  The truck that was taken was the first we'd filled from the grocery store and was only half filled.  I guess those fools only had one person that could drive a semi.  Anyway, by the time Jill shimmied out the window and opened the other semi's door that was also blocked on the outside, to let Riley out, I was just sitting at the table fuming.  It took him a minute to get our door open but when we finally got out we saw that every one of the tires on the motor home were flat and some bright someone had written, "tanks assholes. on the side.  Must not be the brightest light bulb in the package since 'thanks' was misspelled but they were energetic enough to mess us up for a while.  Of course, they didn't know that we hadn't planned to take the motor home but I was still pissed anyway.

     The sky was beginning to lighten up so we started our day too.  It'd be a bit more involved than yesterday and we'd be a lot more tired since we had to start over.  I thought of a dozen ways to get back at the nimrods as I worked which kept me going.  I think the others were planning mayhem on them also.  It kept me busy because I knew we'd be home soon and wouldn't have to put up with this crap any more.